If it's bitter, it's bitter...
A few days ago, a review of the adventure ‘The God Towers of the Elophant’ was published on a well-known review site. The review was entirely negative and I have no issue with that. Not every adventure will appeal to everyone, and in this case, it didn’t land well.
What left a bitter taste in my mouth, however, are two aspects that I’d like to share with you.
The first is about tone and respect. As I said, I’m totally fine with criticism. But I feel uncomfortable when someone expresses their opinion with a lack of respect or basic courtesy. I know respectful discourse online is becoming more and more rare, which makes it even more valuable. So my (rhetorical) question is: since kindness and respect are free, why not use them? Being the direct target of that tone made it hit harder.
The second point, the one which hurts me even more, is that the core message of the module was completely missed. Actually, it feels like it was dismissed as garbage. I’m referring to the trials I included in the module to access the sanctuary of the god Elophant. These were designed as moral trials, meant to highlight certain virtues through play. But they were misunderstood and reduced to “tests of strength, purity, blah blah blah.”
On one hand, that’s disheartening. On the other, it reinforces something I believe: we’ve reached a point where even small attempts to include ethically meaningful content in RPGs can go completely unnoticed, or worse, be treated as nonsense. Yes, it's just a game, but even games can offer moments to reflect on values, choices, and consequences.
That’s why I don’t think I’m wrong when I say that what’s beautiful and valuable in RPGs, like exploring what’s right or wrong, or showing that standing by your principles has a cost, is fading away. I understand the reviewer probably has hundreds of modules to read and can’t catch every underlying message… but it’s still surprising (and bitter) to see this kind of content brushed off as “blah blah blah.”
Maybe I hid the message too well. Maybe I misjudged. But in the end, this harsh review only strengthens my resolve. I need to keep going and do even more, even if it hurts to read something like this: there is the need to keep high some messages that the mainstream is trying to wash away.
May the fun, the politeness and the key values be all always at your table!
I know exactly how you feel. I went through the same. I get that there's a character being roleplayed, the old and bitter, sarcastic grognard. But it really crosses into disrespect real soon. English is not my native language and I'm coming to the OSR from other RPG styles that I've been playing and writing/publishing for over 30 years in my country. Any criticism is valid, even the harsh ones. But disrespect and insult are not game for me. In the end the reviewer didn't even read the story my adventure is based on, so he couldn't even understand since of the choices which were made by the author (Robert E Howard) and not by me. But hey. Keep doing what you do. You'll find your audience. Best to you. Luiz.
I resonate with your comment on ethics/morality. I fear that current culture treats non-religious morality as something of a joke, and the only question is if something is actually illegal or not (or worse, if the penalty for doing something is greater or less than the benefit received. This seems to be a byproduct of late stage capitalism. In any event, you have induced me to check out the adventure and hope you continue with work that encourages people to think. Best, Rick