A Rather Critical Review of Morgansfort

[Urieal]

I like to make sure all my fantasy role-playing games are politically correct.


Devil's Advocate here:
It is a bit odd that skin color is mentioned. I do question the use of skin color for these two characters specifically, because it is mentioned nowhere else in the module. None of the people from Morgansfort have skin color mentioned, so it strikes me as odd that the detail was added specifically for these two NPCs. Freudian slip maybe? If you were trying to showcase a specific part of Glain (i.e. the southern tribes), then more details should be provided about individuals from that part of the world rather than skin/eye color.

I've never particularly liked having pregnant anything in my game. It's a game, so I keep it "gamey"...not a "simulation" of fantasy world so I can get my players to question their specific PC's moral quandaries. That's me. That's how I roll. Some other people like having the PCs struggle over killing baby goblins...but I don't get my rocks off that way. I never have. Never will.

As such, any module that has "pregnant anything" automatically gets adjusted so that's it's not pregnant...except maybe the local fauna. There are no humanoid "children" in my games...there are "young"...but no "children". "Young" orcs attack your calves with sharp knives and rocks...better hope your greaves are up to snuff!

[Solomoriah]

Gah.

Urieal's first point is important. I did not intend to call unusual attention to the skin color of the two women, but by mentioning it there and nowhere else, I did exactly that.

I was, in all actuality, just writing down the story the way it played out in my game. Cave of the Unknown was finished after being playtested, like most of my adventures.

So perhaps I need to take that bit out. It's enough that the merchant's daughter had a servant, and that by extension the servant is of lower status.

I'm a bit less clear on how I want to deal with the pregnant orc issue. I'll have to re-read the adventure before I make any changes.

I have to be clear here. I'm not changing the adventure due to pressure; rather, the unintended consequences of my writing method just need to be cleaned up after. Fixing my own mistakes is important to me.

[Urieal]

My secondary point is a matter of personal preference.

I 100% disagree with the posted review of Morgansfort in regards to the slaying of the preggo orc women. She fails to take into account a LOT of other options that any mediocre GM would use to make this situation his own.

I also like the idea of a timetable which could be used to possibly save Gwelayn. On a side note, I also like the idea that evil PCs could use the altar to make an undead army! Of course, that could easily be mitigated by a DM by stating that any zombie created on the altar will attack non-undead as soon as they are animated (treat it like the undead lieges and pawns from the RC...and they require a "higher" undead to control them...else..."braaaiiiins").

I am not sure why, off the top of my head, I chose to avoid Morgansfort as an intro module. There was something about it that was unappealing...but I can't, for the life of me, put my finger on it right now.

Maybe if I read through it again...

[Maliki]

I have read over Morgansfort dozens of times and not once did it catch my eye, but since that one instant is the only place skin color is mentioned removing it does seem to make sense.

[Urieal]

Actually, I think it would be neat to reference where many of the NPCs come from. That's it. Then DMs can adjust it for themselves, or might be intrigued enough to look up those locales in your Glain campaign...at which point you can be as descriptive about any coloration of skin/eyes/hair/etc. as you want.

Example:
Saril is from the Southern Tribes
Garneth and Lianna could "Urdish", from Novatia.
Father Thelbain could be from Ravenstone.
Kaino could be from one of the Pirate Isles
etc.

You can then, somewhere else (not in the Morgansfort module), explain what the average "Urdish" person, "Ravenstone person", etc. looks like.

[Hywaywolf]

I noted the difference in skin color when I read it but I took it as the well to do stay out of the sun and pride themselves on alabaster skin while the servant class are more rugged and tanned. But like others have said, you could take that one line out and it will make no difference in how the dungeon is run. So take it out if it bothers you.

[Raellus]

I think that it would be a good idea all around to remove mention of skin tone in future editions of Morgansfort. Mention the different geographical and class origins of important NPCs and then let the GM assign physical characteristics however he or she sees fit.

As for the prego Orc women... I guess that depends on how one imagines Orc culture to be like. Most mothers/pregnant human women will do just about anything to protect their young, but that doesn't necessarily mean taking to the offensive. I don't think that most human women would attack a better armed party unless she felt like she had no other choice. Unless being directly threatened with physical harm, laying low and cooperating would be the most likely strategy to ensure the survival of self and/or the young and unborn. Are Orcs much less rational? Do they care less about their offspring? Do they care less about their own survival?

Perhaps change it to "The Orc women will attack if they are threatened or abused in any way, or if they see a major tactical advantage develop (like the party beds down nearby without setting a watch)."

[artikid]

I found the review unfair.

on the subject of pregnant female orcs and orc babies.
I think no module should lecture GMs and players on morality issues and I expect any mediocre GM to know how to handle this kind of situations.
However, no matter how aggressive the culture, I guess non-warrior women and babies would flee a fight in any case and fight only if cornered.

on saving the damsel and the servant
Also I expect any decent GM to improvvise changes to the module in response to player actions.
I expect GMs to be thinking persons, not just people that read modules to me.
I'd be playing Gamebooks otherwise.

racism
Just because there is a dark skinned slave/servant I do not expect the author to be racist.
Should anybody that writes a novel on civil-war era US be considered racist?

" This is a fantasy RPG, after all. Death is only a tax on the pocket-book."
This -and other things in the review- make me think that the blogger may have very different gaming tastes and sensibilities than my own.

Given all of the above, if I was to decide whether to make changes to the module or not, I probably wouldn't.

[vfults]

I did not intend to call unusual attention to the skin color of the two women, but by mentioning it there and nowhere else, I did exactly that.

When I read that part of the module, it merely clicked in my mind the historical reality that the working classes were "darker" than the upper classes because they had to be out in the sun more frequently doing labor. The "fair maiden" concept derives from the fact that the wealthy did not have to expose themselves to the sun or do hard labor. I took no racism from the tract.

I'd not get too worked up about one blogger's opinion.

[teluria]

My immediate response was to ask the reviewer to repeat after me..
It's only a @#$@#ing game!
It's only a @#$@#^%T@ game!
It's only a @#$%@ game!

If I want deep moral dilemnas to wank over feverishly, I'll go watch the latest Daniel Day Lewis movie.