CAR-PGa Newsletter January 2021

CAR-PGa NEWSLETTER

Vol. 30, No. 1

An international network of researchers into all aspects of role-playing games

January 2021

David Millians, Editor

Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA

millians.david@paideiaschool.org

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

Well, that sucked.

2020 was a difficult year for so many reasons. The near-universal condemnation of 2020 can be deafening, so I'm going to shift the conversation a bit instead. Yes, the pandemic was bad; yes, it's clear that in times of social unrest we still have a long way to go in ensuring equal and fair treatment of everyone no matter the color of their skin; yes, the election in the U.S. was exhausting as were the allegations that came with it. But here's the good news: humanity is in a position to do something about it. For the CAR-PGA, that extends to our games too.

We can choose to wear masks, social distance, game virtually, and not play with people in-person outside of our bubble. It's difficult, particularly those of us who have in-person games with people we've played for decades, but until we get a vaccine it's critical we protect the most vulnerable. I'm proud that the CAR-PGA took a leadership position on the topic with our infographic, even as that infographic no longer applies.

We can respect all gamers no matter their background. We've added a Diversity & Inclusion section to our Best Practices page. We also updated our by-laws to reflect this commitment to diversity.

We can support the most vulnerable gamers. I mentioned recently that one of my long-time players passed away from non-COVID-related issues related to his poor health; he is certainly not alone. We have a page dedicated to gamers from all walks of life. While we're on the topic, respect for all gamers extends to EVERYONE, including the dead. A certain company is selling dice made from recycled medical skeletons. The history of corpses used in medicine is fraught with abuse that disenfranchised the poor and people of color--to learn more of why purchasing dice made of a human being is a bad idea, please see this article.

So 2020 wasn't great, and some of those circumstances were simply out of our control. But I'm not willing to chalk all of our rough year up to chance either; the power to make 2021 better begins with us.

Speaking of which, we're overdue for voting on the Chair (my role, which was supposed to be voted on in July) and the Board of Directors (in January). If you'd like to join the Board or would like to be considered for Chair, please let David know.

Have a wonderful, safe holiday and New Year. 

Sincerely,

Mike Tresca
Board Chair

NEW MATERIAL

FROM DAVID MILLIANS

Appelcline, Shannon (2020 Dec 8) The Top RPGs of the ‘00s and ‘10s. https://www.rpg.net/columns/advanced-designers-and-dragons/advanced-designers-and-dragons41.phtml. D&D and other contenders, based on ICv2 information, plus Shannon’s usual clear analysis.

Arnaudo, Marco (2020 Dec 6) Paraludic Literature: A Definition, a Historical Overview, and the Case Study of Frostgrave Tales. http://analoggamestudies.org/2020/12/paraludic-literature-a-definition-a-historical-overview-and-the-case-study-of-frostgrave-tales. Games inspiring stories inspiring games.

Edney, Matthew (2020) The Maps We Play…. https://geography.wisc.edu/histcart/2020-extras. Historical examination of maps in games.

Fay Onyx (2018 May 12) Addressing Ableism in Tabletop Role-playing Games. https://writingalchemy.net/resources/addressing-ableism-in-tabletop-role-playing-games. Links to discussions of mental health, monsters and disabilities, diversity, and more.

Jones, Shelly & Tanya Pobuda (2020 Dec 6) An Analysis of Gender-Inclusive Language and Imagery in Top-Ranked Board Game Rulebooks. http://analoggamestudies.org/2020/12/an-analysis-of-gender-inclusive-language-and-imagery-in-top-ranked-board-game-rulebooks. Room for improvement remains.

Morales, Christina (2020 Dec 24) In a Pandemic Fairy Tale, a Garden Leads to a Magical Friendship. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/24/style/fairy-garden-covid.html. Sweet magic of imagination in Covid Times.

Wieland, Rob (2020 Dec 21) Fight Cthulhu Across Time and Space On Your Tabletop. https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwieland/2020/12/21/fight-cthulhu-across-time-and-space-on-your-tabletop/?sh=481daba1558c. Mini-reviews of suggested settings and adventures for Cthulhu gaming.

© Copyright 2021 by the Committee for the Advancement of Role-Playing Games (CAR-PGa), ISSN 1071 7129. The CAR-PGa Newsletter is a monthly publication. For more information contact David Millians, Editor, Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA, phone (404) 808-1070, fax (404) 377-3491, e-mail millians.david@paideiaschool.org. Back issues are available. Contributions of material from the membership are urged, and the byline is responsible for content. Deadline is the last weekday of the month, email preferred. Permission is granted to copy anything in the Newsletter, provided we get a credit line in the publication copying it, and it doesn't have someone else's copyright on it. Information, including details on joining CAR-PGa, can be obtained on the Internet at car-pga.org.