I think the real issue here isn’t the new Lara Croft attitude
Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.
I think Evil Hat Productions has gotten themselves a somewhat unfavorable reputation in parts of the TTRPG Community. I’m probably going to get labeled a “bad online journalist” among other things just for mentioning them in a halfway favorable light. The funny part is, I was a fan of the company long before any controversy on X (Twitter) or anywhere else online. Oh, and FYI, I’ve never claimed any journalistic accolades on my blog.
Evil Hat Productions has made their share of mistakes, but probably not as many as another certain large TTRPG megacorporation has, especially over the last year. Nobody is perfect, not even the OSR talking heads and pundits who claim to know it all. I would go so far as to say Evil Hat isn’t so bad in the grand scheme of things.
From what I can gather, (and feel free to send me a message on social media or an email @Jeffsgamebox@gmail.com and let me know what I got wrong,) Evil Hat put out a strongly worded message saying they don’t want anti LGBTQIA+, anti BIPOC, anti DEI, or other bigoted individuals involved in their games in any way. They basically said (I’m paraphrasing) if you’re a bigoted turd of a human being, don’t bother. We don’t want you.
Obviously EHP’s sentiment was poorly received by some segments of the TTRPG community. Social media and YouTube exploded into a mighty uproar, and everyone called everyone else a bigoted 🦆🦆hole. I’m not saying either side was completely correct. However, telling certain edgelord sh🦆posting dipsh🦆s where to go and what to do when they get there is okay.
Could it have gone differently? Probably. Some people have been gatekeeping in the TTRPG hobby for decades. Are marginalized groups important to the hobby? Abso-friggin-lutely.
There are plenty of awesome gamers out there, even in the OSR.
I think the guys that give the OSR a bad reputation are few and incredibly loud, which is how they garner a lot of attention. Unfortunately that vocal minority… (How do I say this?) It makes the entire demographic look bad. Hence the infamous comment by that one dude about “Guys like me can’t leave fast enough for this hobby.” It makes things very difficult for an “old white dude” like me to stand up and try to defend what is an increasingly shaky social position.
Some people would have you believe you can’t swing a broom without hitting a bigoted asshat in the TTRPG hobby. Others would have you believe the hobby is overrun with people who absolutely hate cishet Caucasian males because we’re all evil, I guess. Apparently there’s some kind of agenda by the “alphabet mafia” to infiltrate the TTRPG hobby and pollute all of our thoughts with their “warped, degenerate moral values.” (Umm- *BULLSHIT!* as a side note.)
I’m a well known conspiracy nut and I’d be the first one to call out some kind of hidden agenda if there was any evidence of one. I’ve never once seen that in the TTRPG hobby. Nobody wants to keep anybody out, but we’re so busy arguing about who is or who isn’t, we’re missing out on opportunities to do what we came for. Hello. Can we just get back to the game?
Thirsty. Sword. Lesbians!
This game was about 20 years overdue. I was so happy and proud to see it winning awards and kicking butt. Someone needed to jump into the TTRPG industry and really shake things up, and I think this game did it quite loudly. I think a lot of old industry guys are jealous of how well this game did.
Thirsty Sword Lesbians (TSL) is a Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) game. The gist of the game is your character in a world such as She-Ra (the new one.) You go on adventures to promote justice, true love, romance and a sort of chivalry. It’s not terribly violent like most TTRPGs despite the name. At first glance it resembles AD&D 1E. Once one starts reading the rules, however, there is no resemblance beyond characters with swords.
Needless to say, TSL is the TTRPG that makes the bitter old Grognards lose their minds. The game became an excuse for certain very bigoted individuals to spread their hate all over the internet, on social media, and YouTube. I think some were just plain jealous of the game’s success, while others were mad because this new game brought a lot of concepts with it that the old guys aren’t used to.
Going back to Tomb Raider for a moment.
Is it because Tomb Raider looks like a bad game about anticolonialism OR is it because people are still mad about Thirsty Sword Lesbians and the new TTRPG culture that came in with it? The same talking heads complain about Jeremy Crawford bringing the same LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, BIPOC, DEI crowd into Dungeons & Dragons 5E.
“We have to make games apolitical,” the right wingnuts cry.
It’s true that some TTRPG companies manage to stay afloat and stay out of political discussions and keep politics out of their games. Likewise I don’t think there’s a real conspiracy by the left wing liberals to invade the TTRPG hobby and take over. That’s ridiculous because liberals have been in the hobby for decades.
If Tomb Raider is so horrible and degenerate as some attempt to claim, don’t buy it. Don’t back it. Don’t talk about it on YouTube. The same goes for D&D 5E or whatever the new/not-new edition is going to be. It’s okay to keep on playing the same handful of games you’ve been playing for decades.
Meanwhile, politics aside, Evil Hat Productions keeps making great games.
FATE is still in the top 10, maybe top 5 games in my collection. Blades in the Dark is still massively successful to the point where other well known TTRPG designers use or emulate the system. Scum & Villainy is one of the best space games out there almost by default these days because there are only so many ways to replace Star Wars without actually being the licensed IP.
Thirsty Sword Lesbians speaks for itself. I wrote an article about it a while back. Find it here. It won numerous accolades in the hobby as well as becoming the first ever TTRPG to win a Nebula award. D&D has never managed to do that. Again, sh🦆lords be damned. TSL delivered more and I think it makes a lot of edgelords jealous.
More recently, they released Girl By Moonlight, which is basically a no IP Sailor Moon or Glitter Force. Don’t laugh. The PbtA mechanics work pretty well for this style of game and the writing is excellent. (I’ll write a review eventually.)
The other game that just came out in print and PDF a few short weeks ago was a project I backed called Deathmatch Island. It uses a different system called PARAGON. However, it should be noted that John Harper of Blades in the Dark fame is involved, so it’s all still in the Evil Hat family. Originally I thought the game was going to be like Fortnite the TTRPG, but it also has some elements of Jagged Alliance (loved that PC game.) It’s also a bit of Survivor TV series meets Running Man. (Another review I will eventually get around to.)
Will I back the new Tomb Raider? Alas, no. But not for political reasons or any beef with Evil Hat Productions. I’ve got financial reasons and my own projects that I’m working on. Sorry, Evil Hat, but Lara’s gotta wait.
I just noticed that a much more skilled journalists is saying basically the same thing.
Here’s an article on Rascal that’s worth checking out. Link here. Turns out Chase Carter was on much the same path I was on regarding the recent release of the new Tomb Raider RPG into the wilds of playtesting. Which is cool, because now I can go work on some other things.
Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.
Jeff's Game Box 