Kafers in MGT

[EDG]

It is something that pops up every now and again on RPG.net and such places.

I don't recall ever seeing anyone complain about it on rpgnet (a search on the RPG forum there doesn't reveal any complaints either, or even any mention of "kaffir").

There have been two threads about it on CotI (one in 2005, one in 2009), big deal.

Honestly, I think you're worrying about a problem that doesn't exist in any significant form at all. The irony is that if not for this thread, I doubt that anybody would have given the name a second thought.

 

[Rex]

It is something that pops up every now and again on RPG.net and such places.

I don't recall ever seeing anyone complain about it on rpgnet (a search on the RPG forum there doesn't reveal any complaints either, or even any mention of "kaffir").

There have been two threads about it on CotI (one in 2005, one in 2009), big deal.

Honestly, I think you're worrying about a problem that doesn't exist in any significant form at all. The irony is that if not for this thread, I doubt that anybody would have given the name a second thought.

It is a non issue to most folks that are grown up and normal. However, you have piles of people out there just itching for something to crusade against it.

Remember it doesn't have to be an issue, to generate an issue. All it takes is ONE crybaby crusader, and you run into the 'Tilt at the Windmill" complex.....Like all the people that got bent out of shape about the Blade of the Immortal manga, because they thought the sauvastika (manji in Japanese), was a swastika, and that the Hero of the manga was an anti semetic because he used that symbol and in effect, ws named after it as well.

Meanwhile everyone else is going, "Huh?", but there's always one person that will make a stink about it.

I'm for sticking with the Original Spelling, Toss the Umlaut in where it belongs anyway, and transferring the setting to MGT core rules as a whole. Then put in a disclaimer sentence in the front of the book in itty bitty bitty ultra small print saying, the word doesn't mean what you think it does, the windmills are over there...*points 3,000 miles away*....

~Rex

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

You mean the official emblem of Zen Buddhism (which represents the Heart of the Buddha)?

Couldn't it be actually be considered a tad discriminatory to say that it had any dubious connotations?

That should get the "PC brigade" in a twist not trying to offend someone or other....

 

[EDG]

However, you have piles of people out there just itching for something to crusade against it.

Remember it doesn't have to be an issue, to generate an issue. All it takes is ONE crybaby crusader, and you run into the 'Tilt at the Windmill" complex.....

Yeah, it pisses me off when I see TV shows in the news because like, 10 people found something to complain about them. 10 out of how many millions of viewers exactly? Why do we even care that a tiny handful of people out of a much much larger market might take offense at something? You're always going to have people take things the wrong way, no matter what you do.

It'd be another matter if the majority of 2300AD fans were saying "whoa, you really need to change the name", but pre-emptively changing it just in case one or two might get their knickers in a twist over their own demonstrably incorrect misinterpretation of it is ridiculous.

I'm OK with adding an umlaut over the a to make it more distinctively germanic, but that's about it.

 

[dreamingbadger]

Honestly, I think you're worrying about a problem that doesn't exist in any significant form at all. The irony is that if not for this thread, I doubt that anybody would have given the name a second thought.

It is a non issue to most folks that are grown up and normal. However, you have piles of people out there just itching for something to crusade against it.
[/quote]
I think you should add a sentence do your book of law ... Political Correctness without a warrant.. 10 years on Titan

I agree with you though

 

[Mark A. Siefert]

OK, I can live with an umlaut.

 

[alex_greene]

Yeah, so did I, till my wife found out about her and fired the au pair.

 

[Sevya]

Yes, "Käfer" is German for beetle. 20 million Volkswagen can't be wrong. However, it does need an umlaut, or it's just not right. It messes with my head seeing spelled with an ae, too, I still haven't gotten used to those things.

It messes with my head when they attempt to make words look more Russian by replacing R with Я "Ya" and N with И "Ee", and I'm not even a native Russian speaker...

I think an umlaut would be appropriate. Linguistically correct spellings are more accessible than they used to be. Two years ago I wouldn't have known how to type the paragraph above with the Russian letters.

Sevya

 

[alex_greene]

Incidentally, despite my view on the whole naming of the species, I have been keeping well out of it this time around. Whatever the spelling of the name, I'd have loved to have seen how the Vilani dealt with these bugs, back in the day. Surely the First Imperium must have encountered them at some point before the Earthers got into space ...

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

The Vilani would have probably just nuked them from orbit and moved on. After 100 years of paperwork of course.

The Kafer seem too dangerous to keep around if you want a stable empire.

Now the HIVERS would have had fun with the Kafer...

 

[Tathlum]

I use them to replace Ithiklur as a more interesting alternative.

The first time I heard of Kafers my mind did make the negative link with the word Kaffir and put me off reading more. Not an impassioned boycot or anything, but I did put the game back on the shelf and moved on.

Maybe just calling them bugs/bug like aliens in an intro blurb and calling the Kafers in the book when you can explain the term might help. People make first impressions very quickly and can latch onto weird stuff. I can see why Matt is giving it some consideration.

 

[Vile]

I think an umlaut would be appropriate. Linguistically correct spellings are more accessible than they used to be. Two years ago I wouldn't have known how to type the paragraph above with the Russian letters.

Did I mention that a crafty umlaut looks really cool, too? :wink:

 

[Sturn]

Whatever the spelling of the name, I'd have loved to have seen how the Vilani dealt with these bugs, back in the day. Surely the First Imperium must have encountered them at some point before the Earthers got into space ...

Not if they exist in two completely different gaming universes. Traveller: 2300 AD is not in the same universe as Traveller. Traveller: 2300 AD was not a prequel to Traveller. Two different timelines. The confusion later lead to the dropping of "Traveller" to just 2300 AD in the second edition.

 

[EDG]

The confusion later lead to the dropping of "Traveller" to just 2300 AD in the second edition.

I'm still don't understand how people can still think that 2300AD is part of the OTU. Especially given that it's been decades since the name change, GDW admitted that it was a bad idea to tack "Traveller" on it to start with, and they have said it's not related to the OTU.

 

[IanBruntlett]

I'm still don't understand how people can still think that 2300AD is part of the OTU.

I run a (regular) game in the Spinward Marches and Mongoose Traveller is the first Traveller I've ever dealt with.

I thought that Traveller 2300AD was a successor to plain old Traveller. Until I read about it in this forum

 

[Jame Rowe]

I thought that Traveller 2300AD was a successor to plain old Traveller. Until I read about it in this forum

But you're a newbie, so you can be forgiven... :wink:

I too would be interested in seeing how the Kafers would be handled in the Traveller 3rd Imperium setting, but that could be well handled in a sidebar in the MGT: 2300AD setting book (along with all the other stuff, like fixes to MGT's cybernetics and stuff).

 

[Bygoneyrs]

Hey the kafers were always a cool and rather well done Alien race, and I would love to see them redone as a possible race within the game. Now I would love to see 2300, 2320 or WHAT-EVER they want to call it be done.

Penn

 

[Colin]

So would I...

(now where are those notes..?)

 

[Vile]

I don't know what the problem is. Of course 2300AD is not OTU. But Mongoose Traveller is not the OTU anymore, either, so it's perfectly possible to have Traveller 2300AD. Not only possible, but highly desirable!

That's not a hint, that's a blatant request. :wink:

 

[Gamerguy]

8)
Traveller:2300 is or is NOT Traveller is a very old debate. Facts:

1) 2300AD was a Cyberpunk game when I started playing it in 1991 - and a darn good one at that. I enjoyed this version and actually still play it.
GDW marketing was: 2300AD: The Cyberpunk game of a dark gritty future.

2) 2320AD is an ATU for Traveller T20 and is the current edition in print.

3) There is some rumours going around of a Traveller:2300 book for Mongoose Traveller. If this was done right it would be very cool - Cyberpunk or not.