I know that this will come as an unpleasant shock, but there are people out there who like things. And some of those things? They’re things that you don’t like. For a dramatic presentation on the topic, I turn to ProZD [NSFW, language].

If we’re to have any kind of productive discussion though, this leaves us with a bit of a pickle. On the one hand there’s taste. When it comes to personal preference, I’m not automatically wrong for choosing strawberry instead of chocolate. This gets complicated though when I’ve never so much as tried chocolate. How can I possibly have an informed opinion if I’m ignorant of all my options?

“As far as I’m concerned, the 7.5th edition of Tunnels and Trolls is the pinnacle of gaming.”

“Have you tried 8th ed. though? I mean sure it’s only available in French, but it improves on several key elements of–”

“PINNACLE. OF. GAMING!”

*inarticulate screeching noises*

I’ve got some sympathy for both viewpoints here. It’s hard to watch somebody slice pizza with a dirty spork knowing that there’s a perfectly good Sani-Safe P177A Pizza Cutter with Polypropylene Handle in the drawer. By the same token, you’ll have to pry my favorite spork from my cold, dead hands. I’ve used it for years. It’s ergonomic. It’s multi-functional, gods dammit!

Somewhere between the strawberries, the pizza cutters, and the inarticulate screeching, we might have lost track of the point. What I’m really getting at here is that all the things we talk about one this comic (e.g. whether DMPCS are ever acceptable; if magic item shops are a good thing; how we ought to handle trap spotting, etc.) are subject to opinion. Different groups will come to different conclusions, and there is never “one true way to game.” That’s why I frame all these blog posts as questions. I know that I’ve got my opinion, but I actually want to hear yours. If we’re lucky we’ll learn something from one another in the process.

So if you happen to see a trio of dragons out in the wild, and if they’re enjoying bad-wrong-PVP shenanigans, let them have their fun. Maybe share a few stories of your own. Let them know that there are other styles in the wide world of gaming. But don’t tell them that their game is horrible and that you’d quit such a campaign and that dragon PCs are unbalanced anyway. That’s not going to win any converts. We all love our hobby, and it’s possible to love it in different ways and for different reasons.

Question of the day then. What sets off your personal “that’s bad-wrong-fun” alarm? Do you think it’s possible for a group to enjoy that kind of bad-wrong-fun despite its downsides? Let’s hear it in the comments!

EARN BONUS LOOT! Check out the The Handbook of Heroes Patreon. We’ve got a sketch feed full of Laurel’s original concept art. We’ve got early access to comics. There’s physical schwag, personalized art, and a monthly vote to see which class gets featured in the comic next. And perhaps my personal favorite, we’ve been hard at work bringing a bimonthly NSFW Handbook of Erotic Fantasy comic to the world! So come one come all. Hurry while supplies of hot elf chicks lasts!