Why RPG Theory has a Bad Rep- Part III: The Swine Wars

One of the other differences GNS had with the preceding Threefold was the desire to spread the word and to influence the hobby as a whole. To this end, believers at the Forge would spread to other message boards both to wax poetically upon the benefits of GNS and most importantly to combat any who attempted to point out problems with the theory.

I say most importantly because the Internet thrives on flamewars and conflicts. Reasoned exchanges soon drop out of sight online and are remember by few. And dropping out of sight was the last thing the GNS movement wanted. To this end they would engage anyone gainsaying their viewpoint anywhere. And if there wasn’t anyone to engage, they would make certain that GNS related topics remained in public view through consistent posting.

To this end they had a number of powerful advantages besides the fanatical core believers.

The first was the sheer mass and jargon of the GNS body of Theory, and its open and implied insults against other game styles. The latter was certain to draw fire while the former allowed a wide range of response and if nothing else, allowed the faithful or unaware to debate the meaning of the model between themselves. Both factors kept GNS in the public eye for years.

The second advantage they enjoyed was the arrival of the Print on Demand era. It was now possible for nearly anyone to publish a RPG for almost nothing up front. The GNS movement took immediate advantage of this by publishing theory focused games using their new ‘author’ status to gain ‘gamer cred’ as someone of some importance. Further these games were new fuel for keeping GNS visible online as each release would renew the debate over the theory and what it was now producing.

Their third advantage was the reaction of some on the net. Perhaps the most noticeable case is found in RPGpundit and his message board. This self declared guardian ‘of the frontier against the swine’ labeled GNS believers ‘Swine’ and used his blog and forum to launch weak diatribes laced with petty profanity against them at every turn. This of course played directly into the hands of the GNS crowd by keeping them front and center. And linked anyone else opposing them with the image of irrationality RPGpundit brought to the debate.

The Swine Wars (to use RPGPundit’s term) was off and running. Ron Edwards and GNS would enjoy all the limited fame the Internet could bring to an extent never seen before in RPG Theory. Their sun had risen high indeed, and their day was bright.

But they were about to be undone by three important factors: the arrival of one of the few serious studies of gaming styles, the highly limited appeal of their games, and their need for public attention and desire to push the edge. Next, the fading of GNS…

Parts I, II, IV, V