RE: No Good Guys? (Re: ATTN Jon T: Free CalTex Government and Society?)

At least as far as the US is concerned...
	I think it represents a growing cynicism towards
governments/corporations. 
 We now hear about nearly everything done by our government &
corporations, 
right or wrong, and we know that that's not the whole truth (everybody
has 
secrets).  We assume the worst of our government, and are usually
rewarded 
with just that.  I know, this is a question of living up to standards,
but 
we've been pretty disillusioned lately.
	On a much less philosophical nature, I think it's kind of a
dodge in 
game-universe writing (no offense, Jon - see below).  With no good guys,

there are few standards of conduct, and you can play any side any way
you 
want.  Most power-gamers, the most common kind, don't want to be limited
in 
any way, 'cause they win their games through firepower and super-units 
alone.	Who would want to be stuck with a bunch of Imperial Guard, when
you 
can have Chaos Terminator Marines?  ('Scuse the GW reference)  Who would

play the Federation in Star Fleet Battles, if you were forced to use the

Non-Violent Combat (?) rules?  Darn few.  That's what i think is a shame

about the trend in recent games (cards, GW) - it's all about points & 
power.	I miss the hex-&-counter games, where one side was weaker by 
design, not by budget of the player, or what rule supplement/booster
pack 
you have bought most recently.
	On the gripping hand, GZG has done a wonderful job with their
stuff.	I 
understand the 'no good guys' in the setting, but nobody is really
'evil', 
either.  It's a good balance.  And the points stuff is well presented as

'take it or leave it'.	I usually leave it.  Their concepts and
commentary 
on scenario design are quite insightful as well, and the
Motivation/Fatigue 
part of SG2 is one of the best things I've seen in a very long time. 
And 
what good, plentiful and inexpensive minis!  (See, Jon, I wasn't after 
you!)

Noah
who *likes* to play the ESU, and not just for the slogans, either.

-----Original Message-----
From:	Mark A. Siefert. [SMTP:cthulhu@csd.uwm.edu]
Sent:	Tuesday, July 21, 1998 05:08 PM
To:	FTGZG-L@bolton.ac.uk
Subject:	No Good Guys? (Re: ATTN Jon T: Free CalTex Government
and 
Society?)

Doug_Evans/CSN/UNEBR@UNebMail.UNeb.EDU wrote:
>
> Also, the repression by NAC definitely feeds to the 'no good guys'
line 
JT
> mentioned earlier. ;->=

	You know something... This is just an observation mind you, but
the
idea of "no-good-guys" seems to be the trend in game background writing
these days. (e.g. WH40K, Heavy Gear, Warzone and quite a few other games
out on the market.)  Have we become so cynical and so pesimistic that we
no longer desire for real heros and obvious villians for the modern
myths we weave?  If so, why are we like this.
--
Later,
Mark A. Siefert

     "Armed people are free.  No state can control those who have the
machinery and the will to resist, no mob can take their liberty and
property.  And no 220-pound thug can threaten the well being or dignity
of a 110-pound woman who had two pounds of iron to even things out."

				     --Clarissa Olson
					From "The Probability Broach"
					By L. Neil Smith

cthulhu@csd.uwm.edu		 http://www.uwm.edu/~cthulhu/index.html
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