"Policy Change at OneBookShelf?" Topic

I received this notice from Lamentations of the Flame Princess, a Finnish game company that sells via the OneBookShelf websites:

'allo everyone.

OneBookShelf (parent company of RPGNow, DriveThruRPG, etc.) has released a new "Offensive Content Policy" which will allow users to flag products they consider offensive. OBS will then review titles and remove those they find objectionable. Their new policy states:

"If a reported title looks questionable, then we will suspend it from sale while we review its content internally, and we will speak with its publisher to determine the fate of the title on our marketplace. Our default will be to suspend titles rather than our prior default of letting titles stay public."

They also state "We are no longer a wide-open marketplace."

LotFP releases are often influenced by horror movie and heavy metal attitudes and aesthetics. Many of the same people who caused this new policy to be implemented have in the past complained about LotFP products.

I hope I am wrong, but I fear that LotFP is not long for this site.

Make sure you've downloaded all your LotFP purchases from OBS, and back them up. There may soon come a day when you will not have access to them and I may not have the infrastructure to replace them.

We're not allowed to link to other sites in these emails, but it shouldn't be too hard for you to find LotFP's blog, or website, or Facebook, or G+ pages, to receive further news if we disappear from this site.

I might also suggest you (politely!) email OBS and voice your support for being able to decide for yourself what products you choose to buy or not, and not having such things dictated to you.

OBS can do as they damned well please. Amazon sure as does.

And I'm afraid I won't be "stocking up" on said product. You couldn't pay me to take it.

Oh, this won't be abused at all.

What is "LotFP"? I wish people would define acronyms before using them. Oh wait…Lamentations of a flaming Prince….got it. And don't care.

I fear more about losing access to Wargaming titles involving Nazis, Confederates, Fascists, the American Indian wars (15th century forward), communusts, socialists, Huns, Visigoths, Vandals, Mongols, Huns, Romans, Klingobs, etc. Since everything offends somebody. May just end up with Teddy Bear wars…. ;-)

There is some history to this. This link explaining the change is well worth reading:

link

G.

It's a shame the world can't be as each of us wants it to be.

I don't have much of a problem with this.

John T

The whole change came about because DriveThru RPG's policy had been to expect everyone to be grown ups and play nice, without any active oversight, which was why it was such an aberration and shock to many when someone offered for sale a module who's title alone was massively offensive. If the policy is able to easily deal with the tiny fraction of a percentage of products that appear to be designed to offend, this should be fine.

The only problem that might crop up is if certain groups who are huge supporters of one ancient fantasy book or another decide that all these books on 'magic' or 'demonology' are offensive and start flagging up otherwise completely innocuous gaming publications, taking them temporarily off sale and causing Mr. Wieck a lot of unnecessary work.

I think I'm more disappointed than upset. Everybody's got their limits, and Steve just found his.

Do I agree with the decision? It's hard to say, because I haven't actually seen the module in question. I do know people who've ran a captured-as-slaves adventure, complete with rape scenes, so I know there's a market out there.

I also know that Guinny is right, and that people will now lobby for titles to be removed from the store. I think Guinny will be surprised by who those people are, though.

If a seller chooses to not have a certain item for sale (for any reason), it is his (or her) right to do so. Whether or not I agree with that decision is irrelevant. Surely it is possible for the producer to find another way of selling ?

I am not sure I understand this remark of Lamentations of the Flame Princes:

"We're not allowed to link to other sites in these emails, but it shouldn't be too hard for you to find LotFP's blog, or website, or Facebook, or G+ pages, to receive further news if we disappear from this site."

Are "these emails" and "this site" about TheMiniaturesPage or about OneBookShelf ? The LOTFP (I like the name and would love to be able to paint a Flame Princess ;-)) could advertise on TMP, I assume ?

I've only seen two things ever get banned from their site: The first was some gamergate thing, because it was trying to cash in on current controversy and the second was a game supplement called "Festival of Rapists".

I'm not a gator and I don't write rape-themed game materials, so I don't give a hoot. I am confident that if the free market has demand for those topics, a service will spring up to service that need.

I am curious how the author knows that "many of the same people…" have also complained about his games. Seems like idle speculation to me.

Breaking News!

Nordic Weasel Games is being oppressed.
THEY don't want you to go online right now and buy all of my games.

THEY mean to take everything you like and make it illegal. You know who THEY are!

Act now, take a stance with your credit card and show them that you will not stand for this cheap emotional manipulation!
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