"Classroom Deathmatch Available at e23 [PX]" Topic

A pity that the preview doesn't show anything at all. A table of contents is no preview in my book. I'll be looking forward to hearing how this plays.

People play this sort of stuff?

This is in poor taste I think.

Cool cover. Sounds great. My sort of thing.

:-)

Tony
occultwars.com

You have to admit, the title is an improvement over their last effort…

Kidnapped by the government and transported to a mysterious Battleground, 50 Japanese high school Students are forced to fight to the death in the brutal televised contest called Classroom Deathmatch!

So basically it's "Battle Royale"?

Well, I think it's clear that this is more or less Battle Royale (that film, that is), the boardgame.

At a glance it's very, very poor taste, though, so there will be lots of flak because of that.

hmm… I can't think of any comment that would not be in equally as bad taste as this product. Rob

The "stranded deathmatch" thing is fairly new as these things go, having come to the fore as the manga "Battle Royale", later turned into a live-action movie. I suspect the success of the American show "Survivor" has more than a little to do with this, as the timing is about right.

But "battle schools" have been a popular genre within manga for some time.

I didn't care till you said it was in poor taste.
…
What's in poor taste in it, btw?

Maybe it's just the title and the timing, but I too feel that this is in very poor taste. I know Bill isn't known for censoring the content of ads, but……..

I dunno. The idea of with kids and guns/ knives/ swords battling to the death…seems like a bad idea in light of recent issues of school violence.

Tell me you can't see the parallel here.

Can you say 'extremely poor taste' boys and girls?

I knew you could!

"The "stranded deathmatch" thing is fairly new as these things go, having come to the fore as the manga "Battle Royale", later turned into a live-action movie. I suspect the success of the American show "Survivor" has more than a little to do with this, as the timing is about right."

I know I bring this message to the unwashed -- but Battle Royale was a book my fellows, not one with pictures, and a pretty fun and creepy read.

I'm not the squimish type, nor do I bow to the alter of Political Correctness… yet I instantly thought the timing of this product was in poor taste. Students fighting other students to the death seems like its in poor taste in light of the recent murders at Virginia Tech.

The real issue for me is the title: Classroom Deathmatch.

It just sounds creepy and morbid right now. I realize that this game was probably created LONG before the VTech murders, but perhaps a different title would take a bit of the sting out of it. I can tell you that if this game were on the shelf at my local game store, there would be some flack about it from parents (and possibly me). Again, it's just the title and the timing.

Oh come on! The timing is irrelavent. Sure, it's probaly not good sale-wise to release it the same week as the shootings, but how long are you supposed to wait? And poor taste how? Why don't we all just stop playing any wargame as they're all in bad taste some how, some way, to somebody.

What would be the 'right time' to release this product. This game, or the ad specifically mentions nothing on shooting up innocent classmates for your own morbid jollies, or writing a manifesto complaining to the world that you're socially inept.

People are calling for tighter gun laws now, but was anybody complaining before the VT incident? Would any of you be claiming bad taste if this game was released prior to the incident, or if it never happened?

Practice what you preach people. Throw out all of your war toys, game books, and nazi models and contribute something positive to the world then, besides a 1/56th scale trench table and stop being hypocritical.

I know not everyone here thinks it's bad, and I'll never play the game 'cause it's not what I'm into, but seriously…

Oh good, it's got Panty Explosion crossover rules. When I heard it was a stand-alone product, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to integrate the two… :\

Maybe, like Battle Royale, the game has a strong social message to impart?

"I know I bring this message to the unwashed -- but Battle Royale was a book my fellows, not one with pictures, and a pretty fun and creepy read."

Originally, or after the manga got started? While I wasn't collecting it, the US translation of the manga went to some 15 volumes. The novel version showed up in the US right at the end of the manga run.

Jackson has always been a champion of doing anything that amuses him, whether it causes offense or not. I applaud him.

Freedom of speech is specifically designed to protect offensive speech, after all. By definition nobody objects to the innoffensive speech.
-Kle.

Poor taste? Compared to what? I slaughter whole villages of innocent people in my games. My two Warlord armies are vampires and heartless slavers. I see others gleefully slapping Nazi flags on tiny tanks to recreate their favorite battles. Try explaining to some bystander why your tabletop game has rules for setting people on fire. Violence is always in poor taste. So make sure you throw away your models now. God forbid you should take the game for what it is…a game. Geez people, I play a giant monster smash game that has part of the fun flattening big cities and army bases. Should I stop playing because an army base somewhere actually gets flattened? It's not like this game revolves around playing a guy storming around a school gaining points for blasting his former classmates just because he's a freaking nutcase. Now that might cross the line. Since I loved the movie this seems based on, I might go buy it. And play it, too, for fun. Yes, fun! Good old fashioned make believe violent fun!

What game has rules for setting people on fire?

I might have to pick that one up :/

…………….Doug

Just as any idiot has the right to publish any game they want to and have it advertised; other idiots have the right to state in an open forum that they believe the game is in poor taste!

I think the game is in poor taste! I think a game about the modern 1st Cav. assaulting Casino's in Wyoming and Indian Reservation's is in poor taste! I think games about the efficient operation of concentration camps in Germany during WWII are in poor taste! I think displaying/wearing/modeling the paraphernalia of organizations that preach/practiced hate in modern times while survivors still bound about is in poor taste! I think ethnic African Americans using the N word are in poor taste! I also think that if you want to do any or all of these things, fine, go ahead!

For what it's worth I think it's in poor taste, and if you don't want to hear that from me, then stifle me! Although I would like to add I think being stifled for simply offering your opinion is in poor taste!

Donald~

In any event, I wouldn't suggest anybody play this game on a school campus. It would be a really dumb way to get expelled.

"I think a game about the modern 1st Cav. assaulting Casino's in Wyoming and Indian Reservation"

Now that's just cool…and I have some Cherokee blood in me. Where can I find such a scenario? Of course I am a bit French and Scotch and find myself playing the English often. Guess I seperate taste and gaming.

My only beef is that it seems VERY close to Battle Royale in as much as possibly there aren't a lot of orignal ideas. I'd have to play to find out though…so will reserve full judgement until that time.

Add my vote to the "in bad taste" faction. Was their marketing schedule so inflexible that they couldn't wait a few weeks for the VT horror to fade a bit in the public memory?

So, what next 'Rwandan machete madness'? 'Gas Chamber Corpse Count'??

All promoting a positive image of wargaming. Frankly I'm ashamed to be even looking at TMP with trash like this plastered all over it. Perhaps I should be grateful there aren't half naked Japanese schoolgirls as well.

Unbelievably tasteless, I will never again consider buying from this company.

Rabbit

Just anouther reason for the various controlling and governing bodies to open up the "RPG is bad for the kids" debate … poor timing to the highest power.

Actually, I was hoping for some half-naked Japanese schoolgirls, and now I'm disappointed.

Interesting what is considered poor taste and what is not. I understand why this might upset people, but twenty million dead Commie Russians is in good taste and totally acceptable gaming-wise, thirty-odd American students and it is poor taste? (And the game isn't even about "school shootings" in the Columbine or Virginia Tech sense.)

Seems our hobby is pretty sick whichever way you look at it. It's all about people killing other people for our pleasure. I suppose it is all just a matter of where you draw the line. This obviously crosses the line for some people, I admit it doesn't for me. When I saw this I thought "Cool, a 'Battle Royale' game." Virginia Tech didn't even occur to me.

My line of taste must be further along the scale than other folks. Gaming Nazi Death Camps would be a no-no for me, yet this doesn't bother me. I see it as a fantasy game. I don't know where my "line" is. Guess I'll find out when a game comes along that crosses it.

I'll likely buy it – even though I don't like role playing games. Maybe some of the mechanisms can be converted to a more miniatures based game. of course, where will I get miniatures…?

See, I really liked Battle Royale – great mix of black humour and horrific violence ! It's one of my favourite movies.

Like Polynikes, my reaction was "cool – a Battle Royale game". I can see how if you haven't seen the movie / manga you might have a different interpretation.

Now all I need is a game based around long haired Japanese schoolgirls crawling out of TV sets ! (Grudge / Ring)

Craig

I think one thing that bothers people about something like this is that it is all children slaughtering each other for no visible purpose. I wargame the F&I and later conflicts on the Ohio frontier (among other things). I know the history and I know it was ruthless and bloody and a lot of innocent women and children were killed on both sides. In my games, though, I can try to be the good guy and save the settlers or drive the white devils out before they can burn my wigwams. In a game like this there is no opportunity to be the good guy.

Just a theory. I wouldn't play the game because it just isn't my bag, but I wouldn't infringe on the writer's right to publish it or boycot him.

From the creators of Panty Explosion

That about says it all right there. I thumb my virtual nose at them.

"From the creators of Panty Explosion"

[tasteless]
So this was written by some guy named Salmonella?
[/tasteless]

Perhaps downloading this while at work (college) was a bad idea?

Chris J.

What's amazing is people's lack of knowledge of genres that are outside of their own little world view. These games are about themes that are very significant in Japanese pop culture.

What's amazing is people's lack of knowledge of genres that are outside of their own little world view. These games are about themes that are very significant in Japanese pop culture.

Yes, and Panty Explosion (despite the deliberately furor-inducing name) does a good and surprisingly tasteful job of covering some of those themes. It's not a throw-away "joke" project, which surprised the heck out of me. I doubt I'll ever use it as an RPG, but it was an interesting read…well, except for the rather lengthy Tokyo travel guide bits, which should really have been left to Fodor's or somesuch. :)

But why check the facts before you condemn something? Takes all the fun right out of it…

Rich

I, like others, just thought "oh, it's a Battle Royale ripoff," and couldn't understand the fuss.

I could understand the fuss if the game was "Campus Shooter" and the point was for your character to murder as many unarmed classmates as possible. But this isn't that.

In fact, now that I think about it, a satirical game kind of based on "Heathers" with rejects killing bullying jocks and cruel cheerleaders could be hilarious.

What's really offensive to me is that the world is populated by so many hypocritical panty-waists that are offended by everything, and seem to feel that by being offended by things that have no DIRECT tangible impact on their lives they are sopmehow more enlightened. I spent 5 years at VT, and I'm 1/2 oriental, with a kid brother who really is paranoid schizo and socially non-functional who lives in Virginia and can't be committed until he actually commits a felony level offence, nor can he be forced into therapy, or medication without his consent ( I am, unfortunatley, familiar with the workings of the legal system in VA with regards to the mentally ill). And this game idea made me chuckle. If you have such a huge problem with violence in the world, slag your lead, pewter, and plastic death-simulators and go join an anti-war group. Otherwise, cowboy-up, and lighten up. The world's not nearly as bad as you secretly wish it was.

If you don't think you'll like the game, don't buy it.
Why do you feel the need to get on your soap boxes and preach to everyone else about it?

'Expelled for playing it at college'? You think so?
'Unbelievably tasteless'? As tasteless as the thread on this forum about the best gun to use against civilians that was posted right after the campus shooting? You're not boycotting TMP are you?

Some of you people need to get a little perspective, it's a ing game you tards.

Took the wordsright out of my mouth.

Hey since it's just a game let's have an RPG where Care givers sexually assault children are 2-6 years old. Or wait this one is even better; how about if we have an RPG where minorities get points for raping Scottish women, half points for Irish lasses. Hey wait even better let's all play nomadic tribesmen having sex with animals, it's just a game! Right?

As I recall, the plot of 'Battle Royal' (the movie) is that most of the crimes and violence in society is being perpetrated by young adults… and that the 'game' is a punishment for a particularly unruly class… a way to expunge the bad blood out of the community.
On U.S. terms it would be something like taking some inner city school full of street gangs and dumping them into a 'Lord Of The Flies' situation and let them do each other in.

I can't see how that has very much to do with the shootings in Virginia except that both involve young people.
Young people who we feel are fit to be sent off to die for us in foreign lands.
We even play games about THOSE battles…

it's just a game! Right?

Correct, you got it in one, it isn't real.
I presume you're a wargamer? That's why you're here right?
You make a GAME out of WAR.

War is the most vile, disgusting, horrifying thing on the face of this planet but it's ok to make a game of it isn't it?

twat.

You want a game about child sex abuse…..

have a look for the scenario "with a long spoon".

link

Please tell me that all of you .

Semi naked japanese school girls are fine, discussing the best type of gun to use in an urban environment is fine, but please don't swear cause it's upsetting.

How's that Puma holding up?

Wow! I feel the love from our cousins across the pond.

I'm amazed at the leaps of faith and assumptions that have been made regarding my political and sexual persuasions, from folks that don't know me and have never met me.

I stand by my original opinion; The game is in poor taste!

'Expelled for playing it at college'? You think so?

Yes, I do think that's a real possibility.

I see by your profile you're in the UK, so I'll go easy on your cluelessness. Here in the United States, school administrators really are that paranoid. Kids get suspended or expelled all the time for meaningless crap. For example:

link

and

link

and

link

It's not right, it's not smart, but it is. A student caught on a high school (or even university, if's hick enough) campus with a book titled "Classroom Deathmatch" really might get mistaken for the next crazy shooter. Since I don't like seeing gamers thrown out of school, I'd recommend not taking this game to school.

You can apologize to me any time you'd like.