Peruhain of Brithondy wrote:
One earlier poster mentioned trying to get a Japanese wife to play, and I'm rather curious if there are any other gamers on this board who have had any experience playing FRPGs in Asia or Africa, or with people who grew up in Asian or African cultures.
I had my Japanese wife play D&D a few times, as well as playing with other Japanese friends in Japan. There was no problem with the material, they had played games like Dragonquest since '86 (which was based heavily on D&D monsters and themes) and continue to do so, but the pen and paper never really picked up there. So, the only problem I found was with the concept of P&P or tabletop games. The statement Aubrey the Malformed made about industrialized societies is very true, but in Japan's case it equated to having access to game systems and PCs.
I can't say how players from rural China or LDCs in SE Asia would approach the setting culturally, but in Japan it's a non-issue, everyone has grown up with the idyllic D&D medieval setting. There are also more 'Asian' style RPGs, most based on Chinese or Japanese medieval times, but they generally focus on warfare and battle tactics.
That being said the Japanese RPGs usually mix a little Asian influence by including ninjas, samurai, monks, but unlike D&D they don't bother separating the campaign setting. I think that may be a reflection of the way Japan is adept at adopting and melding foreign influences into their domestic culture almost subconsciously now. Either way it's pretty comfortable for North American and Europeans from my experience (Canadian working with Europeans in advertising).
And, regarding Dragon editors being Asian, I found Anime and Asian Studies students from North America were more versed in Japanese and Chinese myths and folklore than the average person on the street (the monks and priests still knew more). The Japanese constitution has a very strict separation of state and religion (unlike some who only pay lipservice to the idea) and this may be why Buddhist and Shinto folklore isn't taught, not sure how the Chinese schools approach the issue.
Finally, I would love to see more African influence in RPGs, as I know virtually nothing about it, but hope to do a trek there in the next few years.
