To the Mods: If Gamer Talk isn't appropriate for this poll, please move it to the Off-Topic forum. Thank you.
Welcome to my real-life-to-game-life correlation poll! The purpose of this poll is to find out what, if any, correlations exist between opinions of Paizonians on real life issues, and game issues. I ask you to keep a couple things in mind when posting your answers:
1. Please copy/paste the Q/A portion of this post, and answer in the simple numbered or binary format I've specified, and then follow up with your comments. (If you have any.) I'm sure I'll enjoy reading much of your commentary, but I don't want to have to dig thru it when compiling everyone's answers, so I'll simply ignore answers that are buried in text.
2. Don't feel obligated to answer every single question. If you're unsure how you feel about a topic or have mixed feelings, leave it blank. This is a fun informal poll, so I've left out many shades-of-gray answers. If you don't fit neatly into any of the answers I've presented, do your best to interpret my question into an answerable form. Or again, feel free to simply not answer it.
3. If my poll doesn't include an obvious real life or game issue…that's because you didn't tell me about it in my "Let's make a poll" thread! So post it with your commentary, and I'll add it to the poll for next time. (Maybe on a different forum, maybe next year.)
Demographic Questions
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.)
Are you male or female?
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
How financially comfortable are you?
1. I'm poor.
2. I'm somewhat poor.
3. I'm more-or-less comfortable.
4. I'm wealthy.
5. I'm rich.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
1. Less than 4
2. 4 to 6
3. 7 to 9
4. more than 9
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
How often do you like to play D&D?
1. more than once a week
2. once a week
3. 2-3 times a month
4. once a month
5. 6-11 times a year
6. 1-5 times a year
How often do you play D&D?
1. more than once a week
2. once a week
3. 2-3 times a month
4. once a month
5. 6-11 times a year
6. 1-5 times a year
7. "I haven't rolled a d20 since…"
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
1. 1971 Chainmail
2. 1974 White Box
3. 1977 Basic Holmes Blue Box
4. 1977 AD&D 1e
5. 1979 Basic Moldvay/Cook Red Box
6. 1983 Basic Mentzer Red Box
7. 1989 AD&D 2e
8. 1991 Rules Cyclopedia
9. 1991 New Easy to Master D&D
10. 1994 Classic D&D
11. 1996 AD&D 2e Revised
12. 1999 D&D Adventure Game
13. 2000 D&D 3.0e
14. 2003 D&D 3.5e
15. 2008 D&D 4e
16. 2010 D&D Basic Set
17. 2010 D&D Essentials
I am most comfortable in…
1. urban environments
2. suburban environments
3. rural environments
Real Life Issues
Are you religious/spiritual?
1. Yes, and strongly!
2. Casually
3. Not at all.
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
2. All teens need to know is that abstinence always works.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
1. I think guns should be illegal.
2. Tax the crap out of them.
3. The usual taxes are onerous enough.
4. I don't think the sale of anything should be taxed.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
1. I think guns should be illegal, even with a license.
2. Make them hard to get and/or costly, and easily revokable.
3. Make them easy to get and/or cheap, and hardly revokable.
4. Owning guns shouldn't require a license.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
2. Leave gun education up to the parents.
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
1. I don't even think hunting rifles and shotguns should be legal.
2. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be illegal.
3. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be legal.
4. I think that even high-end military weapons should be legal.
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
2. lower/fewer taxes
How do you feel about government surveillance?
1. My privacy rights are already violated enough!
2. A little less privacy is an acceptable price for added security.
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are…
1. thinly veiled imperialism
2. worthy endeavors
Unions are…
1. the working Joe's leverage
2. corrupt bullies
Voter ID Laws are…
1. Underhanded political scheming
2. Fraud-safing against dishonest voters
Global Warming is…
1. Science
2. Science Fiction
Capital punishment is...
1. Never acceptable.
2. Acceptable in extreme cases.
3. Absolutely acceptable.
How do you feel about immigration?
1. There are ways we can all live together!
2. Stay on your side of the border!
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
2. They're mostly things of the past.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. I'm Pro-Choice
2. I'm Pro-Life
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes
2. No
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
2. Wrong
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
1. It's a very good thing. Oh, and tax those churches just like the rest of us!
2. Yeah, but give the legitimate temples tax breaks.
3. The Holy Book belongs in every government office, and God forbid the day should come when my nation's leader isn't a God-fearing man/woman!
LGBTs are…
1. people like everyone else
2. weird
3. practitioners of a deviant lifestyle
Poverty is…
1. the nation's responsibility
2. the individual's responsibility
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
1. Legalize everything!
2. Legalize everything, and tax crap out of it!
3. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted.
4. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted, and tax the crap out of it.
5. Make it all illegal!
Game Life Issues
Do you value game balance?
1. Very much
2. Somewhat
3. Very little
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
1. best avoided
2. good clean fun!
Do you value game realism?
1. Very much
2. Somewhat
3. Very little
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
1. Ugh, no, the walls are closing in around me!
2. They have their charm.
3. Nice and cozy, just the way I like it!
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
1. Now this is what D&D is about!
2. They have their charm.
3. Ugh, no, too messy!
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP?
(Read the next question before answering this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
1. carefully managed
2. not taken too seriously
3. best ignored
(If you answered 3 to the last question, don't answer this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
1. prescriptive ("Your character is of this alignment, so s/he must do that")
2. descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
Do you like alignment overall?
1. Pretty much never
2. It has its charm
3. Almost without reservation!
Paladins should be…
1. any alignment like clerics (with an appropriately tweaked smite power and spell list for non-good ones)
2. LG only
Additional character options are best as…
1. base classes
2. archetypes/ACFs
3. prestige classes
4. feats
PC death is…
1. Best avoided without player consent!
2. Acceptable if it results from poor decision-making or a climactic showdown.
3. Part of the game. Let the dice fall where they may!
What is your favorite level range?
1. 1-5
2. 6-10
3. 11-15
4. 16-20
Low Levels (1-4)
1. "Ugh, let's grind past them as quickly as possible"
2. "Savor the low fantasy fun!"
High levels (13+)
1. "I can't wait to get there!"
2. "Ugh, let's start a new campaign…"
I favor…
1. Simple classes. If I have to do much more than decide what to attack on my turn, I start losing interest.
2. Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
Hit points are…
1. an abstraction of luck, stamina, divine favor, skill, etc..
2. a representation of D&D magical physics
3. a mechanic that makes the game work -- don't think about it!
Evil PCs are…
1. Interesting role play opportunities.
2. Okay if everyone's on board.
3. Best reserved for Paranoia.
DMPCs are…
1. Fun additions to the party!
2. Acceptable if they stick to support roles.
3. Best avoided at all costs.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
1. Yes!
2. Sometimes.
3. Not at all.
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
1. Yes!
2. Sometimes.
3. Not at all.
AoOs are…
1. great!
2. good in concept, if not in execution
3. a pain in my ass!
Combat is best as…
1. an occasional bit of mayhem
2. a great way to break up social, travel and problem-solving encounters
3. the bread-and-butter of my game!
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
1. Almost never.
2. It depends.
3. Almost always.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.)
1. Almost never.
2. It depends.
3. Almost always.
My Poll Answers
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.)
3rd
Are you male or female?
male
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
One.
I have a chronic genetic disorder, but other than that I'm a member of the white male majority in every other respect. Blond hair, blue eyes, 5 foot 9, the whole nine yards.
How financially comfortable are you?
1. I'm poor.
I'm in college, working 8 hours a week. You do the math.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
2. 4 to 6
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
Mostly private.
How often do you like to play D&D?
2. once a week
How often do you play D&D?
6. 1-5 times a year
With my school workload, I've been going through a serious dry patch...
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
Mostly a DM.
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
7. 1989 AD&D 2e
I am most comfortable in…
3. rural environments
Are you religious/spiritual?
3. Not at all.
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
2. Tax the crap out of them.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
2. Make them hard to get and/or costly, and easily revokable.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
2. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be illegal.
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
How do you feel about government surveillance?
1. My privacy rights are already violated enough!
Unions are…
1. the working Joe's leverage
Voter ID Laws are…
1. Underhanded political scheming
Global Warming is…
1. Science
Capital punishment is...
1. Never acceptable.
How do you feel about immigration?
1. There are ways we can all live together!
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. I'm Pro-Choice
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
1. It's a very good thing. Oh, and tax those churches just like the rest of us!
LGBTs are…
1. people like everyone else
My best friend came out two years ago, and I've been surprised how not weird it's been, even when he gets a little TMI with some of the quirks of his sex life.
Poverty is…
1. the nation's responsibility
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
2. Legalize everything, and tax crap out of it!
Do you value game balance?
1. Very much
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
1. best avoided
Do you value game realism?
3. Very little
I actually value realism very much, but not in the "Make the rules match our own reality" way that it tends to be used. I'm more of a "Make the game reality match the rules" kind of guy.
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
1. Ugh, no, the walls are closing in around me!
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
1. Now this is what D&D is about!
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP?
group/no XP
(Read the next question before answering this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
2. not taken too seriously
(If you answered 3 to the last question, don't answer this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
2. descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
Do you like alignment overall?
2. It has its charm
Paladins should be…
1. any alignment like clerics (with an appropriately tweaked smite power and spell list for non-good ones)
Additional character options are best as…
1. base classes
After playing 3.x for eight years, I got fed up with PrCs and the pre-planning and hoop-jumping they require. Feats are okay for some things, but you only get one every three levels. Overall I like new base classes, archetypes, and ACFs.
PC death is…
2. Acceptable if it results from poor decision-making or a climactic showdown.
What is your favorite level range?
2. 6-10
Low Levels (1-4)
1. "Ugh, let's grind past them as quickly as possible"
High levels (13+)
1. "I can't wait to get there!"
I favor…
2. Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
Hit points are…
2. a representation of D&D's magical physics
Evil PCs are…
2. Okay if everyone's on board.
DMPCs are…
2. Acceptable if they stick to support roles.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
1. Yes!
AoOs are…
2. good in concept, if not in execution
Combat is best as…
3. the bread-and-butter of my game!
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
1. Almost never.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.)
3. Almost always.
Demographic Questions
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.)
4th Decade
Are you male or female?
Male
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
None
How financially comfortable are you?
2. I'm somewhat poor.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
2. 4 to 6
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
Only private games
How often do you like to play D&D?
2. once a week
How often do you play D&D?
5. 6-11 times a year
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
Mostly a DM
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
7. 1989 AD&D 2e
I am most comfortable in…
2. suburban environments
Real Life Issues
Are you religious/spiritual?
2. Casually
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
1. I think guns should be illegal.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
1. I think guns should be illegal, even with a license.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
2. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be illegal.
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
How do you feel about government surveillance?
2. A little less privacy is an acceptable price for added security.
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are…
1. thinly veiled imperialism
Unions are…
1. the working Joe's leverage
Voter ID Laws are…
Global Warming is…
1. Science
Capital punishment is...
1. Never acceptable.
How do you feel about immigration?
1. There are ways we can all live together!
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. I'm Pro-Choice
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
1. It's a very good thing. Oh, and tax those churches just like the rest of us!
LGBTs are…
1. people like everyone else
Poverty is…
1. the nation's responsibility
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
5. Make it all illegal!
Game Life Issues
Do you value game balance?
2. Somewhat
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
1. best avoided
Do you value game realism?
2. Somewhat
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
1. Ugh, no, the walls are closing in around me!
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
2. They have their charm.
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP?
Group
(Read the next question before answering this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
1. carefully managed
(If you answered 3 to the last question, don't answer this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
2. descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
Do you like alignment overall?
2. It has its charm
Paladins should be…
1. any alignment like clerics (with an appropriately tweaked smite power and spell list for non-good ones)
Additional character options are best as…
1. base classes
PC death is…
2. Acceptable if it results from poor decision-making or a climactic showdown.
What is your favorite level range?
2. 6-10
Low Levels (1-4)
2. "Savor the low fantasy fun!"
High levels (13+)
2. "Ugh, let's start a new campaign…"
I favor…
2. Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
Hit points are…
1. an abstraction of luck, stamina, divine favor, skill, etc..
Evil PCs are…
2. Okay if everyone's on board.
DMPCs are…
2. Acceptable if they stick to support roles.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
1. Yes!
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
1. Yes!
AoOs are…
2. good in concept, if not in execution
Combat is best as…
2. a great way to break up social, travel and problem-solving encounters
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
1. Almost never.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.)
1. Almost never.
Comment: A few of the real life questions seems to be exclusively pointed towards Americans (I'm Danish), for me the gun education in primary school made me go huh? and voter ID is another one of those I am not entirely sure what it entails. It might be advisable to clarify the real life questions or make them more universal rather than refer to current specific laws and regulation of one place or another as you are trying to find correlation between opinions on various questions on a particular cultural sphere and rpg issues, but that your potential sampling list includes (one/few/some/many) people from outside this cultural sphere.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I'll get around to answering this eventually but I have one more poll question to ask and answer first.
700.) Do you think the answers to these questions should be put in spoiler tags to avoid ludicrously long pages?
1.) Yes! For the love of all I hold dear, PLEASE!
Why didn't you number the questions?!?! Also, I agree with Rynjin. And I will take this test in the morning, when my head clears.
A few of the real life questions seems to be exclusively pointed towards Americans (I'm Danish), for me the gun education in primary school made me go huh? and voter ID is another one of those I am not entirely sure what it entails. It might be advisable to clarify the real life questions or make them more universal rather than refer to current specific laws and regulation of one place or another as you are trying to find correlation between opinions on various questions on a particular cultural sphere and rpg issues, but that your potential sampling list includes (one/few/some/many) people from outside this cultural sphere.
My bad, here. I tried to make most questions non-specific to nationality, but a few U.S. issues slipped in anyway.
Gun ed in primary schools is actually just an idea that came up in the gun control thread, and I thought it'd make a good question.
Voter ID laws are the result of an effort by certain Republican lawmakers. The laws require citizens to get voter IDs to vote; supposedly this is to protect the voting process against voter fraud. They're controversial because voter fraud hasn't been an issue since the Kennedy administration. They make voting much more of a to-do than it's ever been historically, and they happen to make it much more difficult for the lower classes (i.e., those more likely to vote Democrat) to get IDs and vote.
I'll get around to answering this eventually but I have one more poll question to ask and answer first.
700.) Do you think the answers to these questions should be put in spoiler tags to avoid ludicrously long pages?
1.) Yes! For the love of all I hold dear, PLEASE!
I agree, and I am ashamed that I didn't think of this. Dam you, Paizo forum time-limit on post editing!
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.)
3rd.
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
None.
How financially comfortable are you?
3. I'm more-or-less comfortable.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
2. 4 to 6
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
Mostly private games.
How often do you like to play D&D?
2. once a week
How often do you play D&D?
2. once a week
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
Mostly a DM.
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
8. 1991 Rules Cyclopedia (actually the old Basic D&D Zanzar's Dungeon black box, but close enough)
I am most comfortable in…
2. suburban environments
Are you religious/spiritual?
2. Casually
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
2. Tax the crap out of them.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
2. Make them hard to get and/or costly, and easily revokable.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
2. Leave gun education up to the parents.
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
3. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be legal. (but heavily regulated)
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
How do you feel about government surveillance?
2. A little less privacy is an acceptable price for added security.
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are…
2. worthy endeavors (when the above actually holds true)
Unions are…
1. the working Joe's leverage (but perhaps becoming outdated)
Voter ID Laws are…
1. Underhanded political scheming
Global Warming is…
1. Science
Capital punishment is...
1. Never acceptable.
How do you feel about immigration?
1. There are ways we can all live together!
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. I'm Pro-Choice
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
1. It's a very good thing. Oh, and tax those churches just like the rest of us! (ideally, tax those which involve themselves in politics, but that's infeasible so just tax them all)
LGBTs are…
1. people like everyone else
Poverty is…
1. the nation's responsibility
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
4. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted, and tax the crap out of it.
Do you value game balance?
1. Very much
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
1. best avoided
Do you value game realism?
2. Somewhat
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
1. Ugh, no, the walls are closing in around me!
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
1. Now this is what D&D is about!
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP?
Group XP.
Ideally, alignment is…
2. not taken too seriously
Ideally, alignment is…
2. descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
Do you like alignment overall?
2. It has its charm
Paladins should be…
1. any alignment like clerics (with an appropriately tweaked smite power and spell list for non-good ones)
Additional character options are best as…
4. feats (if I have to pick, but I love them all)
PC death is…
2. Acceptable if it results from poor decision-making or a climactic showdown. (and easily recovered from)
What is your favorite level range?
3. 11-15
Low Levels (1-4)
2. "Savor the low fantasy fun!"
High levels (13+)
1. "I can't wait to get there!"
I favor…
2. Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
Hit points are…
1. an abstraction of luck, stamina, divine favor, skill, etc..
Evil PCs are…
2. Okay if everyone's on board.
DMPCs are…
3. Best avoided at all costs.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
AoOs are…
2. good in concept, if not in execution
Combat is best as…
3. the bread-and-butter of my game!
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
2. It depends.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.)
2. It depends.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
You might want to change "D&D" to "RPGs," given that a lot of people here play this game called Pathfinder.
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
OneI am a born again Christian
A nitpick, perhaps, but a Protestant Christian (51% of the country) is literally the opposite of a minority, at least in the United States.
You might want to change "D&D" to "RPGs," given that a lot of people here play this game called Pathfinder.
I think of PF as a clone of 3.5, and the difference between a clone of D&D and D&D itself is semantic at the game table, so I didn't even think to make the distinction.
Maybe this would make a good poll question.
Curious as to why this wasn't posted via some kind of polling website? I've never looked into one myself before, but doesn't google let you make polls where they can be anonymous?
Same reason I didn't spoiler any of my posts...I just didn't think of it. *embarrassed*
If you don't want to share your answers with everyone on the forum, you can PM me your answers.
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Demographic Questions
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.)
4th
Are you male or female?
Male
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
1
How financially comfortable are you?
3. I'm more-or-less comfortable.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
2. 4 to 6
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
Private
How often do you like to play D&D?
1. more than once a week
How often do you play D&D?
2. once a week (excluding PBP games)
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
50/50 Mix
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
7. 1989 AD&D 2e
I am most comfortable in…
1. urban environments
Real Life Issues
Are you religious/spiritual?
1. Yes, and strongly!
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
I don't feel I know enough about gun sale taxes to make an educated guess on this question. Based on what I do know, I do believe guns should be taxed as should any other purchase.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
2. Make them hard to get and/or costly, and easily revokable.
3. Make them easy to get and/or cheap, and hardly revokable.
Both 2 & 3, leaning towards a median response.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
2. Leave gun education up to the parents.
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
2. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be illegal.
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
How do you feel about government surveillance?
1. My privacy rights are already violated enough!
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are…
I feel the listed responses, or any one line response, is capable of expressing my opinions on this matter.
Unions are…
I don't feel able to express an educated opinion. I've never dealt with a union.
Voter ID Laws are…
2. Fraud-safing against dishonest voters
Global Warming is…
1. Science
Capital punishment is...
2. Acceptable in extreme cases. (It needs to be less about the punishment and more about the circumstances involved, both from the crime itself as well as regarding possible rehabilitation).
How do you feel about immigration?
1. There are ways we can all live together!
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
2. They're mostly things of the past.
A median opinion. We've made great strides but haven't reached where we should be yet.
What's your stance on abortion?
I don't feel this topic is able to properly be responded in a single choice.
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes (But not all listed)
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
2. Yeah, but give the legitimate temples tax breaks.
LGBTs are…
1. people like everyone else
Poverty is…
1. the nation's responsibility
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
4. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted, and tax the crap out of it.
Game Life Issues
Do you value game balance?
1. Very much
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
1. best avoided
Do you value game realism?
2. Somewhat
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
1. Ugh, no, the walls are closing in around me!
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
1. Now this is what D&D is about!
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP?
No XP.
(Read the next question before answering this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
3. best ignored
(If you answered 3 to the last question, don't answer this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
1. prescriptive ("Your character is of this alignment, so s/he must do that")
2. descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
Do you like alignment overall?
2. It has its charm
Paladins should be…
2. LG only
Additional character options are best as…
1. base classes
2. archetypes/ACFs
3. prestige classes
4. feats
All
PC death is…
3. Part of the game. Let the dice fall where they may!
What is your favorite level range?
2. 6-10
Low Levels (1-4)
2. "Savor the low fantasy fun!"
High levels (13+)
1. "I can't wait to get there!"
I favor…
2. Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
Hit points are…
1. an abstraction of luck, stamina, divine favor, skill, etc..
Evil PCs are…
2. Okay if everyone's on board.
DMPCs are…
3. Best avoided at all costs.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
AoOs are…
2. good in concept, if not in execution
Combat is best as…
3. the bread-and-butter of my game!
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
2. It depends.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.)
1. Almost never.
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Curious as to why this wasn't posted via some kind of polling website? I've never looked into one myself before, but doesn't google let you make polls where they can be anonymous?Same reason I didn't spoiler any of my posts...I just didn't think of it. *embarrassed*
If you don't want to share your answers with everyone on the forum, you can PM me your answers.
I'm not too concerned on hiding my own, I just feel an anonymous poll might get more accurate results for you.
|
Ok Ill put everything into a spoiler, just so that people don't run into a wall of text.
Demographic Questions
Which decade of life are you in?
3rd
Are you male or female?
Male
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
None
How financially comfortable are you?
2. I'm somewhat poor.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
2. 4 to 6
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
Mostly private
How often do you like to play D&D?
2. once a week
How often do you play D&D?
3. 2-3 times a month
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
Mostly a GM
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
7. 1989 AD&D 2e
I am most comfortable in…
1. urban environments
Real Life Issues
Are you religious/spiritual?
3. Not at all.
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
1. I think guns should be illegal.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
1. I think guns should be illegal, even with a license.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
1. I don't even think hunting rifles and shotguns should be legal.
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
How do you feel about government surveillance?
1. My privacy rights are already violated enough!
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are…
1. thinly veiled imperialism
Unions are…
1. the working Joe's leverage
Voter ID Laws are…
2. Fraud-safing against dishonest voters
Global Warming is…
1. Science
Capital punishment is...
2. Acceptable in extreme cases.
How do you feel about immigration?
1. There are ways we can all live together!
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. I'm Pro-Choice
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
1. It's a very good thing. Oh, and tax those churches just like the rest of us!
LGBTs are…
1. people like everyone else
Poverty is…
1. the nation's responsibility
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
5. Make it all illegal!
Game Life Issues
Do you value game balance?
1. Very much
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
2. good clean fun!
Do you value game realism?
2. Somewhat
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
2. They have their charm.
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
2. They have their charm.
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP?
Group EXP
(Read the next question before answering this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
2. not taken too seriously
(If you answered 3 to the last question, don't answer this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
2. descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
Do you like alignment overall?
2. It has its charm
Paladins should be…
2. LG only
Additional character options are best as…
1. base classes
PC death is…
2. Acceptable if it results from poor decision-making or a climactic showdown.
What is your favorite level range?
2. 6-10
Low Levels (1-4)
2. "Savor the low fantasy fun!"
High levels (13+)
1. "I can't wait to get there!"
I favor…
2. Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
Hit points are…
1. an abstraction of luck, stamina, divine favor, skill, etc..
Evil PCs are…
3. Best reserved for Paranoia.
DMPCs are…
2. Acceptable if they stick to support roles.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
3. Not at all.
AoOs are…
1. great!
Combat is best as…
2. a great way to break up social, travel and problem-solving encounters
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
1. Almost never.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.)
1. Almost never.
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| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.)
3rd
Are you male or female?
male
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
one (pagan)
How financially comfortable are you?
2. I'm somewhat poor.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
2. 4 to 6
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
private games
How often do you like to play D&D?
1. more than once a week
How often do you play D&D?
1. more than once a week
about 5 times a month, If I may substitute D&D for Roleplaying games at large. If I can only substitute it for Pathfinder it is about 3 times per month.
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
DM
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
4. 1977 AD&D 1e
I am most comfortable in…
1. urban environments
2. suburban environments
3. rural environments
I have lived in all three 'kinds' and did feel more or less comfortable in all of them.
Real Life Issues
Are you religious/spiritual?
1. Yes, and strongly!
I told you my issue with this question, and it still stands. I chose 'strongly', but as I am not sure what measure you have in mind here, 'casually' might be as appropriate.
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
Not sure what you mean by exhaustive
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
1. I think guns should be illegal.
2. Tax the crap out of them.
3. The usual taxes are onerous enough.
4. I don't think the sale of anything should be taxed.
Seems to be a mostly American issue - I do not believe taxes should be used as a control mechanism, apart from that I cannot answer this question
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
2. Make them hard to get and/or costly, and easily revokable.
3. Make them easy to get and/or cheap, and hardly revokable.
Hard to get, only removable due to severe circumstances (huh, I didn't define severe, I will do when you define hard and easy ;-) )
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
2. Leave gun education up to the parents.
A complete non-issue in Germany, and I would prefer if it stays a non-issue here.
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
2. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be illegal.
Apart from certain professions that might require the ability to carry concealable weapons which should be lincenced.
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
2. lower/fewer taxes
At this points the non-definition thing gets a bit out of hand...
I tend to 1
How do you feel about government surveillance?
1. My privacy rights are already violated enough!
2. A little less privacy is an acceptable price for added security.
as does the broad strokes thing...
I tend to 2
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are…
1. thinly veiled imperialism
2. worthy endeavors
Two completely unrelated issues.
Unions are…
1. the working Joe's leverage
2. corrupt bullies
Come on, are you doing this on purpose?
Tend to 1
Voter ID Laws are…
1. Underhanded political scheming
2. Fraud-safing against dishonest voters
Sigh...again, a non issue in Germany
Global Warming is…
1. Science
Capital punishment is...
1. Never acceptable.
How do you feel about immigration?
1. There are ways we can all live together!
2. Stay on your side of the border!
3. If handled well is precious to our culture(s)
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
2. They're mostly things of the past.
3. Are thankfully getting less and less influence but are sadly still alive.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. I'm Pro-Choice
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
2. Wrong
Oh god...how do I put this Those are not even mutually exclusive
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
1. It's a very good thing. Oh, and tax those churches just like the rest of us!
Sigh...Taxation isn't the most important issue regarding separation of church and state, is it?
LGBTs are…
1. people like everyone else
Weird people, like everyone else ;-)
Poverty is…
1. the nation's responsibility
2. the individual's responsibility
3) a social issue best treated by the nation so every individual has the chance to prosper...
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
1. Legalize everything!
2. Legalize everything, and tax crap out of it!
3. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted.
4. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted, and tax the crap out of it.
5. Make it all illegal!
Sorry...no...I am too involved in this issue (professionally) to accept this 'multiple choice joke'
Game Life Issues
Do you value game balance?
2. Somewhat
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
2. good clean fun!
Do you value game realism?
2. Somewhat
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
2. They have their charm.
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
2. They have their charm.
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP?
individual XP
(Read the next question before answering this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
1. carefully managed
2. not taken too seriously
3. best ignored
My stance on this question is not included in any of these answers.
(If you answered 3 to the last question, don't answer this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
1. prescriptive ("Your character is of this alignment, so s/he must do that")
2. descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
A few more 'shoulds' might get this closer to answerable...
Do you like alignment overall?
2. It has its charm
Paladins should be…
2. LG only
Additional character options are best as…
1. base classes
2. archetypes/ACFs
3. prestige classes
4. feats
Yes.
PC death is…
2. Acceptable if it results from poor decision-making or a climactic showdown.
What is your favorite level range?
1. 1-5
2. 6-10
3. 11-15
4. 16-20
2+3 but that does not mean I have real issues with 3+4
Low Levels (1-4)
2. "Savor the low fantasy fun!"
High levels (13+)
1. "I can't wait to get there!"
I favor…
1. Simple classes. If I have to do much more than decide what to attack on my turn, I start losing interest.
2. Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
I don't really have a favorite there, I chose from the character I imagine and I rarely start with a class in mind.
Hit points are…
1. an abstraction of luck, stamina, divine favor, skill, etc..
Evil PCs are…
2. Okay if everyone's on board.
DMPCs are…
1. Fun additions to the party!
2. Acceptable if they stick to support roles.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
1. Yes!
2. Sometimes.
3. Not at all.
Guns and Steampunk are pretty much Not the same issue
Guns as represented by the imagined setting
Steampunk more or less as its own setting
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
1. Yes!
For the love of whatever god or philosophy...scratch the word asian in this question...
AoOs are…
1. great!
Combat is best as…
1. an occasional bit of mayhem
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
1. Almost never.
Unless I know that I despise the game in question.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.)
3. Almost always.
Aside from a fwe ventures at cons, I play with friends (or at least people I do like out of the game) for reasons (thnakfully) long past.
I still think many of your questions are suggestive/ judgemental or hardly answerable, many do need more options and the 'no answer' or 'don't care' options are imperative for many questions.
Demographic Questions
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.).... 4th.
Are you male or female?....M
Minority group? White male.
How financially comfortable are you?... Divorced single dad.. so poor.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.).... 4
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?.... Private
How often do you like to play D&D? Once a week
How often do you play D&D? Once a week
Are you mostly a DM or a player? Mostly a DM
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?... Moldvay cook redbox
I am most comfortable in… Suburban environments
Real Life Issues
Are you religious/spiritual? Not at all... And strongly!
How do you feel about sex education in primary school? It was mandatory, exhaustive, and totallly appropriate.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes? Tax the crap out of them.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses? Hard to get, costly and easily revokable.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school? It should be mandatory and exhaustive
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns? I'm ok with people wanting to conceal carry.
What do you want from tax reform? Smarter taxes
How do you feel about government surveillance? Who care's. I'm up to nothing.
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are… mostly a waste of time and money.
Unions are… the working Joe's leverage
Voter ID Laws are… complete BS.
Global Warming is… fun!
Capital punishment is... fun!
How do you feel about immigration? Come to visit. Then go home.
How do you feel about racism and sexism? Tired of it. Got me some bruno goggles.
What's your stance on abortion? On the fence
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.) Yes
Stem Cell Research is… fun!
How do you feel about the separation of church and state? They're not trying even remotely hard enough
LGBTs are… people like everyone else
Poverty is… everyone's responsibility... also rampant
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would… Make it all illegal!
Game Life Issues
Do you value game balance? Very little
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are… best avoided
Do you value game realism? Very little
Do you enjoy core-only games? Ugh, no, the walls are closing in around me!
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? They have their charm.
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP? Group xp
Ideally, alignment is… carefully managed
Ideally, alignment is… descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
Do you like alignment overall? Almost without reservation!
Paladins should be ... LG only
Additional character options are best as archetypes/ACFs
PC death is… Part of the game. Let the dice fall where they may!
What is your favorite level range? 16-20
Low Levels (1-4) "Ugh, let's grind past them as quickly as possible"
High levels (13+) 1. "I can't wait to get there!"
I favor…Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
Hit points are… a mechanic that makes the game work -- don't think about it!
Evil PCs are… Best reserved for Paranoia.
DMPCs are… Best avoided at all costs.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D? Not at all.
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D? Yes!
AoOs are… more horrible rocket tag action economy overkill
Combat is best as… an occasional bit of mayhem
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.) Almost never.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.) Almost never.
A few of the real life questions seems to be exclusively pointed towards Americans (I'm Danish), for me the gun education in primary school made me go huh? and voter ID is another one of those I am not entirely sure what it entails. It might be advisable to clarify the real life questions or make them more universal rather than refer to current specific laws and regulation of one place or another as you are trying to find correlation between opinions on various questions on a particular cultural sphere and rpg issues, but that your potential sampling list includes (one/few/some/many) people from outside this cultural sphere.My bad, here. I tried to make most questions non-specific to nationality, but a few U.S. issues slipped in anyway.
Gun ed in primary schools is actually just an idea that came up in the gun control thread, and I thought it'd make a good question.
Voter ID laws are the result of an effort by certain Republican lawmakers. The laws require citizens to get voter IDs to vote; supposedly this is to protect the voting process against voter fraud. They're controversial because voter fraud hasn't been an issue since the Kennedy administration. They make voting much more of a to-do than it's ever been historically, and they happen to make it much more difficult for the lower classes (i.e., those more likely to vote Democrat) to get IDs and vote.
Thanks for the clarification, I think I will keep my answers blank though.
** spoiler omitted **...
I so agree with the points that some of these issues are pretty much American exclusive issues though I did try to take a stand on them anyway.
A nitpick, perhaps, but a Protestant Christian (51% of the country) is literally the opposite of a minority, at least in the United States.Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
OneI am a born again Christian
I don't know who they polled for those numbers but I have been surrounded by a majority of atheists ever since I was sent to public school all the way through college and even in adult life...
It is my general rule in life that I don't take polls unless I know by whom, for what and why the poll is being done.
What will be the result of the poll? Will you be compiling the answers and using SAS or some other statistical modeling tool to look for correlations and connections?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.)
4th
Are you male or female?
Male
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
None
How financially comfortable are you?
3. I'm more-or-less comfortable.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
2. 4 to 6
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
Private
How often do you like to play D&D?
2. once a week
How often do you play D&D?
3. 2-3 times a month
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
GM
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
7. 1989 AD&D 2e
I am most comfortable in…
2. suburban environments
Real Life Issues
Are you religious/spiritual?
2. Casually (Raised Catholic, but I'm more Spiritual than religious now)
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
3. The usual taxes are onerous enough.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
2. Make them hard to get and/or costly, and easily revokable.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
2. Leave gun education up to the parents.
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
3. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be legal.
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
How do you feel about government surveillance?
2. A little less privacy is an acceptable price for added security. (Although I think the US govt is teetering on the brink of of going overboard at this point)
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are…
1. thinly veiled imperialism
Unions are…
2. corrupt bullies
Voter ID Laws are…
1. Underhanded political scheming
Global Warming is…
1. Science
Capital punishment is...
3. Absolutely acceptable.
How do you feel about immigration?
1. There are ways we can all live together!
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. I'm Pro-Choice
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
2. Yeah, but give the legitimate temples tax breaks. (WBC? Hate group and scam artists, not a religious group.)
LGBTs are…
1. people like everyone else
Poverty is…
1. the nation's responsibility
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
4. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted, and tax the crap out of it.
Game Life Issues
Do you value game balance?
2. Somewhat
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
1. best avoided
Do you value game realism?
1. Very much (Internal consistency is important to storytelling, IMO.)
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
1. Ugh, no, the walls are closing in around me!
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
2. They have their charm.
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP?
Group/No XP.
(Read the next question before answering this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
2. not taken too seriously
(If you answered 3 to the last question, don't answer this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
2. descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
Do you like alignment overall?
2. It has its charm (however, I would relabel the moral and ethical axes to make them more intuitive)
Paladins should be…
2. LG only
Additional character options are best as…
2. archetypes/ACFs
PC death is…
2. Acceptable if it results from poor decision-making or a climactic showdown.
What is your favorite level range?
2. 6-10
Low Levels (1-4)
2. "Savor the low fantasy fun!"
High levels (13+)
2. "Ugh, let's start a new campaign…" (...or mod the rules a bit to keep things running smoothly)
I favor…
2. Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
Hit points are…
1. an abstraction of luck, stamina, divine favor, skill, etc.. (EL's Strain-Injury system FTW!)
Evil PCs are…
3. Best reserved for Paranoia.
DMPCs are…
2. Acceptable if they stick to support roles.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
AoOs are…
1. great!
Combat is best as…
2. a great way to break up social, travel and problem-solving encounters
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
2. It depends.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.)
3. Almost always.
Comment: Have to admit, I'm really disturbed/confused by how many people would be so authoritarian as to outlaw all alcohol if they had the executive power. The whole reason prohibition slipped thru in the USA was because people thought it would be great for everyone else but wouldn't apply to them personally. Funny how people's views change when they are themselves subjected to the self-same laws they didn't stand up to.
A nitpick, perhaps, but a Protestant Christian (51% of the country) is literally the opposite of a minority, at least in the United States.Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
OneI am a born again Christian
I don't know who they polled for those numbers but I have been surrounded by a majority of atheists ever since I was sent to public school all the way through college and even in adult life...
I'm starting to think that "How often do you feel marginalized by society?" would have been a better question.
I myself grew up surrounded by born again Christians, and somehow ended up at a Catholic college, but I don't consider my group (atheism/agnosticism) to be a minority.
Have to admit, I'm really disturbed/confused by how many people would be so authoritarian as to outlaw all alcohol if they had the executive power.
Eh, idealism isn't all that unusual. It's the same reason people feel that all guns, all abortions, or all of anything should be outlawed.
I still think many of your questions are suggestive/ judgemental or hardly answerable, many do need more options and the 'no answer' or 'don't care' options are imperative for many questions.
This poll is a great experience for me, but I'm actually changing its questions and answers as I read thru all these comments. I may just treat this poll as a learning experience, and do a better one later -- and on other game forums, to get more data!
I'm not too concerned on hiding my own, I just feel an anonymous poll might get more accurate results for you.Curious as to why this wasn't posted via some kind of polling website? I've never looked into one myself before, but doesn't google let you make polls where they can be anonymous?Same reason I didn't spoiler any of my posts...I just didn't think of it. *embarrassed*
If you don't want to share your answers with everyone on the forum, you can PM me your answers.
Ah, gotcha. It turns out google has no poll tool, unless it's buried somewhere deep.
It also occurred to me that while anonymous polling may be more accurate, it makes it less likely that people will post in the poll thread, which makes it less likely the thread will stay visible, which means I'll have less data in the end.
Maybe in the future I'll have a poll site option for those who want anonymity, and this option for those who want to comment.
A nitpick, perhaps, but a Protestant Christian (51% of the country) is literally the opposite of a minority, at least in the United States.Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
OneI am a born again Christian
I don't know who they polled for those numbers but I have been surrounded by a majority of atheists ever since I was sent to public school all the way through college and even in adult life...
I'm starting to think that "How often do you feel marginalized by society?" would have been a better question.
I myself grew up surrounded by born again Christians, and somehow ended up at a Catholic college, but I don't consider my group (atheism/agnosticism) to be a minority.
It probably would have been better wording.
atheism/agnosticism might not be a minority at all. Scott has yet to prove his statistic he may well have made it up.
It is my general rule in life that I don't take polls unless I know by whom, for what and why the poll is being done.
What will be the result of the poll? Will you be compiling the answers and using SAS or some other statistical modeling tool to look for correlations and connections?
Unless you tell me that SAS is free and easy to use, I'll be compiling the data in an excel sheet so that I can post results like "X% of gamers who think that paladins should be LG are pro-choice, Y% are undecided, and Z% are pro-life."
If I in fact end up compiling the results of this poll, rather than treating it as a learning experience.
As for by why and whom: I explained the why in the OP, and I don't know what more you want to know about me. I'll tell you my real name if you ask nicely, but not my jock-strap size. :)
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.)
2nd
Are you male or female?
Male
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
People would consider me LGBT (bisexual) though I don't associate with them because I disagree with lots of LGBT opinions.
Atheist, self explanatory
How financially comfortable are you?
2. I'm pretty poor, but I have food on the table and electricity, so it's okay enough.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
2. 4 to 6
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
Mostly public, though I prefer private
How often do you like to play D&D?
2. Once a week
How often do you play D&D?
4. Once a month
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
Player
I am most comfortable in…
None, they all kinda scare me/bore me
Real Life Issues
Are you religious/spiritual?
3.
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
1.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
1.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
N/A
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
1.
How do you feel about government surveillance?
1.
Voter ID Laws are…
2.
Global Warming is…
1. Obviously
Capital punishment is...
2.
How do you feel about immigration?
1.
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. But not in the way most tumblr keyboard warriors think.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. Anti-baby
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1.
Stem Cell Research is…
1.
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
1.
LGBTs are…
2. But no problem with being weird
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
Complicated. Somewhere between 2 and 5 and not 3 or 4
Game Life Issues
Do you value game balance?
2. To the point where it's fun for everyone, but still unique
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
1. Mostly should be avoided
Do you value game realism?
2. Somewhat.
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
1.
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
1. Unless grossly overpowered or distracting
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP?
No XP. Level up when necessary/awesome
(Read the next question before answering this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
3.
Do you like alignment overall?
2. Useful for a quick glance, not useful for anything else unless wildly changed
Paladins should be…
1.
Additional character options are best as…
I don't understand this question
PC death is…
3. But let them re-roll similar characters if they get killed off too quickly
I favor…
2.
Hit points are…
1.
Evil PCs are…
2. And also interesting. But only with a consenting group
DMPCs are…
2. sometimes necessary, as long as they aren't mary sues
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
2.
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
1.
AoOs are…
1.
Combat is best as…
2.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
2.
I couldn't resist text for some of them, just the pre-packaged answers weren't enough
I don't know who they polled for those numbers
A random population representative of the country as a whole.
but I have been surrounded by a majority of atheists ever since I was sent to public school
No, you haven't. (Tell me what public school you attended and I'll prove it.)
all the way through college and even in adult life...
No, you haven't. (Tell me what college you attended and I'll prove it.)
Polling places national belief in a god at 92% (as of only two years ago): source. That means, on the whole, only 8% of the country can claim to be an atheist (and in reality, far less do; less than 2% in 2007). The likelihood that you managed to find locales where that 8% made up the majority of the people around you all through your entire life stretches credulity far past the point of breaking.
You are not a minority. You are, in fact, a literal majority. Every single other category of religious belief is a minority, except for yours. You are the only ones who aren't a minority. You don't get to claim to be a minority. You don't get to claim that you have had it rough because of your religious beliefs. You especially don't get to claim you've had it rougher than atheists (for crying out loud).
atheism/agnosticism might not be a minority at all. Scott has yet to prove his statistic he may well have made it up.
Are you for real? How can you live in this country and possibly believe that atheism is anything but a minority? Atheism's status as a minority and Christianity's status as a solid majority is discussed all the time in the news. Where do you get your information?
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I still think many of your questions are suggestive/ judgemental or hardly answerable, many do need more options and the 'no answer' or 'don't care' options are imperative for many questions.This poll is a great experience for me, but I'm actually changing its questions and answers as I read thru all these comments. I may just treat this poll as a learning experience, and do a better one later -- and on other game forums, to get more data!
'Test polls' are actually pretty common when you want to gather ststistical data. I hope you will someday post an updated version of this poll, as I would really like to read it.
P.S. I hope you don't take my criticism personal, it is not intended that way, even if some of my answers may read a bit 'snappy'.
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It probably would have been better wording.
atheism/agnosticism might not be a minority at all. Scott has yet to prove his statistic he may well have made it up.
Yes, I could have included an exhaustive list of which groups are and aren't minorities. If I ask the same question in future polls, I will do so.
In any case, even if Scott's statistic is inaccurate, you may want investigate the definition of minority groups, because it's not really about the numbers.
For example in the U.S., a nation founded by Christians (without exception, I believe), Christianity is a recognized religion (the first in fact), every president to date has been a Christian, the vast majority of our politicians are Christian, the default 'swear on this...' article is the Bible, we have "In God we trust" printed on every bill (and that's not referring to Yahweh or Allah), nobody bats an eye when someone claims to be a Christian, and nobody worries whether the Christian they're talking to is a suicide bomber.
(I mention suicide bombers because Muslims in the U.S. might make a case for being a minority group, ever since 9/11.)
I'm not blaming you for misunderstanding the question, mind -- I should have been more clear -- but no Christian group in the U.S. constitutes a minority. Unless maybe you're a Mormon who feels marginalized because U.S. law allows you only one wife.
Unless you tell me that SAS is free and easy to use, I'll be compiling the data in an excel sheet so that I can post results like "X% of gamers who think that paladins should be LG are pro-choice, Y% are undecided, and Z% are pro-life."
It's neither free nor especially easy to use. I have access to and use SPSS (another stats package) at work for statistical analysis on a daily basis. If you put together and clean your Excel sheet and pass it on to me I can run some crosstabs if I get a few moments to spare sometime in the next few months.
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Demographic Questions
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.)
5th
Are you male or female?
male
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
I have a physical limitation that I try very hard to ignore.
How financially comfortable are you?
1. I'm poor.
2. I'm somewhat poor.
3. I'm more-or-less comfortable.
4. I'm wealthy.
5. I'm rich.
middle class
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
1. Less than 4
2. 4 to 6
3. 7 to 9
4. more than 9
5-7
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
Mostly public these days, mostly private when younger.
[b]How often do you like to play D&D?
1. more than once a week
2. once a week
3. 2-3 times a month
4. once a month
5. 6-11 times a year
6. 1-5 times a year
Every day, counting PbP games
How often do you play D&D?
1. more than once a week
2. once a week
3. 2-3 times a month
4. once a month
5. 6-11 times a year
6. 1-5 times a year
7. "I haven't rolled a d20 since…"
Every day, counting PbP games
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
Mostly player these days, though I still DM occasionally.
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
1. 1971 Chainmail
2. 1974 White Box
3. 1977 Basic Holmes Blue Box
4. 1977 AD&D 1e
5. 1979 Basic Moldvay/Cook Red Box
6. 1983 Basic Mentzer Red Box
7. 1989 AD&D 2e
8. 1991 Rules Cyclopedia
9. 1991 New Easy to Master D&D
10. 1994 Classic D&D
11. 1996 AD&D 2e Revised
12. 1999 D&D Adventure Game
13. 2000 D&D 3.0e
14. 2003 D&D 3.5e
15. 2008 D&D 4e
16. 2010 D&D Basic Set
17. 2010 D&D Essentials
1983
I am most comfortable in…
1. urban environments
2. suburban environments
3. rural environments
I prefer rural with urban amenities.
Are you religious/spiritual?
1. Yes, and strongly!
2. Casually
3. Not at all.
no
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
2. All teens need to know is that abstinence always works.
Knowledge is power. It should be mandatory.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
1. I think guns should be illegal.
2. Tax the crap out of them.
3. The usual taxes are onerous enough.
4. I don't think the sale of anything should be taxed.
Taxes are a fact of life, but are not the answer to gun control.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
1. I think guns should be illegal, even with a license.
2. Make them hard to get and/or costly, and easily revokable.
3. Make them easy to get and/or cheap, and hardly revokable.
4. Owning guns shouldn't require a license.
Licensing makes sense, along with gun registration and a requirement to track ownership and transfer of firearms.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
2. Leave gun education up to the parents.
Everybody should know the basics, as a matter of safety.
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
1. I don't even think hunting rifles and shotguns should be legal.
2. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be illegal.
3. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be legal.
4. I think that even high-end military weapons should be legal.
I don't think they are necessary, licensing and insurance should be required.
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
2. lower/fewer taxes
Smarter taxes: close the loopholes.
How do you feel about government surveillance?
1. My privacy rights are already violated enough!
2. A little less privacy is an acceptable price for added security.
Most surveillance is automated data mining by computers that could not care less who or what you are. Truthfully, surveillance and data mining efforts by private companies for commercial gain are far more advanced and intrusive than anything the government would dream of implementing.
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are…
1. thinly veiled imperialism
2. worthy endeavors
A myth. If we were conducting war to spread Democracy or protect civilians, we would be fully engaged in Africa, not the middle east.
Unions are…
1. the working Joe's leverage
2. corrupt bullies
Both. They do protect their members and offer substantial benefits, obtained by bullying corporations with the threat of destroying their profits.
Voter ID Laws are…
1. Underhanded political scheming
2. Fraud-safing against dishonest voters
Politically motivated and targeted at specific demographics.
That said: I do fully support a national ID, complete with biometrics.Global Warming is…
1. Science
2. Science Fiction
Science
Capital punishment is...
1. Never acceptable.
2. Acceptable in extreme cases.
3. Absolutely acceptable.
Not applied frequently enough.
[b]How do you feel about immigration?
1. There are ways we can all live together!
2. Stay on your side of the border!
I find it ironic that a country of immigrants opposes immigration.
[/b]How do you feel about racism and sexism?[/b]
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
2. They're mostly things of the past.
Alive, doing well, and different groups willingly self-segregate.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. I'm Pro-Choice
2. I'm Pro-Life
Pro-choice
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes
2. No
yes
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
2. Wrong
Science
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
1. It's a very good thing. Oh, and tax those churches just like the rest of us!
2. Yeah, but give the legitimate temples tax breaks.
3. The Holy Book belongs in every government office, and God forbid the day should come when my nation's leader isn't a God-fearing man/woman!
They should remain separate. The government should not interfere with religion. Religion should not interfere with government.
LGBTs are…
1. people like everyone else
2. weird
3. practitioners of a deviant lifestyle
Equality is when nobody cares. I don't care what your orientation is as long as your not trying to sleep with me.
Poverty is…
1. the nation's responsibility
2. the individual's responsibility
Both. The government should be responsible for providing a path for self improvement and caring for those physically or mentally incapable of helping themselves. The individual should be responsible to taking the offered path of self improvement.
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
1. Legalize everything!
2. Legalize everything, and tax crap out of it!
3. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted.
4. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted, and tax the crap out of it.
5. Make it all illegal!
#4
And then impose the death penalty to those dealing everything else. They destroy more lives individually than any nutcase on a shooting spree.
Yes, I could have included an exhaustive list of which groups are and aren't minorities. If I ask the same question in future polls, I will do so.
I am sorry I did not realize I was not welcome to participate in this poll. Please have a moderator delete my posts here. Sorry for any misunderstanding.
A nitpick, perhaps, but a Protestant Christian (51% of the country) is literally the opposite of a minority, at least in the United States.Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
OneI am a born again Christian
I don't know who they polled for those numbers but I have been surrounded by a majority of atheists ever since I was sent to public school all the way through college and even in adult life...
I'm starting to think that "How often do you feel marginalized by society?" would have been a better question.
I myself grew up surrounded by born again Christians, and somehow ended up at a Catholic college, but I don't consider my group (atheism/agnosticism) to be a minority.
It probably would have been better wording.
atheism/agnosticism might not be a minority at all. Scott has yet to prove his statistic he may well have made it up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States#Religion
http://religions.pewforum.org/reportshttp://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0075.pdf
http://www.thearda.com/QL2010/QuickList_42.asp
http://www.gallup.com/poll/159548/identify-christian.aspx
The next largest religion (Catholicism) is half the size. Protestants are overwhelmingly the majority in the U.S. No other religion is even close.
Male
Technically religious, I guess... Atheist member of the Unitarian Universalist church in town. I know, an atheist in church?! But they're cool about that, and I'm there for the community and helping people.
How financially comfortable are you?
1. I'm poor.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
1. Less than 4
In the past, mostly private, but since about July I've been going to Society play exclusively.
How often do you like to play D&D?
1. more than once a week
How often do you play D&D?
2. once a week.
Player
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
13. 2000 D&D 3.0e
I am most comfortable in…
1. urban environments
Real Life Issues
Are you religious/spiritual?
3. Not at all.
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
2. Tax the crap out of them.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
2. Make them hard to get and/or costly, and easily revokable.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
2. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be illegal.
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
How do you feel about government surveillance?
1. My privacy rights are already violated enough!
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are…
1. thinly veiled imperialism
Unions are…
1. the working Joe's leverage
Voter ID Laws are…
1. Underhanded political scheming
Global Warming is…
1. Science
Capital punishment is...
1. Never acceptable.
How do you feel about immigration?
1. There are ways we can all live together!
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. I'm Pro-Choice
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
1. It's a very good thing. Oh, and tax those churches just like the rest of us!
LGBTs are…
1. people like everyone else
Poverty is…
1. the nation's responsibility
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
4. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted, and tax the crap out of it.
Game Life Issues
Do you value game balance?
1. Very much
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
2. good clean fun!
Do you value game realism?
2. Somewhat
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
2. They have their charm.
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
2. They have their charm.
In small games, usually 3 or fewer, individual xp, otherwise group xp.
(Read the next question before answering this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
1. carefully managed
(If you answered 3 to the last question, don't answer this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
1. prescriptive ("Your character is of this alignment, so s/he must do that")
2. descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
Do you like alignment overall?
2. It has its charm
Paladins should be…
1. any alignment like clerics (with an appropriately tweaked smite power and spell list for non-good ones)
Additional character options are best as…
2. archetypes/ACFs (if a base class already covers the general archetype)
3. prestige classes (for unique and narrowed gameplay style)
4. feats (always)
PC death is…
2. Acceptable if it results from poor decision-making or a climactic showdown.
What is your favorite level range?
2. 6-10
3. 11-15
Low Levels (1-4)
2. "Savor the low fantasy fun!"
High levels (13+)
1. "I can't wait to get there!"
I favor…
2. Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
Hit points are…
3. a mechanic that makes the game work -- don't think about it!
Evil PCs are…
2. Okay if everyone's on board.
DMPCs are…
3. Best avoided at all costs.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
AoOs are…
1. great!
Combat is best as…
2. a great way to break up social, travel and problem-solving encounters
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
2. It depends.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.)
2. It depends.
Jessica Price,
According to the very same poll Scott linked Evangelical non-denominational Christians are in the 10% category... All the various Protestant churches added together make 41%. His own misquoted numbers. If belief in God was the question then he would be right, it wasn't the question so he is wrong. If being in a 10% group makes us a vast majority I question his math.
But that is irrelevant this was a poll or so I was led to believe. While it sure looks like atheism is truly a minority it sure doesn't feel that way when any time a Christian has an opinion their position is attacked by large numbers of angry atheists. While that isn't what happened here it does tend to color my opinion of how many atheists are truly out there... apparently they are just a very vocal minority.
Please delete my poll response. I won't stay where I am not welcome.
Demographic Questions
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.)
4th.
Are you male or female?
male
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
One, I suffer from a mental disorder
How financially comfortable are you?
2. I'm somewhat poor.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
2. 4 to 6
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
Private
How often do you like to play D&D?
Depending on whether you count Pathfinder as D&D (I don't)
1. more than once a week if you count Pathfinder
6. 1-5 times a year if you don't.
How often do you play D&D?
See previous answer, and
3. 2-3 times a month if you count Pathfinder
7. "I haven't rolled a d20 since…" if you don't.
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
I'm mostly a GM.
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
6. 1983 Basic Mentzer Red Box
I am most comfortable in…
3. rural environments
Real Life Issues
Are you religious/spiritual?
2. Casually
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
2. Tax the crap out of them (for anything bigger than a handgun)
3. The usual taxes are onerous enough (for handguns)
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
2. Make them hard to get and/or costly, and easily revokable.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
2. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be illegal.
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
How do you feel about government surveillance?
2. A little less privacy is an acceptable price for added security.
(just so long as that surveillance stops at my front door)
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are…
I can't answer this question. Individual wars need to be rated on their own merits.
Unions are…
1. the working Joe's leverage
Voter ID Laws are…
No idea. I'm in the UK, we don't have them as far as I know.
Global Warming is…
1. Science
Capital punishment is...
3. Absolutely acceptable.
(as long as there's undenyable proof)
How do you feel about immigration?
1.5 :) There are ways we can all live together, but sometimes border controls need tightening too.
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. I'm Pro-Choice
(as long as it's an informed choice)
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
1. It's a very good thing. Oh, and tax those churches just like the rest of us!
LGBTs are…
1. people like everyone else
Poverty is…
1.5 Everyone's responsibility.
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
4. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted, and tax the crap out of it.
Game Life Issues
Do you value game balance?
3. Very little
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
2. good clean fun!
Do you value game realism?
2. Somewhat
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
2. They have their charm.
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
2. They have their charm.
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP?
Group/No XP.
(Read the next question before answering this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
2. not taken too seriously
(If you answered 3 to the last question, don't answer this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
2. descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
Do you like alignment overall?
2. It has its charm
Paladins should be…
1.5 Lawful anything. Neutral/Chaotic variants can also exist but shouldn't be called "Paladins".
Additional character options are best as…
2. archetypes/ACFs
PC death is…
2. Acceptable if it results from poor decision-making or a climactic showdown.
What is your favorite level range?
1. 1-5
Low Levels (1-4)
1. "Ugh, let's grind past them as quickly as possible"
High levels (13+)
1. "I can't wait to get there!"
I favor…
2. Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
Hit points are…
1. an abstraction of luck, stamina, divine favor, skill, etc..
Evil PCs are…
1. Interesting role play opportunities.
DMPCs are…
4. Something that doesn't exist. They're just a fancy term for NPCs that have joined the party.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
2. Sometimes.
AoOs are…
3. a pain in my ass!
(because I'm currently having to program them)
Combat is best as…
2. a great way to break up social, travel and problem-solving encounters
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
2. It depends.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.)
2. It depends.
Demographic Questions
Which decade of life are you in? (11-20 counts as 2nd, 21-30 counts as 3rd, etc.)
6th
Are you male or female?
male
Aside from geekdom, how many minority groups are you a member of? (LGBT, racial/ethnic, physically disabled, emotionally/mentally disabled, religious)
one
How financially comfortable are you?
3. I'm more-or-less comfortable.
In your experience, how big is the typical game group? (Including the GM.)
2. 4 to 6
Do you play mostly private games, or mostly at public events?
mostly private games
How often do you like to play D&D?
3. 2-3 times a month
How often do you play D&D?
7. "I haven't rolled a d20 since…"
Are you mostly a DM or a player?
player
Which edition was your introduction to D&D?
4. 1977 AD&D 1e
I am most comfortable in…
1. urban environments
Life Issues
Are you religious/spiritual?
3. Not at all.
How do you feel about sex education in primary school?
1. It should be mandatory and exhaustive.
Everyone is born with genitalia, they should be taught how to use it responsibly.
How do you feel about gun sale taxes?
2. Tax the crap out of them.
How do you feel about personal gun licenses?
2. Make them hard to get and/or costly, and easily revokable.
How do you feel about gun education in primary school?
2. Leave gun education up to the parents.
No one is born with a gun. Those who use them should do the educating, and be held responsible.
How do you feel about concealable and semi-automatic guns?
2. Concealable and semi-automatic guns should be illegal.
"Defending yourself against the government" only works if you legalize, stinger missiles and tanks.
What do you want from tax reform?
1. smarter taxes
How do you feel about government surveillance?
1. My privacy rights are already violated enough!
Wars to Spread Democracy and/or Protect Foreign Civilians are…
1. thinly veiled imperialism
Unions are…
1. the working Joe's leverage
Voter ID Laws are…
1. Underhanded political scheming
Global Warming is…
1. Science
Capital punishment is...
2. Acceptable in extreme cases.
How do you feel about immigration?
1. There are ways we can all live together!
How do you feel about racism and sexism?
1. They're alive and ugly in the world today.
What's your stance on abortion?
1. I'm Pro-Choice
Do you believe that your government should provide certain necessities of modern life to all of its citizens? (Police, fire departments, schooling, roads, medical care, etc.)
1. Yes
Stem Cell Research is…
1. Science
How do you feel about the separation of church and state?
1. It's a very good thing. Oh, and tax those churches just like the rest of us!
LGBTs are…
1. weird people like everyone else
Poverty is…
1. the nation's responsibility
If I had the power to change my country's drug and alcohol laws, I would…
4. Legalize the stuff that most people can smoke/drink recreationally without getting addicted, and tax the crap out of it.
Life Issues
Do you value game balance?
2. Somewhat
Random Game Stats (Abilities, HPs) are…
2. good clean fun!
Do you value game realism?
2. Somewhat
Do you enjoy core-only games? (With possible exceptions being occasional.)
2. They have their charm.
Do you enjoy kitchen sink games? (Few to no character options banned.)
3. Ugh, no, too messy!
Do you prefer individual XP, or group/no XP?
individual XP
(Read the next question before answering this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
2. not taken too seriously
(If you answered 3 to the last question, don't answer this one.)
Ideally, alignment is…
2. descriptive ("Judging by your character's past actions, s/he is alignment X")
Do you like alignment overall?
2. It has its charm
Paladins should be…
1. any alignment like clerics (with an appropriately tweaked smite power and spell list for non-good ones)
2. LG only
Additional character options are best as…
2. archetypes/ACFs
PC death is…
2. Acceptable if it results from poor decision-making or a climactic showdown.
What is your favorite level range?
2. 6-10
Low Levels (1-4)
2. "Savor the low fantasy fun!"
High levels (13+)
1. "I can't wait to get there!"
I favor…
2. Complex classes. If I don't have at least a few spells or powers to pick from, I start getting bored.
Hit points are…
3. a mechanic that makes the game work -- don't think about it!
Evil PCs are…
2. Okay if everyone's on board.
DMPCs are…
2. Acceptable if they stick to support roles.
Do you enjoy guns/steampunk in D&D?
1. Yes!
Do you enjoy asian/non-european stuff in D&D?
1. Yes!
AoOs are…
2. good in concept, if not in execution
Combat is best as…
2. a great way to break up social, travel and problem-solving encounters
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is your friend, but only moderately skilled, or untried.)
2. It depends.
Do you turn down opportunities to play rpgs other than your favorite edition of your favorite game? (Assume that the GM is a game-only friend or a stranger, but is a highly skilled one.)
2. It depends.
Unless you tell me that SAS is free and easy to use, I'll be compiling the data in an excel sheet so that I can post results like "X% of gamers who think that paladins should be LG are pro-choice, Y% are undecided, and Z% are pro-life."It's neither free nor especially easy to use. I have access to and use SPSS (another stats package) at work for statistical analysis on a daily basis. If you put together and clean your Excel sheet and pass it on to me I can run some crosstabs if I get a few moments to spare sometime in the next few months.
That will be seven kinds of awesome!
I am sorry I did not realize I was not welcome to participate in this poll. Please have a moderator delete my posts here. Sorry for any misunderstanding.Yes, I could have included an exhaustive list of which groups are and aren't minorities. If I ask the same question in future polls, I will do so.
What makes you think your responses aren't welcome? Being a member of a minority was not a requirement, otherwise myself and a few others wouldn't have 'been able' to participate.
You're fine. :)
Also, the fact that you feel marginalized (and the way in which you do) might be an interesting facet to consider in a future poll. For instance, I have a player in my group who is very right-wing and religious and he often feels like the odd man out amongst the rest of us.
Aranna, I'm unclear as to how not being a member of a minority makes you unwelcome, but that's certainly not the intention.
If you divide up Protestantism by sects, sure, individual Protestant denominations are all smaller. (But by that logic, every religion is also similarly subdivided, and various types of Protestants are *still* the largest religious groups other than Catholics.) While those divisions may be important to people within the religion, though, they aren't really different enough to distinguish themselves to most people outside Protestantism, though -- Presbyterians and Congregationalists have way more in common with each other than they do with, say, Jews or Buddhists -- and there are reasons that demographically, Protestantism generally gets treated as one religion (heck, treating Protestants and Catholics as belonging to different religious groups is interesting): culturally, politically, etc. they're a cohesive grouping.
But getting back to the point, what does being in a majority religion have to do with being unwelcome? Everyone's welcome regardless of what groups they belong to, and I don't recall anything in the survey saying you have to be a member of a minority group to take it?
Also, the fact that you feel marginalized (and the way in which you do) might be an interesting facet to consider in a future poll. For instance, I have a player in my group who is very right-wing and religious and he often feels like the odd man out amongst the rest of us.
Feeling like you don't have much in common with someone else or a group of people is not the same as being marginalized. You are marginalized if your impact on the world around you is made to count for less than other people.
On a related note, feeling marginalized and being marginalized are two very different things. Many Christians in America purport to feel marginalized, but they are not. Meanwhile, many members of other religions in America feel marginalized and are marginalized.