Post originally by Spike at 2005-06-12 11:35:30
Converted from Phorums BB System

Actually, I'd have to go with Yorm on this one. I just got my book in the mail today, I've read the first 26 pages and this is part of what I found on this, normally limited topic.
Two gods (maybe three) are currently engaged in Homosexual relations. Followed by a half page story dwelling on same gay (for brevity) god, and his 'followers'.
References to Aldis's tolerence, and the horrer their neighbor feels about this.
The Sea-folk, who apparently have a 50/50 split between homo/hetero. I have to wonder about their biology that half their population can drop themselves out of the genepool.

There is a very big difference between tolerence, and pushy. This book is pushy. I won't say it is pushy as in "be Gay", but none the less it is pushy. I think the authors spent a little too much time focusing on relatively minor elements of the 'genre' and have taken the cheesiest or least appealing approach to handling them.

As for how to show tolerence without drifting into preachy behavior, it's pretty simple. A single, probably game fiction, bit that shows tolerance in action. A character, even a prominent one, with an open relationship, for example. The way it's written, Aldis is so tolerent that the neighboring kindom of moralists felt the need to invade several times to wipe them out. Through an impassible poisoned swamp. That's some powerful outrage. More realistic, and less pushy, the neighboring kindom could have invaded because they are agressive expansionists, because they want to spread the 'one true word'. True, the tolerence here isn't about sex, but about magic, but the point remains largely the same. It's hard to muster support to attack people doing something bad, as long as they are doing it "over there".

Of course, I don't really care, I wouldn't use the setting as written anyway, the sheer silliness of the kingdom and all. I bought it to study the systems, maybe to adapt them to my own campaigns. Hell, just seeing the sheer badness of the Rhys critters inspired me to come up with a much cooler method of handling bonded animal companions.