Another player who was at the table during the incident sent me this meme after the problem player in question (they had a history) left the group chat.

Felt like sharing it here because I’m sure more people should keep this kind of thing in mind.

  • neptune@dmv.social
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    11 months ago

    I’m not sure the commenter disagrees with you. If a player wants their character to have a wheelchair, they are simply “saying” that some people have wheel chairs.

    I had to go look up diegetic essential ism and basically the idea is that people get too hung up on the literalness of a character in a wheelchair.

    What does it say about the universe that elephants can jump ten feet vertically? What does it say about the DM if they rule against this “fact” of DND?

    • The_Dessarin_River@ttrpg.network
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      11 months ago

      Yeah, sorry, I should have linked diegetic essentialism.

      The easy example I’ve seen used is Vampires and Werewolves.

      How do you kill a vampire?

      Vampires are not real.

      Within the fantasy world vampires can be understood in their relation to their ‘in universe’ opposite: werewolves. They are essentially the same creature: ‘monster that bites you and you turn into one’. Vampires tend to be rich or aristocrats with massive amounts of control over other creatures, environment, etc. Werewolves are poor, often homeless, and lose control over themselves in a bestial form.

      How do you kill a vampire, a monster representing wealth, greed, etc.

      A simple wooden stake, the tool of peasant farmers.

      How do you kill a werewolf, a monster representing poverty, desperation, etc

      A silver bullet, a weapon literally made of money.