# Canada portrayed negatively in games?



## Roudi (Sep 30, 2007)

In this thread. Raptor claims (and I quote):



			
				Raptor said:
			
		

> I am tired of the inaccuracies Role Playing Games portray of Canada and Canadians.



Now my gaming knowledge is a little sparse, but among all the games I've seen, I have rarely witnessed Canada portrayed either inaccurately or negatively.  Can anyone enlighten to what games have shown Canada in a less than positive light?


----------



## Raptor (Oct 1, 2007)

Your title is a bit misleading as I had an issue with inaccuracies as well. However are you some sort of crusader that feels no one else is entitled to their own opinion and perceptions? Your entire atitude has come across as nothing but antagonistic towards me dude, so I owe you nothing.


----------



## HellHound (Oct 1, 2007)

Quebec separates in many RPG products. I'm thinking of CyberPunk, Twilight 2000 and other near future RPGs.

In *Twilight 2000*, the separation of Quebec actually has an effect on the Canadian military because the armour divisions out East didn't actually have any... armour... when the separation happened. So the Mechanized Infantry divisions out East use requisitioned pickup trucks and so on.

Free Quebec in *RIFTS *is a humanocentric and xenophobic patriotic nation that ends up looking like a good guy in the face of the even more humanocentric and xenophobic Coalition based out of Chicago. In RIFTS, they have access to a technology that no one else has (except for a company in Germany that they sold the tech to in exchange for manufacturing capacity) that makes them stand out.

*CyberSpace *has very little reference to Canada - in 2067 Canada is the first nation to commence extensive Aqualogy development (off the coast of BC). In 2073 Quebec secedes from Canada. In 2075 Quebec rejoins Canada. The US annexes Ontario as a "Protectorate" in 2077. I also believe that there was a reference to the Stanley Cup and to Canadian Tire Money in sidebars in some of the other books in the line, but those are out in another room right now.

In *CyberPunk*, Canadian crops are wiped out with most of the world's in 2002 (only US crops survive, because the virus was a bioweapon and the US had the cure - you do the math). I don't think that Canada sees any other mention in the core book - but I'm sure there's references to it in other books (especially the 'unofficial' ones published by DP9 and written by a Montrealer).

In *Underground*, Canada (except for Quebec) is part of the US. They needed more states. 60 States (the classic 50 + the Canadian Provinces + Cuba). The People's Republic of Quebec (with a population of 8.5 million) is primarily Protestant and Scientologist in 2021. (oooooooh kay...) It separated in 2003, just prior the the US taking the rest of Canada as the 51-58th States. The Communist party won a landslide election victory there in 2008. It is effectively part of the European Common Market which is in turn controlled by the Scientologist stronghold of Neo-Deutchland.

In *Transhuman Space*, a 2031 Referendum has BC and Alberta separating from Canada. They separate in 2033 and form the Union of Alberta and British Columbia (ABC). In 2036, socio-economic stresses from the "loss of the west" led Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces to dissociate themselves from central Canada and negotiate membership in the EU. In 2041 Montreal separates from Quebec as one of the first Free Cities. By the game time in 2100, Canada is Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Quebec is a nation in the EU, as is Newfoundland and "The Maritime Union" (a nation formed of the ex-Atlantic provinces). (I don't own Fifth Wave - the book about Earth, so there may be more details in there about Canada and it's ex provinces).

I'm going to head for bed, but will dig through my other games later.


----------



## HellHound (Oct 1, 2007)

For inaccuracies, check out the first adventure published for *Werewolf the Apocalypse*. It is PAINFUL.

The party is teleported to northern Saskatchewan, and the villain routinely drives between that location and Toronto, only 150 miles away.

Yep. 150 miles.


----------



## HellHound (Oct 1, 2007)

Shouldn't this thread be in the General RPG forum, since it isn't specific to d20 games?


----------



## Aussiegamer (Oct 1, 2007)

Raptor said:
			
		

> Your title is a bit misleading as I had an issue with inaccuracies as well. However are you some sort of crusader that feels no one else is entitled to their own opinion and perceptions? Your entire atitude has come across as nothing but antagonistic towards me dude, so I owe you nothing.




At least he is not complaining about your english skills!


----------



## Nyarlathotep (Oct 1, 2007)

I'm not sure Canada gets such a bad rap in most RPG products. Of course there will be some that are just plain wrong, but if anyone has room to complain about their country being misrepresented in RPGs it would definately be the Americans (and now that I think about it, any nation that embraced a form of communism or totalitariansim in its past, when was the last time you read a RPG that has a peaceful Russian nation ).


----------



## JDJblatherings (Oct 1, 2007)

As a citizen of the U.S.  I'm not sure if i trust Canada at all. over 80% of their population is poised within a 100 miles of or border? And just what are they trying to pull by calling ham "bacon" just becasue one serves it with breakfast?


----------



## Committed Hero (Oct 1, 2007)

It's hard to say in that list of science fiction future timelines is an accurate vehicle to judge whether Canada is portrayed poorly.  The US gets about equal treatment.

I won't defend the 150 miles thing - everyone knows it should be around 220 _kilometers_.

Seriously, rpg writers are notorious for poor presentations of contemporary foreign countries.  Canada is not alone in that regard.


----------



## Roudi (Oct 1, 2007)

What can I say?  There's a difference between opinion (such as "I don't like what you're doing here") and an objective statement of fact (such as "I don't like how Canada is disrespected in other games").  Since I have honestly never seen Canada portrayed as the bad guy, or a large evil, or even with negative stereotypes in gaming products, I found myself wondering what games you might have been referring to.

Now, I know full well that my gaming knowledge is limited, so that is why I have called upon the greater ENWorld community to enlighten me.  After all, Raptor, you yourself have provided zero examples of this purported disrespect of our nation.

If this thread belongs in General Discussion then, by all means, may an empowered Moderator place it where it belongs.

Oh, and JDJblatherings... it's not ham, it's "peameal bacon".  It's got "peameal".  So not ham.  Totally not ham, not in the slightest.  K?


----------



## Stormborn (Oct 1, 2007)

You think Canada gets a poor or inaccurate portrayal?  Try being from the American South.


----------



## jezter6 (Oct 1, 2007)

Let me start by saying that I do not know of any specfic bad rap Canada gets in any roleplaying games. However, I can see WHY they would get a bad rap in most modern era games.

#1) Nowhere in the world is gaming as prevalent as the US. Take out console and computer games, I'm talking people who buy dead tree books to play with minis, dice, figs, cards, or other in person social interaction games.

#2) Because most gamers are in the US, many games are written by US authors, and the 'default' setting is usually somewhere in the US. It's nature that we write what we know, and using your home country as a premise makes writing easier.

#3) Extrapolate 1 and 2, and suddenly to create a game other than "Real Life Gaming" you need to have the hook or the twist. Zombies, apocalypse, etc. Sure, that could be enough for some people, but gamers like fluff, and we want to know what our close proximity neighbors are doing. Also, maybe the game needs more adverseries than just the hook, so we take the 2 closest countries to us and make them "eeeeevil" (TM). 

Now, adding those up, you get a communist canada, which is either:
a) Misinterpretation by us southerners as to how your government is handled.
b) Extrapolation - seeing what happens if we take your current government to the extremes
c) Pure fiction for the purpose of gaming fun.

Dude, relax. You're in CANADA, eh?

Hell, if you want to kill this big stereotype, then write your own setting where Canada, eh, is the greates country in the world and the US is the axis of "eeeeevil" (TM).


----------



## Cergorach (Oct 1, 2007)

Canada is populated by Mounties and mooses.
America is populated by country hicks, hillbilies, and rednecks.
The Netherlands is populated by hookers and dealers.

There are a lot of preconceptions and sterio types, in fiction they are often used to illustrate a point and be easily recognisable by others. It's often difficult to accurately portray a culture to folks that aren't familiar with it. It's really difficult for writers that are in a certain culture to note the differences with other cultures because everything native is so natural for such a writer.

I for one know of Canada that it's full of nature, sure i know that there are large cities in Canada, it's just not the first thing i think of when Canada is mentioned. The TV series Intelligence gave me a glimpse of Canadian city life, while it's similar to city life in other western nations, there where a lot of subtle differences (of course you have to wonder if a tv series can accurately portray such a thing).

The same goes for my own home town of Amsterdam, Americans often think of hookers and 'free' drugs when Amsterdam is mentioned. Or of clogs, windmills, and tulips when Holland (The Netherlands) is mentioned. In the mind of the 'common' (wo)man these are non-issues, other issues are far more current. Alcohol and tabacco are far more pressing issues then hard/soft drugs are...


----------



## Rob Toth (Oct 1, 2007)

*A New Leaf*

A Canadian gent once complained that I sank the country in Damnation Decade. But I think his point was that I was dodging Canada (i.e., not coming up with interesting fluff for it) rather than slandering it.


----------



## The_Gneech (Oct 1, 2007)

I for one welcome our Canadian Overlords!

-The Gneech


----------



## Loincloth of Armour (Oct 1, 2007)

jezter6 said:
			
		

> Hell, if you want to kill this big stereotype, then write your own setting where Canada, eh, is the greates country in the world and the US is the axis of "eeeeevil" (TM).




We don't need to write this setting, it's the default for the real world.


----------



## Ambrus (Oct 1, 2007)

The worst portrayal I've ever noted of Canada in an RPG was in White-Wolf's original Changeling game. In the main book, all of Canada fell within the mythical "Kingdom of Ice and Snow" ruled by a Sidhe Ice Queen. It was described as a land perpetually shrouded in an endless chimerical (i.e. imaginary) winterscape year round.

The idea that PCs would have to bundle up in winter clothes to walk down the street in Toronto or Montreal in the middle of July is absurd, and I don't know anyone who ran a Changeling game based in Canada that stuck with the setting's cannon description.







			
				Loincloth of Armour said:
			
		

> We don't need to write this setting, it's the default for the real world.



Seconded.


----------



## Twowolves (Oct 1, 2007)

Stormborn said:
			
		

> You think Canada gets a poor or inaccurate portrayal?  Try being from the American South.




Amen to that, and not just in RPGs. TV, movies, most every media form has the US South nicely shoehorned into an inacruate and unflattering stereotype.


----------



## Vigilance (Oct 1, 2007)

JDJblatherings said:
			
		

> As a citizen of the U.S.  I'm not sure if i trust Canada at all. over 80% of their population is poised within a 100 miles of or border? And just what are they trying to pull by calling ham "bacon" just becasue one serves it with breakfast?




And don't even get me started on the metric system. My god!


----------



## coriolis (Oct 1, 2007)

Negative? Maybe sometimes. Inaccurate? Yes, but not any more than the general media.

My favorite example is the West Wing special that aired after September 11th: a suspected terrorist enters the U.S. through the Ontario-Vermont crossing... even though they don't border each other!


----------



## Raptor (Oct 1, 2007)

Thank you Hellhound....I never knew about the Underground portrayal so thats a new one for me the others I have seen as well.

2300 AD portays Canada as having ties with the UK stronger then our ties with the US which is inaccurate as we have been pretty much in the US sphere since WW2.


----------



## trancejeremy (Oct 1, 2007)

Raptor said:
			
		

> Thank you Hellhound....I never knew about the Underground portrayal so thats a new one for me the others I have seen as well.




Bear in mind, Underground was meant to be somewhat farcical. Not as completely silly as say, Paranoia, but not far off, either.


----------



## 2WS-Steve (Oct 1, 2007)

trancejeremy said:
			
		

> Bear in mind, Underground was meant to be somewhat farcical. Not as completely silly as say, Paranoia, but not far off, either.




Tastee Ghoul was farcical!?!


----------



## Raptor (Oct 2, 2007)

In the Earth Alliance Factbook for the Babylon 5 RPG this is the Roleplaying Suggestions for Canadians. Granted its not insulting but it is inaccurate:
Canadians are quiet people who appreciate solitude. They do not mind cold weather, and in many cases prefer it. Canadians tend to be hardy and can swim, hike, and hunt for extended periods of time. They speak Engkish with a noticeable French accent and a few of their own prounciations (_ow_  sounds as _oo_ for example). Canadians drink more beer per capita then any other nation state on Earth.


----------



## Relique du Madde (Oct 2, 2007)

coriolis said:
			
		

> My favorite example is the West Wing special that aired after September 11th: a suspected terrorist enters the U.S. through the Ontario-Vermont crossing... even though they don't border each other!




Didn't you know that in Hollywood all states east of Los Angeles have interchangeable names and can be represented by traveling to different parts of California (if not LA County alone)?


----------



## Jack of Shadows (Oct 2, 2007)

Well,

I've never found RPG's take on Canada to be derogatory in any way (Though that Babylon 5 blurb is just hysterical). Generally, Canada is just dismissed by RPG's as very few games bother with much information about us. I don't think this is intentional, just that most people just don't know anything about us. We really haven't done anything to make a splash on the world stage. 

I really hate myself for saying this but except for Quebec and the East Coast most Americans would have a hard time telling us apart from other Americans. 

So for all you game developers out there here's some Canadian stereotypes to help portray us better:

- English speaking Canadians (Anglophones) are highly annoyed by French Speaking Canadians (Francophones). French Canadians think English Canadians are self absorbed pricks. We probably are.
- East Coasters think anyone to the West are crazy and everyone to the West KNOWS the Maritimers are stark raving nuts.
- Those out West (Everywhere from Saskatchewan to BC) hate everyone to the east. Everyone to the East tends to forget there are people out West except Vancouver which is a nice place to go hiking.
- Everyone in the Territories wishes the rest of Canada remembered they were there. Sometimes we do.
- And everyone, absolutely everyone, hates Toronto. No really, they do.

Jack


----------



## Raptor (Oct 2, 2007)

In all fairness to Mongoose that passage is from a 1st Ed B5 book, still waiting on a 2nd Ed version of the Earth Alliance Factbook.


----------



## coyote6 (Oct 2, 2007)

Raptor said:
			
		

> In all fairness to Mongoose that passage is from a 1st Ed B5 book, still waiting on a 2nd Ed version of the Earth Alliance Factbook.




Yes, we've all learned a lot about Canada since that book came out.


----------



## Whizbang Dustyboots (Oct 2, 2007)

Committed Hero said:
			
		

> Seriously, rpg writers are notorious for poor presentations of contemporary foreign countries.  Canada is not alone in that regard.



Foreign countries like New Orleans, a relative stones throw away from White Wolf headquarters in Stone Mountain, Georgia, get equal treatment. Because, you know, New Orleans, with its high water table, is the natural place you'd think to equip with a subway system ...   

Canadians aren't being singled out. Blame the decline of American geography classes overall.


----------



## Committed Hero (Oct 2, 2007)

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
			
		

> Foreign countries like New Orleans, a relative stones throw away from White Wolf headquarters in Stone Mountain, Georgia, get equal treatment. Because, you know, New Orleans, with its high water table, is the natural place you'd think to equip with a subway system ...
> 
> Canadians aren't being singled out. Blame the decline of American geography classes overall.




Maybe it's on Wikipedia.


----------



## jaerdaph (Oct 2, 2007)

Everything you will ever need to know about Canada you can learn by watching South Park. 

http://animatedtv.about.com/library/graphics/sp715_Christmas_in_Canada_4.jpg


----------



## jaerdaph (Oct 2, 2007)

Stormborn said:
			
		

> You think Canada gets a poor or inaccurate portrayal?  Try being from the American South.




Oh I believe you. We used to have an image problem in NYC until people started visiting after 9/11 and realized we're some pretty nice, friendly people. Travel is a good thing, because you start to realize people are people, and most people are kind, friendly folks.


----------



## Odhanan (Oct 2, 2007)

Stormborn said:
			
		

> You think Canada gets a poor or inaccurate portrayal?  Try being from the American South.



Or France, for stereotypes.


----------



## Roudi (Oct 2, 2007)

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
			
		

> Canadians aren't being singled out. Blame the decline of American geography classes overall.



Perhaps we could take lessons from The Iraq?  They could give maps to those kids that don't have them.






For the children...


----------



## TheAuldGrump (Oct 2, 2007)

HellHound said:
			
		

> For inaccuracies, check out the first adventure published for *Werewolf the Apocalypse*. It is PAINFUL.
> 
> The party is teleported to northern Saskatchewan, and the villain routinely drives between that location and Toronto, only 150 miles away.
> 
> Yep. 150 miles.



An awful lot of W:tA stuff was badly researched - take a look at what they did with the Amazon.... 

A note to those folks confused be 'eh' - 'eh' appears at the end of a spoken sentence, most often as a query as to whether you heard/understood/agree with the speaker, followed by a confirming 'eh' from the queried party, sometimes not otherwise accompanied. Thus, as an example of usage-
Fred: I'm heading down to the store Bob, the girl there is cute, eh?
Bob: Eh.

A Canadian friend of mine translated 'eh' as 'make a noise so I know you're listening.'

The Auld Grump


----------



## barsoomcore (Oct 2, 2007)

So it appears that the answer to the question "Is Canada regularly (or indeed, ever) portrayed negatively in game products?" is "Nope, hardly at all."

Good to know!


----------



## solkan_uk (Oct 2, 2007)

I love some of the almost comical ways England is portrayed in RPG's, Movies, Books etc.
We seem to stuck in the victorian era for a lot of them.


----------



## Mustrum_Ridcully (Oct 2, 2007)

Raptor said:
			
		

> Canadians drink more beer per capita then any other nation state on Earth.



That must be a factual error! I was always certain that Germany was the one.. But maybe I ruined the statistics? (Don't drink a drop 



Spoiler



of alcohol


)


----------



## tenkar (Oct 2, 2007)

jaerdaph said:
			
		

> Oh I believe you. We used to have an image problem in NYC until people started visiting after 9/11 and realized we're some pretty nice, friendly people. Travel is a good thing, because you start to realize people are people, and most people are kind, friendly folks.




Well, I wouldn't go quite that far 

New Yorkers tend to leave each other alone for the most part.  Maybe because the city is so crowded we have this thing about personal space.  Others read this as rudeness.  However, if you are lost or need help most New Yorkers will step up if asked.

When the chips are down this city does pull together like no other... I witnessed that first hand on 9-11.

Milwaukee is/was a friendly city.  Was there for a gen con about 15 years ago.  Folks waited for the walk signs to turn green, crossed at the corners, and even the homeless picking thru the garbage cans for bottles said good morning as we passed.  Felt like the twilight zone for a New Yorker like me


----------



## barsoomcore (Oct 2, 2007)

Mustrum_Ridcully said:
			
		

> Raptor said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Neither.

Canada's not even a contender.


----------



## Fifth Element (Oct 2, 2007)

Vigilance said:
			
		

> And don't even get me started on the metric system. My god!



Quick trivia question:

Name the only two countries, other than the USA, in the world that do not officially use the metric system.


----------



## Fifth Element (Oct 2, 2007)

HellHound said:
			
		

> In *Underground*, Canada (except for Quebec) is part of the US. They needed more states. 60 States (the classic 50 + the Canadian Provinces + Cuba). The People's Republic of Quebec (with a population of 8.5 million) is primarily Protestant and Scientologist in 2021. (oooooooh kay...) It separated in 2003, just prior the the US taking the rest of Canada as the 51-58th States.



What did they do with the Territories? I expect our friends in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut are quite tired of being forgotten.


----------



## Mark Chance (Oct 2, 2007)

I try not to get bothered by such things. My skin isn't so thin that fictional portrayals, especially those of the "what if?" variety, are offensive. Besides, I'm still hoping somebody will put out a _d20 Modern_ supplement entitled _Hockey Rinks and Hosers_.


----------



## Fifth Element (Oct 2, 2007)

Mark Chance said:
			
		

> Besides, I'm still hoping somebody will put a _d20 Modern_ supplement entitled _Hockey Rinks and Hosers_.



Of course, if an American company published it they'd probably call it _Ice_ Hockey Rinks and Hosers.

Now _that_ would offend Canadians.


----------



## Mark Chance (Oct 2, 2007)

Fifth Element said:
			
		

> Of course, if an American company published it they'd probably call it _Ice_ Hockey Rinks and Hosers.
> 
> Now _that_ would offend Canadians.




Touche'!

It would also just ruin the alliteration, which is certainly something to be offended about.


----------



## Stormborn (Oct 2, 2007)

Fifth Element said:
			
		

> Quick trivia question:
> 
> Name the only two countries, other than the USA, in the world that do not officially use the metric system.




Liberia and Myamar I believe.  And wasnt that on the Daily Show just last week?


----------



## HeapThaumaturgist (Oct 2, 2007)

We here in the American South-East do tend to get a bad rap.

Having lived here for a very long time, it's somewhat ingrained in everyone, even the locals.  

At the same time, there are distinct cultural differences.  My wife is from the west coast and is having severe culture shock.

--fje


----------



## Roudi (Oct 3, 2007)

Mark Chance said:
			
		

> Besides, I'm still hoping somebody will put out a _d20 Modern_ supplement entitled _Hockey Rinks and Hosers_.



I have something in the works that might make you happy.  Don't tell anyone, though.  It's a secret.


----------



## Fifth Element (Oct 3, 2007)

Stormborn said:
			
		

> Liberia and Myamar I believe.  And wasnt that on the Daily Show just last week?



I can't recall if it was the Daily Show or Colbert, but yes.


----------



## Tetsubo (Oct 3, 2007)

I live in New Hampshire. A friend was traveling in Texas once and encountered an unusual opinion of New England. Apparently (according to a Texan), everything north of Boston is frozen tundra...


----------



## Stormborn (Oct 3, 2007)

Tetsubo said:
			
		

> I live in New Hampshire. A friend was traveling in Texas once and encountered an unusual opinion of New England. Apparently (according to a Texan), everything north of Boston is frozen tundra...





Compared to a Texas summer, it might as well be.


----------



## jezter6 (Oct 3, 2007)

Tetsubo said:
			
		

> I live in New Hampshire. A friend was traveling in Texas once and encountered an unusual opinion of New England. Apparently (according to a Texan), everything north of Boston is frozen tundra...




That's because anyone south of New York considers anything north of Mass just another province of canada. I call people from Minnesota Canadians all the time.

I think Yoopers are Canadians as well.


----------



## Committed Hero (Oct 3, 2007)

Tetsubo said:
			
		

> I live in New Hampshire. A friend was traveling in Texas once and encountered an unusual opinion of New England. Apparently (according to a Texan), everything north of Boston is frozen tundra...



Canada *is *the country north of Buffalo....

I've been trying to think of Canadian cities in which scenarios are set.  IIRC there is an old Call of Cthulhu adventure set in Montreal.


----------



## barsoomcore (Oct 3, 2007)

HeapThaumaturgist said:
			
		

> We here in the American South-East do tend to get a bad rap.



I'm sure if you moved the South-East's rep would improve.


----------



## crueldespot (Oct 3, 2007)

Fifth Element said:
			
		

> I can't recall if it was the Daily Show or Colbert, but yes.




It was the Daily Show. Who knew that Liberia and Burma were so enlightened?

FYI the US officially recognizes the country as "Burma" as a sign of support for the democratic opposition. Only supporters of the military dictatorship (plus the uninformed media) call it "Myanmar."


----------



## Mark Chance (Oct 3, 2007)

Roudi said:
			
		

> I have something in the works that might make you happy.  Don't tell anyone, though.  It's a secret.




Tell who about what? I don't know what you're talking about.


----------



## pawsplay (Oct 3, 2007)

I can sympathize with the Canadians. I used to live in New Mexico, the US State. I don't know if they still do, but New Mexico Monthly used to have a section, every month, called "Once of our Fifty is Missing," describing such things as people thinking you need a passport to visit New Mexico, that you need to take a boat, that you need to know Spanish, etc. My favorite was the US Army surveyors map that somehow managed to omit New Mexico, distorting the map and passing out slivers of land here and there to make it work. 

I was born in Arkansas. I'm pretty tired of marrying your cousins jokes. That is actually, and always has been, untrue of Arkansas. If you want to marry your cousin, you must cross the border, to Texas.


----------



## Mark Chance (Oct 5, 2007)

pawsplay said:
			
		

> That is actually, and always has been, untrue of Arkansas. If you want to marry your cousin, you must cross the border, to Texas.




Yup. Texas is for cuzzin-luvin'. Arkansas is for folks what ain't got all their teeth.


----------



## TheAuldGrump (Oct 5, 2007)

Hmmm, the only person that I have met that I _know_ came from Arkansas did have all his teeth.

He was also the most boring person I have ever met, he could bore holes in wood with the sound of his voice. He never seemed to be happy, but this monotonous borderline depressed, every single day. I am afraid that he tainted my view of Arkansas forever and a day.

The Auld Grump, a person from Massachusetts originally, now just a plain New Englander.


----------



## Mark Chance (Oct 6, 2007)

TheAuldGrump said:
			
		

> Hmmm, the only person that I have met that I _know_ came from Arkansas did have all his teeth.




Are you sure they were _his_ teeth? I know that whenever I go through Arkansas, I'm unnerved by the lustful stares of locals focused on my delightful choppers.


----------



## Banshee16 (Oct 6, 2007)

HellHound said:
			
		

> For inaccuracies, check out the first adventure published for *Werewolf the Apocalypse*. It is PAINFUL.
> 
> The party is teleported to northern Saskatchewan, and the villain routinely drives between that location and Toronto, only 150 miles away.
> 
> Yep. 150 miles.




I suppose if you have access to wormholes.

To be expected though.  I love being asked by Americans if Ottawa is in Vancouver. 

Banshee


----------



## ssampier (Oct 6, 2007)

pawsplay said:
			
		

> I can sympathize with the Canadians. I used to live in New Mexico, the US State. I don't know if they still do, but New Mexico Monthly used to have a section, every month, called "Once of our Fifty is Missing," describing such things as people thinking you need a passport to visit New Mexico, that you need to take a boat, that you need to know Spanish, etc. My favorite was the US Army surveyors map that somehow managed to omit New Mexico, distorting the map and passing out slivers of land here and there to make it work.
> ...




I sympathize. Pre-2002, I think Utah was similar. With the Olympics coverage, I think Utah's rep has increased slightly.

Besides, if it wasn't for New Mexico, we wouldn't have Roswell and the UFO nuts.


----------



## kirinke (Oct 6, 2007)

Tetsubo said:
			
		

> I live in New Hampshire. A friend was traveling in Texas once and encountered an unusual opinion of New England. Apparently (according to a Texan), everything north of Boston is frozen tundra...




No. That's just plum wrong.

Anything north o the macie dixie line is a frozen hell. 

And that's the durned truf


----------



## wingsandsword (Oct 10, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> Didn't you know that in Hollywood all states east of Los Angeles have interchangeable names and can be represented by traveling to different parts of California (if not LA County alone)?



Heck, even other parts of the world can be represented like that, after all, M*A*S*H taught us that Korea looks just like rural Northern California


----------



## Roudi (Oct 10, 2007)

"It's amazing how the English countryside looks absolutely nothing like Southern California!"
- Austin Powers, _the Spy who Shagged Me_


----------



## cignus_pfaccari (Oct 10, 2007)

ssampier said:
			
		

> Besides, if it wasn't for New Mexico, we wouldn't have Roswell and the UFO nuts.




It amazes me that Roswell is a decent-sized city.  I thought it was a tiny town until I wound up talking with people from there through the hotlines I work on.

Brad


----------



## ssampier (Oct 14, 2007)

I have never been there, but I understood it _was_ a small town, but grew with the UFO interest.

I need to visit more of my 4 corner states...


----------



## Rabelais (Oct 15, 2007)

I'm surprised nobody brought up Shadowrun.  Those wacky Canadians got annexed there too.

Canada was a much sweeter place to visit when I was a young man.  Drinking age was 19 in BC (no idea if it still is), and the Canadian Dollar was at $.68 American. I Spent a very nice evening explaining that there were 3 states on the west coast of the US, not just ONE BIG CALIFORNIA, to two young ladies from Montreal.  Good Times... Good times...


----------



## TheAuldGrump (Oct 16, 2007)

I remember my only visit to Canada, back in the early eighties that was.... We went to the mall on a Sunday to get some stuff, the mall was open, but all the stores except for a coffee shop and a news/tobacco shop were closed, and did not even open on Sundays.

Despite this the mall had lots of people wandering around, window shopping, sitting on the edge of the fountain, and generally just walking around talking. They just came to the mall to walk around, not just the kids either.

For some reason I found this a bit of a shock.

The Auld Grump


----------



## JDJblatherings (Oct 23, 2007)

jezter6 said:
			
		

> That's because anyone south of New York considers anything north of Mass just another province of canada. I call people from Minnesota Canadians all the time.
> 
> I think Yoopers are Canadians as well.




I've lived most my life in mass or NH , I  had a relative who was going to visit from NY call me once and ask if we would be getting the world series on television ...we assured him there were actual broadcast stations in the region.   We also had toilet paper and indoor plumbing.

What is the big deal about maple syrup, don't they sell it in the supermarket outside of New England? 

Canadian bacon is "peamealed Bacon"??? oh yum.


----------



## Roudi (Oct 23, 2007)

Dude, they *make* the maple syrup here.  Out of thin air.  Using wands made from maple trees.  It is awesome.

Peameal Bacon is also awesome.  So much meatier than your regular bacon.


----------



## barsoomcore (Oct 23, 2007)

Roudi said:
			
		

> Peameal Bacon is also awesome.  So much meatier _peamealier_ than your regular bacon.



Just for accuracy's sake.


----------



## Evilhalfling (Oct 23, 2007)

Quote from a gaming shop backroom 
"* If * we are in Canada I get a +4" 
I always wish I had gone back to see what game they were playing.
anyway in what ever game they were playing, Canada was a positive.


----------



## Jackson (Oct 24, 2007)

Anyone north of Dallas is considered a Yankee by those of us in Texas.


----------



## Jeremy757 (Oct 24, 2007)

Mark Chance said:
			
		

> Yup. Texas is for cuzzin-luvin'. Arkansas is for folks what ain't got all their teeth.




My mother's side of the family is from Arkansas, and she actually does have two cousins who are married to each other.



> Anyone north of Dallas is considered a Yankee by those of us in Texas.




Now I think there would be some people in Sherman, Denison, and Witchita Falls that would take exception to that.  Everyone knows the demarcation line is the Red River.  

Of course what is north of DFW and what is part of DFW is constantly changing, so give it another 20 years and those cities will just be another suburb of the greater Metroplex anyway, another 50 and Oklahoma City will be the northern suburb of Dallas too.


----------



## TheAuldGrump (Oct 26, 2007)

As a meaningless aside - Arkansas is also the only state in the union where there is a park where you are allowed to pick up and keep any diamonds you might happen to find lying around. The biggest found there was a 40 carat white diamond in 1924.

The Auld Grump


----------



## Odhanan (Oct 26, 2007)

Roudi said:
			
		

> Dude, they *make* the maple syrup here.  Out of thin air.  Using wands made from maple trees.  It is awesome.
> 
> Peameal Bacon is also awesome.  So much meatier than your regular bacon.



Ah Geez! That made me laugh so hard!


----------



## Vigilance (Oct 26, 2007)

Fifth Element said:
			
		

> Quick trivia question:
> 
> Name the only two countries, other than the USA, in the world that do not officially use the metric system.




Quick trivia question: What comedy movie was Chuck quoting above that someone took seriously?


----------



## Greg K (Oct 26, 2007)

I don't see a problem? Everyone should know by now that Canada is not even a real country (says the person that would be half-Canadian if the US recognized dual citizenship )


----------



## JDJblatherings (Oct 26, 2007)

Greg K said:
			
		

> I don't see a problem? Everyone should know by now that Canada is not even a real country (says the person that would be half-Canadian if the US recognized dual citizenship )




Dual citizenship exsists in the U.S.


----------



## Hypersmurf (Oct 27, 2007)

Please keep the 'no politics' rule in mind, gentlemen.

-Hyp.
(Moderator)


----------



## Jack of Shadows (Oct 27, 2007)

Hypersmurf said:
			
		

> Please keep the 'no politics' rule in mind, gentlemen.
> 
> -Hyp.
> (Moderator)




Nuts,

And I had such a good reply to that deleted comment too. <pout>

Jack.


----------



## Wik (Oct 27, 2007)

I don't know about RPGs, but one thing that always bothers me is in movies.  Because we're so close to the states, a lot of "canadian" subjects get ruled over by Hollywood, and the BBC recognizes Canada even less (the only thing I can think of is the Monty Python Lumberjack song).  

If you see movies, for example, The Great Escape (based off a true story) - the Canadians that were ACTUALLY THERE were replaced by Australians or Brits.  Now, the movie was written by a Canuck, and I buy his reasoning - that too many nationalities would dilute the actual story - but this sort of thing happens to us far too often.

I think we were simply "Brits" in Band of Brothers (I forget the actual scene, so I could be wrong on that one;  the movie is usually pretty accurate about the facts).  And everyone's made movies about D-Day - how many times have the Canadians been mentioned on Juno Beach?

And has there ever been a movie about Dieppe?

But I gripe, and since this isn't really the point of the OP...

Canada being portrayed as an "Iceland" is something that really bothers me, especially since I live in Victoria, which *may* see a few inches of snow for a week or so each year.  We're a warmer version of Seattle, pretty much.  And my memories of Ontario (even Northern Ontario) are centred more around insanely hot and muggy summers over the six feet of snow we occasionally got.

Anyways, don't know I started typing.  I guess it just bugs me how things that are "canadian" often get overruled by Hollywood, who feels they have to cater to their american audience.  Hollywood can make British Movies, Russian Movies, or whatever else, but the second they want to tell a Canadian story, it has to be transplanted somehow into an American setting.  

I guess you see something similar in RPGs, although not to the same degree at all.


----------



## wingsandsword (Oct 27, 2007)

Wik said:
			
		

> Anyways, don't know I started typing.  I guess it just bugs me how things that are "canadian" often get overruled by Hollywood, who feels they have to cater to their american audience.  Hollywood can make British Movies, Russian Movies, or whatever else, but the second they want to tell a Canadian story, it has to be transplanted somehow into an American setting.



It probably reflects the standard American stereotype of Canada:

Just like America, but with socialized medicine, the metric system, mounties, less guns, more polite people, cleaner cities, and lots and lots of snow.

With British Movies, or Russian Movies or whatever, you have your stock Hollywood characters (the snobby nobleman as an example for England, the rotund old authoritarian for Russia) you have visuals that people associate with those countries such as Big Ben for England and the Kremlin for Russia.  For Canada. . .we don't have many of those images in our culture of people and places that are distinctly Canadian, just the image that it's just like the US, but just different enough for us to know we aren't at home.


----------



## Rabelais (Oct 28, 2007)

Honestly, I've never had a single negative thought about our neighbors to the north.  Without them we wouldn't be working for the weekend.


----------



## Shortman McLeod (Oct 28, 2007)

Stormborn said:
			
		

> You think Canada gets a poor or inaccurate portrayal?  Try being from the American South.




I'm guessing all the "Deliverance" jokes get old after awhile.


----------



## Shortman McLeod (Oct 28, 2007)

Fifth Element said:
			
		

> Of course, if an American company published it they'd probably call it _Ice_ Hockey Rinks and Hosers.
> 
> Now _that_ would offend Canadians.




I still remember seeing the Stanley Cup banners in Pittsburgh that read, "World Hockey Champions" as opposed to, you know, "Stanley Cup Champions".


----------



## Particle_Man (Oct 28, 2007)

Two competing portrayals of Canada appear in "Canadian Bacon" and "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut".


----------



## Roudi (Nov 4, 2007)

wingsandsword said:
			
		

> For Canada. . .we don't have many of those images in our culture of people and places that are distinctly Canadian,



I agree.  If you watch _Resident Evil: Apocalypse_, you clearly get to see both the CN Tower (one of our national landmarks) and Toronto City Hall (an incredibly distinct building, if not a landmark in it's own right).  And yet the movie can get away with placing itself somewhere in the United States (the fictional "Racoon City") despite very obviously being Toronto.

It would be like having a superspy scaling Big Ben and then claiming he was on a mission in Seattle.

On the plus side, Toronto got nuked in that movie, and it made me happy.

I guess the point is that we have the landmarks, they just aren't recognized as Canadian symbols outside of Canada.


----------



## Michael Dean (Nov 10, 2007)

Roudi said:
			
		

> I agree.  If you watch _Resident Evil: Apocalypse_, you clearly get to see both the CN Tower (one of our national landmarks) and Toronto City Hall (an incredibly distinct building, if not a landmark in it's own right).  And yet the movie can get away with placing itself somewhere in the United States (the fictional "Racoon City") despite very obviously being Toronto.
> 
> I guess the point is that we have the landmarks, they just aren't recognized as Canadian symbols outside of Canada.




Well, to be honest, that's one of my gripes being from Detroit.  Many Hollywood films set in "Detroit" invariably get filmed primarily in Toronto, because it's cheaper to film there.  So we get a few token exterior shots while the rest of the movie is obviously not Detroit.  Of course, if you're not from Detroit, you never notice.


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 12, 2007)

crueldespot said:
			
		

> It was the Daily Show. Who knew that Liberia and Burma were so enlightened?
> 
> FYI the US officially recognizes the country as "Burma" as a sign of support for the democratic opposition. Only supporters of the military dictatorship (plus the uninformed media) call it "Myanmar."




Liberia was founded as a result of a movement among American blacks that advocated going back to Africa.  It is in a number of formal ways especially like America (its constitution especially) because it was founded by American expats.


----------



## Silver Moon (Nov 13, 2007)

Tetsubo said:
			
		

> I live in New Hampshire. A friend was traveling in Texas once and encountered an unusual opinion of New England. Apparently (according to a Texan), everything north of Boston is frozen tundra...



I grew up in northern Maine along the Candian border - the Texan isn't that far off.    

As for the earlier Steriotype about Canada just being Mooses and Mounties, I've seen far more moose here in New Hampshire than I ever saw in Canada.    And while I've seen lots of Canada law enforcement officials none were every wearing a Dudly Doright outfit.


----------



## Achan hiArusa (Nov 13, 2007)

wingsandsword said:
			
		

> Heck, even other parts of the world can be represented like that, after all, M*A*S*H taught us that Korea looks just like rural Northern California




Actually, since I lived there for awhile its does a bit.

And come on guys, I come from Arkansas.  I get tired of the "Did you marry your cousin?" jokes.


----------



## Tetsubo (Nov 13, 2007)

Silver Moon said:
			
		

> I grew up in northern Maine along the Candian border - the Texan isn't that far off.
> 
> As for the earlier Steriotype about Canada just being Mooses and Mounties, I've seen far more moose here in New Hampshire than I ever saw in Canada.    And while I've seen lots of Canada law enforcement officials none were every wearing a Dudly Doright outfit.




I contend that there are no moose in NH. I've lived here for 38 years and I've never seen one. My wife tells me that I am mistaken, but I think she is just part of the Moose Conspiracy...


----------



## Raven Crowking (Nov 13, 2007)

No RPG will truly depict Canada properly until materials are written in both English and French..... 

I took a vacation to the Yukon once, and I can tell you that there are moose enough for anyone there.  Twice I've been within a yard of a live adult cow moose in the wild....once was on that Yukon trip, once was at Algonquin Park in Ontario.  The second moose came within 6 inches of me.  The Yukon trip was the first and only time that I saw a Mounty dressed like a stereotypical Mounty.  That was at the crossing to Alaska, on the way back into Canada.  I think they made him wear that uniform for show.

RC


----------



## Raven Crowking (Nov 13, 2007)

Achan hiArusa said:
			
		

> And come on guys, I come from Arkansas.  I get tired of the "Did you marry your cousin?" jokes.





Jokes?


----------



## Particle_Man (Nov 13, 2007)

Silver Moon said:
			
		

> And while I've seen lots of Canada law enforcement officials none were every wearing a Dudly Doright outfit.




Yeah, the outfit was making undercover operations too difficult.


----------



## Voadam (Nov 13, 2007)

Tetsubo said:
			
		

> I contend that there are no moose in NH. I've lived here for 38 years and I've never seen one. My wife tells me that I am mistaken, but I think she is just part of the Moose Conspiracy...




She tells you that you have seen one? "Those weren't big dear, honey."  

I doubt your contention having seen some in NH and knowing that a few years ago my dad who lives in NH crashed into one on his way to work and was lucky to be alive after the experience. Of course that one did not live so there might not be any there _now_.


But I doubt it.


----------



## Tetsubo (Nov 13, 2007)

Voadam said:
			
		

> She tells you that you have seen one? "Those weren't big dear, honey."
> 
> I doubt your contention having seen some in NH and knowing that a few years ago my dad who lives in NH crashed into one on his way to work and was lucky to be alive after the experience. Of course that one did not live so there might not be any there _now_.
> 
> ...




She tells me they exist. I refute that assumption as I have never seen one...


----------



## Achan hiArusa (Nov 21, 2007)

Raven Crowking said:
			
		

> Jokes?




Its actually illegal in Arkansas anyway (by Arkansas Code Ann. 9-11-106:  Incestuous marriages), but not in California, Massachusetts, New York, and Canada, all paragons for what passes for civilization in this hemisphere.  I know someone who went to Massachusetts so he could marry his first cousin because it was illegal here in Oklahoma.


----------



## MulhorandSage (Dec 25, 2007)

Forgive the resurrecting of a relatively old thread, but a new edition of Champions of the North has been released for Champions/Hero System. Hope those interested find it a decent treatment.


----------



## jaerdaph (Dec 25, 2007)

Achan hiArusa said:
			
		

> I know someone who went to Massachusetts *so he could marry his first cousin* because it was illegal here in Oklahoma.


----------



## Roudi (Dec 28, 2007)

In regards to this thread being moved to Off-Topic...

What, it took *four fricken months* to decide that this didn't belong in the original section?

1) It's a discussion of Canada in RPGs.  Therefore, it's a gaming topic.

2) It's a discussion of a modern nation in modern and futuristic settings.  Therefore, it was posted in the section where such games are discussed.

You sure this is where this thread belongs?


----------



## Tonguez (Dec 28, 2007)

Roudi said:
			
		

> In regards to this thread being moved to Off-Topic...
> 
> You sure this is where this thread belongs?




This thread has been so incredibly funny eh

and now Canada doesn't even get enough respect to be a legitimate Gaming subject:  

Wow, just, Wow


----------



## Arnwyn (Dec 28, 2007)

This thread was a blast to read. Hellhound's first couple of posts were great to read, and Raptor's note about the B5 RPG was a hoot.

But yeah - it looks like no more negative stereotypes than anywhere else.



			
				Tonguez said:
			
		

> and now Canada doesn't even get enough respect to be a legitimate Gaming subject:
> 
> Wow, just, Wow



Indeed. A healthy dose of irony, there.


----------



## PoppaGunch (Dec 30, 2007)

pawsplay said:
			
		

> I can sympathize with the Canadians. I used to live in New Mexico, the US State. I don't know if they still do, but New Mexico Monthly used to have a section, every month, called "Once of our Fifty is Missing," describing such things as people thinking you need a passport to visit New Mexico, that you need to take a boat, that you need to know Spanish, etc. My favorite was the US Army surveyors map that somehow managed to omit New Mexico, distorting the map and passing out slivers of land here and there to make it work.
> 
> I was born in Arkansas. I'm pretty tired of marrying your cousins jokes. That is actually, and always has been, untrue of Arkansas. If you want to marry your cousin, you must cross the border, to Texas.




I was born and raised in New Mexico and saw this a lot when I left for the Navy.  When I got to boot in Orlando, I was actually asked twice for my green card, and once I was detained to make sure I was a citizen of the U.S.

It was amusing at first, but it got old really quick.


As for the origional topic, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the U.S.'s hat!


----------



## frankthedm (Dec 30, 2007)

Achan hiArusa said:
			
		

> Its actually illegal in Arkansas anyway (by Arkansas Code Ann. 9-11-106:  Incestuous marriages), but not in California, Massachusetts, New York, and Canada, all paragons for what passes for civilization in this hemisphere.  I know someone who went to Massachusetts so he could marry his first cousin because it was illegal here in Oklahoma.



Illegal, yes, but part of the reasons those jokes proliferate is that, to a northerner who watches to many horror movies, like myself, it sounds quite possible for a family living deep enough in the woods of the US east and southeast will more or less be forgotten about, allowing for all sorts of unpleasantness that will go unnoticed by the world at large.


----------



## Shortman McLeod (Dec 31, 2007)

Silver Moon said:
			
		

> I grew up in northern Maine along the Candian border - the Texan isn't that far off.
> 
> As for the earlier Steriotype about Canada just being Mooses and Mounties, I've seen far more moose here in New Hampshire than I ever saw in Canada.    And while I've seen lots of Canada law enforcement officials none were every wearing a Dudly Doright outfit.




Oh, come on.  Next you're going to tell us that men in Scotland don't walk around in kilts!


----------



## Shortman McLeod (Dec 31, 2007)

frankthedm said:
			
		

> Illegal, yes, but part of the reasons those jokes proliferate is that, to a northerner who watches to many horror movies, like myself, it sounds quite possible for a family living deep enough in the woods of the US east and southeast will more or less be forgotten about, allowing for all sorts of unpleasantness that will go unnoticed by the world at large.




Absolutely.  Lovecraft wrote at least half of his stories from this premise.


----------



## Shortman McLeod (Dec 31, 2007)

Achan hiArusa said:
			
		

> Its actually illegal in Arkansas anyway (by Arkansas Code Ann. 9-11-106:  Incestuous marriages), but not in California, Massachusetts, New York, and Canada, all paragons for what passes for civilization in this hemisphere.  I know someone who went to Massachusetts so he could marry his first cousin because it was illegal here in Oklahoma.




I'll forgive that if his cousin is incredibly hot. 




What?


----------



## Achan hiArusa (Dec 31, 2007)

No, no she's not.  But she is a midget if that counts.

Yes, yes, Lovecraft wrote all his stories about the deep Ozarks, not the Massachusetts shoreline (or did he?).

Anyway the definition of a yankee,

To a Cajun its anyone who does live in Arcadiana (and if you say it with the "r" you ain't a Cajun).
To anyone in the deep south, its people who live north of you.
To anyone in a little bit less south, its anyone north of the Mason-Dixon line.
To anyone north of the Mason-Dixon line its anyone in New England.
In New England its someone for Maine.
In Maine its anyone in the Northern part of the state that doesn't speak French.
And to anyone in Northern Maine its anyone who eats cheese on Apple Pie for breakfast regularly.

(And then there are the Brits who call us all "Yanks" at their own peril).


----------



## Goblyn (Dec 31, 2007)

wingsandsword said:
			
		

> Heck, even other parts of the world can be represented like that, after all, M*A*S*H taught us that Korea looks just like rural Northern California




It does, for the most part.


----------



## eyebeams (Jan 2, 2008)

FR's Dalelands is basically a fantasy version of rural Ontario, complete with woodsy hills and liberal-minded people who don't actually like each other very much.

I think Americans have Quebec separate in the future because, well, that's the only major internal political conflict foreigners really know about. THS' Western secession is amusing just because it falls in line with the Libertarian fantasy subtext going on with THS. It's a pity the authors don't consider that the other major proponent of Western secession includes a fascist group run by Ernst Zundel's former lawyer. 

If there's one aspect of Canada worth noting is that it's trivially easy it is to go into the wilderness. My family owns land that we can't actually visit without hiring a guide -- in Ontario.  A significant part of Canada's most urbanized province is dangerous to travel through in winter. The US population is much more evenly distributed in the bulk of the continental US.

My American friends have generally noted how unfriendly and reserved Canadians are. I've found Americans much more social and direct than Canadians.


----------



## Thornir Alekeg (Jan 2, 2008)

Shortman McLeod said:
			
		

> I'll forgive that if his cousin is incredibly hot.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




When I was 22, before I met my not-in-any-way-related-to-me wife, I met a cousin of mine whom I hadn't seen since she was four years old and I was seven.  She was smokin' hot and really, really nice.  

For a while I hoped my parents would tell me I was adopted...


----------



## Fallen Seraph (Jan 9, 2008)

LOL, gotta say quite a fun-thread here, especially the jokes my fellow Canadians have said 

As for Canada in RPG's while not that large, I have noticed more then a few mentions of Canada in the NWoD. Though they actually fit, and make sense 

Hmm... While it makes sense that we would be easily conquered. I do get a tad annoyed how we are ALWAYS! either annexed or taken over by the USA with almost no resistance (note: I am fine with the whole North American version of the EU some games have). Hell look at Fallout you see videos of Canadians shot in the head by Power-suit wearing American soldiers.


----------



## jaerdaph (Jan 9, 2008)

Raven Crowking said:
			
		

> No RPG will truly depict Canada properly until materials are written in both English and French.....




I love that the Québécois require all McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Ford Motor Company signs to be in French to preserve "their" culture.   

I kid the Québécois - Montreal is one of my favorite cities in the world and I hold it near and dear to my heart just like I do NYC.


----------



## JDJblatherings (Jan 9, 2008)

Achan hiArusa said:
			
		

> And come on guys, I come from Arkansas.  I get tired of the "Did you marry your cousin?" jokes.





So, you just date?      (sorry couldn't help myself)


----------



## The Ubbergeek (Jan 11, 2008)

Let's say that a québecois, I am really tired by the 'France Junior' or 'Neoduplesisme' clichés in some rpg... I means, in Shadowrun; guilotine, New Franc, return to the Grande Noirceur? 

They really don't seems to have done some reasearches at times. On culture, history, sociology... And this said about foreign, exotic locales in geneal.


----------



## cignus_pfaccari (Jan 14, 2008)

The Ubbergeek said:
			
		

> Let's say that a québecois, I am really tired by the 'France Junior' or 'Neoduplesisme' clichés in some rpg... I means, in Shadowrun; guilotine, New Franc, return to the Grande Noirceur?
> 
> They really don't seems to have done some reasearches at times. On culture, history, sociology... And this said about foreign, exotic locales in geneal.




Look at it this way.

You're lucky they don't have you all marrying sheep.

Brad (from Kentucky)


----------



## Evilhalfling (Jan 14, 2008)

I once overheard someone from the back of a gaming shop saying: 
"If we are in Canada I get a +4!" 
*IF???*
I have always wondered what they were playing and more *why they were unsure * if they were in Canada.  
It seemed like a postive portrail, at least for that player. 
It had to be d20 modern right? on a d10 system + 4 is to much and it would modify the difficulty, making +4 a terrible thing.  In a percentile system +4 would be negliagble. 

any ideas? What roll gets a +4 modifier based on country?


----------



## jaerdaph (Jan 14, 2008)

Evilhalfling said:
			
		

> any ideas? What roll gets a +4 modifier based on country?





DC 15 What do Canadians love to eat?

Knowledge (Canadian Culture)


----------



## JDJblatherings (Jan 17, 2008)

jaerdaph said:
			
		

> DC 15 What do Canadians love to eat?
> 
> Knowledge (Canadian Culture)




without looking at the link:
Fries, brown gravy and cheese.  Fries with mayo. Macaroni and Cheese.


----------



## jaerdaph (Jan 17, 2008)

JDJblatherings said:
			
		

> without looking at the link:
> Fries, brown gravy and cheese.  Fries with mayo. Macaroni and Cheese.




POUTINE AND KRAFT DINNER FOR THE WIN!


----------



## ssampier (Jan 20, 2008)

JDJblatherings said:
			
		

> without looking at the link:
> Fries, brown gravy and cheese.  *Fries with mayo*. Macaroni and Cheese.




Add some ketchup to that mayo and you (basically) have fry-sauce.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry_sauce


----------



## Evilhalfling (Jan 26, 2008)

I can't believe I doulble posted that story, its actually on page 3 and page 5    

On a more constructive note I think Quebec took over the rest of Canada in TMNT: After the Bomb. Ill check my books when I get home. 

Cause if you want realism - Ninja Turtles is where to look.  No really, is was my first brush with modern equipment pricing, I actually memorized large sections of it, before the internet it was a great way to guestimate costs for: firearms (revolvers to machine guns), mechanical lockpicks, avalibility of RW body armor etc. 

It wasn't as great estimating for the # of times a strong man (18 PS) had to hit a glass window with a Two handed Sword before it broke (4)


----------



## InVinoVeritas (Jan 30, 2008)

Evilhalfling said:
			
		

> Any ideas? What roll gets a +4 modifier based on country?




A Goose shaman from Shadowrun gets a bonus to spellcasting whenever spells are cast from a particular location (a "homeland"). In theory (although it goes against the standard campaign world, and I'd never allow an area of that size), a GM could say that "Canada" counts.


----------



## InVinoVeritas (Jan 30, 2008)

Evilhalfling said:
			
		

> (TMNT) wasn't as great estimating for the # of times a strong man (18 PS) had to hit a glass window with a Two handed Sword before it broke (4)




Oh, gosh, I even remember problems with Strongman vs. Window in my old TMNT games!

I greatly enjoyed Road Hogs, though, because it actually took place in my homeland, the Central Valley.

That's California. No, not by the coast. No, not LA. No, not the Bay Area. It's Stockton, Modesto, Fresno, Bakersfield. Yeah, I'm sorry, too.

(It's got Sacramento, too, but everyone just puts Sacramento on the coast, too. I can't believe just how many times I've had that exact above conversation around the country. "Well, at least the weather's nice.")


----------

