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From the aforementioned thread about the Book of Vile Darkness:
From what I’ve read about this book it seems to me to be suited for weak DMs that aren’t imaginative enough to bring an element of horror and evil to the game themselves.
You can use that argument for virtually any RPG book:
Monster Book: ...this book seems suited for weak DMs that aren't imaginative enough to come up with their own monsters themselves.
Magic Item Book: ...this book seems suited for weak DMs that aren't imaginative enough to come up with their own magic items themselves.
Campaign Setting Book: ...this book seems suited for weak DMs that aren't imaginative enough to come up with their own campaign world themselves.
Any RPG Rule Book: ...this book seems suited for weak DMs that aren't imaginative enough to come up with their own rules systems themselves.
Though it seems to go without saying, some gamers seem to be ignorant of this "industry secret": You don't need any of this stuff. You don't need Complete Arcane, or the new World of Darkness books, or GURPS 4th Edition, or Eberron or anything else. All you need is imagination, inspiration, and time.
Naturally, the last two items - and primarily the very last one - are the reasons most people buy any RPG book (most gamers have an abundance of imagination - whether they exercise it or not is another story). I'm always amused by people who claim that "X" is for people who aren't smart enough or imaginative enough or strong enough to come up with "X" on their own. The implication (sometimes unspoken, but usually not) is they are superior to the people who would purchase such a thing, since they don't need it themselves. I chalk it up to just another element of fanboy posturing.
From what I’ve read about this book it seems to me to be suited for weak DMs that aren’t imaginative enough to bring an element of horror and evil to the game themselves.
You can use that argument for virtually any RPG book:
Monster Book: ...this book seems suited for weak DMs that aren't imaginative enough to come up with their own monsters themselves.
Magic Item Book: ...this book seems suited for weak DMs that aren't imaginative enough to come up with their own magic items themselves.
Campaign Setting Book: ...this book seems suited for weak DMs that aren't imaginative enough to come up with their own campaign world themselves.
Any RPG Rule Book: ...this book seems suited for weak DMs that aren't imaginative enough to come up with their own rules systems themselves.
Though it seems to go without saying, some gamers seem to be ignorant of this "industry secret": You don't need any of this stuff. You don't need Complete Arcane, or the new World of Darkness books, or GURPS 4th Edition, or Eberron or anything else. All you need is imagination, inspiration, and time.
Naturally, the last two items - and primarily the very last one - are the reasons most people buy any RPG book (most gamers have an abundance of imagination - whether they exercise it or not is another story). I'm always amused by people who claim that "X" is for people who aren't smart enough or imaginative enough or strong enough to come up with "X" on their own. The implication (sometimes unspoken, but usually not) is they are superior to the people who would purchase such a thing, since they don't need it themselves. I chalk it up to just another element of fanboy posturing.

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