RPG author Elizabeth Chaipraditkul shared on Facebook that a whole batch of her latest game supplement had been destroyed.
The warehouse keeping the books, without reading them, had the lot trashed because they thought the subject matter was disgusting. The subject in question? Menstruation.
Chaipraditkul doesn’t name her book or the publisher.
She Bleeds is a Lamentations of the Flame Princess published sourcebook by Elizabeth Chaipraditkul that has a front cover showing blood trickling down a woman’s legs.
It’s likely to be this sourcebook that upset the warehouse.
DrivethruRPG describes She Bleeds as;
She Bleeds is a gaming supplement for Lamentations of the Flame Princess, offering characters unique abilities if they engage with an otherworldly entity. This is not an adventure, but a supplement adding new character features. Therefore, this supplement most likely requires an adventure and most certainly needs at least one adventurer who is seduced into making questionable choices in exchange for the weird.
Creative Commons credit: White Summoner by Thibault Girard.
Is the supplement still available for purchase? I’d support this author simply for what her intent was.
If the supplement was “She Bleeds” then it is available as a PDF in the article above but I do not know who benefits when you buy it (the publisher or the author). Indeed, I do not know who’s taken the financial hit due to the books being destroyed by the warehouse. I imagine buying any LoFP product would support the publisher. Liz’s own company is Angry Hamster Publishing and I recommend their RPG “Witch” as a good purchase and a way to support her.
The publisher earns good money, the author earns good money. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/7x9w9z/james_raggi_owner_of_lamentations_of_the_flame/ (there are several sources along the thread)
It’s okay, the publisher (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) is known for paying its authors fairly: https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/7x9w9z/james_raggi_owner_of_lamentations_of_the_flame/
LotFP has published a statement about what’s going on (TL;DR: he can’t confirm yet what has actually happened): https://www.facebook.com/groups/lotfp/permalink/1919408988368439/
I would anyway support the publisher for publishing the book in question, as well as the author for writing it.
According to the publisher the author gets paid in profit sharing.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/250060/She-Bleeds?fbclid=IwAR2Ib8pIxovkm0CgCXay4Hbwu0EMMLWDS0BZryyfVejkIJQdFUnB3Bxb7ys
That’s so fucked up. I haven’t read the book, and honestly have kind of moved away from lotfp for dcc, but this prettyu much ensures my purchase regauardless og if I play lotfp anymore. I’m so sorry this has happened, elizabeth.
Can a warehouse even do something like that without being held responsible for destruction of property?
I don’t know the contract details in this case but, yes, sometimes warehouses have the right to dispose of content in certain situations.
Not when it hasn’t been paid for yet. The connects weren’t illegal, so no, there is no legal justification for doing what they did. They should be prosecuted.
I’m sorry, there’s a menstruation supplement book? Who would want that in any system?
Liz explains her reasons in her Facebook comment. Just for context; some RPGs have murder mechanics, rules for drugs, demonic possession and eating. Which is worse?
Obviously, things women can do and men can’t, are worse because they’re clearly stuff of the devil. Murder is fine, is heroic, like when American goes to war and drops bombs at civilians. That’s a good thing. That’s a thing inspired by God. But bleeding when you should be carrying babies, that’s a thing inspired by Belzebub.
There are “rape and murder the women” mechanics in many games, seems to be fine.
Like what?
Doesn’t matter. The fact is, the burned books because they didn’t like the subject matter. You not thinking of a use for it in your games is irrelevant.
Oh gee, I dunno, people that aren’t cishet white men, for starters? People who enjoy reading old faerie lore and ancient pagan rituals that worshipped and celebrated a woman’s power to create life itself, instead of treating it like some sort of filthy disease to be ashamed of?
Jumped right into the sexism. All NPC protocols operational.
Posted from the publisher today: Quick update on ‘She Bleeds’ for you all: James finished up his holiday in London and got information back about what happened. Turns out a distributor purchased 36 copies, then destroyed their own property. Other than being an incomprehensibly foolish business decision, it was their property to do with as they please. It’s still infuriating to hear about any books anywhere being destroyed for their content, and the author – Elizabeth Chaipraditkul – is handling the emotional burden of seeing a piece of work she put herself into being recklessly destroyed by dudes who… Read more »