Tomb Raider is finally decolonized!

Celebrate Rest In Peace GIF by Jason Clarke
 
This may only be for a tabletop RPG, but it feels a lot like a trial balloon to see how the public will digest it. Let's face it, how many people out there are desperate to play a tabletop RPG based on Tomb Raider? My guess is, not a lot, even if it wasn't remotely woke. Lara isn't the most compelling character in the gaming world to start with. Shifting it over to a tabletop setting means you need a small group of people who are into the characters and world and want to explore in it.

Now maybe I'm wrong, but the impression I've gotten is that when most of us launch a Tomb Raider game, it's because we want to go raid some tombs, test our wits against puzzles and deathtraps, and fight off challenging enemies in satisfying combat, all while exploring an exotic habitat.

The description of this tabletop RPG seems to de-emphasize all of that, opting instead to focus on some kind of cultural justice movement. I guess there might be some appeal if you're a slacktivist who would rather spend your time pretending to stand up for a cause in a fantasy world rather than actually going out and doing it IRL, but I have a lot of difficulty imagining that there is a big market of people out there looking for this.

I don't know what the next Tomb Raider video game holds. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider was a huge step down to me IMO, largely because it shied away from combat so often, the combat that was in it wasn't as satisfying as it was in 2013 and Rise, and the story felt a bit half-baked. I actually enjoyed the premise, but it seems like it went in a very different direction than Rise had set up at the end of it. I guess that Eidos Montreal wanted to put their own mark on the franchise and take it in a different direction than Crystal Dynamics had.

This marketing for the tabletop RPG fills me with a lot of dread for where the franchise as a whole is heading. Lara has been raiding tombs for thirty years now. Maybe it's time that she just...stop. Naughty Dog wasn't afraid to let the Uncharted series end. Maybe it's time that Crystal Dynamics allows Lara Croft to pass into the annals of history while she still has some dignity left.
 
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THIS IS NOT A VIDEO GAME

Before anyone goes crazy, this is just a tabletop game which has pretty much nothing to do with Crystal Dynamics appart from licensing. This statement is the one made by the company developing this game WHICH IS NOT A VIDEO GAME.

kruis kruis , you may want to clarify this in the OP as this title is misleading.

The first reactions really prove that no one reads anything after the title...

Don't fall in this stupid clickbait, this "game" looks like this, it's a book lmao:

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D
But what if I want to roleplay a colonizer :( They shouldn't limit player freedom.
 
Easy. They can't create a new IP and make it successful on these premises. They absolutely have to hijack IPs that sell millions by their name alone to reach the number of people they want to educate.

It's the same as climate activists defacing artworks and interrupting public events. They know they don't have a voice unless they destroy something or burst in where people have already gathered for something completely different.
Problem is this is no way shape or fucking form "education". Lara Croft is Lara Croft. She's an established character over decades. She's always been very easy on the eyes. Fucking world has gone nuts because someone out there may feel "shamed" for not being as attractive? Or males who play the game are fucking "toxic". I wish these ppl would all go the fuck away and live in their own imaginary worlds.
 



TOMB RAIDER SERIES TO ESCAPE ITS COLONIAL PAST

British adventurer Lara Croft will transition from being a raider of tombs to a seeker of truth as Evil Hat Productions and Crystal Dynamics seek to redefine the Tomb Raider series in order to escape a history wounded by colonialism, according to an excerpt from the official Tomb Raider Shadows of Truth RPG rulebook.

"Raiding, as depicted in the original Tomb Raider games and stories, involves going to ancient tombs and historical sites of different civilisations and acquiring artefacts. It operates on the assumption of 'finders keepers' that grants raiders with the means and the drive to claim ownership of artefacts, regardless of whether they have any historical or cultural claim to the treasure."

"Later games released in the franchise have started the work of addressing this by having Lara Croft acknowledge her past mistakes and try to understand and show respect for the cultures and communities she comes into contact with. She has also worked to reform raider culture and raise the awareness of her peers."

"Lara no longer decorates her mantle with mythic artefacts - as a raider she prioritises seeking out the truth. Much of this game is inspired by her humanity, struggle with heroism, and her tenacity. We believe that all three aspects are an important component in creating a game that celebrates history and culture while acknowledging the respect and work required to live in a world wounded by colonialism."

"In this game, we seek to continue in that work alongside Crystal Dynamics by creating a sandbox for you to tell stories that address colonialist themes in play and create your own stories of respect and support for the people and cultures your Seekers encounter."

............


UPDATE: This news item is not the upcoming video game, but about a related table top RPG game. But I do think that the decolonist politics in the table top RPG game is a taste of things to come...

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Welp, get woke, go broke, get cancelled, go look for new jobs.

MivHJFNN3oSeAfVt.jpg


 
Welp, get woke, go broke, get cancelled, go look for new jobs.

MivHJFNN3oSeAfVt.jpg


Due to creative differences we couldn't get our vision to gel with the licensor's
This is good news
 
Franchise ruined. This series is dead to me now.
Not that I was ever that into it in the first place, but ya, hard pass on this IP going forward.
 
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This is stupid. Just remove the whole treasure hunting angle - get rid of relic collecting and just make it more about exploring weird tombs that turn out to be cursed or dangerous.
 
Is this a new main full priced Tomb Raider?
Then.... good luck!

edit: oops i was a lil late, but still.. never heard of this game
 
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Franchise ruined. This series is dead to me now.
Not that I was ever that into it in the first place, but ya, hard pass on this IP going forward.
This is stupid. Just remove the whole treasure hunting angle - get rid of relic collecting and just make it more about exploring weird tombs that turn out to be cursed or dangerous.

I take it you guys havent read why this thread has been bumped?
 
It must have really been something awful considering that Netflix show got the greenlight.

At least the upcoming Tomb Raider board game is looking decent.
 
Lara plunders the aisle of Lesbos, where she debriefs a cunning linguist about the Tower of Vibranium, which needs no men, but the neverending energy of a pink bunny called Energizzmo, that creates perpetual motion with the audible thumping of a giant drum, crafted from the foreskin of submissive males.
High Five Best Friends GIF by Saturday Night Live
 
I know there is controversy around how western folks took a bunch of stuff back to their home countries in the past.

But one of the reasons why western people took all these artifacts and placed them western museums was because the locals were so poor they sold it on the black market.

Bodies of ancient pharaoes and priceless artifacts were sold for a few bucks. The western museum "industry" saved tons of stuff.
 
I know there is controversy around how western folks took a bunch of stuff back to their home countries in the past.

But one of the reasons why western people took all these artifacts and placed them western museums was because the locals were so poor they sold it on the black market.

Bodies of ancient pharaoes and priceless artifacts were sold for a few bucks. The western museum "industry" saved tons of stuff.
The people perpetuating this hogwash are not the smartest, even if they have been to 'University'

Infact, that probably makes them worse.
 
I know there is controversy around how western folks took a bunch of stuff back to their home countries in the past.

But one of the reasons why western people took all these artifacts and placed them western museums was because the locals were so poor they sold it on the black market.

Bodies of ancient pharaoes and priceless artifacts were sold for a few bucks. The western museum "industry" saved tons of stuff.


There is no real controversy. This is like arguing with flat earthers. The argument is so stupid that is not worth engaging.
 
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I'm a simple guy, can't I just steal shit, 'splor tombs and look at big tits?

To be serious I would be raging if I was Crystal Dynamics as this shit in this day and age can kill a franchise or at the very least create a negative social media firestorm around a particular brand and eventually impact sales, nobody but the very retards over at Reeee embrace this shit, everyone else, just wants to play a good game and look past such issues without needing them rammed into our faces, yeah I'd be withdrawing that license
 
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I don't get this. What is happening to the entertainment industry? You got people making stuff that they probably even themselves don't want to consume, let alone any customer. Feels like it's just a bunch of miserable people being determined to pull us into their misery by destroying everything that is fun.

May sound harsh but there is really no other way I can explain projects like this. How could we let this happen?
 
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Franchise ruined. This series is dead to me now.
Not that I was ever that into it in the first place, but ya, hard pass on this IP going forward.

They need to introduce top and bottom jiggle physics to save the franchise.

And if as rumoured they want Lara to be a lesbian arrange a crossover with Capcom involving a three way sweaty tribbing love triangle involving Lara, Ada Wong and Jill from RE3 Remake.
 
What? They wanted to make a Tomb Raider RPG but canned it and are now making a more straightforward game with the scraps, right?

OP said that this game will transition Lara AWAY from being a raider of tombs. You proceeded to say the game was all about crawling around tombs for no reason, without anything cool there like treasure. Honestly, either of these scenarios are dumb, valid complaints for a Tomb Raider game. One expects there to be A) a tomb, B) something to raid in it
 
Tomb raider needs to go back to being about a British lady with big boobs killing animals while hunting for treasure, and nothing else.
 
I know there is controversy around how western folks took a bunch of stuff back to their home countries in the past.

But one of the reasons why western people took all these artifacts and placed them western museums was because the locals were so poor they sold it on the black market.

Bodies of ancient pharaoes and priceless artifacts were sold for a few bucks. The western museum "industry" saved tons of stuff.
No controversy here. Looking how modern day Egyptians treat pyramids in Cairo, everything history-relevant should be kept off of the hands of peasants if humanity wants to preserve those things. If not for the western archeologists and volunteers, the pyramids would be full of human feces and garbage from top to bottom (they still are, but it would be far worse), or wouldn't even exist anymore, since a lot of stones were stolen.
 
I'm a simple guy, can't I just steal shit, 'splor tombs and look at big tits?

To be serious I would be raging if I was Crystal Dynamics as this shit in this day and age can kill a franchise or at the very least create a negative social media firestorm around a particular brand and eventually impact sales, nobody but the very retards over at Reeee embrace this shit, everyone else, just wants to play a good game and look past such issues without needing them rammed into our faces, yeah I'd be withdrawing that license

I showed my misses this fucked up project and she was laughing for minutes lol
 
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I don't get this. What is happening to the entertainment industry? You got people making stuff that they probably even themselves want to consume, let alone any customer. Feels like it's just a bunch of miserable people being determined to pull us into their misery by destroying everything that is fun.

May sound harsh but there is really no other way I can explain projects like this. How could we let this happen?


Well, you said it yourself, that's the right answer. Welcome to "socialist art".
 
Best decision. If they wasted a full dev cycle and funding on a completely woke Lara Croft it could have ended the series.

Lick your wounds, take the L, fire blue haired devs and go again.
 
I completely agree with you. But considering your love for this GIF, it will probably be easier for you to change your Avatar to it, so as not to post it constantly. :messenger_tears_of_joy:
In fact, let them do what they want. The market and demand will judge them, if some studios are eliminated and closed in this way because of their "brilliant" ideas, that's only a plus.
 
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