An open letter to those who are offended by the material within the Triune RPG:
To whom it may concern,
My name is WJ MacGuffin and I am the designer of Triune. I’d like to take a moment and try to answer some of your criticisms and concerns regarding the religious themes in this game. (And for those who are unfamiliar, in the game, religion is illegal and characters can arrest or even kill angels. Now do you get the concern?)
Am I anti-[insert religion here]? No. While religion is used by evil men to justify their likewise evil acts, I blame the individual, not the faith. I believe religions have contributed immensely to our culture, our history, and our lives. I hope it continues to do so in the future. In fact, I’m a practicing Catholic. I may not be the best Catholic in the world, but I keep my faith close to my heart. That said, I don’t have anything against those who worship other faiths. I have my beliefs; you are welcome to yours; and I look forward to a polite but vigorous debate over which is right.
Then why this game? First, it’s just a game. It’s not that important in the bigger picture. People won’t suddenly say, “Yowzers! I used to believe in Jesus, but this roleplaying game has made me see the light! Praise Satan!” Just like rock ‘n’ roll, comic books, and videogames are not evil gateway media, neither is this game.
Second, I wanted to call into question the players’ thoughts on religion. For example, one player might consider himself to be agnostic, yet when his character has to arrest an angel, the player might feel wrong. What does he really believe? Hopefully, playing this game will allow him to see deeper inside of himself. (Yes, I know. I just finished saying this is just a game. It is. That doesn’t mean you can’t learn from a game–it just means it’s not that powerful.)
Third, it’s compelling drama. The player-characters are caught in a politically charged climate similar to a Salem witch trial or McCarthyism. Not only are they subject to the whims and machinations of the powers that be (even the powers that be in another universe), they have to decide which side to support–they cannot remain neutral on this moving train.
Last, it satires Western culture’s hypocrisy towards religion. Cases of abuse and scandal aside, our culture holds religious vocations as morally better than others; we think a Buddhist monk has stronger morality than a CEO. Yet we shun those who are religious and don’t want to talk about it. (Try bringing up whether Jesus is our Lord and Savior at a dinner party.) In this game, religion is outlawed yet many practice it. Also, they have proof that prayer works–yet that’s illegal.
Besides, the game allows the players to decide how to act. Everyone could work for Heaven, fighting against secular humanists and their Satanic allies, eventually rescuing our entire universe! It’s up to the customer to decide what this game means, not I.