Launch of gaming news site, Rascal

J.Quondam · Feb 29, 2024

Not sure if this has been mentioned here yet, but it might be of interest to readers around here:

Gaming journalists Lin Codega, Rowan Zeoli, and Chase Carter are launching a new gaming news site, Rascal. Their goal is thorough, verifiable, and ethical coverage of the TTRPG industry.
From their release:

The rascals will be writing reviews, commenting on cultural moments, interviewing designers, writers, performers, and even politicians. We will have deeply reported investigations alongside data journalism and opinions. Rascal will also stay on top of breaking news, and, if appropriate and verifiable, we will write about it. You can view our ethics, standards, and disclosures here.

Sounds like articles will be available to subscribers only (sign-ups), though not paywalled.

@Morrus @darjr

darjr · Feb 29, 2024

Signed up! Can’t wait to see where they go.

Anon Adderlan · Mar 1, 2024

Annnd that Nazi 'dogwhistle' is still on their announcement page. Which is weird, as the graphic was produced by a woman of color, and Lin was made aware of and acknowledged it. But how else am I supposed to interpret a completely out of context '88↑'?

Think I'll stick to my guns and continue to assume the whole concept is nonsensical.

J.Quondam · Mar 1, 2024

Anon Adderlan said:
Annnd that Nazi 'dogwhistle' is still on their announcement page. Which is weird, as the graphic was produced by a woman of color, and Lin was made aware of and acknowledged it. But how else am I supposed to interpret a completely out of context '88↑'?

Think I'll stick to my guns and continue to assume the whole concept is nonsensical.

I hadn't noticed. What did they say about it? Could you link?
It's odd, I suppose, but find it hard to believe it's a nazi dogwhistle. All I can find on the symbol "88↑" is some media company that looks unrelated to the magazine, and also unrelated to the 88/HH thing.

Tun Kai Poh · Mar 1, 2024

J.Quondam said:
Not sure if this has been mentioned here yet, but it might be of interest to readers around here:

Gaming journalists Lin Codega, Rowan Zeoli, and Chase Carter are launching a new gaming news site, Rascal. Their goal is thorough, verifiable, and ethical coverage of the TTRPG industry.
From their release:

Sounds like articles will be available to subscribers only (sign-ups), though not paywalled.

@Morrus @darjr

Hmmm interesting, very interesting.

Anon Adderlan · Mar 6, 2024

So the last 'article' I spotted there was a ZWEIHÄNDER Reforged press release, and the RPG.NET merger interview was hidden behind a subscription wall, free though it may be. If they intend to present press releases in this manner and hide actual reporting behind subscriptions they're going to absolutely decimate their SEO and contaminate results, as search engines don't differentiate between the two. And since there isn't enough real, hard-hitting news in this industry to sustain such a project they'll have to rely far more on legitimate appearing press releases. Because ultimately it's still an ad business. I just hope they don't have to write exposés on the folks buying those releases, as that would be awkward.

J.Quondam said:
I hadn't noticed. What did they say about it? Could you link?
It's odd, I suppose, but find it hard to believe it's a nazi dogwhistle. All I can find on the symbol "88↑" is some media company that looks unrelated to the magazine, and also unrelated to the 88/HH thing.

Here's the #Reddit post which brings it up. Apparently it's the logo for 88rising, an Asian music company. And I seem to recall raising the same issue regarding that company too. And no, it's not a Nazi dogwhistle, but the RPG community has huge problem with interpreting ultimately benign and coincidental things as such. Hence my poorly conveyed bitter sarcasm.

Dire Bare · Mar 6, 2024

When Rascal gets rid of the paywall, I'll take another look. For now, I'll pass.

ReshiIRE · Mar 6, 2024

They're not going to get rid of the paywall because the failure of ad reliant media companies and their inability to pay staff is exactly why Linda Codega - one of the founders - was laid off. It also leads to problems in journalism in general.

I for one hope the project succeeds so that more places like it and here can continue to provide neutral, TTRPG focused outlets.

Spectral Anomaly · Mar 6, 2024

Could some of you people complaining about 'paywalls' please explain how requiring an email signup equates to paying money?

Jd Smith1 · Mar 6, 2024

Anon Adderlan said:
Annnd that Nazi 'dogwhistle' is still on their announcement page. Which is weird, as the graphic was produced by a woman of color, and Lin was made aware of and acknowledged it. But how else am I supposed to interpret a completely out of context '88↑'?

Think I'll stick to my guns and continue to assume the whole concept is nonsensical.

While the AB and AC use 88 (HH) as part of their lexicon, it isn't part of Nazi lore. That's a bit pedantic, but I think it is important to note that while the AB and AC do tie themselves to Nazi symbology (and the Irish), they are not actually Nazis, but rather a fairly pragmatic white supremacy prison gang who have a surprisingly inclusive employment and diplomatic policy. They use the Nazi symbology for its shock value, something they copied off the early outlaw bikers.

Its a fascinating social development that spans fifty years, but I'll restrain myself.

Launch of gaming news site, Rascal

J.Quondam

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darjr

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Anon Adderlan

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J.Quondam

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Tun Kai Poh

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Anon Adderlan

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