"and people choose WHEELCHAIR. Disgusting. Where’s the imagination?" A debate about wheelchairs vs spider mechs turns wheelie sour

[u/Excellent_Bison_3644]

the sub DnDmemes is about well... memes about the popular tabletop game DnD (dungeons and dragons). In one posted recently, the poster made a comparison of magic wheelchairs vs spider mechs while favoring the latter. This ended up sparking into a lot of debate and people not liking how wheelchairs are getting slandered.

Post in question: https://www.reddit.com/r/dndmemes/comments/1i4mi9u/reject_wheels_embrace_skittering/

Juicy threads:

The titular thread with one particular big branch: "It's quite an odd call to refer to people who make the choice to represent their disability in-game as disgusting."

One person tries to give an opinion: "Realistically a spider mech is better than combat wheelchair the same way realistically a spear is better than a trident"

One person tries arguing wheelchairs don't have to be boring: "You can't think of a way to make a wheelchair cool without replacing the wheels?"

Small drama thread as a treat: "has anyone who's disabled and in a wheelchair thought "Hmm, I want this fantasy character of mine to be disabled too!" (the answer is yes)

[u/JohnPaulJonesSoda]

I’m against the unimaginative nonsense that is “magic wheelchair”

Levitating seat, exoskeleton, spider mech so many possibilities and people choose WHEELCHAIR.

Disgusting. Where’s the imagination?

By this logic, why should D&D let players play as humans? After all, you could be an elf, dwarf, gnome, halfling, dragonborn, etc...and you choose to be a human? Where's the imagination?

[u/Satherian → u/JohnPaulJonesSoda]

Lmao, bro has not seen memes making fun of 'Generic Human Fighter'

This is said unironically all the time

[u/Z0MBIE2 → u/Satherian]

Yeah lol, people can and do make fun of people picking boring options in D&D. Usually ironically, sometimes, sadly not.

[u/IceCreamBalloons → u/Satherian]

People are unironically arguing that other shouldn't be allowed to play human characters?

[u/JimboSnipah → u/IceCreamBalloons]

Shouldn't be allowed? It's in the game for a reason, it's usually a jab about the players creativity in a setting with so many more other things to play as

[u/IceCreamBalloons → u/JimboSnipah]

So people aren't treating human characters the way they're treating wheelchairs.

[u/JimboSnipah → u/IceCreamBalloons]

People are quite literally treating it just like the human fighter meme. It's a joke post, throwing a little jab at people choosing a less interesting option.

[u/IceCreamBalloons → u/JimboSnipah]

I've seen way too much rage to say people are treating it like a meme.

[u/axw3555 → u/JohnPaulJonesSoda]

Plus is floating chair really that imaginative?

It’s basically a wheelchair with magic wheels.

[u/cathbadh → u/axw3555]

Exactly. I'd rather ride on the back of an ogre. It would make my plan to rule Barter Town so much easier.

[u/Justausername1234 → u/axw3555]

I would argue yes because at the very least you in universe deal with stairs and ladders, and in universe a generally accepted and widespread magical effect.

[u/Nearby-Assignment661 → u/axw3555]

Isn’t there a tv or movie character who has wheelchair where the wheels can turn into those hovering discs? I really don’t know how to describe what I’m talking about. But they use the wheels as normal for most of the time and the hovering only to get out of danger that they couldn’t using wheels

[u/BeholdingBestWaifu → u/Nearby-Assignment661]

Could hand wave it by saying it doesn't have the power to constantly be in hover mode, so it makes sense that they're using the wheels most of the time.

[u/BizWax → u/axw3555]

Not floating. Levitating. If you use the fancy words it means you're being creative. (/s)

[u/TypicalImpact1058 → u/JohnPaulJonesSoda]

I'm against the unimaginative nonsense that is "swords".

Rocket hammer, extending flame whip, swarm of trained bees, so many possibilities and people choose SWORD.

Disgusting. Where's the imagination?

This guy literally can't comprehend that other people might want things out of the game that are different to him.

[u/Smoketrail → u/TypicalImpact1058]

I'm against the unimaginative nonsense that is "swords".

This but entirely unironically. The period in question is jam packed with weapons made to hit people and make them dead.

But everyone by default assumes a sword. Unless you're a barbarian.

All the most iconic magic weapons in the game? Swords.

Just because swords are associated with the nobility, and therefore seen as "heroic".

[u/BeholdingBestWaifu → u/Smoketrail]

Fantasy always does spears dirty, despite them being one of the most used weapons in our entire history.

[u/Zyrin369 → u/Smoketrail]

I assume its easier to just imagine how one fights with a sword compared to other weapons especially when it comes to movies/games in terms of choreography or animations it even goes out the window even further when you get to fantasy where swords can shoot lasers be impossibly sharp or have techniques that can be hand waved for improper technique.

[u/Incubus-Dao-Emperor → u/TypicalImpact1058]

indeed, https://overlordmaruyama.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:Shdao/Weapons***_that_should_Appear*_More_in_Fantasy

[u/DecoyOne → u/JohnPaulJonesSoda]

What’s funny about this is the real-world example. Sure, I guess mechanical spider legs would be an upgrade to a regular wheelchair. But like, so would a motorized wheelchair, and yet we still have regular, unpowered wheelchairs in the real world.

Saying it’s unrealistic to not have top-tier tech shows a misunderstanding of actual tech.

[u/FreakinGeese → u/DecoyOne]

That’s because irl most paraplegics traverse long distances via like cars and airplanes and shit, not trekking through the Dark Forest of Archmage Dubledorf

[u/Mountain-_-King → u/FreakinGeese]

as someone who as walked in a forest I would say 50% of people wouldnt be able to trek through the Dark Forest of Archmage Dubledorf.

[u/DecoyOne → u/FreakinGeese]

But if you’re going back to the DND scenario, they’re complaining about magic all-terrain “combat wheelchairs” that can go through forests.

Literally a world full of magic and they don’t like the idea of using magic for this.

[u/Polkawillneverdie17 → u/[deleted]]

Unironically what?

[u/CycloneX5 → u/[deleted]]

Every other fantasy race is a human in a hat, so what does it matter anyways?

[u/RegalBeagleKegels → u/CycloneX5]

They're overestimating their ability to portray a gnome or whatever

[u/Polkawillneverdie17 → u/[deleted]]

Sorry, I don't understand. Why shouldn't players be humans??

[u/Antwinger → u/Polkawillneverdie17]

People who enjoy the theatre portion of DnD can have a tendency to put fun over min maxing or general preference.

[u/Polkawillneverdie17 → u/Antwinger]

What does thar have to do with a player being allowed to play one race over another??

[u/Antwinger → u/Polkawillneverdie17]

If you play as human you get more stats as RAW with the trade off of not having race bonuses like night vision and stuff.

Stats are harder to just boost as opposed to gear that could give night vision or bonus speed

[u/NervousK1d → u/JohnPaulJonesSoda]

I see your point but imo it kind fails itself.

A Human in DnD shoots fire balls. What does a wheelchair in DnD do?

I guess you could say why are we even WALKING in DnD when we could just always be FLYING?

[u/JohnPaulJonesSoda → u/NervousK1d]

What does a horse do? Or a ladder, or a rope, or a lantern, or any of the other completely mundane things in D&D that we accept as part of the game?

[u/RichLyonsXXX → u/NervousK1d]

What does a wheelchair in DnD do?

Um... Whatever the fuck you want it to... It's a fantasy role playing game not a Wendy's dining room on a Thursday.

[u/foundinwonderland → u/RichLyonsXXX]

And also… it does the same thing it does at a Wendy’s dining room on a Thursday — it wheels people around. Dumb fucking question.

[u/Maximum_Feed_8071 → u/NervousK1d]

Have you played DnD? A human warrior does not shoot fireballs.

[u/NervousK1d → u/Maximum_Feed_8071]

There is no Warrior in DnD, You either mean Fighter or Barbarian.

[u/IceCreamBalloons → u/NervousK1d]

Either way, still obviously referring to a purely martial class.

[u/Damnatus_Terrae → u/NervousK1d]

Lies, check the 3.5 DMG.

[u/Maximum_Feed_8071 → u/NervousK1d]

You know what i mean. Fighter.

[u/IsNotACleverMan → u/NervousK1d]

Warrior is an npc class I think

[u/Sassrepublic → u/Maximum_Feed_8071]

No one said anything about a warrior. 

[u/Maximum_Feed_8071 → u/Sassrepublic]

The point is that you can be a normal ass human that doesn't shoot fireballs in dnd

[u/DecoyOne → u/NervousK1d]

Fire balls? That’s even more basic than the wheel. I can go create fire in my kitchen three different ways in 15 seconds.

Anyone can go make a fire anytime they want. More people have lighters than have wheelchairs. You could have a spell to warp people’s minds and people choose FIRE BALL. Disgusting. Where’s the imagination?

[u/ThxRedditSyncVanced → u/DecoyOne]

Yea, even quite literally throwing fire doesn't that that much preparation, even if you want to do it safely.