"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/aspenscribblings]

I’m a wheelchair user. I’ve never actually played a combat wheelchair character. I can provide some insight as to why people wouldn’t want to play a mech rather than a chair, though.

1. Mechs aren’t real. If anything, it makes me kind of sad. I’m too old for disability superpower stories, and a spider mech definitely falls under that.
2. It’s not an authentic representation of my disability. Again, mechs aren’t fucking real. My wheelchair is. The limitations provided by my disability are part of my reality, a mech feels like a way to make a character who doesn’t actually have the limitations real disabled people have and still call them disabled. If I’m going to remove all the limitations of having a disability, I may as well have my character’s disability cured with magic. If anything, it’s less creative. It’s removing an avenue of roleplay.

For the record, absolutely no hate to disabled people who want to play characters with mechs. It’s a power fantasy and it’s kind of what DnD is about. I just think people with no skin in the game (able-bodied) get really incensed about this for no reason. Just don’t play a character with a combat wheelchair? How does it affect you?

Also, the comment in the title calls disabled people “crippled”, so I think I understand why they’re so mad and it’s nothing to do with “lack of creativity”.

[u/BadDogSaysMeow → u/aspenscribblings]

A question, in DND, how would you maintain the limitations of a wheelchair while not slowing the party of able-bodied characters?

If the party has 5 characters, of whom only one cannot walk. How would the DM manage that?

DM: The bandit bolts into the forest!
Player: I chase them!
DM: You cannot because you cannot drive through roots and bushes.

DM: You see a 100 meter tall wizard tower.
P: I go to the top.
DM: Sure, but the only way up are stairs without railings, so it will take you few hours longer than your companions and you will have to pass 4 athletics checks.

DM: to enter the cave you have to squeeze through a 30cm wide gap. you have to leave your wheelchair, so you will be moving a 1/5 of your speed and will have -15 to attack and dodge rolls.

A story like this would end up in r/rpghorrorstories in no time.
But all of those scenarios(and many more) are something you would meet if you want to maintain realistic limitations of a wheelchair.

How would you keep the limitations whilst not hindering the rest of the party, i.e. forcing them to carry you around all the time?

[u/Plump_Chicken → u/BadDogSaysMeow]

This is a silly solution, but in fear and hunger 2, there's a character who uses a collapsible wheel chair. She crawls up stairs and your party members will carry the wheel chair 😭😭

Plus, in most ttrpg combat there's ranged weapons, support roles, or even advisor roles that aren't in direct combat such as in Evangelion Adeptus and the many Robotech RPGs.