Gorean is it all negative?

Came across a Gorean site because a SL friend goes to do battle there with his bow, arrow and sword. OK it as caught my interest, but most SL'ers not heard of it and those who have give me very negative comment.
This negativity centers around masters and slaves, which we get in usual SL places as well, but in Gorean sounds as if more extreme.
I have noted in a quick visit the slaves girls wear next to nothing, but in contrast what are called freewomen wear some extremely nice dresses.
Ok it is a role playing game, you could say within a role playing game I guess. Anyone have any good pionts to tell me about this Gorean game?
(Please if you have a negative view of Gorean I am sure I will allready have enough to know dangers/extremes so I would value my post not starting an argument, thanks.)
So I am after getting to know the various roles open to me should I decide to give it a try.
Maybe I become a female warrior a sort of medieval Laura Croft, LOL.
Thanks
Love
June.

Read the books by John Norman and make up your mind from that.

It was originally written as a backlash against femininism.

Depends on who you ask what answer you get. Mine is a very emphatic MEH, but if that's what people enjoy doing then power to them, SL is all about doing things you like after all.

I have a friend who is well into this, it always makes me cringe when his slaves call me Sir, but lets just say that since he got into it he is now divorced in RL. I believe you should consider that this is SERIOUS role play, if you want something more light hearted then look elsewhere.

Are you looking to get heavily into the BDSM aspects, or are you just looking for medieval rp?

This may give people a better idea of which directions to point you.

I wouldnt say it is more "extreme" infact in a lot of cases its far more normal than what you would find in regular BDSM sims. What makes it different is the serious roleplaying involved and the large amount of predefined fiction you have to follow.

The best place to learn about it however is in an actual Gor sim. To satisfy my own curiosity I went to the first one I found in search. You should read the rules carefuly (like entering any RP sim). The one I went to had a very nice design and allowed visitors wonder around freely if you wore a visitors tag. I observed several hours worth of roleplaying which pretty much involved people sitting down and eating. Anyway there was allso a library where you could pretty much find more info on Gor and Gor RP then you could ever want.

Gor is a mixed bag. A lot of people will have heard of it but are not really sure, others hate it, others have no particular opinion, and others love it.
It is based on a series of books by John Norman. Set in another world where there are slaves and free people.
I am not too well up on my Gor things but i know there are about 3 roles for women. Kajira (slave girl), Free woman, or Panther (warrior/amazon type).
I did find a place called the Gor hub, where they had bookcases of info on Gor and a load of LMs to gorean sims. Also they had quite a few Gor freebies. I cannot find the LM though and have been unable to locate it in search again.
Have a quick look at these posts, they tell you a bit about it in a very simple way:
http://www.mermaiddiaries.com/2006/11/day-42-lady-natalia-merchant-of-tharna.html
http://www.mermaiddiaries.com/2006/11/day-48-lady-natalias-promotion-and.html
http://www.mermaiddiaries.com/2006/12/day-87-death-of-free-woman.html
http://www.mermaiddiaries.com/2007/04/day-204-tarnburg-gor.html

I suggest you wear a visitor tag and explore some gorean sims. speak to people there - but don't interrupt if they look like they are in the middle of a roleplay scene - I don't think that is polite.
I do have some notecards if you want but not sure how helpful tehy would be and you are probably best researching at your own pace in your own way.
Anyway, good luck Hope this helped a bit.

K read that list then tell me that "normal BDSM" is weirder. LOL. Actually a lot of the online BDSM and Gor is nonsense IM (not at all humble on this subject)O. It's only really lately I've allowed my RL experiences to come into my SL ones in full (I'd say that the last three months in particular have seen me "in bloom".

Gor does take itself very seriously but, to play Devil's Advocate, it has to if it is to function as a distinct entity.

June,

I've been in SL Gor since April 2007, and was Freewoman up until very recently. i would be happy to share my experiences and thoughts with You if you wanna contact me in game, and come share a drink or two in the tavern! *smiles*

Maddy xxxx

/me checks which account logged in with.

Gor isn't just about slaves at Masters feet, there is a lot more to it. There are different roles to chose from as a female, the main being kajira (slave), free woman, panther girl, taluna, she urt and even mercenary.

I have an alt in a wagon camp. Yes slaves sit at feet and serve ...... but that is also when not being raided/raiding and captures happening. The roleplay in a Gor sim is based on around 30 books set in an imaginary world so to really understand you have to look past the girls in silks chained to Masters in shopping malls. The roleplay will also vary a lot between which gor sim you go to as some are based on cities of the books and others villages and nomads etc.

Try looking around wagon people camps, panther camps, cities etc OOC.

Nothing wrong with being at someone's feet if that's where you are happy.

/me smiles very happily.

PS Nice to see you Denise

/me waves to Cherry. Hiya and thanks *smiles*

Well .... I suppose i best pipe up as well... becasue I DO do Gor ... and am Denise's Alts Master.

I know a lot of the girls in my camp on a personal level (not sexual), most girls who come to Gor are in face very strong in character and personality, the sexuality is more sensual.

Examples are in the serves...... they are finely written and take skill. Theres more " do you wanna fuck" ims going on in clubs etc. The last 4 days my camp has been raided, we have traded and had new people start and old people return.

Yes ...... my kajira has a collar, do i need to drag her around by it ...no i dont. I think its becasue people have different experiences of WHAT is Gor ....

Well its a hard place... there really is a big difference between the disney gor of perfumed slaves in cities, to the hard knock life of a camp slave. most importantly is that you understand the basics of RP. a kajira doesnt make them RL opressed or a slave (or a woman in some cases). But i would tend to agree...... if you want to see for yourself, grab yourself an OOC tag from where ever you go and just look about, dont judge what you see either as in the WORST of what you see .... heres a whole IM underbelly of checking and assurences.

To be honest .... i LOVE Gor ..... and unless you LIVE it ... it makes no sense at all.

/me waves to Cherry ... ohhh yes and Cherry there is one of my Favorate SL friends ..... KOTC hey sweetheart

Yay Marty

Actually for what it is worth, Gorean builds are often very sensual and feminine. In that aspect, and also in the aspect of very very detailed RP, I can empathise.

I just don't buy the Gor side of things personally. Still if you're gonna do it then do it in SL because at least you can make three moons appear in the sky if you really want them to here.

LOL.

PS Marty when you going to come and see my latest build huh?

I agree Cherry ..... its important to respect all sides of anything ..... and I only stay away of one type of thing in SL...... everything else I at least expose myself too for good or bad. As for your " Build" .... if you give me the " Cherry Personal *wink wink* tour I might consider it ........

((just im me in world later hun))

Yes, actually there is a lot more sex and being hit on in clubs than in Gor were people are busy roleplaying.


Some things can look bad on screen especially with captures but in IMs there is normally checking if it's ok and even making sure the RP is valid. Roleplay limits are also normally respected.



I will add that even though a lot of gor sims, each one covers different areas of the Gor books which is a whole planet and hense different lifestyles just like earth. You may RP in one sim but you will also be RPing with those from others as raids don't happen between your own land but using all the Gor sims of SL.

I think anything that doesn't take itself seriously will fall apart at the seams. Star Wars sims are deadly serious I read a week or two back. I think we all have our own things we need to 'escape' from.

June, not all the Gor sims are the same. There are different 'takes' on the lifestyle. Some are receptive to observers, some are very private.

True on both counts.

Ironically, the places where I have enjoyed best and which have had freeform intellectual debates amongst the amusing antics of the new never took themselves seriously until they were sold to someone else who just HAD to make changes for changes sakes and invariably these were ones to make some money. Viva freedom, in both senses. As long as I can afford £20 a month for the tier anyway

/me watches as ANOTHER brit falls out from the seems and waves ... HEYYYY Bilbo

Its like anything in SL ..... it is supposed to be fun .... i just to be able to get to bed before 4 and have more than 3 hours sleep a day ..... now that WOULD be an experience

Will do! I might be all crashtastic tho as I am taking shots of the place using Windlight, which is not being kind to me.

Funny isn't it, that the best part of many RPs is not anything directly to do with sexual stuff anyway. Getting that connection with another person, so that you are on the same page ... well, that's fantastic.

Perhaps assassin, then, or possibly panther. Either way, one should understand that Gorean combat depends much more on typing ability than skill in mouselook: if you manage to "kill" a foe but don't say all the right words with flair and creativity, they'll just get up and walk off shaking their heads and muttering about what a travesty Gor has become these days.

That's pretty much the predominant Gorean activity: agonizing over how the entire planet has been taken over by people who can't be bothered to learn what Gor is really all about, or railing against the "old-school" Goreans who just don't get it that SL Gor is all about sex and violence. But this debate is performed in the highly stylized language of guys in high-prim flexi cloaks sitting around taverns, ritually comparing sword size and drinking imaginary hooch.

That's the positive part.

Then there's Gorean slavery. Except that's not negative. Not really. But it's not really like anything else, either--certainly nothing recognizable to someone expecting BDSM. Even the lowest kajira has more self-esteem than the average escort--and rightfully so: it takes a lot more training.

None of which will make any sense without traipsing around Gor wearing an observer tag.

Hey Marty!! 'fraid I've been baulking on the stalking lately

Ahh sleep ... like unconsciousness ... but voluntary .. <sigh>

/me considers the point of view of the free stranger within his view, Paga I say ... let us sit brother and talk bollocks ....

Hahahaha ...... very well put Qie and hit streight on the nose

Ahh, but it's not the imaginary paga you Masters enjoy, it's listening to the serve

If you squint ...

And go to Holland and Barretts ...

They sell Paga.

(Well it's called Pago really but it amuses me that at least they get their 5 a day!).

I actually know a LOT about Gor, accidentally, from years of exposure elsewhere - a lot of the UK BDSM scene do like to dabble. Particularly older men who are VERY beardy and like real ale in my experience.

<runs>

True tho!