A True Gor?
In the Virtual World
Frustrations in Roleplay
What is "true Gor" and can it be accomplished in a virtual world?
"True" Gor is no more real than the chat rooms of Gor. Gor is simply a compilation of stories, written by a man of Earth, a professor of philosophy, under the pen name of John Norman.
Having never come face to face with a kaiila, or a bosk or a tharlarion before, it is hard for me to imagine a "true" Gor.
In order for chat rooms to become as the books, we would all need to disregard the morals, principles and beliefs that we grew up on in our real time lives on Earth. We would have to take several backsteps from what humanity and society has evolved, and put from our minds the concept of a God or higher being. Men would then see all women as slaves, or potential slaves, not truly seeing them fit to independent and self-sufficient. Women would give up all thoughts of "women's lib," all thoughts of rights and independence.
In order for chat rooms of Gor to be "true" the practice of forced rape of both slaves and yes, even the lofty free women would have to be enacted, expected and tolerated. Slaves would be entitled, then, the luxury of jealousy and vicious fighting, as long as they did not mar each other or kill each other. Slaves would also be whipped more often, disciplined more cruelly. A slave injured or sick would not benefit from the concerned look of a free person. There would be no lapping and coddling, no cute nicknames, and the like. A clumsy slave found displeasing. The slaves then would simply be discarded as is proper for "true" Gor.
Virtual time Gor has to make compromises, make changes where necessary. The books are there as simply a basis on which to build a Gorean chat site. No where have I seen in any of the 26 books written by John Norman, did I find written, "anyone building a chat site on Gor MUST be absolute and perfect." Even John Norman was not perfect and consistent in his writings.
Chat rooms can get close to realism — but never quite there. A good amount of this lies within the roleplayer him (or her) self. There will always be those who roleplay extremely well; likewise there will always be those who have no clue. Most roleplayers are middle ground. Do rooms put up signs: "Only roleplayers that know how to roleplay can enter" to keep out the clueless? Some have tried.
Too Much of One Thing
Chat rooms — including those created for Gor (and other similar roleplay venues as well) were designed for people to have fun and enjoy themselves. I see far too many rules in most rooms; too few rules in others.
I have helped a few rooms set up guidelines and rules, especially those for the slaves themselves. One thing I have grown in, is learning the happy medium. An example is chores.
There are homes that require slaves to do chores when they are not serving. These rooms require slaves to post their chores on the message boards; some require lengthy scripts themselves posted, while others just a brief statement of what the person did for chores.
Where is the realism in that? Absolutely none. Depending on where the slave lived, be it in a city, with a nomadic tribe, etc., would dictate the chores of the slave. Female slaves were given a great amount of time to have for their leisure; this to ensure that when the masters were ready for entertainment, they would be rested, bathed and prepared to be exquisitely pleasing.
I personally believe the requirement of chores is antiquated and ill-used. When helping the rooms set up guidelines, rather than chores being required when a slave was not serving, "roleplay" was required when a slave was not serving.
Several rooms, I think, forget about roleplay itself. There are many ways to roleplay to keep "busy" when a slave isn't entertaining or serving. Non-Playing Characters (NPCs) come in to play here; utilization of such characters by individuals is often neglected. Storylines can be easily created using NPCs and help a person hone their roleplaying skills.
Final Thoughts
Try as they might, I have yet to see a "true" Gorean home. There are those that have come very close. Those homes sadly, start with a great membership, but the "reality" of Gor becomes too much for many roleplayers. These sort of homes are essentially designed for the serious roleplayer.
Gorean homes that are as far from being a "true" Gorean home seem to thrive. Many come online in hopes of seeking kindred spirits, of grouping with these new-found families. While not being within the truth and realism of Gor, these homes instead feed that need of having fun and a familial feel.
Which sort home then is right for you?
Special Note
Because of the differences in publishing the books, depending upon whether published in the U.S. or Europe, depending upon whether a first publishing or a Masquerade Books release, page numbers will often vary. All of my quotes are from original, first-printing U.S. publications (see The Books page for a listing of publishers and dates) with the exception of the following books:
- Tarnsman of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
- Outlaw of Gor (11th Printing, Balantine)
- Priest-Kings of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
- Assassin of Gor (10th Printing, Balantine)
- Raiders of Gor (15th Printing, Balantine)
- Captive of Gor (3rd Printing, Balantine)
Disclaimer
These pages are not written for any specific home, but rather as informational pages for those not able to get ahold of the books and read them yourself. Opinions and commentaries are strictly my own personal views, therefore, if you don't like what you are reading — then don't. The information in these pages is realistic to what is found within the books. Many sites have added information, assuming the existences of certain products and practices, such as willowbark and agrimony for healing, and travel to earth and back for the collection of goods. I've explored the books, the flora, the fauna, and the beasts, and have compiled from those mentioned, the probabilities of certain practices, and what vegetation mentioned in the books is suitable for healing purposes, as well as given practicalities to other sorts of roleplaying assumptions.