The 'Mormon Bloodsuckers' letter of Oct. 14 by Pratt, Trevino, Bonner, et al, is given to unnecessary hyperbole and harshness.
'Settlers of Zarahemla' is published by Inspiration Games, a division of Uberplay Entertainment. Uberplay is not the enemy of creativity that the authors of that spiteful letter would lead us to believe. Not only do they publish an LDS spin-off like 'Settlers of Zarahemla,' but they have also recognized original titles like 'New England.'
As a life-long gamer and a publishing professional, I certainly lament the lack of originality in board games (and often other products) for the LDS market. In this instance, 'Settlers of Zarahemla' is not an unauthorized rip-off of 'Settlers of Catan.' Furthermore, creating a product that can succeed in a niche market as small as the LDS market there are interests beyond pure originality at risk, and borrowing an idea - authorized or not - unquestioningly seems more safe. Such motives are arguably less than ideal, but they are neither foreign to free-market business in general nor to the board games publishing business at large.
The undersigned of the 'Bloodsuckers' letter appear to be fanboy curmudgeons who have appointed themselves the arbiters of 'proper' gaming. This LDS 'Settlers' spin-off may not be original, but if it gets people away from the television, and turns them to interacting and enjoying each others company, I see that as a 'good' that can be accomplished. There are still plenty of original games for people to play if they want to and 'Zarahemla' may do well to steer people toward its original predecessor. Should Zarahemla not suit your fancy, there are plenty of unoriginal licensed Monopoly spin-offs.
Bryan Jensen
Layton