Posts made by AmishRakeFight

In my experience, there tends to be a certain constantly recurring pattern with complainants on games. Or, rather, a certain kind of complainant.

There are definitely people who legitimately do something dumb and have to be talked to because you get a preponderance of logs from more than one unrelated source reflecting this or they're just stupid enough to do it on a channel or in a public area where the staff member sees it themselves.

But I'm not talking about that kind of player. I'm talking about the player who is perpetually tattling on a player or a group of players they've decided is the sole source of every woe on the game, real or imagined. Usually imagined and it usually roots down into a classic case of sour grapes grindy axe because they got outfoxed or outclassed or were socially rejected or not picked for some IC kickball team or some combination of these things (in or out of character) by this player/group.

Asking for logs is a nonstarter because they just don't have them and are working off heresay or the logs they do provide when read by a third party not layering a certain kind of tone in an interaction aren't actually reflective of anything other than the player just not liking the outcome of something. At that point, the error is really more about this case of sour grapes grindy axe that this player has come down with and won't be cured until they use every fit of pique until the object of their scorn is run off the game by staff.

I have a hardline view about that sort of thing in that part of the reason why that kind of person poisons the game atmosphere for as long as they do is because game staff collectively lets them. They don't want to police feelings or social slap fights but in doing so, they empower this player to hold OOC court among other players to rumormonger and witchhunt. The conversation that can avoid this kind of situation probably shouldn't be 'please provide a log'; it really should be 'if you're struggling to just be mildly content with your lot here; maybe this game isn't for you'.

There's been a ton of press, some of it legit science and some of it just bandwagon jumping, about how our gut flora in this modern age is generally off kilter and its contributing to weight gain and heart disease and compromised immune systems.

It still makes me giggle though that all of this is basically scaring people in order to achieve the shit out of them.

I don't love this but I'll get used to it, if there's no likely chance the appearance will revert.

Is this game up and running? @Sunny mentioned it elsewhere on this board so I'm curious if its open? If so, at this address?

@Roz

This sounds like a very average day in NYC:

Someone's dick is out.
Something unspeakable has happened on the third car on the R train to Bay Ridge. That's why no one's in it at 5 p.m.

@Insomnia

Using sexuality to get something in a game is fairly common and happens with male gendered players. The transactional nature of what and how they get it is different but its still the same thing. This is likely unintentional of you but specifically framing female gendered players as the ones who are transgressive in this situation is coming off a leeeeetle bit slut shamey.

Female gendered players who do this tend to be more open/obvious about it because in that case, general female gendered players are socialized to be openly performative about it.

FOMO happens with a game in general and with playgroups or factions on a game.

I experience it sometimes, as well. I'm completely burnt out on WoD-theme games. I recognize this cycle in me. I like it, it gets to be a little too much not fun, and I just sorta go do something else for a while. Sometimes this while is a couple months and sometimes it's a couple years. I'm currently in a disinterested phase and I'm largely just playing Steam games and going outside like my mom used to order me to when I was 10.

But even then, when I hear or read about how awesome a game is, I too get wistful and wonder if I'm making the right decision by spending my time elsewhere. The potential of something is entirely romantic and exciting. We're wired to want a little more cake.

Having thought about this more, I guess the no veil thing could be okay if it were in the style of The Dresden Files but:

One of the main/overarching themes of TDF is political intrigue. The inter-faction politics (Vampire Courts and Fairy Seasons) and intra-faction politics between supernaturals and supernaturals and human groups who know about supernaturals.

My overall impression is that you might be looking to avoid 'bad' politics where everything breaks down and gets awful IC and OOC over politically-related issues. If that's the case, I understand wanting to avoid that because when its bad, its really bad but the opposite side of that coin is really bad. Politics in any game is inescapable. Water is wet and dirt is dirty and politics will politick. Until robots replace humans in the MU* world, the seep and creep of politics is just a thing and players will find a way to invent some even if there is none, so I guess I'm not sure how you plan or can plan to police that?

@Saulot said:

As well, player versus player conflict, political intrigues, and the like will not be present.

I get the intention half the splats you're wanting to run are based on hierarchical societies. Hierarchical societies are by their very existence political; that's why they're stratified. Some of these splats could be made or are somewhat egalitarian but uhhhh egalitarian werewolf and vampire seems more than a little doomed.

Going one step further, if you want there to be no veil then all the politics that will exist on the game will become entirely internal, except you don't want politics so--

I'm not really sure what you expect players to do other than attack the monster of the week or attend a lot of parties?

@Ganymede @HelloRaptor

That was where I was going with it. People who smoke know what they're signing on for. People who eat like shit know what they're signing on for. Will it happen for sure? Who knows. Maybe? Maybe not?

You have to live in a cave not know what the risks are in whatever lifestyle vice you want to engage in. There's a definitely something meaningful about expressing your concern for someone and their choices as long as you're not a pushy asshole about it but much of the time people are just being pushy assholes for no helpful reason.

Heart disease: 611,105
Cancer: 584,881

These are the top 2 killers in the US per the CDC in 2013. Some things to bear in mind, this is drawn from reported clinical data prior to 2013 but after 2010 and this is solely from the US. The only thing that the data took a look at was age at death and the primary cause of death. A deep diver looked at race but socioeconomic and lifestyle factors were not taken into account, at least not in these reporting. It's likely the public health people doing this report didn't have access to that information; but race is generally reported on that kind of paperwork.

Between these 2 groups, you have a separation of just over 26,000 people. In a sample size this large, 26,000 people is small.

So, yes, there are reasons I think to be mindful of what you eat regardless of your size because well, a straight donut and bacon diet is probably a long-term bad call. (Also, I don't think my body could take it, personally speaking.) My point, though is:

If it ain't the donuts, its gonna be the cancer

So maybe people should chill the fuck out and realize that no one gets out alive and making everyone feel like shit about their size means about fuckall in the end.

It doesn't work.

This whole thing relies on having staff as the ones that arbitrate what the percentages mean and enforce them. Generally, this seems nearly impossible on most games.

It's also a lot of arbitrary/magical thinking math with too many loopholes, as already pointed out.

I wouldn't bother with this game unless your intention is conflict-free, bar rp as the only thing you intend to do there.

Relatively easy to follow CG, staff that don't have too much overt drama going on, and a fairly cooperative playerbase, that is generally all there to play the same game and accepts that conflict can be PvE or PvP.

I ask too much most of the time.

@Three-Eyed-Crow Oh definitely that too. I think there are some people that really look at it as an opportunity to make a bunch of stuff happen in terms of running events and making the interesting stuff go. That's legit but that's a rarer bird that's in it to sprinkle the RP creation dust around. Some are successful but many burnout quickly.

@Miss-Demeanor Why does anyone want a pointy hat position in a game? They are all bullshit meetings, being the social cruise director, and being unable to meet expectations that are put on you by various individuals, even the people who like you a lot and have the best of intentions. It's often just some masochistic exercise in running a mental marathon. Some people flourish in these roles; most people flame out because the nature of the thing sets them up to fail.

ETA: They want them anyway because there no matter how tedious and friendship pyre inducing; a title has a significance. It suggests you deserve the role even if you don't. We all want to feel like we're good enough at what we do in these games to warrant this kind of recognition. It's not solely about ego but that's a big part of it.

@Roz @Trundlebot

I ended up ordering Sex Criminals today. It does look good.

American Vampire attracts me because its Stephen King, which when he's good he's great. (I loved the unabridged version of The Stand and have since high school). But then again, when he's bad then its really bad. I also associate with him with Joe Hill, because that's his son but I have weird feelings about Locke & Key. I liked the first couple volumes and then I got bored with it.

I just finished Chew, which was great. I guess its coming out as a movie soon, Steve Yuen from The Walking Dead plays the lead. Felicia Day is the love interest. I'm not sure how I feel about that pairing (I mean I don't really care that much but) but the series was great.

Has anyone read the following:

Trees
Low
Sex Criminals
American Vampire
Southern Bastards

Most of these are by Image, which puts out several others titles that I really love but I find myself on the fence about these titles and would appreciate feedback.

Re: Balut

Americans Try Exotic Asian Foods

Safe for work

I spent ~6 hours kayaking today. I won't be able to lift my arms tomorrow but it was a low wind, warm water, no pedal rudder vs. current kind of day.

@SG I get these. One in particular:

Co-Irker: WHY AREN'T YOU IN SINGAPORE GIVING A PRESENTATION? (Background: We have a Singapore office where allegedly people go but you've never met anyone at work who has actually gone that isn't the CEO but for some reason, there's some weird social premium on getting sent to that office. Idk either.)
Me: .... I uh, what?
Co-Irker: YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE IN SINGAPORE GIVING A PRESENTATION NOW BECAUSE DIOHNJWEORIENODNSIOHJDOKINOIDN (this is the part where they start speaking another language I don't understand)

I then spend the rest of the dream trying to get make a powerpoint (doesn't work), get out of the building (can't find my way out), get to the airport (don't remember how to get there/can't/traffic), can't understand anyone (they all speak some other language), etc.