Topics created by Arkandel

I created a thread in the hog pit and will be moving the appropriate posts there. I think the real discussion actually is interesting and was at least for the most part constructive, and there are some interesting issues discussed that I can see why some folks might not want the whole thing moved to the hog pit.

If you want to rip into someone personally, please do it there. Further namecalling posts here after this post will just be moved to the locked circular file thread.

Topic drift is fine and expected. Personal attacks and just namecalling really aren't but if it is important to you to do so there's now an appropriate place to do so. Thanks.

@faraday said in What is the 'ideal' power range?:

You can start with level 6 (out of 7) in both Piloting and Gunnery if you want, yet you don't see Viper pilot players leaving in droves like: "Wellp; I've maxxed out my skills. There's nothing more to do here." There are other ways to measure achievement -- story arcs, relationships, thrilling heroics, even to a lesser degree medals, victory tallies and promotions.

For what it's worth from a story telling perspective I'd put Wedge Antilles (Corellian frieghter pilot tuned star fighter) and Biggs Darklighter (Imperial trained pilot, friend of Luke's from home, visited after academy graduation in deleted scenes) at the same level or a few points off each other in FS3. Same chances maybe more gunnery in the trained Biggs. Biggs dies at Yavin 4 and Antilles is on ask three original trilogy films, firing the first torpedo in death star two to weaken it for Landos file through). Everyone has the same chances at start and to catch up a little after even only a few action skill raises. In a more complex system getting these two closer to the movie payout sounds nightmarish.

I prefer power variety but with equal chance for story impact. Vet's and rookies alike.

I will say that every time I have interacted with DarkSouls, they have been perfectly pleasant and polite. They seem to work through jobs efficiently and are enthusiastic about running scenes and stories.

They do have a habit of making statements on the game discord that I would say are somewhat ill-judged in tone, and I know those have irritated people (myself included) but nothing that I would describe as VASpider worthy.

Of course, there might be problematic behaviour that I am entirely missing, but I just thought I would give my personal experience.

@Auspice

alt text

@faraday said in Privacy in gaming:

If the problem is bad enough that the person doesn't belong in your community, then you ban them. Otherwise I think rehabilitation is more productive than punitive actions.

Rehabilitation is a wonderful concept, but I have neither the time nor the inclination to be a counselor for someone who clearly has issues. I concur that rehabilitation is more productive than punishment, but I don't expect as a player that staff instruct or convert someone into a productive player; that's entirely on them.

And, let's face it, we're not talking about people who just "don't understand how to MUSH." The problem players we are talking about are legitimate problems on a game, and need removal rather than coddling.

@Tinuviel Somebody got the reference. ❤ ❤ ❤

@Griatch Friends of my husband's still have a pile of Amigas running. The part names were, iirc, amazing.

@jeshin said in The ethics of IC romance, TS, etc:

The ethics of IC Romance and TS is all about managing expectations. If you're going to be 100% IC, you need to be 100% IC. If this means you're cheating and you have crazy hawt seches and have some hickies, you need to RP covering them up or they get spotted. If you're going to have OOC collab you need to be upfront. OOC collab means that you are writing a story together and just like writers in a meeting you're pitching ideas and discussing story threads. This includes any negative drama you want to explore. If you want to go some IC/OOC hybrid because you're chatting and coordinating playtimes and you banter a bit. You just need to be honest. Don't mislead your RP partner. If honesty leads to hurt feelings that sucks but you're not a creeper or abuser if you don't try and obscure or manipulate. You might be an asshole, but I think there is a fundamental difference between being an ass and victimizing your RP partners.

100%!

@surreality I do not think either structure is wrong, as long as it is disclosed up front. For example I think a very limited slot game that has a great deal of staff attention and interlocking storytelling as the reason for those limited spaces probably doesnt want a people only interested in hermiting with the same person with little interaction beyond that--they are taking up space and not really a good fit for a game where it is important that people participate beyond that. Or even in an unlimited slot game really, depending on game vision and scope.

By the same token, it is just as okay to have an unlimited slot game with minimal metaplot and more hands off staff, and an expectation that players are primarily responsible for creating all action and story on the game, with staff proving some ic and ooc feedback and arbitration for disputes. If someone is constantly talking about how they hate it on channel, or taking up 5 times the amount of staff time than anyone else does because they are in need of a ton of handholding and personal guidance, then it is ok for /them/ to be told that obviously there is a mismatch of styles and needs here, so they can be ushered off before they burn people out or become super disruptive to everyone else due to their distress.

And everything inbetween!

I do not think that any game is beholden to try to meet all comers' needs while trying to keep true to the vision of the people running it, and practices that make their life easier.

But clearly I do not believe in "the customer is always right/every player who finishes CG is to be accommodated at all costs philosophy either, so I know that's easier for me to say than a nice person. Though I think that you can be kind and still enforce/preserve your vision, regardless of whether the player is able or willing to accept it.

@Ominous

If staff has questions about my character’s direction that are important to the game, then they should ask them.

Otherwise I would like a chance to play my character first and make those discoveries on my own.

@Arkandel said in Help my addiction:

I have a problem.

My problem is a certain kind of book is crack cocaine to me; once I find one I just feast on it, quite often starting then finishing it in the same day. So now I need my fix and hopefully you people will point me to an author/dealer to keep it going.

Don't judge me, but the material at hand involves (in semi-random order) a combination of military or arcane training, underdogs and badass moments. I'm talking about books such as the following:

Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter; a low-class nobody in a caste-based militant Empire gets into a military program and kicks all kinds of ass.

The Red Rising saga by Brown Pierce; a low-class nobody in an solan system-wide oppressive regime fakes his way into a military program and kicks all kinds of ass.

The Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks; a bastard of the world's most powerful man makes his way into an magical military school and kicks all kinds of ass.

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence; a piss-poor orphan girl gets in the world's most badass nunnery and kicks all kinds of ass.

The Raven's Shadow series by Anthony Ryan; a young nobleman is forced into a military school and kicks all kinds of ass.

Okay, okay, Ender's Game. You know this one, the author turned out to be fucked up... but Ender kicked all kinds of ass. In a military school.

Anyway you can stop judging me now FINE I get it, I said I had a problem. Find me more books to feed my habit, will you?

I chuckled, which isn't easy lately.

@peasoupling I think there's a joke here about TS and hand pronation.

I'm not going to make that joke.

Lessee...

Home laptop, of which there is also one older backup laptop,
My kindle - which can be a challenge to use,
Super rarely my phone,
My work computer, via web portal or a kindle/web portal combo (read from kindle, pose from portal).

Extremely. Basically critical.

If I don't feel like my character is "needed" I immediately lose interest in them. I don't think this is very normal in that I see lots of people wanting to make the same generic good-looking vampire/noblelady etc. as everyone else on most games, but that's how I feel about it.

It's not just about being "needed" by other people; I want to feel like I'm filling in a niche role and helping to balance the demographic, sure, but I also want to feel ... special? Original. While I realise there's no new idea under the sun, when I come up with a character concept I like to think it's the greatest idea anyone's ever come up with and when I then roll in to discover there are ten others exactly like me, I get bummed out.

Private confession time: on the 100 MUSH, I rolled an Earth Skills nerd and when I realised @GirlCalledBlu had actually beaten me to it I almost wanted to reroll. This is of course not her fault at all, just a quirk of mine. I have a need to be the only one doing a certain thing, but I was able to carve out my own niche in other ways, despite that.

This is part of the reason why I usually like playing underdogs, 90lb weaklings, less conventionally attractive characters, older/mature characters, poor people, etc.

I didn't play Arx for very long (not because I don't think it's a very good game, it just wasn't my theme of choice) but when I did I specifically went for a commoner. I like being a foil for others and don't really see the appeal of playing a lord in a game where you can't actually lord over anyone, since everyone else is a lord/lady too.

When rolling into a new game I tend to ask staff/players what type of character they think is currently "needed". Although I think it's very kind of them to do so, I always get a little bit annoyed when someone tells me "just play what you like to play!" Because what I like to play is, in fact, whatever happens to be most needed at any given point.

@Arkandel said in New moderator.:

@Coin said in New moderator.:

@Arkandel would never make me a mod because putting up a united front is too much like agreeing with me and he experiences physical pain when that happens.

I just experienced PTSD at the very thought.

Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder, you wussy Canuk?

@Arkandel said in The litRPG thread:

@Thenomain said in The litRPG thread:

Which makes me wonder what about this is surprising to @Arkandel . Spill the beans, bro.

All of it. The fact that it's a thing at all surprises me. The fact that people would read about other people's imaginary experiences of playing a non-existing game surprises me.

I don't understand!

Dude, do you even Critical Role? People watch other people role-play.

I think @Lotherio wins, though.

@Jennkryst said in Shadowrun: Denver Plot(s) - Conversation:

@Thenomain said in Shadowrun: Denver Plot(s) - Conversation:

I can’t be an otaku?

Otaku (おたく/オタク) is a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests, particularly in anime and manga.

Well...darn?

Otaku was the SR2/3 term for what would become Technomancers, in SR4/5

So we can blame Tom Dowd? Because...that's not even a little bit of a stretch for me.

@Darinelle said in Accounting for gender imbalances:

I hope she was the most qualified but if she WAS the most qualified and you DO hire her I do not envy the conversation you'll have to have with whoever that idiot was.

The conversation should have already taken place.

And probably should have started with a more professional version of, "Don't be a dick," and potentially ended with a call to HR.

@TiredEwok said in Dealing with bad actors:

@Coin

Okay, you win. But no fair pulling the cute puppy gif card, damn you!

sorrynotsorry

@insomniac7809 said in Fandom and entitlement:

I really don't think the Harry Potter films are at risk of losing $10mil unless the premier is literally shown on a rapidly-sinking raft made entirely out of $100 bills that is also on fire, and even then they'd probably break even.

From what I've heard, China won't even show a movie with an explicitly gay relationship in it. So yeah, the US returns might actually go up a little if a Harry Potter movie showed an explicitly gay relationship in it, but there would be no China returns, and that'll take a huge chunk out of international box office right there.