Controversial posts made by Derp

@mietze said:

If someone has no intentions of allowing a player new or unknown to them a chance at a major position, then probably that's something that they should also have the balls to say up front.

While I don't disagree that the policy should be pretty clear, it could fairly easily be argued that some of this is just common sense. As others have stated, no one should expect to be able to log into a game they've never played on, where they know no one, and expect to instantly be able to play the Prince, in much the same way that entry-level applicants generally know better than to apply for the position of CEO or Director of Marketing. Perhaps they would be the greatest candidates for that position in the whole entire universe based on their skills and competencies, but if nobody has ever seen them in action, it's a hell of a risk to take -- and one that not many people would be willing to take in the first place. Normally there is not a sign on the door that says 'experienced candidates for management positions only' -- most reasonable people kind of just know that's a thing, and that's how it's done. If someone had a meltdown over that being the case, do you think that a majority would consider that person reasonable or capable of handling the stresses that come with such a position?

@Alzie said:

@Derp said:

it's nearly impossible to get the full version anymore.

Welcome to the Internet, you must be new.

Hey, I'm not saying that I have any personal experience with SimpleMU. Again, it was before my time. I'm just citing others who've said that it's nearly impossible because of something something can't buy the activation code, or whatever. I'm sure there are ways around
that, depending on who you know, or whatnot, but just getting it without the benefit of someone pointing you toward whatever secret trove there is out there has been noted as being difficult.

@TMG

I never had an OOC problem with you. You were cool as hell. The few IC problems with you were actually things that I greatly appreciated. We were playing Arrows, an incredibly philosophical Order with a great many ways to approach the same problem. When ideas conflicted.... well, that's pretty much what that philosophy was designed to do.

It always lead to a ton of interesting RP for me, both with you and with other people. My Mage had students that he'd teach a certain way, which in turn was borderline in conflict with the ideas that the Adamant Sage was putting out. I think, over time, folks have come to expect there to be a lot of kumbaya going on (which there never is, and frankly probably shouldn't be), and as much as we complain about cliques, people seem to forget that not only are they natural, most players on a game are a part of one, somewhere along the lines, because there is never a majority opinion so large that it's clearly the one, true, right, and only way.

Anyway, sure, maybe you had some faults, but you were also fairly good at keeping things organized and providing RP ideas, even if you weren't aware that's what you were doing (and kudos if you were aware that's what you were doing).

I just use Potato. I used to use MUSHClient. SimpleMU was before my time. From my understanding, it's nearly impossible to get the full version anymore.

@spasticgoat

No, no. This: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifts_(role-playing_game)

@Ganymede said:

But try as you may, the Rahu are best at one role. They can struggle against it all they want, and that makes for excellent internal character tension. As much as Ralph wants to be loved and seen for his thoughtful side, his Alpha is going to want him to Wreck-It because that's what he's built to do.

Eh. I have to disagree, here. While yes, you have certain affinities that make certain things come easier to you, there is nothing preventing you from buying other things as well. Short of the Moon Gifts, any werewolf can buy anything, and once it's unlocked, adding facets is all the same price, assuming you have the relevant renown.

Really, tribes aren't that limiting. They're the area where other people defer to you. Auspices aren't really all that limiting either. It just gives you a generalized toolset to use in order to attain your goal. Short of a few rites and merits, any werewolf can really do anything, though they may be slightly more proficient in areas that come naturally to them.

It really depends on how you look at it. If you want to see it in a pessimistic light, then yeah, they're leaving you a trail of breadcrumbs that wanders down a generic path. If you like to keep things simple and don't mind making a generic cookie cutter character, then by all means take it. It's very newbie friendly in that regard. If you're a more advanced player, though, there is nothing stopping you from coloring outside of the lines a bit if you want to experiment with different setup, and they've given you all the tools with which to do it. You aren't restricted from having anything at all, short of Moon Gifts and some merits and rites, which are just flavor add ons.

Angle of approach. It makes a world of difference.

@ThatGuyThere

Oh damn. I guess I'll just have to find a way to live with myself. But I won't think about that today. I'll think about it tomorrow. At Tara.

I like the current thing, but I think that's mostly because it doesn't look like the other forums out there. The fact that it's got the nifty app-icon looking categories appeals to me. I'm sure it'll make no difference in my usage, I just think it looks neat as-is.

What about... oh, what the hell is the name of that game system? It has magic and cybernetics and giant suits and shit... Rifts? Something to that effect?

That's sort of an 'all the things' running under one system. Is there anything like that out there?

@ThatGuyThere

While your litany of staff corruption is certainly educational, it doesn't really change the point that nobody ever needs to conform to doing something a certain way just because some people before fucked it up. As mentioned, every game has problems, and there's no set definition as to what counts as 'staff corruption' or not.

For example, say I have an RL friend come onto a game I'm running. I'm well aware that they're informed as to the sphere they're playing in, they're responsible, invested, etc. And they ask to play a restricted concept. I give it to them, because I trust them to run it. I made a judgment call based on my knowledge and experience. Some people would call that a good idea, because I know that this person will behave in a certain manner. Some will flail their arms and scream 'nepotism favoritism cheating motherfucking bastard' because I dared to give someone I know and have ample experience with something shiny. Perspective is important, but at the end of the day, the game is what the game-runner decides it is, and other people can get on board with that or not.

As far as the soup kitchen analogy, perhaps they do. But do they have an absolute right to demand that something change in order to appease them when they're getting something for free, from someone else who cares enough to provide it, when they couldn't provide it for themselves? I say no. Bitchy people exist everywhere. That doesn't mean that the world has to bow to their demands. Games are no different.

@surreality said:

we're some gossipy bitches in this hobby. But truth is, I was privy to more things going on behind the scenes as a player since I was more involved on grid than I ever was as staff

So much this. I have a clue what's going on on the game because I have a PC on that game who is out there RPing and taking in things as they come along. If you asked me what was going on in the game with the information I have as staff alone, boy would I give you a misleading picture of events as they unfold. Most game things don't get run past staff. Conflicts between characters, overarching group plans, etc. None of that comes across my desk until it's time to award xp for things, and even then it's more like 'had a scene, killed some dudes, fulfilled some asps, resolved some conditions'. And in my experience, players aren't terribly interested in sharing a good deal of that information with staff in the first place.

It's later, when I'm sitting down with the other person having a beer and talking about our IC lives, that the deets come out.

@Bobotron

I would legit play the hell out of a WoD game set in ancient rome. Maybe around the time of the rise of the emperors, all of that political awesomeness. I think that particular punic war was set just before then, so I'd be down for that too.

For World of Darkness, especially in a MUX, it has to be a city with a population capable of supporting the player population. A global city, a large metropolis of some kind. The Reach in its small-town feel was largely unplayable for that reason. Everyone and their neighbor was a supernatural of some type. Normal mortals seemed to be outnumbered.

Boston could be fun, if it weren't already taken. London could also be fun, if -it- weren't already covered in one of the vampire books, though it has a bit more flexibility at least. Los Angeles is a good city to use for just about anything, as it has universal appeal for both mortals and supernaturals.

Though I do agree with @Pyrephox. Whatever city you make, remember that it has to exist in the setting that you're playing for. If it's a WoD city, then it has to be the WoD version of that city. It has to be... well, dark. Dangerous, slightly sinister and mysterious. It has to have that danger, that draw, that thing that says "come explore my secrets, and hope to get out of it alive".

Then by all means, move it to another forum. I will address your ranting there, rather than muck up this thread more.

@ThatOneDude said:

I'll edit this and be constructive in the response. Demon jobs that take 30 days to close for XP spends didn't lead to a great experience. Asking demon specific questions that don't get answered or ignored in jobs didn't lead to a good experience. A lack of Demon side plot, which myself and crew could make but seemed like a waste do to the job situation didn't lead to a fun experience. So, instead of complaining to a deaf ear that didn't care I took a break and log in from time to time to check on my PC and to see if things change... Or ask here.

Have you tried, I dunno, putting in a job to check on those sorts of things? Because Demon jobs -are- getting answered. There are some things where an answer takes longer than others because I have to ask for information, get permission to do things, collaborate with other people. You know, the whole usual staff dance thing. But on the whole, anything that doesn't involve 'we want to do something that requires massive amounts of bookkeeping and staff handholding to the point of needing our own personal storyteller to keep up with this endeavor' get answered fairly promptly.

As for Cade and him being an asshole we'll have to agree to disagree. IC vs OOC is different and I can only think of one place where anyone could think Cade is an asshole. Myself and the other party seem to agree there was no OOC beef so other than that I think you'll need to come with specifics. If I was a problem player on the mu* I'd assume there were complaints from other players or staff but I have yet to hear of those...

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

But if that is your official staff stance based on the past and you getting fucked up here then you are close to a Spider 2.0 and I'm glad to see it come out.

My opinion of you is not my official staff anything. Your jobs, should they actually exist, get processed in just as timely a manner as everyone else's, and with equal degrees of fairness. Just because I personally think you're a prick doesn't mean I can't do my job. But by all means, compare me to Spider. I mean, you're reaching, and badly, but it's funny to watch you scramble for anything.

I stand by to listen to your crew defend your honor but all I need is a... Chance...

And suddenly I'm reminded of the time when an entire fucking channel told you and your partner to GTFO because, lo, you had already pissed off over half the sphere you were in a week out of chargen. Those were good times.

@Sunny said:

@Derp said:

@Sunny said:

To keep the game at a power level that fits with the campaign that I will be running while still allowing a very generous number of ways to earn experience.

This is not going to do what you think it's going to do.

Yes, it actually is.

Alright, then. If this is the intended goal, then I have to think you're just bad at game design, and shall choose not to play there.

Not only is a 200xp human different from a 200xp vampire different from a 200xp werewolf, two 200xp werewolves are going to be worlds different from each other.

Yes, and there is yet more of a world of difference between a 200 XP character and a 750 XP character. I am more concerned about this difference than I am between the factions. Some character choices are more powerful at some things than other characters are. That's as true at 15 experience as it is at 500.

How in the world do you figure this? Your methodology relies on the idea that characters who hit a certain amount of xp 'level up' in some fashion. This is not how world of darkness works. A character that has 200xp invested in Contacts and Retainers is in a world different place than a character that has 200xp dedicated to fighting styles and combat skills. It just doesn't work that way, and you're treating the system as if it does, which is at best naive and at worst shortsighted.

Experience level does not relate to power level.

This is incorrect.

See above.

That largely comes down to build choice.

Build choice impacts it; how many experience you have to spend on that build also has a significant amount to do with it as well. I can do more with 500 XP than I can with 50.

For some things, yes. Not for all things. Build choice is the ultimate arbiter of this, not your experience level. I can do plenty with a 50xp combat character that I can't do with a 500xp social character. It depends on the stories told and what design I took with it. I don't hit level 10 when I hit 200xp, so there is no way to distinguish my 200xp from some other guy's 200xp and call them the same. Again, it just doesn't work that way.

And as @coin mentioned earlier, when you set a hard cap, you're just going to end up with people who frontload a whole bunch of other stats and ignore others.

This is how tabletop works.

And you think that's it's not going to work that way in a MU? That the two are so magically different that something you would see in one can't happen in the other? Are you new here?

I see the reasoning that you have. But your reasoning in this instance is faulty. It's based on the false premise that characters at the same level of xp are at rough parities of power.

Er, no. It's not. It's a limiter on upper power level. It's a cap, not an equalizer. If I was (stupidly) attempting equality I'd simply give a flat rate of XP to all characters (including those not made yet) at a set time. This system is not an attempt at making things equal.

And that's simply not the case.

If you're not looking for equality, then what the hell is the point of your xp cap? Again, going back to the first statement, not only does this not do what you think it's going to do, I'm not even sure that you're aware of what you want it to do in the first place, given that your premises contradict each other.

WoD is not World of Warcraft. If that's the way you want it to work, try the D20 World of Darkness, Monte Cook's version. This is going to solve a lot of your issues.