Posts made by Derp

I'm not really sure that we're talking about the same things though.

Most of us are familiar with the concept of racism, but in your original fantasy works you aren't really talking about race. You're essentially talking about different species that are just lumped into the 'races of men'. You aren't really talking about the kinds of differences you'd see in something like Japanese versus Kenyan, you're talking about differences even more pronounced than between Homo sapiens and neanderthal.

The various sapient creature types in classical fantasy are designed from the ground up to register in the uncanny valley, marking them as distinctly inhuman. They are supposed to strike us as 'other', so if you look at it through a lens of what we see as racism, then -- I mean, yeah, you're gonna see racism, because they are being other-ed and compared.

I don't think there's an actual answer to that. I know that Pathfinder 2E is trying to make them more like actual races of men and less like different species but it feels really forced and kind of ham-fisted, the way they did it. But I think so long as you are using a model that is obviously and meant-to-be something other than 'generic human' you will always see those types of comparisons, just based on human instinct.

Notably, though -- you rarely see the humans at the top of the food chain there. They are typically the weaker of the options available in whatever way. So I think that the directionality matters, as in the original example. If a "superior" species is being condescending to a human, does the directionality of it make a difference? Doesn't it then become just another tool to show that it's unpleasant to be on the receiving end of such criticism?

@tinuviel

Everything Tinuviel said.

I'm one of those people that if you put me in a room with more than like 4 people there is a high chance that I am finding any excuse I can to bow out as quickly as possible.

I am not a social butterfly. I feel awkward around strangers. It takes me weeks of being around someone in RL before I stop feeling nervous around them.

Putting me in a room with 6 other people and going find a way to play nice everyone! feels a lot like putting me in a cage with six hungry lions and telling me that they're just big friendly kitties.

Small scenes good. Running scenes for already-defined groups is better. Work with the relationships that are there. If you want to create new relationships, that's best done one at a time, on an individual basis, and not in a big group setting.

@masterreeve said in Shadowrun: Anarchy MU seeking staff:

@derp Would you be interested in helping it 'get off the ground'? Even if not, I am quite happy to see the enthusiasm.

Sadly, I am already committed to other projects. But I hope you find someone! I read through the book thinking ‘man this would be a fun system for MU’.

Anarchy looks like so much fun! I hope this gets off the ground.

@seraphim73 said in Is Min/Max a bad thing?:

Imagine, for example, a theoretical FS3 MUSH about Ministers of Parliament or Congresspeople -- Athletics, Melee, and Ranged would all be Background Skills, while the Attributes and Action Skills might be Composure, Hometown Support, Pontificating, Deception, Willful Obliviousness, Investigation, Connections, War Chest, Soundbites, etc. I don't know if that would be awesome, horrifying, or both, but the Attributes and Action Skills would certainly tell you what the game was about.

This made me lol and I needed that today. Take your upvote, sir.

@arkandel said in Good TV:

Not quite "TV" per se, but...

... Netflix sure seems to be going down fast. Many people are hoisting their colors and sailing the high seas in response to the streaming services fragmenting so much that subscribers are asked to join several of them to keep up.

What's your take on it?

Netflix has a few things that I really like. Elite. Toy Boy. A handful of others. But then Paramount does too, and Disney. And Amazon. I think that Netflix is going to have to lower its sub prices if it wants to remain competitive now that it doesn't have monopoly.

I don't play anything but Ares games anymore. @Faraday has ruined me for other types of games. No regrets.

Just wish that AresCentral had more listed. But given that I have two in near-perpetual development I guess I can't complain too loudly there.

I agree with @GreenFlashlight when it comes to 'encounters have to scale to meet the abilities of Billy Badass'. I'm on a DnD game right now. I play a (fairly) powerful character with a fairly decent build, but I've tried to make him the sort of character that can solve a variety of problems while still being combat-capable.

Save that the other players have hyper-focused on sword-swinging because sword-swinging is pretty much all they care about. Not solving mysteries. Not finding alternatives. Just hit the thing until xp falls out. It's basically Final Fantasy.

Which means that my versatile guy, that has a ton of utility in a lot of ways, is pretty much useless in combat. He can dish out a LOT of damage in a turn, granted, but his saves are absolute shit compared to the DCs these beefed up monsters are throwing out, and it's hard to hit something so scaled up in AC as to keep the Level 20 Paladin of Smashing from one-shooting him.

But more than that --

It's been my experience that the people that hyper-focus on the numbers aren't in it to play the same kind of game that I am. They're in it to win, and get frustrated when they don't win. They will find every excuse in the book why that roll that they failed shouldn't have failed because, see, it's right here on the sheet, he can't ever be intimidated by anything, ever. All that muscle mass makes him immune.

And this isn't limited to just fighters and martial types. The people that over-optimize for a certain thing always have trouble when presented with something else, and will seek to turn it back to what they've specialized for. Diplomatic talks? Good luck, because that fighter is gonna punch that guy, and then just do some Big Stick Diplomacy. Glad you greed to our terms, I hope there wasn't too much concussion.

A certain amount of strategy is good. But if all you're focused on is getting your sword-swinging number as high as it will possibly go, then we're gonna have problems.

@arkandel said in Good TV:

Do folks mind it so much if their profession is not represented accurately or even respectfully in TV or movies? Because I've heard similar comments to people close to me about, for example, the animal services field, medical professionals in general, etc.

I think that you have to approach it with a certain mindset.

Like, ok. I work in the legal field. I adored Better Call Saul, Suits, and Franklin and Bash. They were incredibly entertaining.

And no lawyer in their right mind would even consider crossing as many lines as they do in that show, even in desperation. Because you will get caught and it will most likely be the end of your career as an attorney. They engage in a lot of behaviors that just smack right in the face of accepted professional standards of practice.

This doesn't prevent me from enjoying the show. But it always makes me a little when people think that's somehow the 'norm'.

@ganymede

@kk said in The Work Thread:

I feel bad for my patients for leaving and it is hard to walk away from a place that one invested so much blood, sweet and tears for already. It sounds easy and like oh just quit, but it is really really hard.

Yes, but also:

You're far from the first person to feel this way. It's been a trap for people for many many moons.

It doesn't make you a bad person for realizing that the situation you are in is bad and that you need to make a change to that situation because continuing will not benefit you. I am pretty sure that your patients would be very happy for you for finding something better. Nobody is going to hold anything against you, except maybe your old employer since you won't be throwing yourselves into the meat grinder for them any more.

Fuck 'em. You do you and get every single little thing you're worth. Life's too short for that nonsense.

I hate all of you.

@alamias said in The Work Thread:

Lost my job today...while I was on vacation. Called me to tell me, wheefun.

Anyone know of need for a react front end developer?

This does suck. Who does that?

Upside, I just checked the job postings on LinkedIn and there are at least twenty postings for a react and/or front end developer just in my city. A few of them completely remote. I don’t think you should have issues finding options.

@tiredewok said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

I can't wait to play a space elf!

They're called Vulcans. God.

@sunny

I am replying to this merely because alt right is early enough in the first sentence that it keeps drawing my eye on the Categories page as the last post and dagummit I get tired of having that little mental quirk until I parse the rest of the sentence.

Standardized testing feels like such a sham. Like, there's a mountain of research that says all of this is crap and yet we just keep chugging along.

THREAD NECRO MWAHAHAHA

I just discovered that Grace Under Fire is on Amazon Prime and fired up the first episode. Forgot how much fun this show was, and how real it could get right out of the gate.

@greenflashlight said in ANNOUNCEMENT: We are moving.:

Thank you for moving the forum, but also, you missed a chance to name it NuMU Soapbox.

Don't think for a second that this wasn't discussed because it was. <.<

Welcome to the new MSB!

If you're seeing this, then you're on the right site. Congrats! We made it, ya'll!

Here's hoping that takes care of the various crashes and other nonsense that was happening.

If anyone has any issues with the new site, hit me up. You can do it here, or my Discord is Derp#2348.

Happy posting!