It's hardly a surprise that insurance companies are assholes, but 2-3 months of failing oral medication before I can get a shot is making me have tiny panicky crying fits when I think about it too hard. My goal right now is to work up enough aggression that I can call BCBS and be pushy about this. It shouldn't be this hard to be pushy.
ES
I'm reading The Aesthetic of Play, by Brian Upton. I like it quite a bit so far (I'm only at chapter 4, so there's far more to go). It has prompted thoughts (dun-dun-duuuun) about how to apply some of these concepts to a MU* to improve the experience.
At one point, he lists the following characteristics as parts of a fun-game (note, this is not the be-all end-all, just what's easily enlisted for current discussion):
Definitions: Horizons of Action (the possible actions arrayed before the player) and Horizons of Intent (what the Player believes is possible / appropriate based on previous experience, and understanding of ruleset).
Choice: Too little choice makes a game boring. Too much choice makes a game confusing. With too much, a Player will often perform a personal narrowing of options, based on internal criteria, in order to lessen the confusion. On MU: "What my character would do," narrows a too-wide sandbox.
Variety: Doing the same thing over and over again is boring. It can be done if the Player feels the goal/result is worth the repetitiveness, but is rarely fun in its own right. It's possible to use set-pieces in different ways to solve the cost:benefit analysis. On MU: Sabbat Always Attack Head-On is boring. Using the Sabbat as a regular foe when they take different actions, not so boring.
Consequences: Turning the wheel of a car should turn the car. If it doesn't, what's the point? It's no longer a game at that point, it's a movie. On MU: EOTW failed in part because there were no real or lasting consequences for the actions taken.
Predictability: If you turn the wheel of a car to the right, and the car goes in some random direction, what's the point? We can't play if there's no sense of cause-effect. On MU: The ruleset helps with this in micro. In macro, there should be internal story logic driving what happens when a Player takes action. They don't have to know exactly what that logic is, but they have to trust it exists and can be puzzled out.
Uncertainty: A Player needs an external element (whether dice, or other players) to provide some wiggle room. If she knows exactly what's going to happen, again: not a game. On MU: Fellow Players help provide some of this. A ST adjudicating helps provide it too. Random dice results when it's appropriate. In having so many players, we accomplish this much.
Satisfaction: If it's impossible to achieve, what's the point of trying? Being hard to achieve is fine! Impossible is not. On MU: This is easy enough to apply to a story. Where it gets harder is application to the concept of RP. Our goal is to play, right? It's shouldn't ever be impossible to play, even when our specific character has an impossible goal in-game. Yet somehow, satisfaction is still a problem.
Questions to the community at large (as composed of people who know and care that this forum exists) in no particular order other than as they occur, and numbered for ease of discussion:
ES
There's a spot for vitriol if that's your schtick, but it's not the main focus, yeah? I think it's important to remember the difference, is all. Nothing wrong with it now and then, so long as it isn't the whole. Plus most of us have been doing this long enough that we can pretend to be grown-ups for whole minutes at a time. Juuuust long enough to read and respond to a post. 
ES
If it's them, I'll find out when I call insurance. If it's them, I'll be immediately leaving the practice for lying to me.
ES
But we still ran with it, TJ!
A good staff will run with whatever happens. Hell, giving a scene the Dallas-treatment is better than retconn or outright denial, and even 'it was all a dream' can be spun from there into a larger plot so people don't treat it as a one-off.
ES
This is about as good a spot as any, I figure. The following is the list of PCs I've played o'er the years, hither and yon. It's by no means complete, I'm sure I've forgotten some.
I've also staffed around-about:
The MEDIA (liars all, as we know) says the Lone Gunman will indeed make a return.
ES
You're not alone, @Ganymede . I sometimes get the same silence at the same offer.
ES
This is a tad old (Feb 2015) but still awesome.
http://www.okayafrica.com/news/african-superhero-film-oya-rise-of-the-orishas-nosa-igbinedion/
You're ALL the prettiest.
That is to say, you read like you're all in VIOLENT AGREEMENT.
ES
MOD VOICE:
I used the buttons that said 'Ban' and 'Delete' on the robot, I hope I did it right! If not, I'm sure @Glitch will come mock me thoroughly.
ES
From the POV of a runner of metaplot:
Things I've Learned and How I'll Handle It Moving Forward:
It's been years now, I think 2? Since TR. I vaguely recall writing up a post about it after the fact, but it was on WORA. If folks have questions about the behind-the-scenes doing of it all, both good and bad (I know not everyone felt it was a success at all points along the way) feel free to ask. I don't mind yammering, obv.
ES
It's good to know I'm not the only one who chants that exact thing once every three fucking months. Solidarity!
Ugh, that reminds me I gotta bite the bullet and actually call to tell them my pick for a pump.
ES
I'll admit it, at long last.
I don't like people running things for me.
I can't tell if that means I'm a monster who doesn't trust others, or if I just don't think it's much fun, or what. But in the end, I'm not a fan of being the center of a story. I'd rather run ten stories and not get any personal RP than anything focused on me me me. The community's movement away from teaching and/or get-the-stuff scenes is a blessing like rain upon my parched and trodden heart.
ES
The referenced Boston University edX course (free college'y classes online) will be starting May 24th and I plan to quote-unquote-attend. I'd love to have someone(s) else along for the proverbial ride to converse with, since I do better when I'm chatting about what I'm learning.
Description reads: This course explores theoretical and practical elements of ethical leadership with emphasis on leaders’ personal narratives within social historical contexts. Three specific areas of ethical leadership will be emphasized: morally-anchored character, transformative acts of civility, and a sense of community.
Give me a ping if you're so inclined.
https://www.edx.org/course/ethical-leadership-character-civility-bux-leadershipx
ES
Almost always the latter. This may explain why I've run more scenes than played my own PC.
ES
Ew. I found the The Last Ship to be a jingoistic 'MURRICA nightmare of epic proportions. No suggesting from the peanut gallery on that one.
ES
I've put this topic back into Mildly Constructive. Please keep it that way. If you find yourself veering, do it elsewhere.
ES
Dude. Your inability to tetris the fuck out of a 9x9 quilting board is not my fault. :<
ES
Less burnt, and more understanding that the new mechanics are just... not a good match for what I wanted to run. They're too granular and crunchy, alas.
ES