@meg Glitch certainly deserves kudos for designing such a thing (nice job, Glitch!), but I'm confused why you think they would or should ask if he wants it linked. It's a public resource, and it's up to the forum admins to determine which resources they want to allow easy access to for the community.
Posts made by faraday
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RE: Mustard MUSH List
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RE: Positivity Going Forward...
@ghost said in Positivity Going Forward...:
I'd like to see a community in the hobby where those elements (or the urges to clap back because people are being mean) aren't necessary where I can make friends and swap ideas.
This.
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RE: The ethics of IC romance, TS, etc
@ghost said in The ethics of IC romance, TS, etc:
I'm not saying everyone needs to agree with my views on TS/Romance in some cases being treated like "pseudo-dating". If you disagree? COOL. I just feel this way and thus (up until my end of mushing) marked it as something to be very very very very careful about.
As someone who sees IC romance as purely writing, I can emphatically agree with you that the majority of players I've interacted with do not see it the same way. So. Many. Boundary. Issues. Setting a shared expectation up front can help, but there are some who will push things even if you're super clear about no TS, no OOC bleed. It's annoying.
There are some good folks out there who can keep things separate. They're the best. The trouble is finding them.
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RE: Books...Books...Books....
@derp I just finished Artemis by the same guy and it was awesome.
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RE: Books...Books...Books....
@misadventure said in Books...Books...Books....:
Sword and sorcery with a light Christian element"
There's always Narnia, heh.
I'm not familiar with Song of Seare myself, but some of the series my kids in that age bracket like are:
Ranger's Apprentice - fantasy adventure, kinda junior LoTR
Keeper of the Lost Cities - telepath, elves, world parallel to ours sort of thing
Wings of Fire - dragons have their own game of thrones I guess
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RE: Hog Pit as read only
The benefit of opt-out is that it works for ANY category. Don't want to be bothered by codey stuff? Ignore the MU Code category and it won't show up in your recent list any more.
I agree that the flammability of Hog Pit and Politics probably warrant a pinned topic at the top of the categories to remind folks they CAN opt out, but at the end of the day it's not the admin's job to teach people how to use the basic forum features.
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RE: Hog Pit as read only
@noodle-mcdoodle The pitcrew group no longer works actually - the Hog Pit is (was, I guess) visible to all.
However, you can do as I do and just click the little "Watching" button at the top of the thread and set the entire forum to Ignore. Then at least you don't have to see it coming up in your recent posts list.
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RE: Meshing Groups
@tat said in Meshing Groups:
Or just be okay with less interaction IN the scene, and build in time for those characters to connect around what happened later.
That's what I do. Like if the plot starts at 9 and I know that most players pumpkin by midnight, I'll make sure that the "meat" of the plot ends by 11 so there's still time for folks to do wrap-up and stuff afterward.
Personally I don't enjoy doing a lot of interaction in the midst of plot scenes (which tend to be action scenes on my games). It's hard enough to keep track of what everyone else is even doing without then also trying to respond to a bunch of different conversations. And it tends to bog things down.
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RE: The Work Thread
@silverfox said in The Work Thread:
It is okay to mourn the loss, even if it was a shitty situation.
Oh, for sure. I was interpreting "feel bad" as feel guilty based on prior related messages. I don't think leaving an unsafe situation is something anyone needs to feel guilty about, but ultimately how you feel is how you feel.
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RE: The Work Thread
@kk said in The Work Thread:
I feel bad, but
You shouldn't feel bad for leaving an unsafe work environment. It's not your fault that they suck. Hope your new place treats you better.
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RE: Races in fantasy settings
@derp said in Races in fantasy settings:
I'm not really sure that we're talking about the same things though.
Yeah that's where I'm at. Races in a fantasy or sci-fi setting are generally different species, which makes it very different than RL prejudiced ideas about other homo sapiens.
Wookiees and Cave Trolls are seven feet tall and can rip your arms off. Giving them an inherent bonus and higher maximum to their "strength" stat does not strike me as racist; it strikes me as common sense.
But when you also give trolls a negative to charisma and elves a bonus, I think it's wading into more problematic territory. Are they really less charming due to inherent characteristics of their species in your canon, or is that just a reflection of human prejudice?
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RE: Shadowrun: Anarchy MU seeking staff
@masterreeve said in Shadowrun: Anarchy MU seeking staff:
@sixregrets I totally misunderstood the question. My bad! We're using Rhost.
I'm just over here amused because it isn't often that the Shadowrun influence on AresMUSH/FS3 comes up, lol.
More on topic - I'm no help, but Shadowrun is fun. Good luck.
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RE: Is Min/Max a bad thing?
@arkandel said in Is Min/Max a bad thing?:
In other words a min/maxed warrior type can get very decent mileage out of social situations even if they play their low stats very appropriately - no faking involved. A min/maxed scholar can get their ass handed to them in very short order.
I think it runs deeper than that. Even on my FS3 games, where there is expressly no coded combat death, the games are PVE, there are free background skills to let you be well-rounded, and really no social combat stats to speak of - you still have people min/maxing combat skills.
Why? Because they want to be a badass. More specifically, they want to be the baddest of the badasses.
I don't think this phenomenon is exclusive to combat chars either, because I've seen it on other games. Con artists and politicians will min/max their manipulation skills; investigators will min/max their investigation skills. It is a rare player indeed who wants to suck at their character's "thing", whatever that may be.
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RE: Is Min/Max a bad thing?
@arkandel said in Is Min/Max a bad thing?:
So you might not even be giving anything up to play that master of the blade.
Yeah, but... so what?
Combat scenes have been a staple of RPGs since their invention. Virtually every character class/archetype/etc. in every TTRPG/MMO I've ever seen has abilities to make them effective in combat, either directly (guns and fireballs) or indirectly (buffs and healing).
MU players are the only ones who seem determined believe things are different.
If you're honest with yourselves and your players, this isn't a problem. Unless you've got some grand scheme to sustain non-combat RP plots across your playerbase, just tell them up front that combat/adventure is going to be the main focus and make sure your chargen/approval process is structured accordingly. If someone REALLY wants to play a chef despite all that, make sure they understand that they'll be sandboxing their own fun.
It's all about expectations.
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RE: Is Min/Max a bad thing?
@arkandel said in Is Min/Max a bad thing?:
You won't see much of anything rolled other than the specific archetypes the game - quite possibly inadvertently - promotes.
People often miss that this is a core facet of FS3 system design. The whole reason that "Action Skills" are separate from background skills is because it's an intrinsic social contract between the players and staff saying these are the skills that the game is going to focus on. The ones relevant to the central "action" of the game.
That's why FS3 works well in themes where, say, everyone's either a marine or viper pilot, and not so well in themes where you've got a huge variety of characters all expecting RP in equal measure.
@jennkryst said in Is Min/Max a bad thing?:
two characters start, one with 1/1/1/1, and the other with 4/0/0/0. Player one needs to spend 27 XP (6 + 9 + 12) to get to 4/1/1/1; player two needs to spend 9 XP (3 + 3 + 3).
For FS3 there's an article explaining this effect. In D&D terms, the 4/0/0/0 character essentially started at a higher level. As long as the two PCs are earning XP at the same rate, the 4/0/0/0 char will always be ahead. YMMV obviously. Many would say that you shouldn't let characters start at different levels, but as long as you understand the way a system is designed, it's not inherently a bad thing.
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RE: Is Min/Max a bad thing?
I think it depends on what you mean by "min/max" because people sometimes have different definitions.
My definition is a player who spends their CG points/XP in the most expedient way possible to achieve their character goals. Maximum benefit for minimum drawback.
This isn't inherently a bad thing. It just depends on what their goals are.
If the player is trying to make some kind of unstoppable badass that essentially ruins the game for others? That's a crappy goal. Or if they're trying to make a one-dimensional caricature that's lacking in abilities their background dictates they should have? That's also a crappy goal.
But just learning the rules well enough to spend your points more effectively than someone else might? That doesn't bug me.
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RE: Good TV
Do folks mind it so much if their profession is not represented accurately or even respectfully in TV or movies?
Most of the medics and firefighters I know don't seem to mind that the professions aren't portrayed accurately. There's some good natured eye-rolling at how implausible everything is, but it's still fun.
But of course not everyone agrees. Fire Dept Chronicles has a hilarious YouTube series roasting fire/rescue shows.
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RE: MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't)
@arkandel said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
It's not coming up with the concept that's the blocker. Most people can cook up a "my dog was kidnapped by a goblin, get her back!" questline, WoW-style.
Indeed, I've tried this on several games where there were plot banks of ready-to-go plot ideas. I can count on one hand the number of people who took one and ran with it. (And I'm very grateful to those people, they're just in the minority.)
There are also umpteen random plot generators you can find in 60 seconds of googling. Ideas are not the limiting factor.
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RE: MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't)
@ganymede said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
@derp said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
... in the idea that not everyone can GM, I find it incredibly unlikely that those who can't are somehow a substantial majority of players.
No, really, a substantial majority of players suck at running scenes, for a plethora of reasons.
That's been my experience as well. Being able to play a single character well is a very different skillset from being able to run a scene - juggling multiple NPCs, questions from PCs, knowing the theme/rules/etc., managing pacing, keeping people engaged.
It's a lot like being an actor vs. being a director. Sure there are people who can do both, but there are lots of people who can't. Expecting them to do so is not only unrealistic but a recipe for nonsense.
@paradox said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
Even if you have a setting and theme in place, asking someone to come in and run stories leaves a lot of menu options that can get overwhelming. Some people may just want to enjoy the meal rather than cook it themselves.
I think that's a great analogy on expectations. People go to restaurants expecting other people to cook for them.
What do people expect from MUs? It varies obviously but I think a substantial chunk of the players go expecting to be entertained. That's how other games work, right? Most people don't log onto a MMO expecting to make their own quests.
That's a model that MUs have largely catered to for the past few decades. Sandbox games that expect players to create everything themselves exist, but they are not the norm.
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RE: MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't)
@derp said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
People are bitchy and pedantic in MUSH and have been for 30+ years.
Maybe that's why it's a high mountain to climb to get people to run scenes for more than just their close personal friends.