Best posts made by Ganymede

@Luna said:

I don't think hating something people can absolutely change is remotely the same as racism. And someone saying something mean on the internet isn't close to lynching and violence.

I'm not suggesting or saying that. What I'm saying is that people, if given the opportunity to remain anonymous whilst speaking to a large audience, will feel comfortable in espousing extreme views. That racist groups do the same thing supports that opinion.

Saying something mean is not the same as burning down the church, but, if the motivations are similar, then there's nothing wrong in decrying that which might facilitate that action.

@Tez said in Game Stagnancy and Activity:

Those kinds of impacts at the end are definitely what helps. How do you make them felt?

You advertise the successes and failures on the game.

There it is -- memorialized. You managed to make it out with the prisoners, but Sergeant Jayne is dead and Private Courtois is so badly injured that he's on-planet, recovering. Or, you screwed up, and Sergeant Ingvar is in the sickbay on life support.

The problem with many World of Darkness games I've been on recently is the lack of information. You connect each day, and you see nothing about what's happening on the Grid, even if you did do something. That's not necessarily discouraging, but it enforces the opinion that nothing you do will shape the game. On the flipside, when the smallest mission gets disclosed, success or failure, there are stakes involved, even if it's just your PC's reputation. That's BSG:U, where the pilots count their kills and the marines count their blessings.

It sounds simple, and I think it is. When I was running the Denver by Night Changeling Sphere almost 15 years ago, I tried to put out a weekly newsletter on the Board about local events, out-of-county rumors, and so forth. It got the players engaged, even if the rumors were false or the news misleading.

@arkandel said in RL Anger:

He's like a walking, breathing incarnation of that old joke: How do you tell if someone's a vegan? Wait five minutes, they'll tell you.

Around here, I can say the same thing about racists, sexists, and other misanthropists.

The fight for food is tedious. If I wanted to do that, I would set Fallout 3 to the appropriate level, and just play that.

The fight for influence can be exciting, but you would have to have a system for it that takes into account the vagaries and complexities that such political battles demand.

I can't think of anything worse than a +hunt code, and I say this with the experience of being on such games.

@sockmonkey said in Good TV:

You are wrong and are going to the Bad Place but that's okay! We still love you, you dink.

I hear that the Bad Place has pie.

@Arkandel said:

For example I know people who only play ghouls under the condition that they won't TS. If sex ever comes up, it'd be faded to black. I don't see why that makes them morons if it makes them uncomfortable for any reason.

So, what you're saying is that there are certain situations that players won't RP through. TS is one of them.

Right. And? That doesn't make TS not RP. It's RP of a different variety, and people can choose to engage in it or not.

Maybe I consider this a dead topic, or one that is so laden with truisms and outdated arguments that I can't take any discussion thereof seriously any more. Just do TS or don't do TS, I don't give a shit why.

@surreality

Your husband sounds nice and cool, but also horridly stupid.

I don't fuck around with my partner's health, and neither should he.

@aerianyx said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

It always feels so melodramatic to think of or call something I am dealing with 'suffering'. Like, real suffering is a tragedy. I've got a serious case of the weepies-slash-can't-sleepies. But I will definitely call him. Because the not being able to sleep is really not making the anxiety any better.

To say that one is starving sounds melodramatic, but if you are in fact starving there is nothing melodramatic about seeking food.

You need food to live. You need sleep to live. And you need to have a sound mind to live.

@prototart

You are continuing to personally attack Derp, which is against the code of conduct; please cease doing so.

I have explained why I made the decision not to remove Derp, and will accept the consequences of doing so.

If you think I am responsible for putting the entire situation on her, that's fine; that's your opinion.

@Corruption said:

We were scheduled for a noon pickup. We finally got home around 2PM. I was beyond pissed and filed a complaint. Of course, that had no effect. FUCK this cheapass, moronic service.

This is what happens when you privatize what has traditionally been a public good.

@hella

I think it depends on the game. You have to think about whether you want magic to be common or rare, high or low, and every part in between. For example, if you wanted to run an Eddings-like fantasy story, mages are rare and their power is immense; if you wanted to run a Brooks-like fantasy story, magic is more common, but their abilities are not quite as grand.

Based on your expectations, you can probably find a game system that works. Mage is good for "high and powerful" magic, in my opinion, because it is flexible. A game with codified spells, such as Lot5R or Earthdawn, would be better for "low and tricky" magic game. You can always tailor rules for Mage to "power it down," but you'll need to make expectations clear.

@wretched said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

Fuck Welbutrin (unless it works for you then yay but really you are a mutant because fuck that drug)

After years of work, my partner is now a physician's assistant. She gets to write prescriptions and everything.

Here's what I can piece together from her stories to me,

If you don't like what you're hearing from one doctor, find another. If you are going to a doctor in the city, try to get an appointment with one in the suburbs or in the countryside. See what they have to say. See what consistencies exist in the diagnoses and remedies.

Because there are a lot of drugs out there. A lot. My partner meets with a different drug rep every day. And she works 5 days a week.

If one thing doesn't work, try another. Try, and try again. If your doctor (or PA) insists on sticking with one thing that doesn't work, look for a doctor or PA that will try another tactic. Keep trying.

And when you've found something that works? Stick with it.

It's only a matter of time before marijuana is legal in this country, given the amount of American investment into Canada. One of my uncles held a patent on a THC inhaler, and just sold it to a major pharma company for ~$40 million.

It's coming.

@devrex

I think the opposite.

I think we need to plan RP. I think games need to ensure there are scenes available for “off times.” I think we should try to embrace async RP.

But honestly I am out of the RP game because I don’t want to right now.

@surreality

All of that has happened to a single PC for me.

Except that it was "have sink fall on head" rather than "slip and fall in the shower." But close enough.

@runescryer

Your opinion is worth more than you probably think.

@gangofdolls

Advanced science degrees + law degree = patent law practice = exorbitant amounts of money.

@faraday said in Too Much:

Some day, when I have more time and energy, I want to convince you to help me set up an original space fantasy game.

@tinuviel

In the United States, certification to practice generally falls to state courts to regulate. Federal courts often permit entry without examination as long as you are licensed to practice in a state. Specialty courts, like the Patent & Trademark Office, are federal.

The state courts, to my knowledge, require a breadth of knowledge in all major subjects of law. So, when lawyers graduate, they are generalists. Specialization comes in the form of experience: if you end up at a criminal-defense firm, you're probably going to end up specializing in it. In this respect, the practice of law is different from the practice of medicine, where there are recognized specialties.

Some state bar associations offer certifications in particular specialties.

So, as most answers from lawyers go, "it depends."

@hella

I know that some couples plan it out in real life. Why not in RP?