Best posts made by Ganymede

@derp @Ominous

Thanks for ruining my joke, you guys.

@Tempest said in Game Stagnancy and Activity:

Meanwhile, on WoD MUs, most people can't bothered to type +bbread once a week.

That sounds like a personal problem to me. That aside, and as I've stated before, World of Darkness games provide different challenges, and, yes, one of them is how to get the word out to the players. Then again, most WoD games fall apart because they miss Point 2: Have a tight theme.

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

"The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design." -- Friedrich Hayek

Ah, yes, Hayek: the thinker that Keynes fucked up in a letter so badly that he abandoned the study of economics and took up political philosophy.

@Lithium said in Working on Theme, Focus and Challenges:

I'd put a time limit on how often the plot in a box can be used.

IT'S MY PLOT IN A BOX!

@arkandel

Dieting is like getting married.

For some people, it's easy; for others, it's hard. Some people want the quick way to make it work; others want to take their time to develop it. In the end, whatever you choose, you'll have your ups-and-downs, and hopefully more good days than bad ones.

And if you decide on a divorce, that's fine, but don't get salty with me if I stay married.

I role-play. Not sure why TS is still considered to be something different than that.

@Cobaltasaurus

If you haven't already, watch Batman: The Animated Series. It's not anime, but it will give it a serious run for its money.

@7Wonders

I can understand your preference, and I think I understand what you're trying to say.

Frankly, I find rape RP disturbing on all sorts of levels. I've been in violent scenes on stage, but there was still consent involved. I recognize that people that engage in rape RP are not actually raping one another, but are engaging in role-play that they enjoy, even if it disturbs or disgusts me.

But people who seek rape RP from unknowing or unwilling participants need to cut that shit out. You are figuratively raping that player by attempting to force them to engage in potential sexual activity against their consent. While I concur that rape is likely implicated in World of Darkness material, that does not mean that one must engage in it.

Again, role-playing on a MU* is like improv on a stage.

@testament said in Good TV:

I dont believe that not liking a show because of its visual style should somehow say something about a person's ethical or social beliefs.

I think that not liking a show because of its visual style says something to me. Not liking a visual style is a different message entirely. And refusing to watch a show that means something emotionally significant based on a visual style sends another message.

I wouldn't judge either of you for your decisions, but you also don't use me as an emotional crutch in tough times.

I mean, I'm pretty sure that neither of you would watch Hannah Gadsby's Nanette just because I told you how awesome it was or how it literally changed my outlook on many things, you probably wouldn't tell me to my face that you refuse to watch it because you don't care for comedy by autistic women.

@Tinuviel

I understand your personal take on things. I'm responding to the suggestion that a person cannot write about a particular minority's experiences because one is not part of it, which I think is implicit in the advice you received.

I think it is of the utmost importance to try to communicate that experience, even if we have none of our own personally, in a manner that is as empathetic and accurate as we can muster in a way that appeals to our own identities. I would never suggest writing or portraying any identity one is not personally comfortable with, but to suggest not writing or portraying anything outside of our personal experience is foolish.

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

Sounds like someone had a quota to meet.

I asked a cop friend of mine about it, and he politely told me that he'd prefer it if people signaled speed traps so they would slow down and he could take a nap or something.

@Auspice

In the first instance, I would probably just pose in response to the set. The setting from the staff seems like a clear invitation to respond. And I see no point waiting if anyone else wants to go first.

I mean, that's kind of how I ended up with my partner. No one else seemed to want to ask her out, so I did. Shocked all the men in law school, I'll tell you.

As for the second, I think that's the case where you have some sort of social scene, where there's nothing inherently inviting in the scene-set to grasp a hold of.

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

"Don't get smart with me. You don't deal with customer complaints. I do."

"You deal with complaints; I deal with the potential assaults and robberies."

@Seraphim73 said in MU*, Youth, and LGBT+ Identity:

It can be smooth and still be creepy. They're not mutually exclusive. But like, he pens her in, grabs her, doesn't let go, she says "no," and he doesn't respect it. Totally fine and romantic for 1980, but definitely not okay in 2019.

She doesn't say "no" to his advance, actually.

HAN: You're trembling.
LEIA: I'm not trembling.
HAN: You like me because I'm a scoundrel. There aren't enough scoundrels in your life.
LEIA: I happen to like nice men.
HAN: I'm a nice man.
LEIA: No, you're not. You're --

From the screenplay: (He kisses her now, with slow, hot lips. He takes his time, as though he had forever, bending her body backward. She has never been kissed like this before, and it almost makes her faint. When he stops, she regains her breath and tries to work up some indignation, but finds it hard to talk. Suddenly, Threepio appears in the doorway, speaking excitedly.)

THREEPIO: Sir, sir! I've isolated the reverse power flux coupling!

Leia is more than capable of handling herself. We see that in every episode. This is her moment of weakness, and it is calculated so.

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

I remember seeing some sport commentator complain about Simone Biles choosing not to compete for mental health. He threw a fit saying no one would be that kind to Lebron James if he took a mental health day.

That sports commentator is an idiot.

Kawhi Leonard took "load management" days off to keep himself physically and mentally ready for the playoffs, and people shrugged and said "that's Kawhi for you."

Any high-level athlete should be able to take time off for their physical and mental health if that's what they need to stay at the top of their game, and not have that decision questioned.

@Seraphim73 said in MU*, Youth, and LGBT+ Identity:

... I was conditioned by growing up on movies from the '80s and '90s to think that sort of persistence in the face of resistance is sexy and manly and romantic, but it doesn't seem very consent-friendly to me.

True, but this is a movie, right? It is an idealized reality. I would argue that in this idealized reality, Leia wants Han to take the lead and realize that she likes him because, as she said, she "likes" nice men, but she wants a scoundrel.

This is not something I would suggest for my boy or girl. It was macho to spoke and drive without a seatbelt before; now we know it's kind of stupid. The same is true here.

I think we need to appreciate the way things were as much as the way things ought to be. I hope that my kids are wise enough to approach their prospective partners with the same honesty and respect that I did. I knew I wanted her, and I went and I got her.

By calling when I said I would. By splitting the check when she wanted. By showing her that we could be best friends that do naughty things together in secret.

It's amazing how far common decency can go.

And let's not forget that Han and Leia didn't make it together.

I get home at the end of the day and I haven't the druthers to slip into a persona.

I feel so worthless, but I know I just need to recuperate.

Stupid trial.

@faraday said in How important is it to be 'needed'?:

Also some people can be really over-protective about their perceived uniqueness. "Ugh, I was the chef but now there's this other guy butting in on my 'territory'." So emphasizing/rewarding that is not necessarily ideal either.

I will admit that I go onto games to look for "what is needed." This is important to me. I'm not entirely jealous about it, though, and I usually find niches that absolutely need filling. For example, on Gundam UC100, my PC is the sassy-backtalking military chick who was into sneaking around and doing rogue-like shit. And on BSG:U, I played the sassy-backtalking ...

... I think I just tend to play the same trope over and over, and people like it, and I have that place everywhere, and I'm not totally desperate to be wanted and loved for what I bring, not at all.

@silverfox

"When I feel better I am biting the fuck out of you."

@The-Sands said in Star vs Ensemble Cast - Why Theme is Vital:

Without clarity if I say 'Theme' it is unclear to anyone else as to whether I mean something that incorporates the setting as well as some other not clearly defined element (defining that element lets people know when to refer to 'Theme' as opposed to 'Setting') or what appears to me to be possibly 'Mood' (which seems to be what @Ganymede's definition is).

I don't think you are nitpicking. I do think that there is some confusion, and there is bound to be some.

What matters, in my opinion, are the OP's original two questions regarding theme:

How do we defeat these cylons?
What was life like as a student during the rise of Voldemort?

Let's take the first question. This is a BSG question, so I know the story: BSG Universe. genre is probably best described as "science-fiction," and I would wager that the system is probably FS3. I am not sure what the setting is because you could be on a colony or on a ship. As for the theme, I would presume it to be "war" from the question.

Let's get to the second question. I'm going to guess that the story is the Harry Potter Universe, and the genre is "urban fantasy." The question suggests the setting as Hogwart's, and that the theme will be "survival." Not entirely sure of the system.

So these are powerful questions. If I saw them in relation to a game, I would have a pretty good idea of what my character would be doing, where they would be located, and what sort of plots would be thrown out.

Now, to final important question: is this setting suitable for an ensemble cast?

In retrospect, this is a confusing question in light of the assertion that "theme is vital." But I presume that Auspice was "typing out loud," and probably meant, within my realm of definitions: does the theme call for ensemble play or individual achievement?

On that question, yes, I would say so. I think that a good "war" game implies that everyone is necessary. I think that a "political" game implies that characters are going to work against one another, which means that individual achievement is going to take center stage. Between those two themes (only, because there are an infinite number of potential themes), FS3 is better suited for "war" games and I prefer the Chronicles of Darkness for "political" games. In my opinion, systems which minimize statistics are better for ensemble play, and those which are "more crunchy" favor individual games; however, systems with discrete roles are better for ensemble play than those which allow characters branch out and become "one-man/woman/kitten" armies.

I think it all wraps together. I think people pulling games together need to spend more time developing their game's story, theme, and setting, and understand the limitations of their system. I'm in favor of lowering the bar to opening and developing games, but believe that more meaningful work needs to be done on the back-end before games open.

So that's why I think theme is vital, and why it, along with story and setting, should be what guides other decisions.