Posts made by Ganymede

@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.

@Snackness said in Carnival Row:

My cynical suspicion is wall to wall fairy sex.

But no one plays Changeling: the Dreaming any more, seriously.

@Ghost said in Getting Young Blood Into MU*'ing:

I'll write 'fuck' less in them for you.

This is a bug, not a feature.

@Ghost

These are good suggestions, all of which I intend to use if I can finally get all of my fucking theme and setting files done without being brain-jacked.

@Ghost said in Getting Young Blood Into MU*'ing:

There's little point in discussing a solution to a problem that people don't want to tackle, which is why I'm currently in "pointing out the problem" mode and not "HERE'S WHAT WE DO" mode.

The topic at hand is how to bring new players into the hobby.

If I did not want to discuss it, I simply would not. But I have seen nothing to discuss; all of the problems identified have been identified several times before.

Many solutions have been previously posited, but few have been implemented. I have neither the time nor the inclination to do anything but act at this point. If you want to continue to merely point out the problems, by all means; I have nothing to add or criticize.

Thenomain sums everything up well. These suggestions have been made before.

We should get past "HERE'S WHAT WE DO" mode, and get into "DO" mode.

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

If we can't manage that it makes the conversation super fragmented because when @Ganymede talks about Theme I have to dig through posts to figure out what @Ganymede's definition means. Even worse, when @Ganymede gets into an argument with @Auspice about Theme it will almost always turn into a complete mess because they aren't even talking about the same thing.

I'm willing to use Sunny's definitions, and am intelligent enough to figure out what definition Auspice is using. And I believe both are pretty close to my own definitions:

Theme: The mood. Optimistic? Grimdarque? Edgelordish? That sort of thing.
System: The game system, like CoD, FS3, or D&D.
Setting: The world. Where you at.
Story: The history of the setting.
Genre: The kind of stories that best fit the story and setting..

@Auspice said in Getting Young Blood Into MU*'ing:

While ignoring the social points that @Ghost brought up.

I ignore Ghost's points because they are an inevitability for which he has no solution.

Improving the technology on which we play is something which a number of people are engaged in, and it seems to be improving our access to the games we want to play. Improving the technology therefore is a solution within our grasp.

Making people not be assholes is not, and therefore not worth much, if any, consideration.

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

In my personal opinion the concept selection is essentially unimportant in a vacuum.

You and I don't agree on everything, but this is a point that I disagree with vehemently.

If I'm playing a character, the concept is of central importance. In my opinion, there is no character without its concept, and I therefore am not, and cannot, play a character without its concept.. At best, I am playing myself, something which I do every painful, heart-wrenching, pride-swallowing minute of every hour of every day.

I have seen great players hobbled by their concept. Maybe they did not click with it; maybe they could not get their mind into it. It does not matter. A concept that does not fit into a theme or setting will produce an unpalatable character in the long run. This is one of the reasons why an adjustment to a theme or setting can make a character unplayable.

That said, I see people connect to games without a concept for their character, and they never, ever seem to fit in. Or they have a concept that staff isn't really looking for, but staff bend their vision and later regret it. For me, the best way to avoid both situations is to ask the question. Figure out what concepts fit in, and what's needed from a staff perspective. I may not select that concept, but it gives me of an idea of what will work with my playstyle.

If you have a vacuum, the only reason why a concept is unimportant is because you have neither a theme nor a setting. If you don't have those two things, you're screwed for other reasons. But if there is a theme and a setting, having a solid concept is my primary concern as a player, and having a good group of desired concepts is my primary concern as staff.

@Ghost

I think you can easily do it by limiting concepts to the oppressed side.

@Lisse24 said in L&L Options?:

I've always been interested in Marsilikos, but since I don't know anything about the Kushiel books, I've never done anything more than look.

I have read none of them myself. I think I do okay? Pondscum is my savior. (And so was Sunny.)

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

This is what you get for being a trash panda.

I should just join games using those terms as my concepts.

1. Trash Panda;
2. Murder Mouse;
3. Great Turtle; or
4. Creepy Cat.

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

But for me, the very first question when approaching an IP: is this setting suitable for an ensemble cast? In a way that enables each and every person to have an impact as opposed to being simply an observer?

This is absolutely how I'm trying to craft my fantasy game (again).

My first set-up was a (mildly original) setting based off the 2E Chronicles of Darkness that permitted players to select their stats to fit particular archetypes. This set-up I am now working on is a (mildly original) setting based off of FS3 where what a player picks as their background (Race, House, Role) provides them with Advantages that makes them ideal for particular archetypes. In particular, magic, where your particular House (and their worship of one of the Gods/Firsts) dictates what kinds of magic you can wield (for example, picking the (for lack of a context and/or a full description of the lexicon of the setting) Earth Goddess gives you access to (for lack of better terms) Forces and Life (because it's just easier to call them that to conceptualize what you get).

I think that the more a game keeps roles discrete, the less the game should tolerate deviance. If you want an ensemble game, then you definitely want to keep the lines strictly drawn. It is easier to set up these limits if you set them up clearly in the setting. This is also why I'm taking the (somewhat drastic, maybe) step of writing up the mythology, history, and culture wholecloth.

@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.

@Pondscum

Cool.

And I'd be totally down with going back to Marsilikos to play with you and Caryatid.

Just saying.

@Lotherio

I completely concur with Surreality.

I have played on your games. You are a very good game runner. If anything, you should be running one right now. And dammit I want you in on my project.

When I’m done the writing process, that is.

Like any business, you may need a team of people. But that does not make you a poor game runner. Not in the slightest.

I have seen poor game runners. You are not one of them.

@Caryatid

I think Marsilikos is still open? True, @Pondscum?

@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.

@Seraphim73 said in First Through the Gate Syndrome:

I do like that in FS3 combat, pose order really doesn't matter much, but I do also think that this discourages interaction between PCs during combat -- because everyone reads the combat results and starts typing, you have to be the type of player who pose-queues -- and then is willing to go back and edit the pose before you send it through.

This is all a feature for me, not a bug.

@Selira said in The ADD/ADHD Thread (cont'd from Peeves):

Wait, there are people who plan their poses before they write them?

Gundam UC100 is an anime-oriented space opera game. You should find more information on it in the Advertisements Section.

Echoes in the Mists is a World of Darkness Second Edition game that currently has Vampires, Werewolves, and Mortal+, along with Mortals, available. It may open up Mage in the near future, but I don't think there's a specific timeline for that. I'm pretty certain that this is the only Second Edition game out there, but I could be wrong.

Fate's Harvest is a World of Darkness hybrid First/Second Edition game set in a pair of small towns off the beaten track. It's been around for a while, and has Changelings, Mortal+, and Mortals around. The storyline focuses around powerful changelings with some grand problems.

I can help you into any of the three games with character hooks. You can PM me for more information on that.