Posts made by Ganymede

@Cupcake said in Fanbase entitlement:

I've actually never played either of those! The closest I've come is Watch the Skies, in the role of the UN Ambassador.

Diplomacy is a classic Avalon Hill game. You lead nations in pre-WWI Europe vying for power. You start with 3 units (4, if you're Russia), each of which have equal strength. The goal is to capture supply centers (which give you an additional unit if held at the end of a year). The only way to push a unit out of an area is by overwhelming it with a greater number of units. You are given time to write orders (which is the moves you're making), which are then submitted to a reader. All units move essentially at the same time, with orders resolved after all are read. You have to negotiate alliances if you plan to win ... seeing as how you're all equal in power (except for Russia, but it has more territory to cover). And if you really want to win, you need to backstab and break those alliances to take advantage of an ally's weakness.

DO NOT PLAY WITH LOVED ONES.

Acquire is a game of buying and selling stocks, building businesses, and making money. You make money when a company is acquired by another: you can sell the stocks of the acquired company, which are valued based on its size. The randomness is in selecting the tiles that get placed on the board, but there's no dice.

I forgot to add: Civilization. The classic Avalon Hill game is another one with no dice. You succeed by trading commodities and obtaining Civilization cards, which give you bonuses. Advance your empire and win; or die.

@Cupcake said in Fanbase entitlement:

(I usually win it. Along with CoH and Risk. Which tells you what kind of person I am.)

We should play Diplomacy and Acquire. Why let luck have any role whatsoever?

@tragedyjones said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

Also, to cast a lethal spell in combat takes 1 turn, and a maximum of, +2 Yantra dice? Mages really need to prepare these days. Dangerous and versatile yes, but they did a wonderful job of balancing them.

Yeah. Your lethal spell may do 3L-5L. But if I get close enough, my Martial Arts 5 fist to your face will do the same or worse.

@surreality said in RL Anger:

The worst part being that I'm pretty goddamned sure I am the only one who has ever had this day, and the phrasing above is more optimistic than it should be right now. Which is bad, because the optimism is circling the drain as it is.

Just remember that you're the only one that can likely get the code to work. Success here sounds like it's yours alone. If the code doesn't work, that's hardly your fault. No one should fault you for lack of effort.

@Arkandel said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

Yes, if your system is caked into the overall game so that people are enticed to use all of its aspects then they will.

It would be more apt to say that the game forced you to use all its aspects.

@Arkandel said in Fanbase entitlement:

Especially for online stuff I find I remember people who pissed me off but not why; the original offence is often lost to time.

I wouldn't hold a grudge against someone unless I remembered why I was pissed off at or by them. Perhaps regrettably, I have a long memory when it comes to offenses.

I don't get easily pissed off about anyone, so if I remember the offense, it was probably something quite awful.

@Arkandel said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

Again, I've not seen Lunacy be a factor in non-PrP/First Change related RP other than quite rarely.

I haven't seen it as a factor either, but mostly because the players I've run PrPs for didn't resort to Beast Mode unless they were prepared to kill every last motherfucker in the room.

Or daylight, I can't remember a vampire being turned away from a public let alone private scene in ages, or outside PrPs having the approaching dawn be a factor at all; even at the beginning of PrPs it was pretty typical on TR (the last time I played a Vampire or ran plot for them) for characters to restore their blood pools to full.

Regarding the first, this is probably because most RP on games is by invite rather than random scene. If there's a vampire around, it's because the people in the group want the vampire around. On TR, however, I excluded a vampire from some bar RP because the setting was in the early afternoon; his player was gracious and understood that he wouldn't be there for that.

On the second, this is a system/game flaw. I've long-opposed the idea of self-help pool rebuilding. This was one of the selling features at RfK for me. But I know I've been shouted down regarding such restrictions in the past.

@Roz said in Fanbase entitlement:

I do still find how you talk about checking your boxes a bit off-putting and judgey (as opposed, I guess, to just being like, "oh nevermind they're not into the specific show I'm into," but maybe that's all your checkboxes mean, idk). I'd be kind of bothered if someone told me that they were like secretly quizzing me to determine if I was enough of a fan of something.

I have many faults, and mentally box-checking may be one of them. Those boxes aren't always dichotomous, and I find it useful to narrow conversations to things where there is that sort of mutuality of interest that creates great conversations. The boxes also include things like: "this person clearly knows way more than I do about a particular subject; I may be able to learn something from them."

This scheme is useful for robots. Especially those that are more than meets the eye.

@surreality said in Fanbase entitlement:

I recall these days. At the same time... the level of obsession people demand these days is just not something compatible with my real life (or capacity to remember shit, generally).

I have been told I have a remarkable capacity for remembering shit, especially shit that pissed me off enough to remember why. Perhaps, for too long, I lived with the adage of: "forgive, but never fucking forget."

I also remember stupid little bits of geekdom that has no relevance to my real life. Who needs to remember that "Ulugh Beg -- The Watcher" was the Tremere Justicar in Jyhad? Or that, in the same game, Apollonius was the suckiest Brujah that looked like a rip-off of Axl Rose?

Transformers is a bit different for me. Like @Roz, I grew up with a sibling who was also into them. I'm not surprised I missed "Sunstreaker," and it took me a few seconds to recall Ironhide and Ratchet too. I blame this on the fact that my brother and I didn't own them; the others we did, so the memories came back more easily. We still talk about G1 sometimes, even though he's into the new comics (along with his son, my nephew). So, Transformers is a family thing, rather than a mere nerdly obsession.

For many other things, though, buy all the merchandise you want, but if you're going to hold yourself out as a SUPERFAN, please have some knowledge of the band/anime/show. Lots of people do this -- at least, where I live.

Lastly, an exception: economics. Especially politicians. Just don't.

@Cobaltasaurus said in No Man's Sky Thread:

I don't love NMS. I've pretty much lost interest in it already.

The old adage applies: one can't please everyone. Even in a genre.

I don't really consider TES a "sandbox-y exploration" game. There's still a coherent story in there, so I tend to think of it as an open-world RPG.

@Insomnia said in No Man's Sky Thread:

(I too am one who loves the game. But games over-shooting is also why I don't pre-order anymore. If more people stopped pre-ordering, game companies wouldn't think it's okay to do it all the time.)

Me, I never pre-order. Ever.

Sorry. Launch the product first. Let me evaluate the reviews. Then I might buy in.

@Roz said in Fanbase entitlement:

Have a conversation that doesn't involve a quiz? Go "Yeah Autobots! Love the G1 stuff, how about you?" Like, the idea that you can only get this information through quizzing them about a roster of characters is honestly fucking baffling me right now. It's seems like such a fundamentally skewed perspective to a very basic social tenet: Just talk to people in a friendly manner and swap interests.

You seem to think I would be gauche enough to actually demand that someone wearing a shirt name a dozen G1 characters. I'm sorry if I gave you this impression; I'm actually quite friendly. I can do the quiz easily and obliquely, although it usually pops up when, as you put it, the t-shirt bearer practically begs the quiz. And, again, every single person so far has failed to meet that mark.

So, I end up talking about other things, which is just fine. Mentally and quietly, though, a box has been marked.

@Three-Eyed-Crow said in Fanbase entitlement:

I don't really care if they're a True Fan or not * * * .

I do, I guess. I can figure out if someone fits my definition of a "fan" or not in areas that I'm also a fan.

There are folks, though, that hold themselves out as a True Fan. You know those folks, like the people who recite quotes from The Wealth of Nations, but have no idea why those quotes should not be pulled out of context. Or those who claim that the free market fixes everything, yet are opposed to the TPP. That claim to be huge fans of Nirvana the band, but don't know who Dave Grohl is.

Go ahead and wear the merchandise if you want. Just don't try and convince me that you know everything about the band, okay?

@Thenomain said in Fanbase entitlement:

Judging someone because they don't know as much as you do about it is accusing them of being Not A Fan, the same kind of malarkey we had kind of recently with Fake Gamer Girls.

I guess so. I don't have a stamp to slam on people's head with my judgment. Are you suggesting I've no right to examine someone's level of knowledge to figure out if they are a fan or not? If so, how'm I to figure out if I should geek out with someone or simply share beers with them and talk about the Jackets?

People want to associate with things they enjoy, whether it's a sound or a look, but because they don't know every word to "All Apologies" they're not allowed to wear the band T-Shirt?

It's funny you should mention that; I was at the KISS concert yesterday night in Dayton. Talk about superfans! And they appeared to be having fun talking with others that shared the same love, the same level of fandom. Not being a KISS scholar myself, I still enjoyed talking with people thirty-years my senior about how many KISS concerts they've been to.

So, when I see someone wearing a Transformers t-shirt, I always hope to meet another fan. Most of the time, they're mostly into the new comics, haven't seen the original movie, or any of the original series. But if they can name a dozen of the originals, I know I can talk to them about the original series, and maybe belt out a few lines of The Touch.

But, yeah, if you're wearing a Nirvana t-shirt, and not know anything about the band, I will get judge-y. I've met more than one person who didn't realize that Kurt Cobain died.

@Roz said in Fanbase entitlement:

I don't have much patience for "I was bullied as a kid so now I'm going to bully other people as an adult," though.

I didn't say anything about bullying them, did I? No. I said they were posers, which was a distinction back when.

Sorry, you're no longer allowed to wear any Transformers-related clothing or call yourself a Transformers fan, because you didn't spell Sunstreaker's name right. Sorry, I'm sure you had a good run.

But I named 12, which was the point I made before, right? Right. And, again: it's not that I ask people to name the three original jets (Thundercracker; Skywarp; and Starscream). I'd also consider the Dinobots part of the first generation, but not in the 18 that the question seemed to want.

And I'd only ask for a dozen of the first generation characters. You could add the Decepticons to the mix too: Megatron, Soundwave, the 5 tapes, the 3 jets, Shockwave. Heck, if you can recall Reflector, I'd give triple-credit for that.

@Roz said in Fanbase entitlement:

This probably looks like a somewhat explosive response, but I am like 200000% done with t-shirt quizzes and fandom gatekeepers. Someone wearing a shirt and possibly knowing nothing about the product does not actually affect your relationship with the product.

You're absolutely right, of course. This is a reasonable position to take.

However, there was a time that the litmus test to figure out who to trust or not revolved around this sort of lore. You know, back in the day when some of us banded together to avoid the wrath of bullies and other sorts of ne'er-do-wells. We didn't have much pride in ourselves, but we knew who belonged and who didn't based on what they knew about esoteric topics.

Patton Oswalt has a long rant about the death of geekdom, and he does a better job of expressing that opinion than I.

That said, I usually start with the mini-bots: Brawn (Jeep); Bumblebee (VW Bug), Cliffjumper (Still can't figure it out); Gears (Ditto); Huffer (A tiny truck); and Windcharger (Dodge Challenger). Then there's the normal sized Autobots: Wheeljack (Race car); Trailbreaker (SUV); Mirage (F-1 Car); Jazz (Race car); Hound (Jeep); Bluestreak (Datsun Sport Coupe); Prowl (Police Cruiser, if it were a Datsun Sport Coupe); Sunstreak (Lamborghini); Sideswipe (Another Lamborghini); Ironhide (Van); and Ratchet (Ambulance Van). Add Optimus Prime (Tractor with Trailer), and you've got the original 18.

@Thenomain said in Fanbase entitlement:

That's our @Ganymede, keeping the world clear of Fake Geeks.

Fake geeks? Fuck you all.

If you grew up in the 80s, you know how big Transformers were. Then there was the 90s, when it was Pokémon.

And then there's the goddamned new movies, which use the name of classic first generation Transformers.

Wearing a Nirvana t-shirt with no knowledge of their songs? Super fuck you.

@Karmageddon said in Fanbase entitlement:

Eh. If a person wearing a Nirvana t-shirt can't even name one Nirvana song, I will negatively judge them. I am past the stage of being a dick about it, though.

If a person is wearing a shirt with an Autobot or Decepticon symbol on it, I feel obligated to quiz them to name first generation Transformers. If they cannot name a dozen, I know they are posers.

So far, everyone's a fucking poser.

I hate people.

I mean, at the very least -- a /dozen/. That's all I ask. It's not like I'm asking you to name the three original Decepticon jets.

@Insomnia said in No Man's Sky Thread:

You aren't the only one who wants it, but given that sales droped 81% in the second week?

Given that the game was mostly sold and downloaded electronically, this cannot really surprise anyone given the negative publicity that the game has gotten.

I think the best retort to the criticism is "what the fuck did you expect"? Games always over-promise. And gamers will always have a reason to complain. Eventually, the people that enjoy sandbox-y space exploration will find and adore the game.

@surreality said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

Also disagree re: "kill the witnesses" being the perfect answer, because what a lovely followup to having already driven those players out of the scene.

I'm not really suggesting this is a good idea for a MU*, but it is a perfectly acceptable strategy for a pack of werewolves to avoid witnesses blabbing.

@Arkandel said in The Descent MUX:

Or, rather, if I need to pick between a mechanic not being a great match for MU* in its current form and universal shittiness, I'll pick the former.

If you're deliberately dodging a mechanic that's built into the game, I'd say you're a pretty awful player. That's akin to not RPing the consequences of a Condition, or ignoring a social roll. The difference between Paradox and, let's say, daily Vitae-burning is that one mechanic can be more easily built into a MU*.

Mages should be concerned with Paradox, Seers, and pissing off the Guardians. And that's why my Mage generally eschews using any magic, and looks at folks that haphazardly resort to magic as being stupid. That's IC, yes, but OOC I would look twice at someone who ignores Paradox consequences just because others do.

@surreality said in The Descent MUX:

While an answer, still player level, and... not likely the best option.

Says you.

I disagree with your point, though. While I concur that Mages require staff intervention to keep their powers in check, the same can be said about Werewolves (Spirits) or Vampires (Humanity in the daytime).

I get what you're saying? But it's a fault of perception, I think.

I still wouldn't bring the games together in a multi-sphere game because the focuses are so different now.