Posts made by Kireek

Atonement Alpha and Early Beta- it was pretty easy to understand why it worked. Small world, forced characters into shitty circumstances. Atonement Alpha had what.. 80 rooms max? Atonement Beta had maybe you're head quarters, you're businesses.. and the Square as safe places- everything else was get shot dead/clawed to death by a legato.

As the game expanded things tended to go a bit off the rails and enjoyment with it- too many safe spaces.

But fuck man the Twinks.

On Topic: I'm interested. Watching as well. This and AthasRPI/Mud are on my watch lists.

Seriously though. Anders.. There is going to be an Anders in this game guys.

There is going to someone who is playing Anders and the question we all are thinking is.. Who is going to get to kill Anders first? Can we kill Anders first? Please let us Kill Anders.

FCs are really making it difficult for me to want to commit more than a half-assed token effort to applying..

I mean.. dude already apping in as Sebastian and it's like.. fuck... how am I gonna deal with this guy? I mean what if I app in as dude number 17 of a group and someone then apps in as the leader- all my RP now is subservient to Orsino or Templar Merdith- and we know how stable those blokes are in game, now lets give them in the hands of players? Good Gods.

Peers from afar and adds this to a watch list of.. things..

Hmm.. probably should get back into Mushing.. I've got nothing better to do..

I'm definitely talking myself into the hole.. but I'm by that same token, noting that the same exact group of people who are at risk in the RPI systems are the ones designing Evennia. To not notice this connection, and to not equate them in some way.. runs the risk of completely missing the flaws that the designers of the RPI system might program into Evennia if they are not made aware of why they are problems in the first place.

It's not a false equivalency, there is a connection between the two- perhaps not system wise, but people wise, who value different ideas of what should or should not be transparent in their game.

Perhaps I am off base posting this NOW, but I do want to bring up that reading OR? I cannot help but snicker ever so slightly..

All this discussion on.. RPI staffing and the Community posts made on OR about staffing and ethics.. are... how do I say, questionable at best? Not because the discussion is needed, but because the people who tend t o be discussing it are often times the worst offenders of the bunch, or may have, but nobody knows, because there has been consistently 0 transparency with the authors and writers.

. Sure there might be some merit in the discussion about how Mush's evolved as a game code wise, yes. Ethics and Staff Culture however? That is another cookie entirety. It's funny to see these posts to me. Especially with SOI's recent outburst of anxiety and anger towards their staff, the closing of their forums, and the migration of those groups to other forums, how far the mushing community has come in comparison. Whereas Mushs have constantly had to compete with this problem, and answered this question by trying to be more transparent, developing new systems to be inclusive to newer players making them more relevant, and generally just a philosophy of staffing focused on the appearance of justice, if not justice itself..

RPI's and perhaps Evennia I've noticed, seem to be in constant risk of slipping further and further down the corruption hole. The lack of staff-player communication, except through a one sided system. Total Staff Anonymity, Obscuring mechanics and systems intentionally, and never necessarily revealing their existence. Then of course, the fact that when a problem blows up in their face, because players are unable to complain- they have to 'deal' icly with staff hissy fits for what can sometimes be legitimate complaints... well..

I've got to jet here in about 5, but I wanted to put this out here.
I'll do a comparison of RPI vs Mush character advancement to underscore the differences in design philosophy and staffing principals that I find why RPI systems to be fundamentally misguided on creating a fun, inclusive game.

I can't believe you Ark! How could anyone NOT want to play an Irraka after reading that book? To be fair, there is no mechanical systems for the clutch/protectorate system, it's just that there is now basically a three page explanation of them that says- these are not uncommon, they are a core part of theme.

I'm definitely going to be playing either a Gibbous or a Rahu on Eldridge as well... my fellow friend/packmate will be apping in an Irraka

Just like how the Pure and Forsaken are still ideological enemies.. or really Rivals now is my impression from this book... but on the surface at least it looks like they nearly are not as blood thirsty towards each other as before. Convenient scape-goats or great people to send your problems to, but there seems to be a philosophy now between the pure and the forsaken was like the Shia/Sunni split before the Iranian revolution, unless the other side has something your side wants, try not to think about them.. seriously. Than there is a no holds bar there if they have something you do want! At least. that is my first impression from the book... and it doesn't help that the pure have very little written on them in their main area, it's all just hints, whiffs of what hte pure now are.

Time to beat the dead horse here.. as I'm sure you are all aware..

Clutch/Protectorates are now a core and central part of werewolf organization.. As it was meant to be when the idea was first introduced in Blood of the Wolf, basically half a rather lengthy chapter ignored time and time again by multiple games.. which all continued to fail as Werewolf spheres for the same exact reasons over and over.

Will Eldritch be adapting the clutch as part of its core setting?

Forgot they even did a Death Rage Forsaken Friday, oh well

If your looking fo Wtf Previews- they don't exist becuase there isn't much to tell...

If your looking for a preview- as much as there is one.. There won't be, the book is being worked on, better to have htem release it 1 day sooner then spend a day giving us a preview IMO. HOWEVER, there is a little tidbit that might be interesting. Depending on how well the WtF 2e sells, here is a quote from the primary author of the book about future book ideas. Notice there wasn't much response from the OP's publishers, this is probably due to a wait and see approach or the like, if WtF 2e sells well, I'd expect the pitch put into development
@Acrozan

Pitch season was, what, two or three months ago? I did pitch the idea, but I don't know if they liked it and haven't yet seen any more of the future Werewolf book schedule than you guys.

My overall idea for how the books might play out would be:

Kinslayers:- Blood Talons Tribe coverage; full new coverage for the Pure and their updated 2e mechanics; heretic and schismatic werewolf groups (weird wolf-cults, strange subgroups of Uratha who follow different ideologies, etc) for Blood Talons and Forsaken in general to clash and interact with; extensive rules for challenges and conflict between Uratha whether for dominance, battle or other things, from the individual level to packs clashing with each other all the way up to Protectorate-scale conflicts; an examination of the pure 'fluff' side of Uratha vs Uratha violence, the taboos, the implications, the different ways various regional Uratha go about these things and their traditions; new fighting styles, Gifts, Rites etc around clashing between Uratha.

Shadow Hunters:- Bone Shadow Tribe coverage; definitive coverage of the Shadow, including Deep Shadow, all sorts of phenomena and weirdness, piles of hooks and descriptions of varied Shadow manifestations, more information about Resonance and the interplay between Flesh and Shadow, basically all the creative and mechanical support a GM needs to run the Shadow side of the game; a much deeper look at spirit organisation and politics than ever before to turn spirits into key characters and influences in a game; Totems, dedicating more wordcount to both the ideas and inspiration side of things, but also heftily expanding their mechanical side and offering a new framework to help cover the ascent and growth in power of a totem alongside its pack, the ways the totem and pack affect each other on even a subconscious level, etc; an examination of hunting spirits for the Uratha, with tools, tricks and traps that the Uratha can use against spirits and vice versa; and a section on some Big Names in the Shadow, going into more detail on some Lesser Incarnae, the Firstborn Totems etc, to help GMs with bringing such beings into the game rather than leaving them as distant entities that are never really interacted with.

Sacred Ground:- Hunter in Darkness Tribe coverage; new rules for territory and the surrounding issues, such as shaping your territory, making territory a key element in clashing with other Uratha, more info on Loci, the role prey take in the territory, etc; more information on the Gauntlet itself, exploring how to bring it into a game not just as a basic boundary but as a place with strange phenomena, discussion of what lies within it, etc; full new coverage of the Hosts, with more detailed rules than are present in the corebook and a better examination of Host society, their goals and how they go about them, including coverage for what happens when the Hosts are successful and begin to regain the divine power of their progenitors; coverage of how Uratha interact with certain other peripheral realms (possibly including the Hedge and Underworld); and maybe new Hunting Ground write-ups or examples of specific Sacred Places that the Uratha and Hunters in Darkness hold as sacred ground.

Watchdogs:- Iron Master Tribe coverage; more rules for humanity as prey, including specific prey-groups from cultists to corporations and how they can both be a threat to and be threatened by the Uratha; rules for human shamen expanded out of the Rites system; an examination of the difficulties of maintaining a human cover amidst society for an Uratha, the challenges of hunting in dense urban areas and amongst human communities in general, and how humans drastically shape the spiritual reflection of the world; changes in technology and science, and both the challenges Uratha can face from these, the challenges they faced in previous technological eras, and the ways technology and change contribute to the benefit of the Uratha and the Iron Masters; and coverage of Uratha trying to affect the human population on a much larger scale, like trying to shape the destiny of nations or enslave entire regions to the machinations of spirit-gods or whatnot.

Heirs to the Hunt:- Storm Lord Tribe coverage; deeper coverage of Claimed with more mechanics, as well as new types of Claimed horror; an examination of other weird elements of possessions and otherworldy invaders, including new antagonist types; Forsaken politics, including on a wide scale, including traditions and cultures around thereof, how Tribes and packs and Lodges interact to affect the balance of power; more extensive coverage around Protectorates, including how and why they form, system support for Protectorates and their effects, etc; and wordcount and more mechanical support for high Primal Urge werewolves, the paths available for them to take, how they affect the world and how they, in turn, are changed.

If you like these kinds of ideas and want to see them happen, then the best suggestion I have is to contact my corporate masters Let OP know that you like the notion. Can't guarantee that it will make these books happen or anything, but worth at least communicating to OP what you want to see in the line in future!

That said, be aware that:

• I have no idea what books are currently planned for the Werewolf line.
• They may have looked at my pitch and gone 'We don't want to do that because (good reasons X, Y and Z)'.
• If you do send a message in, please be polite and pleasant in your enthusiasm for my pitch

Reminds me a bit of 1st edition changling publishing schedule. If you're super desperate for some sort of information beyond stuff far in the future? Say in 2e? Eh.. there are now three separate 'wolf' gifts with 5 facets each. (Think Mother Luna/Father wolf gift lists- theres now a third that everyone can buy. Keeping in mind that Mother Luna and Father wolf are probably totally different, if not scrapped entirely.) From what I can gather, its based around scenting and tracking, the hunt. Death rage is also distinctly different somehow, but no more information was given. Coy bastards

@Cobaltasaurus This is going to be a problem for you... the art quality of anime has increased over time with the increased use of technology...

Compare anime from 1993 to 2014.. or 2000- 2014... You run the risk of losing alot of good stories if you let art style inhibit you too much... though to be fair, everyone is a bit guilty of judging a show by how good it's art is. Very Sad... then again..

Of course Madoka Magica is using this weird duck-like style of animation which is coming into popularity with a few of the shows out there.. never found it to my liking either...

Eden of the East? Anyone else ever watch it?
'Another' is a good anime as well- goes along well with the standard superstitions that result in crazy horror stories.
Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu... I dunno why, but this and Tokyo ghoul are both interesting to me on a level equivalent to how.. vampires would be without the obvious sexual component. A wolf amongst sheep, how human is human, etc etc.

Terra Formars- Anyone notice that there are no black people/people from Africa on the team to mars? And that the cockroaches look like stereotypical ape black men? Who are apparently unable to create their technology but are able to easily steal and reverse engineer the advanced nations technology for their own ends? Eh..

@Coin
Listen man, if it hurts your feelings, that's fine, but Reno has gotten basically a free pass for like 6 months with nary a word said bad about it on WORA and here. It was fortunate, and lucky because no ones been so upset by the game that they have to post something on it. (Which again speaks to how well things went that the game more stagnated than collapsed)

I got your point, but your issue here is that I'm discouraging people from playing... Nay, I'm just relaying the facts of what happened, if that upsets you.... if facts upset you man, than I can't help you. There were problems, and if they are trying to fix them, great, but its going to require work, a lot of work, a lot of effort to get trust back and it ain't easy. If you want to sugar coat everything man, that's your prerogative, but it ain't mine. If people are going to be buying a used car- they should know things about it. If that's discouraging for people, hey, that just means you have to double down with your effort yah? SHOW that I'm full of shit, instead of complaining that I'm hurting your feelings. The best part? If I'm proven wrong, I'll be right there playing the damn game and being like, THIS PLACE IS GREAT. And hey, the staff will get the smug sanctification from that I expect them to. It's only fair.

I'm aware of what things are like now. I've seen all the staff members in question, and I'm aware of most of the things going on as RDC says its happening. Hey, new WW staffers, great, I've seen them, they've worked on some of my jobs for me, and Reno will be prepared for 2E..

Still doesn't change whats happened and what you have to work from. If they want help doing it, hell, I'll sign up and do whats needed, I've volunteered for things before, worked on things, but it doesn't change the past and what needs to change.

@Coin
Hey man, it is nothing personal,its just a measured and reasonable observation of the activity spikes and lulls of the game. There is nothing specifically wrong with the game.. there have been some eyebrow raising moments for sure, multiple times.. and some choices that staff made that I question but all in all, the game isn't bad, nor filled with crazy people, its just has been suffering because of a few poor policy choices.

1.Sandbox without a large enough player base to support said policy was one..
2.Poor choice in RELIABLE staff- which resulted in the appearance of high turnover- which doesn't exactly instill high morale in the player base. Paigow(?) for at least 2-3 months ran the majority of jobs in the game by himself, he burned out fucking hard, replacements or help hired evaporated in 2-3 weeks. RDC is the current replacement for that person, and if he does it all by himself? He won't make it. In 2-3 months TJ will need to find another person to shoulder the entire jobs burden by themselves all over again.
3.Announcing on WORA the creation of another game by TJ while his original one was already showing signs of suffering.. and claiming it's a success is another. It wasn't a good judgement call, lets just say that.
4.And what few plots that were run by Staff during the earlier sandbox phase were almost always sitting as dead jobs for weeks at a time.. thus lessening the urgency and desire to continue with specific plots.
5. There was some OOC drama at one point that just kinda petered out.. without any real action from staff.. one of the spheres more or less collapsed because of it.

None of these by themselves are a death knell, nor are they particularly offensive, it just.. makes people lose interest, its a natural occurrence, and right now, RDC, and TJ seem earnest in trying to work their way back up.. its already working to some extent, but I'm not about to bet on this horse until I see more sustained activity.. I'm not overly jaded with the game, but I will be watching activity changes and staff action- as @tragedyjones said above. Perhaps something will come of it man.

I have mixed feelings about this advertisement about where the game is going.. its definitely a big case of... I'll beileve it when I see it..

Reno nearly died becuase of a lack of staff assistance in running things.. so if they are willing to pick up the slack unlike what they did before.. perhaps there is something to look forward to! Again though, I wouldn't recommend getting too invested.. but..

I've never actually seen black butler, but apparently there are rumors that another season is coming out here shortly...

so.. maybe things will change, who knows?

Cunning, but false, friend. I made no such oversweeping claims, you did. I just reinforced what my position was.

A Good Analogy for your behavior would be... oh what is it..
Me claiming to be good at a Martial arts..
You go, So you've won tournaments and are a black-belt?
I go- No I've participated in tournaments but never placed.
To which you'd than say exactly what you said above. That I'm backpedaling.

Nay, I've just clarified my position so you understood it better. just as the above example clarified. As I've said, its not a general sweeping statement about women, you just interpreted it as such, Because that's how you perceive me to be. So I shot that down. There was no way for me to win in the 'argument' because either I prove you right and double down and say, Yes I'm supportive of all women, period, thus confirming to you I'm some horrible white knight. Anything short of doubling down means you can escape with your backpedaling comment. or I go, no your wrong, that's not what I said, and you say that I'm two-faced.

When the reality of the situation is, your just looking for a way to prove your right about me instead of realizing your kind of acting like a tool. Seriously man, It's funny when you make people like BB look good, at least crazy is hard to deal and respond to.

IF you want to have an argument about why Anime has weird sexist undertones, I'll have that argument with you. Sadly, this is not that argument. You want to make it that argument, but its not.

Oh, man! I'm glad you've managed to make a post that is a bit less rabid machine gunning aggression and more focused. This actually makes it a lot harder! Alright lets see.. A selective attack on certain lines. Not bad! This will actually require effort to take apart.. so let us begin! It's fun when you get serious.
@HelloRaptor said:

Yeah, why would any self-respecting woman enjoy a show that routinely lampoons the main character's white knight, women-shouldn't-fight complex as ridiculous, and showcases virtually every other character with more than a few minutes of screen time pointing out how wrong he is, and how competent and badass the majority of the women are? I can't even imagine. </sarcasm>
That doesn't mean your characterization of the show itself isn't shit, even if you're more or less right about one of the primary characters.
If you really don't see how you declaring that no self-respecting woman would enjoy a show because <insert virtually anything at all, but especially a show where a male savior complex is routinely shown to be completely misguided and unnecessary within its narrative> makes you a big of a shield pounding white knight as that character is, there's no help for you.

You say Routinely Lampoons, however, at the end of the day, all the women fall in love with him, stay at his house that he inherited from his parental figure, and keep hanging out with him. You can say that yes, they criticize him for being in over-his head stupid, but they don't actually change their behaviors with him, if anything, they actually seek out his attention for THEM instead..... Of course, that wasn't the actual point of my argument, which you seem to have misrepresented.. Your point about my argument is..

You're exactly what I described you as because of dumb shit like this, and it's hardly the first time you've declared yourself the authority on what any self-respecting woman would like or hate.

My point more along the lines is- if you're a woman who doesn't like it when men White-knight for you? Your going to end up hating this show. It is not going to be a pleasurable experience for said individual who watches it. I used the phrase self-respecting, because hey it seems appropriate. Of course, you can interpret it a me trying to defend all womanhood, but the reality is, the statement stands more as a warning about what you should expect from the anime in question, and if your the sort who is 'self-respecting', you probably shouldn't watch it!. It's not the same exact thing as, hey if your husband was murdered by xyz, you probably should lay off watching movies about spousal homicide.
It's not a good analysis, nor a perfect trope but it is fairly correct. I"m again, not championing anything, I just took a point of argument you disagreed with, and in your infinite wisdom you assumed I was making some broad sweeping statement about the concepts of life and wisdom and equality. It's not, its a statement about a show, that has a douchenozzle character- that if you you are a woman who dislikes certain behaviors, you won't like the show.. very simple. Perhaps I used poor language choice, but your the one who made the jump that I'm speaking on behalf of all women everywhere, or are trying to do something I'm not...
HOWEVER!

I can do that if you want, but Fate/Night Stay is not the biggest problem with anime I have. It is just one of the more annoying ones. The bigger problems are far more insidious. I can make broad sweeping generalizations statements on women's behalf if you want those? I mean it's the least I can do! I don't want to fail living up to your expectations as randomly championing other people for no reason because I'm the white knight of everything, instead of just some dude who tends to stand on principles.

Of course I'll just leave you with your own words again, because I'm unimaginative in this regard.

Maybe they'd hate it. Maybe they wouldn't. I don't really feel like I'm in a position to say which, let alone claiming that their enjoyment of it would have any bearing on their self-respect. But if that's working out for you, you go on with your bad self.

I think its a good point to leave it off on.

Oh, HR, your frothing warms the cockles of my heart. It's like absolute reason leaves your system the instant you see me post! It's too bad I can't quote you anymore because I've lost my archival sources.

So, to be clear HR, your argument is.. I'm a White knight becuase I'm pointing out how fucking dumb it is that the main character is a White Knight? Oh goodness. Oh Gracious. This is some inception level shit. A thought however... I've made no such declaration to the extent that I am a 'champion' of anything, however, you like to interpret the fact that I am these things, because it makes it easier for you to justify your cruel hatred. I just want to be friends HR!, I mean, I must of REALLY pissed you off in the Consent V Non-consent thread that you now will try and take me apart in order to get back at it. DO you like hurting my feelings? So cruel, so cruel.

The crux of my argument however is- The main Character of Fate/Night Stay is a tool, hes a white knight and is too dumb to live. The fact that this is a main character- is sexist? Fine, but I'm not not White Knighting all women everywhere. I'm saying, OH ITS HORRIBLE, this man is sexist. No, what I'm saying is hes a FUCKING IDIOT, and the show is focused on him! You can claim the show is fucking great all you want, but if one of the two main characters is painful to watch.. it RUINS the show. If you enjoy watching idiots, by all means, go for it man! You are allowed your guilty pleasures!

Just like Brilliant Park is a guilty pleasure for me!

My suggestions that were above were specifically designed for someone that doesn't want to go too far down the rabbit hole. in how weird Japanese Anime can get. Again, not white knighting, but hey, you can interpret however you want. Just keep in mind, some of the Anime's I've suggested? Do in fact have female objectification as well, they also include protagonists who are also not too dumb to live. I'll be an unrepentant Feminist to, just on general principal man. Sorry that it upsets you! Which, ya know, semantically is different from say... White Knighting, because when people do dumb shit, I let them suffer the consequences! Too bad I'm not white knighting you right now and just enjoying the view of ow you causing perpetual train wrecks from your mouth attributing things to me that I don't actually say! You just make whatever argument makes you feel best dude, I'll be your Joker HR! I'll be your Joker!

See Below: Spitfire gets me.

Sorry, wrong one. I'm confusing Fate/Night Stay with Fate/Zero, got them reversed.

Fate/Zero is indeed good.
Fate/Night Stay is the one my complaint is levied against. MY bad!

@HelloRaptor said:

...what the fuck are you on about? That made virtually no sense.

And fuck, did we ever get ignore added back in? I knew I was missing something.

It would of made more sense if I actually labeled what I was complaining about correctly, but even than, its the same universe/same people who make it.. its really hard to swallow the pill.