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    ShelBeast

    @ShelBeast

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    Location Las Vegas, NV Age 44

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    Best posts made by ShelBeast

    • RE: Eliminating social stats

      @Lain

      Man... don't even get me started... Have you ever read a combat log between two combaty characters? It's so stupid, most of the time. Not to talk about how badass I am IRL (I'm not. I'm fat, old, slow and creaky), but I did spend a really good chunk of my life being like... obsessed with martial arts, weaponry and fighting... From a technical standpoint, I read logs and they're just so completely dumb. Moves that don't make sense. Moves that would leave someone so off balance or open to pre-emptive attack... it's like reading a story about two mall ninjas trying to outclass one another at their Movie-Try-Do art (they see it in a movie and try to do it).

      Anyway, that being said... I accept it. I even participate in it. Because why the hell not? Also, because I'm playing a character who is better than me at something.

      People should be allowed to play characters that are smarter/better looking/more charismatic than they are. We don't always have the capacity to reflect this. We don't have the right social know-how to say the clever things our characters would say. We don't have the technical know-how to say that our characters aren't doing a full spin to backhand someone in the face. Same thing, man.

      Let people make a stupid pose. Forgive them. As long as they're trying, let's let them have their fucking fun, man. They deserve it as much as you do.

      posted in Mildly Constructive
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • ShelBeast's Playlist

      Former:
      Dorian Richard-Hinton Porter (Vampire, The Reach/Currently at Reno)
      Ulfrik (Viking Vampire, The Reach)
      Orson Rand (Purified Immortal, The Reach)
      Elliot Greyson (Werewolf, The Reach/Currently at Reno)
      Takahiko (Mekhet Acolyte, Kingsmouth)
      Tim Drake (HeroMux, CoMux)
      Hunter Rose (HeroMux)
      Exodus (HeroMux)
      Roberto DaCosta (CoMux)
      Dick Grayson (Brave New World)
      Scott Summers (Brave New World)
      Jack Marlowe/Spartan (Brave New World)
      Storm Shadow (Brave New World)
      Shredder (Brave New World)
      Ryu (Brave New World)
      Sunfire (Brave New World)
      Ninjak (Brave New World)
      Danny Rand/Iron Fist (Brave New World)
      Sterling Archer (Staff Bit/Brave New World)
      Matt Murdock (HeroMux, current)
      Victor Creed (HeroMux, current)
      Julian Blackwood (Vamp, Fallcoast)
      Bailey Summerset (Vamp, Fallcoast)
      Ishihara Ryuhei (Vamp, App'ed at F&L, and Reno 2.0. Never actually played on Reno)
      Nightwing (United Heroes)
      Black Panther (United Heroes)
      Ishihara Ryuhei (Vampire, Fallcoast)
      Ezra Brixton (Geist, Fallcoast)
      Death (Staffbit, Descent)
      Ryo, Zeku, Guy, Ky, Eliot, and a host of others (Match of the Millennium)

      Current:
      Gambit (Comic Adventures)
      Hercules (Comic Adventures)
      Miles Morales (Comic Adventures)
      Akiyama Goro (City of Hope, on grid as Goro)

      posted in A Shout in the Dark
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • Vampyr

      So, there's a new game out where you play a doctor in Victorian London, returning from World War I, who is promptly turned into a freshly minted vampire. He gets embroiled in supernatural skullduggery, and has to establish connections with his neighbors and such during the course of the game. It has a really very unique mechanic that pits gameplay directly against story in an antagonistic relationship. Essentially, in order to gain "XP" type stuff, you'll need to feed on your fellow Londoners, thus killing them. This allows you to get points to purchase skills and grow stronger. You can avoid doing this altogether, and play the game, but you will progressively find it harder and harder to advance because you're just woefully underpowered.

      The other side of this is that the characters are all very human. They have dreams and hopes and foibles and nuances. They all have their own lives and issues and essentially sidequests for you that allows you to discover who they are, and through that, make London better, and try to stave off the chaos and the plague that's sweeping the city. The trick is that... the more you progress with a character, the more XP you get for killing them, basically. But this also cuts their storyline short.

      So you have to choose. Do you end a storyline short for quick burst of XP? And if so, then... deviously, the game has been designed in such a way that you have to humanize your meal to get the most out of it. It truly brings to the forefront the dichotomy of the Man versus The Beast struggle that is supposed to be at the forefront of themes in regards to WoD/coD vamp.

      I highly recommend this.

      You can read a much more literate review here: Vampyr Review: The Story in Blood

      posted in Tastes Less Game'y
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Eliminating social stats

      Really, and this is true of all roleplay in general, as far as I am concerned, but... with people who might not have the ability to roleplay that social aptitude up to the general "your" standards, which are nebulous and subjective to begin with... the real trick is to be more cooperative. Not elitist. Instead of being like "Well, that line was lame, so I'm not going to respond to it", instead be like "So you rolled really high on that roll, so your character would know that telling me X or saying Y thing to me isn't going to get the sort of response your character wants. Instead, if you say this Z thing, it'll strike just the right chord, and get my character to thinking."

      But all too often, people consider all rolled actions in a game to be adversarial. Hell, I approach PK-combat from a cooperative standpoint. It really does make the game go a lot better, and lets you learn to divorce your ego and just enjoy the ride for what it is. A story.

      posted in Mildly Constructive
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Fear and Loathing (Official Thread)

      So, outta curiosity... basically any sort of negative review of a place gets moved out of an ad thread where potential players cannot necessarily see it? So all games, no matter how toxic, look like shining beacons of the community? Just want to be clear. Because the Hog Pit isn't seen by all people, and it seems jilted to diminish fairness in review. it's like saying that google makes you post to another site to place a 1 star review on a restaurant. On Google, you can only do 5 star reviews.

      posted in Adver-tis-ments
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Fear and Loathing (Official Thread)

      @auspice I think that, maybe, if someone other than someone gushing all the time about the game (indicating a clear bias), had made that call...

      posted in Adver-tis-ments
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • Fallout MU*

      Alright, so there's been an explosion of activity in the Hog Pit over Fallout El Dorado and its batshit crazy owner. There is also a mass exodus of players from said game. Some others will remain because, simply put, it's the only game in town.

      So lets make it not the only game in town.

      Someone mentioned that the owner of the code is open to letting other people use it. Fallout is a series with a lot of opportunity for a lot of cool RP. It's also literally my favorite IP out there. I have Fallout tattoos. I'm just sayin'.

      So here's my pitch. I don't have the time or desire to staff. I also don't really have the experience for it. BUT I am willing to pay to host it and whatever if someone else is willing to get the code up and running and people are willing to staff and run it. I'll happily just foot the bill. Honestly? I'll do this for an RE based game as well. Please note that this isn't about a grudge game or anything. It's about creating a haven where people can play in those worlds as they obviously want to, without having to deal with the stuff that comes with playing on an Elsa run game.

      So if anyone is up for it, contact me and let me know how we can set this up.

      posted in Adver-tis-ments
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • Reno

      Hey, I'm no staffer and this isn't exactly any sort of official advertisement for the game or anything like that, so pardon a lack of a pretty write up or something.

      BUT!!

      I am a long time player on Reno. I've had my times of activity and inactivity, but I think it's a pretty good game, generally speaking with some really good people running it. And now, we're starting up a lot of really cool plots and metaplots, and so here I am. Rock you like a hurricane.

      I want to encourage this forward momentum in the game. I'd like to get some players around for antics. If you have old characters that have idled out or frozen, bring 'em back! If you haven't checked out Reno before, come do so! It's a really good time for getting into the game (again), as things are just kicking off and they're going to be shaken up pretty drastically, from the looks of it. Again, not staff, so I don't have any sort of inside view on this. Just the chatter.

      Either way, there's a lot of opportunity for fun, cooperative-competitive gameplay, a ton of plot threads to explore (@Ganymede is rolling out these things like crazy) and some new shiny stuff in the works. Plus, most of my old crew is gone/scarce, and I could personally use a few new people to roll with. I'd like to have a small group of PCs to have mine (Dorian) work with in exploring some of the metaplot that's unfolding. Dorian's a fairly focused character, so it'd be nice to have some diversity to work within a group.

      So come on over to reno.mechanipus.com port: 7639 and say hey. 😄 And even if you don't know WoD/CoD (which seems to be exceedingly rare around here), it's cool. Lots of friendly folks (like me!) who can help you make a character and learn the game.

      posted in Adver-tis-ments
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Shadowrun: Modern

      @tragedyjones Better yet, go look up nude pics of the PB. That's what google is for!

      posted in Tastes Less Game'y
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Eliminating social stats

      @deadculture said in Eliminating social stats:

      Bob can have his moment of triumph the moment he can use his character as described by his sheet for maximum effect. Otherwise, always replacing social acuity for the roll of a die means that not only are you unable to play the social character you've envisioned, you need to reconsider how you work your interactions with other people as a whole.
      Last second edit to add: It also defeats the purpose of playing a social game to begin with. If you can't put in a pretty turn of phrase, what the fuck are you doing?

      Bob can have his moment of triumph the moment he can use his character as described by the sheet...Isn't that what the roll is for? I mean, I hate to beat a dead horse, but until someone can accurately and technically describe their other actions in totality, this argument literally has no merit. If Bob rolls his dice, and he succeeds at the action, he is using his character as described by the sheet. Period.

      Also: It defeats the purpose of playing any game if you have to be as good as your character, or better. We play games to be people that we aren't. We play characters to be better than we are. We're not here to play ourselves. We're not here to play mediocre.

      posted in Mildly Constructive
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast

    Latest posts made by ShelBeast

    • A real shout in the dark here

      It's been literally years since I've played anywhere. I'm primarily a WoD/CoD player. Are there any games up and running still or now? Are there any 5e WoD games, yet?

      posted in A Shout in the Dark
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Altered Carbon Style MUSH - Eclipse Phase 2e

      I too would like to hear if there's any updates or progress on this.

      posted in Game Development
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Empire State Heroes Mush

      Amadeus Cho, a dude with super intelligence is denied because it is a low powered game. Rachel Grey's application had to be revised because she had wide reaching telepathic communication and they didn't want it to go past a mile or something along those lines. And yet, they have allowed an OC character to app in with this global telepathic network that gives her all that and more. They have allowed a staffer to apply as a version of an Agents of SHIELD character who is a science nerd, and not a frontline hero, as a cyborg with strength that surpasses Tony Stark's armors.

      The rules about power levels and resources and what they want only apply to who they want them to apply to. This is kind of the crux of the issue that I was bringing up about the whole Cole/Halo versus Bruce/Wayne thing. It's just gone to a whole other level, at this point. I've stopped logging in my bits there, despite having players that I really enjoy playing with.

      posted in Mildly Constructive
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Empire State Heroes Mush

      @Ghost I'm aware. Again, I'm not here for a Hog Pit thrashing. I felt that bringing it here was a good way to keep it where it belongs. Constructive Criticism. At this point, what is the worst that is going to happen? They might nitpick my apps to death? Part of the issue is that it was already a thing. I still have three alts on the game, as is. Obviously I'm not moving forward with the application for Grifter. It just is what it is. I may attempt another app in the future, but for now, I'll just keep an eye out to see if the general attitude has changed.

      Edit: My posting here also serves the purpose of inviting conversation in a medium that may be easier for some of the said staff, where they might have time to deliberate and form their thoughts in a manner that is not in the moment and needlessly aggressive and defensive.

      posted in Mildly Constructive
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Kaiju's List Updated May 2019

      ELMO!

      I'm Scotty 2 Hotty on ESH!

      posted in A Shout in the Dark
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Empire State Heroes Mush

      @Wolfs Right. Same can be said for Cole, too. Halo is integral to him as a character. I don't mind having to rename it, though I feel it's unnecessary busywork that serves no purpose other than making me jump through additional hoops. In some cases, I definitely see why they'd want the change. For example, if I were to try to name Kherans as an alien race. I'll ignore, for the moment, that Starfire is a thing as a Tamaranean, and say "Yeah, okay. Let's use a Marvel equivalent, instead to keep with theme". In my application for Cole, there is a great example of this. They asked me to remove mentions of the Coda. Alright. No problem. I should have thought of that, and maybe did some research into an equivalent group in Marvel. I take no issue there. That's like a whole non-Marvel faction that my app just kind of adds into the tapestry, along with a whole other list of things to worry about. But Halo corp being named Halo Corp isn't going to actually change a thing at all in my app. It doesn't rewrite the world. It affects nothing.

      posted in Mildly Constructive
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Empire State Heroes Mush

      @Wolfs said in Empire State Heroes Mush:

      So you're saying staff told you you can't name Halo because it's a reference to something in DC Comics? That makes no sense to me without further explanation of some kind.

      Yes. This. THIS IS MY POINT! I was asking literally that.The entire thing is that I'm not allowed to have Halo Corporation listed by name. That's it. They demand that I change the name. And for no reason given, other than it is a direct reference to DC properties. If this is the case, that's fine and all well and good. It's a Marvel game. I don't see how "Halo Corp" being named that detracts, dilutes, or harms the Marvel theme in any way, but sure. Whatevs. I just want that to be consistent to everyone.

      As for the post. I didn't present it as a personal issue with details because I didn't want to make it about being a personal issue. The complaint is straight forward and valid. The details of what actually happened are absolutely irrelevant, whether or not they happened to me or anyone else. I was giving my genuine constructive criticism in a manner that was detached and as free from bias as I could give it. I don't want a Hog Pit thread on this. As I've stated, up until now, my experience on this game has been great. But this? It's something that should be looked at, rather than callously dismissed with all but open derision when asked about.

      posted in Mildly Constructive
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Empire State Heroes Mush

      @Wolfs I think you have a few misconceptions about what I was app'ing for, and what my issue is. My issue is less that I "didn't get what I wanted". My issue is that policy only applies to certain people but not others. My issue was very clearly with how I was responded to with needless aggression. I was not saying a single thing about Cole having control of Halo. That was not reflected in my application at any point. I have no interest in Cole owning Halo. I don't want him to have control of it in the future. I'm not trying to even state a single thing about Halo, what it does or who runs it or anything. My app just says "Cole has money because he worked for these guys, and this company made this cool gun for him."

      It still comes down to that Bruce Wayne and Ted Kord get to keep, specifically, "Wayne Enterprises" and "Kord Omniversal", which are both direct references to DC, which is what is being cited to deny the Cole app for "Halo Corporation". If the direct reference by name is the issue, why didn't Batman or Blue Beetle have to change "Wayne Enterprises" or "Kord Omniversal" to something else? Anything else?

      I guess I'm going to have to scream it over and over. My issue isn't the details. It is about the lack of consistency. It is that some people are allowed to do things that others are not. My issue is that when questioned on that, staff decided that, rather than being reasonable, or forthright, they decided to be snide and catty. I don't feel that my first post was vague. It was exactly what my issue is. The details of the issue are irrelevant. It's also not to cause drama. This is constructive criticism. Be consistent. Don't be a dick when people ask you about why you're not being consistent.

      posted in Mildly Constructive
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Empire State Heroes Mush

      @Autumn said in Empire State Heroes Mush:

      S1) This is a no-win situation for staff. If they let Cole's player establish stuff about the Halo Corporation and then someone decides to apply for the actual founder (unlikely as this may seem), that player is going to be upset. (And still other players will take it as license to argue for narrative control of things that are part of, but not necessarily a key element of, their background.) If they don't, the person wanting to play Cole will be upset.
      S2) Staff was a little short with the player. I don't know whether this may or may not have been justified by behavior not visible to me, but I thought the policy explanation could have been handled better.
      G1) ESH feels to me like a game where staff has a really strong idea of what they want and don't want on it, and if what you the player want isn't what they want then you can pound sand. There is nothing wrong with this attitude, and in all honesty I wish more games would adopt it, but it's an attitude that benefits from a very, very clear explication of what staff wants and doesn't want.

      As the player in question, I've never had any sort of negative experience or interactions with anyone on the game. There is one player who I have set to gag because I feel that they're aggressively misandric and a bit creepy OOCly towards ladies, but that person is neither staff, nor have I ever outwardly had a confrontation or even directly negative interaction with them. The reason for the cattiness is a mystery, and a large part of the issue. It was unwarranted and out of left field. Prior to that, I had nothing but positive opinions of all the staff, and with my other alts was open and receptive to all feedback and suggestions for adjustments to character applications.

      With regard to the clear expectation of what staff wants, this is the entire crux of the issue. Character A can have this thing in their background as a resource that is a direct reference to an outside comic source. But Character B is denied that same privilege. Again, it comes down to consistency. If Ted Kord can use and reference Kord Omniversal, which is a direct DC related link, why shouldn't Cole Cash be allowed to say that he has access to Halo Corp? If Batman can have a vehicle named The Batmobile, why can Grifter not have M.I.R.V.? I'll also note that these were not the ONLY things that I was asked to rewrite or edit. The other ones I take no issue with at all. It's specifically these things that one character/player can do, but another cannot.

      posted in Mildly Constructive
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast
    • RE: Empire State Heroes Mush

      Consistency is a good policy to have. Playing favorites with who is allowed to bypass written policy is not a good look for any game. Responding to players pointing that out with sheer cattiness is even worse. Especially when it is something that is trivial, does not hurt, dilute, or detract from theme in any way. It almost seems like an outright attack against a player for nothing other than existing.

      posted in Mildly Constructive
      ShelBeast
      ShelBeast