Posts made by surreality

(Still limited ability to comment, 'cause travel/tablet/etc.)

Haven't seen this mentioned, but from what I recall -- and no, I can't look it up from here -- the book states there are some thing outside the bounds of what the system is designed to allow. I don't recall whether it provides examples or not, but I do recall at least that much.

It would be very important for any given game to define what that means on that game, and what is, or is not, an appropriate use of the system. Even the developers seem to be aware that people will try to get away with the ridiculous by mentioning this, and that STs do not have to let them even try it.

One of the aspects of agency that hasn't come up, but is something I think is relevant here, and it's directly related to the above. By default, players joining a game cede authority over many things to staff; joining a scene, they cede authority to the ST (player or staff).

The issue that people are running into on the cultural level is a bit abstract, in that it is ideally ceding authority to the system, and the system does not have the same ability to make the kind of judgment calls that the system itself relies on to function properly. It was not designed to function autonomously.

Otherwise? In PC-PC interactions, it becomes a matter of ceding authority to the aggressor's interpretation of the system -- including what is reasonable, permissible, or allowable; what mods apply, etc. -- and I think it's easy to see and understand why many players balk at that.

I've always considered it, and never done it. Unfortunately, November is the busiest month of the year for me by aa huge magin, and has been since they started off. Good luck to everyone doing it! If there's a similar effort in a different month, I'd give it a shot -- wordy wench is wordy.

@ziggurat I honestly think the change away from target numbers was not a great call across the board. It's just especially glaring in social aspects of the game.

@pyrephox None of that is 'crazy things intended to break the system' at all. It is stuff different people could consider within the bounds of what's written there, because there are no parameters established for what constitutes a reasonable or unreasonable interpretation of the text.

They got better about this very real issue in later editions, but that writeup is really quite bad for that reason.

Most of those I'd consider reasonable applications of the skill as an ST; some, I wouldn't. Some would be fine for some characters, and not fine for others. In a tabletop game, with one ST, and one ST's interpretation of the text, one knows what to expect when they sit down to that game at that table, and can choose to play by that interpretation or not.

In a game with multiple STs, you're going to have multiple interpretations of what is, and what is not, reasonable. That is one layer of 'problematic' added to the translation of the system from tabletop to MU.

In a game where players operate autonomously without an ST more often than not, particularly in the social aspects of play, and this is the vast majority of play that most players will experience, you add more layers of difficulty based on even more variance in interpretation, and it becomes more prominent an issue than it would be in your average tabletop game due to the amount of time spent in social aspects of roleplay vs. mental or physical aspects of roleplay by proportion.

@pyrephox The main issue I have with that writeup is the 'get people to cooperate' line. (Irony points!)

All examples of things someone may be trying to 'get people to cooperate' with:

• come with me down this dark alley
• don't talk to the police
• torture your grandmother to death
• pick up the tab for dinner
• cheat on your spouse
• press the shiny candy-like red detonator button on that suicide vest
• swing a kitten around by its tail and throw it against a wall
• hide this contraband in your house
• give them all the money you have on you
• murder a stranger
• buy them coffee

...and I think we can all reasonably agree these asks are not all equal within any sensible system, and not even equal from one character to the next within that system.

@pyrephox I have yet to see a system define 'X' as 'perform the following script, whatever I want that script to be', which is a major aspect of the problem.

Both call and response need to adhere to the same version of reality. If call or response is wildly afield, some kind of arbiter is likely necessary.

@arkandel said in Social Stats in the World of Darkness:

I am starting to develop an intense dislike for that word - agency.

Agency in this context means you have a say in the direction a story is developing and your character's role in it; it doesn't mean you control their every aspect. It doesn't mean there can be no setbacks, losses or embarrassments in the way. Such control is in the domain of writing novels (or fan fiction), not roleplaying.

It's being overused to mean "I never lose". That's not what it's supposed to stand for.

Then people need to clarify that it doesn't mean "I never lose," not stain the word -- it is not of the four-letter variety, and should not become so. The word is valid, as is the concept it is meant to represent. People acting in good faith in this regard need to take this term back with a quickness.

To be blunt, I see some folks talking a good game in this thread and hitting all the right talking points that I've also seen repeatedly act horribly re: 'I can never be scared/lied to/intimidated/disadvantaged in any fashion/etc.' which makes the whole thread something of an exercise in frustration.

This stuff only ever changes if people start walking that walk; the talk isn't going to make the world a better place on its own.

Additional point of frustration: any time one of these discussions comes about, from a collaborative perspective, it is a chance for brainstorming. Personally, I love that. I love coming up with ideas with someone. If everyone is working from the same information and honest and up front re: their intentions, even 'bad' situations for a character can be enjoyable to explore as a player.

Are they always? No.

Is that avoidable? No.

It is still possible to reach a far more reasonable and mutually enjoyable outcome by acting in good faith than it is when folks behave otherwise.

@tinuviel I think the only strippers even tangentially related to this day are the ones my father probably watched on the Playboy channel after lunch.

@aria Our neighbors have whatever the local special exception thing is to allow them to have more than normally allowed for the same sort of reason: our neighborhood is right near two parks. We've been up to 7 as well at times, and 8 is the community maximum (dunno if it's county or our stupid development trying to have rules, which they typically fail at hard), but I thinnnnnnnnk they're up to 11 now? They've had as many as 17, and also will take in local ferals to get 'em fixed and checked out.

One would think they would make terrifying next door neighbors, but they are super nice, our cats are all indoor, and we get the benefit of a pile of super lovey-dovey adorable kitties when we're outside, too, that love pretty much everybody. It's super great. They are best neighbors, and I totally rank them above my folks, who live in the house on the other side of my corner.

@aria This is seriously how cats happen, I'm convinced of it. You know 'em when you see 'em, or vice-versa. (Ideally, it's mutual, but it's worked either way in my case; I've been lucky.)

Those are some potent ear tufties, and ear tufties are <3.

@goldfish said in Paragraphs, large scenes and visibility:

So that's why I'm slow. I'm a tryhard. The person that pulled me aside wasn't an asshole, they were kinda giving me a heads up sort of thing to keep the big combat scene moving. Because when I show up, a large scene can and has slowed because of me. I'm adapting but it is a newish thing to me.

I actually really feel you on this. (Though I also have some chatty motherfuckers sometimes on top of this, and omg that shit gets really out of hand, fast.)

The meta stuff you're describing is what I tend to call 'editorial commentary' -- 'cause I've played with you on and off, and it's not the kind of snarky meta people bitch about, which is worth mentioning before anybody gets confuzzled. Some people still love or hate it, and they can get over that, honestly.

In combat stuff specifically or something crowded that's being GM'd or otherwise needs to move fast, I try to cut everything down to the bone. It's not as expressive or character-displaying at times as I'd like, but that's the kind of time where speed is going to be prioritized over quality to some extent. Not gonna lie, if you mostly do social/personal/more freeform scening -- and let's face it, that is the bulk of what many of us do on any given game -- it's a hard switch to flip, sometimes, when those situations do crop up. (And that's the only time it's really needed.)

It is the time to lean a little more on the editorial commentary, though: it's the time to say more than show, to some extent. It's the time for '<name>'s body language is dejected and s/he doesn't seem to want to talk' or '<Name>'s stance is standoffish. Not the time to talk.' vs. the couple of sentences to convey it through more subtle inference. On the upside, if you're already used to tucking some things like this into poses, it's a little easier than it is for people who never do, and that's a plus -- it gives you a good jumping off point for adaptation for those scenes.

I'll try to get a better example of what I'm talking about here, though I warn this is all pre-coffee-kicking-in so all of it will likely suck:

As John lays out the specifics of the plan, Sue listens with a furrow slowly deepening over her brow. Her eyes are on him, intently focused, as she processes the details and turns them over in her head to weigh the pros and cons of the approach her superior officer proposes. Uncertainty is written all over her face, and her arms cross over her chest uneasily as he reveals the end game he has in mind. Her tone is quiet when she finally speaks, breaking the eye contact to avoid looking at his face as she says, "That sounds risky. Is there an alternate entrance we could use to surprise the enemy instead?"

vs.

Sue listens as John lays out the specifics of the plan. He's the boss, and it's his call, but she's visibly uneasy with this approach. Tentatively, she says, "That sounds risky. Is there an alternate entrance we could use to surprise the enemy instead?"

While the fine detail isn't there, it gets the core characterization across where it's most needed, and it's a lot faster and easier to keep up with in the flow of a quickly-moving scene or a combat scene with a crowd that needs to progress more quickly due to time constraints.

I color code the hell out of things. Don't have it set up as much as I usually do at the moment, but if I can manage, OOC comments are one color, each channel has a color, pages have a color...

Formatting helps. Just a few linebreaks in a longer pose can make a world of difference, but not everyone does it.

@sunny It is still a pretty awesome thing -- even if it's a pain in the butt re: finding comfy stuff handy.

Finally managed to get some of the fossil pieces polished, since alt-hobby is what I've spent the most time on for the past few months at this point.

Cleaning them is taking forever. FOREVER. But I am seriously happy with this one, this morning.

@cupcake That's arguably why we do this. It's become an annual thing.

It's the craziness and bickering over the smallest things that's mind-blowing. I'm the mild-mannered, quiet, zen one of this group. I mean, digest that for a moment, and the horror becomes super obvious.

On the up side, the areas we're going seem to be doing much better re: red tide as of the past week or so. This is a big help. It means not being trapped in the hotel with everyone for two weeks. Typically, once we get on the beach, they wish they could lowjack me, 'cause I'm gone and off to find a spot to hunt for things... awayyyyyyy. Without that, it was looking even more grim. (We have to book a year out, so no way of knowing what conditions will be.) This is literally the reason I now have a phone. (Not even kidding.)

@rucket said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

@surreality said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

It is exhausting. I need a vacation. And not the one we're actually taking, unfortunately.

You should. Step away from the internet for a week. Focus on RL stuff. Maybe you'll feel better about things!

Uhm. All of the issues mentioned are RL situations. They already have nothing to do with the internet.

Not a fun few weeks.

This time of year may as well be dubbed 'Hell'. It's a whole lot of time spent being the only adult in the room... which is otherwise ostensibly full of adults, also.

Part of this is the yearly vacation. It's supposed to be a vacation, but it's more an obstacle course of everyone's unique quirks packed into a concentrated space and unable to escape. My quirk is simple: if I'm sitting outside with a cigarette and my phone/the laptop/the tablet, leave me the fuck alone unless I've invited you to join me. That isn't super hard. It also never happens. I'm chill with an hour or two being left the fuck alone per day. Doesn't even need to be consecutive! I'm down with 15-20 minute chunks through the day! ...but still.

The other three folks have a laundry list, each. And I get to be their adult. As the youngest, nobody listens... but they still expect me to be the adult and magically resolve any and every issue that comes up. I have honest to fucking gods superpowers when it comes to actually accomplishing this, most of which boil down to anticipating the problems and solving them before they can become an issue. That's OK, though, they will be sure to find new issues I never could have dreamed up to have with me, each other, the weather, the food, the room, that the same drive that took an hour and a half yesterday and the day before and the day before that is not magically going to take 35 minutes today just because the Maps app says so, and so on, and I'm expected to magic up solutions to those, too. Usually, I do. Because I have to. If I don't, the screaming starts.

And from the moment we get home, I have to prep for show season, which is like vacation in terms of the issues and resolution methods and personalities, but where my income and reputation and ability to continue to make income going forward is also on the line.

That dead ends at the holidays, which... I'm not a fan. To put it mildly.

The new medication is working. It's helping. I can't say that it isn't. I'm still leagues better than I was four months ago. That said, the depression is coming back hard as I acclimate to it, and I'm no longer in super-bouncy mode, and with the upcoming stress and no real positive outlets available, I'm concerned. "Concerned" generally involves being mindful of staying away from others more than normal, because I'm just not keen on making my issue someone else's.

Unfortunately, a handful of folks in my life have decided it's a fun time to try to deliberately inflict emotional harm for various and sundry (oft-times not even related to me!) reasons for a while now, and it's really starting to leave some marks. I'm very slow to cut people out of my life, typically giving people way more chances than they deserve thanks to being a lifelong doormat, but I've had to do that three times already in the past month over this kind of thing. There's just only so much mean-spirited ugliness, pettiness, and abusive bullshit 'because-I'm-mad-at-something-else' I can take, and I definitely can't handle it right now. (In some cases, it's not stopping anyway, and likely won't.)

It is exhausting. I need a vacation. And not the one we're actually taking, unfortunately.

I travel so rarely, we got this look from the derpyfloof when the suitcases came out so we could start packing later:

...and yes, what they've done to this chair over the years is a true horror. But they love it, and it still works as a chair, so. Sigh.

(Yes, that's the creature that is such a coward, she once scared herself so badly with one of her own sneezes she then hid for hours.)

@jeshin Two months is the current target that's been mentioned, with some running shorter by design or events as they unfold. Some may end up running longer; it's hard to guess at this point.

What that means in terms of IC time is going to vary a lot, though. The timescale varies significantly. For Isle of Dread and Alien Mutation, the timescale was 2 RL days to 1 IC day.

For Prosperity's Price, it's a bit different:

Week 1 (Starting Tomorrow): June, 1902 (and back scenes)
Week 2: July, 1902
Week 3: August, 1902
Week 4: September, 1902
Week 5: October 1st - October 14th, 1902 (Reaping)
Week 6: October 15th - October 31st, 1902 (Reaping)

These are IC dates mentioned, not OOC dates; week one, for instance, is going on right now.

Things will vary depending on what is most appropriate for the story. Sometimes it'll be 2:1, 1:1, or a lot more freeform. A lot depends on what people are doing, how long those things take (IC and OOC), how much is going on at once that TD needs to run, and how much action is spread over time. For instance, while I doubt it'd ever get anywhere near this extreme, it may not be impossible for something to potentially run like an episode of 24 with each RL day being an hour of a very condensed series of events over a very short period of IC time.