tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post9054676940661349531..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: That GuyAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-46433410894529057242019-03-17T02:51:54.975-06:002019-03-17T02:51:54.975-06:00Well, you're Da Guy, that's for sure. You ...Well, you're Da Guy, that's for sure. You stand out above all others, and by a damn high margin to boot.<br /><br />I've quite a rooster of fzme blogs I follow, more than 50. Most don't bring much, some have certain points of interest, but none can approach yours in term of raw quantity and quality of material, insightful contents (and I use the term in the meaning you described), and pure life betterment.<br /><br />Yours is a library of doors to growth and comprehension, for who has the will to work. Can't ask for more.Vlad malkavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14287760654547816927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-35909368404769090382019-03-15T17:15:58.508-06:002019-03-15T17:15:58.508-06:00Serendipity, I tell you. A similar conversation go...Serendipity, I tell you. A similar conversation going on Twitter, with people repeating the mantra, "it's just a game."<br /><br />Just a game.<br /><br />For some, sure, but not for others. And if we left it at that, fine. They can play their game and we can improve ourselves.<br /><br />But trolls will be trolls . . .Ozymandiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01065642299277380465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-31838390227719303252019-03-15T13:51:16.589-06:002019-03-15T13:51:16.589-06:00Rodrigo!
Well, don't hold back. Tell me what...Rodrigo!<br /><br />Well, don't hold back. Tell me what you think of my RPG 201 "classes" that I've been writing.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-33902189376449887012019-03-15T13:16:33.662-06:002019-03-15T13:16:33.662-06:00For what is worth, I actually teach how to DM at u...For what is worth, I actually teach how to DM at university. Not a whole course, but I spend two weeks of a game and experience design course on the topic, make the students DM and ask them to write a report and analyze the experience. Rodrigo Garcia Carmonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13490579727883026920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-83464165679259468622019-03-15T11:51:47.952-06:002019-03-15T11:51:47.952-06:00Slick,
My issue is that you have very strong FEEL...Slick,<br /><br />My issue is that you have very strong FEELINGS. These "feelings" lack any sort of substance or value, encouraging you to present yourself as a smug douchebag, whose opinion about "higher education" not meeting your standards is NOT, in fact, based on your having any actual knowledge of it.<br /><br />Your comment clearly tried to use "university course" as a dismissal of D&D, as in, "Wow, that Tao guy really is stupid to think that something as silly as D&D could be a university course," but now here you are saying that university isn't good enough for you and that you have strong feelings about it.<br /><br />It's not too late for you to become a person of substance, Slick. Change your nick, use your real gawddamn name, attach an avatar that might possibly cause people to treat your comments with respect, go out and get an education or at least read some books written by people who acquired hard knowledge and spend your life fruitfully and well.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-16360696686222008682019-03-15T11:39:39.382-06:002019-03-15T11:39:39.382-06:00Tyler,
It certainly doesn't help that a great...Tyler,<br /><br />It certainly doesn't help that a great deal of the celebrity signal comes from lazy people saying deliberately wrong things in order to gain notariety as they anger a particular sort of elite, who DID do the research and DO care about the subject. They've learned that the bigger the anger, the louder the signal ... and their fans love them because they're: a) funny; b) fabulous; c) contrarian.<br /><br />All of these are substanceless characteristics that, coincidentally, was the formula developed by the class clown decades and decades ago. You know, the fellow who today comes round to clean out your septic tank once a year.<br />Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-64230894858364844652019-03-15T11:36:59.058-06:002019-03-15T11:36:59.058-06:00Recently I've tried to join the blogging world...Recently I've tried to join the blogging world with more thoughtful, constructive participation, but at my core it seems I am a destined to be a shitposter.<br /><br />(Also I have very strong feelings about the bloated mess that higher education has become, that fact that shit like UFO classes already exist isn't a point in D&D 101's favor)Slick S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07061439646397481013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-62097978539951729912019-03-15T10:59:39.257-06:002019-03-15T10:59:39.257-06:00I argue that signal trumps content for the ambitio...I argue that signal trumps content for the ambitious and the lazy, which causes these problems in many fields. Gaining celebrity status gives immediate gratification, feedback, and the illusion of expertise (both to the celebrity and the audience). However, the skills required to become a celebrity rarely align with true expertise.<br /><br />This may be obvious, but it's easy to forget when browsing through loud signals. It can be depressing.Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08712569684250055374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-27782031649078748112019-03-15T09:23:26.379-06:002019-03-15T09:23:26.379-06:00And it should be subsidized by the government.And it should be subsidized by the government.Ozymandiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01065642299277380465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-30846672648856152342019-03-15T08:54:48.938-06:002019-03-15T08:54:48.938-06:00Have you missed a meal Alexis? Tears of laughter h...Have you missed a meal Alexis? Tears of laughter here. Thank you.Glenn Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15680420000411260686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-50347453916359099532019-03-15T04:24:51.145-06:002019-03-15T04:24:51.145-06:00Dungeon Mastering shouldn't be a class, it sho...Dungeon Mastering shouldn't be a class, it should be a degree. I should aggregate classes on comparative history, economy, creative writing, architecture and urbanism, anatomy, negociation and conflict resolution, visual communication, acting and more. Of course all of these would be introduced and tied by some kind of DMing 101, but that course should never be envisioned separately. Such a degree could very well serve as a basis for the rejunevation of humanities. I am mostly serious.ViPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08252560131486864041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-5101089220121787222019-03-15T00:28:50.814-06:002019-03-15T00:28:50.814-06:00If people would give advice about something they a...If people would give advice about something they are experts in, that would be nice. Instead everyone is giving advice about things they know nothing about. Everyone says to 'follow the 3 act structure' as if there is no other way to stucture narrative, and they have never studied narrative structure. Tutorials on mapmaking focus on using fancy software to make it pretty, and these guys probably can't even read a USGS quad map, let alone replicate one. Maps of earth look a certain way because centuries of trial and error have shown what is most useful. Everyone thinks because they are a DM they are an authority on every subject. Maybe think about helping others to understand a complex subject that you've spent years studying. Or is it that all these DMs aren't experts in any academic field? For a hobby that is supposed to be populated by 'nerds' aka smart people, most everyone sure seems to be pretty ignorant.Lance Duncanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13817319325489613672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-61390035559987540122019-03-14T22:19:28.123-06:002019-03-14T22:19:28.123-06:00Because of course Wisconsin would have a universit...Because of course Wisconsin would have a university course dedicated to a purely fictional fantasy language . . .Ozymandiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01065642299277380465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-77198069389008343862019-03-14T22:15:31.744-06:002019-03-14T22:15:31.744-06:00Oops ... this one:
http://monstersandmanuals.blog...Oops ... this one:<br /><br /><a href="http://monstersandmanuals.blogspot.com/2019/03/nobody-ever-told-me-how-to-do-it.html" rel="nofollow">http://monstersandmanuals.blogspot.com/2019/03/nobody-ever-told-me-how-to-do-it.html</a><br />Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-63897998533869908232019-03-14T22:13:20.610-06:002019-03-14T22:13:20.610-06:00Comments section on noisms' post related to th...Comments section on noisms' post related to this:<br /><br /><a href="http://tao-dnd.blogspot.com/2019/03/d-advice.html" rel="nofollow">http://tao-dnd.blogspot.com/2019/03/d-advice.html</a><br />Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-67042362934793533622019-03-14T21:31:41.817-06:002019-03-14T21:31:41.817-06:00What was that comment even a response to? What was that comment even a response to? Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02846071799831004752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-26398632311519967202019-03-14T21:11:41.840-06:002019-03-14T21:11:41.840-06:00Hah. It's funny that you say that after I wro...Hah. It's funny that you say that after I wrote this post like a pit bull with rabies ... and foam actually dripping from my mouth.<br /><br />Thank you both. Much appreciated.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-28667151524952008782019-03-14T20:40:35.914-06:002019-03-14T20:40:35.914-06:00Yeah, you’re “that guy,” AKA “The Man.”
: )
Perha...Yeah, you’re “that guy,” AKA “The Man.”<br />: )<br /><br />Perhaps it’s just the English speaking part of the internet, Alexis. Perhaps if we spoke Mandarin or Arabic or Russian we’d be treated to more delightful, intelligent on-line discourses. Or perhaps we wouldn’t be talking about D&D at all. <br /><br />First World problems, man. I mean, you know...it’s not like we live in Venezuela or Syria or something.<br /><br />(And, of course, I’m not writing that to mock...there’s plenty of mock-worthy stuff in our culture without bashing something that’s provided decades of entertainment and intellectual stimulation to countless folks, myself included. I’ve written before and I’ll say it again: you elevate the level of discourse on the subject with your blog. We need more of that, not less. Hopefully, it will filter over to other aspects of your readers’ lives)JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-31420614875782190552019-03-14T18:49:24.765-06:002019-03-14T18:49:24.765-06:00The more time I spend on the internet the more I h...The more time I spend on the internet the more I have come to realise that it's essentially juggling a live bomb made of human misery.<br /><br />It's a question of how long I can go before encountering some do-nothing idiot who has nothing productive to add to anything, but sure feels entitled to put down any input from others.<br /><br />Sometimes it's not very long at all, and I question why I bother to participate in the community even to the limited degree that I do.<br /><br />Kudos to you man, for fighting on the frontlines for 11+ years, because I can't stand these fucking ingrates even by proxy.Pandredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03917809464727878157noreply@blogger.com