tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post4873751649743009722..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: Don't Get ThemAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-52328603060025555272015-04-23T00:56:11.635-06:002015-04-23T00:56:11.635-06:00Gotta love it when an occasion to rant against rai...Gotta love it when an occasion to rant against railroading appears, then you simply mention "DM's pet", leave it at that, and then proceed to deconstruct the social strata behind the game. DM'ing arguments should always start with citing The Tao. <br /><br />Thank youScarbrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14354844943665937610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-42404822647267278322015-04-22T14:22:59.636-06:002015-04-22T14:22:59.636-06:00Got it. Thank you.Got it. Thank you.Maxwell Joslynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02309867478186083339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-16604588538261271862015-04-22T12:49:35.390-06:002015-04-22T12:49:35.390-06:00I am arguing that there is something different bet...I am arguing that there is something different between "reasoning with" and "changing," yes.<br /><br />The verb <i>to change</i> implies an action committed against a thing, without the thing's cooperation. Reasoning with that someone asks for them to do the changing, rather than I compelling that change.<br /><br />On some level, every game demands cooperation from all the participants. Penal thinking, however, happens where someone things, "If I fuck with their minds, they'll HAVE to change in order to adjust."<br /><br />This is the sort of coercion that doesn't interest me.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-89528423421593541832015-04-22T12:40:28.896-06:002015-04-22T12:40:28.896-06:00"Here is the problem with RPGs in the hands o..."Here is the problem with RPGs in the hands of people who are uncomfortable with realities. Too much time is taken in trying to make them work like television."<br /><br />Yep, yep. Here is how the typical game pitch sounds, every time:<br /><br />"In my new game, you can be Dr Laserfist Sexisgross, Leatherjacket Gunshoot, or any other four-color superhero you can "imagine." The rules are simple, so nothing will get in the way of you doing the things your name says you do! Just, uh, keep it PG-13, OK? Like, we've all seen superhero movies, so just do the stuff they do. Oh, and, I hope you're not interested in solving problems in any way other than those mandated by your character name - because if you don't have to think to play, I shouldn't have to think to run. Sound good? ... oh, the target numbers are secret and based on how well you describe your action*."<br /><br />Y-a-w-n. If TV itself isn't stimulating, why the fuck would I play a game run by someone who wants to emulate TV? All the flash and pow, none of the already meager substance. And as for tension (which TV is still good at, although usually just thru cliffhangers), well, it all gets popped the second someone makes another fucking """joke""".<br /><br />---<br />WRT your last paragraph:<br /><br />You've talked about making appeals to reason, such as taking a player aside while walking to the store for snacks and explaining why it's annoying that they joke constantly ("humor leads to attempts at humor" is how you put it.) This seems like a kind of changing people to me. I think the difference is as follows: trying to get someone to "see the light" about joking is a way of figuring out whether there is actually a good player (and good friend) inside them, that can be coaxed out hiding (having been driven there by shit games.) What you are not willing to do though, is rehabilitate a dedicated troll. Am I right?<br /><br /><br />*Yes someone has said this to me.Maxwell Joslynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02309867478186083339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-21292491518804084752015-04-22T11:08:16.977-06:002015-04-22T11:08:16.977-06:00I can't think of anyone I'd prefer to coin...I can't think of anyone I'd prefer to coincidentally agree with than C.S. Lewis.<br /><br />Thank you for that, Michael!Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-2196645111526473012015-04-22T11:00:43.780-06:002015-04-22T11:00:43.780-06:00Heh. I'm reminded of a quote from C.S. Lewis w...Heh. I'm reminded of a quote from C.S. Lewis when his fiction was criticized for being mere escapism. "You know who worries about people escaping? Jailers."Michael Bugghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12196330988164511595noreply@blogger.com