Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Originally Posted by AsenRG

To me, if the rulebook contradicts actual books on the subject, it's the rulebook that needs to be amended. I like GURPS because the system's books, while heavy, reflect almost insane amounts of research.

Oh CROM'S hairy nutsack, yes! As somebody who actually likes studying historical medieval armor, the crap that appears on the web now, the regurgitated third and fourth hand shit cribbed out of second rate computer game manuals and passed off as actual information, makes me want to puke so hard blood squirts out my ass!

The problem is that some people can't back down when they're wrong. Their self esteem (or warped variant thereof) is too tied to their 'expertise' so they rise to any challenge rather than listening, asking questions, and analysing. There's also a real tendency among the present generation to try claiming that they've read a book when they've clearly only seen the movie. Then there's the agreeing and nodding sagely when they clearly know nothing about the subject and later repeating the information and pretending they discovered it on their own.

But the basic issue is that new gamers come from video games these days and haven't read a damn thing.

I did have two guys in my store nearly come to blows over the Arab Israeli War. One had read a lot of books and played (solitaire) a few wargames. The other had served in the Canadian armed forces and spent time in Israel and had talked with veterans of the war. Neither one could respect the type of knowledge the other had thought I think both had useful information. The problem was their egos, I'm sure the war could manage without either of them.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Shemek.

First, Merry Christmas to everyone in this thread!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Yes; agreed. I know I'm filtering people by no longer organizing game groups or convention shows; letting other people to that, so that they can have their version of reality imposed on things, has saved me a lot of stress and work over the past year. As Gronan says, no gaming is better then bad gaming, and I agree with that.

I find the "version of reality" comment worrisome and funny at the same moment, is all I can tell.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Oh CROM'S hairy nutsack, yes! As somebody who actually likes studying historical medieval armor, the crap that appears on the web now, the regurgitated third and fourth hand shit cribbed out of second rate computer game manuals and passed off as actual information, makes me want to puke so hard blood squirts out my ass!

Yeah, I know. There was a guy who tried that in the HEMA group recently in FB, I think...but I skipped the subsequent hyena packing and didn't read.

Originally Posted by David Johansen

The problem is that some people can't back down when they're wrong. Their self esteem (or warped variant thereof) is too tied to their 'expertise' so they rise to any challenge rather than listening, asking questions, and analysing.

I've seen a couple or more of these over my lifetime, too...
It's why I have adopted the saying "while you're talking, you can't listen".], which = I sometimes tell to people. Sometimes, it even causes those that are talking too much to shut up...

There's also a real tendency among the present generation to try claiming that they've read a book when they've clearly only seen the movie.

Usually it ends in everyone else laughing...

Then there's the agreeing and nodding sagely when they clearly know nothing about the subject and later repeating the information and pretending they discovered it on their own.

I don't mind those that do that to me. At least they're spreading good information!

But the basic issue is that new gamers come from video games these days and haven't read a damn thing.

Scratch "gamers" and "videogames". Replace with "people", "TV" and "Netflix".
It's stilll just as true.

I did have two guys in my store nearly come to blows over the Arab Israeli War. One had read a lot of books and played (solitaire) a few wargames. The other had served in the Canadian armed forces and spent time in Israel and had talked with veterans of the war. Neither one could respect the type of knowledge the other had thought I think both had useful information. The problem was their egos, I'm sure the war could manage without either of them.

Give them some credit - at least they knew about the Arab Israeli War!
Their respect for other people's opinion can't be commended, but at least they had some knowledge. (And it's quite possible that it wasn't just a matter of ego, but of identity, too).

Originally Posted by AsenRG

Give them some credit - at least they knew about the Arab Israeli War!
Their respect for other people's opinion can't be commended, but at least they had some knowledge. (And it's quite possible that it wasn't just a matter of ego, but of identity, too).

I was more annoyed that it almost came to blows. No exaggeration either. One of the guys involved almost never comes in any more and he was the one who spent money

Originally Posted by David Johansen

I was more annoyed that it almost came to blows. No exaggeration either.

I didn't doubt that. I've seen people fight for stupider reasons, too.

One of the guys involved almost never comes in any more and he was the one who spent money

Well, I'm sure that sucks for you as the store owner!

I'll freely admit I like the people who come in and buy stuff much better than the ones who come in, hang around, and drive other people away. I don't have a problem with people who add something by their presence but don't have any money. But if you don't have any money, why not at least try to be an asset to the community instead of an obnoxious prick? Do you know why I've never had anything shoplifted in five years of business? Because I'm a really nice guy and it's a part time store. If someone really wants something I'll find a way to help them get it. No, it's not profitable yet. It may never be. The store is really just there for product access and to defray the costs of having a really good gaming space.

Since my number one goal is to build a really good gaming community. The assholes really get on my nerves. But I still like the ones who buy stuff better than the ones that don't.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

* envy *

"Woo meeks the souse of Meekus Laycus?"

"HOLD, SIR!"

"Moo weeks the moose of..."

"YOU'RE NOT HOLDING, SIR!"

What makes this scene even better is that it's one of the outakes that got included because it was so funny. The actor playing the Roman officer is simply baffled, while Phil Silvers flubs his line and Zero Mostel steals the entire scene right out from under him.

And people talk about 'GM improvisation'... Watch enough of this kind of thing, and you'll be as good as Dave Arneson - he watched stuff like this all the time.

Today's cinematic offering on TCM was "The Robe", with Burton and Simmons phoning in their performances, and followed - in what I can only conclude was a sadistic move by the programming people - by "Ben-Hur". Parades, sea fights, and a really good chariot race. The last, by the way, can be seen if you're not into sword-and-sandal epics in a little film by a former film student who likes to do homages to great film-makers in his works.