thread: 2005-12-03 : Closing GNS and RPG Theory is Good
On 2005-12-13, Steve Marsh (Ethesis) wrote:
Very little. I came on late, got told that I'd made a gross error by posting to threads that looked open but were too old (I'd misunderstood) and then the theory boards closed.
I read a lot, though. Got pointed to some essays, some I really liked, and then read things thing linked to. Probably read a couple hundred screens before posting.
But, as I read, over and over I saw collections of: read these posts—combined with—these posts are closed and comments on them violates the social contract of the Forge.
Closing the theory forum from posts only solidified that.
So, as a latecomer, what I saw was:
Want to discuss something: go read this thread, but do not post on it and do not thread from it (threading from it would be to add a post linking to a new post).
But, the more I looked, the more I concluded that the Forge was right in closing the theory board and encouraging people to discuss their experiences from actual play.
Anyway, post 30 is how it looked to me as I came in, looked around, read a lot, followed things and tried to join in. I confess that I'm already getting bored. The one thing I do want to do is spend some times with Dogs in the Vineyard.
I like redemptionist threads and the rules set seems nicely aimed at generating settings that allow for that type of situation.
Further, I've an old design, Mistworld, that had undead demons very much like the ones in DitV. DitV structures something I had very much wanted to do, but had not gotten around to doing (I was having too much fun with an "active" magic system with real counterspells, and with spells that you could avoid by running out of range if you got a start on them). Then I got seriously distracted (which is how I refer to burying three children over five years).
I'd given up on FRPGs for a while. I've started to play again, once in a blue moon, with an old friend (the guy who was the GM for the first campaign I played in), Heroquest finally came out and Deluxe Basic Role Playing is due "any time now."
Anyway, that's my perspective, having seen a lot of APAzines, a lot of mainstream game companies and a lot of message boards (back in the non-internet days).
But I like DitV. Reminds me of when I discovered D&D. I'd been trying to build an FRPG since about '68 when I thought of it in Jr. High School (Middle School to you kids). Hadn't gotten very far, board games were easier to do and I'd missed minatures.
Anyway, there is a structure there I like, in the way it generates scenarios, and I may stick around to just keep reading more.
Steve
ethesis@aol.com
http://adrr.com/story/
http://adrr.com/living/
This makes MB go "Dude..."
Condolences on the 'distraction' Can't begin to fathom that.
