anyway.

Heya,

Count me in as a new trench fighter.  I have two games that have won a Ronny and a third that I like better than either.  I will bring them to the market, and I'll be right there with you and Ron to help bring over as many refugees as possible.

/salute

-Troy

I think you're confounding who's got whose back.

Little do they know, my trophies are fingernails and boogers!

Those essays are awesome. Shocking. Hysterical. Awesome.

-L

Matt: "I think you're confounding who's got whose back."

Either way!

I'm so glad he's posting these. I wish I could say I knew they were coming, but I didn't.

Without spending some time with me, it's hard to get how incredible those first days on Gaming Outpost and starting the Forge were for me, how much they meant to me, and, really, how much I miss them all the time.

Ron taught me that I can build stuff. That's pretty unrepayable.

"They never quite understand Vincent's particular smile at these times."

*snerk*

I keep finding myself going back to them, rereading, and giggling uncontrollably.  They are so awesome.

They are funny as hell, I have to give Ron that.

Funny as hell and he's a sweet-talking flatterer, that guy.

I love the bluster of the people who don't really realize that he's kicked their ASSES, too.

Hell, I know I've worn "that dress" in the past.  I think, for me, the last year was recognition of the blasted landscape, and though many people are there... there's no real chance for anything to grow over there.

It's taken me all day to realize what all of the fighting was about.  One comment, and *click*.

My scars are all pretty old, and there was a long time I was out of the fight completely, an armchair general fighting the fight by reading the articles.  I'm still not completely back in it, and I'm starting to think I might be done with fighting; I'm just here to play.

I've buried a few friends, and there are a few I'm trying to bring over.

Just call me...umm...one of the kids eating the gruel.

Hah, got your back, sarge!

I'm totally the new kid who either:

1) Saves everyone's butt, contrary to expectations.
2) Dies horribly and senselessly.

or

3) Both.

yrs—
—Ben

Am I the only one who's a little creeped out by these stories?

I mean, people will always fight over art and maybe even relish the fight from time to time, but lately it almost seems like Mr. Edwards prefers the fight to the art. That would be a real shame, since his contribution to the art is so great.

The stories are fun for all you guys who are in the club, I guess. And there's nothing wrong with that. I've got to admit they go mostly over my head. If I stared at them long enough they might resolve, like a 3-d picture of a sailboat, but I suspect all that would do is confirm that I'm not one of the cool kids.

Judging by the Forge-replies, the Euros are worried Ron's fascist.
Will he bother to deny it?
Others are worried they'll be judged unfit by the Revolution.

Duke it out, volunteers.

I feel more like Yossarian the draftee.

Maybe if I get ambitious, I'll pull a Humphrey Bogart/Milo Minderbender/Lando Calrissian & open a profitable backroom casino under your noses. Games games games!  Win a chunk of your hard-earned territory fair & square—playing poker.  Then sell out?
The most-hated names in rpgs are all rich, I've noticed.

I watched 'Reign Of Fire' recently.  Vincent = Quinn. Ron = Van Zan.

Most rpg geeks think that Dragons are kinda kewl.

I can't figure exactly why, but for some reason I just love that I'm only seen as a war cry in the night.

The Euros may be forgiven for thinking an American war-themed story has fascist underpinnings, especially in this day and age.

However, if they look at my imagery a little more carefully, and think back a few decades, they may see some other things.

Think of the opposition to Franco during the Spanish Civil War, especially the many volunteers from around the world, as well as the Basques of that time.

Think of the Ossis defying the Stasi by marching in the streets of Leipzig. (My apologies in advance to those citizens of the former DDR who resent the term "Ossi." As I see it, it deserves respect.)

Think of Che Guevara. For Americans, try just for a minute, very hard, to remember that the Viet Cong were human beings.

Heh. You guys are only waking up now to where I'm coming from?

Okay, I'll admit, I've been pretty seriously burned out on the Forge lately. Which is part of the reason I haven't posted much at all in quite a while.

Ron's new essays and the chat that's followed have caused my head to click back onto the Forge, I think.

It seems to me that now is exactly the right time to shut down the theory forums. Not in a year, not in six months, but tomorrow or the next day (or, hell, right now). Actual Play and Actual Sales, that's what the Forge is all about. Not jam tomorrow, but jam today. Or as Chris has been saying lately, Fun Now.

Actual Play. Actual Sales.

("Euros"? Is that a common term? To me, it signifies a currency.) No, if I was worried Ron was a fascist, I wouldn't be anywhere near the Forge. You can agitate without being a fascist.

I'm one of the guys who took a bullet, was it from from Ron and or from Ralph. Afterwards I snuck out of the MASH unit, crossed no-mans land and fell into Luke's foxhole.

We fought, a few holy cows died, and I followed the cable into my own foxhole. All insulated and warm.

Which is good. Cause the northern front is cold.

We norse get you imagery Ron.

And we're greatful for the ammo dumps. They allow us to bring new people over the line. One by one.