The Starport Dive

[terrymixon]

FYI, I'm heading into a busy (and probably) August. I have a number of medical appointments coming up, as well as a procedure scheduled this month, plus a friend has just gone into hospice, and there's a week long business trip scheduled for the end of the month. I'm going to be very spotty in attendance.

I think I'm going to have to put some games on hiatus maybe drop out of one or two as well, JTLYK.

If you have no objections, I'll lightly NPC you when you're unavailable and you can pick back up when you can. If you have to drop out, I'll be sad, but I understand. Do what you need to do, and we'll support you.

[Tiglath]

FYI, I'm heading into a busy (and probably) August. I have a number of medical appointments coming up, as well as a procedure scheduled this month, plus a friend has just gone into hospice, and there's a week long business trip scheduled for the end of the month. I'm going to be very spotty in attendance.

I think I'm going to have to put some games on hiatus maybe drop out of one or two as well, JTLYK.

Happy trails and hope all goes well.

[Thumper]

Agree that was a touchy bit of role play. Well done Terry.

BTW, I fully expected and planned for the expulsion vote to fail...and that was intended to be the end of the conflict. I just felt that both sides dug in so hard and very damning language was expressed that it was completely illogical for one side the argument to just suddenly have a big change of heart, kiss and make up. Decisions have consequences in real life. I role played that to a logical conclusion...in my mind.

"All I ever needed to know, I learned in Kindergarden" is still a truism. But boys who get in fights, tend to knock each other down, look at each other, spit in their hands, shake, brush the dirt off, and become friends again.

An eventful round I thought.

[Thumper]

Eris,
Good luck with all you have going. Especially the medical procedure.

I have been at it non-stop for weeks. My day job taking me all over the world, my business suddenly expanding in unexpected ways and in separate expected ways...and driving me into a cross-country move (for you Brits, it's like moving from London to Moscow), buying and selling houses, a million logistical and legal business issues.

Yesterday was a fortunate day to have a rowdy dialogue and a peppy pace. I can probably post a couple time a day for the foreseeable future, but not like yesterday. Please feel free to NPC me as needed to keep the story moving.

[terrymixon]

That was intense and I doubt we’ll get that peppy again in the near future. Well, until the space pirates show up.

[Tiglath]

BTW, I fully expected and planned for the expulsion vote to fail...and that was intended to be the end of the conflict. I just felt that both sides dug in so hard and very damning language was expressed that it was completely illogical for one side the argument to just suddenly have a big change of heart, kiss and make up. Decisions have consequences in real life. I role played that to a logical conclusion...in my mind.

"All I ever needed to know, I learned in Kindergarden" is still a truism. But boys who get in fights, tend to knock each other down, look at each other, spit in their hands, shake, brush the dirt off, and become friends again.

Fwiw for context Garvin was persuaded by Roscoe's speeches which showed his "humanity" (and the revelation from Metz that he was possibly "mirroring" Garvin) and not the posts that chronologically preceded his change of heart in the thread valid though they were.

Your post above is all well and good (and I'm sure entirely well intentioned) but where have you left me to go in game? Walt serially insults possibly the most violent man in the room, continues to pick a fight accusing him of lying and bigotry (despite what Garvin knows about Walt!!!) and then vindictively attempts to vote him off the ship.

"Yeah, I shot at you but knew I would miss" isn't the most persuasive de-escalating argument! And can't apply IC. You think it just ends there and the PCs would reset? As you say above that would be "completely illogical" and yet you've more or less painted me into that corner in game. In the adult world (which we are attempting to model) the Kindergarten rule doesn't apply to that kind of serially offensive behaviour. I get that you were pursuing a noble goal IC but in this instance I think you went in too hard and in doing so limited rather than opened up possibilities in game.

By all means enjoy your gaming but please leave other folk some room to have fun too.

[Eris]

FYI, I'm heading into a busy (and probably) August. I have a number of medical appointments coming up, as well as a procedure scheduled this month, plus a friend has just gone into hospice, and there's a week long business trip scheduled for the end of the month. I'm going to be very spotty in attendance.

I think I'm going to have to put some games on hiatus maybe drop out of one or two as well, JTLYK.

If you have no objections, I'll lightly NPC you when you're unavailable and you can pick back up when you can. If you have to drop out, I'll be sad, but I understand. Do what you need to do, and we'll support you.

That's fine with me Terry.

The middle of the month is when most of the stuff's going to be happening. Three doctor's appointments and then a procedure. The procedure is out-patient, but they'll have to put me out and I'll probably be "not in the mood to write posts" for a day or two. I've got a kidney stone that is stuck in the ureter and they have to go in to get it out, put in a stent, and then later go after 3 more stones up in my kidney. So, far I've had a little discomfort, but nothing like what passing a stone is supposed to feel like and all the CT scans show the stone is lodged and urine is only 'leaking' around it on that side...problematic to leave it in there say the MDs, need to get it out before big, more bad stuff happens in there.

I'm not planning to drop out of this game and I want to keep Spinward Marches going, though my participation in each is going to be slow from time to time. The others I'm going to ask about putting on Hiatus for a month or two.

[Thumper]

Ok, I will definitely think deeply on that.

Just some additional input. What may be missing from this discussion is that the GM specifically said several times OOC and IC that Roscoe and Metz would not stay where they were unwanted. IC, during GM’s private conversations with Walt, they were both making plans to leave…the exact conditions of which were not made clear to me IC or OOC. “Razor’s edge” is a PM quote from the GM to me. Walt had vowed to leave the Guild if they did. GM finally amended his position to accept Roscoe’s potential acceptance of anthropomorphic form only…but with GM warnings of future consequences, because he was backed into a corner. Until the big change of heart, Roscoe and Doc communicated to Walt that they were in the very position Walt in turn put Garvin into. I am guilty…I think and feel that you and others committed the same sin. Your turn in attitude was not very clearly communicated in post.

So, yes, Walt was acting in public with PM information. I did as you said. I’m sorry I didn’t just suddenly end it.

I have no desire to carry this on into real life or in game.

If you prefer, I will resign from the game and wish you all the merriest of role playing.

[terrymixon]

FYI, I'm heading into a busy (and probably) August. I have a number of medical appointments coming up, as well as a procedure scheduled this month, plus a friend has just gone into hospice, and there's a week long business trip scheduled for the end of the month. I'm going to be very spotty in attendance.

I think I'm going to have to put some games on hiatus maybe drop out of one or two as well, JTLYK.

If you have no objections, I'll lightly NPC you when you're unavailable and you can pick back up when you can. If you have to drop out, I'll be sad, but I understand. Do what you need to do, and we'll support you.

That's fine with me Terry.

The middle of the month is when most of the stuff's going to be happening. Three doctor's appointments and then a procedure. The procedure is out-patient, but they'll have to put me out and I'll probably be "not in the mood to write posts" for a day or two. I've got a kidney stone that is stuck in the ureter and they have to go in to get it out, put in a stent, and then later go after 3 more stones up in my kidney. So, far I've had a little discomfort, but nothing like what passing a stone is supposed to feel like and all the CT scans show the stone is lodged and urine is only 'leaking' around it on that side...problematic to leave it in there say the MDs, need to get it out before big, more bad stuff happens in there.

I'm not planning to drop out of this game and I want to keep Spinward Marches going, though my participation in each is going to be slow from time to time. The others I'm going to ask about putting on Hiatus for a month or two.

I've had a kidney stone, so I feel your pain. Or perhaps more since yours isn't hurting too much.

Get better and I'll gently steer you along when it seems you're away. No worries.

[terrymixon]

Ok, I will definitely think deeply on that.

Just some additional input. What may be missing from this discussion is that the GM specifically said several times OOC and IC that Roscoe and Metz would not stay where they were unwanted. IC, during GM’s private conversations with Walt, they were both making plans to leave…the exact conditions of which were not made clear to me IC or OOC. “Razor’s edge” is a PM quote from the GM to me. Walt had vowed to leave the Guild if they did. GM finally amended his position to accept Roscoe’s potential acceptance of anthropomorphic form only…but with GM warnings of future consequences, because he was backed into a corner. Until the big change of heart, Roscoe and Doc communicated to Walt that they were in the very position Walt in turn put Garvin into. I am guilty…I think and feel that you and others committed the same sin. Your turn in attitude was not very clearly communicated in post.

So, yes, Walt was acting in public with PM information. I did as you said. I’m sorry I didn’t just suddenly end it.

I have no desire to carry this on into real life or in game.

If you prefer, I will resign from the game and wish you all the merriest of role playing.

To be clear, when I'm RPing the NPCs, what they say may not be the whole story and they can change their minds, too. As far as altering things so Roscoe was only in his android form, I don't recall being so hardcore. The intent was that if someone wanted him off the ship, he would go. Would he make a conciliatory gesture to stay by being purged from the computer? I'm not sure that came up and may have been offered in the heat of roleplaying. Don't take everything as gospel or as written in stone. Gotta roll with the punches.

Personally, I'd rather you not resign as I think this is just a bump in the road, but I'll respect whatever decision you come to.

[Tiglath]

I have no desire to carry this on into real life or in game.

If you prefer, I will resign from the game and wish you all the merriest of role playing.

We're all here to have fun so please don't deny yourself that.

There's the well worn statistic of Albert Mehrabian, a researcher of body language, who first broke down the components of a face-to-face conversation. He found that communication is 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and 7% words only.

So, as per probability, by playing PbP we have next to no chance of communicating successfully!

I try to bear that in mind whilst acknowledging that I am a grumpy old grognard and so constantly try to remind myself to think the best of people when interpreting posts. We're all nice guys - for goodness' sakes we play old RPGs via PbP! Equally when quite properly advocating on behalf of an RPG persona and their imagined agendas and motives we add ever more complexity to diminish the small percentage of "words only" communication as above and there's little or no way to detect a good faith misinterpretation.

Where I've gone wrong before is failing to consider the "tone" of a typed post whereby what sounds one way in my head translates entirely differently to the reader. I've found this can compound a mis reading post "spiral" but can be cured at source by literally stating the obvious (to the author) tone/intent as an OOC note.

"Bump in the road" sums things nicely. Given the medium they are surely inevitable. Let's go forward and enjoy the game!

[terrymixon]

Also remember that I, the great and terrible GM, pushed this encounter hard to create some roleplaying strife. I played a role in raising the tensions and the pressure. I fully accept my part of the blame in putting you all into the pressure cooker. Now the steam has vented, and we can see how dinner turned out. Let's sit down and enjoy it.

[Thumper]

Fair enough. I’m pretty certain this group of creative people can find a way for all the characters to slowly back off the hostilities and make things better. Might be a gradual process.

[helvorn]

I think the role-playing was honest and intense. I'd rather not see it bleed over to the players and absolutely not see anyone feel the need to leave because of it

[terrymixon]

I think the role-playing was honest and intense. I'd rather not see it bleed over to the players and absolutely not see anyone feel the need to leave because of it

Here, here. Now go vote on stuff so we can saddle you with all the work.

[helvorn]

I'm getting all the work in both games! I should've played a crazy Vargr…

[terrymixon]

I'm getting all the work in both games! I should've played a crazy Vargr…

Missed opportunities. At least I'll take back over once we're out of the system. Until then, I should go shopping with the girls.

[Tiglath]

Missed opportunities. At least I'll take back over once we're out of the system. Until then, I should go shopping with the girls.

If you're familiar with the work of Father Ted you'll be aware of the inherent danger of becoming lost in the lingerie department...

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[terrymixon]

lol!

[terrymixon]

I just noticed that the Fifth Frontier War kicks off in two and a half years. That's gonna scramble the Marches. I wonder how I can roll some of that into the campaign? Well, the lead up to it, anyway.