Quote from: David R;333064Seriously Ed, what gives?

I told you. I'm being completely serious. He's looking for a windmill of his own.

Seanchai

I truly believe that not everyone has the creativity and/or dedication to be a GM.
Does that make me an elitist? I don't really think so.

Not everyone is cut out to play guitar and engage in solos for the band. It doesn't stop me from wishing everyone would try a bunch of instruments at some point, to see if that's their thing or not. If that's their thing, they will play music and I'll have something to listen to, someone to play with, and/or more variety in local bands. If not, that's fine too. At least they will know it's not their thing.

I don't think it's elitism. It's factual.

Quote from: Benoist;333080I truly believe that not everyone has the creativity and/or dedication to be a GM.
Does that make me an elitist? I don't really think so.

Not everyone has the creativity and dedication needed to be a good full-time DM. Anyone can run a session or two. Presumably this kit was to encourage people to try their hand at running a session. No big deal.

Quote from: Fifth Element;333082Not everyone has the creativity and dedication needed to be a good full-time DM. Anyone can run a session or two. Presumably this kit was to encourage people to try their hand at running a session. No big deal.

Agreed. Never seen the kit personally, so I can't judge the contents.

Quote from: Fifth Element;333082..................... Anyone can run a session or two. ....................

No, they can't.

 Thats just not true.

Gaming is not a Harrison Bergeron exercise in making everybody equal or believing they have equal abilities and talents.

- Ed C.




For those who might not know the reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron

I think that, with the right advice, and the right people to push, anyone can run a few sessions. I know, because this is what happened in my last campaign. My better half took on the DMing responsibilities for a few sessions, and it was a blast. I don't really think that's her favorite side of the screen, but she wants to run Grimm for me now. We haven't gotten around to it yet.

Quote from: Koltar;333086No, they can't.

 Thats just not true.

Gaming is not a Harrison Bergeron exercise in making everybody equal or believing they have equal abilities and talents.

- Ed C.




For those who might not know the reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron

Hey thanks for quoting the Pundit quoting someone famous. But everyone can run a game. Thats not to say everyone will do worth a shit or be a good DM. But they can run a game. Some people might even surprise you. Being far better than you expected. Who the fuck are you to judge who can DM and who can not? Who made you commissar grognard of gaming?

Quote from: Ronin;333091Who the fuck are you to judge who can DM and who can not? Who made you commissar grognard of gaming?

Some people perform a mind meld with Gary Gygax every evening through a Ouija Board, to get eternal godly wisdom about who can DM and who cannot.  

Quote from: Koltar;333086No, they can't.

 Thats just not true.

Gaming is not a Harrison Bergeron exercise in making everybody equal or believing they have equal abilities and talents.

That's a wilful misrepresentation of my posts. It has nothing to do with everyone being equal. I stated plainly that some people are better than others at running games, and that some people lack the tools needed to run a long-term game. Running a session or two? Anyone can do it. Or to be more precise, anyone with an interest in the RPG being run can do it. The point is, DMing a session just isn't that difficult.

I know a lot of DMs believe that they're special snowflakes because of their god-given talents, and that not just any rube can take up the viking-hatted mantle of the mighty DM. But that's just not true.

Quote from: Fifth Element;333077Wow, now you're going to rpg.net for validation?

Many people love to cherry pick information that supports their own particular point of view and/or argument, while discounting or outright ignoring information which does not support their own point of view and/or argument.  It's human nature.

It is better known as the confirmation bias.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

Quote from: ggroy;333100Many people love to cherry pick information that supports their own particular point of view and/or argument, while discounting or outright ignoring information which does not support their own point of view and/or argument.  It's human nature.

It is better known as the confirmation bias.

Oh yes, I just though it was particularly strange to use rpg.net as support on this forum.

Quote from: Fifth Element;333097Running a session or two? Anyone can do it. Or to be more precise, anyone with an interest in the RPG being run can do it.

Or even more to the point, anyone should get to try running a game, right? Who could argue with that?

So I read that little pamphlet. It's linked upthread. Honestly, it reads like six pages of Fuck This, so I can understand the initial reaction Koltar had, in spirit if not in specifics, but it also reads a lot like other 4e material so I might not be the best judge of the audience. The role of the document is sort of confusing, though. The four pages of content are purely introductory stuff, like, My Second D&D Adventure. But, the cards assume you are pretty familiar with the system, or at least you're good at figuring out combat systems – you may not have run anything before but you know what combat advantage is, what exactly "dazed" means, what Dungeoneering does, etc. So it's kind of for newbies but not? I can see why it might not have been a big hit.

Quote from: jeff37923;332968Because shitbag, you had the temerity to attempt to elevate your behavior in ranting above Koltar's, when you are no better.

You shilled for ENWorld, attempted to improve your position on that forum by trying to denigrate this one on ENWorld's daughter forum of Circvs Maximvs.

Fuck off, hypocrite.

You're behaving pretty foolishly.

Essentially you are saying I cannot criticize a post by someone here, because I have reposted a post from someone else to another board (and letting them know I was doing that).  It's a completely asinine claim.

HOW did I "elevate my position" on CM by reposting a post from here?  How is that "Shilling for EnWorld" (which isn't even where I posted it)? And how is my criticizing Koltar's opinion a hypocritical thing to do if I reposted someone else's post to CM?

Seriously, your claims makes no sense at all.  I doubt they even make sense to you, and certainly not to anyone else.

Is it really too much to ask that you actually try and make a point with all this blather?

Quote from: Halfjack;333040Keep in mind that there is no indication that Microsoft paid anything like $90 million. The suit was for $90 million, but the settlement was out-of-court and not disclosed. That also probably means it's not precedent-setting. I doubt MMOs are in any kind of serious trouble.

Like I said, this isn't even the most recent "but that would effect every online game in the world!" patent troll to go after MMOs, it's just the first one in a while with the stones enough to go after the big boys.

Personally, I'm waiting for all these bogus patent trolls to get enough ill-gotten settlement money to start suing each other.

Quote from: Koltar;333086No, they can't.

 Thats just not true.

Gaming is not a Harrison Bergeron exercise in making everybody equal or believing they have equal abilities and talents.

- Ed C.




For those who might not know the reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron

I've long thought that the Pundit / Koltar crowd were simply Swine looking down on other Swine, and once again Koltar provides further evidence that such is the case.

Part of the objection to the Swine is that they are egotistical elitists who think their method of gaming is the One True Way of gaming, and it takes someone of high intelligence and skill and talent to know that.

And here is Koltar, again expressing that he knows the One True Way.  That DMing is somehow a mysterious thing which only those with the special talents and skills and intelligence can master and pull off.  Not just "anyone" can or should try to DM.

Anyone can become a decent DM, Koltar.  There is no mystery to it.  World Creation is not something you need to be born to be able to do.  It's something anyone can learn, and encouraging more people to learn how to do it is a wise thing for the industry and its fans.  The smug elitism you portray, where only the elect few can do it, is not a wise thing for the industry or its fans.

Just a pig with lipstick, that's all Koltar is.