The Traveller profession looks like it's partly based on the Bene Gesseret (spelling?) with the 'order'.

It could also be similar to the organisation in Firefly, but I don't think that was out yet.

This seems to me like it'd be significantly less unappealing as a board or card game than as an RPG.

I guess that's because, in a board or card game, the players are expected to be into the strategy and game possibilities - and the scenario certainly seems like one that would have interesting possible strategies. Whereas in an RPG the players are expected to be into playing the character.

Quote from: Age of Fable;501396The Traveller profession looks like it's partly based on the Bene Gesseret (spelling?) with the 'order'.

I think this line just sold me on Traveller. To the Ebay/RPGDT!

Quote from: Windjammer;490291Ian's games, all of them, are social parodies of contemporary Britain. The gentleman gamer realizes that what Ian does with Wizkids is that he looks to the origin of the Harry Potter craze, which is British boarding schools, and then takes that to 11. A huge part in that is the understated, repressed sexuality at British boarding school, the nervosity of teen sex, the giggling, embarassment, and what not, that J K Rowlings herself goes out of her length to never write about and yet manages to have that ooze over her pages by book 5 (4, depending on your threshold).

What IS hilarious is that things like that are skirted around in the original Rowlings book as much as in public and even peer discourse in Britain today. It's a sexually inhibited society, and as a Viennese friend of mine put it once well, if the Brits weren't notorious drunkards, they'd never muster the bravery (or inclination) to reproduce. They are so NOT interested in sex. But in talking about it - loosely. There's more ways to NOT talk about sex, and yet talk about it, in the Queen's English than in all other languages on earth, combined.

Don't believe me? Here, take this example: the infamous Austin Power clips which display hidden nudity on the screen. Because the greatest British stud alive, that champion of virility 'Bond - James - Bond' can't once in 20+ films have actual sex in the screenplay. It may only be suggested. There you have it again - Brits obsessed with suggesting, hinting at, talking about sex, but not ever doing it. It's at the core of their very odd, very funny, and fundamentally inhibited mentality.

You seem to be quite the cultural anthropologist with a clear grasp on what makes contemporary Britain tick. Of course, we all go around saying things like "Cheerio! Mary Poppins," too.

Here's another bit of British English for you - what a load of bollocks.

Quote from: km10ftp;501882You seem to be quite the cultural anthropologist with a clear grasp on what makes contemporary Britain tick. Of course, we all go around saying things like "Cheerio! Mary Poppins," too.

Really? I thought you all talked with thick Cockney accent and used word "fuck", or rather "fook" to mark a coma in a sentence.

I'd reply to this, but unfortunately I'm Australian, so I can't read.

Quote from: Age of Fable;501897I'd reply to this, but unfortunately I'm Australian, so I can't read.

I am surprised they allow PCs now in British labour camps.

Then again, I'm Polish so I must be writing this drunk.

Quote from: Rincewind1;501883Really? I thought you all talked with thick Cockney accent and used word "fuck", or rather "fook" to mark a coma in a sentence.

Ere now watch it geezer, yer 'avin' a fookin' giraffe ain'tcha.

Quote from: Age of Fable;501044That...could be seen as an insightful satire of the culture of contemporary Britain...

It was more about bad fanfic :S

Quote from: Age of Fable;501044That...could be seen as an insightful satire of the culture of contemporary Britain...

Are you willing to extend that to the Austin Power clips too? Because these clips viewed in isolation are little less juvenile than saying 'Ron jerks off'. Context sometimes matters. Imagine that.

Quote from: km10ftp;501882You seem to be quite the cultural anthropologist with a clear grasp on what makes contemporary Britain tick. Of course, we all go around saying things like "Cheerio! Mary Poppins," too.

Here's another bit of British English for you - what a load of bollocks.

Eloquence itself, I'm taken aback. You got that turn of phrase out of urban dictionary? Keep going.


I stand by my analysis.

Quote from: Windjammer;504884Eloquence itself, I'm taken aback. You got that turn of phrase out of urban dictionary? Keep going.

Eh, what? Oh, sorry I was busy getting drunk and not having sex. Let's see, where to begin...

Quote from: Windjammer;490291Ian's games, all of them, are social parodies of contemporary Britain. The gentleman gamer realizes that what Ian does with Wizkids is that he looks to the origin of the Harry Potter craze, which is British boarding schools, and then takes that to 11. A huge part in that is the understated, repressed sexuality at British boarding school, the nervosity of teen sex, the giggling, embarassment, and what not, that J K Rowlings herself goes out of her length to never write about and yet manages to have that ooze over her pages by book 5 (4, depending on your threshold).

Okay, so firstly, and rather obviously, the world of Harry Potter is in no way a representation of life in contemporary Britain. Even stripped of all overt supernatural and fantasy elements it still represents a romanticized idyll of a bygone era that simply never was. Mostly just a recycling of Enid Blyton's stories for children where cream teas and lashings of ginger beer are the norm. In the real world only around 6.5% of UK children attend independent (mostly boarding) schools. It is a barely significant part of out culture.

Also, the 'Harry Potter craze' is a global phenomenon. You seem to imply that the great success of the franchise is due primarily to us Brits recognizing ourselves in the characters and taking them to our hearts yet the UK makes up only a fraction of the total market. I would argue that the awkwardness of adolescence, be it around sex or whatever else, is a universal theme. It is not culture specific.

Quote from: Windjammer;490291But here's the key thing, and the disconnect to US readers.

As I say, a universal theme. No disconnect, lots and lots of American Harry Potter fans.

Quote from: Windjammer;490291What IS hilarious is that things like that are skirted around in the original Rowlings book as much as in public and even peer discourse in Britain today. It's a sexually inhibited society, and as a Viennese friend of mine put it once well, if the Brits weren't notorious drunkards, they'd never muster the bravery (or inclination) to reproduce.

Well some pretty offensive generalizations about my culture but, hey, at least you've provided some evidence to back up your argument. Let's see... ah, yes it's a clip from Harry Enfield's comedy show. Really?

Okay, so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you do actually realize that this is a comedy clip and not some genuine public information film footage.

I would have thought that it would require only moderate intelligence to realize that this is character comedy and not in any way intended to be a cutting piece of social satire. As evidence provided to support your rather casual racism I feel that it is hardly going to wow academia as a 'primary source'.

Quote from: Windjammer;490291Here, take this example: the infamous Austin Power clips which display hidden nudity on the screen. Because the greatest British stud alive, that champion of virility 'Bond - James - Bond' can't once in 20+ films have actual sex in the screenplay. It may only be suggested. There you have it again - Brits obsessed with suggesting, hinting at, talking about sex, but not ever doing it. It's at the core of their very odd, very funny, and fundamentally inhibited mentality.

So some more evidence. What have we got this time? Oh... Austin Powers. Sigh, well, it's hardly A. J. P. Taylor,  is it?

What to say, apart from the obvious. Okay, so first this film was made by a Canadian who likes to imagine that he's Scottish (he isn't) and that this gives him some insight into British culture (it doesn't).

Also, Austin Powers, is a parody of 60s spy movies. That's as in 1960s, as in roughly half a century ago. The yeah baby groovy faux sixtiesness of it oozes out of every pore. In British cinema in the sixties there was a lot of innuendo and sex was mostly implied because that is all the censors would allow. Hence, the scene you reference is basically an affectionate homage to the films of a more innocent age. There is nothing in it that sheds any light on contemporary British culture.

Quote from: Windjammer;490291Basically, Courtesans is about everything in Victorian England except the sexual act itself. Grok that and you've grokked Britain.

Victorian England does not equal Britain.

Pip, pip cheerio.

Quote from: km10ftp;504962Okay, so firstly, and rather obviously, the world of Harry Potter is in no way a representation of life in contemporary Britain. Even stripped of all overt supernatural and fantasy elements it still represents a romanticized idyll of a bygone era that simply never was. Mostly just a recycling of Enid Blyton's stories for children where cream teas and lashings of ginger beer are the norm. In the real world only around 6.5% of UK children attend independent (mostly boarding) schools. It is a barely significant part of out culture.

After this drivel I stopped reading.

I agree that Hogwarts isn't exactly all of Britain. But Hogwarts and the teenage urge to bang is rather spot on to represent that part of Britain it's about - boarding school. Here's Bryanston, where I frequented a summer camp at the height of the Potter craze. It was all of the above I described. And it has zero to do with "lashings of ginger beer" and what other antiquated colloquialisms you dragged out of your dictionary.

We understand now that you speak up in protest of the un(der)represented 93.5% of UK adolescence. May I suggest you pick up Chav: the Knifing instead?

Quote from: Windjammer;505034I agree that Hogwarts isn't exactly all of Britain.

Hogwarts isn't any of Britain, y'know, because it's not real.

Quote from: Windjammer;505034We understand now that you speak up in protest of the un(der)represented 93.5% of UK adolescence. May I suggest you pick up Chav: the Knifing instead?

Yep, that's right every other young person in Britain (not counting the ones at wizard school) is a chav. Well done once again.

(Who is 'We' by the way? Is it the royal 'we' as in "we appear to have our head stuck right up our own ass"?)

Quote from: km10ftp;504962Victorian England does not equal Britain.

Pip, pip cheerio.

Well, just as the 19th Century doesn't equal America, but we still have a major political party that bases its entire platform on that premise.  

JG

Actually both posts there are off by 100 years.

It's late 18th century for both the default setting and the Republican Party want to take us back to.

The difference between 18th and 19th Century was that in the 18th people proudly flaunted their hypocracy.

Upper class people like Lister and Byron were in dedicated homosexual relationships whilst working class people were hanging for one offs with the same sex.

The Bishop of Southwark was preaching against vice and immorality whilst managing Britians only ever prostitute liscening scheme.

That to me sounds a lot like the Republican party and modern conservative Britain.