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Author Topic: An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit  (Read 2297 times)

Mordred Pendragon

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« on: May 04, 2018, 02:23:12 PM »
So, recent events have made me seriously doubt my presence on this forum. I would have abandoned ship completely had it not been for Spinachat inspiring me to stay for a little while longer.

Maybe I can talk some sense and through the power of reason, set things right.

Pundit, I like you. I really do, even if we have our disagreements. i admire your dedication to free speech and our shared love of the OSR. In fact, I envy you in that regard. You successfully published several OSR games, and I aspire to do the same one day.

But this whole D&DGate nonsense has got to stop. The last thing the RPG hobby needs is another GamerGate-style fiasco. All that will do is attract even more unwanted attention from the SJW's and Neo-Bolsheviks on the Regressive Left, and ultimately vindicate RPG.net, a wretched hive of Goths, Punks, Hipsters, Commies, and other regressive scum.

Do you want to get even more leftists barking at you? Because that's what will happen if you invoke the spirit of GamerGate in the RPG hobby. You'll be playing directly into Big Purple's hands. These Neo-Bolshevik fucks still haven't quit whining about GamerGate, even though it's been dead since 2015 and everyone else has stopped caring, even the most adamant Pro-GamerGate people have moved on. But the SJW's are still raving on and on about it. They think GamerGate is some internet version of the Waffen-SS or the Illuminati or some crap, don't fuel their delusions.

Your idea for a D&DGate movement will only fan the flames more and it will end badly. And with the recent bannings of several forum regulars, many of whom leaned conservative and were generally in your political camp (such as Ulairi and fearsomepirate), I am worried that you will become the very thing you hate and this site will turn into a Right-Wing version of RPG.net

I know deep down that is not what you really want. You may like the online attention and controversy you are getting now, but it will be bad for you and bad for the hobby in the long run.

Pundit, you are better than the Gothic-Punk communist scumbags at RPG.net, and you should always keep that in mind. Hold true to your morals and principles of free speech and free expression. Don't just ban users for disagreeing with you or for getting into petty squabbles with you.

Banning people for mere disagreement is what the guyliner-wearing swine at RPG.net do, and I know you and I are both in agreement in how much we hate those guys. Seriously, those twinkle-toed Anarcho-Communist pricks are incontrovertible proof that Punk Rock was a mistake.

All I ask of you is that you get back to your roots and rediscover your love of gaming and free expression. Forget about being a lightning rod for online political controversy and instead run a game or join a game.

Sit back, relax, stop getting worked up over political controversies (some of which you have injected yourself into), and instead of focusing on D&DGate, why don't you play a D&D game with me or any of your established gaming buddies? Remember, the whole point of RPG's is to have fun. It's about fun and creativity, not gatekeeping and political grandstanding.

So, I say forget about this idea for an RPG equivalent of GamerGate, and instead just play some games. Smoke some cigars, drink a glass of your favorite whiskey, listen to some Creedence Clearwater Revival, relax, and play some D&D or something.

Get your game on and go play! Live long and prosper, be happy!

The best way to stick it to the SJW Leftists in our hobby is to ignore them and be successful and happy despite their whining.

Living well is the best revenge.
« Last Edit: May 05, 2018, 10:25:12 AM by Doc Sammy »
Sic Semper Tyrannis

Crawford Tillinghast

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2018, 06:44:10 AM »
Quote from: Doc Sammy;1037534
So, recent events have made me seriously doubt my presence on this forum. I would have abandoned ship completely had it not been for Spinachat inspiring me to stay for a little while longer.

Maybe I can talk some sense and through the power of reason, set things right.

Your idea for a D&DGate movement will only fan the flames more and it will end badly. And with the recent bannings of several forum regulars, many of whom leaned conservative and were generally in your political camp (such as Ulairi and fearsomepirate), I am worried that you will become the very thing you hate and this site will turn into a Right-Wing version of RPG.net

Pundit, you are better than the Gothic-Punk communist scumbags at RPG.net, and you should always keep that in mind. Hold true to your morals and principles of free speech and free expression. Don't just ban users for disagreeing with you or for getting into petty squabbles with you.

Banning people for mere disagreement is what the guyliner-wearing swine at RPG.net do, and I know you and I are both in agreement in how much we hate those guys. Seriously, those twinkle-toed Anarcho-Communist pricks are incontrovertible proof that Punk Rock was a mistake.

The best way to stick it to the SJW Leftists in our hobby is to ignore them and be successful and happy despite their whining.

Living well is the best revenge.


Sammy,
I think yours is the letter all of us would have liked to write to RpgNET:  How much we dislike the policies there, and our disappointment in the moderators who enforce those policies with such verve.  But why bother?  A post like this (even without the purple prose) would simply be locked as a "press conference" and a curt "We don't take third party appeals."  Followed up by a note in Infraction of a three month ban for "sass".  If the post wasn't the first time, then it would be a "not a good fit..." reply.

That is the essential difference.  Let's look at the two bannings you pointed out.  Here's my recollection of the thread (It's not like we can't go back and look, right?)

"Don't go there!"
"Are you trying to get banned?"
"This is how you get banned, drop it."
"Last warning."
"OK, if you insist."

Which is a lot different from "AH!  My Sacred Cow! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! BANNED!"  That is SOP on most boards.

So while Pundy is...eccentric, I really don't see the Nietche's Abyss that others do.

jeff37923

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2018, 07:16:54 AM »
Quote from: Doc Sammy;1037534
So, recent events have made me seriously doubt my presence on this forum. I would have abandoned ship completely had it not been for Spinachat inspiring me to stay for a little while longer.

Maybe I can talk some sense and through the power of reason, set things right.

Pundit, I like you. I really do, even if we have our disagreements. i admire your dedication to free speech and our shared love of the OSR. In fact, I envy you in that regard. You successfully published several OSR games, and I aspire to do the same one day.

But this whole D&DGate nonsense has got to stop. The last thing the RPG hobby needs is another GamerGate-style fiasco. All that will do is attract even more unwanted attention from the SJW's and Neo-Bolsheviks on the Regressive Left, and ultimately vindicate RPG.net, a wretched hive of Goths, Punks, Hipsters, Commies, and other regressive scum.

Do you want to get even more leftists barking at you? Because that's what will happen if you invoke the spirit of GamerGate in the RPG hobby. You'll be playing directly into Big Purple's hands. These Neo-Bolshevik fucks still haven't quit whining about GamerGate, even though it's been dead since 2015 and everyone else has stopped caring, even the most adamant Pro-GamerGate people have moved on. But the SJW's are still raving on and on about it. They think GamerGate is some internet version of the Waffen-SS or the Illuminati or some crap, don't fuel their delusions.

Your idea for a D&DGate movement will only fan the flames more and it will end badly. And with the recent bannings of several forum regulars, many of whom leaned conservative and were generally in your political camp (such as Ulairi and fearsomepirate), I am worried that you will become the very thing you hate and this site will turn into a Right-Wing version of RPG.net

I know deep down that is not what you really want. You may like the online attention and controversy you are getting now, but it will be bad for you and bad for the hobby in the long run.

Pundit, you are better than the Gothic-Punk communist scumbags at RPG.net, and you should always keep that in mind. Hold true to your morals and principles of free speech and free expression. Don't just ban users for disagreeing with you or for getting into petty squabbles with you.

Banning people for mere disagreement is what the guyliner-wearing swine at RPG.net do, and I know you and I are both in agreement in how much we hate those guys. Seriously, those twinkle-toed Anarcho-Communist pricks are incontrovertible proof that Punk Rock was a mistake.

All I ask of you is that you get back to your roots and rediscover your love of gaming and free expression. Forget about being a lightning rod for online political controversy and instead run a game or join a game. Hell, I'll even send you an invitation for a gonzo OSR game I am planning. You're welcome to join if you want.

https://rpgpub.com/threads/play-by-post-od-d-osr-in-the-autumn-woods.1270/

Sit back, relax, stop getting worked up over political controversies (some of which you have injected yourself into), and instead of focusing on D&DGate, why don't you play a D&D game with me or any of your established gaming buddies? Remember, the whole point of RPG's is to have fun. It's about fun and creativity, not gatekeeping and political grandstanding.

So, I say forget about this idea for an RPG equivalent of GamerGate, and instead just play some games. Smoke some cigars, drink a glass of your favorite whiskey, listen to some Creedence Clearwater Revival, relax, and play some D&D or something.

Get your game on and go play! Live long and prosper, be happy!

The best way to stick it to the SJW Leftists in our hobby is to ignore them and be successful and happy despite their whining.

Living well is the best revenge.

...

Quote from: Edmund Burke
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.

Do not try to dissuade Pundit from taking up the sword if that is what he desires.
"Meh."

ArrozConLeche

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2018, 08:04:26 AM »
The regressive left already took over RPGNet, and other forums. It's been years now. I think the ship for an effective D&DGate already sailed by, but by all means it's worth a try.

I suggest that if you're serious about it, you open a subreddit specifically dedicated to this purpose, because this forum is not really open enough.

waltshumate

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #4 on: May 05, 2018, 08:17:50 AM »
Quote from: Doc Sammy;1037534
The best way to stick it to the SJW Leftists in our hobby is to ignore them and be successful and happy despite their whining.
.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2466[/ATTACH]

Mordred Pendragon

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2018, 08:20:25 AM »
Quote from: ArrozConLeche;1037670
The regressive left already took over RPGNet, and other forums. It's been years now. I think the ship for an effective D&DGate already sailed by, but by all means it's worth a try.

I suggest that if you're serious about it, you open a subreddit specifically dedicated to this purpose, because this forum is not really open enough.

I agree completely, and I don't want this place turning into a mirror image of RPG.net

That is why I am trying to reason with Pundit.
« Last Edit: May 05, 2018, 10:29:30 AM by Doc Sammy »
Sic Semper Tyrannis

S'mon

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2018, 12:32:12 PM »
Quote from: Doc Sammy;1037534
Living well is the best revenge.


Gronan of Simmerya

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #7 on: May 05, 2018, 01:08:44 PM »
The irony of how this place has virtually, and almost literally, become the "mirror universe" RPGnet is delicious.  It pairs extremely well with Chateauneuf-de-Pape.

Contrary to what the screeching, shit flinging monkeys around here want to believe, the screeching, shit flinging monkeys of RPGnet are not evil.  RPGnet is merely proof that you can't simultaneously be a "safe space" for everyone, taken to its logical end by the ubiquitous human unwillingness to admit one is wrong.  The natural consequence of trying to enforce "safe space for everyone" is that either you get a monoculture where everyone is part of the same group, or people talk about nothing more controversial than the color of the sky.

No evil needed, just naive good intentions and unwillingness to admit one is wrong.

But, of course, I'm going to get shouted down, because, as Machiavelli said, nothing unites a dispirited mob as well as giving them a common enemy.  If RPGnet did not exist, the "anti-SJWs" would have no identity to cling to.
You should go to GaryCon.  Period.

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Ratman_tf

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #8 on: May 05, 2018, 02:31:02 PM »
Quote from: Doc Sammy;1037534
But this whole D&DGate nonsense has got to stop. The last thing the RPG hobby needs is another GamerGate-style fiasco. All that will do is attract even more unwanted attention from the SJW's and Neo-Bolsheviks on the Regressive Left, and ultimately vindicate RPG.net, a wretched hive of Goths, Punks, Hipsters, Commies, and other regressive scum.

Physician, heal thyself.
The notion of an exclusionary and hostile RPG community is a fever dream of zealots who view all social dynamics through a narrow keyhole of structural oppression.
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jeff37923

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #9 on: May 05, 2018, 05:40:13 PM »
Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1037698
The irony of how this place has virtually, and almost literally, become the "mirror universe" RPGnet is delicious.  It pairs extremely well with Chateauneuf-de-Pape.

Contrary to what the screeching, shit flinging monkeys around here want to believe, the screeching, shit flinging monkeys of RPGnet are not evil.  RPGnet is merely proof that you can't simultaneously be a "safe space" for everyone, taken to its logical end by the ubiquitous human unwillingness to admit one is wrong.  The natural consequence of trying to enforce "safe space for everyone" is that either you get a monoculture where everyone is part of the same group, or people talk about nothing more controversial than the color of the sky.

No evil needed, just naive good intentions and unwillingness to admit one is wrong.

But, of course, I'm going to get shouted down, because, as Machiavelli said, nothing unites a dispirited mob as well as giving them a common enemy.  If RPGnet did not exist, the "anti-SJWs" would have no identity to cling to.

....

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2467[/ATTACH]
"Meh."

Mordred Pendragon

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #10 on: May 05, 2018, 05:59:25 PM »
Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1037698
The irony of how this place has virtually, and almost literally, become the "mirror universe" RPGnet is delicious.  It pairs extremely well with Chateauneuf-de-Pape.

Contrary to what the screeching, shit flinging monkeys around here want to believe, the screeching, shit flinging monkeys of RPGnet are not evil.  RPGnet is merely proof that you can't simultaneously be a "safe space" for everyone, taken to its logical end by the ubiquitous human unwillingness to admit one is wrong.  The natural consequence of trying to enforce "safe space for everyone" is that either you get a monoculture where everyone is part of the same group, or people talk about nothing more controversial than the color of the sky.

No evil needed, just naive good intentions and unwillingness to admit one is wrong.

But, of course, I'm going to get shouted down, because, as Machiavelli said, nothing unites a dispirited mob as well as giving them a common enemy.  If RPGnet did not exist, the "anti-SJWs" would have no identity to cling to.

This guy gets it.
Sic Semper Tyrannis

S'mon

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #11 on: May 05, 2018, 06:59:02 PM »
Quote from: Doc Sammy;1037721
This guy gets it.

No. No, he really doesn't.

Ratman_tf

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #12 on: May 05, 2018, 07:01:43 PM »
Quote from: S'mon;1037729
No. No, he really doesn't.

This guy gets it.
The notion of an exclusionary and hostile RPG community is a fever dream of zealots who view all social dynamics through a narrow keyhole of structural oppression.
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Mordred Pendragon

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #13 on: May 05, 2018, 07:02:39 PM »
Quote from: S'mon;1037729
No. No, he really doesn't.

I politely disagree.

As much as I hate RPG.net, they are not a boogeyman.
Sic Semper Tyrannis

jeff37923

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An Open Letter To The RPG Pundit
« Reply #14 on: May 05, 2018, 07:30:38 PM »
Quote from: Doc Sammy;1037731
As much as I hate RPG.net, they are not a boogeyman.

You're right, they are more of a Cautionary Tale of How Not To Moderate.
"Meh."