TRPG General Chat

DuckTapeAl

00:01

It's a third-person co-op shooter/basebuilder that Epic is making, and it's in beta now.

Miniman

@DuckTapeAl As in Epic Games?

DuckTapeAl

Yeah.

Sandwich

Hmmmmmmm....

Miniman

Ooooh...

DuckTapeAl

fortnite.com

Miniman

00:02

And here was me thinking they were going to live off the Unreal Engine for the rest of eternity without making anything!

DuckTapeAl

They're doing the indie studio thing, it seems. They have paying work, and they use that to fund what they actually want to do.

Sandwich

Hm

The website looks interesting

The artstyle looks like TF2

DuckTapeAl

Yeah, it's pretty close.

More rounded curves than TF2 has, though.

Storyteller

wow, work mustve let out, it got busy in here

Miniman

I know that for at least some of the users (me included) it's the day starting.

Storyteller

00:09

ah!

BESW

@Storyteller The majority of folks here chat during their work day.

Storyteller

gotcha

BESW

You've run into the Asia/Pacific crowd.

Miniman

We're from...the future!

Storyteller

gotcha

so, Im curious, why do you think only the fire elemental is sun themed?

doppelgreener

00:11

In what?

Storyteller

Even if the question is about 3.5, the only one of these monsters that seems even vaguely sun-themed is the fire elemental. — Miniman 13 mins ago

Miniman

@Storyteller Well, what's sun themed about a blink dog?

doppelgreener

(I wasn't aware of something in which it was sun themed...)

Storyteller

i thought something about a sunbeam, and light, a golden retriever or gold pitbull etc

DuckTapeAl

@doppelgreener Storyteller is asking about his answer to this question:

0

Q: Sun Summoning Cleric

One of my players is a cleric of a sun god and she just got a new spell: summon monster. I want her to be able to summon low-cr creatures that are still recognizably sun focused and extraplanar. Can you think of anything like this? I am fine with homebrew or something with a template. Nothing abo...

doppelgreener

00:12

The sun is basically just a giant spherical fire elemental, so there's that.

Storyteller

so, hawks, eagles, easily golden and fire colored

DuckTapeAl

That's a bit of a stretch.

Storyteller

leopard its gold colored, kinda fits, not as much as a lion

ever see a golden eagle?

the pseudodragon I thought could be the closest, give it a nice gold color

doppelgreener

@Storyteller This is an occasion wherein you should want to explain your case in your answer (when the question gets clarified). Chat is not an appropriate place to convince us.

In our minds, "gold coloured" does not necessarily mean "of the sun".

DuckTapeAl

^

Storyteller

00:14

ok

so what are you guys working on?

BESW

RPG-wise, I've got two weeks to prep for an unusual horror session in our main campaign.

We're using the atomic-robo Fate system, but for this one session I want to use dont-rest-your-head.

doppelgreener

I have one week to finish preparations (that have been brewing in my head for weeks but not been put onto paper much) for the session before that one. ^

Pixie

Working on a Pathfinder character for an upcoming campaign and writing random generators.

doppelgreener

And this weekend I got started on my Atomic Robo modes calculator that I've wanted to do for a while.

BESW

Professionally, I have until Thursday to learn how to draw in an anime style.

doppelgreener

00:28

Generators all around!

Miniman

RPG-wise, I'm trying to work out what to do in the 2 months in which half my group is missing.

Storyteller

devise traps

Miniman

And at some point I need to level my character for a different group.

@Storyteller Thing is, I'd quite like to keep the group going in some form. I'm not the only one who wants there to be something going on.

Storyteller

cool. Im mostly doing statistics homework. need to finish this custom class for a 3.5 game

Miniman

(Side note: 2 months is a really long time.)

Storyteller

00:31

well, where are you in your game? party count normally, whats going on, party count now?

Ive dealt with this a few times

i have run campaigns that lasted several years with people coming and going in small groups, it helped to have a core group, but it can be done

BESW

My group is currently figuring out gaming in an episodic format so that each session is a self-contained narrative but they add up to a bigger arc.

Storyteller

@Miniman point is, if half the group is gone but expected to return, do something on the side with the other half

@BESW Im actually working on several adventures that follow that paradigm

starting with a one-shot

BESW

It helps that ARRPG is designed to work that way anyway, and multiple GMs makes it easier too.

Storyteller

cool

BESW

@Miniman Spend two months of session trapped in an alternate dimension and/or time, learning terrible foreshadowing things about the main campaign!

Storyteller

00:38

currently looking for the right writing software

should be doing stats

BESW

Have you tried Scrivener?

Pixie

Hmm. I should give Scrivener a chance. I have yet to because I haven't had much luck with similar programs, but it looks polished.

doppelgreener

[read "I should give Scrivener a dance" at first]

Sandwich

Just dont go picking up any ducks in a dungeon

Pixie

@doppelgreener I suppose. Out of courtesy.

Storyteller

00:52

scrivener looks cool, Im grabbing scribus atm

ive got an older copy f indesign somewhere

Pixie

01:04

Scrivener is polished. But knowing myself, I will just go back to dumping everything into project folders.

Miniman

Sorry, had a meeting. My current plan is actually to let another group member practise DMing in a (hopefully) much more low-pressure environment.

Ben

01:18

So. I nearly got arrested on the weekend. Why you ask? I went to work on a Saturday.

doppelgreener

@Ben .... Oh. Walk into the office, set off all the alarm systems?

BESW

> We decided to put some of our favorite modern children's authors in the hot-seat too, and ask them, "If you could have any creature or animal from a book as a pet, which would you choose and why?" (source)

Sandwich

@doppelgreener Noooo my duck tag

orz

doppelgreener

@Sandwich I suppose we can leave it on there for a joke. :)

Also, looks like our recent troll from July got tired out within the span of a couple of weeks and gave up trolling SE sites.

I like how troll-resilient SE can be.

Sandwich

Well its hard to troll when your topics are instantly flagged and deleted

doppelgreener

01:32

And answers, and comments, and you get suspended from posting for a month in certain sites.

Oh hey, I just noticed RPG.SE is actually the network's footer - the very last item in culture/recreation.

Ben

01:46

@doppelgreener actually no, the cops saw me run around the back of the building (I was being quick cos I just wanted to grab my laptop) and assumed I was up to no good

doppelgreener

@Ben Oh no XD

Ben

02:08

Yup. Haha. I was just unplugging my laptop when I heard behind me "Police! Turn around!" It was pretty easy to convince them I worked there though, so all good.

Definitely an experience though!

BESW

Today's fascinating homonym etymology: mold.

(See also molder.)

doppelgreener

@BESW Ahh, these could make for some beautiful confusions.

BESW

Mold (shape) and mold (fungus) come from different origin languages, with mold (soil) and mold (decay) probably stemming from similar sources to the latter.

But of course it's hard to tell exactly.

And of course, a molder is someone who shapes things, but something that molders is rotting from abandonment.

doppelgreener

Molder also means to cause such decay.

So in a setting such as ours, a statement such as "I am a molder" may not be entirely clear from the outset.

BESW

The "soil" definition seems to come from a Germanic word describing ground meal.

I love how so many different words from different languages, with totally different meanings (modulus, to measure; moul and mygla, to grow moldy; molde, to pulverise) can come together into one word.

doppelgreener

02:44

I like how the word inflammable is the word it is.

It is a terrible state of affairs in one of the worst words to have a terrible state of affairs.

The state of affairs: like "indomitable" means "not domitable", you would think an "inflammable" material would be unable to be set on fire. In reality it means the same thing as flammable -- very easily set on fire. Nonflammable is the word we're looking for here.

If I ever see a sign saying "inflammable" that's not in a very rigorous safety environment, I will be very sure to double check what whoever put that word there thought it meant.

BESW

Heheh.

Because "in-" as a prefix means both not and into.

doppelgreener

Yes. English speakers dropped the ball on this one.

DuckTapeAl

Thanks Queen Elizabeth.

I also like how, in settings where you use pseudolatin for things, a blastomancer can either blow things up, or make things grow.

3

BESW

@DuckTapeAl Pinging @doppelgreener for Stellata!

doppelgreener

@DuckTapeAl Blastos is Greek for a sprout. I will remember this. XD

Stellata will become a blastomancer. "As in someone who grows things or who blows things up?" "Yes."

DuckTapeAl

03:11

Realtalk: I only know that because of Worm, which is also an amazing story.

There's a superhero in it called Blasto who has growth powers, but a bunch of people think he can shoot rays or something.

Pixie

03:42

I can think only of Blastoise.

Sandwich

APACHE CHIEF

EE NAAAY CHUCK

Nyoze

04:00

:o

Ben

04:38

@doppelgreener "The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."

-- James Nicoll

Magician

05:17

Shameless bragging time: finally finished painting my wyrmgear dragon from Reaper Bones.

More photos here.

Greetings, yes. That.

BESW

Ooer.

Pixie

@Magician Ahhhh, coooool.

Nyoze

Shinyyyyyyyyy

Magician

Took me multiple weekends to do this one. Back to humanoid figures for a while, I think.

Pixie

It was worth it, I'd say. It looks great.

Magician

05:24

Thanks :D

doppelgreener

@Ben This is funny.

Pixie

(I'm perhaps a bit biased, being a great lover of all things dragon and all things shiny. But still.)

doppelgreener

@Magician Greetings! Superb work.

Magician

Thank you!

trogdor

someone say dragons eh?

@Magician nice

Tritium21

05:54

I am conflicted about the wording of some rules. For example there are rules for advantages in some games like... "Sexy" which, by rule, gives you a bonus in social situations with npcs of the opposite gender. its a rule that discounts homosexuality entirely. However... as written, the DM cant be a jerk and declare a female npc a lesbian to thwart my male characters bonus, and vice versa - the NPC can get their bonus against my character without me declaring my character is gay arbitrarily.

BESW

This is where "the group can adjudicate according to their needs" is so valuable, and why I personally prefer to avoid an adversarial relationship between GM and players.

It's a lot more fun if the GM and players are co-conspirators against the PCs, I've found.

Tritium21

Aye

Pixie

06:13

Is a minor failsafe for potential exploitation really worth exclusionary mechanics? That's my take on it, but my experience might be different than others'.

Adeptus

@Magician I bought that one for my wife. She hasn't painted/assembled it yet.

Magician

@Adeptus It's quite an undertaking.

doppelgreener

@Pixie Do you mean in asking this, is the minor failsafe of keeping it simple worth mechanics that assume everyone's straight and exclude ideas to the contrary?

Pixie

@doppelgreener Basically, yes.

doppelgreener

I guess that's a value judgement on how interested an individual is in exploring it; not everyone has that interest.

Magician

06:23

Eeeh. It's just as easy to phrase it as "people who are attracted to your gender find you appealing, get a bonus". And that's probably the intended interpretation anyway.

doppelgreener

Yeah, pretty much.

I agree it'd be simple to phrase it to people who swing your gender's way.

Magician

Which leads me to thinking it was written before the public conversation shifted in the recent years.

Pixie

Except it's worded "people of the opposite sex" in this case, which assumes a default of straight, which is often a really frustrating thing for people who are not.

@Magician That's entirely possible. It's still a thing that happens, though.

doppelgreener

There's an ability in Apocalypse World with the name Sexy, which was published in 2010.

For the most part though this stuff doesn't really matter to a lot of people. It's not a concern they have or have exposure to, it's not an important personal thing to them, their playtesting didn't have many people who brought it up or they didn't feel the need to go with it, etc.

Or they're aware but that doesn't mean it's present for them when authoring something.

Magician

> Dangerous & sexy: when you enter into a charged situation, roll+hot.
On a 10+, hold 2. On a 7–9, hold 1. Spend your hold 1 for 1 to make eye
contact with an NPC present, who freezes or flinches and can’t take action
until you break it off. On a miss, your enemies identify you immediately as
their foremost threat.

Doesn't talk about genders, as I'd expect from a game that does potentially deal with sexual encounters.

Pixie

06:31

(I'm not really sure what game we're talking about re: the rule Tritium21 is describing.)

@doppelgreener I understand the circumstances in which it happens.

Magician

Fundamentally, I don't find an issue with it. It's a single phrase on that matter in an entire rulebook, which can be trivially re-interpreted. Taking affront at it just seems counter-productive. It's not, I dunno, FATAL which probably has horrible and detailed rules for... everything, really.

Pixie

@Magician No, but it's part of a general pattern of invalidation.

Tritium21

(Lug Trek)

I actually, upon consideration, find the wording of the rule even more problematic. Its a star trek game. There are species with one gender, and there are species with dozens....

Adeptus

@Pixie which is at least starting to change - 5e has some inclusive text in its character creation section, and Pathfinder has some non-straight NPCs of note

Pixie

How should I best describe this... there are behaviors embedded in language and social interaction that erase, exclude, and invalidate members of oppressed groups.

This is obviously a different animal from the overt issues with something like FATAL. It is, however, not a nice thing to experience, and it happens a lot more frequently (in my experience) than overt -isms. Because people don't think about it, and when they do, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. It's not, until you think about how frequently someone goes through it -- how often it reinforces their lack of inclusion.

Magician

06:44

There was an article recently, on teenagers in US vastly over-estimating the percentage of non-straight population, likely due to the media being produced. Everyone's trying to be inclusive. Which is to say, there are always patterns and counter-patterns, validation and invalidation, intended or otherwise.

Tritium21

Ok, I am not touching that.

Adeptus

> Think about how your character does or does not conform to the broader culture’s expectations of sex, gender, and sexual behavior. ... You don’t need to be confined to binary notions of sex and gender. The elf god Corellon Larethian is often seen as androgynous, for example, and some elves in the multiverse are made in Corellon’s image. You could also play a female character who presents herself as a man, a man who feels trapped in a female body, or a bearded female dwarf who hates being mistaken for a male. Likewise, your character’s sexual orientation is for you to decide.

Pixie

@Adeptus 5e definitely made an attempt, which I appreciated. Some of the language here is outmoded, but they did try.

Miniman

I really hope androgynous elves is a sly nod to Vaarsuvius.

(And Inkryius, of course.)

Pixie

@Magician "Everyone's trying to be inclusive." is a very debatable statement.

Tritium21

06:48

Now that i think about it, the source material that brought up this topic...only deals with homosexuality exactly once. and by dealt with it, I mean one kiss at the end of the episode.

Pixie

Things are getting better, and I'm happy to be observing that change, but it's a process. Slow and imperfect by nature. I understand this.

Tritium21

If you discount species that only have one gender, or species that change gender/host ... only mirror universe Lita is a homosexual character. Mirror universe Kira uses sex as a weapon, and Gareck is ambiguous (andrew robinson holds that the character is bi.)

doppelgreener

07:03

@Magician Ah, that's the one. My friend was considering that for a character and showed it to me.

Magician

@Pixie ...I wrote a lengthy reply, but it's clear that though we have similar position on equality and humanity in general, we disagree on a number of fundamental things regarding the approach to it all. A discussion would inevitably lead to challenging them one after another, and it's likely to get unintendedly ugly. So I won't argue :)

doppelgreener

Lug Trek seems to be a 1998-99 thing.

Pixie

@Magician That's fine. That was sort of my attempt to keep it as short as possible myself. For similar reasons, I figured it would be best not to launch into it.

Tritium21

It is. they didnt even make it to 2000 when the Voyager book would have come out (and been pretty fricking helpful to me)

Adeptus

07:18

That reminds me. My wife has a FASA Star Trek roleplaying game, still in shrinkwrap. I wonder if it's worth anything?

Pixie

07:30

(Gonna slide over to NAB and provide a little more context on why this kind of thing is important to me. Will continue any discussion about the topic there.)

BESW

→ 11 messages moved to Not a bar, but plays one on TV

@Adeptus A quick Google says that sort of thing varies in price wildly.

← 1 message moved from Not a bar, but plays one on TV

Context have.

doppelgreener

da da daa daaaaa~

Tritium21

I cannot believe the edit war on one of my Science Fiction & Fantasy questions

doppelgreener

That is quite the interesting edit war.

Looks like they fairly well misunderstood what you were trying to get at.

Or rather, Wiio's third law might have happened: "There is always someone who knows better than you what you meant with your message."

Tritium21

They are dupe closing it based on "Have they ever dealt with LGBT issues"

doppelgreener

07:42

@Tritium21 It's whether they've ever dealt with gay rights, not all of LGBT.

but yeah I can see why that is not much of a dupe.

Tritium21

Which does not answer the question of "have there ever actually been homosexual characters"

doppelgreener

Yes.

Tritium21

07:57

I kind of want an answer to that, for my own Star Trek game... one of my players defined her character as a lesbian, and I want to know if that is a big deal in the 24th century or not

trogdor

hopefully not

I got the impression that in Star Trek that kind of thing isn't an issue anymore

people, at least largely, are not supposed to hold that kind of prejudice anymore, in the setting

though I suppose that doesn't mean your group can't decide otherwise if they are inclined to for some reason

Tritium21

at least humans arn't. I can see the klingons having an issue with it

trogdor

yeah true

Tritium21

Vulcans might see it as illogical - but they would see any emotion as such

trogdor

but during certain points, they aren't part of the Federation, at least yet

the Klingons I mean

I don't think the Vulcans were ever really not part of it

Tritium21

08:02

The klingon empire never really was a member of the federation, just allies. In my headcanon the ONE line that implies that was just a 16 year old kid misspeaking

Vulcans are a founding member, with humans, tellorites, andorieans and rigelians

trogdor

I thought I did see something indicating they were eventually actually part of it

Tritium21

That was based on one line said by wesley

trogdor

hmm

maybe so

I don't remember specifics that well

Tritium21

which i interpret as "signed the second khitomer accords and became allies" not "became full members of the federation"

This is my revenge, I guess, against someone in my group who has run star wars three times, when I have very little knowledge or interest in the setting >.>

trogdor

mainly, my original point was the the Federation itself is most likely much more inclusive and tolerant than even standards/people today

doppelgreener

08:06

trogdor

not to say either that modern day isn't better than some time before or that it is perfect about it either

just that the society your player's character grew up in was most likely very supportive

SPArchaeologist

@trogdor wasn't combined marriage still a practice for vulcans ?

trogdor

I have no idea

Tritium21

vulcans had arranged marriage, but I do not recall anything other than monogamy

trogdor

I suppose, part of it is, I had assumed this character was human

if that is not the case then I had assumed something and am mistaken

Tritium21

08:09

bajoran, actually, but not dealing with other bajorans

BESW

Oh, geez. Not this topic.

Tritium21

>.>

<.<

SPArchaeologist

was thinking about this episode of the Enterprise season one

Breaking the Ice (Star Trek: Enterprise)

"Breaking the Ice" is the eighth episode (production #108) of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and was written by Maria Jacquemetton and Andre Jacquemetton. Terry Windell served as director for the episode;. This episode was nominated for the 2002 Emmy Award for visual effects. Enterprise encounters a comet; Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Mayweather stop to mine some Eisilium. To their surprise, the Vulcan ship Ti'Mur stops by to also investigate the comet– except they are actually there to observe Enterprise. Meanwhile, Sub-Commander T'Pol has to make a decision: stay aboard Enterprise...

BESW

08:42

Alas, almost every element of the Federation utopia, from post-scarcity virtue-based economics to tolerant sexual politics and having overcome the need to mourn the dead, is an informed attribute which we're told about but is either largely absent or actively contradicted by what actually happens in the franchise. (Also Roddenberry's idea of utopia was seriously messed up anyway, and showing more of it would have gotten the show rightfully yanked from the air.)

trogdor

mm

I can understand that

BESW

I'm especially fond of the bit in TNG (or is it DS9? can't remember) where "open and tolerant sexual attitudes" translates to "force someone who is obviously uncomfortable with the idea to go to an orgy planet for vacation."

trogdor

lol

I am pretty sure I never saw that

and yes, that is no more ok than being intolerant

SPArchaeologist

To many authors, to much effort spent on making comedy out of it.

BESW

Yup.

trogdor

08:48

to be fair, ideas about Utopian societies will most likely automatically alienate someone

anyone who disagrees on anything at all with the person who thought of it is likely going to find a few things distateful

I can't think of any Utopian story that didn't have something messed up in it even if it wasn't supposed to

though sometimes it was supposed to be messed up too

SPArchaeologist

the borderline between utopia and dystopia surely thin is, my young padawan

Tritium21

"Let he who is without sin", deep space nine. Jadzia forces Worf (her husband) to go to risa.

I am truly unaware of the Utopian views that EWR had that would have gotten the show booted from the air

SPArchaeologist

(and why on earth I wrote "to many" instead of "too many"??? and twice, to add to the injury.)

Pixie

@BESW [rubs temples]

@trogdor This is very true.

BESW

09:04

@Tritium21 For one, Earth was going to be a nudist colony.

Tritium21

@BESW Ok that's just wacky

He did make betazed tantamount to a nudist colony

BESW

Tonight's dinner is soup: split peas, lentils, and barley, with potato and onion, spiced primarily with turmeric, garlic, and cumin. Served with toasted whole wheat bagels.

Pixie

09:19

That sounds delicious.

BESW

Other things that went into it: cayenne pepper, black pepper, soy sauce, lemon powder, honey.

(I use soy and/or Worcestershire instead of salt.)

Pixie

I actually had time to cook today... I made coconut oil "buttercream" to see if it would cover up the weird aftertaste of my cake (which baked strangely) enough to be enjoyable. Unfortunately, it didn't go quite that far, even with the strong coconut flavor and the addition of cocoa powder.

BESW

Hmm. A funny aftertaste in baked goods is often too much baking powder/soda.

Pixie

Yeah, but I measured pretty accurately, I thought. Maybe the recipe was off, but it was the standard wacky cake.

BESW

"Standard Wacky Cake" is a good name for a band.

Maybe J-pop.

Pixie

09:29

The best I can describe it is... it has the faint smell and taste of a pretzel. If I had baked it any longer, it might have burnt (and I'm sure the taste would have gotten worse), but the inside was a little spongier than desired.

BESW

[squint] Pretzel?

That's... really impressive, @Pixie.

Pixie

Yes! At least that's what it reminds me of.

I'm usually a really good baker, too. It wounds my pride, this cake. TwT

SPArchaeologist

@BESW I can see Kyary Pamyu doing a song with that name.

doppelgreener

WOUND IT BACK AND EAT IT

BESW

@doppelgreener When life gives you pretzel cake, MAKE LIFE TAKE THE PRETZEL CAKE BACK.

doppelgreener

09:34

@SPArchaeologist What about Shonen Knife?

(mm, actually, Shonen Knife would probably just do a wacky song about a standard sort of cake)

Pixie

@BESW [tracks down life incarnate and shoves cake into its face]

BESW

@Pixie I'm pretty sure it's something to do with the baking soda.

Pixie

@doppelgreener Actually, Rock N' Roll Cake.

@BESW Yeah, that seems most likely. I really can't think of anything else. I'll try a different recipe next time.

doppelgreener

@Pixie aw yes

BESW

The taste of pretzels comes from a lye wash, which can be accomplished in a more mild way with baking soda.

Pixie

09:38

Ahaaa.

BESW

Chemistry!

doppelgreener

What if you used a tbsp when it said tsp!?

BESW

I know I have a really hard time keeping the baking soda taste out of my baked goods, though that's partly because I'm not using eggs.

SPArchaeologist

@Pixie And from that day, the one once know as Flutterlight was now know as Shizuka - the girl who always manage to "just have baked some cookies"

Pixie

@doppelgreener I once mixed up my measurements for brown and white sugar, but I have never done something quite as bad as that. Yet. xD

BESW

09:40

Lye roll

Lye rolls are a baked specialty in Germany (especially in Bavaria and Swabia), Austria, and Switzerland. They are made by immersing bread rolls in a lye solution before baking. The German name is Laugengebäck for any baked good dipped in lye. The perhaps best known shape is the Pretzel, while rolls or buns are specifically called Laugensemmel or Kastanie (Bavarian), Laugeweckle or Laugestängle (Swabian), and Laugenbrötchen or Laugenstange (everywhere else in Germany); Laugenweckerl in Austria; Silserli or Laugenbrötli in Switzerland. In some parts of Asia they are known as Laugen Rolls. == Lye... ==

Pixie

@BESW Wacky cakes use neither egg nor dairy, so that may also be a factor.

BESW

Yeah, without the egg you need more baking soda, and it's a fine line to walk.

doppelgreener

> My own recipe, too! You can spend a fate point to produce a collection of freshly or very recently baked cookies. They're still warm! For as long as they stay that way, you get a +2 on rapport attempts with anyone or anything that would enjoy cookies.

Pixie

I make some chocolate chip cookies that everyone loves, it's true. |D

BESW

@doppelgreener I really don't want to hear peoples' plausible excuses for why the cookies they suddenly pull out are still warm.

doppelgreener

09:44

@BESW Okay maybe it needs some redrafting. XD (previous revision)

Pixie

... incidentally, that's also a really good one for Vexxa (my Asuran necromancer/baker).

doppelgreener

I did mean barely plausible though.

SPArchaeologist

If I was actually able to draw, I guess I could start a serie "draw how you imagine Pixie today". As now, I suspect that she may look like some sort of Easter bunny going around with a basket of cookies. Probably this image will change again tomorrow.

Pixie

She once got a guy who was RPing as the leader (or a very high up person, I was not quite certain) of an organization she hated to swear that he would quit if she gave him a donut.

BESW

...I'm reminded of the NPC who got a PC to betray all his friends by having afternoon tea with him.

doppelgreener

09:49

I have to hear these stories, but it is getting late-ish and I have some gymming to do first. So, to business! I will extract these stories from you both later if they are not provided here forthwith.

Alex Mitan

It just hit me that RPGs are maybe more similar to lucid dreams than video games

trogdor

@Pixie I have read some at least slightly disturbing utopian stories

BESW

RPGs are more similar to many things than they are to video games.

Pixie

@BESW This sounds amazing.

Alex Mitan

You can do whatever you want in them, even while being aware of the fictional nature of them, but ideally it won't break as a result of the action

trogdor

09:56

to the point that I am not sure whether some of them were satirical, or what

Alex Mitan

the subconscious is like this flawless GM that manages to keep the universe stable and reactive to the PC's actions

unless you're a complete twit about it, then you just wake up when your own brain has had enough of your [redacted]

...random, undeveloped thought

BESW

Dec 26 '12 at 12:13, by BESW

I throw my hands up in the air, the dwarf seizes up and dies, and the player rolls a new character: a dwarven cleric with exactly the same stats, gear, and appearance, except his hair is brown instead of black. This dwarf goes on to be slaughtered by his own party after betraying them (leading to one character's death) to a nice lady who gave him tea.

Pixie

@doppelgreener As far as Vexxa is concerned, the only good Inquest is dead Inquest. She regards them with a seething, unbridled rage. (No one is exactly sure why. Asking her results in unintelligible grumbling and shouting or simply "They're INQUEST.") As soon as she figured out this guy was, well, he was lucky she didn't just attack him outright.

Alex Mitan

@BESW "I poke him!"

Pixie

But she managed to keep her temper. They were right in town anyway. At the time she was eating donuts, because she is never without baked goods. Ever. Inquest agent wanted one... badly. She continually refused him, because no baked good of hers was touching the lips of Inquest swine. He asked what it would take. She told him. No Inquest. Ever. To her shock, he agreed to quit the Inquest for a donut.

She didn't believe him, of course, but she gave in.

I think he also cried.

BESW

10:11

Heheh.

SPArchaeologist

Little Pollon used to have a (white) magic powder that was supposed to give happiness. Did that powder end up in the donuts too?

Pixie

TFW Inquest. (They would definitely be her trouble.)

Alex Mitan

@Pixie What's going on? Are you working on a GW2 RPG?

Pixie

@AlexMitan Doppel posted a stunt above that made me think, "that'd be perfect for Vex!" and wanted to hear the donut story I mentioned. I RP her in GW2, along with my other characters.

(General note: GW2 just went free to play, if anyone was ever interested but did not feel like buying it.)

trogdor

@Pixie are there RP servers in Guild Wars 2?

I don't play it so I am just curious

Pixie

10:18

@trogdor No. There used to be one server where all the RPers hung out (Tarnished Coast), but they went to the megaserver model so there really aren't proper servers at all.

trogdor

ah

Alex Mitan

@Pixie WHAT!

Did it really?

Pixie

@AlexMitan Yep! They just announced it.

Alex Mitan

I have such mixed feelings about that, I bought it years ago

Didn't play much past lv80...

Pixie

You can now play #GuildWars2 for free. Head to our site to learn more! http://ow.ly/RuRRJ ^DO http://t.co/fGa1VoHNbo

Tweeted by GuildWars2 on August 29, 2015 at 7:31 PM

BESW

10:21

So, the political atmosphere: a powerful elven empire was poised to exterminate the equally xenophobic but pitifully outmatched humans, except for a small allied group of humans and elves led by the elven prince and a human bard. The party was exploring islands where the rebels were said to be located, sent there by a lich who wanted them to plant a particular object in the prince's tent and was in a position to command the party's loyalty.
The dwarven cleric was out alone when he met a very nice woman who invited him to have tea with her. They walked straight into the rebel camp and sat do…

Pixie

@AlexMitan I don't really mind it. It's a pretty common cycle.

And now, everyone can play with me if they feel like it. Win/win. :P

Alex Mitan

If I get the chance to, I might :D

I kind of have to go for now, I want to read this stuff later

You guys have a sweet day! Just popped in for a bit

BESW

ttfn

Pixie

@BESW Hahaha. That sounds like a lot of fun.

SPArchaeologist

I have stopped looking into mainstream online mmorpg because the constant boting/gold selling/account stealing problems/nerf-fix cycle made them more of a chore than a game. And most of the communities seem to just thrive around those problems forgetting the actual game.

BESW

10:23

@Pixie Again, my very first campaign ever, with a player who had trouble coordinating mechanics and RP at the same time.

Pixie

Ahh, yeah. Maybe not so fun in those circumstances. But in the right group, I would thoroughly enjoy this.

BESW

There was a lot of "my guy"ing all around.

He rolled up a new character--another cleric, but I think it was human this time--and on their way back from meeting the lich again, the island just happened to explode.

Pixie

That one I recall.

@SPArchaeologist GW2 is really the only MMO I've played at length and still enjoyed. Well, Secret World is pretty good too, but I haven't touched it in a long time.

trogdor

I played WoW for a while, but it wasn't much fun without friends online

Pixie

(My upcoming Pathfinder group is currently kind of like "Pls GM, just let us sabotage ourselves." We are all on the same page about this in playing a bunch of beautiful people with little common sense and questionable morals. I anticipate lots of fun.)

SPArchaeologist

10:30

@Pixie I don't know.... probably it is just me getting old... but I don't see much need to play mmorpg when most of the player play them focusing just on "character optimization (skill, loot, raids -all aspects of it) and end up basically playing alone in group.

Pixie

That's fair.

SPArchaeologist

to think about it, probably having 150 ponies crammed up in the main Sugarcube hall, listening to the web radio an jumping around the room was funnier.

BESW

Mm. My favourite bits of WoW were running new guild members through the lower-tier raids to gear them up and teach them raiding skills (really mostly fostering good communication and a teamwork ethos); and doing preposterously under-manned runs with a couple friends using good coordination and skill to overcome the fact we really had no business being there at all.

SPArchaeologist

And that is why I if I ever will return to an online game, I probably will find something with active - no target combat.

Pixie

I think I enjoy events most on GW2. Pavilion was a lot of fun, when people weren't being jerks. You really had to tightly coordinate everything (which was very difficult because most of the rest of the game operates on a "zerg it to death" mentality and Pavilion absolutely could not be done this way, so you had to get random people to believe this and listen).

SPArchaeologist

10:46

the point is just that - "when"

Pixie

Yep.

SPArchaeologist

which, sadly, in my experience is pretty rare.

Pixie

SPArchaeologist

are you suggesting me some sort of crystal therapy?

Pixie

I am posting a bunch o' gems for the chat's gem-viewing pleasure.

BESW

10:52

Tomatoes.

Pixie

Ah yes, here is the source on gem chart.

SPArchaeologist

Pixie

@BESW Potatoes.

BESW

Mar 4 at 1:17, by BESW

[secretly pronounces 'tomato' as 'nightshade berry']

SPArchaeologist

I am a Runefactory player. For me, tomatoes are just tomatoes. Turnip, on the other hand, are called "Present for Mist"

BESW

11:04

SPArchaeologist

trogdor

@BESW that doesn't seem very secret

BESW

...I have a font called Aaargh. It is a nice font. I wonder where I found it?

Pixie

I try to keep a text file with my font sources so I can see which ones are open and which ones I need to double check terms on if I ever use 'em in anything important, because I will absolutely not remember otherwise. Looks like Aaargh can be found at all the usual free front sites and is by someone named Tup Wanders?

BESW

Whose website is dead, yeah.

And yeah, I try to do that, but to get serious about it I really need to rebuild my collection from scratch.

Pixie

11:21

@BESW Yeah, I checked that. It's not dead so much as it is a joke site. Click anything and it'll give you their email address. Nothing about font terms, sadly. I'd redownload it from one of said free sites and see if the file has terms within it if I wanted to use it for anything.

BESW

It's a nice little font, but unfortunately doesn't have any bells and whistles like, I dunno, bold or italic symbols.

So I'm probably better off dumping it and finding something similar with more utility.

Pixie

Ooh, yeah. That is a damper.

BESW

Hmm. CC-BY.

That's a bit more of a damper for posters.

doppelgreener

11:46

@Pixie I know some of these! :D

Pixie

@doppelgreener Yay! I learned some new ones, which made me happy.

doppelgreener

@Pixie I obtained my education on gems from the Steven University.

Also from the Pixiversity I suppose.

Pixie

@doppelgreener Ahhh that is such a great pun.

doppelgreener

also there is a gem in that table called Imperial Garnet which is putting wonderful headcanon possibilities into my head.

@Pixie Thank you XD

BESW

Pixie just found this for me. I'm not going to say what it's a visual reference for, but it's awesome.

Pixie

11:51

(I have always loved gems. For a while I was making magical girls and other fantasy people based on them, so I needed more colors, and that's probably what started me down this path...)

... that and my love of all things brightly colored and/or shiny.

doppelgreener

Those are beautiful and would make fantastic glasses.

SPArchaeologist

ok, finally I know Pixie true identity. Rainbow Brite.

Pixie

Pff. I'm clearly Shy Violet.

doppelgreener

@Pixie Is Shy Violet in that table?

oh wait XD

Shy Violet is not a type of gem.

Pixie

@doppelgreener Shy Violet.

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