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There are days, and I think a lot of people can associate with this - especially people who suffer from depressive tendencies - where you kind of feel like you should be commended just for making yourself presentable. I'm having trouble getting stuff I need done done, so I've literally got 'shave, shower, dress, brush teeth' on a to-do list. I can only cross it off if I do all of them. It's just some phenomenally basic shit and I acknowledge that, but if it works, it works. I no-shit kind of image myself getting some kind of bullshit gaming trophy for doing it like, I don't know, I finish doing all of those things before noon and a little beep goes off and it just says, "Presentable".
And I think, "Yesssssssss." Pride is not my fatal flaw, everyone, and I really don't mind telling you.
So, I've been kind of depressing lately. I know it's a drag. I'm not trying to be a douche about it. Political rants are probably my least commented upon posts, and that's fine. You all know I just need to get it out of my system. And I've been trying to post something fun and constructive about role-playing. It just keeps coming out as a shitty rant every time, which I realize about halfway through and decide to do something else rather then bore you like that.
I choose to bore you like this, instead. You're welcome.
I use Exalted as an extended metaphor for gaming in general, because it's what we're playing and at this point, we've been playing for a very decent amount of time. Our gaming group is beginning to grow fatigued at the same time that I'm getting even more excited because we've finally hit that critical moment where we're movers and shakers and where the ST can't casually put something large on the table and say, "You can't." because we're Exalted and we probably can. Personally, I like that empowerment. I've been on the other end of it, having pitted extra large, extra potent enemies against my players and having them mow over them like so much dry grass. They shouted and cheered and high-fived while I sat there chagrined before I also smiled.
"What the hell." I thought. "Look at how happy these people are."
So, that's me pouting. We're just about bad-asses if we arn't already, and our ST's sitting there saying, "Ok, let's pack it up." My suspicion is that it's basically become too difficult to easily move us from one point to another, multiplying the stress and work of the job. That's a post for another time, but there's nothing to be done. Let's have the boss fight, kill off most of the PCs who've been stressing the ST out (I predict Panahon dies in the final fight almost ignominiously, so I'll be pulling out all the stops to avoid it.), and wrap this shit up. The end.
The real deal is this, though. I know Exalted has social combat and three out of the five characters are different kinds of very social characters. We've got the lifelong socialite, the clever politician, and the ecstatic performer, so we've got three wildly different angles at least for us to approach social endeavors. In the previous game, we had an Abyssal who specialized in Presence and another who had attempted to dabble as a writer/calligrapher before it was made clear that this Wasn't That Kind of Game. I have never seen a social combat at our table.
It's not for lack of trying. Rarely a game goes by without at least one of us requesting to roll Join Debate. We're typically just completely ignored. It's a potent response. Either hold the game up like a douchebag insisting on rolling dice (which I do sometimes, and I'll get flack for it) or move on with a game proceeding too fast to actually bother with playing it.
Now, this is where I want to complain, but instead I'll end with this. The above? It's ridiculously frustrating. If you're the ST or the DM or whatever, and you don't like the social mechanics, I can understand. Everyone has an opinion about that kind of thing, and the discussions can get volatile. But what it really boils down to is, if you have a table full of people who are requesting to use these rules, who have invested experience points into those skills (which means they've invested real life hours into them), make them count. Use 'em. Try it out. Throw your players a bone. And don't do it half-assedly and don't do it spitefully. The best way to ensure that everyone has a shitty time and you do too is to purposely fuck shit up.
The game is not a race. Play it, don't watch it.
And I think, "Yesssssssss." Pride is not my fatal flaw, everyone, and I really don't mind telling you.
So, I've been kind of depressing lately. I know it's a drag. I'm not trying to be a douche about it. Political rants are probably my least commented upon posts, and that's fine. You all know I just need to get it out of my system. And I've been trying to post something fun and constructive about role-playing. It just keeps coming out as a shitty rant every time, which I realize about halfway through and decide to do something else rather then bore you like that.
I choose to bore you like this, instead. You're welcome.
I use Exalted as an extended metaphor for gaming in general, because it's what we're playing and at this point, we've been playing for a very decent amount of time. Our gaming group is beginning to grow fatigued at the same time that I'm getting even more excited because we've finally hit that critical moment where we're movers and shakers and where the ST can't casually put something large on the table and say, "You can't." because we're Exalted and we probably can. Personally, I like that empowerment. I've been on the other end of it, having pitted extra large, extra potent enemies against my players and having them mow over them like so much dry grass. They shouted and cheered and high-fived while I sat there chagrined before I also smiled.
"What the hell." I thought. "Look at how happy these people are."
So, that's me pouting. We're just about bad-asses if we arn't already, and our ST's sitting there saying, "Ok, let's pack it up." My suspicion is that it's basically become too difficult to easily move us from one point to another, multiplying the stress and work of the job. That's a post for another time, but there's nothing to be done. Let's have the boss fight, kill off most of the PCs who've been stressing the ST out (I predict Panahon dies in the final fight almost ignominiously, so I'll be pulling out all the stops to avoid it.), and wrap this shit up. The end.
The real deal is this, though. I know Exalted has social combat and three out of the five characters are different kinds of very social characters. We've got the lifelong socialite, the clever politician, and the ecstatic performer, so we've got three wildly different angles at least for us to approach social endeavors. In the previous game, we had an Abyssal who specialized in Presence and another who had attempted to dabble as a writer/calligrapher before it was made clear that this Wasn't That Kind of Game. I have never seen a social combat at our table.
It's not for lack of trying. Rarely a game goes by without at least one of us requesting to roll Join Debate. We're typically just completely ignored. It's a potent response. Either hold the game up like a douchebag insisting on rolling dice (which I do sometimes, and I'll get flack for it) or move on with a game proceeding too fast to actually bother with playing it.
Now, this is where I want to complain, but instead I'll end with this. The above? It's ridiculously frustrating. If you're the ST or the DM or whatever, and you don't like the social mechanics, I can understand. Everyone has an opinion about that kind of thing, and the discussions can get volatile. But what it really boils down to is, if you have a table full of people who are requesting to use these rules, who have invested experience points into those skills (which means they've invested real life hours into them), make them count. Use 'em. Try it out. Throw your players a bone. And don't do it half-assedly and don't do it spitefully. The best way to ensure that everyone has a shitty time and you do too is to purposely fuck shit up.
The game is not a race. Play it, don't watch it.
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