In which I talk about three things, but only a little bit each.

[atolnon]

I got beat up by Persona 4 today. I keep backup saves for these types of games that I really only end up using one or maybe twice, where the game's time sensitive and I make a decision to spend my time in a certain way, and I feel like that's a virtue that comes in handy. It is totally possible to come to a situation where you can't proceed and, without the backup, sometimes you find yourself watching the tutorial again at minute 1 of gameplay.

The D&D game wrapped up. Our DM was working hard on some mass warfare rules, which played smoothly. I actually do want to comment on it somewhat, because the rules seemed kind of rudimentary, but they were easy to understand, played with the rules of the game, and didn't take very long to execute. I talked to Matt at his wedding reception right before I left due to intense exhaustion (I'd been sick all week), and got a chance to discuss it briefly. There's not terribly much to get too far into since it worked for our needs but obviously every permutation of what could happen wasn't worked out. I brought it up to Frank, who just told me that I had made up the conversation though, which really befuddled me. I said,
"He asked me what I thought of the rules, and I said _____, which he brought up to me primarily because I pay more attention to the way the rules work then you do."
"Yeah. The rules don't matter. You're always talking about rules, and... you say something like 'Mage: the Awakening' isn't better or worse then Mage: the Ascension, because the ruleset is better*, but it's all about the setting."
"The rules matter."
"Rules are stupid. They don't matter. It's all the Storyteller."
Every now and then we have a conversation where the depth of our differences in opinion on gaming are made almost violently manifest. I say violently, because I kind of want to throw something at him when we have them.**

I know that some people are fans or are apt to be fans, so here's something that I heard on NPR on the way down to Columbia, IL the other day. Amanda Palmer released an album on her website called "Amanda Palmer Performs The Popular Hits Of Radiohead On Her Magical Ukulele", which doesn't, as far as I'm aware, exist on a CD that's released commercially. Also, all the vinyl was surprisingly all sold out. What would nerdy, audiophile, retro-mad nerds want with one of a thousand collectible, cherry-red, numbered limited edition vinyl records? Yeah, I don't get it either. Good news for the perpetually broke, or just the miserly in spirit, though; you can just set your price in good, old, American dollars.

It's painless. You numbers get marginally smaller, and you get several songs where a punk cabaret nerd plays Radiohead songs on a ukulele. It's everything you always thought it could be. 

Ok, I'm going to bed now.

*Which isn't really my position. The games don't aim to do the same thing, so I don't feel it's appropriate to say one's better or worse without qualifying the claim so much as to be useless. Frank is of the opinion that they're fundamentally the same game, with some difference, and one's better.
**When I say this, I am mostly kidding. Mostly.

Comments

[brantai.livejournal.com]

I wonder why he bothered to convert to Exalted 2e if rules don't matter and he already owned all the 1e books?

[atolnon.livejournal.com]

That's a good point, but I think it's rendered moot in the face of the several mason jars full of box wine he'd gotten into. It's difficult to work up a sense of nuance in that kind of condition.

Frank's always had an antagonist relationship with the rules, unless there was something specific he wanted to do. Which tickles me, since every now and again he likes to call me a cheater for playing fast and loose with descriptors that literally have no impact on the game.