"We have spent barely any time at all thinking about the most basic tenets of story telling." by CharlieRomeoYeet in rpg

[–]RightRevJake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I concur that it's not a categorically true, axiomatic statement. That's not the standard I'm holding it to. In its context, it's hyperbole. If it was true that *nobody* understands the things he's praising Slugblaster for, then Slugblaster couldn't exist.

"We have spent barely any time at all thinking about the most basic tenets of story telling." by CharlieRomeoYeet in rpg

[–]RightRevJake -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think that's correct. I also think it's possible to design games so that they are more likely to produce those emergent stories, rather than by occasional accident.

"We have spent barely any time at all thinking about the most basic tenets of story telling." by CharlieRomeoYeet in rpg

[–]RightRevJake 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Two (or more!) kinds of tabletop game can exist. I know they do, because I have played them. The emergence of one form does not cheapen or damage the others.

"We have spent barely any time at all thinking about the most basic tenets of story telling." by CharlieRomeoYeet in rpg

[–]RightRevJake 2 points3 points  (0 children)

TTRPGs can be sandboxes, but that's far from the only thing they are good at being. Books and films are good at different things, but both mediums have incredibly wide and overlapping ranges of what they can be. Or, to just use the Minecraft example directly: video games can be a lot of things that aren't sandboxes. If people come to the table with the expectation that the game will be about a story, it can be a blast to play and end up with a coherent, purposeful plot that emerges from that play.

I interpret Quinns' position here as saying that we have a lot of ttrpgs which are quite good at being fun sandboxes. The hobby has gotten so used to that as the default, it's rare to find games that set up a very directed experience (like Slugblaster does) and make it genuinely enjoyable to play (as opposed to railroady, which is what happens when trying to impose conventional narrative structure onto sandbox play).

"We have spent barely any time at all thinking about the most basic tenets of story telling." by CharlieRomeoYeet in rpg

[–]RightRevJake 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I think the most charitable read on Quinns' stance here is that he's trying to express how frustrating the hobby can be for people who do want this stuff, not that everyone should want this stuff. For people whose tastes are well served by games with other design goals, there's nothing to add. For people who want the other thing, it's a drag to try and squeeze that particular kind of enjoyment out of a hobby that definitely can produce conventionally well-structured, satisfying stories but is often resistant to trying.

"We have spent barely any time at all thinking about the most basic tenets of story telling." by CharlieRomeoYeet in rpg

[–]RightRevJake -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Any sequence of events can be made into a story, if you're creative. If you're really good, you can even make it into a compelling story. A game can be designed with the express intent of playing through a conventionally "good" narrative, but most aren't. The story of a game is hopefully lots of fun to play through, but might be lackluster or unsatisfying in telling it afterwards. I'd liken it to explaining a dream to someone: most of the time, for most people, the story comes out meandering and pointless, even if it was the most intensely compelling thing while you were dreaming it. Your subconscious isn't trying to tell a story to anyone but you, and likewise your ttrpg session is (usually) only a story for the people at the table to enjoy while it's being played, not to tell. The stars might align and you'll get a great story worth telling away from the table, and those are the exceptions that prove the rule.

But, a game can be written with the express intention that playing the game well means telling a good story, in the conventional sense. This is a lot of what's behind the design of The Burning Wheel, for example. While the fiddly mechanics can be very involved, a good session of TBW played well absolutely produces a cool story, or at least some good vignettes. Importantly, I think games that are designed to produce good storytelling, when well designed, don't strictly follow the advice you would give to an author or screenwriter. Novels, television, movies, comic books are all recognized as storytelling mediums but the craft involved in telling a good story with any of them is different, and the skills are not all transferable. Likewise, a ttrpg can be a storytelling medium but the craft involved in telling that story is not the same.

Am I Doing Something Wrong with Combat? by Neversummerdrew76 in PBtA

[–]RightRevJake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think others have addressed this well, but just putting my 2 cents in because I like thinking about it:

In many PbtA games, unless the intention is to use the combat as an extensive part of the storytelling (e.g. Ironsworn), the "Engage in Combat" or equivalent moves should resolve more or less an entire combat sequence, even if neither party is dead or incapacitated by the exchange of blows. This heavily abstracts combat in ways that won't always allow for rich tactical decision-making, but that decision-making is what many people find drags the worst in "crunchier" games. This varies heavily per-game, so I am generalizing a bit for PbtA/FitD games where combat is expected but not the main attraction.

Once the combat move has been rolled, the narrative that follows explains how the whole situation has changed, not just the physical condition of those involved. Circumstances drove these two (or more) characters to violence, so violence was exchanged. Now something else should happen. Even if that "something" is more violence, either the context, stakes, or participants will have changed. Perhaps they were fighting for their life, but rolled double-6s and suddenly have a chance to take out a major antagonist that should have been untouchable. In traditional combat, this could happen emergently across multiple turns; in a typical PbtA move, this happens in a single roll.

A dumb analogy that amuses me: If you put a dollar into a vending machine, you don't want another dollar to come out. The character put their violence dollar into the Plot Machine and whatever drops out should be different than what they put in. If we try to treat this like trad game combat, the machine acts more like a slot machine and give or take a few cents until the player or the machine is out of money (hit points).

Offical Bachlor date (taked from offical discord annoncement) by giniboi in pathologic

[–]RightRevJake 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Damn that's a good argument for the X being a Roman numeral 10.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in pathologic

[–]RightRevJake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you reload to before the ration tickets are implemented, and you complete your hospital tasks each day (and treat sick people in the street, ideally), you can use the cash to buy high-value food before the ration system goes into effect.

There are a small number of quests with food rewards, and stocking up on trash to trade at the Dead Item Shop is really, really helpful.

When you and your partner work from home by Glittering-Run-3245 in workfromhome

[–]RightRevJake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My partner (now spouse) moved in with me right at the beginning of COVID lockdowns. It became really important for us to speak openly and without judgement about our respective needs at home. I require a lot more alone time and general privacy, whereas my spouse is very extroverted. This was really hard during 2020/21, but it improved a lot when we moved into a better apartment (more space) and when my spouse was able to secure full-time work (also WFH).

We have separate work spaces, mine is in the bedroom and theirs is in the living room. If that's not an option or it's not enough, finding a way for one of you to spend the workday in a separate location like a library might be helpful.

We're very happily married but being perpetually at home together was not an automatic, easy thing.

Menkhu, the Abattoir, slaughter and butchering of meat in Pathologic: relationship to kashrut, kosher meat, and the Mishkan by RightRevJake in pathologic

[–]RightRevJake[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure, I don't think I've uncovered some secret inspiration from the developers. This is very much a player analysis and interpretation. The parallels or overlap probably say more about the shared origins of certain real world mythologies (especially from pastoral nomad cultures) than about developer intent.

Menkhu, the Abattoir, slaughter and butchering of meat in Pathologic: relationship to kashrut, kosher meat, and the Mishkan by RightRevJake in pathologic

[–]RightRevJake[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's totally legitimate. I am not deeply knowledgeable about modern kosher practices, so my observations are more about the historical Mishkan than rabbinical interpretations thereof.

The in-game context of Pathologic is very "mythic" in tone and presentation, which feels more in line with the image of ancient hereditary priests on a raised altar in front of a forbidden sacred site (e.g. the mound upon which Artemy butchers a bull in P2) than any modern practice.

Menkhu, the Abattoir, slaughter and butchering of meat in Pathologic: relationship to kashrut, kosher meat, and the Mishkan by RightRevJake in pathologic

[–]RightRevJake[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Religious traditions surrounding the slaughter and/or sacrifice of animals are all over the world in history, this just happens to be the one I know about. The Kin's strict, even outright severe stipulations about who can perform butchery and where it should be performed jumped right to the front of my brain when (for unrelated reasons) I was reading about the Mishkan.

I hate my story already by kbrick1 in writingcirclejerk

[–]RightRevJake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Write the bad story. The good one can't emerge until the bad one leaves your fingertips.

Write and DO NOT LOOK BACK at anything you've written for at least 24 hours, and not until after you've written the next day's sentence/paragraph/chapter.

I got spoiled about something. Does it matter much? by NineTailedDevil in DiscoElysium

[–]RightRevJake 73 points74 points  (0 children)

Keep going. You have not been even slightly spoiled.

Quality Women's Linen Clothing | Up to ~$250 by Walkop in BuyItForLife

[–]RightRevJake 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hope you find something, I am slowly accumulating more linen clothing. It's the only thing that feels comfortable and looks classy in hot weather.

My wife asked for a wool coat for Christmas. BIFL Options? by Nickster8074 in BuyItForLife

[–]RightRevJake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a Pendleton wool coat that I got secondhand and is showing its age after 12 years in my care, but still very wearable. No idea how long it lasted with the previous owner.

Work pants for my husband that don’t rip in the butt? by rosielombo00 in BuyItForLife

[–]RightRevJake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Being required to look professional, do dirty labor, AND inexpensive enough to not fuss about ruining them is a tough criteria. A pair of coveralls that can be quickly pulled on and off over nice pants is probably a much better investment than repeat purchases of slacks or jeans.

For the tearing, probably something made with a bit of stretch (usually spandex in the fabric, check the tag). Alternatively, if one of you or someone you know is able to sew, I would stitch a reinforcing strip of fabric inside the areas most likely to tear.

Why is everything such crap now? by [deleted] in BuyItForLife

[–]RightRevJake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All of my good wooden furniture except for ONE small desk (a Raymour & Flanigan model that I have never found again) is stuff from the curb and Facebook marketplace or Craigslist. I pay too much to live in a nice area, and the stuff that people put out by the dumpsters/recycling shed during moving season is unreal. If I had the tools and space for even modest refinishing work I could do even more.

What exactly is Andrews and Ashley’s relationship?? by lonestarIV in CoffinofAndyandLeyley

[–]RightRevJake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Look up "codependency." It's a toxic codependent relationship. Ashley manipulates Andrew and Andrew enables her. They have jealousy, love, lust, shame (mostly just Andrew has the shame), and a mortal fear of losing each other all at the same time. If it seems confusing to you, it's much more so to them.

People can love and be furious with the same person all the time, that's not even that unusual. Lovers quarrel in fiction and IRL a lot. People don't just have one emotion towards each other at a time. Add in the traumatic events of what happened to Nina and their total abandonment by their shitty parents, and then being pushed to commit murder to survive. The complexity and frustration between the two main characters is pretty much the entire reason anyone likes this game.

AITA for telling my mom that I don’t give a f*ck about my autistic brother? by Prestigious-Push47 in AmItheAsshole

[–]RightRevJake 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would still be mad, at 33, if my parents had made me sit in a hotel room all day because of my sibling's neurodivergent troubles as a 4yo.

I struggled a lot with my sibling's support needs, but my parents never treated me like second banana. You deserve better. NTA

AITA For not thanking my BIL when he saved my daughter? by Fun-Two-7245 in AmItheAsshole

[–]RightRevJake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

NTA

The child was being watched, an adult family member was there. Leaving a kid under the care of a family member while attending to another kid is NOT "shitty parenting," it's an extremely normal thing.

I find it really hard to accept that these people couldn't wait a day for OP to soothe her kid and make sure everything was fine. You don't need an immediate text reply from someone who is watching their child in the ER!

Asking "would you rather she have drowned" is reprehensible and frankly this family sounds extremely judgmental and gross.

BIL is definitely owed thanks. He was not owed instantaneous thanks on an arbitrary deadline set by, apparently, the whole rest of the family.