Saturday, April 20, 2013

Equal protection.

Watching a thing on Pot growing in California.  I don't smoke it myself, and I'm not in California, but I am bothered by the mentality of the California cops on the show.  "I can't bust you, but I can bring the feds in and bust you," is wrong. Growing drugs, food, making items etc, for yourself shouldn't be a Federal issue, and I am upset at the idea of state police calling in the feds because they can't prosecute people they disagree with.  Especially in California, where they make an effort to impede the feds in their actual duties.  "I don't like you, so I'm going to call the feds to bust you if you can't." flies in the face of "You're breaking the state and federal laws, and we're going to keep them from arresting you."

Friday, April 19, 2013

Wonder Woman III, fleshing out the cast

Making a show with a strong female lead is not as alien now as it was in the ‘70’s.  That said, lets start with some of the other cast.
Etta Kandi.  Etta is a ‘modern woman’.  She’s strong and military trained, but took a civilian position.  Why she left the military is something we can reveal later in the series.  She’s also a scholar.  She starts somewhat as the Scully of the group, always looking for a scientific reasoning for what happens.  She’s hard to nail down, as you want her to be a competent woman, but overshadowed by Diana in combat, and diplomacy.  She knows, for example, more languages and cultures than Diana, and is clearly going to be more technologically savy, but she’ll be overwhelmed by the things she can’t explain.  For another way of looking at her, think crossing Samantha Carter and Elizabeth Weir from Stargate, but without the experience of either.
Who would play her?  In my dream world, the lovely Kandyse McClure.  In addition to being the right age for a vet/up and coming diplomat, she deserves more exposure.
Taking a break from Pazio, not the Society,
I find myself needing to take a break from the Pathfinder Society boards.  The coming changes have stirred up a hornet’s nest of contempt, and seem to have exacerbated other feelings.  I’m taking a break, so I can still enjoy the game.
In the past few weeks I’ve been accused directly and indirectly, of being a bad GM for…
·        Wanting to run new scenarios rather than the same scenario over and over, so I can apply GM credit/gain boons.  Yes, how dare I want to run through scenarios/modules/adventures I’ve bought and paid for to get the full value out of them.
·        Daring to ‘fudge’ a die roll so that a first time player doesn’t get to watch his character die to a lucky roll
·        Not sponsoring a ‘community attitude’.
I’ve been also accused of being a bad player for:
·        Opposing a proposed system that encourages not ‘taking one for the team’ and playing down.  Most annoyingly, by someone who doesn’t go to scenarios/games that ‘don’t interest him’  So I’m a bad guy for showing up and not wanting to play down, but he’s not for just not going at all?
·        Not always GMing to split a table, instead of playing.
Between that and the attitude I see of people arguing from authority that ‘the community’ agrees with them, or saying ‘We feel’… I’m taking a break.  You know what?  I don’t care if you have 5 stars, I don’t care if you started playing RPGs at Gary Gygax’s table.  I don’t care if you’re a writer, a Venture Lieutenant or a Venture Captain.  Your ‘authority’ is exactly the same as mine.  Unless you’ve a mouse in your pocket, or voices in your head, you aren’t speaking for the community.  You’re likely just talking out your aft.
I’ve an emotional interest in Paizo in general, and personal interest in the success of the Society as a community as a whole.  When I got back at the table, playing a 4 hour session exhausted me.  I was rocking forwards and back (a sign that my Social Anxiety is about to hit critical mass) by the end, and I was exhausted the next day.  Now I can take the stress (and it is stressful) of GMing, and run full day events, with little effect.  I’m stronger because of my interactions with the local community, and I’ve met some good people.  I’m looking forward to testing my endurance (and meeting more people) in two months at Origins.
The local community can’t generalize, or marginalize me as part of a faceless group that matches their stereotypes.  They’re real people who interact with me, warts and all, every week.  I don’t want the actions of a loud closed minded minority to drive me away from the real people I’ve met and been to their homes.  People I interact with may not like me, but they don’t like me not some easily dismissed pseudo-real person they can pretend matches their notions, because I make them uncomfortable.
So why am I posting this on the Hermit-blog?  Because I’m not conceited enough to post a long rant on the Paizo site saying why I’m leaving.  This however, is my blog, and I’ll say whatever the frak I want.