tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post2842451837194225083..comments2024-02-16T22:05:32.773+02:00Comments on LotFP: RPG: Criticism is a bad thing?JimLotFPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-88603072957478489342008-06-02T23:08:00.000+03:002008-06-02T23:08:00.000+03:00Personally, I am not particularly enthusiastic abo...Personally, I am not particularly enthusiastic about old school play in and of itself, but the fact that there are people who like it and develop new ideas (that I can use) is certainly a positive thing. So, I'll just say: Go on and spread the ideas however possible. Someone will refine them if they are worthy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-47821415552741321302008-05-27T12:27:00.000+03:002008-05-27T12:27:00.000+03:00Unity is overrated. Seriously, if we had true unit...<I>Unity is overrated. Seriously, if we had true unity, there'd be little need for criticism, since we'd all be agreeing and stagnating because of it.</I><BR/><BR/>Sure, I am not suggesting that, though. True factionalism undermines critical thought in the same way that autocracy does. The illusion of unity is not true unity at all, but the vague and intangible feeling that you are part of a group of like minded individuals. Yoshida Kenko put it better a few hundred years ago than I ever could:<BR/><BR/><I>"It is a joyful thing indeed to hold intimate converse with a man after one’s own heart, chatting without reserve about things of interest or the fleeting topics of the world; but such, alas, are few and far between. Not that one desires a companion who will sit opposite and never utter a word in contradiction – one might as well be alone. Far better in hours of loneliness the company of one who, while he will listen with respect to your views, will disagree a little, and argue, saying “ Yes, that is so, but...,” or “For this reason such and such is the case.”<BR/>And yet, with those who are not of the same way of thinking or are contentious, a man can only discuss things of passing interest, for the truth is that there must not be any wide gulf between bosom friends."</I>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05646247954542936623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-63643584582112447322008-05-27T11:24:00.000+03:002008-05-27T11:24:00.000+03:00And I wanted to make clear that i the Metal scene ...And I wanted to make clear that i the Metal scene there is a grass roots movement. <BR/>For example the band "Kadath" had not T-shirts to sell until many, many years after I met them - and they existed some years already then -.<BR/><BR/>I printed myself in a copy shop a shirt from the cover of their second demo. A friend of me saw this shirt and let me print another one for himself.<BR/>So the first Kadath shirts came into existence.<BR/><BR/>But with all this cluster-fuck of OGLs and other bullshit licenses which don't make clear what you are allowed and what not to use in your material<BR/>I couldn't make a Kadath shirt. <BR/>You know what I mean?<BR/><BR/>On the one hand you all - I saw many postings already about this - whine and bitch that the name "Dungeons&Dragons" is not free to use but on the other hand all of you make clear that no one really knows what of your material is to use or not and so on.<BR/><BR/>With this you cannot get a grass roots movement beginning if I don't know if i would get sued for printing a LL/OSRIC/BF T-shirt at a local copy shop and if a friend of me sees and likes it that I copy this shirt for him.<BR/><BR/><BR/>(I know, I have to find a way , I must, to get my ideas in some condensed words. I see from all your answers that my ideas - what I want to say - are misunderstood.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-4753818971706760152008-05-27T11:10:00.000+03:002008-05-27T11:10:00.000+03:00Sure, these things you described are also in th su...Sure, these things you described are also in th support things. Buying and also selling some(if allowed, for example for a local underground death metal band "Kadath" I selled their demos because it was allowed for me by them), and also getting into the fan clubs and supporting these clubs (I was once in the fan clubs of Bolt Thrower but also in the Defenders of Steel (Manowar)).<BR/><BR/>But I didn't want to bother you with listing all this things because I was and am sure you know these things - as you showed in your posting -.<BR/><BR/><BR/>In the Simulacrum world the ways are different. <BR/>The Simulacrum material should first have the summed up "worth" to get the real money to the real hands.<BR/><BR/>And my thinking is with more hands writing, editing, laying out, drawing we can get better and better material which then summed up - in a book or on a cd(usb stick) - gathers the real money to the right hands. (AND I am not peaking up from my hands here. I just want to hack programs which support GMs,players and also the authors, to build up settings for the Simulacrum and I am dreaming up of 3D virtual models for characters and monsters - but the modeling skills I have not got yet- all these free for all)<BR/><BR/>And my thinking is that we first need many, many more people in the Simulacrum world to build up more material.<BR/><BR/>And lastly to get these many people I think we should use the power of the Internet and the Free Software movement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-55706131711795231032008-05-27T10:29:00.000+03:002008-05-27T10:29:00.000+03:00To me, "consuming" has nothing to do with the comm...To me, "consuming" has nothing to do with the commercial element. Earlier in this decade, when my metal mag's circulation was at its height, I received hundreds and hundreds of albums for free, from record labels and publicists and bands wanting coverage.<BR/><BR/>Sometimes I got 20 free albums in the mail in a single day.<BR/><BR/>I think it actually damaged me and my ability to enjoy music. I thought it was my <I>duty</I> to listen to each album carefully and have an informed opinion and blah blah blah.<BR/><BR/>I consumed, at no commercial expense. It was awful.<BR/><BR/>These days, I've heard maybe 15 new releases so far, and maybe 5 of them have been released by labels. There's more that I want to hear, but my financial situation is shit right now. I could be a bastard and get them for free on the internet, but why? I'll enjoy what I have, get new things at a slower pace, and be able to enjoy each thing as it comes even more than I could if I ordered 5 CDs at a time.<BR/><BR/>Nothing is ever truly <I>free</I>.<BR/><BR/><I>(by speaking about them, let your friends listen to the tapes)</I><BR/><BR/>This isn't support. Support is doing stuff like buying a ticket to a concert so a promoter/club thinks its worth their while to book the band, and others like them, again. Support is buying a T-shirt at the show so the band can afford gas to get to the next show. Support is buying their album so they can afford to record the next one.<BR/><BR/>The next level of support is actually booking the gigs and releasing the albums, taking that risk so the band doesn't have to. (of course, this "support" always has strings attached...)<BR/><BR/>"I like this and am going to tell my friends about it!" isn't really much of anything in and of itself. It's appreciated when someone does it, but to me "support" is something that allows activity to continue (I think a critical review does count here), not something that makes you feel good about what you've already done.JimLotFPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-13817798006906947672008-05-27T09:53:00.000+03:002008-05-27T09:53:00.000+03:00> Are you willing to pay my rent while I do so?Wha...> Are you willing to pay my rent while I do so?<BR/><BR/>What do you want? really want?<BR/><BR/>Don't we speak here to get a beginning of a grassroots-movement to the hobby?<BR/><BR/>Don't we speak here to get a beginning of the new root of the hobby where it all began? In the living room (or maybe in the hobby room which is just nearby the kitchen)?<BR/><BR/>Or ..<BR/><BR/>.. do we speak here of a second WotC?<BR/><BR/>Then, Sir , you are fully right.<BR/><BR/>BUT if you really think that with these books around the Simalacrum movement you can even get one kiddie out there to buy so much that you can get your living from it <BR/>I don't know .. don't really know if this is a good business model or biz basics , whatever.<BR/><BR/>If you don't deliver your content - rules, worldds, onsters, etc. - to the Apple Iphone you are just OUT.<BR/>For the kiddies out there.<BR/><BR/>And the Simualcrum movement has not the man power, the marketing power and also not the founding money to get your contents to the modern media.<BR/><BR/>BUT <BR/>there would be a way.<BR/><BR/>Some years ago, many people laughed at us.<BR/>They didn't take us seriously. They said the things we wrote were not good enough. Now our written things are all there.. In every medium.<BR/>Without Free Software there would be no Internet..This blog we use now is Free Software. The programs that are behind this web-site program are Free Software.<BR/>Now we are there.<BR/><BR/>And you - the Simulacrum moveent - can alsobe there. Everywhere. <BR/>You have to build it up from down under. <BR/><BR/>First the network. Of players, material and game groups.<BR/><BR/>Then one for one, there would be the call for better things - written words or modeled miniatures whatever - then the biz begings. But from down under.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Ahh, I think I know what the rpoblem is.<BR/>I cannot get the words togehter to discuss my ideas.<BR/><BR/>...Never mind...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-66875827775503189792008-05-27T09:40:00.000+03:002008-05-27T09:40:00.000+03:00> Consume, consume, consume. Great > attitude.I do...> Consume, consume, consume. Great <BR/>> attitude.<BR/><BR/>I don't consume. Fuck that!<BR/>I am a metal head just like you.<BR/><BR/>I was speaking of methods to give material to the players out there freely and legally.<BR/><BR/>Just like in the old days where the bands (I am speaking of underground death/trash/black metal) distributed their demo tapes freely between them and if you were in this "network" you got hundreds of demo tapes. <BR/><BR/>But you then also give support to these bands then as a fan and supporter (by speaking about them, let your friends listen to the tapes)<BR/>etc. I think you know what I mean.<BR/><BR/>Taking and giving ... Without this commercial crap... Fuck that don't speak of me as I would be one those consumers out there. >:-|<BR/><BR/>I want to build up a network <BR/><BR/>A network of :<BR/>a) players,<BR/>b) their ideas - what everyone of them makes out of the material - ,<BR/>c) documents with material freely shared - so that this network could be build up -,<BR/>d) game groups - build up of these players in point a) -.<BR/><BR/>This is what you all - the guys who blog and discuss at K&K and DF - want to build up for the hobby of old-school gaming. A network.<BR/><BR/>But with the closed up material the network cannot start.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-13256196385161197982008-05-27T09:31:00.000+03:002008-05-27T09:31:00.000+03:00Anonymous:THIS we can use to fill up the networks ...<B>Anonymous</B>:<BR/><BR/><I>THIS we can use to fill up the networks with our material, to show that the hobby does not mean to supprt an industry and that our hobby is fully independent of any industry. That everyone today has the tools and materials to produce what we would call "professional" material.</I><BR/><BR/>I'd be happy to flood the 'net with original settings, adventures, character ideas, etc. all for free.<BR/><BR/>Are you willing to pay my rent while I do so?<BR/><BR/>No?<BR/><BR/>Then I don't have the time, sorry. And neither do the artists and editors I'd need to bring my work up to "professional" standards.<BR/><BR/>Even Mr. Raggi needs to at least break even, and he's one of those large-hearted souls eager to get his work into the hands of others as cheaply as possible.<BR/><BR/>- Briantrollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-57491341484226122682008-05-27T08:53:00.000+03:002008-05-27T08:53:00.000+03:00Anything which results in commercial works being p...Anything which results in commercial works being pirated, I am against, and I feel that people that do such things are criminals.<BR/><BR/>My ideas involve using the current laws and licenses to do things completely in the open and exploring how we can do this without infringing on anyone's copyrights or trademarks.<BR/><BR/>However, I don't believe that certain ideas (Strength, Dexterity, Armor Class, Hit Points, etc) are owned by anyone, so using these ideas doesn't contradict my viewpoints. I'm happy and amazed the OGL exists because it made several things possible, but I don't agree that people should pressured to make their own original content open. Hell, I don't even think that's even a good idea.<BR/><BR/><I>more, More, MORE .. yeah baby give me. .. Ohhh</I><BR/><BR/>Consume, consume, consume. Great attitude.<BR/><BR/>I'm interested in more discussion of methods, for example <A HREF="http://www.philotomy.com/" REL="nofollow">this</A>. I can do something with that. Other people's characters and settings? Don't really care. I've got my own.JimLotFPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-42683782350168942212008-05-27T08:37:00.000+03:002008-05-27T08:37:00.000+03:00To finish up what I wrote above, the comfortable p...To finish up what I wrote above, the comfortable places to discuss al material we have already. K&K and Dragonsfoot are great forums.<BR/><BR/>What we don't have, is material.<BR/><BR/>Millions of character ideas, setting hooks (or even fully written settings) , adventures, rules modifications , more, More, MORE .. yeah baby give me. .. Ohhh<BR/><BR/>Ahem...<BR/><BR/>But one thing can be our selling point. If all these materials are really free, to show, copy, play, distribute. <BR/><BR/>Many people out there begin to get , to understand that free does not mean "cheap" quality wise. The Free Software movement had done a great work for this.<BR/>THIS we can use to fill up the networks with our material, to show that the hobby does not mean to supprt an industry and that our hobby is fully independent of any industry. That everyone today has the tools and materials to produce what we would call "professional" material.<BR/><BR/>The way to get the people to our hobby is open and we know now but the steps we have to do ourselfs<BR/><BR/>MUHAHAHAHHHAAAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-61114713437142827402008-05-27T08:18:00.000+03:002008-05-27T08:18:00.000+03:00Here is the guy who wrote in Grognardia's Blog the...Here is the guy who wrote in Grognardia's Blog the postings about Free Software and Simulacrum.<BR/><BR/>Unity or Critisism or Un-unity does not help us just because we don't have the materials which we can freely change to show that our critisism has some merit.<BR/><BR/>What we want is to bring back the hobby to the days back as all the things were so easy that even playing _with_ rules was fun.<BR/>What we want is to bring the attention to the players out there what the hobby meant in these old days. !Comfortable fun! I can only imagine Gygax sitting in a big room by the fireside with a cigar in hands and discussing rules, monsters, fantastic places and the actual adventure with his comrades. (This is the picture I have when I think of long forgotten days of roleplaying.)<BR/><BR/>But for this we must have the freedom to change every rule text and every chapter and section to show what point of the critisism is. This "freedom" must include the freedom to post legally the changed text on the internet without thinking about "excluded from Open Content" or "included in Open Content". <BR/>And then there will be naturally changes to these changes ad infinitum. <BR/><BR/>If I look at many OGL books of the 3.0 and 3.5 era and cannot even see a SRD - a downloadable archive of the rules - I ask myself how can these things be "Open Content" if I don't have the freedom to get them "openly".<BR/><BR/>But forget the commercial OGL books. <BR/><BR/>We have to get the Simulacrum material out there. We have to show them that part of the hobby was to make your own rules and fluff out from that what was given to you.<BR/><BR/>And for THIS ^^^ we should ... no we _must_ use the power of the Internet so that the material is getting copied more and more from player to player. (You know, if I suppose that copying OSRIC or LL or BFRPG is legal but on the Torrent networks I cannot even see a "private" torrent for these works but one and a half week later after release KoTS is to be found there you know _which_ material finds his way to the house of the players?)<BR/><BR/>Use the (free) Internet and its power to get the word out there and show the gals and guys who "leech" the rulebooks where to discuss all the things about what they leeched just now. And tell them that leeching LL was legal and to freely admit in the forums that he leeched it just now and has some difficulties to understand how to play is no problem whatsoever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-30101045646742000672008-05-27T00:39:00.000+03:002008-05-27T00:39:00.000+03:00I am not yet convinced that even the illusion of u...<I>I am not yet convinced that even the illusion of unity is not to be preferred over the consequences of true factionalism.</I><BR/><BR/>Unity is overrated. Seriously, if we had true unity, there'd be little need for criticism, since we'd all be agreeing and stagnating because of it. Dynamism grows from being exposed to the ideas of people who don't agree with you because they don't think like you do. There's inspiration and excitement in them thar hills, even if you do spend a lot of time ducking all the bullets the Hatfields and McCoys are flinging at each other.<BR/><BR/>Speaking of criticism, James, I don't suppose we could talk you into using a slightly bigger font? The one you're using is just on the legible side of being comfortable to read for me.<BR/><BR/>- Briantrollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-29433506913270637762008-05-26T16:52:00.000+03:002008-05-26T16:52:00.000+03:00At the risk of sounding like a cheerleader, anothe...At the risk of sounding like a cheerleader, another excellent and articulate entry. I am usually loathe to read lengthy blog posts, but yours seem always worth reading.<BR/><BR/>Of course, post apocolyptic reconstruction is possible and it doesn't require critical thought as much as it requires people to actually do something.<BR/><BR/>I am not yet convinced that even the illusion of unity is not to be preferred over the consequences of true factionalism. Autonomous thought and unfettered freedom to create, sure, but all things in moderation (including advice about keeping your mouth shut).<BR/><BR/>To find a road between extremes is difficult, but it is also the best way to avoid being blinded by the 'true way.'Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05646247954542936623noreply@blogger.com