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Decline Critical role ruined PnP

Joined
Oct 9, 2015
Messages
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Location
DFW, Texas
Assuming they're not Germans, it's probably that and/or the need to destroy all forms of escapism, because we can't have that anymore it seems.
Just like alcohol or opium, escapism should be used responsibly and with all due moderation. People living in unbearable conditions often use escapism for the sake of anesthetizing themselves to the suffering present in their lives, so that they can procrastinate the necessary changes that would make their lives both bearable and meaningful. Escapism is harmful both to the individual and society at large when relied upon for this purpose.

That said, I don't think a weekly or bi-weekly tabletop session rises to that level of excess.
 

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,552
There's ignoring reality with escapism, and then there's trying to relax after your daily 8-hours work shift, only to realize you can't escape the inanity of modern world because it's shoved down your throat everywhere, regardless of the work, setting, and format. Usually done so by corrupting the original vision of the work itself. Ie: The Picard show features rape-refugees and a bleaker setting compared to the OG series IIRC. Modern Star Wars movies nearly killed the franchise, modern games made in the West from the 2015-forward have danger-hairs and ugly women everywhere and so on.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 28, 2020
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1,284
No one likes a women over a hundred-years-old.
What!
xAgUPqB.jpg
 
Joined
Oct 9, 2015
Messages
2,095
Location
DFW, Texas
There's ignoring reality with escapism, and then there's trying to relax after your daily 8-hours work shift, only to realize you can't escape the inanity of modern world because it's shoved down your throat everywhere, regardless of the work, setting, and format. Usually done so by corrupting the original vision of the work itself. Ie: The Picard show features rape-refugees and a bleaker setting compared to the OG series IIRC. Modern Star Wars movies nearly killed the franchise, modern games made in the West from the 2015-forward have danger-hairs and ugly women everywhere and so on.
That's not what I mean. I'm talking about people with serious problems. If playing a game is what allows you to continue working a dead-end job with no prospects, stay married to a screaming harpy who sleeps around and hates your guts, or live off your parents as a NEET, then you should stop playing games and spend some weeks getting your life in order. Even in my limited experience, I've seen people doing all three of those things, though only one of them used tabletop games specifically (the others played video games and/or Magic the Gathering), so it's not like there's some kind of epidemic of tabletop players ruining their lives.
 

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,552
Quite specific issues.
It's easy to say "fix your life bro!", but usually it's not that easy, sometimes it's outright impossible to do. Ie: Staying married to a harpy as you say is a slow death in America and other places, as divorce will be much worse for you and risk potentially lose everything and still owe that bitch money, nevermind if you have children.
 
Joined
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Messages
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Location
DFW, Texas
Quite specific issues.
These issues are common in the United States, and judging by the statistics I've seen, the whole Western world.

It's easy to say "fix your life bro!", but usually it's not that easy, sometimes it's outright impossible to do. Ie: Staying married to a harpy as you say is a slow death in America and other places, as divorce will be much worse for you and risk potentially lose everything and still owe that bitch money, nevermind if you have children.
There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others. -- Niccolo Machiavelli

If you can describe your wife either as a screaming harpy or someone who sleeps around, any thoughts you have of making it work is self-delusion. You should be aware that in many places (such as Texas, where I live) the person who files first has the advantage in settlements. The only way I've seen men get fair hearings in family court is by collecting evidence and beating the wife to the punch.
 

Bara

Arcane
Joined
Apr 2, 2018
Messages
1,335
Oh gods why did I do this to myself. I decide to take a look at the new book Critical Role released independently and if its any worse or better than the one they did with wotc.

Hemocraft
Two of the subclasses in this book, the cleric’s Blood
Domain and the wizard's Blood Magic arcane tradition,
use the magical art of hemocraft. This involves
using your own blood and the blood of other creatures
to heal, hex, and even bend bodies to your will.

Blood and Session Zero
Self-harm and the removal of agency can be an
incredibly sensitive topic, regardless of whether it’s
happening to someone’s own character, to another
player character, or to an NPC. Additionally, many
people have blood phobias that they may not want
to disclose. Because of this, if any player or the GM
wants to use one of these options, it’s important that
you bring it up in a pregame session zero (discussed
at the start of this chapter) and get everyone’s affirmative
and enthusiastic buy-in. These options are
exciting and flavorful, but the comfort of your group
is essential to making the game fun for everyone.

Killing bandits with sharp and pointy weapons a-okay and cleaving them in twain but describing magic powered by blood better make sure you get all your players to enthusiastically sign off on the idea.

But in honesty other than the play-safe advice setting information and ideas remain as boring and bland to me as the previous books. Nothing better or worse.
 

Reinhardt

Arcane
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
31,918
If playing a game is what allows you to continue working a dead-end job with no prospects, stay married to a screaming harpy who sleeps around and hates your guts, or live off your parents as a NEET, then you should stop playing games and spend some weeks getting your life in order.
You mean kick harpy from your home and punch manager Goldbergstein's lying joo snout before going back to games?
 

S.torch

Liturgist
Joined
Jan 4, 2019
Messages
1,112
Just like alcohol or opium, escapism should be used responsibly and with all due moderation.

People play games because they enjoy it, and it's just normal that they spent a lot of time doing it. That's why the term 'casual' is usually pejorative, because is considered that if someone doesn't play often, is because he is not really into them. Others who like to call out 'escapism' almost always do it because they see the things they do, like "valid" and "healthy" while looking down upon other people hobbies. That's why going to a party and getting drunk is fine, but everything else is "escapism".

And these type of opinions shouldn't be really taken seriously.
 

Humbaba

Arcane
Joined
Aug 12, 2021
Messages
2,940
Location
SADAT HQ
Oh gods why did I do this to myself. I decide to take a look at the new book Critical Role released independently and if its any worse or better than the one they did with wotc.

Hemocraft
Two of the subclasses in this book, the cleric’s Blood
Domain and the wizard's Blood Magic arcane tradition,
use the magical art of hemocraft. This involves
using your own blood and the blood of other creatures
to heal, hex, and even bend bodies to your will.

Blood and Session Zero
Self-harm and the removal of agency can be an
incredibly sensitive topic, regardless of whether it’s
happening to someone’s own character, to another
player character, or to an NPC. Additionally, many
people have blood phobias that they may not want
to disclose. Because of this, if any player or the GM
wants to use one of these options, it’s important that
you bring it up in a pregame session zero (discussed
at the start of this chapter) and get everyone’s affirmative
and enthusiastic buy-in. These options are
exciting and flavorful, but the comfort of your group
is essential to making the game fun for everyone.

Killing bandits with sharp and pointy weapons a-okay and cleaving them in twain but describing magic powered by blood better make sure you get all your players to enthusiastically sign off on the idea.

But in honesty other than the play-safe advice setting information and ideas remain as boring and bland to me as the previous books. Nothing better or worse.
Tbf a lot of people are scared of blood but then again those people probably would not play a game where there are any descriptions of gore in the first place.
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2018
Messages
1,006
There's ignoring reality with escapism, and then there's trying to relax after your daily 8-hours work shift, only to realize you can't escape the inanity of modern world because it's shoved down your throat everywhere, regardless of the work, setting, and format. Usually done so by corrupting the original vision of the work itself. Ie: The Picard show features rape-refugees and a bleaker setting compared to the OG series IIRC. Modern Star Wars movies nearly killed the franchise, modern games made in the West from the 2015-forward have danger-hairs and ugly women everywhere and so on.
That's not what I mean. I'm talking about people with serious problems. If playing a game is what allows you to continue working a dead-end job with no prospects, stay married to a screaming harpy who sleeps around and hates your guts, or live off your parents as a NEET, then you should stop playing games and spend some weeks getting your life in order. Even in my limited experience, I've seen people doing all three of those things, though only one of them used tabletop games specifically (the others played video games and/or Magic the Gathering), so it's not like there's some kind of epidemic of tabletop players ruining their lives.

That's a very idealistic and frankly childlike way of looking at things. Speaking as someone who got divorced from a miserable bitch who slept around, it is very hard to get a fair deal in the divorce. The courts universally favor the woman. To the point she can outright lie without any burden of proof. I was lucky enough to be able to afford good lawyers and take precautions before hand that I doubt the current generation will have access to if they can even afford it. My circumstances are not an example of how to do it. They are an exception. I know loads of friends stuck in unhappy marriages because they know they won't be able to afford a divorce. They'd rather be in an unhappy marriage than have their wages stolen from them and their reputation ruined forever. I also know at least one man who tried to divorce anyway and ended up homeless whilst his darling wife stole his kids and fucked off to France. It's not as easy as you think.

I've been gaming for over 5 decades or more depending on how honest I am about my age. I have also held down various jobs. Including quite high paying ones in the fields of IT and administration. Back when those jobs were high paying. I worked very hard sometimes for very little money, especially when I first started. If i didn't have at least a little enjoyment and leisure time I would've gone insane long before the ex wife made me insane. You can't just pack everything away and "be a grown up". You realize when you grow up and mature that trying to be "an adult" is just about the most childish thing there is. You know you're an adult. You know your responsibilities. You do your best. And take what leisure time you have. For me that was Pen and Paper RPGs in the late 70's to early 80's. Followed on by computer games when an irate boss threw a Commodore 64 on my desk in frustration at being unable to figure it out.

Now, the majority of Critical Role fans and those who insist on playing their games like that are Jobsworths. Teens and arrested development manchildren who haven't had much life experience and are looked after by the bank of Mum and Dad their entire lives. Just because they are like that doesn't mean everyone looking for a little escapism is the same. Let people enjoy things and you can go read 12 Rules for Life and live your life as your pill abusing Canadian invalid wishes you to.
 

Reinhardt

Arcane
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
31,918
Their anti-Victor agenda is showing. Meredoth you really thought they will stop after ruining disintegrate?
"No, Victor, you can't play your curorororo romancer thing!" "No, Victor, you can't make this brave and stunning wheelchair riding halfling of color Shaneekwa your blood bride!"
 

JamesDixon

GM Extraordinaire
Patron
Dumbfuck
Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
11,318
Location
In the ether
Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut
Can i play blood mage in that starbucks simulator module?
What for? There are other ways to make a Bloody Mary.

That usually requires menstruation and a lack of feminine products with a female character named Mary...

I'll see myself out...
Make a Bloody Mary not make Mary Bloody.

Well the period makes Mary Bloody, but it's the lack of feminine products that helps her achieve her final form of Bloody Mary...
 

Cryomancer

Arcane
Glory to Ukraine
Joined
Jul 11, 2019
Messages
16,943
Location
Frostfell
you really thought they will stop after ruining disintegrate?

No, I always knew that they will decline the game more and more. But my point is simple. If something disintegrate stuff in lore, it should disintegrate stuff in gameplay. Sure, large creatures should get bonus on saves and colossal creatures should be immune as incorporeal creatures.

r curorororo romancer thing!(...)wheelchair riding halfling of color Shaneekwa your blood bride!"

Cruoromancer is a bad name in Pathfinder. Blood necromancer would be a much better name. And using your own blood to make your undeads stronger and your spells harder to resist is a cool concept IMO. D&D always needed more dangerous magic, Like in World of Darkness where Paradox is a huge problem for mages and vampire disciplines can botch and be hit by his own lure of flames. As for wheelchair, that is extremely retarded. Faerun is such high magical setting that probably curing the legs is less expensive than a wheelchair.
 

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