So I'm now a few months into my term as Anarch Coordinator and it's "gotten real."
My staff is sometimes like herding cats. I'm getting frustrated that I'm getting very little support from them in getting the Packet together. That's the centerpiece of my entire campaign and I'm getting very little response from my own people. It's kinda discouraging.
I'm also incredibly frustrated with the other Coords. In general, they seem to be very nice people and mostly easy to work with. But the bulk of them just don't know Anarch Genre. They are exceedingly Camarilla-centric. So some of them just don't seem to get it when I say (insert clan) Anarchs are different from (insert clan) of the Camarilla. For some of them, all they've ever known is the Camarilla and the Anarchs are the distant cousins that you never acknowledge. So the thought that Anarchs may have power or the capability or are more than just dirty rabble is the furthest thought from their heads. And it's driving me batty. God forbid the Anarchs win once in a while.
Oh, and to see the genre rape that at least one Anarch player is doing is making me want to cry in a corner. Seriously, trading an Anarch Combo for guns and the Demolitions skill? WTF? If I as Coord had the power, I'd GNC the little cheesemonkey bastard yesterday. You just don't do that kind of thing! But I can't do that and so I have to cry while he continues to rape the Anarch Genre just so he can have his little cookies and his kewl powerz.
But on the plus side, despite all that, I do feel I'm getting things done. The Packet is moving forward, albeit slowly. I'm making an impact, I think, on the other Coords just because I won't shut up or back down. And when the chance comes, I'm gonna get that PC and it'll be all legal and aboveboard.
The Anarchs will be better for me being the Coord this year. I know it may sound arrogant, but I believe it.
Showing posts with label OWBN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OWBN. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Sunday, December 13, 2009
One Month In
So it's been about a month since I took over as the Anarch Coordinator. Not officially that long, but all the same.
So far, it's been interesting. Had a few headaches, like the issue of IC/OOC racism on the Rant List yahoo group. Lost several people to that thing and it was just a damn headache. Why can't people be more mature? And it's been a continuing headache essentially starting from scratch, having to claim territory, having to register NPCs (not done yet), build a team, write a Packet from scratch and so on and so forth.
But it's been good too, for some of those same reasons. I know the Anarch genre will eventually be in a much better place when I leave the Coord seat. And I know I've got a great team. I feel like I'm making a difference, even a month in, even if it is a silly little thing like the OWBN game.
So far, I'm liking it.
So far, it's been interesting. Had a few headaches, like the issue of IC/OOC racism on the Rant List yahoo group. Lost several people to that thing and it was just a damn headache. Why can't people be more mature? And it's been a continuing headache essentially starting from scratch, having to claim territory, having to register NPCs (not done yet), build a team, write a Packet from scratch and so on and so forth.
But it's been good too, for some of those same reasons. I know the Anarch genre will eventually be in a much better place when I leave the Coord seat. And I know I've got a great team. I feel like I'm making a difference, even a month in, even if it is a silly little thing like the OWBN game.
So far, I'm liking it.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Running for office
Yes, that's me. I'm running for office.
Just the first step in my long-overdue plan for Global Domination. Where am I starting?
As a candidate for the office of Anarch Coordinator for One World By Night.
Anarch Coordinator, then Governator of Kaliforna, then President, here I come!
(in all seriousness, I'll have my application statement posted soon enough)
Just the first step in my long-overdue plan for Global Domination. Where am I starting?
As a candidate for the office of Anarch Coordinator for One World By Night.
Anarch Coordinator, then Governator of Kaliforna, then President, here I come!
(in all seriousness, I'll have my application statement posted soon enough)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
KublaCon OOC
I'm writing this as I'm trying to get one our cats to relax, so I can grab him and give him a flea bath...discovered the little blighters on two of the cats last night. Not good at all.
Anyway, KublaCon was freakin' awesome. I'm going to try to keep it all OOC for this posting.
I met a lot of cool new people, like Geoffrey, Kaht, Jessica and Lindsey. Plus formal introductions to people like Alan and Heather. I partied WAY too much, to the point that I think I got about 11 hours of sleep over three nights. Nowhere near enough.
The weather was too damn cold. I was a dummy and didn't pack anything warm and I kinda paid for it, especially on Sunday when a group of us when to Fisherman's Wharf. BTW, don't bother with Tarnatino's. Not the best food on the Wharf.
The room was good, Paul was a good roomie aside from his snoring, but hey, that's what ear plugs are for, right? Not like I don't snore myself anyway.
I did miss my wife and baby though. Had to talk on the phone and text a bunch over the weekend. Both were really happy to see me Monday evening.
But I had an awesome, incredible weekend. I'm really glad I went and even though I spent too much time awake and not enough asleep, I think it was worth it just for the great new people I got to meet OOC and play with IC.
Anyway, KublaCon was freakin' awesome. I'm going to try to keep it all OOC for this posting.
I met a lot of cool new people, like Geoffrey, Kaht, Jessica and Lindsey. Plus formal introductions to people like Alan and Heather. I partied WAY too much, to the point that I think I got about 11 hours of sleep over three nights. Nowhere near enough.
The weather was too damn cold. I was a dummy and didn't pack anything warm and I kinda paid for it, especially on Sunday when a group of us when to Fisherman's Wharf. BTW, don't bother with Tarnatino's. Not the best food on the Wharf.
The room was good, Paul was a good roomie aside from his snoring, but hey, that's what ear plugs are for, right? Not like I don't snore myself anyway.
I did miss my wife and baby though. Had to talk on the phone and text a bunch over the weekend. Both were really happy to see me Monday evening.
But I had an awesome, incredible weekend. I'm really glad I went and even though I spent too much time awake and not enough asleep, I think it was worth it just for the great new people I got to meet OOC and play with IC.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Player's Privy to Private Plot
Okay. So there's a massive plot that Alan Pursell put before Council that would begin at KublaCon. It sounds awesome (no details until after Kubla!) But there are two issues, one Org wide and one personal.
On the Org side of things, apparently players who have NO business knowing about the plot, were jabbering away about it. WTF? Who is the dipshit on Council that leaked this information? It's supposed to be kept private on Council alone. Not supposed to go beyond our virtual borders. Whoever that particular dipshit is, they need to be slapped and kicked off Council. Then of course, the players. What the hell are you doing metagaming this? Can't you remember that this is a role-playing game, and it can't be "won?" The point of part of this plot is to surprise the shit out of the players. It's awesome, it's the reprecussions of the In-Character decisions of the player base. And there has to be a reaction. Why ruin it? Damn fools.
The other side is of course, the personal element. I can't be surprised by it now. That's kind of a drag. And of course, I have to make sure I'm not metagaming even by accident. I mean, I have some bad monkey plotting in mind, and it would benefit from this plot, but I have to be careful not to take too much advantage of it. Ah well. Should be fun!
Oh, and sorry for the overuse of italics.
On the Org side of things, apparently players who have NO business knowing about the plot, were jabbering away about it. WTF? Who is the dipshit on Council that leaked this information? It's supposed to be kept private on Council alone. Not supposed to go beyond our virtual borders. Whoever that particular dipshit is, they need to be slapped and kicked off Council. Then of course, the players. What the hell are you doing metagaming this? Can't you remember that this is a role-playing game, and it can't be "won?" The point of part of this plot is to surprise the shit out of the players. It's awesome, it's the reprecussions of the In-Character decisions of the player base. And there has to be a reaction. Why ruin it? Damn fools.
The other side is of course, the personal element. I can't be surprised by it now. That's kind of a drag. And of course, I have to make sure I'm not metagaming even by accident. I mean, I have some bad monkey plotting in mind, and it would benefit from this plot, but I have to be careful not to take too much advantage of it. Ah well. Should be fun!
Oh, and sorry for the overuse of italics.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
OWBN Council
So some thoughts on OWBN Council.
Some of those people are idiots. Sorry, but it's true. Those idiots in particular sometimes just like to argue for the sake of being contrarian, they don't see the problem in their own games so it must not be a problem anywhere else, they present poor arguments when they actually do (such as not actually answering the charges levied, but argue something else tangential), they hold grudges and take things personally.
I also hate the provincial nature of some of the games. There really are three main zones of OWBN and they all have their own personality. The West Coast is a bit more RP-focused, less sheet. The East Coast seems to be very competitive, but being sort of spread out, there's less competition. The Midwest though...that seems to be the core of the asshats. That's where the Dead Man's Hand coterie was born and based. That should explain a lot right there. They seem to be a whole lot more about accumulating disciplines and lores like they were stamp collectors on meth. Not all of them, clearly. But the rampant breaches of genre seem to be most common in the MidWest. The worst part of it is they get really angry about being called on it.
You know what? If that's the game they want to play, ultimately, fine. Even in a organized, linked game system like OWBN. But what drives me nuts the most about them is their extremely defensive, and at times, offensive attitudes about it. They seem to have banded together, them against the rest of the Org.
Again, it's just my perception and it isn't all the MidWest players. It really manifested, though, in the application of the No Need For Nightlife (Garou) application. This game may not have played as nice as it could have with it's geographic neighbors. But the entire rest of the Garou games wanted them in OWBN. Many vampires games were okay with them. But that zone, that MidWest region, got all provincial on the rest of the Org and shut them out. Luckily, a proposition went up to give them a special extra 6 months of probation to fix these problems. I voted yes and I think that it might pass.
Speaking of passing, the problem I had regarding Combo Disciplines was voted upon, and changed. Yay for Anarchs! And the proposal to limit Anarch Combos just to Anarchs passed too; though by a slimmer margin than I had thought. Damn pez/discipline collecting dillweeds.
I do have to say I like some of the people on Council. The Garou folks seem mostly cool (they like me for defending No Need For Nightlife). I like the various Coords from what I've seen, like Dale and Alan.
Most of the time, I like being on Council. I like having this sort of leadership position in the Organization. There times when the lack of maturity and general idiocy of a few drive me utterly bonkers, but for the most part, I like it.
Some of those people are idiots. Sorry, but it's true. Those idiots in particular sometimes just like to argue for the sake of being contrarian, they don't see the problem in their own games so it must not be a problem anywhere else, they present poor arguments when they actually do (such as not actually answering the charges levied, but argue something else tangential), they hold grudges and take things personally.
I also hate the provincial nature of some of the games. There really are three main zones of OWBN and they all have their own personality. The West Coast is a bit more RP-focused, less sheet. The East Coast seems to be very competitive, but being sort of spread out, there's less competition. The Midwest though...that seems to be the core of the asshats. That's where the Dead Man's Hand coterie was born and based. That should explain a lot right there. They seem to be a whole lot more about accumulating disciplines and lores like they were stamp collectors on meth. Not all of them, clearly. But the rampant breaches of genre seem to be most common in the MidWest. The worst part of it is they get really angry about being called on it.
You know what? If that's the game they want to play, ultimately, fine. Even in a organized, linked game system like OWBN. But what drives me nuts the most about them is their extremely defensive, and at times, offensive attitudes about it. They seem to have banded together, them against the rest of the Org.
Again, it's just my perception and it isn't all the MidWest players. It really manifested, though, in the application of the No Need For Nightlife (Garou) application. This game may not have played as nice as it could have with it's geographic neighbors. But the entire rest of the Garou games wanted them in OWBN. Many vampires games were okay with them. But that zone, that MidWest region, got all provincial on the rest of the Org and shut them out. Luckily, a proposition went up to give them a special extra 6 months of probation to fix these problems. I voted yes and I think that it might pass.
Speaking of passing, the problem I had regarding Combo Disciplines was voted upon, and changed. Yay for Anarchs! And the proposal to limit Anarch Combos just to Anarchs passed too; though by a slimmer margin than I had thought. Damn pez/discipline collecting dillweeds.
I do have to say I like some of the people on Council. The Garou folks seem mostly cool (they like me for defending No Need For Nightlife). I like the various Coords from what I've seen, like Dale and Alan.
Most of the time, I like being on Council. I like having this sort of leadership position in the Organization. There times when the lack of maturity and general idiocy of a few drive me utterly bonkers, but for the most part, I like it.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
A OWBN post - Anarchs get screwed
Wow, another post so soon? Yes, really.
I was thinking about a recently passed proposal in the OWBN organization. I'm the Council Member for my game, Muerte Libre, an Anarch-genre game. We aren't that many, but there are a few Anarch games out there in the Org. Now, as CM for the game, I'm the representative for our game to the national organization and I vote on the various proposals that come before the Org.
Well, the Anarchs just recently got fucked.
Jenn Bahrs, the Head Coordinator, has done a lot of great work so far. Done a lot to clean up the Bylaws of the Org. But on this one she fucked the entire Anarch genre. So what was the proposal?
It basically codified house rules for the entire Org. In order to teach Combination Disciplines, there are now two additional rules. One, you have to have one of the originating Disciplines In-Clan. Sure, why not. Would help cut down on the wonky stuff. The second one rapes the Anarchs though.
On page 55 of the Anarch Guide, it states that for the purposes of power comparison, a Combo Discipline counts as the highest level that makes up the Combo. So if something has an Intermediate discplines and a basic disciplines, it counts as an Intermediate Combo. Nowhere does it say anything but it being for power comparisons, which can be very important (see Auspex vs. Obfuscate).
But now it also counts in terms of teaching. So if a Combo is considered Advanced because it has an Advanced component, it can not ONLY be taught by an Elder. And there are no Elder PCs allowed in the game. Which in theory makes it a fuck lot harder for anyone to learn these kinds of combos.
Why does it hurt Anarchs so bad? Because Anarchs are supposed to lack certain things like Generation (mainly), Influences, Resources, etc., the Combination Disciplines are meant to be their secret weapons. When shit hits the fan, the Anarch Combos serve as the ace up the sleeve for the Anarchs. Problem is, of the 14 Combos listed in the Anarch Guide, NINE of them are now considered Advanced Combos and will require NPCs Elders to teach to PCs. 9 of the 14 Anarch Combos can no longer be taught by PCs. So basically, unless the STs of the Anarch games have an Elder in their pocket, the Anarchs will NEVER obtain any of those Combos.
Hell, Smiling Jack, by these new rules, can't even teach his own "Trick" to anyone.
I understand the desire to try to limit the wonk and bullshit I hear arises in certain games. But this proposal fucked an entire genre and several weeks after it's passage I'm just starting to get angry about it.
I was thinking about a recently passed proposal in the OWBN organization. I'm the Council Member for my game, Muerte Libre, an Anarch-genre game. We aren't that many, but there are a few Anarch games out there in the Org. Now, as CM for the game, I'm the representative for our game to the national organization and I vote on the various proposals that come before the Org.
Well, the Anarchs just recently got fucked.
Jenn Bahrs, the Head Coordinator, has done a lot of great work so far. Done a lot to clean up the Bylaws of the Org. But on this one she fucked the entire Anarch genre. So what was the proposal?
It basically codified house rules for the entire Org. In order to teach Combination Disciplines, there are now two additional rules. One, you have to have one of the originating Disciplines In-Clan. Sure, why not. Would help cut down on the wonky stuff. The second one rapes the Anarchs though.
On page 55 of the Anarch Guide, it states that for the purposes of power comparison, a Combo Discipline counts as the highest level that makes up the Combo. So if something has an Intermediate discplines and a basic disciplines, it counts as an Intermediate Combo. Nowhere does it say anything but it being for power comparisons, which can be very important (see Auspex vs. Obfuscate).
But now it also counts in terms of teaching. So if a Combo is considered Advanced because it has an Advanced component, it can not ONLY be taught by an Elder. And there are no Elder PCs allowed in the game. Which in theory makes it a fuck lot harder for anyone to learn these kinds of combos.
Why does it hurt Anarchs so bad? Because Anarchs are supposed to lack certain things like Generation (mainly), Influences, Resources, etc., the Combination Disciplines are meant to be their secret weapons. When shit hits the fan, the Anarch Combos serve as the ace up the sleeve for the Anarchs. Problem is, of the 14 Combos listed in the Anarch Guide, NINE of them are now considered Advanced Combos and will require NPCs Elders to teach to PCs. 9 of the 14 Anarch Combos can no longer be taught by PCs. So basically, unless the STs of the Anarch games have an Elder in their pocket, the Anarchs will NEVER obtain any of those Combos.
Hell, Smiling Jack, by these new rules, can't even teach his own "Trick" to anyone.
I understand the desire to try to limit the wonk and bullshit I hear arises in certain games. But this proposal fucked an entire genre and several weeks after it's passage I'm just starting to get angry about it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
