DanJW

As DM, I try to post every day; but sometimes I can't post for a couple of days and also at the moment it's spread out over several separate 'prologues'. Hopefully this will train me to a degree where I can post at high volume once the adventure party is all in one place. Thunderpeel, Epiclairs; post your character summaries here if you can so the other players can weigh in; they have good advice. Then once you've signed up to Obsidian Portal let me know I and I will invite you to the campaign. If there is time you get a prologue, otherwise you will join in at the first meeting of the party.

I'm off to watch the new Studio Ghibli movie, Arietty tomorrow. It's based on The Borrowers, my chief memory of which is the crappy BBC adaptation from years ago (they have another one coming up - the BBC like to adapt The Borrowers at least once a decade). Anyway, I'm going to try and forget that will let you know what this is like. Miyazaki Sr did not direct, but he did write the screenplay. I'm hoping for some Nausicaa homages re: tiny person vs giant insects.

Happy Rodiday!

On Obsidian Portal? I'm afraid not. I can help you enter it in though.

Just a shame the new track is so tepid and forgettable.

OK, so first thing to do, Thunder and Epiclairs, is roll up a character - choose a race and class and all the rest of it. It might help to read the campaign wiki so far, since the flavour of some races and classes etc is different. But so far I've managed to fit everything that people have come up with into the world - it's fun being inventive! In terms of team-work, since Murdoc cannot play at the moment, the part really needs a defender class (a Tank in MMO terms). You can see most other people's characters on the wiki too. Let me know once you've made a character and put them into the Obsidian Portal character sheet (which can be a bit of a pain I know) then I'll help you onto the next step.

you almost certainly do have the technology. It's all browser based (although there are still installable apps available for some of the tools if you prefer them, as I do). The D&D Insider stuff does require Silverlight plugin platform for your browser.

We're Playing D&D 4th Edition. Most of us have signed up to D&D Insider which gives us online access to character builder tools and rules database. We're using a forum that has a built-in dice rolling app. Also a combat map, but that's a bit clunky. And another site that is functioning as a world-info wiki and character sheet repository.

Ah! I see a way to tie this back to the thread topic. Culture/tradition/the past can be superseded by advancing knowledge and the spread of that knowledge via education. Just because concepts of race or gender have been a particular way for a long time does not mean that they cannot change. Thus in both these fields education is the major tool for improving the future. Discussion is of course an excellent method of education.

Actually, take two people from neighbouring countries in Africa, and one will be more genetically different to the other than they are to, say, white Europeans. Africa has massively more genetic diversity than the rest of the world put together (since the rest of the world stems from just a couple of emigrant tribes). So yes, whilst there are genetic differences between different populations, physical differences are not a good guide to these variations. This is why people say race does not exist - because the traditional views of races and what defines them are completely wrong. Other tidbits: Most white people have a black person in their not-too distant ancestry. Most black people have a white person in theirs. This makes no difference to anything.

There's actually four of you; Hermie is about to start his prologue in secret I'll PM sombre, see if he still wants to play. Murdoc may be in a better position to play now too. You'll likely need a defender class once the party comes together.

Hey Speedy - I've gone through that a few times, and you're right it normally is linked to depression. I still get those thoughts occasionally even now my depression has passed, but it doesn't last as long and doesn't hit me as hard. Definitely talk to your doctor, ask them to set up some cognitive therapy sessions, one-on-one or group. Medication can help, but has side effects and is a short term solution only (anti-depressants are a pain-killer, like aspirin. They help with the pain but not the injury). Now this next part is less definite and my opinion only: do some research. Humanity has been contemplating death for millennia, so read up on some of the philosophy surrounding it. I found a lot of it actually made me feel better, especially Buddhist approaches and the life-affirming aspects of existentialism. Also poetry (my favourite being Yeats). As Nach and Thunder have said the way out is to take joy in the now and make the most of life (which can mean working hard on things you enjoy or it can mean relaxing and enjoying the minutia like a really good cup of coffee). Also get well soon to all those thumbs above who are less than full health. And good luck to all those making difficult decisions or having a rough time. Remember you are a thumb and therefore you must already be an awesome person

Oh wow, I missed some heavy stuff. And also sexy batman.

But Chief! FemLink is only a week away from retirement! She can't take down the Patriarchy all by herself!

I immediately thought of this quote from The Boondock Saints:

Yeah, this. Bioware should have had the guts to have a character designer make the Shepherd that best broadcasts the qualities they want the her to have. I have a tough time believing that a marines commander would wear her hair long and loose. It's mildly disappointing but doesn't matter to me too much because I am able to make Shepherd look and mostly act the way I think she would. I'm at least glad that female Shepherd is now part of the face of the game, because I find her much more interesting and better acted than her male counterpart.

Thanks I thought this was what people mean when they say "post-feminism". Is that right? Thunderpeel: it bugs me a little too. But then I noticed that both the men and the women (other than the original artist) are faceless, represented only by their gender symbol. I think this means that they are equivelent and both sides are nearly as bad as each other. Maybe. Note that the artist is not present in the 'pink' crowd. Yes it is I, Over-Analysis Boy!

Give them a bibliography? They will decline to read anything from it, which proves false their claim to a desire to learn. Not that it's likely to help really. On the wider discussion (which I mostly missed because I was away from the computer for a couple of days, and also because I don't really have much of value to contribute) - I grew up with fairly feminist values and would still consider myself a feminist in many respects. It did however give me something of a male guilt complex once I reached adolescence and it took me a long time to actually accept that a lot of things about male sexuality are not inherently bad. It's only a blessing* I wasn't raised catholic as well. For this reason and others I am, as well as being sympathetic to feminist issues, also interested in societal misandry and modern male identity crisis. Granted this is much less serious and considerably more subtle than female discrimination to the point where a lot of people doubt it even exists. In a way though I see them as part of the same problem - most male chauvinists are that way because that is the role their culture has steered them into and it may even punish them for deviating from it. This does not excuse them; it merely suggests a method to tackle it. In a similar fashion much abuse and indoctrination of women is carried out by other women, especially in less egalitarian cultures. This is why I have no real truck with a 'war of the sexes' - it divides the line in entirely the wrong places. I am utterly unqualified to state any of this. *ironic use of the word "blessing"? - I have no idea, i just noticed it myself.

Hehe you have no idea

Four active players now! I'm having fun with the prologues and building up momentum I think. Space for two more; a defender needed since Murdoc is sadly not joining us for the time being.

Damn I missed it. However, Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines is now the same price all weekend. Possible my favourite action/RPG ever.

¡Feliz cumpleaños a tí! ¡Feliz cumpleaños a tí! ¡Feliz cumpleaños El Muerte!! ¡Feliz cumpleaños a tí!

That's depressing. But only in that it exaggerates it to happen every single time when I have personally observed it to happen differently at least once. The Day Today was scarily prescient. It resembles so much of the TV news we now have. Only a matter of time before we here the BBC declare "the rain will bitch down".

Damn. Well I obviously managed to expunge it from my memory once, I'm sure I'll manage it again.

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