Honorable, Senile, and Incontinent

So, there's a new g+ community calling itself The Honorable OSR.

Let's take a look, shall we?

This is their list of demands... uh, I mean community guidelines.  Such winners as...

• "Opposing the presence of aggressors anywhere in the hobby and urging audiences away from venues that accomodate them."
• "No glorious individuality unto assholery."  (Wow, get out your pulitzer prize nominations, everyone!)
• "Every profile applying for membership in this community first gets skimmed for any red flags indicating they aren't compatible with the above expectations.

And in another post on there, the rest of the OSR (or at least the more problematic elements) are labeled "regressive bigots."  Really?  Just because we want to be free to do as we damn well please (assuming we're not doing anything illegal, of course)? 

It's the OSR for SJWs then, is it?  Yeah, that's what the world needs now.  Let's punish the individual, drive people out of the hobby, de-platform, de-monetize, harass, spread lies, and just generally gatekeep the shit out of old school D&D.

Yeah, it looks like the fractional OSR is even more divided than it was last month.  For what it's worth, I'm happy to have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

While it would be nice to have unity, I'm ok just letting whatever cancerous parts of the OSR - or any RPG niche - or any group no matter what they're into - just die off already. 

The post about what to do or not do about Stuart's old OSR logo and future OSR logos is telling.  There are no leaders among the honorable OSR.  Everyone is asking questions, looking around for someone to tell them what's what.  Here's some advice - do what you think is best without worrying how it's going to look to some other person out in cyberspace.  Be an individual!  Think for yourself!

"Yes, we must be individuals; we must think for ourselves," all the gray-faced NPCs say in unison!

You guys leaving or telling us "dishonorable OSR" or perhaps "inglorious OSR" sounds better... to leave won't affect me or my work.  If anything, it'll just fan the flames of hatred towards the true fascists, totalitarians, authoritarians, SJWs, and poop-heads who are certain they know better than the rest of us.

;)

Venger As'Nas Satanis
High Priest of Kort'thalis Publishing

p.s. Just in case the subtext is lost on some readers - the non "honorable" OSR (you know, the rest of us normal folks), are the ones fighting actual fascism... just like the Inglorious Bastards!

Trump Support Banned on RPG.NET

Just found out yesterday that rpg.net has done something I never realized was coming... but probably should have. 

Posts supporting Trump or his policies are officially banned!  That's it.  No more debate, discussion, or even pretending to see things from another's point of view.

In rpg.net's defense, many of them are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome and think the current administration is actively trying to murder anyone who isn't a straight white male.  On the other hand... this is fucking crazy! 

The far-left has driven itself so far from the middle that it may just go over a cliff.  Hey, these are drastic times, and if they want to use drastic measures to insulate themselves from the orange leader, then the big purple can remain gray NPCs... I guess. 

Personally, I think things are going to get worse.  But perhaps that's the price we pay for attempting to make America great again?  I don't know.

RPG.net's latest action is one of the warning signs, one of many red flags we've seen over the last 3 years.  The troubling thing is that scrolling through twitter, one in every ten posts is another nail in the coffin of civility, centrism, and common sense.  If it's not a video game getting boycotted, it's some anti-fascist fascist harassing black people in coffee shops, or yet another mass shooting!

But WTF can any of us do, except ride the wave without our heads exploding from extremist propaganda?  Oh yeah, and if you think Trump is extreme, buckle up, buttercup.  Announcing he's a Nationalist means we're only "in the middle of this insane circus." 

At this point, I don't believe any kind of investigation, Mueller's or otherwise, is going to end his Presidency or these divisive times.

Good luck out there!

VS

p.s. About 24 hours left to back The Last Alpha Blue Supplement.

Are You An NPC?

I guess you could call it a meme... something's going around the internet and it's all at once appropriate, offensive, funny, and if you dig deeper, kind of interesting.

Here's a source just in case you think I'm making this up.  This is another.

Yeah, I'm talking about NPCs or non-player characters (in video game terminology NPC refers to non-playable character).  But not NPCs in our beloved games.  No, NPCs who digitally walk among us in real life. 

You're basically an NPC if you don't have any agency of your own.  If there's no independent thought, you're an NPC.  If you follow whatever has been scripted for you, you're an NPC.  If you obey your programming without question, you're an NPC.  If you want to limit the freedom, individuality, and agency of others, you're an NPC.

Some have equated the NPC moniker to SJWs, but I don't think it fits to a 1 : 1 ratio.  Being an NPC is something even more foundational. 

I believe the vast majority of people are asleep, and that it takes a special kind of person going through special circumstances that creates the possibility for awakening.

Yes, exactly like initiation - the trials that forge heroes... while also leaving many, many corpses.  Not everyone makes it.  In fact, most don't.  Most can't cut it, or get unlucky.  The adventurer is superior.  That's why PCs are worth playing. 

That's what the Cult of Cthulhu was about - it used Fourth Way teaching mixed with Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, and various occult lore.  In the Church of the Sub-Genius, pink boys were basically NPCs.  Obviously, in The Matrix everyone was part of some giant systemic virtual reality nearly impossible to escape

These days, my focus is on roleplaying games.  The cultural landscape that occasionally intersects the world of gaming seems like a minefield to some and a playground to others.  Either way, don't be an NPC.  Or... well, go ahead and be an NPC, but just know that you're choosing to be an empty vessel for someone else's agenda.

What are your thoughts?

VS

p.s. If no actual thoughts come to mind, try rolling on the random table below...