Thursday, July 16, 2009

It's not that I don't care, it's just that I don't care.

I don't really participate in the usual internet furrferalls, hulla-balloos, slappy fights, or donnybrooks. Sure, I make the occasional comment, but it's often just from getting swept up in the me-too of the moment.
Truth to tell, It's not that I don't care, because, of course, I have opinions on the subjects being argued. It's that I don't care to expend any effort to convince others to share my views.
You do, or you don't. You're opposite opinion affects mine in no way, and I think, I'd be wasting my time and energy trying to convince you that you're having wrongbadfun.

It's not that I'm above using your passionate defense of your tightly held beliefs to augment my own store of game knowledge, because I do just that.
Every gamer fight produces a slew of attempts to define terms, view points, the history of the game, just about every facet of Dungeons & Dragons that can be argued about. It's great.

I really just prefer to participate directly in like-minded discussion. Not borg-like hive mentality, mind you. I am looking for new stuff. There is a point, however, where the distance between view points is too great to bridge, the mind set is too far removed from my own for either of us to gain by interacting. So then, I don't. I'm not going to tell you that your version of the game is crap. I may think it, but there's no gain for either of us in hair pulling, so, if I don't have something positive to say, I don't say anything.

I put up monsters, lists, and what have you on this blog for anybody who wants to use them . I use the AD&D format because that's what I like. I didn't just choose Old Guard Gaming Accoutrement's for a title at random. I've been a grouchy old man since I was twelve. The thing is, I don't care if you use them in 3e, 3.5, 4e, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Knock yourself out. I'm just happy when I hear that my monsters are out there, mangling PCs.

When I'm traversing the black labyrinthine corridors of the internet, seeking plunder, and I come upon a room full of brawling gamers, I prefer to spike the door closed and wait for them to kill each other. Then I can loot the bodies without anyone screetching, " You're doing it wrong!" or, " That rule is totally broken!"

Because, well, I don't care.

I like to wait until the dust has settled, and the blood has dried, ( so I don't slip ), and then go back through the original post and all the comments looking for stuff that hadn't occurred to me before.
I'm looking for theories, rules, history, points of view, etc.... That I haven't run across before. When I find something interesting, I add it to the reference book to research later.
I have to sort a lot of crap to find a pearl nowadays. But they're out there.
I suppose I'm using you guys as my gaming idea stalking horse. Sorry.

Well, not really. Game On!

5 comments:

Rusty said...

"I come upon a room full of brawling gamers"

Ha ha ha. Just as good as Save Vs. Poison's, "...storm in a teacup of angry nerds."

Pragmatism trumps dogmatism, but humor always trumps them both.

I would add that love conquers all (but it would probably start a fight).

E.G.Palmer said...

It would depend on which edition of "Love" you prefer. The later versions of Love are just incompatitble with first edtition Love in my view. I think Love should be more open and less defined, you know? Love should be free, man... yah dig?

Rusty said...

"Love should be free, man... yah dig?"

I can dig it.

AndreasDavour said...

"I've been a grouchy old man since I was twelve"

Loved that. ;)

E.G.Palmer said...

friends and family will attest to this.