A Tumultuous New Year's Eve
Many exciting things happened on New Year's Eve.Posted by erin at January 2, 2003 12:52 PMFirst of all, I finally finished something I set out to do a long time ago - I had 50 copies of Hal's first novel, Scaevola, printed out and shipped to me. Or, more precisely, shipped to N., who risked life and limb to bring said books to my apartment on New Year's Eve. Perhaps someday he'll tell you the story himself.
I intend to sell copies of Scaevola to friends for $4, and non-friends for $5. This covers almost all of the printing cost, and practically none of the shipping. If you'd like a copy, email me your snail mail address and I'll hook you up. First I ought to figure out a way one could pay me via paypal... hmmmm...
Anyhow, I have been busy as of late for other reasons - out-of-town guests, the whole holiday season, me leaving town, and so forth. I had hoped to work on my screenplay this week and last but it just isn't working out that way.
For the full story, click below: Our much-anticipated gaming session on New Year's Eve started out promising enough. A.K. rejoined us with Heloise, the Obnoxious Nun, and Sam's friend played a ranger who would've been a thief, so we had two extra players. The game was a going a little more roughly than usual, with more bickering among players.
At the break, N and I went down the street to my other friend's house, where a drinking game of Simpsons Trivia was already in session. N announced at this point that he intended to quit our game of D&D. He did not intend to return after midnight as originally planned. However, after much passing of a whisky bottle and no small amount of beer, N decided to keep gaming.
At this party, there were two old friends whom I hadn't seen in ages - a former roommate and a former next-door-dorm neighbor, both of whom I am quite fond and was glad to see again.
I made a mistake, however, in that I convinced N to leave his coat at Sam's apartment, since we were travelling less than a block. Then for the duration of our time there my friends insisted on standing outside, so a handful of them could smoke. N was wearing a T-shirt and very cold.
When we returned to D&D I was drunk, but not so drunk I couldn't play for about an hour. I had been staying up very late all week, and could barely stay awake, even if I hadn't been drinking, so eventually the game turned into me waking up to make rolls (and fail them) then going back to sleep. Eventually I gave up and went to sleep on the couch. I was awoken an hour later by N, who was saying something about leaving immediately.
I found this rather confusing, as I was still largely asleep and everyone else was still playing. I was at a negative modifier for things like standing up, not puking, and being able to see, since my contacts had rapidly begun to dry up on my eyes. Eventually I realized the N was extremely ill, thus the reason for our immediate departure.
We called a car service to no avail, and headed for the subway. Somehow, by some strange miracle, we caught a cab, and for a mere $12 were magically transported back to N's apartment.
While in the cab, N explained that his back was spasming, and he was suffering from exhaustion, something that has happened to him once before. He was in serious pain, and I half-expected to spend the rest of the night in the emergency room. When we got back he had a fever, and he expected to be very sick the next day.
But in the end he was only a little sick the next day, and he isn't feeling that well today either.
However, N will stop gaming with us. He will have one more session (possibly) wherein his characters will leave the party, and that's it.
Why? You may ask, and I'll tell you: Although N greatly enjoys Hal's being the DM, and appreciates the story, and has, in fact, said that this is the best game he's ever played, his reason for quitting is the same reason he stopped gaming ten years ago - N can't stand the way most players play. He'll explain it more himself, I'm sure, but in the meanwhile I'll tell you that although I might like checkers, and I might like my dad, I sure hate playing checkers with my dad, because of the unique way he plays the game.
Unfortunately, there is simply nothing anyone can do to convince N to keep playing - so don't pester him about it.
Obviously we all have things we like and dislike about D&D. Sam likes rolling dice, Maggie dislikes private sessions with the DM, Adan likes yelling at Hal, Dan likes killing easy foes, Lord Everlake likes to steal our books, and I like spending time with my friends. N only appreciates the way Dan plays, and everyone else (even me and my passive, sleeping ways) is driving him crazy.
There is no way to fix this. You can't tell Maggie to be more rational and to start liking private DM sessions, nor can you tell Adan to be a team player, so please don't ask N to take the game less seriously, because he just can't do it.
I intend to keep playing for the time being, but if I find the game unsatisfactory without N around, or I miss him too much or what have you, I will also quit, as regrettable as that may be.
Comments Individual Archive Index
January 2, 2003 01:34 PM, Sam said:
Poor Hal.
January 2, 2003 01:41 PM, N. said:
...that's a pretty fair assessment. My emphasis in gaming is cooperative story-telling. RPGs allow for a very organic (and thus unpredictable and exciting) narrative, if for no other reason than there is more than one mind involved. I appreciate game mechanics (experience points and such) only inasmuch as they exist to simulate reality. I have no lasting interest in (these particular) teenage power fantasies of having a strong, skilled character who vanquishes his foes. What I find attractive is the drama.
I enjoy -healthfully, I think- being a character in a story. Since life is lived primarily in the ordinary, gaming gives me the ability to make choices in the extraordinary. These choices have a real impact within an imaginary world; the narrative grows, the story continues.
It bothers me that more people don't enjoy this as much as I do, but I cannot mandate their tastes any more than I can change my own. Similarly, I frequently come under fire for having standards which are "too high." This complaint bothers me a great deal: after all, what is a man but his standards? I will not compromise mine, nor would I ever ask anyone else to lower theirs.
So I will stop playing. This is particularly difficult because I think Hal and I are like-minded. Members of the group have complained that I take the game too seriously. I think Hal takes it just as seriously, but, for some reason, he doesn't receive the same criticism. I believe I know the reason for this, but I won't comment for fear of putting words in Hal's mouth.
Hal is easily among the best DMs as I have ever had the pleasure of playing with, and it is with a heavy heart that I retire from his realm. Good DMs are harder to find even than good players. His players are lucky, probably luckier than they know.
January 2, 2003 03:30 PM, Maggie said:
I'm gonna answer this point by point, newsgroup-style.
First of all, "organic" sounds very bogus when used to describe a narrative. You kept saying it last night when we had this discussion, and had you said it another time, I might've punched you. Alas, I didn't, 'cause I'm a nice person. (There will be jokes in this reply, like this one, so take it easy, N.).
I think game mechanics are a great part of the game. Sure, the dice rollin' and the numbers and stats are just a representation of the fake world we're creating, but the bottom line is that D&D is still a game. The idea behind a game, any game, is achieving some goal, which in terms of D&D is fulfilling a quest. A reward for fulfilling a quest is treasure and becoming more powerful (designated by XP). I don't thing the line that divides stats vs. characters is as easily readable as you make it seem. If you like only one part of the game (e.g. "the drama"), then maybe D&D isn't for you, for D&D is made of more than that. If you're interested in the drama only and only tolerate (or "appreciate") the game mechanics, maybe you should read fantasy novels instead of getting involved in all-night D&D sessions and then complaining about them. Fantasy novels: all story and definitely drama and very little stats.
Now, the statement "It bothers me that more people don't enjoy this as much as I do" seems to have to do more with you as a person than the particular topic of D&D. It's like saying "I'm angry because not everyone acts the way I'd like them to." It's not only childish and unreasonable, but also it also does not create a nice atmosphere among friends. You say you cannot change our tastes, but you talk about what people *should* like so much, it doesn't seem you actually *understand* that you can't change people's tastes. Anyway, I think that you get the "your standards are too high" comment as a polite version of "you're acting pretentious because you know the name of the guy who came up with D&D and think that that entitles you to act in a condescending manner toward those who don't."
All things considered, maybe it is a good idea you stop gaming. If it bothers you so much, you should definitely stop and focus on things that make you happy in your life.
Hal doesn't get the same criticism you do because he is not nitpicky, which you seem to be. Sure, it's fun to go chasing around Rome to find thieving tools, but bending the rules a little (no rpg system is perfect) to assume that a thief would have thieving tools already is not necessarily a bad thing either. I think you're like-minded in the amount of time you're willing to dedicate to the game, however, I have a feeling that Hal, even though he takes the game seriously, would rather have fun and remain patient rather than get angry at his friends focusing on everything that is wrong about their gaming instead of enjoying the things that are not so bad.
And lastly, but not leastly, I'm offended by "His players are lucky, probably luckier than they know" which really does translate to "you're dumb and don't even know it." What gives, N.? Do you really think you're so much better than us?
January 2, 2003 03:31 PM, Maggie said:
P.S. N. should get his own blog. So should Rick. What's with clogging Erin's comments?
January 2, 2003 04:09 PM, Erin said:
My thoughts on the matter:
1. High standards are good to have. However, if your standards are too high in terms of friends, you will always be alone. If your standards are too low, you'll end up in a bad crowd. If your standards are too high in terms of table top RPG's, you will never play. N is prepared never to play again.
2. You can't actively participate in the decisions made in a fantasy novel unless you're writing the novel. If you're writing the novel, there are no surprises, because you're the author. So if you're the reader you can't do anything but if you're the writer the story can't extend beyond you - gaming represents a fun middle ground of participation and surprise. The DM/author can't predict the hero's actions.
3. THis is an outright attack: Do you really think you're so much better than us? And I have a lot of problems with that. N is not saying he thinkgs he's a better person, he's saying that he's a better player at this one game, or at least so different in his approach to playing the game that the differences cannot possibly be reconciled.
N is doing the right thing by quitting instead of trying to make everyone play his way.
January 2, 2003 04:26 PM, Maggie said:
I'm not saying N. should keep on playing. I'm just saying that while quitting, N. should say "I can't play with you guys, it doesn't make me happy." instead of "You guys suck at this game so much, you're such bad players, goddamnit, you're so bad, I can't even give you any pointers, because I know you wouldn't change, you suck, suck, suck." which is what he sounds like currently.
January 2, 2003 05:44 PM, Erin said:
He didn't say that you sucked. You're the one calling people pretentious jerks.
N is quitting in the nicest way he knows how.
But we've been over this in email.
January 2, 2003 07:27 PM, thecomicman said:
what, was this before or after i told N. i'd run a f*****g Cyberpunk game because he wanted to play so g*****n badly? and you know what, you do come as a pretentious jerk, telling us that you won't abandon your "high standards" to play with us lowly peons when all it f*****g is is a g*****n difference in playing style. if you enjoyed "game mechanics" half as much as you say you do, you wouldn't mind our differing playing styles, h**l, i daresay you'd f*****g revel in them. D&D isn't a game for fucking communists; we're not all supposed to be exactly the g*****n same, N.
and this is after a half hour of calming down after i'd read your decision to fly above us and leave us in our own filth.
January 2, 2003 08:56 PM, Halifax said:
I can enjoy several different gaming styles, from Dan's plotting to Adan's hacking; I especially like a mixed group of players. It's like the Claremont-era X-Men, with Cyclops always trying to get Wolverine to stand down.
I think it's too bad N.'s quitting (especially b/c I think it'll mean you guys will be in trouble); but I don't think he's claiming his way of gaming is superior to others, but different and perhaps incompatible. I do think he is incorrect in assuming that he would be unable to "reform" other players, several of whom have had limited gaming experience and would not, I think, be averse to experimenting with other gaming styles.
That being said, I wish Eorl & Jannish well; they are welcome to "guest" on occasion should the whim strike them.
January 5, 2003 05:01 AM, Kerry said:
It is true that everyone has their own stlye of playing. For example, everyone always seems to want to kill my characters for playing my way, and Kari love has a playing philosophy that is just plain crazy. However, the most important part is to have fun. If N. doesn`t have fun, he shouldn`t play, period. You guy shouldn`t attack a man for doing the smart thing and leaving something that makes him less happy. His reasons are fine. I mean, from the sound if it I might kill some of your characters were I playing in the game, and just leaving is much less dicky than that. Let him go in peace, and maybe when/if I return Dan, Noah, Hal, and I can play something, as we seem to have similar or more compatible styles. Also, as Hal said, it might be worthwhile to try to change other people`s stlyes, but that can be really hard and create even more friction.
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