Mr_Miscellany's blog listings. Feed Zend_Feed_Writer 1.10.8 (http://framework.zend.com) http://community.wizards.com/mr_miscellany always check to see if you should be offended first
Anything anyone says can be fodder for offendedness.

On these forums, for example, if Customer Service should find it necessary to blow its nose twice a day after promising to do it only once, you can bet people will rise up and vent their rage over such blatantly inconsiderate promise breaking (with the regulars in the Off Topic Forum leading the charge).

Or, as is my wont, consider the Forgotten Realms fanbase.

1. You dare have a problem with my urgent need to complain at the drop of the hat, repeatedly, about how I feel about design changes that were made twelve years ago to the 3rd Edition D&D era Realms' map?! Why, I am offended!

2. You (game designer) dare to go back on a promise made to the fanbase in 1986 by your predecessor's predecessor's predecessor's predecessor (who also worked for a company called TSR, not WotC) not to muck with Sembia so we, THE FANS, could use it in our games? Why, I am offended!

3. You (article writer) dare to write something about 4E D&D where that something was obviously borrowed from the Realms without fan permission--which isn't against the law, but should be? Why, I am seriously offended!

This last example is current. Jared von Hindman has been writing tongue-in-cheek articles under the header "D&D Outsider" for the WotC website. As the header implies he is someone on the outside looking in. His articles mix humor and D&D game history in an attempt to show the reader just how deep Dungeons & Dragons is and how it's changed (a lot) over time.

His article D&D Alumni Dropouts: A Crisis of Faiths, is a good example of this. He writes cogently, yet humorously, about various faiths depicted in the D&D game.

Then he makes the cardinal error of talking about Bane (A Forgotten Realms deity before 4E came along. What? you didn't know this?! I'm offended!) which is to say :censored: just got personal with the FANS.

To my knowledge, there have been two of Hindman's articles discussed at the Candlekeep.com forums. In both cases, people got angry over them.

In the latest thread, some people couldn't be certain Hindman was joking around in his deity article, never mind the ones who missed the humor entirely, as well the great big giant clues that humor was involved. Seriously.

Yes, I know: some people just need to get a life. The crazy part is some people have a life, they just choose to spend a portion of it getting offended over essentially pointless crap.

Yes, people care, but there's a smart way to show you care. Throwing up a filter to check for any and all possible ways you can be offended by any form of media involving something "you care about" isn't how it's done.

To me it's like the people who do this have forgotten how they used to enjoy the Forgotten Realms, so they've substituted a taste for bitterness over fun. In their minds they're both magician and audience member, refusing to believe they've fooled themselves with their own mental slight of hand.

It's also interesting to me how people who get offended tend to lump everyone in with them. They don't just get offended for their own sake: they assume everyone else who happens to enjoy the Realms was also slighted and that's a crime all by itself.

Their logic goes like this: You were wronged (whether you realize it or not). I was most certainly wronged. Therefore WE WERE WRONGED!

Are all Realms fans like this? No.

Are all Realms fans that bother to talk about the Realms on the internet like this? No, I don't think so, even though some would be quick to point out that if that seems like it's all anyone is doing then surely a majority feel this way.

In this day and age there's some truth to that, but it's equally true that sometimes people with bullhorns just like to hear themselves speak.

Ultimately we're here to have fun. That's why these forums exist. And yes, the forums also exist for customer feedback, but that feedback and people's need to be heard are not, and never will be, more important then having fun.

So the next time you feel offended, ask yourself if you're having fun. If not, and especially if you've already felt offended previously over the same thing and complained about the topic, try walking away from the computer and looking for something [i]fun[/i] to do.

If you make a daily habit out of turning every petty annoyance into an excuse to have fun, in a month's time you'll wonder how you ever lived without so much fun in your life.
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]]> Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:54:21 -0600 http://community.wizards.com/mr_miscellany/blog/2013/02/06/always_check_to_see_if_you_should_be_offended_first http://community.wizards.com/mr_miscellany/blog/2013/02/06/always_check_to_see_if_you_should_be_offended_first
Anything anyone says can be fodder for offendedness.

On these forums, for example, if Customer Service should find it necessary to blow its nose twice a day after promising to do it only once, you can bet people will rise up and vent their rage over such blatantly inconsiderate promise breaking (with the regulars in the Off Topic Forum leading the charge).

Or, as is my wont, consider the Forgotten Realms fanbase.

1. You dare have a problem with my urgent need to complain at the drop of the hat, repeatedly, about how I feel about design changes that were made twelve years ago to the 3rd Edition D&D era Realms' map?! Why, I am offended!

2. You (game designer) dare to go back on a promise made to the fanbase in 1986 by your predecessor's predecessor's predecessor's predecessor (who also worked for a company called TSR, not WotC) not to muck with Sembia so we, THE FANS, could use it in our games? Why, I am offended!

3. You (article writer) dare to write something about 4E D&D where that something was obviously borrowed from the Realms without fan permission--which isn't against the law, but should be? Why, I am seriously offended!

This last example is current. Jared von Hindman has been writing tongue-in-cheek articles under the header "D&D Outsider" for the WotC website. As the header implies he is someone on the outside looking in. His articles mix humor and D&D game history in an attempt to show the reader just how deep Dungeons & Dragons is and how it's changed (a lot) over time.

His article D&D Alumni Dropouts: A Crisis of Faiths, is a good example of this. He writes cogently, yet humorously, about various faiths depicted in the D&D game.

Then he makes the cardinal error of talking about Bane (A Forgotten Realms deity before 4E came along. What? you didn't know this?! I'm offended!) which is to say :censored: just got personal with the FANS.

To my knowledge, there have been two of Hindman's articles discussed at the Candlekeep.com forums. In both cases, people got angry over them.

In the latest thread, some people couldn't be certain Hindman was joking around in his deity article, never mind the ones who missed the humor entirely, as well the great big giant clues that humor was involved. Seriously.

Yes, I know: some people just need to get a life. The crazy part is some people have a life, they just choose to spend a portion of it getting offended over essentially pointless crap.

Yes, people care, but there's a smart way to show you care. Throwing up a filter to check for any and all possible ways you can be offended by any form of media involving something "you care about" isn't how it's done.

To me it's like the people who do this have forgotten how they used to enjoy the Forgotten Realms, so they've substituted a taste for bitterness over fun. In their minds they're both magician and audience member, refusing to believe they've fooled themselves with their own mental slight of hand.

It's also interesting to me how people who get offended tend to lump everyone in with them. They don't just get offended for their own sake: they assume everyone else who happens to enjoy the Realms was also slighted and that's a crime all by itself.

Their logic goes like this: You were wronged (whether you realize it or not). I was most certainly wronged. Therefore WE WERE WRONGED!

Are all Realms fans like this? No.

Are all Realms fans that bother to talk about the Realms on the internet like this? No, I don't think so, even though some would be quick to point out that if that seems like it's all anyone is doing then surely a majority feel this way.

In this day and age there's some truth to that, but it's equally true that sometimes people with bullhorns just like to hear themselves speak.

Ultimately we're here to have fun. That's why these forums exist. And yes, the forums also exist for customer feedback, but that feedback and people's need to be heard are not, and never will be, more important then having fun.

So the next time you feel offended, ask yourself if you're having fun. If not, and especially if you've already felt offended previously over the same thing and complained about the topic, try walking away from the computer and looking for something [i]fun[/i] to do.

If you make a daily habit out of turning every petty annoyance into an excuse to have fun, in a month's time you'll wonder how you ever lived without so much fun in your life.
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]]> 0 I really wish...
At minimum they should put every bit as much effort into this as they've already put into educating themselves about Forgotten Realms canon and Realmslore in general.

To me it's just really ironic that the people who complain the most about changes to the Realms are the ones who universally get the why behind those changes wrong.

I get that people are passionate. Passion is a good thing.

But that's no excuse for not getting your facts straight, especially if your modus operandi is to comlain as much as possible, as often as possible.
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]]> Sun, 03 Feb 2013 05:41:04 -0600 http://community.wizards.com/mr_miscellany/blog/2013/02/03/i_really_wish... http://community.wizards.com/mr_miscellany/blog/2013/02/03/i_really_wish...
At minimum they should put every bit as much effort into this as they've already put into educating themselves about Forgotten Realms canon and Realmslore in general.

To me it's just really ironic that the people who complain the most about changes to the Realms are the ones who universally get the why behind those changes wrong.

I get that people are passionate. Passion is a good thing.

But that's no excuse for not getting your facts straight, especially if your modus operandi is to comlain as much as possible, as often as possible.
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]]> 0 Never Miss A Chance to Complain, Especially if you’ve complained about it before When it comes to the subject of the Forgotten Realms, there are people who like to weigh on a smattering of topics of contention, some of which are a decade or more old and have spawned encyclopedic collections of arguments strewn across message board forums and email list servers.

The people that make and repeat these arguments, ad nauseam, are passionate, sure. And they care about the Realms, which in and of itself is a good thing (the more fans of the Realms, the better the Realms will be).

But, like all passions, there comes a point when it goes too far. On the Candlekeep.com forums, for example, to this day you simply can’t have a thread where someone innocently asks how Darkvision works, without someone else jumping in to gripe about the fact that Darkvision replaced something called Infravision in the D&D game.*

It would be nice if that wasn’t the case. I mean it’s not as though when people ask for help they’re issuing an invitation for people to come to their scroll to complain about anything tangentially related that's bothering them.

That and you’d think after twelve and a half years of complaining that people would get over it.

Why do people do this? In light of my lengthy experience talking and arguing with my fellow Realms fans online, I’ve come to the conclusion that certain people look at things from this perspective: “All things canon in the Realms that I happen to like are sacred and shall not be touched. Therefore the needs of the D&D game comes second to the Realms and any game designer that makes a game design decision to the contrary is automatically making the wrong decision.”**

When discussing the Forgotten Realms—or any fictional/sci-fi/fantasy setting—learning to recognize these kinds of people can save you a lot of trouble. This is because arguing with them is like jumping in front of a black hole with the expectation that you’ll somehow cause it to swerve and avoid you.

But what if you’ve got a bone to pick yourself? What if something’s REALLY bothering you and you have this unstoppable urge to make your voice heard?

By all means speak up, speak with clarity, be sincere in how you feel about the subject and stick to the facts as much as possible (without confusing your feelings for facts, as so many people do). Don't let me stop you.

The key, though, is to learn how to make your voice heard ONCE, and then allow yourself to move on from the subject. Doing this is pure gold, man. Instead of dithering over what’s already be done and can’t be changed, move on.

It’s what grownups do and makes for a vastly more interesting and reliably unpredictable (in a good way) forum experience.

That, and the next person who starts a Darkvision thread doesn’t have to wade through a sea of crap to get his answers.

*For those that don’t know, Infravision was a game mechanic in 2nd Edition D&D that allowed certain creatures to see and sense heat. It was replaced by the less complicated (and less flavorful) 3rd Edition D&D rule Darkvision back in 2000.

** Some people take it one giant step too far, by adding: “That game designer is also a disrespectful jerk that hates the Realms, has no respect for the ‘true’ fans, does not appreciate or honor what came before in the setting and absolutely nothing you say to me will make me change my mind on that, ever.” 

What's so bad about Infravision being replaced by Darkvision that not even the passing of years can't dull the ache? Want to read some interesting science having to do with sight, heat and stuff? See this LINK, if you dare.

0 Comments - Leave a Comment
]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:15:21 -0600 http://community.wizards.com/mr_miscellany http://community.wizards.com/mr_miscellany When it comes to the subject of the Forgotten Realms, there are people who like to weigh on a smattering of topics of contention, some of which are a decade or more old and have spawned encyclopedic collections of arguments strewn across message board forums and email list servers.

The people that make and repeat these arguments, ad nauseam, are passionate, sure. And they care about the Realms, which in and of itself is a good thing (the more fans of the Realms, the better the Realms will be).

But, like all passions, there comes a point when it goes too far. On the Candlekeep.com forums, for example, to this day you simply can’t have a thread where someone innocently asks how Darkvision works, without someone else jumping in to gripe about the fact that Darkvision replaced something called Infravision in the D&D game.*

It would be nice if that wasn’t the case. I mean it’s not as though when people ask for help they’re issuing an invitation for people to come to their scroll to complain about anything tangentially related that's bothering them.

That and you’d think after twelve and a half years of complaining that people would get over it.

Why do people do this? In light of my lengthy experience talking and arguing with my fellow Realms fans online, I’ve come to the conclusion that certain people look at things from this perspective: “All things canon in the Realms that I happen to like are sacred and shall not be touched. Therefore the needs of the D&D game comes second to the Realms and any game designer that makes a game design decision to the contrary is automatically making the wrong decision.”**

When discussing the Forgotten Realms—or any fictional/sci-fi/fantasy setting—learning to recognize these kinds of people can save you a lot of trouble. This is because arguing with them is like jumping in front of a black hole with the expectation that you’ll somehow cause it to swerve and avoid you.

But what if you’ve got a bone to pick yourself? What if something’s REALLY bothering you and you have this unstoppable urge to make your voice heard?

By all means speak up, speak with clarity, be sincere in how you feel about the subject and stick to the facts as much as possible (without confusing your feelings for facts, as so many people do). Don't let me stop you.

The key, though, is to learn how to make your voice heard ONCE, and then allow yourself to move on from the subject. Doing this is pure gold, man. Instead of dithering over what’s already be done and can’t be changed, move on.

It’s what grownups do and makes for a vastly more interesting and reliably unpredictable (in a good way) forum experience.

That, and the next person who starts a Darkvision thread doesn’t have to wade through a sea of crap to get his answers.

*For those that don’t know, Infravision was a game mechanic in 2nd Edition D&D that allowed certain creatures to see and sense heat. It was replaced by the less complicated (and less flavorful) 3rd Edition D&D rule Darkvision back in 2000.

** Some people take it one giant step too far, by adding: “That game designer is also a disrespectful jerk that hates the Realms, has no respect for the ‘true’ fans, does not appreciate or honor what came before in the setting and absolutely nothing you say to me will make me change my mind on that, ever.” 

What's so bad about Infravision being replaced by Darkvision that not even the passing of years can't dull the ache? Want to read some interesting science having to do with sight, heat and stuff? See this LINK, if you dare.

0 Comments - Leave a Comment
]]> 0 Sean K. Reynolds and How to Slay Fandumb
So much so that I wished I could go back in time and use a version of what he wrote (the last sentence in particular; see below) to respond to all the negative jerks that were bashing the 4E Realms Every. Single. Chance. They. Got. on the Candlekeep.com and WotC Realms Forums:

"Here's the thing: It's REALLY easy for you to be a negative person. Skip it. Don't bother posting a reply. Don't say "people still play WOW?" Don't say "all the cool people are playing some other game." It doesn't make you look smart, or funny, or cool; it makes you look like a jerk. And not only is "don't be a jerk" part of the rules for this message board, it's right up there in my post. I like playing WOW. Lots of people do. If you don't like playing WOW, this is not the place to say so, because I don't care and this isn't about you. If you don't like something, and someone posts about liking that thing, you don't have to go out of your way to crap on it. Grow up."

Well said, sir. Well said.
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]]> Thu, 10 Jan 2013 08:53:44 -0600 http://community.wizards.com/mr_miscellany/blog/2013/01/10/sean_k._reynolds_and_how_to_slay_fandumb http://community.wizards.com/mr_miscellany/blog/2013/01/10/sean_k._reynolds_and_how_to_slay_fandumb
So much so that I wished I could go back in time and use a version of what he wrote (the last sentence in particular; see below) to respond to all the negative jerks that were bashing the 4E Realms Every. Single. Chance. They. Got. on the Candlekeep.com and WotC Realms Forums:

"Here's the thing: It's REALLY easy for you to be a negative person. Skip it. Don't bother posting a reply. Don't say "people still play WOW?" Don't say "all the cool people are playing some other game." It doesn't make you look smart, or funny, or cool; it makes you look like a jerk. And not only is "don't be a jerk" part of the rules for this message board, it's right up there in my post. I like playing WOW. Lots of people do. If you don't like playing WOW, this is not the place to say so, because I don't care and this isn't about you. If you don't like something, and someone posts about liking that thing, you don't have to go out of your way to crap on it. Grow up."

Well said, sir. Well said.
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]]> 0 Dear WotC: It’s time for a Mirt the Moneylender novel  
 


 
 
Ye have been duly warned.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So Mirt, once Lord of Waterdeep, once Mirt the Moneylender and once Mirt the Merciless, has survived into the future thanks to his time as a Blueflame ghost and now walks the Realms once more.

Assuming he survives the events of [i]Elminster Enraged[/i], I’d like to see Mirt further adventures in the Forgotten Realms chronicled in a novel by Ed Greenwood.
 
Whether Mirt explores the lands around the Sea of Fallen Stars and samples its dangers and delights (female genasi? I think Mirt would say yes to that. ;) ) or takes to journeying back to Waterdeep, thereby exploring all the lands between Waterdeep and Cormyr and seeing for himself (and us, the interested readers) all that’s changed between, um, here and there, methinks you’d have the makings of a rip-roaring good novel.
 
Speaking for myself, I hope Mirt returns to Waterdeep and turns the place upside down.
 
Now I know what you’re thinking: yes, we’ve had several post-Spellplague novels set in Waterdeep, but surely another (itself the first of three, because I have observed you folks at WotC like doing things in threes) that starts with Mirt in Cormyr and doesn’t end until just after he enters the gates to Waterdeep wouldn’t hurt, would it? (Especially one written by Ed.)
 
Remember that Mirt is fat, a bit lazy, something of a slob, amoral and is built more for stability than speed, yet he’s quite willing to duel foes with a broken chair in one hand and a large, half-eaten drumstick in the other. Surely this is the perfect counterpoint to Drizzt, is it not?
 
If for no other reason than the sake of balance between your novel characters, won’t you give us Mirt, please?
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]]> Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:22:04 -0500 http://community.wizards.com/mr_miscellany http://community.wizards.com/mr_miscellany  
 


 
 
Ye have been duly warned.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So Mirt, once Lord of Waterdeep, once Mirt the Moneylender and once Mirt the Merciless, has survived into the future thanks to his time as a Blueflame ghost and now walks the Realms once more.

Assuming he survives the events of [i]Elminster Enraged[/i], I’d like to see Mirt further adventures in the Forgotten Realms chronicled in a novel by Ed Greenwood.
 
Whether Mirt explores the lands around the Sea of Fallen Stars and samples its dangers and delights (female genasi? I think Mirt would say yes to that. ;) ) or takes to journeying back to Waterdeep, thereby exploring all the lands between Waterdeep and Cormyr and seeing for himself (and us, the interested readers) all that’s changed between, um, here and there, methinks you’d have the makings of a rip-roaring good novel.
 
Speaking for myself, I hope Mirt returns to Waterdeep and turns the place upside down.
 
Now I know what you’re thinking: yes, we’ve had several post-Spellplague novels set in Waterdeep, but surely another (itself the first of three, because I have observed you folks at WotC like doing things in threes) that starts with Mirt in Cormyr and doesn’t end until just after he enters the gates to Waterdeep wouldn’t hurt, would it? (Especially one written by Ed.)
 
Remember that Mirt is fat, a bit lazy, something of a slob, amoral and is built more for stability than speed, yet he’s quite willing to duel foes with a broken chair in one hand and a large, half-eaten drumstick in the other. Surely this is the perfect counterpoint to Drizzt, is it not?
 
If for no other reason than the sake of balance between your novel characters, won’t you give us Mirt, please?
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]]> 0