Three Sheets to the Wind and Roads High and Low
Greets.
I’ve already said too much today. Haven’t I? And we just chatted a few days ago and I’ve got all these secret things I’m working on and I’m sleepy, since I just ate dinner and I worked a pretty long day yesterday on top of that. Heck, I haven’t had a free day in awhile. I keep promising myself, when RunePunk is done I get a couple of days off. (Which is my way of lying to myself.) The old carrot and stick approach. Heck, I’m loving RunePunk more than when I first started on it. It’s evolved a lot. It’s tighter, thanks to Clint’s help and the refining of my writing talents. I’m slamming everything into the RunePunk masterfile. Throwing in the slew of NPCS and Monsters and the adventure generators and the Plot Points and the Savage Tales and the Scrounging Tables and all the random encounter charts. Hopefully, you guys will enjoy playing this as much as I’ve enjoyed making it.
A brief anecdotal interlude.
Three Sheets to the Wind is an old expression. You can look up what it means, but I had this weird thing happen Saturday outside the hobby shop. I pulled up in the parking lot to meet my buddy and there’s this chubby kid in the parking lot. At a glance, he’s kinda sitting there on the bike on the pavement and flailing his arms and acting like ten year old boys typically do, goofy. I get out of the car with a file folder full of RunePunk stuff and he’s calling out now. Not really to me, because I don’t know him, but I’m the only one around and he’s shouting. “I can’t move anywhere. I’m stuck.” And he’s calling some guy’s name in an unintelligible fashion. I’m thinking…”kid, just stand up” and “are you for real”…the last part I mused aloud to the kid and he said, “Yes, I’m for real. I’m really stuck.” So, I set my file folder on the top of the car and went over and hauled him up to his feet. He didn’t thank me, most kids don’t have manners nowadays, but he was relieved. I go back to the car and this gust of wind comes up…paper goes flying out. I’m thinking, no good deed goes unpunished, and grab the manilla folder and toss it in the car seat, grab a small notebook I have and dismiss one sheet of paper by me, because it’s on the leeward side of the car and go hauling after the other two. The one I get nearest too first, I toss my notebook on, and pursue the third one and caught it with a mighty foot stomp. Then I proceed to retrieve my papers. 1. 2. 3. Heh. When I recounted this exciting adventure for the first time, I realized I literally had three sheets to the wind.
The other part of this week’s title, I’ll keep succinct. Be careful whom you associate with and what you do. When faced with the opportunity to take the high road or the low road, try to go with the high road. Disparaging other people is plain tacky and bogus and not a good use of one’s energy. In fact, it’s downright draining. Although, in the short term, taking the low road can sometimes be satisfying and even necessary. Why am I bringing this up? I’ve seen this occur on forums and threads of late. Threads that are supposed to be talking about games and the roleplaying industry and some of them denigrate into personal assaults. Private matters should be kept private and if a person takes issue with another, they should handle it in that manner. Because, let’s face it, when you bash someone’s reputation in a malicious fashion, especially someone growing a business where reputation counts for a lot, that can have serious legal ramifications far less fun than making the initial post.
Since I’m on this particular tangent, I’d also like to see threads where people are trying to tell people how to run their businesses disappear. I saw this on a few forums I frequent and it adds nothing to the atmosphere of the community in any way, shape, or form. I suppose some people just like to hear themselves speak and cry out for attention. Sure, it’s my choice as to whether or not to read those threads or whatever, but it’s like junk mail that comes in with the regular mail. We may not read it, but we all glance at it. Wouldn’t you like to have those minutes back?
Let’s end this on an up note and I’ll tell you what I do appreciate about forums and what I like to see on them. I enjoy the interchange of ideas and concepts with others who really love the game. I like having an active “help desk” atmosphere where, for the most part, I can get accurate, insightful answers. I enjoy getting to know people who are buying my stuff and what they like and don’t like about what I’m doing. I like making new friends. That’s how I wound up pals with Ed Wetterman, Preston, Jerry, and others. I have to say that the forums I frequent the most have less noise and garbage than most out there which makes it all the more obvious when something that doesn’t belong pops up on them.
Well, back to writing.
Take care and get a few games in before my next update, will ya? :)
Regards,
Sean
