Quote from: yosemitemike on December 18, 2024, 07:29:41 AM

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 07:15:18 AMThere it is. There is me answering a question.

I mean an actual answer not a self-serving vague evasion.

An answer you don't like is still an answer.

Quote

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 07:15:18 AMI wasn't complaining about having to talk to you.

Actually no one at all was doing that.

So are you no longer claiming you don't like to talk to me?

Because that's why I keep pointing out you can stop posting.

Quote

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 07:15:18 AMI am happy to address your concerns all day long.

You have yet to even try.

You lack the tools to judge that.

Quote

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 07:15:18 AMIt's important to help those who are slow in understanding.

Self-important posturing

No, charity and patience.

Quote

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 07:15:18 AMActually, no,

Actually, yes.  The letter came before this thread.

You are not obliged to talk about it, so no--I didn't start it.

Quote

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 07:15:18 AMSo if you're looking for some non-fact-checking contribution to RPGs, you'd have to look elsewhere.

Repeating that self-serving characterization of what you are doing here doesn't make it any more credible. 

I can only give the correct answer, not force you to accept it.

QuoteYou are trying to control the narrative

So you're:

-Telling a story about me
-And you want people to accept it

And I'm trying to control a narrative?

What is the difference, to you, between "describing your beliefs" and "controlling a narrative"?

Quotelike most people who appoint themselves as fact-checkers and talk about misinformation.  I'm not buying it.

You've done a survey? Many people have this job. You know all of them? Or most?

QuoteNo one here is buying it.

So if one person agrees with me then you are wrong.

And a few people have popped up in the thread to say they do, so you are proven wrong.

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 07:37:57 AMSo if one person agrees with me then you are wrong.

And a few people have popped up in the thread to say they do, so you are proven wrong.

You mean the ones you're paying off?

This conversation is hilarious when you've got Zak on ignore. Anyone approaching this as if Zak is arguing in good faith is just giving the troll what he wants; attention.

The sooner people stop giving him attention, the sooner he'll move his narcissistic act on to someplace else.

Quote from: Brad on December 18, 2024, 08:46:11 AM

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 07:37:57 AMSo if one person agrees with me then you are wrong.

And a few people have popped up in the thread to say they do, so you are proven wrong.

You mean the ones you're paying off?

They get a book if they do a bunch of stuff.N one of those things is "agree that this is a community-building thing and not brigading".

So: no.

Quote from: Chris24601 on December 18, 2024, 09:01:43 AMThis conversation is hilarious when you've got Zak on ignore. Anyone approaching this as if Zak is arguing in good faith is just giving the troll what he wants; attention.

The sooner people stop giving him attention, the sooner he'll move his narcissistic act on to someplace else.

"Narcissistic" is how nerds say "You're not doing what I, the nerd, wants".

It is true however that--again--the only reason I'm here is to fact-check y'all.

So if you stop talking, I leave.

This is a difficult point in these threads because all the trolls realize they've spent several pages going "I hate you I don't want to talk to you why don't you go away"

And I go "I will, just stop talking, then I go"

But really, they don't like that idea, because they're mostly saying that to do an Internet Tough Guy thing. It's off-brand to leave just because I propose they do it, it makes them feel weak.

So the next phase of the thread is:

Everyone claims they really like being here because it's Oh So Entertaining. And the thread drags on.

So if you're watching at home, expect that.

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 09:02:03 AM

Quote from: Brad on December 18, 2024, 08:46:11 AM

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 07:37:57 AMSo if one person agrees with me then you are wrong.

And a few people have popped up in the thread to say they do, so you are proven wrong.

You mean the ones you're paying off?

They get a book if they do a bunch of stuff.N one of those things is "agree that this is a community-building thing and not brigading".

So: no.

At least you finally admit you're literally paying people off to post here.

Quote from: Brad on December 18, 2024, 09:18:56 AM

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 09:02:03 AM

Quote from: Brad on December 18, 2024, 08:46:11 AM

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 07:37:57 AMSo if one person agrees with me then you are wrong.

And a few people have popped up in the thread to say they do, so you are proven wrong.

You mean the ones you're paying off?

They get a book if they do a bunch of stuff.N one of those things is "agree that this is a community-building thing and not brigading".

So: no.

At least you finally admit you're literally paying people off to post here.

The document that begins this thread says explicitly that they have to post on this site ten times (on any subject).

I never denied that and suggesting I did is dishonest. But we all know you don't care about that.

You also aren't going to admit or go into the fact that "post on theRPGsite on any subject" is not an especially damning or sinister instruction. You're just going to not bring it up.

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 09:32:11 AMThe document that begins this thread says explicitly that they have to post on this site ten times (on any subject).

I never denied that and suggesting I did is dishonest. But we all know you don't care about that.

You also aren't going to admit or go into the fact that "post on theRPGsite on any subject" is not an especially damning or sinister instruction. You're just going to not bring it up.

Nahh, you deflected multiple times about "muh community," obliquely insinuating that it just wasn't about getting free stuff. The whole point of contention in this thread is that TheRPGSite is "hostile" or something, NOT that you're paying people off. Which you are, fine, IDGAF, but given your track record it's pretty obvious you want to establish a base of board posters that will support you in some fashion, hence the free stuff.

You can claim otherwise, and you might honestly believe you're being benevolent, but alas, your stripes never fade.

Quote from: Brad on December 18, 2024, 09:49:39 AM

Quote from: Zak S on December 18, 2024, 09:32:11 AMThe document that begins this thread says explicitly that they have to post on this site ten times (on any subject).

I never denied that and suggesting I did is dishonest. But we all know you don't care about that.

You also aren't going to admit or go into the fact that "post on theRPGsite on any subject" is not an especially damning or sinister instruction. You're just going to not bring it up.

Nahh, you deflected multiple times about "muh community," obliquely insinuating that it just wasn't about getting free stuff.

No:

They get free stuff.

I  get community  (as does everyone else who wants it)

That's how transactions work: more than one thing is acquired. X is traded for Y.

Do you think when you buy a twinkie, you and the merchant get a twinkie?

You can't possibly be this stupid.

Imagine if instead of hiring the goon squad to say hollow niceties, Zak actually just went out and acted like a decent human being for once

Quote from: BuddyscottEntertainment on December 18, 2024, 10:21:13 AMImagine if instead of hiring the goon squad to say hollow niceties, Zak actually just went out and acted like a decent human being for once

One of the most decent things a person on the internet can do is point out when someone's lying.

The liar doesn't agree with this, but everybody else does.

I think the issue is that people for some reason distrust you.

Maybe they don't know you well enough.

For my part, I hope you get a hundred people to join theRPGsite and make 1000 content-laden posts here. And I'm certainly willing to believe that, on account of your convoluted mind, you may perfectly well have intended not to do anything nefarious as such, and only wanted to build up a presence of people you consider good people and positive influences on RPGs (apparently based on the primary qualification that they like you and your products) to make a presence on multiple RPG social media, and that you just went about doing it in a way that seemed secretive and odd. And even that its possible that it wasn't going to turn into any kind of stealth marketing at all.

Never mind that on theRPGsite people are welcome to promote their material (or other people's material), for free, anytime, as long as they do so in the correct methods: either by making content-filled threads about books they like on the main forum (or if you were the author even doing something like an 'ask me anything' thread about your book), or making a free blatant advertisement or notice on the News & Adverts forum. You could do that yourself at any time, as could any of the people you sent here. So long as its done correctly, you can do it on a regular basis if you wanted to.

Quote from: RPGPundit on December 18, 2024, 10:46:14 AMI think the issue is that people for some reason distrust you.

Of course they do. Nerds distrust anything novel.

It's been like this since Day One---you have a blog called D&D With Porn Stars and the first thing you hear is they aren't actually porn stars. You embarrass someone about that, they begin to nurse a grudge, then the next one comes at you ...it goes on and on.

It has only snowballed from there because distrust breeds distrust,

QuoteNever mind that on theRPGsite people are welcome to promote their material (or other people's material), for free, anytime,

Yeah, promoting material was obviously not the point (I suspect the only people actually paying for the book are long time collectors who are reached via email, not some random mention online), but most people assume a lot of things that don't happen to be true:

-Most people think if a creator is posting it's mainly because they want someone to buy their RPG material

-Most people think that the RPG material is their source of income--or that they want it to be.

-Most people think that making the RPG material is the creative job they want to have.*

None of these things happen to be true in my case. The RPG material is for home use and making a book out of it was a means to an end. Even I'm surprised more than like one person splashed out 1000$ for it (not that I'm complaining). I'll take money (as my signature says) but I know from over a decade's experience that selling it has nothing to do with posting here on TheRPGsite--I see when orders come in and when they don't

The RPG stuff just lures people out into the open to do stuff in the RPG community that is more interesting than buying and selling stuff. I'm a painter and I like that job.

I also know that while a handful of people reading may grasp these things here now as I write them, the next time someone starts a thread on here they will all be forgotten.

-----
*EDIT:
After post 359 I made some clarifications to this post.

Instead of "most people" in these statements I should've written "In my experience, most people in the online RPG community that I'm aware of..."

Quote from: RPGPundit on December 18, 2024, 10:46:14 AMI think the issue is that people for some reason distrust you.

Maybe they don't know you well enough.

For my part, I hope you get a hundred people to join theRPGsite and make 1000 content-laden posts here. And I'm certainly willing to believe that, on account of your convoluted mind, you may perfectly well have intended not to do anything nefarious as such, and only wanted to build up a presence of people you consider good people and positive influences on RPGs (apparently based on the primary qualification that they like you and your products) to make a presence on multiple RPG social media, and that you just went about doing it in a way that seemed secretive and odd. And even that its possible that it wasn't going to turn into any kind of stealth marketing at all.

Never mind that on theRPGsite people are welcome to promote their material (or other people's material), for free, anytime, as long as they do so in the correct methods: either by making content-filled threads about books they like on the main forum (or if you were the author even doing something like an 'ask me anything' thread about your book), or making a free blatant advertisement or notice on the News & Adverts forum. You could do that yourself at any time, as could any of the people you sent here. So long as its done correctly, you can do it on a regular basis if you wanted to.

well this is refreshing to read.
imo it's important to clarify a specific thing: natural discourse doesn't rely on logic. Much of it is implicit. That's why some neurodivergent people struggle communicating, they can't grasp what's implicit, the non-said. they just see the logical relations.
to try and follow cold hard logic in action and communication especially is a good guideline for minimizing communication errors and lowering the recipient's workload, but it can't be done always nor is it auspicable, as we would be speaking in code then.
i believe that some of the arguments in the thread and the thread itself stems from such an error. by reading zak instructions and only the information that is logically derived by them, they are nothing out of the ordinary. no brigade, no cult, no nothing.

but humans don't think like that. we can argue if they should (i gave my lil piece on that above) but they don't. Pundit thought the instr. might appear sketchy. I thought the same, i interrogated myself as to why Zak would do such a thing, in this way. i also knew i couldn't know for sure of any of the previous things (hidden motive etc), i didn't assume what i thought in any way or another to be true or likely by default. i just accepted what i saw at face value. was i right? dunno. but i'll tell you all this:

i am new here, came here following Zak's instructions and did so externally motivated, book nice. i didn't want to, if i did i would have been here already as well as on all the other platforms. but in the following weeks i found that some of those i like, i will stay there. for how long i can't say and neither if active or not, i tend to lurk by inclination. but i want to engage more than before, now. i also got something back, e.g. i am reading lankhmar: city of adventure for propping up my game and would NEVER have i somebody didn't suggest me to in the process of following zak's instructions. and that's one thing among many, i benefited from this thing and maybe somebody else also has by the contributions i have made. i spent so much time just reading blogs and DIYing rpg stuff i might have something to give back. i didn't think that before. i do now.
i am no sock, no bot, no cultist, no nothing. Just a Guy, and i'm here specifically thanks to Zak's push.
what's his (real) motive i don't know. nobody else does. maybe not even Zak himself. what's sure to me is what he wrote, and the effect it had on me. idk about the others, they might all be a vicious troll army, who knows? i don't. you don't.
so let's kindly stop making stuff up, we do that enough for playing rpgs.