Quote from: Cathode Ray on March 08, 2023, 09:29:04 AM
I'm thinking of a warning sign about SJG going red.
Steve J was a regular member in a Discord group I ran.
I had a no politicizing rule.
When the COVID vaccine first came out, everyone who got vaccinated ran to my server to announce that they got their shot.
It was nice that the community was so close that they'd share the information with each other, but it was getting tiresome.
A small number of members were anti-vaxxers or at least concerned of the potential risks.  One particularly vocal anti-vaxxer posted articles or YT videos before the YT banned them, about the possible dangers of the vaccine.
It followed with some drama.
It escalated quickly, and one member said the member who posted the video was responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of people.  This was a clear violation of the server's rule against insulting, demeaning, or mistreating other members.
So, I punished that member by revoking some of the member's privileges.  I repeated something I said often, that "This server is a place where people of all kinds of viewpoints and backgrounds can come together, set aside our differences, and escape from worldly problems to enjoy our shared interest.  The member got mad and left the server.
Later on, Steve J sent me a message that I banned the wrong person, and I should have banned the anti-vaxxer for posting misinformation or something basically for disagreeing with "the science".  No... he didn't violate the rule against insulting other members.  He didn't even break the rule against attacking political views (his video/post links didn't do that).
Afterwards, I added a new rule against discussion Coronavirus entirely.
I still was surprised when I read the July 8 post, but this memory came back to me and I think, "I can see this now."  It's a shame, because Steve J is a really creative, interesting funny, and friendly guy as a person.  I have nothing against him, and pray for his well-being.  I even think he'd be my first pick, or on the top 3, if I can choose anyone to just hang out and spend some time out on the town enjoying a beer.  I just can't support his company's causes.

Quote from: S'mon on March 06, 2023, 02:49:44 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit on March 05, 2023, 08:21:21 PM
You can see this in how she marketed it, which was so alien to the way the OSR does things: she didn't approach it from the point of emphasizing the design of the game, promoting at the grassroots with other OSR designers...  ...instead she did the very typical 5e thing of picking "influencers" who aren't necessarily designers to create a buzz about how Shadowdark is the Current Thing that everyone who is a cool kid will want to Consume.

She - really, her marketing professional wife/partner - wanted to make lots of money for the Kickstarter. So she did what works to make lots of money. It's not specifically a 5e thing; it's a Youtube thing, and social media in general. You go where the money is. The traditional OSR approach you mention predates social media (really the heyday was around 2008-12), and does not make traditional OSR designers a lot of money.

Quote from: Punch and Pie on March 09, 2023, 06:13:06 PM
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/429340/Public-Access?src=hottest

This made me chuckle.  There's some hardy har har graphic violence/ritual sacrifice, but WARNING there's also sexism and consumer culture. I'm curious as to what he considers childhood trauma, but I'm too cheap to spend the $15 to find out. It must be pretty horrific if it's mentioned in the same breath as capitalism.

Quote from: RPGPundit on March 10, 2023, 08:25:25 AM

Quote from: S'mon on March 06, 2023, 02:49:44 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit on March 05, 2023, 08:21:21 PM
You can see this in how she marketed it, which was so alien to the way the OSR does things: she didn't approach it from the point of emphasizing the design of the game, promoting at the grassroots with other OSR designers...  ...instead she did the very typical 5e thing of picking "influencers" who aren't necessarily designers to create a buzz about how Shadowdark is the Current Thing that everyone who is a cool kid will want to Consume.

She - really, her marketing professional wife/partner - wanted to make lots of money for the Kickstarter. So she did what works to make lots of money. It's not specifically a 5e thing; it's a Youtube thing, and social media in general. You go where the money is. The traditional OSR approach you mention predates social media (really the heyday was around 2008-12), and does not make traditional OSR designers a lot of money.

It's worked for me, and a few other people (Raggi, Kevin Crawford).

Quote from: Thor's Nads on March 11, 2023, 01:53:28 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit on March 10, 2023, 08:25:25 AM

Quote from: S'mon on March 06, 2023, 02:49:44 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit on March 05, 2023, 08:21:21 PM
You can see this in how she marketed it, which was so alien to the way the OSR does things: she didn't approach it from the point of emphasizing the design of the game, promoting at the grassroots with other OSR designers...  ...instead she did the very typical 5e thing of picking "influencers" who aren't necessarily designers to create a buzz about how Shadowdark is the Current Thing that everyone who is a cool kid will want to Consume.

She - really, her marketing professional wife/partner - wanted to make lots of money for the Kickstarter. So she did what works to make lots of money. It's not specifically a 5e thing; it's a Youtube thing, and social media in general. You go where the money is. The traditional OSR approach you mention predates social media (really the heyday was around 2008-12), and does not make traditional OSR designers a lot of money.

It's worked for me, and a few other people (Raggi, Kevin Crawford).

Same here. My games are consistent Gold sellers on DriveThru (which isn't even the bulk of my sales), and I've been flying under the radar for years just making niche stuff I know there is an audience for. I've got all the stuff the Woke hate: heroic men, smoking hot princesses in distress, pro traditional values, commies are the bad guys, no LGBTQ+ characters to be found except the possible effeminate male villain here and there. And the thing that really pisses them off: no child grooming.

Quote from: Redshirt451 on March 09, 2023, 12:07:06 PM

Quote from: Cathode Ray on March 08, 2023, 09:29:04 AM
I'm thinking of a warning sign about SJG going red.
Steve J was a regular member in a Discord group I ran.
I had a no politicizing rule.
When the COVID vaccine first came out, everyone who got vaccinated ran to my server to announce that they got their shot.
It was nice that the community was so close that they'd share the information with each other, but it was getting tiresome.
A small number of members were anti-vaxxers or at least concerned of the potential risks.  One particularly vocal anti-vaxxer posted articles or YT videos before the YT banned them, about the possible dangers of the vaccine.
It followed with some drama.
It escalated quickly, and one member said the member who posted the video was responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of people.  This was a clear violation of the server's rule against insulting, demeaning, or mistreating other members.
So, I punished that member by revoking some of the member's privileges.  I repeated something I said often, that "This server is a place where people of all kinds of viewpoints and backgrounds can come together, set aside our differences, and escape from worldly problems to enjoy our shared interest.  The member got mad and left the server.
Later on, Steve J sent me a message that I banned the wrong person, and I should have banned the anti-vaxxer for posting misinformation or something basically for disagreeing with "the science".  No... he didn't violate the rule against insulting other members.  He didn't even break the rule against attacking political views (his video/post links didn't do that).
Afterwards, I added a new rule against discussion Coronavirus entirely.
I still was surprised when I read the July 8 post, but this memory came back to me and I think, "I can see this now."  It's a shame, because Steve J is a really creative, interesting funny, and friendly guy as a person.  I have nothing against him, and pray for his well-being.  I even think he'd be my first pick, or on the top 3, if I can choose anyone to just hang out and spend some time out on the town enjoying a beer.  I just can't support his company's causes.

That's unfortunate. I wonder if Covid is what sent him over the edge? I don't recall him being particularly woke before it and I know it turned a lot of otherwise rational people into censorious fanatics. SJ certainly wouldn't be the first.

Quote from: Krazz on March 11, 2023, 12:18:44 PM
Do you have a link to either your website or DriveThru page? That sounds worth checking out.

Quote from: Thor's Nads on March 11, 2023, 07:57:22 PM
Check out nightowlworkshop.com

Quote from: FF_Ninja on March 11, 2023, 12:23:39 PM
To my understanding, he went over the edge when RvW was overturned.

Quote from: Venka on March 11, 2023, 09:06:31 PM
You mean https://www.nightowlworkshop.com/
Also your shit is cool af.

Quote from: Venka on March 11, 2023, 09:06:31 PM
A lot of people went over some edge or other around then. ( when RvW was overturned)

Quote from: Venka on March 11, 2023, 09:06:31 PM
It was like robocop scene 27 remake up in here ( EXTREMELY VULGAR https://archive.org/details/our-robocop-remake-scene-27-86014703 ), except with political opinions.

Quote from: Thor's Nads on March 11, 2023, 10:02:58 PM
That was too much. I didn't need to see exploding penes. Wish I could wipe them from my memory.

Quote from: Venka on March 11, 2023, 10:16:51 PM

Quote from: Thor's Nads on March 11, 2023, 10:02:58 PM
That was too much. I didn't need to see exploding penes. Wish I could wipe them from my memory.

I removed the link and replaced with a better description and instructions to search it up.  I actually thought everyone would know what scene 27 Robocop was, and that my initial disclaimer would be enough.  But mayhaps not!

Quote from: Punch and Pie on March 12, 2023, 05:00:58 AM
I'm sure Seth Skorkowsky is in the green (and should stay green), but damn, did he step in it.

I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he only read the subject/headers of the kool-aid drinkers and had no clue what the books' subject matter entailed, nor where the books were intentionally placed.