Unpopular opinions go here

[MGibster]

OTOH, I also know of someone who lost nearly a third of his net worth- multiple millions of dollars- on his fast food investments due to factors beyond his control.

Some companies have a bad reputation for how they treat their franchise owners. Schlotzsky's (a chain of sandwich restaruants for our UK friends) would nickle and dime their franchise owners by over charging on supplies they were contractually obligated to purchase from them. This made it difficult for them to stay in business and they ended up closing a lot of stores.

While I 100% agree with you, I also understand why so few people actually do it.

In a Hell on Earth, a post apocalyptic version of Deadlands, mutants receive a penalty to their Charisma because they are disliked and mistrusted by humans. In one campaign I ran, one of the players decided to play a mutant, and just about everywhere his character went I made it clear that his was a presence unwelcome by many. This was a case where the player and the GM simply had different ideas of what it meant to be a mutant. Based on his decision to play a mutant, I just assumed this was the kind of play experience he wanted. It wasn't.

 

[MGibster]

In my own D&D setting, I made Common the language of the Empire. The PCs weren't actually from the Empire but they spoke Common as well simply because the Empire dominated so thoroughly.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

In my own D&D setting, I made Common the language of the Empire. The PCs weren't actually from the Empire but they spoke Common as well simply because the Empire dominated so thoroughly.

That's the logic in the Shadowdark setting I'm creating, with a pseudo-Roman Empire.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Some companies have a bad reputation for how they treat their franchise owners. Schlotzsky's (a chain of sandwich restaruants for our UK friends) would nickle and dime their franchise owners by over charging on supplies they were contractually obligated to purchase from them. This made it difficult for them to stay in business and they ended up closing a lot of stores.

I hadn’t heard that, but it doesn’t surprise me. Tight control over ingredients & supplies is common in franchising, and helps ensure the product remains consistent at hundreds of locations scattered over thousands of miles. But it can just an easily be abused.

If true, that’s a shame- hurting your franchisees will ultimately blow up in your face. And the Schlotzky’s Original is a really good variant on the mufaletta.

 

[overgeeked]

RPGs are escapist fantasy. It’s no surprise that picked-on nerds throwing dice in a basement quickly ditched the hard-scrabble early style of play for power fantasy and epic storytelling.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Everyone needs to make sure they've eaten something today before pressing the Post Reply button.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You realize that doesn't actually respond to my statement in any meaningful fashion, right?

I don't get what you're asking then.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Some companies have a bad reputation for how they treat their franchise owners. Schlotzsky's (a chain of sandwich restaruants for our UK friends) would nickle and dime their franchise owners by over charging on supplies they were contractually obligated to purchase from them. This made it difficult for them to stay in business and they ended up closing a lot of stores.

In a Hell on Earth, a post apocalyptic version of Deadlands, mutants receive a penalty to their Charisma because they are disliked and mistrusted by humans. In one campaign I ran, one of the players decided to play a mutant, and just about everywhere his character went I made it clear that his was a presence unwelcome by many. This was a case where the player and the GM simply had different ideas of what it meant to be a mutant. Based on his decision to play a mutant, I just assumed this was the kind of play experience he wanted. It wasn't.

What were they expecting, if I may ask? What you describe seems like a standard genre convention to me.

 

[Micah Sweet]

RPGs are escapist fantasy. It’s no surprise that picked-on nerds throwing dice in a basement quickly ditched the hard-scrabble early style of play for power fantasy and epic storytelling.

I'm sure they all did that too.

 

[Hussar]

I don't know. Plenty of fantasy and science fiction settings have a lot of languages and seem to make it work.

They work because they are novels. Gaming is not a novel.