Recent content by Sepulchrave II

I wasn't thinking in terms of ideas as specific as nazi-analogous xenophobes, but more in terms of a general sweep. Different peoples represent different functions of the human psyche (e.g Tolkien orcs=wanton mechanized brutality; hobbits=inhabitants of a bucolic idyll. ). Or the Star Trek...

I have no doubt I'm in the minority here, but... I have no problem casting different groups (whichever nomenclature you prefer) with certain embedded characteristics. I think that - for me - the game works best as a kind of psychomachian, mythopoeic, anthropopsychic, ethnopsychic allegory...

I was introduced to D&D in 1981-2, after I had read The Hobbit, LotR and Silmarillion. I hadn't really branched out into other fantasy literature; rather I had read Tolkien twice and was probably on my third pass by then. Up until the age of 10, LotR had been a mysterious tome sitting on the...

Another vote for Blakes 7 (sic - the original title sequence was missing an apostrophe). A relatively obscure show I feel obliged to commend is Survivors (1975-77): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072572/ Set after a global pandemic which kills 99% of the world's population. It was written by...

Me with my wife — who isn’t called Gertrude II.

Watched it this past weekend. Mostly enjoyed it, but was a little underwhelmed. I felt the pacing was a bit off, and didn’t really have much emotional investment in the characters. Ralph Fiennes was excellent, but that’s kind of a given. Felt more sympathy for the humanity of the infected...

28 Years Later I'll probably watch Naked Gun because Liam Neeson does pretty good deadpan, although I don't think he'll carry it as well as Leslie Nielsen. Even though their names map well phonetically - that must be why they chose him to play Frank Drebin's son. Brad Pitt driving cars doesn't...

I don’t have any skin in this game philosophically, I’m pointing out differences in usage and reasonable inferences which can be drawn from words. To insist on a singular meaning for a word when it has a parallel negative connotation runs the risk of it being construed as a dog-whistle. To...

A disjunctive clause does not relegate the status of the second definition; both are coequal in applicability. Especially in a dictionary. "Arbitrary" is a primary definition of fiat according to Merriam-Webster. You are using fiat in an exclusive way. That's why people keep having problems...

As we're picking nits, Merriam-Webster gives the following primary definition of fiat: 1: an authoritative or arbitrary order: decree So there actually is a real difference in usage amongst posters in the Anglosphere here. And I think the pejorative connotation is pretty well established re: D&D.

B2, B4, S4, G1-3, D1-2, D3 - all at least 3 times.

This is an interesting discussion, although the tone is verging on acrimonious in places. I find myself unable to decide if there is a meaningful difference between "DM Fiat" and "DM makes a decision" as the two ideas seem - speaking with natural language - synonymous in my head. If the...

A long time ago (1E era) I internalized a few general principles with regard to level demographics: (1) PC-class characters comprise 1% of the population (2) 50% of PC-classed characters are Fighter-types, 25% Rogue-types, 15% divine casters, 10% arcane casters (3) The prevalence of any given...

There's still a good chance that Sauron's captivity in Numenor will be portrayed - although I'm confident it will be bungled, like the rest of the show. (I've expressed my issues with RoP in other threads - at length, quite forthrightly and unapologetically - and alienated a number of posters in...