D&D 5E No Magic Shops!

[the Jester]

5e has been out for a while, and it's been a bit since I last wrote about the cash/power economy. Are you guys happy with the lack of magic shops in 5th?

Good God, yes.

Do you ever miss them?

Not even the tiniest bit.

Do you find yourself itching to homebrew systems for turning gold pieces into magic items, or do you prefer to play it as written, thank-you-very-much?

Not at all. I much prefer magic items as treasure, with very rare exceptions.

 

[Ovinomancer]

What does it matter? Why should you or anyone else have any say in why I can or can’t block someone?

You're missing the point. No one really cares who you block. The issue taken is two-fold, though, and deals with the implementation of blocks: 1) it breaks linking, badly so on longer threads; 2) if it's the OP, the they are, in effect, choosing to block everyone for you in that thread.

I find blocking vice ignore a bit special. If someone not breaking the rules is so bad you can't even here, at the nicest pretend-elf discussion board on the web well, says more about you than they. Have fun. But, the implementation is super-bad because it breaks basic functionality. I'm not upset about the block function, I'm occasionally annoyed at how utterly craptastical it is.

But, it's a free board for me, and this is pretty darned far down morrus' priority list, well after keeping the lights on and eating. So, I'm not anticipating a fix until the software actually adopts and implements a block feature natively, rather than the bolt-on demi-hack the tool is now. In the meantime, I'll probably keep failing to not challenge poor argumentation and keep getting blocked by people that dislike being challenged. When I do notice who's blocking me, I'm more often than not unsurprised.

 

[Ovinomancer]

You’ve got turned around. I responded to frogreaver, wherein they talked about a bunch of stuff that I didn’t argue for.

Right. But then you said the bit Max quoted, which he directly followed that with a correction to your words and his reasoning.

Honestly, I think you're insisting that you didn't say something earlier when I'm pointing out what you clearly said later. I don't get the defensiveness, here. Max didn't put words in your mouth at all, but you're acting like he did. It's just weird. Whatever, you do you. As I said, it's really not a big deal.

 

[Charlaquin]

What does it matter? Why should you or anyone else have any say in why I can or can’t block someone?

Wh... what? I don’t care who you block or for what reason. I don’t understand how you could have possibly interpreted my post to mean that I have any interest in restricting people’s ability to block someone?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

You're missing the point. No one really cares who you block. The issue taken is two-fold, though, and deals with the implementation of blocks: 1) it breaks linking, badly so on longer threads; 2) if it's the OP, the they are, in effect, choosing to block everyone for you in that thread.

I find blocking vice ignore a bit special. If someone not breaking the rules is so bad you can't even here, at the nicest pretend-elf discussion board on the web well, says more about you than they. Have fun. But, the implementation is super-bad because it breaks basic functionality. I'm not upset about the block function, I'm occasionally annoyed at how utterly craptastical it is.

But, it's a free board for me, and this is pretty darned far down morrus' priority list, well after keeping the lights on and eating. So, I'm not anticipating a fix until the software actually adopts and implements a block feature natively, rather than the bolt-on demi-hack the tool is now. In the meantime, I'll probably keep failing to not challenge poor argumentation and keep getting blocked by people that dislike being challenged. When I do notice who's blocking me, I'm more often than not unsurprised.

No, I get it. I’m just...not arguing with you about any of that. I agree that the block function doesn’t work great. My point is simply and exclusively that the fix is not to go back to the ignore function. Then I noted that there is no reason for block to not be two way.

Right. But then you said the bit Max quoted, which he directly followed that with a correction to your words and his reasoning.

Honestly, I think you're insisting that you didn't say something earlier when I'm pointing out what you clearly said later. I don't get the defensiveness, here. Max didn't put words in your mouth at all, but you're acting like he did. It's just weird. Whatever, you do you. As I said, it's really not a big deal.

I’m not being defensive, I just literally haven’t a clue what you’re on about.

Wh... what? I don’t care who you block or for what reason. I don’t understand how you could have possibly interpreted my post to mean that I have any interest in restricting people’s ability to block someone?

You decried the ability of posters to use block for reasons you disagree with (to teach someone a lesson).

 

[FrogReaver]

No, I get it. I’m just...not arguing with you about any of that. I agree that the block function doesn’t work great. My point is simply and exclusively that the fix is not to go back to the ignore function. Then I noted that there is no reason for block to not be two way.

Just curious, what is the perceived issue with a 1 way ignore feature?

I’m not being defensive, I just literally haven’t a clue what you’re on about.

I don't get what he is on about either.

You decried the ability of posters to use block for reasons you disagree with (to teach someone a lesson).

No. That's not what he did nor any of the rest of us. Sometimes a user tries to "teach someone a lesson" by effectively banning that someone from a thread for the sole purpose of making them unable to respond to anyone within that thread. If we decry anything, it's that this forum gives them the ability to do that in first place.

Not all blocks occur simply to prevent further contact between the blocker and the blocked. They are also used as a weapon to get even. One way people sometimes try to get even with someone is knowingly using the block feature to cut that person off from a thread that they have already devoted quite a bit of time, thought and posts to. A user shouldn't have the power to do that.

 

[Ovinomancer]

No, I get it. I’m just...not arguing with you about any of that. I agree that the block function doesn’t work great. My point is simply and exclusively that the fix is not to go back to the ignore function. Then I noted that there is no reason for block to not be two way.

The argument for going back to ignore is that it's pretty much the same from the user's side and doesn't break the boards.

The counterargument would be that preventing someone else from seeing your posts is a large enough benefit to justify the broken functionalities. I haven't seen this argument made, yet.

You decried the ability of posters to use block for reasons you disagree with (to teach someone a lesson).

To be fair, the block functionality can be used to bully. Look at how some use it to control access to popular threads and think they should have that power. Weak tea, sure, but it's currently a tool that can be used to silence opposing voices in entire threads if the OP chooses to use it that way. Personally, it's not widespread, it's a niche case, and the person who's done it to me doesn't bother me -- I, again, think it reflects on him more than me.

 

[Charlaquin]

You decried the ability of posters to use block for reasons you disagree with (to teach someone a lesson).

It’s not the reasons someone blocks someone else I’m decrying, it’s the fact that block (in its current functionality) can be used as a tool for “teaching lessons.” If you want to block someone, you should be able to block them, for any reason. But, blocking them should not make the forums more difficult for them to use. Then it stops being a peacekeeping tool and starts being a weapon. Instead of being used to keep posters who can’t get along from interacting with each other, it can be used to spite someone you don’t like and make their quality of life a little worse. That’s what I take issue with.

 

[FrogReaver]

I am curious. What advantage does a 2-way block feature actually have over a 1-way ignore feature? Why is it useful to keep the ignored person from seeing the ignorers posts?

 

[Charlaquin]

I am curious. What advantage does a 2-way block feature actually have over a 1-way ignore feature? Why is it useful to keep the ignored person from seeing the ignorers posts?

Because 1-way ignore puts the ignorer at a disadvantage. The ignoree becomes free to respond to the ignorer’s posts at will, without any possibility of rebuttal. They could, absent moderator action, ridicule the ignorer without the ignorer’s knowledge. Ignoring someone under that system is just handing them carte blanche to talk about you behind your back.

2-way blocking has its disadvantages as well, of course. Personally, I don’t have a strong preference for either. But if either causes the forum not to function properly for the person being blocked/ignored, that’s not ok.