Pineapple Express: Someone Is Wrong on the Internet?

[CleverNickName]

Sigh. The benchmark for every single RPG in the industry is not: yeah, but can it beat 5E? RPGs can be wildly successful without beating 5E.

There's no point in opening a restaurant if it's not going to outsell McDonald's.

That's internet (American?) culture for you. If a product isn't ThE bEsT tHiNg EvEr, it's a complete and total failure. Be first, or be removed. If you aren't winning, you're losing. Etc.

 

[Ryujin]

The worst offense that films commit when adapting long form storytelling (whether television, comics, or novels) is cutting out all the "quiet parts" because they are boring. or, worse, turning the quiet parts into theme park rides ::cough::TheHobbit::cough:: Quiet moments in action movies are as important as safe scenes in horror movies: if you do not release the tension, you undermine the action (or horror).

Well the one that you alluded to while not explicitly :cough:Hobbit:cough: mentioning committed the multiple sins of doing the amusement ride thing, using camera equipment that wasn't up to the cinematic task, and shooting at a resolution/frame rate that let you see all the failures of costuming and makeup.

 

[Reynard]

My kids watched Jaws for the first time over the holiday weekend and it was instructive to see how the slow 1970s pacing actually helped ratchet up the tension for them.

My wife watches that film religiously ever July 4th. I still find joy in the scar sharing scene.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

My wife watches that film religiously ever July 4th. I still find joy in the scar sharing scene.

The 50 year old movie was a huge hit with my kids, which was great. Even Bruce's janky jaw motions didn't break the spell, although they definitely noticed it.

 

[overgeeked]

That's internet (American?) culture for you. If a product isn't ThE bEsT tHiNg EvEr, it's a complete and total failure. Be first, or be removed. If you aren't winning, you're losing. Etc.

Yep. You see it all the time in the optimization space. Either it's the best build ever or it sucks. It's exhausting, really.

 

[prabe]

Yep. You see it all the time in the optimization space. Either it's the best build ever or it sucks. It's exhausting, really.

Or--related, I think--if you don't optimize hard, you're not pulling your weight. I honestly wouldn't want to be a play culture like that, at this point.

 

[overgeeked]

Or--related, I think--if you don't optimize hard, you're not pulling your weight. I honestly wouldn't want to be a play culture like that, at this point.

Yeah. It's more tedious than fun. As always, "Given the chance, gamers will optimize the fun out of the game."

 

[prabe]

Yeah. It's more tedious than fun. As always, "Given the chance, gamers will optimize the fun out of the game."

I think the table has to arrive at that sort of culture, and I don't think that's as inevitable as "given the chance" sounds--but my experiences and preferences aren't yours, so it's not really worth arguing about.

 

[Deset Gled]

My kids watched Jaws for the first time over the holiday weekend and it was instructive to see how the slow 1970s pacing actually helped ratchet up the tension for them.

While main stream cinema has a "high speed only" problem, I'll also posit that indie stuff sometimes has the opposite. There's a particularly annoying set of horror films (and stories, etc) that seem to be built around the idea that "less is more" and "nothing is scarier", but take it to the ridiculous extreme where it seems like sometimes they forget to tell an actual narrative. People have said D&D is 20 minutes of fun spread across 4 hours; indie horror sometimes feels the same way.

I rarely turn off of a movie once I get in far enough, but there have been a couple where I got bored enough to say "Get on with it already!" and watched the last half on fast forward. Most recently, Skinamarink and Possum. Also, it's the main reason I never got into The Magnus Archives.

That being said, the pacing on Jaws is great.

 

[overgeeked]

I think the table has to arrive at that sort of culture, and I don't think that's as inevitable as "given the chance" sounds--but my experiences and preferences aren't yours, so it's not really worth arguing about.

Each player comes to the table with their own experiences and preferences. If one player has that gamer mindset, that's all it takes.