BarretWallace

I'm sorry you have to go through this. Your friend's behavior was unacceptable. You tried to help him forget his problems for a little while, and it sounds like he tried to alienate everyone in the group. Either he's used to this style of play from his old group, or he was bringing his problems to the table. In either case, it sounds like he's not a good fit for your group at this time. Have you spoken to the rest of your group? Their feelings about the new character's antics should be considered.
 
If your friend's real world problems are interfering with other activities he normally enjoys, then he needs to work out the issues on his own. He sounds like he can use a little space right now. It's unfortunate, but friendships have ended over stuff like this. I hope you two can mend your fences in due time.

[zorch] (can't seem to just delete the post)

From a political cartoonist an FB friend of linked to.

[zorch] (can't seem to just delete the post)

[zorch] (can't seem to just delete the post)

So the update is I will not be doing either of the Friday games.  Given what the other players had in mind for the hubby's 7th Sea game (and the griping he did after the 1st session) leads me to believe that this was the correct decision.
 
Nobody wants to be Heroic.  😕
 
In the meantime, the hubby will be running 7th Sea solo sessions Here & There for me where I have my Castillian wannabe actress/dancer/cook/egomaniac doing light-hearted adventures around town.  First up: truffle hunting!

Never did learn patience.  I wonder how long that would take.

Depends if my city girl wants to go in the damn dirty forest or try to liberate the truffles from the damn dirty Montaigne instead

But who has 970 years to wait?

Old Man?

We've had a whole generation raised with almost all entertainment media infected with a strong streak of nihilism. Many of them understand no other way to play. The pendulum has started swinging back in the latter part of this millennium, but it will probably be some years before hope and idealism become the trends again at the gaming table.

I believe the phrase "I deal with this in Real Life -- why would I want this in games?!" was bandied about from both of us during the venting process afterwards.
 
I feel bad for my husband -- he's trying to stretch out and improve as a GM, but he also wants to enjoy himself too.  The Wednesday game we'll be co-GMing should, in theory, be healthier since we're dealing with players who Get that 7th Sea should be Heroic (and Hubby has Used His Words about needing Player Buy-In for his story -- that the PCs need to Care about what happens with the NPCs who will be depending on their decisions).

In the game you can pretend you might survive.

I agree completely.  Try teaching a non-gamer wholly ignorant of the hobby AD&D out of the box and they are shocked and dismayed by all there is to learn -- because you cannot tackle it all at once.  The DM needs to know that stuff, not the player.  They are the referee that resolves issues and knows the rules.  Over time players can learn.
 
And that's the right approach for Hero.  Don't throw the entire two edition 6th edition at them and say "good luck"; just help them build a character (or use a pre-made) and start playing.  That's how we all learned AD&D and the rest of the games, we didn't try to memorize the entire rule book.

I had "Alone Against the Flames" for ages as part of a Call of Cthulhu bundle.  Last week I finally played through it for the first time.  This is exactly the kind of product Hero System could use.  Get me into a story right away.  Guide me through the critical steps of building a character.  Give me options, tell me when to roll dice, and help me resolve the rolls.  Then and only then, once I've taken that first step, show me the depths of the rule system underlying what I just did.  Hero System has a strength like no other rule system I've ever encountered, but I can easily see how it can rapidly overwhelm many prospective players and drive them to other pastures.
 
When I was introduced to Hero System in the early-mid 1990s, I was fortunate enough to have GMs who held my hand (metaphorically speaking) until I understood the rules well enough to walk on my own.  I didn't have to digest a multi-course meal's worth of game mechanics before even beginning to tell a story.  I don't have that kind of patience anymore.

I had "Alone Against the Flames" for ages as part of a Call of Cthulhu bundle.  Last week I finally played through it for the first time.  This is exactly the kind of product Hero System could use.  Get me into a story right away.  Guide me through the critical steps of building a character.  Give me options, tell me when to roll dice, and help me resolve the rolls.  Then and only then, once I've taken that first step, show me the depths of the rule system underlying what I just did.  Hero System has a strength like no other rule system I've ever encountered, but I can easily see how it can rapidly overwhelm many prospective players and drive them to other pastures.
 
When I was introduced to Hero System in the early-mid 1990s, I was fortunate enough to have GMs who held my hand (metaphorically speaking) until I understood the rules well enough to walk on my own.  I didn't have to digest a multi-course meal's worth of game mechanics before even beginning to tell a story.  I don't have that kind of patience anymore.

I guess this thread has come full circle, then, from announcing ONE to giving it up as a bad idea.
 
That means we're getting Ten More Years of 5e, arguably the worst D&D ever.
huzzah 😐

Next D&D 360
 

I had "Alone Against the Flames" for ages as part of a Call of Cthulhu bundle.  Last week I finally played through it for the first time.  This is exactly the kind of product Hero System could use.  Get me into a story right away.  Guide me through the critical steps of building a character.  Give me options, tell me when to roll dice, and help me resolve the rolls.  Then and only then, once I've taken that first step, show me the depths of the rule system underlying what I just did.  Hero System has a strength like no other rule system I've ever encountered, but I can easily see how it can rapidly overwhelm many prospective players and drive them to other pastures.
 
When I was introduced to Hero System in the early-mid 1990s, I was fortunate enough to have GMs who held my hand (metaphorically speaking) until I understood the rules well enough to walk on my own.  I didn't have to digest a multi-course meal's worth of game mechanics before even beginning to tell a story.  I don't have that kind of patience anymore.

I had "Alone Against the Flames" for ages as part of a Call of Cthulhu bundle.  Last week I finally played through it for the first time.  This is exactly the kind of product Hero System could use.  Get me into a story right away.  Guide me through the critical steps of building a character.  Give me options, tell me when to roll dice, and help me resolve the rolls.  Then and only then, once I've taken that first step, show me the depths of the rule system underlying what I just did.  Hero System has a strength like no other rule system I've ever encountered, but I can easily see how it can rapidly overwhelm many prospective players and drive them to other pastures.
 
When I was introduced to Hero System in the early-mid 1990s, I was fortunate enough to have GMs who held my hand (metaphorically speaking) until I understood the rules well enough to walk on my own.  I didn't have to digest a multi-course meal's worth of game mechanics before even beginning to tell a story.  I don't have that kind of patience anymore.

I had "Alone Against the Flames" for ages as part of a Call of Cthulhu bundle.  Last week I finally played through it for the first time.  This is exactly the kind of product Hero System could use.  Get me into a story right away.  Guide me through the critical steps of building a character.  Give me options, tell me when to roll dice, and help me resolve the rolls.  Then and only then, once I've taken that first step, show me the depths of the rule system underlying what I just did.  Hero System has a strength like no other rule system I've ever encountered, but I can easily see how it can rapidly overwhelm many prospective players and drive them to other pastures.
 
When I was introduced to Hero System in the early-mid 1990s, I was fortunate enough to have GMs who held my hand (metaphorically speaking) until I understood the rules well enough to walk on my own.  I didn't have to digest a multi-course meal's worth of game mechanics before even beginning to tell a story.  I don't have that kind of patience anymore.

I had "Alone Against the Flames" for ages as part of a Call of Cthulhu bundle.  Last week I finally played through it for the first time.  This is exactly the kind of product Hero System could use.  Get me into a story right away.  Guide me through the critical steps of building a character.  Give me options, tell me when to roll dice, and help me resolve the rolls.  Then and only then, once I've taken that first step, show me the depths of the rule system underlying what I just did.  Hero System has a strength like no other rule system I've ever encountered, but I can easily see how it can rapidly overwhelm many prospective players and drive them to other pastures.
 
When I was introduced to Hero System in the early-mid 1990s, I was fortunate enough to have GMs who held my hand (metaphorically speaking) until I understood the rules well enough to walk on my own.  I didn't have to digest a multi-course meal's worth of game mechanics before even beginning to tell a story.  I don't have that kind of patience anymore.

...so, the Friday night Serenity game (as mentioned over in the WOTC OGL debacle thread) of my hubby's died out.  Now the plan is switching GMs and games every other Friday.  Hubby tossed his hat in the ring for a 1st ed 7th Sea game and made puppy-dog eyes at me to PLEASE be a player, he promises it'll be light-hearted and Heroic.  Told him I need to see what the others want to make first, but if folks go grimdark sociopath in spite of him, I will bail.  He accepts this.
 
And last Friday night we all discussed what the other Friday game would be and what folks wanted.  I was very clear about being a Big Damn Hero, about having my actions make a positive difference and no more bloody crapsack dystopias.  A couple other agree and someone suggests superheroes? (No Champions, alas -- GM initially wants the DC gamebook).  OK, so what's the theme and power level?

GM talks about having both DC and Marvel in the world, maybe either street level or Teen Titans/New Mutants.  I express how your average Marvel citizen can be hypocritically ungrateful towards heroics and how I'm leery of mutant wangst so can we please go four color with a touch of grit, and maybe more light-hearted too?  Another player brings up not wanting to play teenagers.  OK!  Street level it is...we'll look at the pdf and--

What's that, GM?  You're now switching to Marvel FASERIP?  OK, that can work for street level too, I guess and--
 
New Mutants, GM?  Seriously, you're insisting on that route?  And "things will be fine if you never reveal your mutation to the public"?  You love your wangst and crapsackery too much to let that thread stay unpulled, GM.

Hubby accepts I will not play the other "hero" game.  Just need to work up the courage to tell the GM now.

21 South Carolina GOP Lawmakers Propose Death Penalty for Women Who Have Abortions

I appreciate the concern y'all, but don't worry about me, for now. 
 
I'm not hiding and never will. 
 
In any case, living in Austin, I figure I'm pretty safe until they start actively rounding us up. The odds of that happening before January 2025 are not that high. But if the republicans win in 2024, I'll probably flee to a blue state. I have my kids to think of.