Ace Coder

From: MOB <mrmob_at_ozemail.com.au>
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 00:06:37 +1100


G'day all,

Ace Coder

Martin, I really enjoyed reading your account of Julan on the Cradle. I think you got him down pat: I loved the bit where he surrenders just as he's about to get the chop! Coincidentally, I'm currently playing through the Cradle scenario right now (Ian Thomson an inspired GM), and our PCs got the absolute shite kicked out of us by the Coders in the Lunar assault that actually temporarily takes the Cradle (though one character actually lobbed Nose Ring's severed leg over the side!). It was a profoundly *weird* experience, facing NPCs I wrote myself, and I had to resist the urge to get the heck out of their way (my character would have never heard of them).

Mark Mohrfield sez:

>Since there's an Ace Rimmer influence on Julan shouldn't "sexual appeal"
be considerably higher?
>His magnetism is so strong it caused a male to make a pass at him despite
the fact that both he and
>the other guy are heterosexuals.

Just to make it clear, although amusing similarities can be made, Count Julan was written long before I ever saw "Ace Rimmer". "Dimension Jump" is one of my all-time fave eps of Red Dwarf; up there with "Back to Reality".

__
Gian

I am one of those who believes Gian was doing the wrong thing when he surruptitiously came back as Ilav Topix. And no, I didn't immediately see the connection between the two (even after Gian himself more or less gave it away to me parenthetically at the end of a private email, doh!)

I was very sorry when he chose to leave the Digest, lobbing grenades and detonating the bridge behind him, or so it appeared. Even though I didn't understand his reasons (still don't) I went into bat for him [V7 #352]. His departure made many of us wonder if there is indeed a problem with the Glorantha Digest, and are we really doing enough to encourage newcomers.

Chucking it in with a flamboyant signing-off seemed to be something of a petulant overreaction, and I urged him to reconsider. But, in private mail to me he made it pretty clear that he wouldn't be returning. In fact, he told me he'd rather use private letters as they'd cause much less distress, which is why I was happy to continue corresponding with him off-Digest. And which is why I was pretty annoyed when I learned he was back on the Digest again, a few scant days later, using another identity.

I don't think there is anything wrong using a non-de-plume per se - after all, I sign my e-mails "MOB", not "Michael D. O'Brien". But, I sign *all* my emails this way. Likewise Trotsky, likewise Sergi, etc. If I say something controversial, offend someone, or (dare I say it) make a right prat of myself, I do it as MOB, and continue to face the consequences under that identity. Whereas Gian lobbed insults left and right, went off in huff, and then created a new name so he could continue to maintain a presence as if nothing happened. If he really wanted to, I guess he could have created 14 more hotmail addresses, and used them to support the gallant underdog Gian against the evil Anglo-Celtic conspiracy he claimed drove him away.

I've always wanted Gian to stick around, and still do: I think he's got a lot to offer. I told him so after he left, he told me he was gone. Coming back as Ilav Topix was a shabby deception, and IMO, a clear violation of the spirit of Rule #4.

BTW, just so people are aware, I also have not called Gian a prat, a wanker, "not a guru" or whatever other insults that were supposedly lobbed his way, either here or in private email to him.

Cheers,

MOB


End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #417


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