gilhova

gilhova OP , 3 hours ago

Across the 2 playtests, players struggled with lack of structure. Now I have an idea of how to structure things so that players don’t have to use so much cognitive overhead. Splitting GM roles, letting the story come to them, but still with more story agency than the original game.

gilhova OP , 3 hours ago

If this works, it is going to be AMAZING.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

I know that today’s beginning of what should be called The Pedophile’s War has some major differences from Iraq II, like the lack of congressional approval, no veneer of reasonable justification, and context in an openly fascist government.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

But a lot of us who lived through Iraq II (and even Iraq I) find ourselves with the same feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. I don’t think it’s a totally invalid comparison, as long as one is mindful of the differences.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

And I have to say: culturally, things are VERY different since the days of W’s petty invasion and transparently false WMD claims.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

And there have been plenty of instances of American military intervention between then and now. Extrajudicial drone killings, etc.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

25 years later, that’s no longer the case. We know those opinions are almost always insincere. The point is power, the “different opinion we must respect” is just a tool to get there.

So there is far less tolerance for conservatives in leftist spaces, as there should be.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

Back then, there was still an expectation that everyone should have an open mind. We should be friends with people across the aisle. Their opinions may be different than ours, but I recall a steady sentiment that they were sincere and needed to be respected.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

(There’s also less tolerance for other leftists in leftist spaces too, but that’s a different nut to crack.)

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

Back then, we had to smile and nod at any NRA-loving psycho who joined our spaces. We couldn’t just kick them out over “political differences.”

We now know these “political differences” amount to who gets to be a full person and who has to be an object. And we don’t have time for that anymore.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

And here’s the thing: so many institutions, like legacy media and Dem leadership, act like this is still the case. They think they can shush us into “civility,” and force us to allow full-blown Nazis access to our spaces.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

So the culture is markedly different. Conservatives and centrist love to howl about “echo chambers,” usually on propaganda outlets that churn out carefully-manicured pieces framed to manufacture consent.

We know it’s BS.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

Back then, legacy media could put out op-eds and televised debate shows that framed only their narrative and discredited the truth until it was far late to do anything else. And by controlling that, they dominated the discussion.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

But it’s not. There’s been a cultural sea change. The left has become much more community-minded, and we now know the importance of shielding our communities from bad actors.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

They still control a lot of the discussion… but not as much. They have lost a lot of people who previously considered them credible sources of truth. Myself included.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

They’ve already started framing this invasion and kidnapping as a righteous action for the global good, and there are going to be a lot of people who buy that without much further thought.

But not as many people as before.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

There was a good deal of pushback during Iraq II, from massive marches to strongly-worded bumper stickers. None of it made a dent, but I think we had more patience and a higher tolerance for bullshit back then.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

A really large chunk of the population has heard this song before. We know how it goes. We want to change the station.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

But I dunno, the vibe from the populace seems different. We have access to independent journalists who aren’t beholden to billionaires to frame their stories.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

Who knows, maybe this will go exactly the same way. Maybe they’ll succeed again, and no one will face any serious consequences again. Maybe that’s the likely outcome.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

There’s a lot of bullshit on social media, but there’s a lot of thoughtful analysis too, and it is possible to curate incoming information in a way where one gets far more of a reasonable, objective framing than from the NYT or the WaPo.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

So when we respond to the latest attempt at mass propaganda, or scolding from Dem leadership to find common ground with fascists, with the kazoo honks and fart noises they deserve, I think that’s a tiny kernel of hope for us to grasp.

gilhova OP , 1 month ago

We’re more of a community now. We have more wisdom and clarity than back then. And we are sick of this shit.

Anyway, I’ll hold onto this tiny glimmer as I go to bed. /🧵