I hate the Forge less than I used to.

[GB Steve]

Since last year, the Forge has grown on me a bit more. I don't think that I've posted any more but I've steered clear of some of the more impenetrable jargon-heavy theory discussions (apart from bricolage). This seems to have helped.

Nice one!

[Andy Kitkowski]

...but I've steered clear of some of the more impenetrable jargon-heavy theory discussions (apart from bricolage). This seems to have helped.

It's not a source of pride for me, but I've developed a permanent blind spot to all the heavy jargon stuff. Because of that, I've been able to reach conclusions about the value of the Forge for my own interests (namely: It's good). Just like I can enjoy RPGNet without paying too much attention to Tangency, or all the Exalted setting masturbation.

[Danny_K]

Yah.  Compared to Scott's observations in this thread from last year's Birthday Forum, the Forge has gotten a lot more productive, especially in the Actual Play forum.

[Eve]

Yeah, this jargon stuff... And than a friend says it's nice and easy!

Well, I don't know that much about strange principles named after some XXX or abbreviations used all over. In a way, it's just like scientific literature - so I should feel comfortable then ??

[Anonymous]

I also found a lot of the jargon and some of the ideas I considered to be too artsy and impractical to be very offputting and I disliked them a lot. I've since been taking my usual approach to things I feel I should learn but don't really enjoy: Focus on how it relates to what I already know and am interested in. As such I've grown to quite enjoy the forge, and realised that a lot of my initial assessments were unfair.

I still don't like the jargon though.

[Kit]

Sorry. That was me. I thought I'd set it to auto log in, but apparently not.

[Kat Miller]

3 years ago my husband found the Forge and I was all "ew!  Don't analyze my fun!"  and he tried to explain things to me.  And he used big words, and I resented him.  I know what I like about gaming.  I know where the fun is!

So for a year the Forge was his thing and there was this one thing we couldn't talk about, which I must say is pretty sad.  That Gen Con He bought every Indie Game at the booth.  I fell in love with Dust Devils by Matt Snyder... The Game is very Cool.  We played Inpectors which Mike fell in love with, and we played enough Universalis for me to wonder if maybe there was something truly cool going on at the Forge.

There there is a reading list.  There are essays.  I'm a slow reader and it takes time for me to understand what I read, so at least now after I read two of the Essays I understand some of what Mike's been talking about.

I finish reading the Essays, but you know you have to research before posting on the Forge?  I mean you have a question, and someone has likely had the question and had it answered years ago, so before you post your question its best to use the search function and find those old threads.

which admittedly was intimidating.

And fully worth all the energy if you really want to get your head around why gaming is fun.

So then there is this accumulation of jargon and it can be annoying to look up the glossary again for what IIEE is, and that alone can be annoying.

What’s worse though, is meeting up with old time friends who game, who are intelligent, witty and fun, and who have had no exposure to Forge or Indie Games.  The Need for the Jargon becomes clear when I find myself spending time trying to explain things in an understandable way without using Jargon and without getting that spooked defensive look while talking about gaming.

This is after listening to them gripe about what went wrong on game night and what always goes wrong on game night…and because of the Forge I can perhaps diagnose the problem.

I can’t use the Jargon because they don’t know it, but if they did know it this 3 hour conversation would take only a ½ and be tons more productive.

So I’m liking the forge very much these days.  Jargon and All.

[Victor Gijsbers]

Well, I don't know that much about strange principles named after some XXX or abbreviations used all over. In a way, it's just like scientific literature - so I should feel comfortable then ??

Theory is not there to make you comfortable. It is there to make you think. Yes, it takes some time to get used to the terminology, but if you are interested in RPG theory, it is well worth it. (And hey, there is a nice friendly Glossary to help you!)

[Kat Miller]

We played Inpectors which Mike fell in love with, and we played enough Universalis for me to wonder if maybe there was something truly cool going on at the Forge.

Sorry about that.  The Game is Inspectres by Jared A. Sorenson.  There is not Inspectors game...(yet?)

oh, and Universalis is by Ralph Mazza & Mike Holmes.

And thats another reason why I learned to stop worrying and love the Forge.

Game Designers!  Now I know who they are.  There are guys (mostly) who design games and there have always been guys who design games, but before the Forge I could tell you about the game but not who wrote it.  I own Everway and Over the Edge and as much as I liked them, it never dawned on me that Jonathan Tweet might have something to do with that.

I mean I buy a fantasy novel from a bookstore and if I like it I stalk all the authors works down and read them.  Yet it never occured to me that I could do the same thing with games.  Not just RPGs, but Games.

So the Forge has given me an appreciation of Gaming, Game Designers and Games themselves.

Before the Forge, I was a "Role"-player, and better than those nasty "roll"-players.  Now I'm not better or worse, I just want something different outa my game time.

Before the Forge I was a sitting victim at the game table, knowing this game was gonna suck because so-an-so always has to make antisocial against the party characters or because no matter what kind of character I make, The GMs plot is way more important- so strap yourself in its gonna be a pretty but insignifigant ride.    Before the Forge I was a power hungery, forceful (and often frustrated) gm.

Then because of the Games that came out of the forge being so different, and well...fun, I began to learn what the Forge is really about; whats going on here in this little community.  

Now I still have to strap myself in for the one GM, knowing that his game could be a lot more fun if He'd let us play instead of making us watch, but there is enough room for little fun and socializing that makes up for the lack of cool gaming experience.  And I don't play with MR. "Anti-social I'm gonna make characters because I like to mess wiuth peoples heads because thats where the fun is",

More importantly I've learned to try new things, I've opened up as a game master, I'm all for player empowerment, and I've even started designing my own games.

[John Harper]

Great posts, Kat. Thanks so much for sharing your success-with-the-Forge story.