Okay, you can log out and answer this if you like, but Ron's so plastered by this point that he won't remember a thing.

Admit it, have you ever:

1. Posted simply to get your number of posts up

2. Posted deliberate flame-bait

3. Posted a genuine troll, by which in this context anyway I mean something like, "Gee, I'm so confused about X, could somebody help me out?" when you aren't confused at all and want others to pig-pile on somebody you're mad at (such as your current GM or players)

4. Engaged in deliberate acts of conversational malice, such as

rank-pulling [I know more than you do because I have a degree in X or a black belt in Y]
ground-shifting [you're attacking me on X, but actually I was saying Y, ha ha]

I'll go first, and I'm not even withdrawing my name!

1. Yes, a couple times about 9-10 months ago. Then felt ashamed.
2. No.
3. Yes, again about 10 months ago. Didn't work.
4. I don't think so.

Anyone else? Come on, you can tell us.

Besides, I think Ron's passed out behind the couch now, in the pile of Doritos.

1) Outside of tonight, no.

2) *scratches chin* I tend to have an adversarial style of writing, and I think I may have, at times, exaggerated that style with the goal of provoking people into response. I don't know if this counts as flame-bait or just a rhetorical technique.

3) No. Well, I have said that sentence (no, I don't mean X, I mean Y) many times but I think it was mostly my original intent.

4) Pulling rank: I have mentioned martial arts experience on the Riddle of Steel forum, which barely counts since so many people there "outrank" me. I was a grammar nazi in the Orbit forum. I think physics may have come up a couple of times, which I will rabidly pull rank about at the earliest opportunity.

And, yes, confessions in public.

yrs--
--Ben

I think I've pulled a reverse ground-shift sometime long ago (you were defending X, but I was attacking Y), but I don't recall whether it was malicious or simply irrationally defensive. I'm not actually sure it was here.

I've consciously posted things that I think are inflammatory, but never for the purpose of sparking controversy...only when I think my point is worth the damage I'm afraid it will cause.

On other forums, I don't police my activity so carefully; I'm not sure whether this is a testament to my regard for the Forge community, or an indication of some personal failing.

Being aggressive doesn't count as flame-bait. Hell, if that counted, could I have written "no, I haven't baited flame intentionally"? Flame-baiting is flame-baiting, as in trying to provoke somebody else into responding irrationally and violently. I'm surprised nobody's done this deliberately, as it certainly seems like it would work around here if you were subtle: if you can seem reasonable and get the other guy to act like a maniac, Ron might well slam down on the other guy. Come to think of it, why haven't I done that? That's odd.

Let me add a fifth:

5. Moderator-baiting [by PM or in a thread]

Which I admit I have done, though not in a while. Good thing Ron's snoring in the Doritos, yes?

I haven't done any of these on the Forge, although sometimes (mostly under my old Calithena ID) my posts draw such sharp reactions that I think I must be doing 2 and/or 3 unwittingly.

I've done all five on other boards though.

1. No. I feel like I'm riding a tricycle on an eight lane superhighway.
2. Yes. When my bullshit detector goes off I get mouthy.
3. No. See number two.
4. No. As far as I can remember anyway.

-Chris

No on 1-3, except for in the Birthday forums, then guilty as charged.

As for number 4, no, except for my permanently engaged superior attitude.

The Little Woman says, "You're not always right, you know."
I say, "Like hell I'm not."

As for number 5, I think I just mod-baited a couple weeks ago via PM. Well, maybe not. I was going to get all mean and angry, but there didn't turn out to be a need to.

1 - 5: No. But they're great ideas, and I plan to start using them;)

Guilty of 4, in my early days, when I posted as Silkworm. What a little shithead I could be...

I often try to wave the "I know more than you" creditials around on some subjects: mostly China, aesthetics, Nobilis, PBeM, religion, and the like. I don't think I'm guilty of most of the others. However, I do have the weird ability to butt heads with Ron over seemingly innoculous statements and exist in a state of continual misunderstanding with him for quite some time, until we finally resolve it. Odd.

I have to say "no" on all these, with the following qualifications:

1. I've done the inverse: I worry about posting too much, so I cut my output.

4. no, but I'm naturally arrogant and I think people can detect this telepathically. but see #3...

3. no, except for the troll thread in last year's birthday forum, where I *had* to post a troll because I thought people needed to see How It's Really Done. so I guess that counts as "pulling rank" under #4.

No to all, I'm afraid. I might have pulled rank unconsciously, but never intentionally.

Guilty of all.

I've never done any of them on the Forge. Until now, it seems. Put me down for a #1 special.

I don't remember a specific instance, but I'm sure I've done 3 and 4. They sound like things I would do.

My main guilty admission, though, is how I'm hesitant I am to post. I've proven myself horrible unreliable, and at least twice have offered to do things for one of the games here that I later had to back out of. Feeling like a jerk, I've gone to near total lurk. My reasoning is that if I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew, than I shouldn't open my mouth.

1. Maybe
2. Nope
3. Never
4. Probably
5. Not on purpose...

1. I've posted many useless posts, but I don't need a higher count. I've become satisfied that until Ron is no longer a moderator that I'll never be number one. :-)

2. Deliberate flame bait? Snarky, sure. But I]m never looking to create more heat than light.

3. No.

4. Deliberately? No, I pull rank accidentally all the time, however. Sometimes I trip over my own shoes trying not to pull rank. Like how do you tell someone that their game is a heartbreaker and get them to listen to your words and not notice the post count? As for shifting topic, I've done that, sorta. I've always at least been able to rationalize that it was good for the conversation.

5. I've never baited a moderator, nor been baited AFAICT. I see very little of that happening. In fact, I think it's funny how lots of people will fall all over themselves apollogizing after a dressing down from Ron.

I don't think that you can benefit much from bad behavior here, which explains why it's so damned rare.

Mike

1. Posted to get your posts up - Right now.

2. Posted deliberate flame-bait - I'm too scared. The Forge is the only board I really post to, so I've never had to be part of a real flame war yet.

3. Posted a genuine troll - No, but I can see the appeal.

4. Engaged in conversational malice - I was going to say no (too scared, too respectful) but ... yes. When we had a poster wanting feedback on his sit-com pilot, I went declarative sentence over his arse by virtue of having created and written a 26 episode sit-com. And got no feedback / acknowledgement.

5. Moderator baiting - I suspect my first post here was to a long dead TRoS thread about movie influences - but I didn't get snapped for it - for which I'd like to thank Jake and Ron both.

Cheers,
STeve.

1: nah, I try to keep my postings low... I think... maybe. I dunno, I post on occasion, and in fits and bursts.

2: No. I've met a few of you, and I tend to forget, however, that until you meet me and realize that I am just a foul-mouthed bastard who tends to just blurt out whatever is floating about his head about a given topic. Therefore, occasionally, I get a PM from someone (let's call them... Moderators...) telling me that what I've said may be worded in a manner as to be offensive to someone of gentle mind and heart.

3: Nah.

4: No, but if someone's handing out ranks, I want one! If anything, I try hard to keep any supposed credentials on the down-low.

5: Baiting a moderator? No, most of them refuse to be baited anyway. I've had enough debates/discussions/arguments over lunch with Ron to know he rises to nearly no bait.

Dav

Hey,

Here's what I want to know.

Has anyone posted to draw my attention and a corrective post by deliberately inserting a known GNS fallacy into their post? Typically it's using "realism" as a synonym or definitional term for Simulationism, or various versions of Director Stance and improvisation for Narrativism.

I have my suspicions, you see.

Best,
Ron

Here or in general? I respect the Forge alot, so I try and watch myself, while I can't always say the same for other sites.

1. Not really. I sometimes post in bursts when I get bored, but it's not inherently to up my count.
2. Not here...
3. I don't think so...
4. I don't think I've done it here, though I admit I do occasionally try and pull rank elsewhere.
5. I've never tried to bait a moderator, anywhere.

Ron Edwards wrote: Hey,

Here's what I want to know.

Has anyone posted to draw my attention and a corrective post by deliberately inserting a known GNS fallacy into their post? Typically it's using "realism" as a synonym or definitional term for Simulationism, or various versions of Director Stance and improvisation for Narrativism.

I have my suspicions, you see.

I don't believe I've done any of these things at the Forge, but I've done most of them elsewhere. I don't think I've ever posted just to boost my total anywhere however.

1. Of course not!!! Well... maybe sometimes... perhaps... *looks ashamed*
2. Umm... no...
3. Not really.
4. See #1
5. See #4

:)

In response to Ron's question (even though the answer is pretty obvious). No. Never. In fact, I try to steer clear of GNS most of the time because I still feel like I'm on shaky ground with the whole theory.

Really.
I don't GNS-bait because it wouldn't do me any good - I don't clearly understand how I can apply the theory to design (because it isn't a design theory), so why muddy the waters with it?

Ron Edwards wrote: Has anyone posted to draw my attention and a corrective post by deliberately inserting a known GNS fallacy into their post? Typically it's using "realism" as a synonym or definitional term for Simulationism, or various versions of Director Stance and improvisation for Narrativism.