------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, sure, that's where 'suspension of disbelief' comes in. The problem comes in when a difference of opinion occurs. (And that's all that's really happening here, despite it all) Who/What's RIGHT(tm) &/or WRONG(tm)? In a fantasy world such as the TU, there's really no non-subjective way to resolve this. Inevitably one's personal preferences/prejudices, biases, etc. will come into play & inevitably play a large part in determining one's conclusion. p.s. It's *always* been counterproductive to "look too hard" at Trav, ever since it first appeared. Something I've found to be true for every rpg system. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On Wed, 3/30/16, Craig Berry <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote: Subject: Re: [TML] Relic tech and Scarcity-Driven Imperium To: xxxxxx@simplelists.com Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2016, 4:16 PM It's not just a matter of what we want; that might be enough for a static work of fiction, but for collaborative, interactive fiction like role playing, everyone needs to know what the truths of the world are. And if even relatively simple reasoning about the background leads to paradoxes, that's not possible. It's like a Disneyland ride. If you stay in your car, and don't look too hard at details, what you see around you looks consistent and engaging. But change your viewing angle only a bit, or stare too hard at any one thing, and you start to see the flaws. Role-playing is like walking (or swimming) unsupervised through the Pirates of the Carribean ride. :) On Wed, Mar 30, 2016 at 4:08 PM, Phil Pugliese (via tml list) <xxxxxx@simplelists.com> wrote: This email was sent from yahoo.com which does not allow forwarding of emails via email lists. Therefore the sender's email address (xxxxxx@yahoo.com) has been replaced with a dummy one. The original message follows: -------------------------------------------- On Wed, 3/30/16, Kelly St. Clair <xxxxxx@efn.org> wrote: Subject: Re: [TML] Relic tech and Scarcity-Driven Imperium To: xxxxxx@simplelists.com Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2016, 3:28 PM On 3/30/2016 1:24 PM, Phil Pugliese (via tml list) wrote: > I've always been highly skeptical of "inevitable" evolutions of anything. > My experience is that such a thing is usually highly subjective. > In this case, one could easily posit that the supposedly "inevitable" result did not occur in the TU 'cuz the post-containerization 20th century is not a perfect (or perfect enough) analogy to the TU. Or that the 17/18th centuries are better analogies. Or any number of other speculative conclusions. > > Once again it really just comes down to a personal preference. It's really all about exactly what sort of TU is desired. In other words there is a desired outcome & the process is required to support that. > > After all, isn't that what the original conception of the TU was all about? The original conception of the TU was by fiat, and/or based on 20th century space opera, attempting to recreate the society, customs and dynamics of a particular historical era on a single planet in a future setting with thousands. The problem is that the assumptions and source material supporting that conception do not hold up to any sort of sustained examination. If you're okay with that - if you're okay with running a campaign whose setting is entirely based on "because I/Marc Miller/Book X say(s) so" - go for it. Any and all counterarguments can be dismissed on that basis. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, after all, isn't that what 'canon' is all about? Besides, everyone does that (accepts the 'Word of Marc') the minute they accept the TU. But what difference does it make if it's "because MM says so" or "because you say so" or "because I say so", etc., etc. It's still just a make-believe construct. We all know it can never, ever be. What really matters is what one *wants*. If one doesn't get what one wants, then it's only natural to become discontented. And, then, we all have differing capacities to 'suspend disbelief'. From your earlier post it appears that you have reached your limit & moved on. That happens... But all it really means is that you just don't like it anymore. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- The Traveller Mailing List Archives at http://archives.simplelists.com/tml Report problems to xxxxxx@simplelists.com To unsubscribe from this list please goto http://archives.simplelists.com -- Craig Berry (http://google.com/+CraigBerry) "Eternity is in love with the productions of time." - William Blake ----- The Traveller Mailing List Archives at http://archives.simplelists.com/tml Report problems to xxxxxx@simplelists.com To unsubscribe from this list please goto http://www.simplelists.com/confirm.php?u=EwREIRgLK8vaUEhNlnoNdSGKwnjoID8a
