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Hey all, I’ve been enjoying the latest TAZ series but something g keeps Bugging me and I want to make sure I’m not alone, or have my confusion illuminated for me. I love Justin as an in-the moment DM, as well as a DM that sets up fun and elaborate scenarios, but I feel like his worldbuilding is really unclear and muddled. The thing that keeps coming up for m is the line between “the fiction of the park” and “reality of the park” in Steeplechase. For example; Dave Ballista. He is a quest giver character in the fiction of the park. He wants a mcguffin you get from completing a ride. But the reward he gives the boys is… a real weapon? Why would he be allowed to do this? And if he isn’t; why would he want a useless parl mcguffin in exchange for a real world weapon? What does he gain here? Darla David is a fictional character in Gutter City, assisting guest with a quest. But also, the crime in the city is worse in her absence. Why? Is she both a real and fictional detective? Why would her role in gutter city be “a character who plays with guests but also someone who deals with real crime”? There are a few other examples too where characters seem to operate both as real people and fictional characters. I’ve considered this is an intentional sci-fi element of the show where reality is blurred - but also think that might be a generous reading, as no one has ever brought it up and Justin has never made any allusions to it. Anyone have any thoughts?
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Aug 20, 2023 12:07
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| # ? May 30, 2024 20:48 |
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going from the RLM thread to this one is such a whiplash
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Aug 20, 2023 12:12
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Calico Heart posted:Anyone have any thoughts? One way to look at the blurry lines is as a sign that the park is falling apart, maybe fatally so. The older leaders make decisions as if things would never have to radically change. But the status quo clearly isn't sustainable. Here are some examples. The park pays its bills with guests who go there to experience their dreams. The dream keyfabe is preserved by community standards. There are three classes that break the dream keyfabe regularly: criminals, park employees doing specific jobs, or park leadership. Any other park denizen who breaks keyfab risks losing access to the park. But pretending things are fine when they aren't creates a cognitive dissonance that kills dreams too. The original vision of the park is not being built upon or developed. At the same time, the park is kept running by making lower quality replicas of that vision, of places, of people. The justification is lower costs. But these illusions vanish when the power is cut. So nothing of substance is left to support the original vision. The park also struggles with providing services, even with free labor and buildings made of light. It has no child care provisions besides video games and the wasteland. It isn't policing the black market, every day crimes, or the criminal enterprises that are filling the gap. Communication between and within the layers is limited to the point that it's possible to bluff one's way into high security areas. From there, park equipment is easily stolen or destroyed. In essence, the park being fully functional is just an illusion. The lack of security allows for weapons sales and kidnappings. The need to pretend things are fine prevents discussions for a fix. And the literal soul of the park, Carmine Denton, has been fragmented and scattered. Something needs to change before it's too late to save the park. TLDR: The park is dying in a way that shares some overlaps with the USSR final years. Every guest and employee is expected to act and plan as if things are eternally fine while they see things falling apart.
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Aug 20, 2023 14:18
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But why would Dave Ballista, a criminal who smuggles real weapons into the park at great personal risk, be interested in a toy dragon heart that any year can get, to the extent he parts with his valuable real weapons to get it? Elements like that in particular I think go beyond “the lines between real and fiction are blurry” and into muddled worldbuilding territory. And this is coming from someone for whom “the flow of time is convoluted in Lordran” is good enough.
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Aug 20, 2023 16:13
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Yeah, I think that bit kinda doesn't make sense. I guess they were retooling the Geltfrempn ride, so maybe Dave Ballista wanted a heartscale before it became vintage quest memorabilia? The Darla Davis thing makes a bit more sense in that the line between "guest" and "employee" is intentionally obtuse in Gutter City (honestly one of the funniest running bits in Steeplechase), so she kinda just acts like a PI would act, which involves doing PI stuff that isn't scripted as well as stuff that is.
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Aug 20, 2023 16:46
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Nothing about the setting really makes any sense. There's a few decent scifi ideas but none of them fit together in any way to make a cohesive setting. It's best not to think about it too long.
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Aug 20, 2023 18:38
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I think it makes sense. The PCs aren't privy to all of it, but "a giant immersive theme park with full kayfabe to the extent that you can't tell guests from staff from the criminal underbelly" is the basic truth from which everything else unfolds, and that's relatively consistent.
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Aug 20, 2023 18:42
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I've had all the same thoughts and my conclusion was this: it isn't fully thought out bc Justin don't care like that, and also every employee is an insane person
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Aug 20, 2023 20:23
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My main questions are based around what other theme parks are like now that we’ve got some Knott’s Berry Farm lore. Also though technically not a woodimal, is the Catawumpus the final boss of the wastelands?
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Aug 20, 2023 20:36
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I thought the scale was hard to get, requiring a years in advance reservation and physically removing it?
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Aug 20, 2023 22:40
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Today it's time to find out if you can escape from Plato's Rave. Lord knows the episode can't.
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Aug 21, 2023 20:29
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I honestly thought that the woodimals were things Justin had made and he was poking fun at himself
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Aug 21, 2023 20:58
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I wasnt vibing with the start of the wizard segment so I zoned out for a minute thinking that the wikiHow bits don't last too long. It got better but also man I wish I had paid attention for the whole thing
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Aug 21, 2023 21:19
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Folks. Folks. It's Westworld with the serial numbers filed off. You're welcome!
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Aug 22, 2023 01:18
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Well, yeah. except westworld is robots. That is what makes westworld work the way it does. This is obviously not. They could probably explain it away if the setting was more openly dystopian, instead it's quirky and silly. It's a setting with a lot of pieces and few that really fit all that well together.
Sankis fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Aug 22, 2023 |
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Aug 22, 2023 01:39
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ruh roh, did the brothers beef another adventure zone arc? can't blame this one on travis
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Aug 22, 2023 02:07
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Nah, the arc is largely good. The setting just doesn't hold up to much scrutiny is all. It's largely a nitpick in the grand scheme of things.
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Aug 22, 2023 02:35
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The Allegory of the Rave was great
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Aug 22, 2023 02:46
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big war with grandpa vibes, and it skipped an assuredly unfunny munch squad
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Aug 22, 2023 02:46
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Armitag3 posted:big war with grandpa vibes Griffin can't stop thinking about that dirty DeNiro dick, bless him
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Aug 22, 2023 02:48
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Ok Comboomer posted:ruh roh, did the brothers beef another adventure zone arc? no it's really good. no one has ever claimed that this is a perfectly conceived fantasy world that makes sense when you stop suspending disbelief, it's a loving fun little podcast with a weird little world. it's clear that at every point when given the choice between "make this world make perfect sense" and "advance the narrative in a fun and engaging way" Justin has chosen the latter which is correct. not trying to poo poo on the people nitpicking because they're fully acknowledging that it's nitpicking. i do this with star trek all the time and it's still great
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Aug 22, 2023 05:53
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the current chapter of Steeplechase isn't really doing it for me Been great so far but since they've been in New Kidadelphia it's felt pretty bleh them escaping and kicking Kenshall's head in will be rad, but it's been pretty uninteresting for the past ... 2 months?
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Aug 22, 2023 06:35
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Sockser posted:the current chapter of Steeplechase isn't really doing it for me I think i feel the same. imo, TAZ is at its best when they're doing relatively standalone adventures with some fun downtime stuff connecting them. The moment they get to the "this is the big plot" stuff it starts to drag
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Aug 22, 2023 07:32
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Ok Comboomer posted:can't blame this one on travis Don't underestimate mcelroy fans
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Aug 22, 2023 08:28
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Sockser posted:the current chapter of Steeplechase isn't really doing it for me It doesn't help that they went to biweekly for the summer.
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Aug 22, 2023 14:13
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goblin week posted:Don't underestimate mcelroy fans https://youtu.be/PXatLOWjr-k
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Aug 22, 2023 15:01
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boop a doop a doop haunted painting watch https://twitter.com/dearlucy/status/1693975226311233917?s=46&t=dQl6Iu6Wmq7antcZ30Prgw
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Aug 23, 2023 00:10
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*Stefon voice* New York's hottest club is Plato's Cave This rave built in the warehouse basement of a Container Store has everything: buffalo wings, traps, an undersea pressure chamber, and the Candy King.
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Aug 23, 2023 17:48
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Zero One posted:*Stefon voice* that’s not how you spell Richard Stink
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Aug 23, 2023 17:57
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Plato’s Rave, ja bud, hottest place in New York
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Aug 23, 2023 17:58
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Can't decide what my favorite part of this MBMBAM is: the money zone kicking in at ~16 minutes, or Justin saying "Arby's has a bowling shirt now, I don't know, just keep going"
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Aug 23, 2023 18:09
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They never told me how to have a good time at my first rave 
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Aug 23, 2023 18:11
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pretty sure they did. zone 9
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Aug 23, 2023 20:20
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Sockser posted:They never told me how to have a good time at my first rave They said themselves the Container Store is a good enough time on it's own
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Aug 23, 2023 23:55
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I've never lived outside of a major metropolitan area so the idea of Justin never having been to a container store is buck wild to me
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Aug 24, 2023 00:03
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What is a container store?
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Aug 24, 2023 16:45
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The Container Store is a chain of retail establishments that specialize in selling containers of all types and sizes, though they also sell non-container furnishings as well.
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Aug 24, 2023 16:51
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They sell containers and container accessories
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Aug 24, 2023 16:56
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Container? I BARELY KNOW HER
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Aug 24, 2023 18:35
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| # ? May 30, 2024 20:48 |
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Todays TAZ, solid intro, solid ending, won't say anything more for spoilers
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Aug 24, 2023 22:58
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