Buddy/Ignore List
09-05-2023, 08:23 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-05-2023, 08:25 PM by Maximus Dominus.)
I went through the list of Active Games currently running (except for that Game 91 - Confed Game) that, I think but am not sure, is still running, as well as with the tw game sof Alamaze currently forming, and here is the list of names that I've come up with:
Acererak
Alexicles
AlwaysFPS
Brek
Calidor
Calin
DuPont
Eregnon the Black
foyion7214
Glowamane
GrimFinger
haniasultan
Jon Deaux
Lord Luty the Loyal
Lord Shadow
Milo007
Morgan Kane
Raven Zachary
Rellgar
Runigruth
Strongwill
Studcraft
Strylian
The Unencumbered
uncledarkseid
Vball Michael
Windstar
Wookie Panz
Zarashand
I counted 29 different player account names. I do know that some on here play under more than one player account name, but if I've missed anybody or if I've got somebody listed more than once, please let me know.
While browsing some old forum threads here, this afternoon, I came across a comment by former Alamaze player, Lord Thanatos, in which he posed a question. "Anyone know how close we are to only having 11 players?" He posted that question back on 09/15/2015 - almost eight years to the day.
I remember Lord Thanatos, somewhat, mostly from my time spent hanging around the Fall of Rome player community. I think that he was an attorney. He was a really smart fellow. I think that he was the one who taught me more about Lilith. Truly, his absence from the Alamaze player community of today is a true blow to the game and to the community. He was a part of Fall of Rome, back when Lord Diamond used to go around hogging artifacts. It's funny what we do - and do not - remember about people, huh?
Honestly, I have no clue how far down the Alamaze player base sunk to, at its lowest point ever. It seems clear, though, that Alamaze's current player base, while still exceptionally small, is roughly around three times the size that it was, or thereabouts, at the point of Lord Thanatos' (who I would sometimes call Thanatoad) lament quoted above.
Some of the newest of newcomers to Alamaze may or may not work out. And by that, I simply mean that they may not stick around for the long haul. Missing turns and getting dropped - those things happen. They happen in every PBM game ever made, as far as I know. I am hopeful that at least some of the newest of the new will make the transition into becoming active and ardent Alamaze players. But if not, other prospects will appear, in due time. Of that, I am highly confident.
I actually believe that Alamaze's darkest days are already in the rear view mirror. Yep, I really and truly do, even though a look at the actual player numbers (or rough estimates thereof) don't exactly reveal a strong flow of new players coming in. One's eyes have a tendency to play tricks, and so I try to see with more than just my eyes - though that can stretch a man to his limits, at times, and with nothing to show for it.
One of my favorite "hobbies," if you want to call it that, is to explore PBM forums where there's lots of stuff posted over an extended period of time. You get to read what people thought, at the time that they were thinking whatever it is that they posted. You can see where people were right, where people were wrong, where people never even had a clue. Personalities are personalities, and human personalities are very territorial creatures. They clash, they crash, they even make Julienne fries (which I almost always call Julian fries).
But personalities differences and personality conflicts, while they might seem "big" at the time that they manifest themselves for any of countless different reasons, are actually small potatoes in the big scheme of things. The last time that I checked, there is no "cure" for human beings being human, or for doing things that just come naturally to humans. Nor should there be!
Even individuals who can't stand one another on a personal level can many times find common cause together. Going ass-backwards isn't generally recognized as true progress. If the Alamaze player community can be grown to several multiples of its current self, the diversity of opponents that you play against would increase noticeably. Me? I can't make anyone get along with one another. By the same token, though, if such squabbles are worthy of being brought up and injected into the discussion forums, here, then they become fair game for other people (myself included) to have an opinion on. Never assume that I, nor anyone else, will necessarily agree with you (or you, or you, or especially YOU) on any particular issue, squabble, or point.
To me, the more the merrier, where Alamaze is concerned. Human beings are going to clash. It's the human way. None of us wear halos, even if some of you do have heads big enough to support the weight of several halos, simultaneously. Personally, I don't care if you all love each other, hate one another, or fall somewhere comfortably in between. Do I care who started this, or who started that? Nope! Not in the slightest. What is of far greater importance to me is, how do we move past it? Or is it truly one of the very rare occurrences in human history where it just can't be moved past? Is drawing straws or flipping coins no longer a thing? Forgiveness is its own reward, but even it can be a hard sell, at times.
I recently created the Off-Topic Discussions forum section. Why? Because life and fun and getting together extend well beyond singular, particular things. I seek to grow not just the Alamaze player base, itself, but the Alamaze community, also. It never hurts to have some to hang around, even if they don't like the game, itself, or they love the game but are tired and a little burned out, or because they prefer to hang out in a digital version of Cheers bar, because however bad or how sad that it might be, it's still better than being alone or stuck with the companionship of those at home, a place where socializing has become a crime of some kind.
Not to be religious nor to step on religious toes, but there's a particular Bible verse that I always try to remain cognizant of. It goes something like this - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
It is a philosophy that I have long embraced, where the art of public discussions is concerned. I do not subscribe to the notion that we should cleanse forums of discussions on the off-chance that somebody, somewhere might take offense to various things that someone else might post. Human societies are replete with great miseries that we inflict upon one another. We all have experiences in life. We all learn things over the course of our lives. You can't bottle that wisdom and all of the good stuff that comes from brewing human thought, by silencing others or ourselves. Tolerance, too, has its place in the overall scheme of human-to-human interaction. Dialogue, it seems to me, or at the very least a willingness to talk to one another and to listen to one another, is a far wiser approach to seeking remedy than allowing ourselves to succumb to the temptation of self-censorship.
The fact is that human beings choose to take offense to virtually anything and everything under the sun. As I even explain to my wife and my son and to others in my innermost personal circles, "We can have that discussion if you want to, because I don't fear discussions." I don't fear things that sometimes get labeled as "hot button topics." Talking to people is one of the best and most effective ways of learning that I have encountered over my six decades upon this Earth. I don't fear discussions, I don't fear topics, I don't fear debates, and I don't fear the fact that human beings sometimes allow their emotions to get the best of them. Human beings embody both wisdom and foolishness, both logic and emotion. We are all, every last one of us, works in progress. We always have been, and I believe, we always will be. There's always room for improvement.
The silent treatment, on the other hand, that tends to reinforce a lot of human beings lesser qualities. Yes, silence can sometimes be golden, and there's certainly a time and a place for silence. All too often, though, silence denotes a hardening of human hearts, a resistance to change, and an adherence to the worst of ourselves. From my perspective, there's a LOT of postings in the Alamaze forum, here, but simultaneously, there's even more silence here. Whatever else that one may say about noise, noise is a sign of life - even if the life is dying.
If the only thing that can be posted in the Alamaze forum is stuff about Alamaze, then one-trick ponies are not the kind of horse that I prefer to ride. And if we can't talk about things that are controversial or unresolved, but only about things that allow us the undeserved and unwarranted luxury of seeking the illusion of safe spaces, here in the woke era in which we all now find ourselves, then what is even the point of being human?
We were imbued with emotions for a reason. We were gifted passion for real and genuine reasons. Our blessings of being able to think and to reason and to deduce and feel, these were things that belong to us for a great number of different reasons.
Reading requires an affirmative act. No one here actually forces anyone else to read anything that gets posted or discussed. All anger isn't bad, and anger, in fact, has many times throughout human history been a catalyst for progress and innovation.
Accordingly, a function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger. Speech is often provocative and challenging. It may strike at prejudices and preconceptions and have profound unsettling effects as it presses for acceptance of an idea. That is why freedom of speech, though not absolute, Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, supra, pp. 315 U.S. 571-572, is nevertheless protected against censorship or punishment, unless shown likely to produce a clear and present danger of a serious substantive evil that rises far above public inconvenience, annoyance, or unrest.
Acererak
Alexicles
AlwaysFPS
Brek
Calidor
Calin
DuPont
Eregnon the Black
foyion7214
Glowamane
GrimFinger
haniasultan
Jon Deaux
Lord Luty the Loyal
Lord Shadow
Milo007
Morgan Kane
Raven Zachary
Rellgar
Runigruth
Strongwill
Studcraft
Strylian
The Unencumbered
uncledarkseid
Vball Michael
Windstar
Wookie Panz
Zarashand
I counted 29 different player account names. I do know that some on here play under more than one player account name, but if I've missed anybody or if I've got somebody listed more than once, please let me know.
While browsing some old forum threads here, this afternoon, I came across a comment by former Alamaze player, Lord Thanatos, in which he posed a question. "Anyone know how close we are to only having 11 players?" He posted that question back on 09/15/2015 - almost eight years to the day.
I remember Lord Thanatos, somewhat, mostly from my time spent hanging around the Fall of Rome player community. I think that he was an attorney. He was a really smart fellow. I think that he was the one who taught me more about Lilith. Truly, his absence from the Alamaze player community of today is a true blow to the game and to the community. He was a part of Fall of Rome, back when Lord Diamond used to go around hogging artifacts. It's funny what we do - and do not - remember about people, huh?
Honestly, I have no clue how far down the Alamaze player base sunk to, at its lowest point ever. It seems clear, though, that Alamaze's current player base, while still exceptionally small, is roughly around three times the size that it was, or thereabouts, at the point of Lord Thanatos' (who I would sometimes call Thanatoad) lament quoted above.
Some of the newest of newcomers to Alamaze may or may not work out. And by that, I simply mean that they may not stick around for the long haul. Missing turns and getting dropped - those things happen. They happen in every PBM game ever made, as far as I know. I am hopeful that at least some of the newest of the new will make the transition into becoming active and ardent Alamaze players. But if not, other prospects will appear, in due time. Of that, I am highly confident.
I actually believe that Alamaze's darkest days are already in the rear view mirror. Yep, I really and truly do, even though a look at the actual player numbers (or rough estimates thereof) don't exactly reveal a strong flow of new players coming in. One's eyes have a tendency to play tricks, and so I try to see with more than just my eyes - though that can stretch a man to his limits, at times, and with nothing to show for it.
One of my favorite "hobbies," if you want to call it that, is to explore PBM forums where there's lots of stuff posted over an extended period of time. You get to read what people thought, at the time that they were thinking whatever it is that they posted. You can see where people were right, where people were wrong, where people never even had a clue. Personalities are personalities, and human personalities are very territorial creatures. They clash, they crash, they even make Julienne fries (which I almost always call Julian fries).
But personalities differences and personality conflicts, while they might seem "big" at the time that they manifest themselves for any of countless different reasons, are actually small potatoes in the big scheme of things. The last time that I checked, there is no "cure" for human beings being human, or for doing things that just come naturally to humans. Nor should there be!
Even individuals who can't stand one another on a personal level can many times find common cause together. Going ass-backwards isn't generally recognized as true progress. If the Alamaze player community can be grown to several multiples of its current self, the diversity of opponents that you play against would increase noticeably. Me? I can't make anyone get along with one another. By the same token, though, if such squabbles are worthy of being brought up and injected into the discussion forums, here, then they become fair game for other people (myself included) to have an opinion on. Never assume that I, nor anyone else, will necessarily agree with you (or you, or you, or especially YOU) on any particular issue, squabble, or point.
To me, the more the merrier, where Alamaze is concerned. Human beings are going to clash. It's the human way. None of us wear halos, even if some of you do have heads big enough to support the weight of several halos, simultaneously. Personally, I don't care if you all love each other, hate one another, or fall somewhere comfortably in between. Do I care who started this, or who started that? Nope! Not in the slightest. What is of far greater importance to me is, how do we move past it? Or is it truly one of the very rare occurrences in human history where it just can't be moved past? Is drawing straws or flipping coins no longer a thing? Forgiveness is its own reward, but even it can be a hard sell, at times.
I recently created the Off-Topic Discussions forum section. Why? Because life and fun and getting together extend well beyond singular, particular things. I seek to grow not just the Alamaze player base, itself, but the Alamaze community, also. It never hurts to have some to hang around, even if they don't like the game, itself, or they love the game but are tired and a little burned out, or because they prefer to hang out in a digital version of Cheers bar, because however bad or how sad that it might be, it's still better than being alone or stuck with the companionship of those at home, a place where socializing has become a crime of some kind.
Not to be religious nor to step on religious toes, but there's a particular Bible verse that I always try to remain cognizant of. It goes something like this - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
It is a philosophy that I have long embraced, where the art of public discussions is concerned. I do not subscribe to the notion that we should cleanse forums of discussions on the off-chance that somebody, somewhere might take offense to various things that someone else might post. Human societies are replete with great miseries that we inflict upon one another. We all have experiences in life. We all learn things over the course of our lives. You can't bottle that wisdom and all of the good stuff that comes from brewing human thought, by silencing others or ourselves. Tolerance, too, has its place in the overall scheme of human-to-human interaction. Dialogue, it seems to me, or at the very least a willingness to talk to one another and to listen to one another, is a far wiser approach to seeking remedy than allowing ourselves to succumb to the temptation of self-censorship.
The fact is that human beings choose to take offense to virtually anything and everything under the sun. As I even explain to my wife and my son and to others in my innermost personal circles, "We can have that discussion if you want to, because I don't fear discussions." I don't fear things that sometimes get labeled as "hot button topics." Talking to people is one of the best and most effective ways of learning that I have encountered over my six decades upon this Earth. I don't fear discussions, I don't fear topics, I don't fear debates, and I don't fear the fact that human beings sometimes allow their emotions to get the best of them. Human beings embody both wisdom and foolishness, both logic and emotion. We are all, every last one of us, works in progress. We always have been, and I believe, we always will be. There's always room for improvement.
The silent treatment, on the other hand, that tends to reinforce a lot of human beings lesser qualities. Yes, silence can sometimes be golden, and there's certainly a time and a place for silence. All too often, though, silence denotes a hardening of human hearts, a resistance to change, and an adherence to the worst of ourselves. From my perspective, there's a LOT of postings in the Alamaze forum, here, but simultaneously, there's even more silence here. Whatever else that one may say about noise, noise is a sign of life - even if the life is dying.
If the only thing that can be posted in the Alamaze forum is stuff about Alamaze, then one-trick ponies are not the kind of horse that I prefer to ride. And if we can't talk about things that are controversial or unresolved, but only about things that allow us the undeserved and unwarranted luxury of seeking the illusion of safe spaces, here in the woke era in which we all now find ourselves, then what is even the point of being human?
We were imbued with emotions for a reason. We were gifted passion for real and genuine reasons. Our blessings of being able to think and to reason and to deduce and feel, these were things that belong to us for a great number of different reasons.
Reading requires an affirmative act. No one here actually forces anyone else to read anything that gets posted or discussed. All anger isn't bad, and anger, in fact, has many times throughout human history been a catalyst for progress and innovation.
Accordingly, a function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger. Speech is often provocative and challenging. It may strike at prejudices and preconceptions and have profound unsettling effects as it presses for acceptance of an idea. That is why freedom of speech, though not absolute, Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, supra, pp. 315 U.S. 571-572, is nevertheless protected against censorship or punishment, unless shown likely to produce a clear and present danger of a serious substantive evil that rises far above public inconvenience, annoyance, or unrest.
Terminiello v. Chicago, 337 U.S. 1 (1949)
Speech and opinion and expression aren't just about government and body politics. Most speech and expression and opinion - yes, opinion - that human beings engage in have nothing to do with government. This isn't my forum, of course, and ultimately, Brekk can run it as he sees fit. But in the grand scheme of things, I do believe that people expressing their views and opinions on things - on all manner of different things - is evidence of healthy public discourse.
In a nutshell, censorship and self-censorship diminish opportunities to learn. Yes, there are other forums to engage in dialogue with others on, and yes, there are also other games available to be played. There are always other people to talk to, but I like to think that there's value to be found and things to be learned from this group of people who gather here, as well.
Now, have a nice day!