My final note on why I'm taking most of my "OT" conversation to a new home ...

This year was my first experiment with the wolf game on PD, and after getting killed in my second game, I posted my thoughts on how the game made me feel. Ironically, I posted it in the counting thread, which has since been closed.

This was the final paragraph of my post:

In the end, the game encourages negative social skills like dishonesty, cruelty, conspiracy and exclusion, and frankly, it sends me in a direction that is in opposition to the direction I want to head as a person in general. I want to be a nicer, more generous and more trusting person. I fear that the Wolf Game can hurt my progress in those areas and I feel that life is too short to risk any sort of regression in kindness and openheartedness.

And that's that. I really think it's crazy that I posted that only a couple of weeks before it all came down.

I'm sure the PD community will see lots of fantastic days in the future, particularly in the portion of the board that is it's primary purpose: THE INDIANA PACERS. It will be my basketball home for a very long time, I'm sure. And I wish all of my friends much luck and fun and look forward to discussing my favorite team and getting the inside scoop.

But all the countless secret forums, the elitism of the "old guard" and the secret society within, and finally being voted OTMVP only to find out that I'm not considered "worthy" of participating in news and political discussion, well, that's that. It's clear that I was never welcome in the first place (edit - or perhaps I wore out my welcome), and I've finally gotten the message.

I see this board here as a shedding of those negative feelings. Sometimes you have to get stuff off your chest and let it out. Madison Square has been a place where we could just punch the wall scream and shout and get it out there. This has been our drunk tank at the local jail. But rest assured, bail has been posted and freedom is just down the hall.

When we move to InFullPursuit.com, it will be time for me to turn on the positive and let bygones be bygones.

Again, I'll say it, but this time with a variant:

In the end, my participation in Pacers digest has fanned some of my more negative social skills and it has - on occasion - sent me in a direction that is in opposition to the direction I want to head as a person in general. I want to be a nicer, more generous and more trusting person. I fear that my interactions on PD have - again, on occasion - hurt my progress in those areas and I feel that life is too short to risk any sort of regression in kindness and openheartedness.

In Full Pursuit will be coming ... stay tuned.

I still hope you change your mind on twg, a no pm rule would probably help.

Mr. Hogg,, I'm afraid I just don't got what it takes.

I do have what it takes to kick your ass in fantasy basketball, though. :-p

That doesn't take much I'm afraid. Did you join the aba league or are you skipping it this year?

Gotta skip it this year. IKL is in dire need of attention as soon as we get IFP up and running.

I vote we try a wolf game at IFP with a no PM rule.

I'm down with that

Third'd

games like that will happen for sure once we get enough people wanting to play. I fully understand LA's point and feelings on the matter though because I feel the same way. It sucks when you play the game with people you actually know and you have to lie to them. When me and sweabs play together it is terrible because he is one of the very very very few people that I actually never or very rarely lie to, most lies would be white lies about this or that and even then doesnt happen often, anyways it is just hard to lie, even if it about a game like that.

But I do support that game be played on IFP if that is what the members want.

I'm going to edit my post to get to the meat of the matter. I didn't really intend to talk about the wolf game as much as talk about the parallel to what the social scene at PD has felt like to me lately, and why I want a clean slate.

Well said as always, LA.

Lol, sorry for derailing your thread. I agree with the original post.

Oh i understood and understand your post and feelings towards PD and the parallels between the game and PD.

Who was pming? I thought it went without saying that you shouldn't pm in the wolf game. I've only played it on irc though, so I dunno the details of how you guys played.

We always pm, but that is changing.

Back to la leaving pd for the most part...

Back to la leaving pd for the most part...

I'm not leaving, I'm just sticking to the Pacers and checking in with the friends I've gained over the years. But the thrill is gone, for sure.

I said most part.

I am really leaving it. I will check in the Red Light District once and while to see what the Shadey one is up to but that is about it.

Well said LA.

I really do not care about politics (I read the WSJ and Post every morning so I haer all the angles every day) but I really enjoyed reading peoples posts in the politics forum, even if I did not agree with them.

I have no problem with then only allowing a "select" few to post, but yet another "secret" forum was just another slight to the fan base of Pacers Digest.

We are an elite place, and you are not good enough to post in this forum.

It is a shame because I really liked UB and Jay and others, but with the way I have been treated I also got the message. I came back numerous times because I have made some good friends, and I hope I will be able to keep up with many of you via the new web-site.

As far as TWG, I agree with you and I feel the same way about RTV shows like "Survivor". That said, I really enjoyed TWG, though the last game I did not have nearlly enough time to play the way I had the previous two I had played.

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

I post that one because I wanted to, and secondly because I had never heard the full quote. I do not consider Hicks or Able "great" men by any stretch, but I do think they are good people. I just think they have allowed clicks to form, and sadly I fear the sense of community that was there when I joined is now gone.

Here to hoping we never see threads like this in regard to IFP.

Cheers,

-VA

I think people will naturally form into subgroups and sometimes become cliquey. I don't think that by itself is the main issue or cause of what has happened. TCT probably seemed cliquey to the other side.

CGG wrote:I think people will naturally form into subgroups and sometimes become cliquey. I don't think that by itself is the main issue or cause of what has happened. TCT probably seemed cliquey to the other side.

This is true.

FWIW, I am sure the counting thread was seen as clicky. I never was a member of it, and I really was indiffrent to it in general.

My point was less about cliques and more about the secret forums and the fact that TPTB actually felt the need to isolate posters (again its all a judgement call. This argument was made for the front page and I did not agree with it. But the more I stand back the more I can see where people are coming from)

I don't think the front page is an issue, as long as it doesn't take content from the forum. Now that new front page articles are posted to the forum, I think it at worst does no harm, and at best saves some good content in a featured place that's easier to find.

I agree.

I still think it is weird that is the direction he went in, but I was kind of expecting that to happen years ago.

Of course the counting thread was a clique. And so was the wolf game and the colts board and so many other circles. But they were PUBLIC. Everyone had a chance to go in and try and get along. That's what a community is about!

Now, sometimes the pencilneck banker won't get along in the biker bar nomatter what they do, but the door is still open, they guy still gets a beer when he asks for one. There is still an opportunity to walk in, tell a few jokes, and start getting along. Before you know it, BOOM - people are friends.

Counters, remember when Duke was referred to as "New Guy"? See what I mean?

I was never given an opportunity to participate in the new politics forum and that sticks in my craw like you wouldn't believe. after 6 years and 9000 posts, my viewpoint was not welcome when it comes to current events.

Honestly, they should be ashamed of themselves. Absolutely ashamed of themselves. And when it gets right down to it, I'm ashamed of myself for ever thinking that this group of people were my time-wasting pals.

Groucho Marx had a great one-liner: "I'd never want to be a member of a club that would have me as a member."

I'll twist it just a bit.

I would never want to be a member of a club that would deny me membership.

Yeah I can relate to how you feel about that and I agree. Counting is pretty much the opposite. It wasn't even really a clique since anyone could just start counting and join the group if they wanted to, and everyone would be friendly and welcome them.