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://www.simplelists.com/confirm.php?u=PltOdItWBSgOP4y0Q6abkGbDI1eus0lz



--
Craig Berry (http://google.com/+CraigBerry)
"Eternity is in love with the productions of time." - William Blake