Please turn in your geek card, sir/madam.

[Phasmal]

- I don't read comic books (I read Wolverine & Deadpool for a while years back but other than that), but I love comic book movies and know quite a lot of useless comic book trivia. I probably would read them if I could get into it, and afford it.

- I often don't bother to make my own builds in games. Just look up something that works. Fuck stats, I got monsters to slay.

- Never watched Star Trek.

- Never finished a Final Fantasy.

 

[Ranorak]

I have no love for whats considered the traditional Megaman games. The sidescroller action games, you know the ones. They're not bad, I just haven't really found any that I particularly liked, except for like two for the GBA that I hear a lot of fans of the series hated.

I have never read a single comic book. I mean, aside from some really laughable propaganda ones that you just read because you get a feeling of self-satisfaction out of, or a few webcomics. I mean I haven't read a physical comic book, I've never read anything Detective Comics this or Dark Horse Comics that.

I have never played a tabletop game with another person, although there were points in my life where I really wanted to but couldn't for a few reasons. Alas, I may never get to crit-core an Atlas with my trashcan's Urbanmech's Small Laser.

I currently don't watch any anime, and don't really plan to do so in the future.

*snip*

And, if you start with "Rose" he's in his 9th regeneration*.

As for the question at hand, I feel I had to hand in my Geek Card when I forgot FF8's main Character's name was Squall.

*....Or is he...?

Here's how to use a footnote. Type "footnote" in between a pair of brackets, just like if you were doing so for quote, and type what you want to be in the footnote. Then, end it with a "/footnote" between a pair of brackets. For example, to take your attempt...

And if you star with "Rose", he's in his 9th regeneration[footnote]...Or is he..."[/footnote]

Just quote my post to see how it should be done.

Thanks, I keep learning new tricks here.
very much appreciated.

 

[fenrizz]

So here goes:

1. I don't really like Star Wars, and I thought Episode 1 was better than 3, 4 and 5.

2. I can't get into old games, unless they have some neat graphical style (like 8 and 16bit games which I find gorgeous).
I loathed TES 1 and 2, I despise old 3D games and I thought Deus Ex was rubbish.

3. I usually play on Medium or Easy diffculty, because I absolulty hate, hate, hate to do the same portion of a game more than maybe 3 times.
If I need to redo a large portion (i.e. more than 5-10 minutes) of a game more than 3 times I usually say fuck this shit and move on to another game instead.

Doom 3 on high diffculty comes to mind.
It is not hard, it is not challenging (at least not more so than other memory based games).
Any fool can memorize a map if they give it enough tries.
I find it dull, unispiring and I have better things to do with my time than playing a remember the mook game.


pheew
Well that turned into a rant rather quickly.

 

[WindKnight]

-I find most 80's cartoons like Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to be hollow and vapid. Perhaps that can be chalked up to having not grown up watching them. I was born in 1986, which was a little too late to catch them in their heyday. My family didn't have cable either, so I flat-out couldn't watch many cartoons even if I wanted to unless it was at the neighbor kid's house.

To be blunt, the vast majority of them are. I tried re-watching transformers when a friend picked up the nostalgia baiting boxsets, and found it a chore to sit through. I still kinda like the movie though its very cheesy, and I like to use it as an example of extreme marketing. 'hey kids, we just slaughtered all your favourite characters! Now their all dead, we want you to buy all these new characters!'

For me I really don't like James Bond at all... I don;t get why certain aspects and elements are seen as awesome, and if I had to pick one Bond as my favorite, I would with all sincerity say Timothy Dalton.

Also, I find it hard to hate characters unless their quite clearly despicable, rotten people. I love Ashley Williams from mass effect, for example, enjoying her flawed but good hearted persona.

 

[Vault101]

I don't particularly care for anything remotely "meta"

that includes stuff like "scott pilgrim vs the world" "futurama" and 99% of web comics and such...

[sub/]that said Ive seen some futurama when I was old enough to "get" it (which wasn't when it came out) and I find it a genuinly funny and really good show, I just wouldn't go out of my way to watch it[/sub]

 

[KnightOfTwo]

There are a couple of things I could mention. Lets see which one gets me killed (I think I have an idea of what it will be).

1. I have only played a handful of games from either the NES or the SNES, and even less from any Sega consoles. I didn't actually get into gaming until the late 90s, even though I had grown up with a NES (though it only had about 7 games). I've never gone back to play them because I'm usually quite terrible at them.

2. I haven't read very many comics, I like reading about them but I find myself unable to actually buy some and read them. Maybe if I get around to getting a tablet I will, but for now I just don't have the level of interest to bother.

3. I've never played a proper game of D&D or any other tabletop RPG. While I am a fan of RPG video games, I find trying to understand tabletop games to be overwhelming and difficult. I know full well its really a matter of how welcoming the people you play with are and that's another part of it. I don't exactly have many friends so I'm not really capable of playing one anyway. I'd like to one day but I have no idea when that will be. Would love to play some of the White Wolf stuff if I'm honest. World of Darkness has always appealed to me.

4. On a similar note to the last one I cannot stand to play nor have I ever been able to actually finish any video games that use actual D&D rules. This means I can't stand the Baldur's gate series, the Neverwinter series, and Planescape Torment. I know the stories are quite good in some of those, but I absolutely cannot stand to play them in video game format. Part of it is probabl because I don't really get the rules to begin with, but another part is because I try to understand it more in video game format but think that using the actual D&D rules does not work once it has been translated over to a video game. It feels clunky and awkward and a pain in the ass. If you're gonna have systems like that, I prefer ones that are inspired by D&D rules (see systems like KOTOR) rather than just using the rulebooks. I loathe those games and will never be able to play them.

5. This is probably the one that will get me a death warrant but here goes....

I did not care for Firefly.

There, I said it.

It really just didn't appeal to me, which is strange because I like the concept of the whole western-in-space. Yet compared to Whedons other stuff I just didn't enjoy it. At best I would say it was mediocre at worst I would say I didn't enjoy myself watching it. Never a terrible show but something about it just failed to ever keep my interest. I've tried to watch it again more recently, thinking that I might like it more with age, but no. I just don't get all the love that show gets.

 

[Headsprouter]

Well, once I was told I didn't deserve to be a part of the gaming community because I had never heard of Deus Ex. Although, they claimed they were joking, later.

And this one time I heckled a guy's mod for "wrongly claiming his lore to be canonical in the Elder Scrolls universe" (that's the gist of it, I'd rather not go back and read my silly words), when really he had improved something from a part of the latest DLC I hadn't played yet. He insulted my ability to pay attention to the lore, I realised my mistake and gave him an apology. He didn't reply, which left me feeling a bit sheepish...

 

[hawkeye52]

I was just going to make this a general post, but since you seem pretty knowledgeable on the topic, I figured I'd just ask - uh, what would you recommend for a group of hopeful table-top RPG players who... have absolutely no experience with table-top RPGs?

I ask because I and several of my friends have never played a table-top RPG, but we've all expressed interest in learning and getting into it. Trouble is, the only sources of knowledge I really have about it are my father, who played 2nd edition DnD but sold off all his source books and such years ago, and the DnD stream I watch on Twitch (When they bother to actually stream, that is - they're bad at keeping a schedule) Distance used to be a problem, but after finding out about Roll 20 being a thing we're all pretty confident we can manage to try it at least once. We just don't know where to start. Most of my prospective players don't even know there are RPGs outside of Dungeons and Dragons, so there goes my hope of getting into World of Darkness...

For D&D it's best to get a GM who knows what they are doing since that shapes the whole experience however if the best you got is a guy who does 2nd ed D&D it might be better off trying to learn 3.5 or pathfinder (which is like 3.75 since it's more streamlined and in some cases just flat out better) since the rules in 2nd are just complicated as hell and involve having a good amount of knowledge about algebra whereas 3.5 has a good basic system (even if there is a lot of basic rules which you need to know) that can become as complicated as you like for the min/max optimiser in you.

Other systems wise. There are simpler systems to learn and World of Darkness is a prime example of that and is often considered one the more flexible classless systems about while at the same time being quite easy and simple to use. Also it has a variety of games to back it up with (Masquerade, aberrant, werewolf, changeling, Ars Magica, Scion etc).

Another problem with D&D compared to other systems is that you have to have all the books in order to run it (Dungeon Masters Guide, Player Handbook 1, Monster Manual 1, technically you could run it off of any of the 6 monster manuals but monster manual 1 is recommended). Technically it isn't required to have the books since all the basic rules are online (type into google D&D srd or D&Dtools.eu) however I have always found it easier to read from a book then a screen. However, once you get them you can expand from there as you like and go with a vast multitude of settings although the recommended ones for D&D 3.5 are Forgotten realms (imagine standard fantasy medieval Europe) or Eberron (take standard fantasy and turn it on it's head) because of the books are statted for those settings.

All of the above is why I really like D&D. You can make it as complex or simple as you want. You can play a straight level 7 human cleric if you want or play some crazy ass compilation like rogue 4/sorceror 2/ chameleon 1 changeling (love playing a chameleon and changeling is one of my favourite races). Also you can have a straight dungeon crawl where you just walk from one preset adventure module to the other or create your own campaign and run that over 8-10 weeks. Rules wise I generally run a medium rules weight game where I take into account combat modifiers such as flank and other misc stats in other situations but don't use encumbrance modifiers for weight or attempt to kill players with weather or worst of all give money weight.

Since you are using Roll20 I could possibly run the game for you though it would have to wait a while since I have a lot going on right now and char gen for D&D takes a while.

 

[YingDerpington]

Snip

snip

Don't suppose you have room for a random stranger on the internet in your merry band of Uninitiated D&Der's?
Seriously though, I know almost no one that's interested in table top gaming so it's almost impossible for me to do that stuff where I am, though I did discover roll20 thanks to you which may just open up more avenues for it.

OT:
I consider myself quite the Lord of the Rings geek, to the point where I have read the books many times over... My spirit and enthusiasm for Middle Earth was completely crushed when I discovered there is so much I don't know, I didn't even know that the Silmarillion was a thing. When I was informed of it I felt like I did not deserve to call myself a LotR geek.

I've also never seen Star Trek, Doctor Who or Firefly. I always tell myself i'll do it but I never do...

 

[V4Viewtiful]

Secondly is comic books.

Never could figure out the appeal. I remember being in the fourth grade, a classmate prattling on to me about the history of the hulk or the avengers or something. Being big into stories I urged them to continue, but the convolution, the retcons, and the continual plot twists that verged on absurd/sensational, kept me away even as an eager young kid that loved reading. Generally the narrative structure of comic books tends to leave me hanging and disinterested, along with the tone and characterization changing from writer to writer made it hard for me to care. I've honestly tried reading a few series, including focusing on single narrative arc, which I'm told is better, but just... bleh. Total disinterest.

To summarize my view on comic books: Save for a small handful of graphic novels, I have yet to read or hear about a comic book story that I found to be more satisfying and compelling then simply reading the wikipedia summary.

It's gotten worse in recent years. Well, Marvel and DC anyway, usually if you read from other publishers you'll have less complaints

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Ha, where to begin? I had to divide this up into paragraphs because there's so much.

I've never watched Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, The Wire, Sopranos, Transformers, Star Trek, The Walking Dead or G.I. Joe. I've only seen the first season of Breaking Bad and didn't feel the need to see more (though I am going to). I actually think Revenge of the Sith is a good movie. I've only played Final Fantasy 10 out of the main series. I've never played Duke Nukem (either of them), League of Legends, World of Warcraft or any other MMO, Starcraft or a single Megaman game. I don't think the Lord of the Rings books hold up at all.

I enjoy drinking and partying and going to clubs (occasionally). Most manga I try to read I find incredibly creepy or insultingly stupid (check the latest chapter of "History's greatest disciple Kenichi" to see what I mean). I don't think gaming is in any way a productive or beneficial hobby, I'm not going to encourage my possible kids to do it, it doesn't need to be recognized as art (because it'll happen over time anyway) and making it a sport is incredibly stupid. I actually think most of the cartoons I watched on a regular basis as a kid were all pretty much crap, bar a couple of exceptions like Animaniacs.

Whenever I see anyone be an obsessive fan of something I want to slap them and tell them to get over themselves. I don't give a flying fuck over DC or Marvel "lore" or continuity when I read their comic books. I'm a good dancer. I find writing fan fiction about established characters really creepy. I liked Man of Steel a whole lot. I think Pirates of the Caribbean 2 is the best movie out of the 4. I only watched 3 episodes, or maybe 4, of the new Doctor Who before losing interest. I don't hate Big Bang Theory, I just thought it was an average unfunny american sitcom, it didn't offend me.

I guess that's enough to put me away for life, Your Honor.

EDIT: Oh, just thought of one that's really gonna make people tell me to turn in my Geek Card...

I've never read the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The movies? Great, some of my favorite fantasy films ever, but the books? I tried, but I just could not get past Tolkien's painfully stuffy and boring style. I've read The Hobbit, mind you, so I know Tolkien can write something more engaging than LotR, but for some reason he decided to make the things a chore to read, instead of making them an engaging read that keeps you hooked and wanting more.

I just do not understand why those books are so popular.

You're not alone. I re-read Fellowship of the Ring last year, and it was a chore to get through. Once I got myself into the mindset of reading it more as a Beowulf-like tale of myth rather than a straight up fantasy story, it actually was much easier to read. The characters are flat, the only motivation given for the villains is "cause their evil!!1", and an entire 30-page section of the book could have been lifted without the reader losing anything. He may have created modern fantasy as it is known today (which IMO becomes more and more dubious an honor over time due to all the ripoffs), but it's rather apparent that he was not a professional writer.

 

[Artina89]

I am not really into comic books, even though my brother is very into them and has tried to explain to me the Marvel and DC universes, but I just can't bring myself to really care that much. I have tried to get into them, but I just can't.

I don't really like reading J.R.R Tolkien's books. I have read The Hobbit and Roverandom but when it comes to The Lord of the rings trilogy I made it part way through the first book and didn't bother with the rest of it as it was becoming a bit of a chore to get through, I also don't understand the appeal of A Song of Ice and Fire series. I got them all as a gift at Christmas, and I have read them all, but I just feel a bit "meh" about the series as a whole, even though a lot of people in my circle of friends absolutely adore the books and the TV show. It's just not for me I guess.

 

[Saetha]

Snip

Snip

Thanks for the tips (Same goes for everyone else who responded, but I derailed the topic enough, so...) I would've missed the Table Top thing completely if you hadn't pointed it out.

I'll try and see what I can get together. We've already figured I'd DM since, despite my absolutely minuscule experience with pen-and-paper RPGs, I'm the only one with knows the first thing about them. But everyone's kinda busy right now, so it'll probably have to wait until college lets out for the summer before we can even begin to give it a shot. Thanks anyways!

 

[deth2munkies]

Mine is Pokemon. Most would say any decent Pokemon geek, could at least tell you what generation every Pokemon comes from. I've failed at this. I've gone the past nine years, assuming that Marill and Azumarill were first gen Pokemon. It didn't help that my first experience with first gen was FireRed, in which Oak tells you about Pokemon with a Marill. Yesterday while browsing through bulbapedia, I see Marill in second gen. My jaw nearly hit the floor. I felt ashamed at my faulty Pokemon knowledge.

To be fair, there was a rumored hidden Pikachu evolution in Gen 1 called the Pikablu. The picture attributed to the rumor turned out to a leaked model of Gen 2's Marril.

I remember that rumor. I went crazy as a kid trying to figure out how to get him. Man, there were so many rumors like that in Gen 1. I still don't understand what the fuck the deal is with that truck near the S.S. Anne. No Mew under that shit! I have tried!

I restarted my sister's game, traded over my pokemon, and got to that truck. I did every concievable thing to it to no avail.

Biggest red herring in gaming.

I guess the only real things I can say are that I've never seen TRON and don't really like Game of Thrones or the Star Trek original series (TNG ftw).

 

[Yuno Gasai]

For me, the main thing which has made me tempted to turn in my geek card is that I'm not interested at all in the logistics of things. I know there are a plethora of individuals who love to make spreadsheets and figure out things like the probability of certain items being dropped, or use the spreadsheet to make the most efficient character they can in their next tabletop campaign, but I have zero interest in the numbers game.

I can talk your ear off regarding theories in terms of plot, or help you delve into a fictional character's backstory, or figure out a really sweet build to do X or Y, but if you ask me to sit down and fine-tune the rulebook or your stat sheet? You may as well be talking to a brick wall. I just can't do it.

It's something which was highlighted to me fairly recently. The group I play tabletop RPGs with all seem to enjoy discussing the various rules and logistics behind whatever system we happen to be using, and I just... don't care. As long as I know the basics, I'm content. (And I have them to yell at me if I do anything wrong, anyway.)

 

[Lightknight]

If there's anything that defines nerd culture, it's passion for a subject (usually sci-fy, tech and whatnot). You've got to understand that some nerds are going to have different specific passions with only enough time to dedicate to all of the other areas. So the notion that I have to be fully invested in every nerd culture reference is insane. Completely impossible even if you treated it like a job. There will always be nerds that haven't seen firefly or haven't played a Super Mario Bros. But that doesn't somehow magically nullify the culture they identify as. What's more is that there may even be nerds who have experienced those things and just didn't like or identify with them for whatever reason.

It's silly to think that everyone in this broad culture has to think exactly alike. We aren't a hive mind and our passions will diverge. If ever the aggregate of my thoughts/preferences/actions did separate themselves from nerd culture, then you could have my card at the time I receive whatever card might replace it. But that's not very likely at this point. I'm too far down the nerd rabbit hole.

 

[Drake the Dragonheart]

Never played a single final fantasy game. ever
Never played a zelda or kirby game. (didn't even know who link was until smash brothers)
Never watched star trek or doctor who, don't plan on doing so.
Never watched firefly, but did see the Serenity movie.
I Don't care for Gundam, any of them, I don't like anime. Never seen Game of Thrones, likely won't. I don't like reading!
I still have my original xbox both of them (still looking for a way to get my PSO characters from the old one to the newish one), but don't own any current or previous gen consoles.

 

[Raikas]

I'm into comic books but I don't like Frank Miller's writing - Sin City, Dark Knight, all of it. I mean, I've tried (because the number of recommendations are inescapable), and I don't hate his work, it just doesn't catch my interest at all.

There are also plenty of TV shows that I haven't followed because I'm just not that into watching TV, but I feel like that's less surprising for people. They might still respond with "But you really need to watch BSG/Serenity/whatever", but there isn't quite the gasping that people respond to the Miller thing with.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I have never watched Star Trek nor Doctor Who, and I'm not planning to do so in the near future.

I guess that's a geek card revokation level offense.

Me neither. The only Star Trek I ever watched were the Abrams movies (being fully aware they were supposed to be shitty remakes and all). And Doctor Who's premise repels me to a degree.

I've also never read any of the Expanded Universe Stars Wars novels, which seems to be like the thing to do if you're "a true Star Wars fan". I can tell you the names of everybody in Mos Eisley even though they show up for a couple of seconds, have no lines and, in fact, no names either. I picked them up from toys and "official guides". Everything there is to know about the movies, I know. Any step outside the movie franchise I consider fan fiction.

 

[thesilentman]

I've never watched Firefly or Doctor Who, ever. I plan to watch them both someday, but not now when I'm busy. x-D