Interview with Dr Kromm about GURPS

[Gorkamorka]

I know we aren't suppose to link dump here, but I'm going to anyway.

Ninja VS Pirates podcast just released a two part interview with our very own Dr. Kromm about GURPS and GURPS Action!

Can be found here and here.

[nanoboy]

Yay! A Steve Jackson Games employee shows up on a podcast! Seriously, though, I listen to a lot of RPG podcasts, and I get frustrated with the lack of GURPS presence on them. (Some are outright derogatory toward GURPS.)

[Langy]

So, what's on the podcast? Anything interesting?

(I absolutely refuse to listen to podcasts. I like my news in easy-to-read format, not random-people-talking format, and I don't understand why anyone would prefer a podcast to a transcript)

[nanoboy]

Originally Posted by Langy

So, what's on the podcast? Anything interesting?

(I absolutely refuse to listen to podcasts. I like my news in easy-to-read format, not random-people-talking format, and I don't understand why anyone would prefer a podcast to a transcript)

It's something to listen to while doing chores, driving, or other mindless work.

[Langy]

Originally Posted by nanoboy

It's something to listen to while doing chores, driving, or other mindless work.

Yeah, but what if I'm sitting at a computer and just want to get a highlight of what's going on? It's impossible to scan through an audio file, you can't search through it, and you can't find out if there's anything in it you'd find interesting in just a few seconds. If podcasts came with transcripts I'd be fine with them, but without them they're just useless for me.

[Wraithe]

Originally Posted by Langy

Yeah, but what if I'm sitting at a computer and just want to get a highlight of what's going on? It's impossible to scan through an audio file, you can't search through it, and you can't find out if there's anything in it you'd find interesting in just a few seconds. If podcasts came with transcripts I'd be fine with them, but without them they're just useless for me.

If you listen to Radio shows, then podcasts make sense, if you don't, then the obverse would be true.

I will note, that some of the podcasts actually chapter their 'casts, so you CAN find a section you wanted to listen too, but that depends on the podcaster.

Gorkamorka, thanks for posting this, I'll check it out, sounds interesting.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Langy

(I absolutely refuse to listen to podcasts. I like my news in easy-to-read format, not random-people-talking format, and I don't understand why anyone would prefer a podcast to a transcript)

You're a visual/text oriented learner, and find text "easy-to-read". That's good for you. Other people are audio-oriented learners, and find the conversation format easier to listen to.

Things like visual impairment and dyslexia can further complicate things by making reading text extremely challenging or outright impossible. Text-to-speech software is ... functional... which can give people in this third "I don't have a choice" category access to electronic text, but is way worse to listen to than even someone bouncing back for laryngitis over a highly-compressed VoiP protocol. :)

I'm a text-oriented learner, and gamers who hang around on forum boards tend to be heavily weighted towards this learning style - but I have a sneaking suspicion that in the greater population we're a minority, and will be until we get around to rewiring peoples brains.

It's not related to literacy levels at all - it has to do with specific aptitudes, and is why kids are put in classrooms with lectures, instead of just handed worksheets and handouts every class.

[Langy]

Originally Posted by Bruno

You're a visual/text oriented learner, and find text "easy-to-read". That's good for you. Other people are audio-oriented learners, and find the conversation format easier to listen to.

Things like visual impairment and dyslexia can further complicate things by making reading text extremely challenging or outright impossible. Text-to-speech software is ... functional... which can give people in this third "I don't have a choice" category access to electronic text, but is way worse to listen to than even someone bouncing back for laryngitis over a highly-compressed VoiP protocol. :)

I'm a text-oriented learner, and gamers who hang around on forum boards tend to be heavily weighted towards this learning style - but I have a sneaking suspicion that in the greater population we're a minority, and will be until we get around to rewiring peoples brains.

It's not related to literacy levels at all - it has to do with specific aptitudes, and is why kids are put in classrooms with lectures, instead of just handed worksheets and handouts every class.

That's actually a good point, and one I hadn't considered before. I suppose podcasts aren't quite as silly as I thought, though they're still not something I'm going to bother with.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Langy

That's actually a good point, and one I hadn't considered before. I suppose podcasts aren't quite as silly as I thought, though they're still not something I'm going to bother with.

Heck, I'm not twisting your arm about it or anything :)

I'm learning disabled and work in the accessibility industry for the visually impaired, so I'm unusually conscious of the subject. I hope you don't mind me info-dumping like that.

[Maz]

Originally Posted by Langy

So, what's on the podcast? Anything interesting?

Kromm talks a bit about nice curves and nice tails.

Maybe I should have payed more attention, but that thing I heard.


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Other interesting things. He talk a bit about disadvantages and how it work, how it could be different.
Also a good bit about the GM's role in GURPS.