kierthos: (Default)
kierthos ([personal profile] kierthos) wrote2002-10-25 08:42 am

There's no Old Boys Network.... yeah, right.......

More Camarilla bitching...

For pretty much as long as I have been in the Cam (and probably even before that, as I only joined in 1998), there has been talk about an "Old Boys Network". You know, that 'elite' group of members who get things their way, no matter how it affects the rest of the club. The rules are always rewritten to support the characters they play, the requirements for MC are structured (and restructed, if needed) to keep them at the top, etc., etc., ad nauseum.

Now, I don't think it really exists. Not as I just described it at least. But it's pretty goddamn obvious that some members do get their way over the objections of others, and it doesn't matter what the fuck the consequences are, because there don't appear to be any....

What started this particular rant, I hear you cry? Well, on perusing the White Wolf Camarilla forums, I saw Jess Hennig's post about how the Mage game he started in the Camarilla (with the express purpose of having no starting Master characters) got, for lack of a better word, hijacked (venue-jacked) by three MC 12+ players who said that unless he let them play Master Mages, they would insure that his venue didn't get Sanctioned.

Go look for yourself. Under the heading "6.0 Latest part II". Do it quick before someone gets Conrad to erase the thread. Because god knows we can never have any bad mouthing (even if it is true) about Regional or higher level position holders who are MC 12+.

Sure, there might not be a secret handshake, a special pin to wear on the shirt, a membership card, or even a secret clubhouse to meet in. But this shows that there is a fucking "Old Boys Network".

To any respondees, who agree or disagree with me. If you're just going to put "But there is no Old Boys Network", I suggest you look into basic tenets of literacy. You're reading, but you're not comprehending. I welcome responses, but try and use some of the sentience you supposedly have.

Kierthos

I have to wonder though....

[identity profile] kierthos.livejournal.com 2002-10-25 08:23 am (UTC)(link)
Who were the three MC12+ players who did this? From Jess' post, he said they had Regional or higher positions. And, since Jess was running this game in Atlanta, Georgia, it narrows it down a touch...

Possibilities:

George Galang, at the time, RST of the Southeast Region of the U.S.
Wade Jones, at the time, just recently stepping down from NST of the U.S.
????

Anyone know of who else it could possibly be?

Kierthos

Well.....

[identity profile] gurgi.livejournal.com 2002-10-25 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
It sounds like something Wade racine would try and pull, KnobHole that he is...

But I dunno... I understood he lives in VA...

Maybe he travels in order to darken ST's doorsteps...

And now, an update!

[identity profile] kierthos.livejournal.com 2002-10-26 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, from another one of Jess' posts on the WW forums, it looks like at the time that Jess was writing up the VSS for Atlanta's Mage Venue, Wade Jones, who was still the U.S. NST at the time, was one of the three who hijacked the game.

Why am I not surprised?

Of course, this makes certain comments from other people much clearer.... (comments to the effect of "So I pissed off Wade Jones. Big deal. That actually works to my benefit under the new leadership of the club.")

Kierthos

Re: Well.....

[identity profile] thoabath.livejournal.com 2002-10-29 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Racine doesn't play Mage. Try to bother educating yourself on the people you're going to slander.

Sheesh. No wonder you get your ass handed to you on a plate at Cons.

Re: Well.....

[identity profile] kierthos.livejournal.com 2002-10-30 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
Was wondering if you would chime in on this one, Chris....

Tell me, how do you feel about a Mage VST, especially one with the vast Mage experience as Jess Hennig, being told that unless he gave in to the demands of those three players, his venue wouldn't get sanctioned?

Kierthos

Re: Well.....

[identity profile] thoabath.livejournal.com 2002-10-30 07:49 am (UTC)(link)
This is the first I've heard of it... if I had been Jess, I would have told them to eat shit, and grabbed the RC. I don't settle for being pushed around by anyone, regardless of MC. However, Jess likely had more concerns for local politics than I would have.

Re: Well.....

[identity profile] kierthos.livejournal.com 2002-10-31 06:07 am (UTC)(link)
Does it bother you at all that an ST would have to cater to local politics though? We're operating on the assumption that Jess is not lying about this (see one of my other posts on this thread for why Jess wouldn't lie about this).

Frankly, the way I look at it, an ST should not only never have to cater to "special interests" to have a game take off, but should never have to worry about catering to "special interests" in the future.

When I ran games (I've been the VST for Cam/Anarch, Mortals, and Mage, at various points in my involvement in the Cam), I did my damnedest to keep people interested, not based on what MC they were, or any position they held OOC'ly. But, I didn't have to worry about "Joe MC 12+" wrecking everything, because, IIRC the highest MC in the chapter is 6.

I mean, some people will just say "Ehhh... it's Atlanta." as if that excuses things. Frankly, to me, it doesn't. It's the same thing as making excuses for Florida, as another example. This shit has got to stop. And, maybe not so sad to say, the quickest way to make things like this to stop is to hold the people involved responsible for their actions.