In this comment, “you” & “I” refer to the players. The characters are referred to by name.
I’m really reluctant to engage in any he-said-she-said or who-struck-John-first type of discussions because they seem to descend into something that feels like an argument.
One major way in which I meta-gamed was that I kept my responses to Randy, and to Chance at the end of the prior adventure to a minimum because I, the player felt that discourse and interaction always took a snarky turn, and I, the player didn’t particularly enjoy it and I thought it tended to drag the game down.
I tried to treat Randy as the fresh new character that he was. But since I was asked, I’ll point out a couple of things and how I perceived them (perhaps differently than intended).
Randy Oldman:
When Randy first met Art, Art refused, or ignored, the offered handshake. NBD, even though it's hard to miss a man with that big of a hand extending it (Ch 5 msg 33). After that, passed the evening and morning, aside from commenting dismissively about an I idea of Randy's, the first directed comments follow:
"Thanks, mate." Artemsus says to Randy for covering the livery charge and patting him on the shoulder. "Say bloke you’re a bloody shag the on rock, built like a brick dunny. Bet you put a hurtin’ on the tucker!"
There's not a damned case of Art addressing anyone else in such a way.
Not that Randy would understand Aussie slang without asking, but that was how I was attempting to play Art as being friendly and trying to fit in but not always succeeding. It translates as “Say man, you’re obviously big and well built. I bet you can eat a lot.” But that’s something I’d expect you to know or figure out and definitely not by which you’d be insulted
You mention Art refused Randy’s hand shake in Ch 5, Msg 33. Here it is, but
please note, I see that you cannot quote a message in a closed chapter so I’m going to piece it together but will loose some formatting.
Randy Oldman:
"Looks like we got us a right little bee here." Randy stands up the greet the two newcomers.
"What's this? A good egg and a bad egg?" He extends his hand first to the padre. "I is Randy Oldman..." Randy turns to the new man with baggage, "... beatingest man about fisticuffs you ever seen."
Looking both men up and down; in his estimation, each could use a meal or two to get some plumpness on them. "You'ns missed the victuals, but I figgurs there'll be more before you knows it."
So as I read this, Randy’s very first comment to Art is to call him a “bad egg.” He then extends his had to the padre. Randy then turns to Art, no mention is made of extending a hand to him, but Randy does tell him “…beatingest man about fisticuffs you ever seen.”
My reading of that is hostility and exclusion from the first moment they met.
Referring to Art’s comment to Randy detailed above you also mention “There’s not a damned case of Art addressing anyone else in such a way.” I’ll refer you to Chap 5, Msg 30 where Art addresses all of his old friends:
Artemus Carson:
In reply to Travis Sunday (msg #29):
A broad smile crosses his face as Artemus recognizes his old mate Travis Sunday.
"Well ain't this arvo filled with supprises. There I am standing around like a bandicoot on a burnt ridge and here comes the biggest pack of bushranging cattle duffers I've seen in many moons.
Artemus laughs and looks about to see who else he might find familer
Bloody bastards all. Wonderful to see you my friend."
And he vigorusly shakes Travis' hand.
"Bit tucker still on the loose?"
As for how I felt about the name “Archie” – So more meta gaming here. It was obvious Randy’s player spent “build points” on strength and constitution, so it seemed equally obvious that the points had to come from somewhere. I didn’t perceive him a uncharismatic or undexterous, so I concluded it came from INT and WIS.
And so I thought calling Art “Archie” was a sign of ignorance. Here is the genesis of “Archie” and though it was in a private comment, I don’t think it betrays any secrets to post it here. This was one night on the trail waiting a mile out in the grass. At the appointed hour Art was to light a lantern to guide the rest of the group into the campsite. Art took the idea to ride off playing a “joke” on the rest of the party as another sign of low intelligence or low wisdom or both.
Randy Oldman:
Night has fallen on Randy with the reminder that dinner hasn't leaped into his stomach.
Art then replies and likens Travis to an outhouse rat in another example of Art referring to others in Aussie slang
Artemus Carson:
In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #659):
Artemus is holding the lantern high and steady. Hearing Randy speak, Artemus looks over his shoulder at the big squire. . .
Not the full quid, eh? Take off flat out like a lizard drinkin’ eh, mate? Leave them sheila’s holdin’ their John-Thomas’. Tempting, aye, tempting. But them blokes is the dinky-di. Travis? Cunning as a dunny rat. Don’t want to go walkabout on him. We gotta nut out this Felder bloke, then we can pull on the pig tails, what?
They should be heading back soon.
OOC: Edited to add action.
(Note the homage to Meri)
As for terms like ‘you’ns’ and such, I just took that a good ol’ southern or country patterns of speech and passed no judgment on that. Thought I did think the “I is Randy” pattern did sound ignorant. As opposed to “Name’s Randy” or “I’s Randy” I found the “I is. . .” to be awkward and unwieldy.
I did pickup on Randy seeing, as you say, the Major and to a lesser degree Cole as father-figures. And so when Randy was tending to them I did see him as their squire. Calling him the squire was not an attempt to insult, though squire-boy usually was an attempt to show disrespect.
I thought the “fight” was Randy’s low point in the game and showed a lot of meta gaming. To me it was obvious from JM’s comments that Art was fatigued, and I know you know the game well enough to know that means Art was –2 on strength and –2 on dexterity. So I saw Randy’s attack on a weakened, seated-with-his-back-to-the-wall Art as cowardly, bullying and unprovoked, and that’s why Art fought back with is knife.
Art is a survivalist and would never give in during a fight like that. So as soon as he was conscious he had to verbally fly the star spangled banner as a sign of resistance to tyranny.
Comments about another’s mother are a rather typical, (if not universal across distance and time) sign of provocation, and so in character. That Randy chose to not react to that, but did to the earlier assertion that Art would speak if he wished, was I thought, another sign of meta gaming.
The “butt cheek monologue” we’ll call it, was supposed to be humorous and absurd and evoke an image of Jim Carey in “Ace Ventura.” I think Jim pulled it off better.
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I think your actually a good gamer, and can play a character thoughtfully and with great detail and flavor, but there seems to be a personal element that comes into play that detracts from the whole at times.
Anyway. . . I’m going to keep at the gaming, and I hope you do too and I hope we both improve in our style and manner of play – for years to come. I’m looking forward to it.