Ask Me Anything: Phil_Ozzy_Fer

What question do you wish someone would ask you?

My favourite character from a GP game was a villain I'd made up for Patherfinder 1e game. The idea behind the NPC was to create a villain that was based on someone being able to get stuff done through subterfuge and guile, rather than force. They couldn't take a punch, so to peak, they were dastardly clever. I gave my character, a rogue I believe, a lot of skills oriented around using magic items (potions in particular) and social skills. Then my NPC hired the PCs as bodyguards, but my players never knew they were protecting the villain. Every time a situation arose where they could have changed sides, they'd lose rolls or simply accept my NPC's lies at face value. The whole thing was an experiment. I wanted to see how long I could get away with it for, and if statting out a character like that could even be successful.

For all time, it's hard to say for other players, and I think that there are people on this site that are better writers than they realize. There have been so many different PCs I've seen over the years. The "world's sexiest robot" in a 13th Age game stands out in recent memory. The player knew the rules, but understood that it was a game and they made it a point to have fun no matter what else might have been going on in the plot.

That's really up to the people reading their way through this. I see this as a chance to meet and chat with people in a capacity that might not present itself under normal circumstances. Like you Jabes, I've been on the site a long time have gamed with a lot of people, but there isn't always a whole lot of conversation. Having the Discord more recently has changed that quite a bit, but just the same, I'm happy to entertain whatever questions people want to ask. I assumed I'd be getting questions about gaming and GP, and I haven't been disappointed. If people want to ask about hobbies, music, movies, books, boxers or briefs, whatever...I signed myself up for this. Have at it!

Do you have any movie, series and/or music that you'd say it's a guilty pleasure of yours?
I'm talking about b-movies, cheesy soap operas, reality shows, dumb funny music - you name it.

Prove to us your human nature you possible robot!

Of course! When I was a kid, it was common for tv stations to set aside blocks of time for cartoonson Saturday mornings, but also sometimes on Sundays. However, there was a local channel that did something different. I don't know if they couldn't afford to pay for the rights to broadcast the same kind of stuff other channels had on, but for whatever reason, they ran blocks of old martial arts movies. Sometimes monster movies as well. The really hilarious stuff from the 60's and 70's, where everyone's voices were dubbed and they all sounded likeJohn Wayne. It was "Super Samurai Sunday!" and they broadcast movies like "The Kid with the Golden Arm, Lady Whirlwind, and cult classic, The 36 Chambers of Shaolin. They also ran blocks of old Godzilla movies and other kaiju films. It was glorious. Unfortunately, they didn't last long, but their replacement did, and they played (and still do!) late-night B-movies from decades past. I was lucky in this respect, and I developed a deep affection for low-budget movies because I grew up with all of this.

Okay, boxers or briefs? Just kidding! 😂

What hobby or interest of yours might suprise people?

Probably calligraphy. I took it up during the pandemic because I felt like I needed quiet activity to do that required me to unplug and get away from the deluge of information about Covid-19. It's surprisingly meditative, and I've kept going with it as a hobby. I've toyed with larger projects, like illuminated poems on greeting cards, but I'm not very good at it yet, so... I'll keep quietly practicing until I can elevate my skills for something more comlpex.

Hey, thanks for participating!
What do movies and television get wrong about your culture?
Whats your favorite or least favorite logical fallacy?
What's the weirdest product you've seen for sale, for a franchise you love?
What's your favorite album from start to finish?

Thank you for having, and thank you for the questions! I'm happy to do this.

I'm originally from the United States and have been living outside the country for over a decade. With that in mind, what I think people get wrong about my culture is how prominent it is, or should be. The USA is grossly over-represented internationally. The extent that people around the world discuss US politics and entertainment is a bit unsettling, and frankly confusing.

If I had to pick one, maybe argumentum ad populum (appeal to popularity). It bothers me how often this is used to silence minority voices in political debates, and by extension, how it distorts what healthy democratic practices should be. The idea that something is good simply because it is popular is obviously flawed, but it is also easy to understand why it is often invoked.

I tend to think merchandising for geeky stuff is a little out of hand. Star Wars toilet papers holders, for example, are a thing that make me laugh, but ask, "why?" I mean, what's the message, "May the fart be with you?" Do I need Darth Vader's help with my bowel movements? I always laughed at the merchandising scene from Spaceballs, but its kind of come true, despite having been intended as a joke.

Favorite album is a tough one. I tend to binge on genres of music for a while, move on to something else, and cycle back through them. Also, some of the music I like wasn't on an album. I'm going to answer this, but I'm going to think about it a bit, if that's OK. I may offer a few different answers to this last part of your question.

OK, I've thought about the music question @crazybirdman, and I've got a way to answer. There are some albums that, for any number of reasons, I go back to and keep in my rotation.

Trois Gymnopédies - Erik Satie (I have a version performed by pianist Anne Queffélec)
London Calling - The Clash
Energy - Operation Ivy (youthful nostalgia here)
Exodus - Bob Marly
West Side Soul - Magic Sam
The Pearl - Brian Eno, Harold Budd, and Daniel Lanois

I own all of these, and they are are all pieces of music that I revisit no matter what else might be "shuffling" on my music player.

Wow, thanks. I own one of those, and have only heard of one other. Time to go expand my mind