Gori the Grey
The Poster
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 12,955
I actually don't get that event at all, but if I try to fathom who I'm playing as at that moment, it has to be the argentarius (even though the narrative is in the third person), because only he is in the position to decide which of two things he wants to write with his stylus.
Or is it that I, as the spirit of the culture at large, inspire him to write which of those messages I think is most appropriate to the culture? If so, I have a level of command over my citizenry that no autocrat has ever dreamed of: I can control their every stylus marking. I really am a god. But I'm a weirdly powerless god, because I'm limited to only two options. Why isn't "take better care of your damn clothes. Pay someone to watch em, ya skinflint; spread a little of that argentum around" an option?
But here are the things I most don't understand. So what? He writes down whichever of the two I favor. What does it matter that on some particular tablet near the baths is one message or another about thieves and their proper punishment? Is that put into effect as a law within my culture? Is that because I, as the being powerful enough to direct this argentarius' mind and hand also have the power to implement any law I please? If so, why do I do it in an indirect way like having an argentarius write it on a tablet? There's a weird mix between the argentarius' agency and mine, the god of the culture.
It seems to me as though you are correct generally speaking, Potworny. That whichever box I click represents the ethos of the culture at large, and the incident is giving me the opportunity to declare what that ethos will be. I'm just not clear about the mechanics of how the manner in which this event transpires translate to that broad cultural level.
I think I just don't understand events.
Also, from where does he pull the stylus and tablet? If they were in his locker or whatever, why didn't the thieves steal them too, when they stole his clothes?
Or is it that I, as the spirit of the culture at large, inspire him to write which of those messages I think is most appropriate to the culture? If so, I have a level of command over my citizenry that no autocrat has ever dreamed of: I can control their every stylus marking. I really am a god. But I'm a weirdly powerless god, because I'm limited to only two options. Why isn't "take better care of your damn clothes. Pay someone to watch em, ya skinflint; spread a little of that argentum around" an option?
But here are the things I most don't understand. So what? He writes down whichever of the two I favor. What does it matter that on some particular tablet near the baths is one message or another about thieves and their proper punishment? Is that put into effect as a law within my culture? Is that because I, as the being powerful enough to direct this argentarius' mind and hand also have the power to implement any law I please? If so, why do I do it in an indirect way like having an argentarius write it on a tablet? There's a weird mix between the argentarius' agency and mine, the god of the culture.
It seems to me as though you are correct generally speaking, Potworny. That whichever box I click represents the ethos of the culture at large, and the incident is giving me the opportunity to declare what that ethos will be. I'm just not clear about the mechanics of how the manner in which this event transpires translate to that broad cultural level.
I think I just don't understand events.
Also, from where does he pull the stylus and tablet? If they were in his locker or whatever, why didn't the thieves steal them too, when they stole his clothes?
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