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 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Can I add the fact that no one at the store I go to understands the word "decimated/decimate."

Indeed.

Also, dice is the plural of die.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Why do we (wargamers) become high school morons, when an attractive wargamer appears in a shop and shows interest in what we are playing.

Do we, though? Isn't it just a myth or at best something that belongs in the nerdy past of 70's-80's? Aren't nerds nowadays of all varieties? Sporty, ripped, confident and outspoken included?

Cyel wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Why do we (wargamers) become high school morons, when an attractive wargamer appears in a shop and shows interest in what we are playing.

Do we, though? Isn't it just a myth or at best something that belongs in the nerdy past of 70's-80's? Aren't nerds nowadays of all varieties? Sporty, ripped, confident and outspoken included?

That's why I kept the bit a little gender inclusive as I saw a lasy at the shop the other day lose some of her grasp on the English language.

But, yes, it does primarily affect the male population more.

Now I could be wrong as my sample size is from one small area located deep in the land of stupid.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
...deep in the land of stupid.

...Earth?

 BorderCountess wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
...deep in the land of stupid.

...Earth?

Hey now, I like to pretend that you northerners live in a near eden where everyone is forward-thinking, mind-blowingly attractive, and whip-smart.

Unlike, my home, where our local population is so bad that we don't even get our own Bigfoot. Instead we get: The Florida Skunk Ape.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:

 BorderCountess wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
...deep in the land of stupid.

...Earth?

Hey now, I like to pretend that you northerners live in a near eden where everyone is forward-thinking, mind-blowingly attractive, and whip-smart.

Unlike, my home, where our local population is so bad that we don't even get our own Bigfoot. Instead we get: The Florida Skunk Ape.

There are parts of the “deep north” that are just as much fun as Florida. Just replace hurricanes with blizzards, and gaters with moose. People are people all over the place.

Of course, some of us are actually forward-thinking, mind-blowingly attractive, and whip-smart.

EDIT: Yeah, I shouldn't critique other people's irrational irritations...

 Lathe Biosas wrote:

 BorderCountess wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
...deep in the land of stupid.

...Earth?

Hey now, I like to pretend that you northerners live in a near eden where everyone is forward-thinking...

...except for my state.

...forward-thinking, mind-blowingly attractive, and whip-smart.

Two outta three ain't bad. [/Meat Loaf] I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader as to which two.

 BorderCountess wrote:

Two outta three ain't bad. [/Meat Loaf] I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader as to which two.

Oooh, this feels like a Kobayashi Maru level no-win scenario to me.

Lathe Biosas wrote:Can I add the fact that no one at the store I go to understands the word "decimated/decimate."

Next time, show them this Doctor Who moment. A true villain chooses his words carefully.

BorderCountess wrote:

Whether it's during a game or not, it's people who use the word 'literally' figuratively. If you ever tell me you are 'literally on fire' I'm grabbing a fire extinguisher.

I am, perhaps irrationally, not bothered by that overmuch. They're using 'literally' as an intensifier for a figurative phrase. It's the equivalent of a word like 'very'. It's perfect for the job.

Suppose you're in the habit of saying "I'm on fire!" when you're not, in fact, on fire. You're simply saying the weather is too hot, or you're having a moment of incredible skill or luck with dice during a game, or similar. Or you find something so funny that you announce "I'm dead!" or "I died laughing!" when you are clearly still alive. You're already saying that something is happening when it isn't. Well, how do you express that figurative sentiment even more strongly than usual? What do you say when the temperature hits an all-time high or the joke is even funnier than the norm? You say it's literally happening when it's literally not. It's the same as saying, "I really am on fire!" or "I'm actually dead!" It's obvious to everyone that you are not really on fire and you are not actually dead, just as it was obvious that you were not on fire and you were not dead. It's clear from context that the thing you are saying is literally happening is not literally happening ... which is why you are saying it's literally happening. What could underline your figurative point more than using the literal word 'literal' figuratively?

In fact, using 'literally' this way can help to emphasise that you're being figurative. If you shout "I'M ON FIRE!" or "I REALLY AM ON FIRE!" people might come running with the fire extinguisher in genuine concern. At the very least there may be a split second of uncertainty while they try to work out whether your hair has caught alight or you just rolled another six. But if you shout "I'M LITERALLY ON FIRE" people will know the fire extinguisher is not needed.

You said you'd be grabbing the fire extinguisher if someone used 'literally' that way. I'm pretty sure you're being figurative and don't actually intend to follow through on your threatened action ... but I'm not completely certain. If you said "I'm literally grabbing the fire extinguisher," though, I'd be 100% sure.

/pedant mode off


'Underrated', now. That always gets to me. People keep calling highly rated, well-respected and critically acclaimed things underrated. Games, books, films. What they actually mean is 'not well known' or 'obscure' or 'nobody I know talks about this enough'. Never mind that it's won awards.

Oh, yeah ... and 'very unique'. It's either unique or it's not!