Merlin

The ClubHouse: The Game II - Discussions: The Red Room: Merlin
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Interrogator

Tuesday, January 16, 2001 - 03:07 pm Click here to edit this post

Merlin rushes into the Red Room. he blurts out:

Sorry I am late! Wasn't ignoring!

First Impressions:


Azriel: Is the friendly person I meet at the grocery store or wherever that is easy going and comfortable to talk to.

Cammie: Is the busy housewife who I have not met, but only know her name.

Juju2bigdog: Is a mystery, has some hilarious humor, will have some great stories to tell if you can just get her to talk.

MissLibra: Wants to be in the group, but has not reached the point of feeling accepted yet.


Merlin pauses to catch his breath then continues:

Spamgirl: Is a young woman who has been in a much older world far sooner than I would want for one of my daughters. She can spit fire and breathe brimstone, but there is a very vulnerable person underneath.

Elitist: Is a smart man who has a fairly accurate perception of others. He has good people skills in general, and Elitist is the one I expect will win the game.

Guruchaz Is a mystery, he has a unique sense of humor which I have had difficulty understanding.

Newamush: Has been on the board some and in chat some, but the only thing I have been left with is that he sees this game as a forum for presenting his beliefs.

Ocean: Is a smart man who has something on his mind and may share it before the game is over.


Merlin pants for a minute then continues:

My impression of the game is that it is just like being on the outside posting on the board and getting to know a little about everyone, with the exception that the game does it in hyper speed.


Merlin rushes out of the room.


You think you hear someone cough behind the screen.

Interrogator

Tuesday, January 16, 2001 - 03:53 pm Click here to edit this post

Merlin creeps into the Red Room and slides into the chair.


The Interrogator booms:

Good Morning Gamers;

You have now been involved in "The Game" for a couple of days. You have had the opportunity to experience various aspects of interaction. Here are some questions for you.

You had, and passed, your first challenge. What are your thoughts on it? On working together to solve a problem? On the prize?


Merlin leaps up and then falls back into the chair. After composing himself he says:

I think the players working on the first challenge did a good job. The challenge was complete by the time I read it. As I read the posts, my thoughts were that they were working together, seemed to be having fun, and for it being the first time they were all together in this way, it was not as chaotic as it could be. I expect the next one to be smoother than the first.

The prize? I didn't go look, sorry, I was trying to get caught up on the board.


The Interrogator says:

What do you think of the chatroom, and the way it is used to allow you to interact "publicly"?


Merlin says:

I like the use of the chatroom. It speeds up the posting which speeds up the interaction between the players, and allows the players to maintain a somewhat continuity of the topic. For me the ability to go into a chat mode with the other players adds to the game in a positive way.


The Interogator says:

A hypothetical: Through some quirk of fate you have to nominate someone NOW, base don the last few days of interaction. Who would you nominate and why? Or for those of faintheart, who refuse to think of that who would you NOT nominate and why?


Merlin scratches his head and says:

Cammie would be the one I would nominate, strictly out of her not being in the game like everyone else.


Merlin leaps to his feet and rushes out of the room.


The Interrogator says:

If that is all, yadda yadda yadda.

Interrogator

Wednesday, January 17, 2001 - 06:25 am Click here to edit this post

Merlin races into the Red Room. he looks at the screen and blurts:

Nominations!

Cammie- not in the game!

OceanIslands - strictly strategical!

Just wanted to be prompt for a change!


Merlin sprints out of the room.


You hear a door behind the screen open and close. A voice says:

Was someone here?

Interrogator

Friday, January 19, 2001 - 07:24 am Click here to edit this post

Merlin is summoned into the Red Room by The Interrogator. He saunters in and grabs a seat.


The Interrogator clears his throat and says:

Good Morning Gamer.

Since there wasn't a lot of serious discussion on this question in chat last night it has been decided to throw it back at you, individually, today to see if we can get your thoughts on it.

There has been a lot of talk comparing Game 1 and Game 2.

The Players in Game 1 seemed to take themselves and the Game TOO seriously at times. In the view of many people the opposite has been happening here. The players seem to lack seriousness, and instead of giving answers to questions, or even interacting normally, they joke around. (Yes, kidding around is an integral part of interacting, but sometimes so is giving a serious and honest answer.) This was evidenced last night during several questions that were asked, including this one. What do you think?

Is this true? False? Both? Why do you feel that way?


Merlin shakes his head and says:

What is perceived on the outside as a lack of seriousness by game 2 players may come from us on the inside getting to know each other in a way different than game1. Anyone in a new situation in real life who uses humor to be the barrier breaker in establishing a relationship would be familiar with what is going on inside here.

I agree that we have lacked a comparable amount of seriousness. When you start having fun, you don't stop until you are made to stop. When I get to call Guru a •••••••• and he can laugh about it, you tend to forget about being serious.

When the questions were posed in chat, I was unaware that you were looking for concrete answers. I had the impression you were looking for input, if a game player had something to offer. I have no idea what the other players thought when these questions were asked in chat.


The Interrogator says:

It is also interesting to note that the players feel people are not interested in watching/participating. Do you think this lack of seriousness could be one of the reasons?


Merlin chuckles and says:

Sure it could be a reason. If a viewer of the game is looking for a certain amount of seriousness and it is missing, they may not watch. Is it the reason? Don't know.

If a viewer has a preconceived notion of how it is supposed to be, and it isn't, they will not be interested. If they are expecting the massive topic debates from game 1, they are not going to be interested in game 2. This hasn't happened yet. The game has just started.


The Interrogator says:

If that is all, we will talk again later.


Merlin nods his head and leaves.

Interrogator

Sunday, January 21, 2001 - 06:27 am Click here to edit this post

Merlin slinks into the Red Room and says:

Hi gator, I came to answer the question on Rivalry.


The Interrogator says:

You mean the question "Who do you think is your biggest rival, or rivals, in The Game?" which was asked over 2 days ago?


Merlin ponders the question for a moment and says:

Ummm, yeah. That one.


The Interrogator coldly states:

What is your resopnse?


Merlin looks stunned for a moment and then says:

Oh, to that question.

I don't see anyone as a rival. Elitist and Ocean would draw similar outside voters in my opinion. I see them as being rivals. All the other male players are very different from each other and in who they would draw as voters watching the game.

A Female player as a rival? Now that I think about it, I have never considered them as rivals.


The Interrogator asks:

I want to be sure I am not misunderstanding what you are saying. You don't consider female players to be rivals, or threats?


Merlin nods his head and says:

I realize that a female has a chance to win, but it just comes natural that my competition per se is from the other males.


The Interrogator says:

If that is all, we will talk again later.


Merlin smiles, waves, and vanishes.

Interrogator

Sunday, January 21, 2001 - 01:54 pm Click here to edit this post

Merlin walks into the Red Room and sits down.


The Interrogator says:

Quite a bit of catching up for you to do. Where do you want to start?


Merlin boggles and says:

Ummm...I don't know.


The Interrogator says:

Do you think Joni's introduction changes the game dynamics?


Merlin says:

Starting the game over in a sense, with Joni being added, has changed the dynamic of the game. First off, Joni has seen the outside boards and has had an opportunity to get a feel for what the outside viewer's opinions are first hand. Some people could have the ability to use this as advantage, but Joni doesn't appear as someone who would. I think she just wants to play the game and have fun.


The Interrogator says:

Has her introduction caused you to change your game plan? What is your strategy?


Merlin blinks rapidly and says:

My strategy has not changed.

It was to vote for whom I perceived as being weakest in the viewers eyes. I would think that people watching this game want someone who is participating in the game. Cammie and Ocean were the ones who I felt were here the least. Ocean's circumstance has made me reconsider him in this aspect. I felt he was just being lax in his participation. It was an error on my assessment and has resulted in my rethinking of how to determine participation. That is the only thing different in my strategy, what is participation and how I assess it.


The Interrogator says:

Today is Nomination day. Who are your choices and why?


Merlin ponders the question and says:

In the first nominations the players all made their nominations and the results were what they were. But now there is an opportunity to reconsider your first vote and I think there will be changes in the players voting because of what they saw in the first results.

Will Spam vote for Juju now that she knows that Juju voted for her? I thought I paid attention in chat but how the heck did she know that Juju left chat to email Digi and question why her vote for Spam was not being shown? Does this show up in the log of the chat where Digi is announcing to us who the nominees were? Does all of Spam's help with the chat for Digi give her access to go back and look over the chat logs? And does this help with chat give Spam the ability to access logs of the one on one chats that the other players have with each other, which all of the other players are unaware of?

Will Juju vote for Spam again because she was singled out as Spam's only vote?

Since Eltit and Ocean got the bulk of the initial votes, will some of the other players change their votes and include a vote for these two because now they may perceive them as being vulnerable. Did they vote for someone who only got one vote and now will decide to vote Elit or Ocean just to get them out of the game?


After a few minutes silence the Interrogator says:

When you decide how you are nominating come back and let us know.


Merlin walks out with a blank look on his face.

Interrogator

Sunday, January 21, 2001 - 02:06 pm Click here to edit this post

Merlin stumbles back into the Red Room and says:

Oh yeah, my nominations.


You hear an exasperated sigh from behind the screen. The Interrogator says:

Yes, it is nomination time.

Who are your nominations and why?


Merlin smiles and says:

I nominate Joni . At first, I was not going to because she just entered the game. She has had minimal presence, she has had minimal presence on the board prior to the game.


After a moments silence the Interrogator says:

And your second choice?


Merlin blinks and says:

I nominate Newamush. He also has had minimal presence on the board prior to the game.

In both cases, they seemed to pop out to just play a game online, nothing wrong with that. I have chosen to support the players who have given the most support to the continuation of this board . I do not want to send the message that new people do not have a chance, but that to become a part, I want them to be a part. If it wasn't for the ones who participate on the board, it would not exist.


The Interrogator says:

If that is all we will talk again later.

Merlin walks away in a fog.


You hear a voice behind the screen say:

Maybe Oceanisland shares?

Interrogator

Saturday, January 27, 2001 - 10:05 am Click here to edit this post

Merlin wanders into the Red Room.


The Interrogator says:

Good morning.

Interesting debate that didn't take place last night. I have a few questions for you which arise from it.

First, why do you think a compromise wasn't able to be reached?


Merlin smiles and says:

I am glad you asked what I think was a fair compromise since there had been several proposals. I thought that our proposal of Guru, Juju, and MissLibra going against three of their team members was the fairest for both sides. If the debate was postponed until Friday, and Spam couldn't be there, then we had the possibility of Ocean_Islands being able to debate. Or as it turned out, Spam, Azriel, and Elitist were in chat long enough last night to have done the debate then.

There were several questions in chat last night about why did we not accept their compromise that was presented to us when we entered the debate chat. You will notice that Guru accepted it and the remaining team members did not. In Grassyknolls chat, we discussed the fact that Spam had been around all day doing research for their position in the debate. Now she was willing to go twice in the debate as a substitute for Ocean_Islands. Considering she had more than likely done all the research for her team, I didn't think this put her at a disadvantage. This could have even been a strategy on the part of their team.

MissLibra was the only member of our team who had done any research for our side, with the exception of Guru who had been able to do some work on the topic. We met and discussed our topic for the first time only 2 ½ hours before the debate. With the preparation MissLibra had done, I would have let her go twice also.


The Interrogator says:

Considering the headaches that Hostess1 was given by some players over the issue of Cammie leaving and Joni entering, players who seemed to feel she wasn't trying to go by consesnus or compromise, do you think it is hypocritical of those same people to refuse to compromise last night?


Merlin shakes his head and says:

Yes, it was hypocritical for the same people to refuse to compromise last night if they criticized Hostess 1 for not going with the consensus.


The Interrogator says:

What do you think of the free for all chats, like last night after the abortive debate, where all the viewers are allowed to chime in?


Merlin smiles and says:

I like for the viewers to be able to speak. I like to hear what it is they have to say. I don't like the free for all aspect of it, it is much like being in a room with a group of reporters all asking questions or making comments and you don't know which one to turn to first.


The Interrogator says:

Do you prefer the old Guruchaz, kinder-gentler Guruchaz, or kung fu grip Guruchaz?


Merlin ponders the question and says:

As far as Guru goes, I did not like the old Guru at all.

The Guru inside the game is the Guru I like. For me this is the real Guru, it has always been there, but he never revealed this side of himself to us. I hope he doesn't get discouraged when the game is over and he may be getting static from other board members about being different.

It is like getting a totally new hairstyle; you are self-conscious about it at first and take every comment very seriously. I hope he doesn't think he has to be the old Guru for people to accept him, which makes me wonder why in the first place did he become the person that was the old Guru.


The Interrogator says:

You are equating a dramatic change in personality, whether real or perceived, with a haircut?


Merlin smiles weakly and says:

Ummm. Yes.


The Interrogator says:

If that is all, we will talk again later.


Merlin waves and saunters out of the Red Room.

Interrogator

Saturday, January 27, 2001 - 05:04 pm Click here to edit this post

Merlin backs into the Red Room. He stumbles to the chair and sits down.


The Interrogator says:

Today is nomination day. State your choices and your reasons.


Merlin gulps and says:

My nominations are Spamgirl and MissLibra.

Why? This round of nominations I am deciding by how connected I feel towards the other players. There is one other player that I have not made a connection with. They do not get nominated by me this time because I want to make an attempt to get this connection.


The Interrogator says:

If that is all, we will talk again later.


Merlin gets up and stumbles out of the room.

Interrogator

Thursday, February 01, 2001 - 07:59 pm Click here to edit this post

Merlin appears in the Red Room. He looks at the ceiling and says:

I nominate Ocean Islands and Azriel.

I nominate Ocean because I have made a closer connection with the other players. Azriel is nominated because she hasn't been nominated and I dont think she will be nominated.


Merlin vanishes as quickly as he appeared.


The Interrogator says:

I suppose we are supposed to be thankful that he at least showed up to say that much.


A voice says:

Maybe we should put crazy glue on the chair next time he shows up. :)

Interrogator

Monday, February 05, 2001 - 08:47 am Click here to edit this post

Merlin sneaks into the Red Room, and tiptoes up to the screen. He grins and says:

Miss me?


The Interrogator coughs and says:

Good evening Gamer.

The third set of banishments has come and passed. Here are some questions for you about the events of this evening.

How are you handling the results of the evening?


Merlin sighs deeply and says:

I do not handle the banishment nights well at all. It leaves me concerned as to where the banished players are in their minds when they find out that they are the ones having to leave. I find it difficult to say goodbye, not knowing if it really is goodbye and the banished player will never return.


The Interrogator says:

Were you surprised by the results?


merlin shakes his head and says:

I can't say I was surprised by the results because I felt like Ocean would be banished. I was not sure if Guru or Juju would be banished because it was too close to call. I felt like Azriel had nothing to worry about.

This is my take on what the numbers meant for me. Ocean's percentage was an assessment by the viewers of the game as to his way of participating in the game. Ocean would have done well in game 1 because the majority of that game in the beginning was done with topic discussion. My perception was that game 1 was a get to know each other by writing essays and let's see who you are by what you think on a particular topic.

This game started and has remained more of a let's talk about ourselves and what has happened in our lives in order to get to know each other. I get that the way this game played out was not along the lines of how Ocean reveals himself to others. In the red rooms that Ocean left for us to read, he commented on how the game lacked interactive discussions and appears to scoff at the hot tub conversations. I agree that at times it does get silly in the hot tub and in some of the chatroom conversations. At the same time, I have found there were some serious conversations and the mix of these all add to the becoming acquainted in here and in real life.

The percentages of the other 3 players on last night's banishment meant to me it was a choice of who they wanted to see more of by having them remain in the game. I have never seen this game as a popularity contest but more along the lines of this is whom I want to know more about. My concern is for those players who may be looking at it as a popularity or acceptance vote. This is where I am not sure about Juju, is she taking it as not being accepted?


The Interrogator says:

Were you surprised by how the banishees reacted to the results?


Merlin frowns and says:

I was surprised by Ocean's reaction to the banishment when I left chat and saw what he had posted on the board. It appeared he had given some thought to what he had posted. I have never understood the concern some of the players have had over red room edits. Ocean came back into chat after banishment and seemed to say that after reading what was posted on the other side that his red rooms were in fact edited. I didn't get what the purpose of this was.


The Interrogator says:

On a lighter note can we expect more hot tub hi-jinks?


Merlin chuckles and says:

You want to know if there will be more hot tub hi-jinks? Maybe, ask Azriel.


The Interrogator says:

If that is all, we will talk again later.


Merlin nods his head and vanishes.


A voice says: How the H - E - Double Hockey Sticks does he do that????


The Interrogator says:

Quiet you!

Interrogator

Tuesday, February 06, 2001 - 11:18 am Click here to edit this post

Merlin appears in the Red Room. He looks at the screen and says:

Hi Gator!


You hear the sound of a crash behind the screen, and breaking glass.


The Interrogator says:

Good morning.

You came to discuss nominations, n'est pa?


Merlin nods his head and says:

I am glad as hell this is the last time I have to do this!

I nominate Elitist and Azriel.

Why these two?

I can't nominate Guru, I have already done the damage with nominating Azriel the last time so I hope it doesnt get that much worse by nominating her again.

Elitist is a cool guy and I am totally jealous that he still has young children and they get to sit in his lap while he is in chat at night.


The Interrogator says:

If that is all, we will talk again later.


Merlin nods his head.

You blink, and he is gone.


A voice says:

How does he do that?


The Interrogator says:

Quiet you!

Interrogator

Saturday, February 10, 2001 - 08:22 am Click here to edit this post

Merlin pops into the Red Room.


The Interrogator says:

Good Morning Gamer.

The final round of banishments has come and gone. You survived! How does it feel?


Merlin sighs and says:

Yes, Gator, I survived and that is how it feels this morning. What I am trying to say is that it has been stressful at times and that is present for me this morning.

I am still thinking about the oneonone chat with Azriel last night after banishment. It is important to me to understand the people I am attempting to communicate with. What I got from Azriel last night was that she saw me as grilling her. I had not picked up on the fact that she felt that way. Another thing that bothers me is that she connected something I said about our online relationship to a post she had made about having Bell's palsy. I had to reread her post this morning to see what I missed. I remember not thinking much of it at the time and I still don't know what Bell's palsy is. At the end of the post Azriel said she was strong and healthy and I just let it pass without further inquiry. I am sure I will understand more when I can read the chat Azriel had with Spam that she referred to.

Hindsight tells me I should have been more observant in this case. I was passing off Azriel's reaction to the fact that I had nominated her and she thought she would be voted out. My bad was for not confronting it as it happened. This does not leave me with feeling like a winner, but more of a survivor. A survivor of my short sightedness.


The Interrogator says:

We are now down to the final few days. The viewers will determine who is number 1,2, and 3. Where do you think you will place and why? Where do you think the other 2 finalists will place and why?


Merlin thinks a moment and says:

First and second place is hard to call. Guru and Azriel have come up against each other only once. They were separated only by a couple of votes. Both players have been open with themselves in the game and willing to be out there for assessment by the viewers. If I had to vote myself, I would vote for Azriel because winning would have the most meaning for her and she has played well.

Third place belongs to me. That is my prize for slipping past Elit when he wasn't looking. Elit, it was never about beating you, it was all about picking the best challenge and that was what I saw in you. My thoughts are if I am going to test myself, pick the highest standard in order to judge by.


The Interogator says:

Is there anything else you would like to say?


Merlin nods his head and says:

Oh yeah, Gator. I would like to make sure you don't think I slighted the red rooms out of any reason but a time factor for me. In the first few days of the game, I had all of my focus on interacting with the players on the board. Then my window of opportunity to be online closed tremendously. What time I had then was also spent on the board with the players. I realized at the time it may come back to haunt me, but that was my choice at the time. I just wanted it to be clear to you that nothing else was involved even though there was some kidding about it.


The Interrogator says:

Thank you for the explanation. The lack of contact wasn't attributed to malice, and did give me a good reason to tease you. :)


Merlin grins and says:

Have you noticed all the ones who have said they would like to be the interrogator next time? I wonder what that means?


The Interrogator cooly says:

I ask the questions!

If that is all, we will talk again later.


Merlin smiles and vanishes in a puff of logic.


A voice says:

There can be only one!


The Interrogator says:

Quiet you!