Mercer-chan - Today at 6:44 PM
We'll start from the top-
Why do you want to be a GM? Has this reason changed from the last time you took part in this process?
knightofshadows - Today at 6:45 PM
I want to be a GM so I can better serve the VLC community.  I run a lot of OARs, and I'd like to continue to help out however I can.  VLC is an amazing place full of amazing people, and I'd like to do whatever I can to make it even better.
Sure, I'd really like to try a bunch of new stuff still that gets around the OAR restrictions, but at this point I'm more interested in doing whatever I can to help out.  So I guess that's changed in the last two months, but otherwise it's pretty much the same.
Mercer-chan - Today at 6:49 PM
Cool! Onto the second-
Do you feel as though you are more experienced in Pathfinder now as compared to prior to last time you went through this process? What has changed, if anything?
knightofshadows - Today at 6:51 PM
More experienced in Pathfinder?  Definitely.  Every time you go on an ER or OAR, you learn a little bit more.  Whether that's learning how to roleplay better, or coming to better understand the specific mechanics behind certain complicated subsystems (grappling, I'm looking at you!), it becomes easier and easier to grasp the more you work with it.
It's also gotten easier as I've started bookmarking pages that tend to come up a lot for reference, and having run a bunch more OARs helps further cement things, because everyone has there own set of unique rules for different characters.
It's also done a great job of helping me figure out who to ask later about technical rules questions, while also being more willing to make temporary rulings and press onwards in order to keep the OAR moving.
And that's just from a mechanical standpoint.
I think I've also got a much better grasp on the roleplaying aspects of Pathfinder as well, which is something that really only comes with practice.
And while I still make mistakes, I feel like I've made significant progress since the last time we went through this.
Mercer-chan - Today at 6:58 PM
That's good! No one's perfect, but I'm glad you're trying your hardest to keep learning new things- that's a good sign.
Last time we did this I asked you whether or not you had any problems with the community- you responded that you didn't have much. Has that changed at all? If so, what problems do you have, and what would you do as a GM to change them?
knightofshadows - Today at 7:00 PM
I guess that depends what you mean by 'problems.'  Sure, there's always going to be little things that irritate me here or there, but they aren't anything serious, and as long as everyone else is having fun there's no need to try and correct them.  As a GM, my priority would be making sure that the players are enjoying themselves and that there aren't any problems which are interfering with their ability to enjoy VLC.(edited)
Mercer-chan - Today at 7:01 PM
Mmkay! Usually by problems I mean critical flaws you see with our community
So if you y'know, saw someone getting bullied or something
knightofshadows - Today at 7:02 PM
I don't see anything critical.  There's a couple things which would be nice to have written down somewhere (like the rules for starting player orgs), in case potential problems develop later, but I don't see any critical VLC-ending flaws.
Mercer-chan - Today at 7:04 PM
Mmmhm, that's fair. There's too many 'unwritten' rules in VLC as it stands, that's one of them
We need to work a little bit more on that
knightofshadows - Today at 7:04 PM
I've heard a little on that topic from a few players, but I don't think it's by any means a critical issue at the moment.  But I think getting the 'unwritten' rules like those those defined would help prevent any major issues from developing in the future
Mercer-chan - Today at 7:04 PM
Agreed
Now that you've had a while to think on it, I'll ask again- how do you plan on working together with the GM staff to make the community the best it can be?
knightofshadows - Today at 7:08 PM
There's a lot of possibilities for that one, mostly depending on what you all need.  I'm willing to jump in and help wherever I'm needed in order to keep things running smoothly, whether that's helping communicate things to the player base so that they understand what's happening without needing to know the specifics, helping create new lore for future events/ER chains, or actually running ERs/approving sheets.  Without knowing what things look like behind the curtain, it's hard to say exactly what I can do in order to best help the VLC community.  But I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that VLC continues to be an amazing place for everyone.
One thing I've done a bit of in the past few months that I'm going to continue helping with whether or not I make GM has been a lot of the new players--I've helped a few setup macros and other basic sheet stuff before.
Mercer-chan - Today at 7:12 PM
Mmk, it's good that you're keeping things open for yourself. I think macros are one of the things people have the most difficulty with, so I really appreciate that (both as a GM and a general member of the community) you help out
knightofshadows - Today at 7:13 PM
Maybe I should go write a macro guide or something, idk lol.  I'm not the best macro person in VLC, but I have a general idea what I'm doing.
Mercer-chan - Today at 7:13 PM
Again, I asked this before but I think it's important to gain perspective on how things have changed since last time-
A VLC GM is usually supposed to be seen as an example of what we look for in the community- how do you intend on doing this for the players? Do you think the current GM staff does this well?
knightofshadows - Today at 7:16 PM
As you've said before, nobody is perfect.  I've made a few mistakes in that regard, even as I've been trying to get better.  I think what's important is that I continue to own the times I mess up, and strive to do better in the future.  Anyone can make a mistake, but it's only really a failure if you don't learn from it.  I'd like to think I've made significant progress since last time, both as an individual and as a member of the VLC community, but it can be rather hard to judge yourself at times.  Being an example isn't about being perfect or free of error, it's about doing the best you can and always trying to be better.
As for the current GM staff?  I'd say they do this well 85% of the time.  Like everyone else, they aren't perfect, and everyone has their bad days.  But in general, the GM staff continues to try and improve, especially when they stumble and make mistakes.  But overall, they do a good job keeping the community together while also promoting growth.(edited)
As for me, I'm going to continue trying to do the best I can.  Because at the end of the day, whether I pass or fail, and no matter what anyone else thinks, I know how much effort I put into this.  And as long as I do the best I can, putting as much as I can into what I do and continue to try and improve, no matter how many failures or setbacks I encounter, then I'm okay with whatever happens.  I've only failed if I've stopped trying--even if that looks like success from the outside.
Mercer-chan - Today at 7:24 PM
Mmmmk
Now for a new one to break up the old questions
As a VLC GM, we expect to be able to rule effectively on obvious infractions of alignment, even though some of us might have small disagreements on some matters. What defines the alignments to you- what is an evil, lawful, good, and chaotic act in your eyes?
knightofshadows - Today at 7:24 PM
hahaha, I was wondering if you were going to ask this one
The easiest of those two to define is law vs chaos, so I'm going to start there. A Lawful character is going to strive to maintain order over all else, because they believe that even if it is flawed, societal rules/restrictions make humanity (or elvenkind, or insert your race here) better as a whole.  As a result, a Lawful act isn't merely following whatever laws exist because they are the laws, but because those laws are best for everyone.  Example:  Hellknight A arrests Adventurer B for an MUI (magic under the influence) in accordance with Cheliaxian Law, because even though Adventurer B is their friend, continuing to show that drunken wizardry is a bad idea is better for society than setting the precedent of letting Adventurer B off the hook.
In contrast, a Chaotic character believes that societal restrictions stifle freedom and individuality, and that it is only through individualism that the best discoveries are reached.  A Chaotic character isn't required to go around breaking all the laws simply because "I'm chaotic, therefore the rules don't apply to me", but they won't hesistate to ignore whatever is expected of them in order to follow their hearts and dreams.  Chaotic acts are generally recognized when they ignore laws and other restrictions--and chaotic characters often refuse to let themselves be shackled/tied down in any way which would restrict their own personal freedoms.
Good vs Evil is a much harder one to define, and varies on an individual basis, because everyone has their own idea of what is considered moral.  However, in general, Good actions are those which are selfless, focused on helping others and making the world a better place for everyone, while Evil acts which make the world worse for everyone (and are usually self-centered as a result).
Golarion has a defined Good and a defined Evil, based upon the concept of Positive and Negative energy, with Good acts being associated with the Heavens and the Positive Energy Plane, while Evil acts are associated with Negative Energy, demons, devils, undeads, and violation of the soul.
However, the thing that makes alignment so hard to define is that it isn't usually the act that matters, but the reason behind the act.  There are a few exceptions of things that are blatantly considered "Evil", but what makes the most common 'evil' acts (such as murder) 'evil' is because they are usually committed for personal gain at the expense of anyone who stands in the way.
Er, I can go into more detail if you'd like, but this is getting kinda long.  Have you gotten everything you need, or would you like me to keep going?
Mercer-chan - Today at 7:40 PM
I think that's a pretty good answer, it certainly covers all the bases I think we wanted you to
Yeah I think we can move on unless you wanna add something more
knightofshadows - Today at 7:41 PM
I think that'll be enough for me.  If it's not, you can always ask me to clarify something later.  Otherwise I might end up writing an essay before I realize what I'm doing lol.
Mercer-chan - Today at 7:43 PM
heh
Let's take things back from that to some hypotheticals and then we'll be finished
An argument about an in character action is happening in VLC OoC chat, and things are getting out of hand(as they are wont to do). No one else has done anything about it. What would you do in this situation?
knightofshadows - Today at 7:49 PM
Depends on how bad it is.  If it's getting out of hand to the point it's a problem, then I should probably do something.  Like post a meme.  Memes are distracting and bigger than walls of text and therefore hard to ignore.  Or start asking a bunch of random questions about a build idea or something.  Really, anything to try and shift the conversation to a different subject.  And if that doesn't work, at some point it's necessary to step in and be like 'hey guys, this is causing issues, can we try and keep this calm' or something.

However, all those solutions assume that's I've only got me to deal with a problem.  When in reality, we have an entire GM staff, so the first thing to do is probably bump gm-chat and figure out A) Is this a problem? (maybe it's just me who's getting grumpy) and if so, B) How do we best address this in a manner that leaves everyone happy? so that it comes across as unified, rather than any one individual getting ticked off.
That's the nice thing about having a team of GMs.  You don't have to handle everything by yourself, and you have people you can rely on when you are unsure what to do.  Maybe the reason it hasn't been addressed is because it isn't really a problem.  Or maybe everyone's just been asleep or something.  It never hurts to check before just jumping into the middle of it.

Mercer-chan - Today at 7:55 PM
hmmmm, okay
What if that same sort of argument is happening in the middle of an ER you're running?
knightofshadows - Today at 7:56 PM
There's two ways to handle that one, and that's honestly a little easier.  The first is saying "Hey, this is what I'm going to use for this ER, if you don't like that talk to my about it later and we'll get it fixed for next time."
The second is the classic "Hey look!  Monsters!  Go smash them!"
Usually the first method is enough to calm down most arguments, and if it's not then you end up having to resort to other things in order to get the argument to de-escalate, because the point of the ER is for everyone to have fun.  Sometimes that might mean having to shut down one idea/player so that everyone else can have fun.
The second method works best if people are running in circles and still arguing about something after you've made a ruling.  But usually making a call and sticking to it is enough to resolve the argument.
I'm willing to get a rule wrong for a while to keep the ER moving and everyone having fun instead of getting bogged down in a rule debate for half an hour.
knightofshadows - Today at 8:01 PM
Removing a player from an ER is a last resort, and should only be done if absolutely nothing else is preventing them from causing a problem which is ruining everyone else's enjoyment from the ER, and should never be done without having given at least 1 warning before reaching that point.
Mercer-chan - Today at 8:04 PM
Mmk, I think I understand!
Is there anything else you'd like to add before I close this interview out?
knightofshadows - Today at 8:05 PM
Is there anything else y'all would like to know?
Mercer-chan - Today at 8:05 PM
not me specifically
I was asking you personally anyways
Any personal concerns you'd like to address
knightofshadows - Today at 8:07 PM
The only thing I really have to say, I guess, is that even if I don't make it this time, I'm going to learn from wherever I went wrong and come back in 1 month/2 months/however long I have to wait and be right back here again.
I don't really have any personal concerns.  I'm just going to keep trying my best, no matter what happens.
Mercer-chan - Today at 8:09 PM
Mmk
Then we're done