I recently posted on the subject of Intolerant Anti-Bloodlines products by a certain manufacturer within Second Life. I presented the material on this blog site with images, the description of the product from the Second Life Marketplace website and the link to the product on Second Life Marketplace. I did this so that the reader could verify the facts of my presentation for themselves. I attempted to present an accurate representation of the material giving proper credit to the author of the material. This is the way this type of information is presented. It's called writing a paper! But the author of this product being intolerant of any view other than his own; made a complaint to Blogger having the presentation taken down.
I answered each point the the author of the products presented in a forum he could rebut at his leisure. My attempted was a fair meeting of the minds. But this individual instead of answering or commenting on the blog or even learning something he may not have known about Bloodlines, chose cheap tricks to help others remain ignorant of the real issues on the subject. He presented my blog as a violation of copy write laws. It is my understanding that copy write laws are there to protect the author from having their material stolen by someone else taking credit for the material. I presented the material in its entirety with credit to the author and a link to his product line on Second Life Marketplace. (That's called referencing your resource.) That does not sound like someone who is trying to steal someone else's material. It sounds to me whats happening is someone wants to keep the truth from coming out. Someone does not want to present the information in a fair and unbiased manner. Ever hear of the freedom of the press? Now I realize I am not the press and I did not get previous permission to presenting the material. But hey, What are you afraid of? What truth are you suppressing? Why do you want to allow only one point of view? Why are you apposed to my point of view on my own blog? When we were on the Second Life Blog with this same subject, You did not want any other view presented other than your own then either. Sounds like you are trying to control information.
Well, my blog is about Tolerance and you are exactly the opposite. I do here in declare you Public Enemy In-Tolerant Number One. No, you are not my enemy. If you were then I would be intolerant. But your intolerant closed minded ignorance is my enemy. Your words are my enemy because they are intolerant of me.You do not know me and you have never met me. You have never interacted with me and you presume to know my actions and reactions. And you base your omniscience upon one word 'Bloodlines.'
By the way; you base your removal of my opinions on my own blog on the basis of copy write violation. Have you ever noticed 'All content © 2010 Liquid Designs.' on the bottom of the Bloodlines website? Yet you violate the same principle in your product every time your sell one. And you violate the same principle in your advertisement of your product. Why don't you practice the same thing you inflict on others? Or do you just rely on cheap tricks to impose your opinions on others. ~ Wolf
Holger Gilruth's Anti Bloodlines Propaganda
I have picked up these images from SL Marketplace:
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/products/search?search%5Bcategory_id%5D=&search%5Bmaturity_level%5D=GM&search%5Bkeywords%5D=+Holger+Gilruth
And present them in an effort to dissuade readers from the Anti Bloodlines Propaganda, Intolerance and Misinformation. Please read this information in the context it is presented and the context of this blog.
Oh heck, You know at this point I am supposed to present my intent and primary argument. But what it comes down to is I have been harassed and griefed by your minion Holger Gilruth. I see these signs all over SL and the owners feel they have justification for their intolerance and they are supported by your misinformation. The bottom line is you are presenting an argument against all Bloodlines Role Players that may be true of a select few. All I know is I am being harassed and griefed over something I have never been a part of. What it comes down to is your information has as much validity as 'All Blondes are Dumb' 'All Jews are stingy' 'All Poles are stupid' 'All Whites are Prejudice' 'All Blacks are lazy' 'All Men are chauvinist' You are judging and condemning a whole group on the experience of a select few. I remember when I stumbled upon your blog and was under the misguided impression that it was about honest concerns by honest people who had valid experiences on a subject. I quickly learned it was about bashing something these people knew little about and were tainted by your misinformation. Here is your product information from SL Marketplace. And you can plainly see I have included a link so everyone can see the information just as it is presented. I have included comments in italics in an effort to correct your information.
Info from first sign:
ANTI-BLOODLINES FAQ
What is Bloodlines?
Bloodlines is a pyramid scheme {A pyramid scheme or a ponsi scheme is a money making con game where the first people to 'buy in' get the money from those who 'buy in' later. You know, like Social Security. There is no actual 'Value Added' to any product in the form of a physical product or a service to a customer. It gets its name from the pyramidal structure of the diagram of those participating. Bloodlines is not like this. The first in do not get money from those who come in later. You do purchase a product (a hud) and you enter into a game. You can play the game as you see fit. You can get all Gothed out or be a Furry Vamp or a sexy Vamp. It's up to you. ~ Wolf } disguised as a role-playing game in Second Life. The "goal" is to collect as many "souls" as possible, by biting people and then convincing them to buy the vampire HUD and become vampires themselves. In addition, every vampire must collect a certain amount of fresh blood to survive. This generally requires biting someone who has never been bitten before. { Actually it has more to do with biting someone with a Human Hud. This Human looses a small portion of their Humanity and the biter receives a small portion of Vital Blood or Lumen. These 'Victims' are referred to as Blood Angels and in return for there service they are usually supplied with an Apple or Cider to return their Humanity. Random bite requests do not supply Vampires role playing in Bloodlines with enough Vital Blood to sustain them. That is why there are so many 'Non Biting' Humans in the game. An initial bite of a New Avi claims the soul of that Avi and no Bloodlines Role Player is able to bite that person until that New Avi purchases a Hud of their own. As you can see it realy is not an effective approach to the game to randomly cold call unsolicited bite request a noob SL Avi. ~ Wolf }
What's wrong with Bloodlines?
Bloodlines is designed so that vampires must constantly try to obtain more blood and souls by recruiting new people to the game. There are now so many vampires trying to obtain the blood they need to "survive", that many now resort to trying to trick, pressure, beg, or harass newbies and others who have never been bitten. As a result, people who have just joined SL, or who are simply not interested in Bloodlines, receive numerous unwanted bite requests whenever they arrive at welcome areas, help areas, and popular shopping locations. Newbies become annoyed and quit SL, store owners get complaints about the vampires, and long-term SLers resent the intrusion on their experience. {What's wrong with Bloodlines? Holger Gilruth if offended by it and is intolerant of anything that is different than his personal tastes. That is what's wrong with Bloodlines and nothing else. Is it wrong to recuit people to play tennis? Play Chess? Share a stick of gum? Then why is it wrong to recruit some one new into any other game you or I enjoy? Like D&D or WoW or SL or Bloodlines? Oh Holger, any Vampire or Lycan or Human in Bloodlines can purchase containers or Vital Blood or Lumen or Cider from within the game and has no need to randomly cold call unsolicited bite requests. And don't forget the 'Amulet' which protects the Vampire or Lycan from the 'Curse' so they have no need to Bite at all. As far as 'resort to trying to trick, pressure, beg, or harass' That happens every day in SL in the form of Copy Bots and Griefers. Your solution then is to close down SL? And the only Harassment I have experienced is people blurting your nonsensical uninformed propaganda. ~ Wolf }
In legitimate role-play games, participation is limited to those who have chosen to participate - by joining a group or going to a role-play specific location. People who are not interested in the role-play are never involved or pressured into participating. Bloodlines is not real role-play, and it gives honest, respectful role-players a bad name. { The unstated argument here is Bloodliners take their role play out of their Bloodlines specific areas and bring it into areas used by others who are not Bloodlines Role Players. Well, I do see Furies and Mech's and Fairies and Elves in those same places and no one is telling them to come to those places without their role play specific avi's. And when I have interacted with them they have often stayed in character. And guess what! Not one is under the threat of ban! I have often been invited by a Furry or Fairy to one of their Sim's and experience their hospitality. I have respectfully attended and had a wonderful time. Yes they did try to recruit me into their role play and I respectfully declined. I have nothing against their role play and I support their role play and their right to their role play. It is just not my role play. Although, I do play a Lycan in Bloodlines. Fair is fair Holger ~ Wolf }
How could the Bloodlines creators solve this problem?
The solution to stop unwanted biting is very simple: { Just say no? ~ Wolf } in order to be bitten, victims should have to choose to participate by obtaining, for free or at a cost, their own Victim HUD or device to wear. Vampires could only bite people who wear this device. { Oh you mean the Human Hud which has no provision to bite but only to offer to be bitten? Or the Garlic Necklace that will not allow any Bloodlines Hud to send a bite request? ~ Wolf }
This idea has been proposed to the creators of Bloodlines numerous times, but they refuse to implement it. Apparently, they consider their profits more important than stopping the harassment of thousands of SL users who are not interested in their game. { Hmmm, Looks like Bloodlines did provide that very thing and you are just spreading misinformation. ~ Wolf }
What can I do to help stop this?
The best way to force Bloodlines to change their policies is to refuse to participate. Do not allow strangers or even friends to bite you. { Oh, exercise freedom of choice? Just like it is my free choice and right to play Bloodlines unharassed? ~ Wolf } Don't become a vampire. If you are a vampire, buy the product from Bloodlines that makes biting unnecessary, or consider leaving Bloodlines for one of the non-spamming { Spamming is sending the same nonsensical item or correspondence over and over. Receiving a bite request is not spamming. Sending 1000 bite requests to the same person is spamming. Have any of you ever received 1000 or even 100 bite requests from the same source? 10 maybe? No? I didn't think so. ~ Wolf } Vampire roleplay groups. { Oh, like Hunger which bites you without asking and puts you in their Data Base without your permission unlike Bloodlines which sends a bite request and allows you the opportunity to Opt in or refuse the bite request? ~ Wolf }
If you run a store, club, or other business in SL, post a sign stating that Bloodlines biting is not allowed. Ban violators from your land. If you are harassed by Bloodlines members at welcome areas, file an Abuse Report for spamming with Linden Lab. If you are harassed at a business, report it to the owner. { I certainly agree that harassment should be reported and Holger Gilruth, it is quite apparent to me you are the source of Anti Bloodlines harassment and Propaganda. Look at the top of this product description: 'ANTI-BLOODLINES FAQ' No doubt in my mind! ~ Wolf }
Add anti-Bloodlines statements to your profile, and start or add to anti-Bloodlines threads on SL-related discussion boards. The more Bloodlines is seen as negative and "not cool", the fewer people will join and participate. { The more Bloodlines is seen as negative and "not cool", the fewer people will join and participate. Sounds like a Anti Bloodlines propaganda campaign to me Holgar! ~ Wolf }
The Bloodlines creators HAVE made a useful device to stop vampires from trying to bite you. It's called the Garlic Necklace, and you were given a free one when you clicked this sign. To use the necklace: { Oh, so Bloodlines has been listening to concerns all along and has been trying to resolve any problems they can? Wow, how about that? ~ Wolf }
1) Right-click the necklace item in your inventory, and choose "Wear".
2) Once you see the necklace on your body, a blue menu should appear.
3) Choose "Activate" from the options - and you're instantly protected!
You don't need to constantly wear the necklace - once you've selected "Activate", you'll be impervious to vampire bite requests.
Now, take your garlic necklace off, and give a copy to everyone you know. If we can get everyone in SL to remove themselves as potential victims, we can shut down Bloodlines, because there will be no one left to bite! { You did a good job of presenting this Bloodlines product but don't you think 'we can shut down Bloodlines' is going just one step to far? Don't I have the right to my role play just as you have a right o yours? ~ Wolf }
Thanks for doing your part to end this scourge on the grid! { The only scourge I see here is Intolerance! ~ Wolf }
Info from second sign:
English:
Although Bloodlines players are welcome here in this SIM , BLOODLINES is not a recognized form of role play here, nor on any Darkstone property. Please promptly remove your Bloodlines HUD, as we have a zero tolerance policy. Thank you. { Now this is presented in a fair and tolerant manner. As a Sim owner you have every right to reserve your Sim for the purpose you have set aside for it. And if Bloodlines would detract from that purpose you have the right to request potential visitors respect the purpose of your sim. You also have a right to request visitors to keep their script count down to a predetermined limit to help battle the Lag Monster. But singling out a Bloodlines Hud over any other is going a bit far don't you think? I do not see any reference to 'Thou Shalt Not Wear A Dragon Hud!' Or a Furry Hud. An Empower Hud. Isn't what I wear on the Hud of my Viewer my business and not yours? Is it appropriate for me to check you to see if you are wearing boxers or briefs? Wouldn't you be offended? Then don't you think what I am wearing on the Hud of my viewer is my business and not yours? You can say what flies in your Sim but don't you think my viewer is off limits to you? ~ Wolf PS: Some constructive criticism; The sign is a much better approach than the intolerant first attempt. And it is much more attractive. I like the colors used. I did find it a little difficult to read. The color of the letters is a little bit to close to the color of the flames. May I suggest adding a little more yellow to the letters. And you can try adding a little red to the flames. You may not like that but I do find it difficult to read. ~ Wolf }
My Thoughts
If you have read my whole blog on Tolerance you will see in my experience I have been repeatedly harassed for no other reason than I play Bloodlines. Not for anything I have done or failed to do. Even the most extreme situations I have even been harassed offline in emails multiple times by Anti Bloodliners. If you have taken a Role Playing course you may have been exposed to the concept of the 'Negotiation' period where you determine if there is role play worth pursuing between those involved. If a role player in the negotiation period approaches another role player and inquires about their interest in Bloodlines; that is not harassment, spamming, griefing or an unsolicited bite request. But I have been severely mistreated by your Minion, Holger Gilruth. And I believe I should have the same rights in SL as you do and your disciples. I feel I should have the same recourse to make an abuse report to the lindens as you do.
I get the feeling the next step is to follow the example of the Jews in pre WW2. Whats next a yellow armband with BL on it for all Bloodlines Players? All Bloodlines Players will be restricted to the slum district of SL? Are you going to put us all in camps? Are you going to burn us in ovens? I did see a cute sign once that said 'Violators will be staked'! I thought it was hilarious. ( Open grin and a soft chuckle ) Really, I do have a sense of humor. I just think you are presenting misinformation and don't have a clue of what you are talking about. I think you are the source of intolerance and I personally am being harmed by it. I think maybe at one time there may have been an actual case that may have supported your point of view but today I know that I am being victimized, harassed and griefed. The tables have turned Holgith and I am the one who has the just complaint.
~ Wolf
My Personal experience
I used to play D&D and other games where the only option was to be a good guy and wait for a bad guy to do something wrong. Or the game-play was so structured that you had a goal, you meet the goal, you have a goal, you meet the goal... I wanted something new and more than that. (Morrowind solves the problem but it is very unstable. And, you do not deal with real people just NPC's.) I wanted to play a bad guy for once and have an open arena to play in.
I heard of SL and that you could be anything you wanted or could imagine. I was under the impression that meant whatever my RP was it would find a place and be accepted. (I'm finding my experience much different.) I immediately went to the adult section and found a Vampire who invited me into Bloodlines. This seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. It turned out that my new Liege was a noob herself and had no clue of the care and feeding of her minion. I was lost and had no clue about Bloodlines or SL. Out of survival instinct I sought out new resources. I found a new Liege and Mentor. This lady had to teach me how to move and how to get around my viewer as well as Bloodlines.
I had a computer failure and RL issues that kept me out of SL for quite a while. I lost one year in my game play. When I came back I was starting from the beginning again due to the new SL V2 Viewer. All of my old relationships were gone and I again knew nothing about my viewer. But, my mentor was still there and with me. I made new connections and began to prosper in SL.
I took RP and Building classes as well as scripting. The place I took RP classes from made an issue of Bloodlines Players and how they harass people. I took the class 3 times (I utilize repetition for learning) and they said the same thing all three times. From attending other classes such as Starting a Business in SL: I learned it seems it's acceptable to be a furry, a dragon or even start a business as a hooker in SL but it is offensive to play Bloodlines.
I started noticing signs at markets and beaches that said 'No Bloodlines, Violators will be banned.' I noticed a blog that addressed the subject and noticed that most of the arguments were based on misinformation or a lack of information. I tried to help resolve the issue by presenting accurate balanced information that was relevant. I was met with impassioned nonsensical blurts of words that were of little relevance. One person made a personal attack towards me saying I was spamming her email just like all those other Bloodlines Players and would I please stop. I gently explained that the blog forwards relevant reply's, she obviously received offline messages and I was not spamming her email. It was just the blog doing what the blog does.
With respect to others sensitivities I began hiding any groups others may find offensive such as any that would indicate my Bloodlines affiliation. Any group that was not about SL, Education or Commerce was hidden. After about 6 months of hiding my RP I realized there are some people who are just going to be offended and that I was offending myself by hiding those groups. I realized it was not fair to the potential RP partner if I was not upfront with my Bloodlines affiliation and it is not fair to me to hide something there is nothing wrong with. It's a game. That's all it is. There are a lot of other things in SL that have a lot more potential for being offensive. Such as: Prostitution, BDSM, Dolcet, Age Play, Rape RP. But there are those who want to be upset about Star Trek, Cowboys and having a virtual baby in SL. Sorry, taking a step back and taking a look at it I don't see a whole lot of sense to it. (Please understand that I am not trying to be insensitive to your particular RP. I just would appreciate my RP being respected as much as you would like yours respected.)
I was at a market recently and another avi approached me in private chat. I noticed this person discussing Bloodlines in local chat with friends. Since this person was obviously familiar with the subject and I suspected they were aware of the issues and feeling particularly impish and mischievous I sent a bite request. Please note that this was in no way an unsolicited bite request. This person had approached me and was discussing Bloodlines with friends. It is my personal opinion that the request was perfectly appropriate and a rejection would also be just as appropriate if the individual was so inclined. But, instead of showing any grace whatsoever. This individual blurts in local chat without any context to their friends that they are offended by the bite request. This persons friends began attacking me and my clan in local chat. I tried to set the facts straight but they brought in issues that had nothing to do with the bite request or whether it was legitimate or not. I realized arguing would just make the situation worse so I left. The individual I was talking to continued to harass me in private chat so I logged off. This person continued to pursue me in offline emails until I replied "I logged off 10 minutes ago. Do I need to log back in to mute you?" I received a group notice from the owner of the market shortly thereafter saying Bloodlines Activity is cause for banning.
Opt in
Some people complain and petition Bloodlines to make it an opt in game. Bloodlines is an Opt in game. You can only be a part of it if you accept a bite request and/or buy a hud. You can acknowledge the game by wearing and activating the Garlic Necklace. By acknowledging it you are not opting in, you are acknowledging it. You are doing that much by complaining about it.
Unsolicited Bite Request
These are random bite requests given by someone who has not interacted with you and just sends a request for no apparent reason. If I have been interacting with you and then ask you in private chat if you would like to play Bloodlines; That is not an Unsolicited Bite Request. If I have been interacting with you and then send you a bite request because I feel it is appropriate; That is not an Unsolicited Bite Request.
Garlic Necklace
Some individuals are so offended by a bite request that a solution has been provided in the Garlic Necklace. If a Garlic Necklace is worn by an avi and activated, it is impossible for a Vampire Hud or Lycan Hud to send a request. When I say impossible, I mean as impossible as a city bus giving milk. It cannot happen. It is impossible.
Data Base
Some people are so upset with Bloodlines that they are even offended by the Garlic Necklace saying 'You are still in their Data Base' with the same alarm as if we are talking about redzone. Well, to date there has been no report of any concerns about the Bloodlines Data Base. But, most of the alarm about Bloodlines is from people who do not know about Bloodlines and have never investigated the real issues. First, if you wear and activate a Garlic Necklace; Someone can not go to the Bloodlines Web-page and enter your name and bring up any data on you whatsoever. Your name is just not accessible. Second, if you accept a bite request; the name of your avi exists and that's all. There is no other data accessible whatsoever. Third, You only have a profile if you buy one of the 4 available huds. The information available is only game related. For those who still have a concern that 'They' are 'hacking my SL account', discovering my ISP Address and are going to hack my computer and steal the $2.58 I have in my checking account. Well Hey, You are in the SL Data Base and I have heard more rumors about SL accounts being hacked than Bloodlines profiles. If you are that concerned then you have 2 options. 1) Terminate your SL account, go home and play Monopoly. 2) Join a watch dog organization and when you actually come up with something call me up and let me know about it.
Alts
Ok, This is another issue that some people get upset about. First what are Alts? Alts are a second account (or third or fourth...) from the same IP Address or email. What are they for? LL originally allowed them so more than one person in the home could play SL. What are they often used for? The person who mentored me in SL had an alt for building. When she was not role playing and needed time to think; she found it therapeutic to stand on a platform at 3000m and build things. I have an alt that is my premium account. I wish I had made an alt for building. I often need to express my creativity by building or scripting and my role play partners get all upset because they feel I am ignoring them. Alts have legitimate uses. Then someone in the back says 'Yeah, but....' Some people have more than one role play. They could RP in a Gor Sim on Tuesday and a Star Trek Sim on Thursday. Is there anything wrong with that? ( Rhetorical question. The answer is: No! ) Most talk about alts is 'what are they trying to get away with?' Why are they hiding? Most controversy with alts has to do with griefers. Not every alt is a griefer. Hey, you know I do have some right to privacy? I keep my religion out of my work place don't I? I don't talk about work in church do I? Well, it seems to me there are legitimate reasons to keep some things private and separate. Now, regardless of how you feel about alts, Alts do exist in Bloodlines. The number one player in BL possesses 6901 souls and only has 125 bites resulting in the collection of those souls. Ok, even those of you who do not have a clue as to the mechanics of Bloodlines can realize the numbers do not add up. So how did he do that? He bought the souls! How did he buy the souls? Alts! Someone started accounts, bought a hud, bit the alt. drained the alt for the Blood or Lumen and sold the soul and possibly the account. Do that 6000 times and you can make some money. Now again, I am not saying it is right or wrong, but I am saying it happens.
Mars Bracken is just making money off of...
Guess what? Ford Motor Co. is just makin money. United Airlines is just makin money. Time Warner is just makin Money. Oh yeah! And LL is just Makin Money! Ya know somethin? Nothin wrong with that! That's why they are in business!
Its a pyramid scheme
Its a game with elements of 'I'm better than you'. That's pretty much what games are. Can you win? Yeah, get 6902 souls. Then I'll get 6903 and so on. You want to win? Ok, go ahead! You wanna know what else is a pyramid? Your Federal Government. Your Church. The place you work at. The Police Department. The Military. The United Nations. Fema. Jerry's Kids. Just because it has a pyramidal structure doesn't mean its bad. It just means it is! Back in the Old Testament; Moses was told by his advisors to distribute his responsibility because it was to much for one person to handle, it would stress him out, and not all issues would be handled with the concern they required. Ok, it's a pyramid! What is the alternative. The Old Testament says Nimrod was the first to impose his will on others. There's your alternative. Absolute dictatorship. You either have a distribution of power or centralized power. Every organization comes down to that.
Human Hud
The Human Hud is relatively new and has no capability of delivering a bite request. It can deliver a request to an Avi that has either a Vampire Hud or Lycan Hud which says 'Hey, Will you please bite me?'. The largest portion of Bloodlines Players is Humans.
Humans with Vamp/Lycan Huds
Like I said: The Human Hud is relatively new. But those of us (yes me) who predate the Human Hud were grandfathered in, so you can have Humans with Vampire Huds or Lycan Huds. And a new Human can play Bloodlines with a Vampire Hud or Lycan Hud. But there is no advantage to playing as a Human with a Vampire Hud or Lycan Hud unless you plan on being Turned or Enraged soon. The fact is there is an advantage to playing with a Human Hud. With a Human Hud you can take advantage of Cider Barrels and if you become Revenant you are more easily returned to a Human state (and more cheaply also). With the Curse, the Vampires and Lycan need a supply of Blood and Luman to sustain them and the only source is Humans. The random bite request that is complained about will just not sustain a Vampire or Lycan effectively and only renders a soul if that avi purchases a Hud for themselves. The bottom line is a random bite request is just a poor approach to the game for someone who is playing as a Vampire or Lycan and makes little sense for a Human.
Hunger Vs Bloodlines ( Vs Prodigy?)
This comes directly from the Hunger website. I am presenting it to you in its entirety so you know the context. The reason I offer this is to present a 'compare and contrast'. If you have ever written a persuasive paper or taken part in a debate you know this is just used to give a rounded perspective of a subject to bring out certain relevant points.
The Hunger Game
A game of skill, chance and cunning; It's kill or be killed, and it's not for the meek!
The Hunger is a complete Vampire, Lycan, Hybrid and Hunter game system within SL, with many species in your underworld universe. Hunt your prey, seek them where you can and most of all, watch your back; You never know what is lurking behind those dark corners of Second Life! We would like to welcome you to The Hunger!
You do not need a lot of equipment to play our game, just a HUD and blood. You can feast for the strength free of charge by biting your way through the SL universe. Our game is discrete so as not to disturb any non-players you bite. They will not receive a popup and they will not be told you've "bitten" them. The Hunger Hud does not actually remove anything from any avatar, the strength you get from bites only exists within our game, and your victim will not become a part of The Hunger simply by being bitten. They will also never appear on our website in any way.
To begin your journey you will have to join one of the families within the Hunger Universe, depending of what species your hud is, for example Vampires join vampire clans, and Lycans Lycan Packs and so on but Emperors, Hybrids, Hunters and Familiars may join any of the other species' families.
Once you've bought a hud, got turned (joined a family) and registered on the hunger web site, you will be able to view the clan and pack information and statistics. If you are a Leader owning your own family you can manage your family from the web site.
Where you go from there is up to you. We hope you enjoy the fun; You're sure to meet other supernatural species of the SL universe, and experience the thrill of the hunt and the kill.
So how do you join the game?
Just come on over to our store where a member of staff will help you. Whether you need help deciding which species to choose or have general questions about the game, turnings, locating a loving but deadly family etc., we have a full staff who are always here to help.
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Please note, the huds are distributed with Copy Only permissions meaning there are No Refunds. This is required to allow us to freely distribute future updates. All information is available before purchase by clicking our vendors or speaking with our staff. If anything should go wrong with your HUD our technical support will do all they can to help you out, and fresh copies can be freely provided.
To be in accordance with TOS, when you buy the HUD you agree to the conditions and terms of the game rules. You will be asked to confirm this when you first wear your hud, and you can view the most up-to-date rules by following the link in the menu on the right.
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MAIN RULE. This is a kill or be killed game. Meaning you will not run around reporting people to sim owners just because you are killed. Therefore, if your a DJ let's say at a club and you have chosen not to go dormant and are killed, that is not the killers fault, it is your own and is strictly between you and the killer. If you are a tattle tale then you are the one breaking the rules. You will also never tell the humans you are feeding off them. This can give some people the impression you have somehow taken something that belongs to them, some will not understand that the blood only exists within our game and they inevitably get upset and contact us about it. Yes, we can usually resolve this by explaining nothing was taken, but we've got better things to be doing, so if you can't handle not being a tattle tale or keeping with the masquerade then please do not join! The rules can be provided by any staff member, read on this website, and are provided when you purchase the HUD, so please read them carefully, preferably before your purchase. Please Note: The Hunger reserves all rights to make changes to the Game Rules as we grow and change and to help keep the game play fair and balanced.
What points do I want to bring out to you?
Hunger is not an 'opt in' game. As you can plainly see 'You will also never tell the humans you are feeding off them.' Hunger also has the same problems Bloodlines has 'This can give some people the impression you have somehow taken something that belongs to them, some will not understand that the blood only exists within our game and they inevitably get upset and contact us about it. ' So, what is Hunger's solution? 'never tell ' The point is that another vampire game goes on around you every day in SL. You are being attacked and bitten daily and you do not know it. They also have a data base and you are as much a part of it as you are the Bloodlines data base. The difference is with Bloodlines you have the option to say yes or no. With Hunger you do not. The reason you have the opportunity to complain about Bite Requests is because Bloodlines give you the opportunity to say No. Hunger does not. In reality; all the complaints that are made about Bloodlines are true about Hunger. Except the complaint about the rare instance of the unsolicited bite request. And the worst thing you can say about that is you have met a person who has not yet refined their role play skills. You can say the same thing about random friendship requests. May I ask you? Were you ever new to SL? Did you ever need to rely on the good grace of others and their understanding? Also, is it right to condemn 10's of thousands for the poor RP skills of a few? Isn't that how prejudice begins? Do you like being subjugated to the role of 'Dumb Blonde' 'Insensitive Man' 'Religious Fanatic'? Why would you want to group all Bloodlines Players to the role of 'Poor Role Play' and on that basis restrict all of their activity everywhere in SL? You don't do that to Steam Punk, Furries, Elves, SciFi or any other group.
What about Podigy? Podigy is a new game that is so secret, the only way in is by special invitation to a select few. As of yet I am unable to gain any insight to the game, the rules or the goals.
Conclusion
My 3 concluding points are:
1) Tolerance
2) Tolerance
3) Tolerance
My experience is that I have never gone through a time where I was unaware of Bloodlines in SL and had thousands upon thousands of unsolicited bite requests. The Clan my Mentor brought me into presented itself as a 'Polite' Clan that always asked before biting. I therefore never went through a period where I was sending thousands upon thousands of unsolicited bite requests. 'Cold Calling Bite Requests' at a noob welcome hub just doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you know anything about the game. And Bloodlines took away the ability for new Human players in the game to send bite requests by remove that ability from the Human Hud. ( Again, you can still buy a Vampire Hud or Lycan Hud and play as a Human but it really does not make a lot of sense to do that unless you plan on being Turned or Enraged soon after.)
My experience is that I have suffered far more harassment from those who are offended by Bloodlines than seems anywhere near reasonable. I have suffered clear and obvious griefing as a reply to what at the most can be regarded in the 'Opinion' of a RP Partner as 'Poor RP'. And again that is in the opinion of the RP partner. It is not my opinion. I regard my actions as reasonable & appropriate under the circumstances and if you have a different opinion I respect your right to hold that opinion and I expect you to show me the same respect.
Random Unsolicited Cold Call Bite Requests just plain do not make any sense whatsoever. If you have had this experience please let me apologize to you right here and now. The only explanation that makes any sense is you met a noob that did not have a clue. I don't know about you, but when I first got to SL I was that noob and I did not have a clue. If it were not for an excellent Mentor (my Bloodlines Liege) and a good Bloodlines Clan, I would have bailed on SL after the first month. There are many ways to play Bloodlines. You can go after that 6902nd soul if you like, but the Bloodlines I know is about relationships and helping others.
I hope in my compare and contrast to another vampire game ( Not to tear down or point fingers at the other game. Just to compare and contrast and bring out the truth of the issues at hand.) you will realize that many of the arguments against Bloodlines just do not hold water. Such as 'Opt in', 'Bite Requests', 'Garlic Necklace', 'Data Base', 'Pyramid Scheme', 'Making Money'. When you take an objective look at these issues; there is little for a reasonable person to complain about. If you feel differently that is your prerogative, but It is my prerogative to feel you are beyond reason and your feelings are contrary to the facts.
The bottom line is that it is perfectly reasonable for me to expect to play Bloodlines unharassed just as I do not harass your game play regardless of what it is. It is also reasonable at this point to expect the same attitude from you in our interaction. And by the way... Yes, I do practice what I preach...... It is also reasonable to regard your anti Bloodlines harassment as griefing and to act accordingly. It is only fair to inform you that my chats are logged on my computer and will be included in a griefing report if deemed necessary.
~ Wolf
Wow, My first post! I hope you are all well and healthy.
My first subject is tolerance. I choose this because Second Life is supposed to be the utopia world where it is what you make it. This has been my understanding since I started my account. I have been troubled by the ramifications.
I have seen such intolerance is SL since I have been here. I went to a well known and well meaning educational group to attend classes on building, scripting, role-play and other subjects. This group has the best teachers I have experienced in SL. They are very organized, consistant, and personable. I would recommend them to anyone. But, when I went to there class on role-play I found them intolerant of a certain game within SL. A game I am engaged in. The first time I went and noticed, I thought it was just an inapropriate moment in an otherwise good experience. But I tend to rely on repitition for learning so I returned to the same class for a refresh to find the same unsollisited experience. I was troubled but later returned with a friend with the idea of introducing them to a good introduction to the subject hoping they would like it. At which time I realized it seems to be an unofficial curriculum point in every class. I then addressed the issue and informed them that they could alienate students by there attitude and they had at least players of that particular game in there class at the moment. There reply was, "Oh we know. We check profiles."
I moved on to a more advanced class on the subject at a different resource in SL that gave excellent information on the do's and don'ts of role-play, the different types of role-play and what is specifically illegal. Again I found them to be an excellent resource with awesome and important information. The instructors are really great and the classes structured and yet not to formal. I learned there the value of not relying totally on pushing the button a hud provides or sitting on a posey ball, but you can role-play in chat without those things by describing them and emoting, giving a much richer role-play experience. I was encouraged by this and sought more information about them in their blog finding their intolerances toward certain vocabulary and another educational resource within SL. This 3rd resource happens to be another accadamy I frequent.
This 3rd resource is a fine facility stressing character values such as tolerance, patience, respect and others. They present themselves as a no drama sim. I have heard other things about them but cannot support those opinions because I have not witnessed them myself. But one of the rumors is that they use red-zone.
Recently I have had the opportunity to be condemned by some role-play partners for 'button pushing' and even my spelling. ( One of the first principles is to be tolerant of typo's because the RP is more important that perfect spelling and it could be caused by a sticky keyboard or even lag. It is more important to try than it is to be perfect. ) I found them so condemning I just teleported out of the role-play. At which time my partner proceeded to condemn me from the previous sim for about 30 min. I kept closing the chat window without further comment and my role-play partner kept reopening it with another condemning comment. This is how you get muted!
Ok, what's the point and what can we get out of this? The point is Tolerance! Everybody says it but not everybody does it. 1. Be tolerant of other peoples RP. Just because you are not a furry doesn't mean no one should be a furry. Don't condemn my RP, I don't condemn yours. And just because I am not a furry, does not mean I am condemning you for being a furry. 2. There is not just one right way to RP. I have some very good RP with posey balls and some even better without. I have to admit that the most successful RP has been without, but I have had RP where a posey was esential to the RP. I could RP a formal dance entirely in chat from another sim but it is more effective if you are there seeing her flowing hair cascade her shoulders as she floats angelicly across the floor to my waiting arms. Right? If you are RPing a proposal of marriage, is it more effective to RP kneeling before her and opening the box to a diamond engagement ring from across 2 sims or teleporting to a garden location with deer and butterflies and kneeling before her while you place an exquisit token of your love upon the petite finger of her graceful hand? Ok, which is it? 3. Not everyone is at the same level as you. I have had RP partners who gave me absolutely nothing. "Oh, Yeah, That is nice." I can get that from a bot. But, I was tolerant of their experience level and did my best to show them a good RP experience. I have had the honor of RPing with a couple increadable partners who have shown me what is possible in an RP scene. I have been humbled and awed and have had a wonderful time. Bless someone else with that kind of experience and hope they are inspired to improve.
Tolerance breeds growth and condemnation breeds death.
A note on red-zone, I do not endorse red-zone. I do understand feeling the need to protect the sim you are responsible for and the people in it from those who do not have the best intentions. I do understand owning a firearm to protect your home. I could see myself using red-zone if it was an issue for me and I would use it responsibly. But I don't know that you would and I am allowed to protect me, my account and my computer. Proper notification that red-zone is being used would only be equally responsible.
