[quote=@Mangrale]I would wish to ponder over and address each and every one of your points on this very thread. But I'm sorry that I won't be able to fit them all into one post. [/quote]

For 'thinking reasons' as compared to any perception of space, I assume. Regardless, that's fine.

[quote=@Mangrale]Rest assured that I don't intend to @ you for every one, given you were possibly just passing by and don't rightly care to be pestered continuously on the subject. With that in mind, I'm pretty sure that quoting the pointers should be fine as long as the @ isn't there. Sorry if you get notified anyway to your annoyance. I will take the quote references a step back if there's a problem.[/quote]
Pings should only count once in a post, as this format should prove. If not, well, something changed, as that would be very new to me. No need for extra work removing them for that reason. Further, on this site, I think it is by default [i]normal[/i] to ping someone when addressing them, and the iota is on [i]them[/i] to say 'please don't ping me' in a reasonable manner. if they're really opposed to being replied to with such a thing.

[quote=@Mangrale]
[hr]<Snipped quote by Spambot>
It feels to me that on the scale between roleplayer and writer (however amateurish), I likely fall closer to the writer side of things. What I mean is that I'm more comfortable making the decisions on a written work and going at my own pace. With that in mind, I imagine this planning/writing phase of the process will be easier for me as opposed to the active and collaborative effort of GMing.
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Being a writer in the sense of having your facts straight is all well and good, but being a GM requires both heavily inclining in the roleplayer end and being able to account for something a writer rarely has to in the same way - change. Players are the 'X' factor. I'm not saying you will, but I will say it would be wise to temper any effort to 'railroad' the plot beyond an effort to keep things sensible and on-point. If different choices are made by the crew, consider a new angle. You may end up throwing out plans as a result of player decisions, and I think this is the most natural state of a GM. It's certainly an active effort.

[quote=@Mangrale]Underneath both phases however, will lie the motivation that this a project that is under my complete control, something I cannot say after being a mere participant after all these years. I imagine that my thoughts echo the sentiments of many fledgling GMs who enter into this pastime alone, without a devoted circle of players. I do this for myself first and foremost, and I have the willingness to exert myself and make decisions towards a (hopefully) reasonable goal.
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All well and good, so long as that 'complete control' terminology is tempered by a willingness to accommodate. Never push over, but always consider the compromise that respects player choice in conjunction with your design. You may be the GM, but a GM often functions as a guide, and if people are to follow an exact vision despite things plausibly going another way, it may be best to more strongly indulge in the writer side alone. This may be very clear to you already, and I apologize if it is.

[quote=@Mangrale]GMing, to me, can be likened to a conclusion that occurs and has occurred to me very often in the roleplaying space. And while I cannot and will not by any means pursue it with an obsessive or singular devotion, I don't believe it is a passing fancy for me either.
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It should pretty much never be an obsession, so as long as that is true and persistent, you should be fine on that point.

[quote=@Mangrale][b]Edit:[/b] I don't use quotes often, so I'm unaccustomed. It said a quote was sent, so if you do indeed mind them coming your way, I'll see to excluding your name next time Spambot, and [i]that[/i] should settle this. Sorry for the inconvenience.
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Again, one ping for post, or so it should be, though unless they're added automatically, it's not strictly necessary as this is one of the last places on the site I have any regular care, presence or checkups for, and when I log in, I automatically glance here. Regardless, the ping's immaterial, if it comes through it does, if not, I'll find it.