There is a consistent pattern in the objections to the presentation of how the hobby works, and thus of why the Clubhouse is a necessary component of it. The specifics vary in form, but strip away the Rhetoric and what you have is one insistent error: the failure to recognize where the center of a campaign resides.
In short, we’re talking about Main Character Syndrome.1
The concept is often discussed in relation to TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, where a player exhibiting MCS might insist on being the focus of every encounter, interrupting others' moments, or demanding that the game world revolve around their character's personal goals. This behavior can disrupt group dynamics and diminish the collaborative nature of the game. The term is also used to describe the experience of playing a single-player video game, where the player character is the only one with a meaningful narrative, and other characters are seen as scripted entities existing solely to advance the player's journey.
Naturally, this is such an issue in all media that there’s a Wiki entry for it.
What this translates to is the error that the center of a campaign is in a specific party of mans, or even a specific man, and therefore play cannot go on without them (and thus without those players). This is “It’s All About ME!” with buckets of sophistry slathered on it like theatrical makeup or a botched plastic surgery job.
It’s the natural consequence of not playing in a Clubhouse environment. As there are no multiple independent parties, acting in conflict, operating under a Fog of War all on the same campaign map there is no sense that anyone but your man matters and nothing but what your man does or interreacts with matters- just like in a single-player PC game like Skyrim.
The instant there is a second party on the map, or a second Referee running sessions on the same map, that goes away because now the dynamics of the hobby promised to prospective users actually manifest and make themselves felt. Ensure that all players see what is happening, where, when, and how and Main Character Syndrome burns away like vampires in sunlight.
No man in the campaign is the center of a campaign. Not any adventurer delving in a dungeon, not any conqueror waging war across the land, not any king ruling as far as he and his lords can reach, not any cult nor the gods or monsters they serve- even those of the cosmic scale.
Only the world—the setting, the milieu—matters. Mans come and go. Gods come and go. Players come and go. Referees come and go. The world abides, ever-changing and ever-changeless. To quote Yoshiki Tanaka’s Legend of the Galactic Heroes: “"In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same."
This is why a Referee must be disinterested in the outcome of play. This is why players must be disinterested in the fates of their mans. Those things do not matter; the experience of being in this world matters, so only the world matters- and thus only the integrity of this world matters. Without it, there is no campaign, and thus no game. Everything else is fungible.
This perspective kills the common complaint that Tabletop is a hobby that treats fun like a second job—Schedule Your Fun is a thing folks routinely complain about—as it eliminates all of the known failure modes that Me & The Boys cannot avoid. This will become more obvious as more Clubhouses stand up, reach critical mass membership, and thus enter into the Positive Feedback Loop that a Clubhouse environment creates.
The rest of the hobby will be catching up for years yet, but they will catch up because the alternative is to quit the hobby and they aren’t going to do that. Keep publishing the receipts; they work to win the argument by piling on evidence until it can’t be ignored.
This includes the biggest revelation of all: you can come and go from the world as your life requires because you are not responsible for what happens in it- life goes on with or without you, just like real life. Park your mans, ensure they can maintain upkeep while you’re out, go take that dream holiday and enjoy a real adventure. The world will be waiting for you when you come back.
The Clubhouse makes this practical to do. You & The Boys in the basement does not.
Men, Monsters, and Gods come and go. The world remains no matter what is done, and life goes on without a care for heroes or villains. Your man doesn’t matter, so stop acting like he does- like you do. You’ll be glad that you did, and so will everyone else.
This is an in-game reflection of the real-life version of the same thing:
”Main Character Syndrome (MCS) is a term used in popular culture to describe the tendency to view oneself as the protagonist in the story of one's life, often to the point of prioritizing one's own experiences and feelings over those of others. It is not a clinical diagnosis or mental health disorder, but rather a mindset where individuals see their lives as a narrative with them as the central character, and others as supporting roles. This perspective can manifest in behaviors such as having an inflated sense of self-importance, lacking empathy, constantly seeking attention, and acting as if one is always being watched or judged. While it is natural to be the focal point of one's own life, MCS becomes problematic when it leads to disregarding the needs and perspectives of others, potentially hindering genuine connections and authentic self-expression. Some aspects of self-focus, like setting boundaries or pursuing meaningful goals, can be beneficial when balanced with consideration for others.”