Sounds more like bad programming than ghosts. These things just freak out over nothing sometimes.

Dude, yes! I did the same thing hunting for rare music tracks on those old forums. Scrolling through pages for a working download link felt like a real mission. @hugoj12 is spot on about that secret club feeling, it made everything more exciting. Putting in all that time meant you really valued the song when you finally got it. It was like your effort paid off, so the music stuck with you more. Those searches were a hassle, but they made the find so much sweeter.

Mike's pirate crew kept showing up even when we fudged half the ship combat rules, just chasing that buried treasure vibe.

Man, i totally get what you mean... i used to be pretty against this stuff, worried it would ruin the feel of a block. but seeing it happen slowly, like you said, really changed my mind. it's not some big ugly apartment building going up overnight. what @the_thea said about it helping without changing the look is dead on... you just start noticing a few more neighbors around, that's all. it really does feel like the rules are finally catching up to how people actually live.

Actually a lot of the better tour groups do focus on those artisan stories now, it's just the big cheap bus tours that skip it. But you're totally right that the stories are everything. Honestly felt the same way on my last trip, the best part was a kimono weaver talking about his family's workshop. Ngl it's wild that any company thinks a photo stop counts as culture. They're finally catching up because people are getting smarter about what they book.