TRPG General Chat

RedRiderX

12:00 AM

@BESW 5 AUD for 3 coins seems pretty reasonable.

Bradd Szonye

@BESW The Fate tokens? Looking forward to getting mine.

BESW

@Miniman I'm not fond of point-and-shoot, platforming, resource-management, or strategy games, which doesn't enough left for me to dedicate console or computer money to it.

Bradd Szonye

I got one of each set.

In other news, I just made a very amusing typo.

0

A: How to expose information without making a villain monologue

Everything leaves a trail Sure, the mastermind is smart enough not to leave clear evidence in plain sight. There isn’t a single document that lays everything out with his name attached. However, you can’t manage a master plan without plans. The mastermind will need to keep track of jobs and time...

I left out a comma, resulting in “law enforcement elves.”

BESW

Last night SF.SE had a question about Processor X.

Pixie

Makes sense. I've always been pretty fond of games in general, although my favorites tend to be turn-based strategy RPGs, fighting games, and monster raising/battle simulators. Spent a lot of my youth playing platformers, though.

BESW

12:02 AM

@BraddSzonye Dragons of the Cuyahoga has law enforcement elves as a scary/tragic plot point.

Bradd Szonye

And there’s Carl from Special Unit 2.

I loved that show. Wish it were available on disc or something.

BESW

Please see if you think our 2- and 3-vote RSS suggestions are worthy of upvoting.

doppelgreener

Lunar Mission One: A Kickstarter to send a lander robot to the moon, drill a hole, analyse the rock, and leave some time capsules there.

BESW

@doppelgreener ...I have to do line breaks for all this stuff to fit.

**Cool stuff:** [GameMechanics.se](http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/80264);
[Bundle of Fate +2](http://bundleofholding.com);
[Paranoia](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1990654819/paranoia-rpg);
[Dracula Dossier](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1721105501/the-dracula-dossier);
[Life Among the Ruins](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1549920133/legacy-life-among-the-ruins-world-rebuilding-rolep);
[Lunar Mission One](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lunarmissionone/lunar-mission-one-a-new-lunar-mission-for-everyone).

3

Happily the sidebar takes markup regardless of sticky returns.

doppelgreener

@BESW i have something that is not so much a pet peeve, but a pet befuddlement that i notice all over the place and wonder why people haven't taken a common practice against letting it happen by this point, and that is: 'show more' style links where there is nothing more to show.

Adeptus

12:17 AM

@Pixie I like most types of games, depending on mood. Currently enjoying Terraria multiplayer, and FTL.

BESW

I think befuddlements would make great pets. Maybe they can be familiars, too.

doppelgreener

@BESW that is a good point

Feeds

BESW has made a change to the feeds posted into this room

BESW

Just hit enough votes for inclusion:

4

A: RPG General Chat: vote for your feeds!

Rick Neal's "What's He On About Now?" http://www.rickneal.ca/ http://www.rickneal.ca/?feed=rss2 Started out as a DFRPG playtest blog, and has some of the best explanations/insights I've ever seen for that system. But he's writing on all sorts of other games too; Apocalypse World recently got a...

Feeds

BESW has made a change to the feeds posted into this room

BESW

12:22 AM

And the Bundle of Holding blog.

Adeptus

@doppelgreener I don't think the universe wants me to upgrade my hard drive right now... I thought, "Yeah the Samsung sounds like the best option"... go to order from the local store... out of stock except for one inconveniently far away branch

doppelgreener

@BESW I am not sure how I feel about having a feed that primarily exists to promote stuff we can buy, but given that it is the Bundle of Holding I am relatively okay with this (relative to not) and willing to try it. I gave it an upvote. Let's see how it goes.

BESW

@doppelgreener Yeah, it's... well, it's something a lot of us actually use, and it doesn't seem to update often enough to be annoying.

doppelgreener

@BESW It updates once on most days, which is ok.

And yeah, it's relevant to us, it's good to know what it has on offer, and so on.

The issue is just that the feeds have historically not been used for store promotion.

BESW

If we start getting too much in our feeds, I'll prompt a re-visiting of the post for re-voting, and I'll suggest that we consider raising the vote bar.

You might want to put your thoughts in a comment.

doppelgreener

12:28 AM

@Adeptus fudge the universe, get them to order one in

when life gives you lemons, shake it about and make it give you those damn limes you wanted

Miniman

Can someone give me an example of a seriously messed up character from a psychological thriller?

I'm having trouble coming up with one.

Metool

@Miniman How "seriously" do you mean?

Miniman

@Metool Sorry, I mean a character with complex mental problems

Not just "want to kill all the people" sort of stuff

Metool

My first thought was Norman Bates.

BESW

Umm. John Murdoch?

Metool

12:31 AM

My suggestion may not count.

doppelgreener

@BESW done!

BESW

Thanks.

Dorian

I saw something about discount MLP:FiM comics? o.o

doppelgreener

@Miniman people (depending on your definition of 'problems')

BESW

5 hours ago, by Metool

@BESW @Pixie Are you into comics?

@Miniman Jack Havoc might be another one.

Pixie

12:33 AM

@Miniman A bunch of people from Paranoia Agent, if series are good.

Dorian

@BESW Bookmarked. I hope it sticks around long enough for me to make use of it lol

BESW

You've got almost two weeks.

Metool

Is there any way you can edit the message that was just starred to not be pointed at specific people, and be more descriptive?

Pixie

Although I'm not sure if you'd call it a thriller.

Miniman

Hmmm...

I may have asked the wrong question

Pixie

12:35 AM

Well, wiki says it is, but I am not always trusting of wiki. :v

Miniman

I shall have to ponder

Adeptus

Humble Bundle has a MLP:FiM comics bundle

3

like that @Metool

BESW

@Miniman To clarify: John Murdoch, from Dark City, is a spoiler; Jack Havoc is a psycho killer in Tiger in the Smoke, but his motives are much murkier than "I want to kill."

Metool

@Adeptus Yes, but that has the drawback of it not being the original message.

@Pixie Poke.

Miniman

@Metool Wow, people actually care about this.

Metool

12:39 AM

Yup.

Pixie

@Metool Hmm. Interesting. I don't know if I agree, though.

Metool

Alrighty then.

Just a thought.

doppelgreener

one of the analogies someone used was that saying "wiki" and referring to "wikipedia" is like saying "human" and expecting people to understand you mean, say, Michael Jordan or that guy in the next room

Pixie

@Metool @doppelgreener The point I disagree on is that although wiki can refer to multiple types of things, it's also a straight abbreviation of Wikipedia. I don't find these analogies to be very good ones because if I were abbreviating Michael Jordan, I might say Mike.

Metool

I'd use Jordan, provided context had already been established.

Bradd Szonye

12:47 AM

@Miniman Patrick Bateman of American Psycho.

Metool

Wikipedia doesn't abbreviate well. I'm not sure why people try, really.

Pixie

It abbreviates fine, with proper context, though I can agree that it wasn't necessarily established in my statement (but you all knew what I meant, I bet). I don't think it's wrong to use it, though, and I think the metaphors employed in that article are not the greatest for glossing over both the abbrevation aspect and the prescriptivism vs. descriptivism aspect.

doppelgreener

@Pixie there is also an ideological reason that came up (I think it's a good one): the Wikimedia community wants to encourage the idea that they do not own the concept of wikis, and that there is absolutely more than one kind of wiki, and a wiki is just a thing and you can have your own.

it's good for Google when we use their name to refer to search engines, but bad for the search engine community.

but also i really don't mind that you abbreviated at all (I will sleep fine tonight regardless), I am just momentarily fascinated by this topic.

BESW

@doppelgreener If you were a Fate character, one of your aspects would be something like Trivia hound.

Pixie

@doppelgreener I can understand this angle, I just think parts of the article were iffy in their justification. And heh, not a problem. It is interesting and something I had not been aware of before, so it's something for me to consider as well.

doppelgreener

12:56 AM

@BESW trivia: "matters or things that are very unimportant, inconsequential, or nonessential; trifles; trivialities."

i have no interest in trivia. ;)

The aspect in question would be The universe and everything in it is unendingly fascinating or something

trogdor

lol

BESW

HP Lovecraft on metaphorical Mickey Mouse ears. Concludes with a stirring call to action.

Pixie

It is in my nature to abbreviate or nickname things, often affectionately, so it was something I hadn't really thought about beyond that.

doppelgreener

@Pixie I'm Australian, we do it too.

Pixie

@doppelgreener Is that an Australian thing? Huh. Not that I claim to be an Australia expert, but that's the first I've heard of it. xD

trogdor

1:00 AM

that is the first I have heard of that too

BESW

@doppelgreener Would it be considered "trivia" to know that the modern use of "trivia" is less than 50 years old?

Miniman

@BESW Mind = blown

trogdor

no, because the Sphinx might make a riddle about it

and then you die if you don't know

doppelgreener

@Pixie australians tend to nickname things they like (including people)

Adeptus

@Pixie Aussies abbreviate

Pixie

1:02 AM

Ahh, interesting.

doppelgreener

some of these aren't modern, and we've invented a lot more since

e.g. calling the ABC channel -- our one independent and government-funded channel -- 'mum'

trogdor

lol

Miniman

They didn't include the name ones though

trogdor

I have to say, as an American,... some of these would sound upsettingly like something very dirty or rude

BESW

@doppelgreener [ahem] "Auntie Beeb."

doppelgreener

1:05 AM

oh yeah, ABC also gets called Aunty

actually suddenly I wonder if that was what I was thinking of

trogdor

also, a couple of these pretty much mean the same thing in America as well

doppelgreener

i am not turning up search results for ABC getting called mum, so now i wonder if i was imagining that one

Pixie

A few of these are in American usage (lippie and cardie, at least in fashion circles, and deli, and I think people occasionally use cuppa, etc.), but some of them would sound like babytalk if you used them in American conversation.

trogdor

this is true as well

Pixie

Also, far from standard, but I think of mushrooms as mushies. :v

Adeptus

1:07 AM

australiangeographic.com.au/news/2010/08/…

Pixie

For me that's very much an affectedly cute diminutive, though. I like cute mushroom prints, and that's usually the context I use it in.

mushies:

BESW

Tate Museum uses Minecraft to recreate famous art.

trogdor

lol

Pixie

@BESW I am always impressed by sophisticated Minecraft builds. It is not easy.

trogdor

true

doppelgreener

1:12 AM

@trogdor so would me mentioning that thongs are among our emblematic clothing items

trogdor

lol

@Pixie I can only imagine the amount of work that kind of thing can take

Miniman

@doppelgreener I'd be more offended if you'd said flip-flops

trogdor

having not actually like, played minecraft

BESW

Thongs, flip-flops, slippers, shower shoes... they're all zoris to me.

trogdor

yep

Miniman

1:13 AM

@BESW I don't mind any of the others, but I hate flip-flops

Pixie

@trogdor Tons of work. I play, but I've never attempted anything on that scale and probably never will. xD

trogdor

the kinds of games I like don't generally involve so much work for,.... mostly the ability to build what is basically artwork

not that art isn't really nice

I do like art, but I don't personally feel the need to spend that much time making it myself

Pixie

I generally play Minecraft in "survival mode" anyway, where you have to find food/defend yourself from monsters/etc., so large building projects are even harder.

trogdor

I CAN see the appeal of that

that involves combat, searching for food

setting up a base

I am interested in Don't Starve for those same reasons

plus it's sort of rogue-like

Pixie

After a while it gets a bit samey, though, so I do want to do something larger than I've done yet. My underground fortress is in pretty good shape. I'm entirely self-sufficient and have pretty much all the crops and livestock without ever having to come above ground.

trogdor

1:19 AM

yeah, I imagine it isn't nearly as fulfilling to continue on the route of just surviving after that

doppelgreener

I can't play minecraft for more than a day or two and stay interested. :'( I've attempted it on multiple occasions. On day one though, I've already solved the survival problem and I am virtually set for life. After day one, there is just maintenance, exploration, and creativity: the first isn't fun, the second is only fun for day two, and I already have an abundance of means of creativity that are easier to deal with than Minecraft.

Pixie

It's not especially impressive compared to a lot of what people do (MASSIVE automated setups), but my friends are always surprised that I actually took the time to clear out as much as I have when they see it. I even have an underground treefarm. xD

Adeptus

@doppelgreener There is an end to the game, you can actually "win" it

doppelgreener

@Adeptus I have also gone and beaten the ender dragon

i just don't feel the drive to, because combat is trivialised compared to e.g. dark souls

Pixie

@doppelgreener That is definitely true. That's what I mean by "samey." It's not something I can play all the time, and I prefer to play with friends. Horsequest 2013 was the best (we went so, so, so far to find horses after they patched them in).

trogdor

1:21 AM

lol

doppelgreener

What is pretty fun, when I have a reason to work with it, is redstone. But I normally only have a reason to work with it when it's in someone else's build.

Like when my friend made a Dwarf city beneath the earth.

trogdor

I do prefer a game to either have an end, or continue to change as you play, or between different runs

Pixie

The spawn rate for horses is pretty low, and if you've already generated land, it's already going to be filled with mobs. We didn't really want to nuke all our livestock, so we thought, "let's go find some new biomes with horses." It took... so long.

doppelgreener

I made some doors to the city, and build a platform in the prison used for executions. (Dwarf justice! Dropped into lava!)

Pixie

And amusingly enough, I found some far closer afterward. :v

I'm trying to learn redstone.

doppelgreener

1:23 AM

He built a secret escape route into the prison too. If you fall into the lava at just the right spot, you'll fall straight through and into a pool of water, survive the drop, and be able to swim to freedom.

@Pixie Nice, haha

@Pixie Do you have the Minecraft manuals in your book store? (If... you work at one... or is it a library?)

Pixie

@doppelgreener I work at a library and also at a toystore. We do have the MC manuals at the toystore, in our limited book section.

doppelgreener

\o/

Pixie

Probably the library has them somewhere too, but I have no idea where they'd be.

doppelgreener

have you seen the one about redstone?

Pixie

We have so many Minecraft toys, and I want all of them... especially the big spider plush. ; A;

I don't know if I've seen that one.

Metool

1:26 AM

plush!

Pixie

Spiders are so cute. I love Endermen the best, though.

doppelgreener

it is called the Minecraft Redstone Handbook

a lot of the information is probably also just freely available on the interwebs and on the minecraft wiki

Bradd Szonye

I think that’s the book I got for my friend’s daughter who loves Minecraft.

Pixie

Yeah, there are pretty good guides online (and sometimes things change in updates too). The books are lovely, though.

trogdor

@Pixie don't endermen kill you for looking at them?

Pixie

1:30 AM

@trogdor They are just shy!

trogdor

lol

Bradd Szonye

She later got another one that’s quite similar.

Pixie

One time one teleported down into my lair, and I found it carrying around one of my pumpkins.

doppelgreener

@BraddSzonye i think there might be a redstone handbook #2, and there are also handbooks on other topics

Pixie

Man, things load really poorly ever since I updated my MC server. I'm beginning to regret doing it.

Tritium21

1:41 AM

I have a sneaking suspicion I will be learning the new mincraft API once microsoft releases it... curse my skill in being able to understand microsoft documents

doppelgreener

@Pixie if you're having performance issues, i recall that outdated plugins is very often to blame

Pixie

@doppelgreener Don't use plugins.

doppelgreener

i seeeeeeeeee...

[strokes stache]

Pixie

There are some issues with the latest update. Looks like they've released a new version, though, so I'm about to try it.

doppelgreener

[new update makes it even worse]

Pixie

1:44 AM

@doppelgreener Probably!

I'm surprised my host has been as good as it's been, and for as long as it's been, too. MC hosting is so dicey.

doppelgreener

Which one do you have now?

Pixie

@doppelgreener Version or host? Version is 1.8.1, host is Mineocityhosting.com.

Darn, not better. Oh well.

Adeptus

ugh. MSY have great prices, but their customer service is lacking... asked local branch when they're getting more stock of the Samsung Evo, they say "not sure if we're getting more, it's an older model, maybe ask a different branch if they have any". THAAANKS

Pixie

@Adeptus Unfortunately, depending on how stocking works, that may be all they can actually do. Store staff may well not have any way of knowing what they're going to get sent. On the other hand, it's good form to try to order it or check the other branch for the customer, if possible.

Adeptus

2:03 AM

@Pixie Their website tells me only one other store in the state has "low stock". So, I can either order from their interstate stores, or buy from one of their competitors. Their price advantage disappears when you add in shipping.

Pixie

@Adeptus That's unfortunate.

doppelgreener

@Pixie Host, yeah. My friend was looking for a minecraft server not long ago and could only find dodgy services.

And then found a service that went dodgy within weeks.

Pixie

@doppelgreener I've been through that a couple of times, so I feel for them. I've been with Mineocity for, let me see...

doppelgreener

@Pixie Their competitor is Umart, though, who totally has their act together on all of this.

@Adeptus are you on the east coast?

Pixie

@doppelgreener Then naturally Umart will probably get the sale instead. :v

At least in a majority of cases.

doppelgreener

2:10 AM

yeah ;)

Adeptus

@doppelgreener nope, Adelaide

doppelgreener

drat :'( they're interstate then

Pixie

Oh, looks like I've been with Mineocity for almost exactly a year. Makes sense, I got a Black Friday "for life" discount last year I think. No real problems.

Metool

@Pixie Wait, Black Friday "for life"?

Pixie

@Metool A recurring discount on my server hosting payments.

doppelgreener

2:14 AM

@Metool they sell you the service for life instead of money. sacrifice a goat to the gods and be rewarded with eternal minecraft.

3

Metool

(I find that post interesting. And it appears others do, too.)

Pixie

What I have is a 1536MB for $5.17 a month, though the normal price right now for that is $15 a month. It was a pretty good promotion.

Wait, no, I'm wrong. $15 is for the normal plan. The budget plan is what I have (it is sufficient for my needs as I'm not doing anything intensive with it), and that's like $7 or so normally. All in all I'd recommend giving them a shot if your friend still needs a host, especially 'cause they're running another promotion right now.

Also, folks from here that play are welcome to poke around my server if they would like, although it is boring because no one uses it anymore. :P

Metool

@Pixie Where can I find it?

Pixie

2:29 AM

@Metool Oh, wait, let me find an email I don't mind posting (I tend to avoid sticking the IP in public spaces in case I ever turn the whitelist off).

@Metool Shoot me an email at battygames@gmail.com (apparently I made one specifically for online game purposes already, haha).

Also, I need to break my parenthetical habit.

Miniman

2:45 AM

@Pixie Looks like you've started already, given that you didn't say "(Also, I need to break my parenthetical habit.)"

Pixie

@Miniman The first step on a long and perilous journey. [gazes into the distance]

Miniman

@Pixie You will be hunted. The curly brace will haunt your every step, and the angle bracket will be the very ground you walk on.

Pixie

@Miniman I must not fall for the false sense of comfort in their curving, enclosing grasp.

Miniman

@Pixie {That conceals an evil point with which to stab you in the back}

Pixie

@Miniman At least the tildes are too simple and innocent to do me harm... for now.

Metool

2:56 AM

@Pixie nope

Pixie

@Metool Curses. It's given me some trouble in the past. I will make it work.

Metool

Is it instantaneous?

Pixie

@Metool Should be, but it can be funny about adding people sometimes. I think I added you like 3 separate ways, though, so it should be working... let me reset the server.

Metool

I think I log in with my Mojang account, if that matters

Pixie

@Metool Okay, now try. Added via command and restarted server.

BESW

3:13 AM

....I'm supposed to download 45 comics individually?

How hard is it to put a "Download all" button?

Pixie

@BESW ... ouch.

trogdor

@BESW from that pony comic thing?

BESW

Yeah.

trogdor

that is definitely painful

Miniman

Get a browser plugin, there's heaps of them that give you that functionality

Adeptus

3:35 AM

If you're on Chrome, I recommend Chrono Download Manager

Miniman

@Adeptus +1 for having Chrono in it

doppelgreener

hrm. that master poisoner question brings me back to magic = win.

an entire class archetype to devote yourself to poison work.

BESW

@Adeptus Does that work with the Humble Bundle interface?

doppelgreener

wizard just picks up a spell, or gives you the poison right back and then cures themselves.

trogdor

the cure one doesn't look like wizard/sorc can do it

doppelgreener

3:42 AM

@trogdor my mistake, you're right. well, mutually assured destruction at least.

trogdor

yeah

this is kinda the reason that most casters can't cast every spell

if you could, you could just choose the most broken spells you could find of any level

Adeptus

@BESW [goes to check...] Yes. It lets you filter by filetype, so you can download all PDFs, or all MOBIs, or all EPUBs... or all everything

BESW

Shiny.

Adeptus

(I'm not that into ponies, so I tested it with my Doctor Who bundle)

BESW

Fair enough.

...dear Wikipedia: If you don't know what belie means, don't use it.

Adeptus

4:02 AM

> Freight charges and/or handling fees may apply if the Product for which you are requesting warranty services was not sold via authorized distribution in your country/Region. [Intel SSD warranty]

so, maybe not worth buying direct from USA for the saving of ~$40

Miniman

@Adeptus Are you feeling lucky, punk?

BESW

@doppelgreener @trogdor I think I'm going to take a while to find the right balance of GM/player plot contribution for ARRPG. The book is a bit... interesting... in that regard.

So for this coming session, Troggy's told us the topic and I'll lay out the scene with some holes for players to fill in.

trogdor

ok

doppelgreener

4:31 AM

@BESW Could you say more about that? How is the balance looking? What is the book doing (or not doing) to contribute to your working this out?

BESW

@doppelgreener I'm... not sure yet! The book makes it pretty clear that the GM has most of the responsibility for setting things up, while the players are more about guiding the resolution.

trogdor

well, my guess is that the GM does have the main power to set things up in the first place

the game would be kinda boring if the PC's made all the things they had to do/stuff they have to fight themselves

doppelgreener

@BESW (idle thought: in fate hack & slash, the players have most of the responsibility for setting things up, whilst the GM and players together engage in tug-of-war to guide the resolution)

doppelgreener

4:46 AM

@BESW and filling in blanks like creating inventions, creating plot points through them ("you need to get Big Science Corp's armored material"), and deciding what the challenge is about through brainstorming.

Magician

In other news...

I've broken my players, and now they're trying to break the game, and it is awesome. They currently believe they're going to "save the world by architectural gender reassignment" and have already dubbed the upcoming game session "Cock blocking the universe". Which wasn't the original plan, but who cares about plans.

doppelgreener

what. XD

Magician

Our silly superhero game has gone.. places.

doppelgreener

... do you have recordings of your play? XD

Magician

Hah, no. I've thought of doing that, but that'd require editing and effort and people would clam up and I don't know how entertaining it actually is to outsiders.

doppelgreener

4:53 AM

that's true, it would have an effect on the players unless they're comfortable in front of a camera

Magician

And the best ideas, like this one, often happen in the car on the way home.

But yeah. The overall plot is that The Great Convergence is Coming, which, as they recently found out, involves our universe merging with another, in Sydney. It appears to be centered on the Pyramid Tower (the tower was their original idea). Which, through some leaps of logic, they've deduced to be, um, phallic.

So now they believe this is how new universes are made, and that perhaps people with powers who have been appearing every 30 years are a part of the process.

Miniman

@Magician When a mommy universe and a daddy universe love each other very much....

Magician

Pretty much. They think people inadvertently built the Pyramid tower there, not knowing what it signifies or what role it plays, and their current plan is to destroy it.

doppelgreener

now I understand what you were talking about XD

this sounds great

Magician

And all the while I was just sitting there, listening to this and thinking "well, there goes my explanation out of the window, awesome".

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