TRPG General Chat

2:01 PM

It's got four reopen votes already. Watch this post!

I think this is the perfect borderline question, and it's on-topicness is very much down to the wording. "How does CRPG rolls stats?" => Off-topic, "Which edition of RPG does CRPG stat rolling match?" => On-topic — Pureferret 2 mins ago

NautArch

howdy howdy!

AncientSwordRage

> I'm Woody

NautArch

@nitsua60 (and anyone else, but you're more of a local): Anyone know what these things are. I saw them on my hike this morning.

They look kind of like yeast and they're coming up out of the ice and aggregating like that

nitsua60

2:20 PM

Yeeesh. No, doesn't look familiar to me.

NautArch

they were all over the trails

doppelgreener

google says that an algae named chlamydomonas nivalis has been found developing amid snow in Alaska and in other arctic regions

NautArch

@doppelgreener interesting! A guy a work with just suggested algae

Someone_Evil

So the ice has chlamydia?

doppelgreener

@Someone_Evil no relation. but also yes

NautArch

2:25 PM

hmm, not sure that's right. those images for it are coming up with more of a watermelon/blood color

these really look like yeast

doppelgreener

@NautArch i agree, it's not the same color

NautArch

@doppelgreener and it also looks like a swath of color in those rather than the singular 'things' that these are

doppelgreener

@NautArch what about it looks like yeast? (i am not exactly an expert yeast spotter)

NautArch

i believe i'm using the technical term here :)

the particles

like a bag of self-rising yeast

Someone_Evil

The nature and appearance of baking products may vary between countries. There is not product called self-rising yeast available in mine, so I don't know what that looks like

But a google search suggests it looks like dry yeast (if anyone cares/were curious)

NautArch

2:31 PM

oh my bad! It looks like little singular particles about 2mm in length. They are rising up out of the ice and aggregating in pools of water.

brownish in color

the water does not change color

SmokeDetector

3:06 PM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Blacklisted website in answer, link at end of answer (153): What is the general education level of people in the Forgotten Realms? by Edmond on rpg.SE

GcL

3:55 PM

@NautArch Needs more jpeg. Take a look under a magnifying glass. Take a sample next time you're out hiking and see what it looks like after it's melted and settled.

Little ruddy spheres in the ice sounds interesting.

Rubiksmoose

@NautArch Make beer out of it, then report what it tastes like.

GcL

@Rubiksmoose This guy sciences

2

RevenantBacon

Fun fact about alcohol, and Ethanol in particular: Any creature can digest it, regardless of Chirality

Rubiksmoose

@GcL When science and drinking intersect, I'm there XD

Chirality

Chirality is a property of asymmetry important in several branches of science. The word chirality is derived from the Greek χειρ (kheir), "hand," a familiar chiral object. An object or a system is chiral if it is distinguishable from its mirror image; that is, it cannot be superposed onto it. Conversely, a mirror image of an achiral object, such as a sphere, cannot be distinguished from the object. A chiral object and its mirror image are called enantiomorphs (Greek, "opposite forms") or, when referring to molecules, enantiomers. A non-chiral object is called achiral (sometimes also amphichiral...

Someone_Evil

@RevenantBacon Chirality of ethanol or the creature? because ethanol doesn't have chirality

GcL

4:04 PM

@RevenantBacon it has a chiral center?

@Rubiksmoose We used to call that Thursday.

RevenantBacon

@Someone_Evil Of the creature

It can be done because Ethanol doesn't have Chirality

NautArch

@GcL less sphere and more rod

GcL

@NautArch ruddy rods... maybe soil being extruded through holes in the ice.

Like a frozen muddy play dough spaghetti maker

RevenantBacon

This also assumes that it doesn't have some other reaction with the creature that kills it anyways

Perhaps I should have worded my initial statement to be: "Ethanol can be digested by any creature, regardless of that creatures Chirality"

GcL

@RevenantBacon That makes even less sense to me.

RevenantBacon

4:10 PM

They would also probably want to be carbon-baesed

Ah, it's because the vast majority of creatures on Earth have the same Chirality in most things, like their amino acids. If ever an alien race from another planet came here, and they had opposing Chirality, they may not be able to actually eat anything from our planet for nutrients.

Unless they ferment it into ethanol, which has no Chirality.

GcL

I'm pretty sure all amino acids used in biochemistry are L. That's my recollection from coursework forever ago, and my recollection of culture media additives. They're all L-whatever.

Rubiksmoose

Too much science, too little drinking.

;-)

Someone_Evil

But will the ethanol get these alien lifeforms drunk? That's a much more useful thing to know

RevenantBacon

@GcL All amino acids in Earth based biochemistry. With a very few, exceptionally rare exceptions.

@Someone_Evil Theoretically. We can all try and get drunk together!

GcL

@RevenantBacon That's seems awfully presumptive of the biochemistry of aliens.

AncientSwordRage

4:16 PM

@GcL it's already true that our body processes some left-handed molecules differently, unless the alien lives in a racemic environ, it would likely also have that behaviour of it's chemistry being 'handed'

GcL

@AncientSwordRage I find statements about the likelihood of traits of aliens dubious at best.

AncientSwordRage

@GcL you doubt they have traits?

or you think we know too little to say either way therefore it's moot?

GcL

Heck, the generalizations about the capabilities and functioning of organisms on this planet have been routinely overturned. Much to my happiness. Thank the deep oceans for TAC polymerase.

AncientSwordRage

because the chirality of molecules is going to be universal

GcL

tac? tak? taq?

Carcer

4:20 PM

eh

GcL

taq. geeze I havent' been at a bench in a long time.

Mark Wells

Taq, yeah. The PCR stuff.

RevenantBacon

I suddenly have the overwhelming sensation that this discussion got way to sciencey for a fantasy forum. And that's it's very heavily my fault

:p

Mark Wells

The D&D game I ran at the con has a chemistry lab, and this is the first time I've run it that someone didn't set the lab on fire.

Carcer

from where we're sitting it seems more likely than not that alien life is going to depend on some of the same organic chemistry as we've got here, if only because in our limited sample size it's been involved 100% of the time.

RevenantBacon

4:27 PM

Oh, sure, the chemistry will likely be incredibly similar, but the chirality of the molecules could be flipped. One day, we'll get to Mars, and see if it ever had bacterial life trapped in its ice caps. Then we can check out the Chirality of neighboring bacterium!!!!

Rubiksmoose

@MarkWells How did they resist setting it on fire?!

GcL

@Rubiksmoose Everything was labelled "inflammable" and they made the common misinterpretation most do and just assumed it couldn't be set on fire.

Rubiksmoose

@GcL That word annoys me lol

Because it just looks so much like it means exactly the opposite.

GcL

@Rubiksmoose Would you say it inflames your sense of order?

Rubiksmoose

@GcL I would now!

GcL

4:34 PM

How do you feel about the term "anti-clockwise" ?

Medix2

Is achirality not an option for chemistry? (I know math not chemistry)

Someone_Evil

@GcL I'm pro-clockwise myself

Medix2

Isn't counterclockwise only in the US?

GcL

@Medix2 Yes. Plenty of things don't have chiral centers. Amino acids which are the building blocks of your proteins all do have chiral centers.

Mark Wells

@Rubiksmoose They were very focused. It didn't have the guy they were looking for, so they closed the door and moved on.

GcL

4:35 PM

@MarkWells Does that seem like a victory or a loss to you?

Medix2

@GcL Inflammable, unravel, irregardless... There's history for all of them and merit therein

Mark Wells

@GcL I got to be surprised, and they got to make a decision and experience the results, so I call it a win.

Someone_Evil

@GcL Except glycine

nitsua60

@Medix2 "Widdershins" elsewhere, right?

Mark Wells

For contrast, the first playtest group walked into the lab, yelled "Hey, this looks like science!", and threw a torch into the acetone still.

Xirema

4:38 PM

@GcL I'm definitely setting a puzzle for my players that relies on significant portions of a room being described as "inflammable" with no clarifying distinction. =P

Medix2

@nitsua60 Yes though that can also describe something that's just crooked or off

GcL

@Xirema I hope your table enjoys word play and has a high groan factor tolerance.

Mark Wells

@Medix2 compare "sinister"

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