TRPG General Chat

Althis

10:25

FREEEEeeeeEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

BESW

[sticks head out window] Is that the tornado siren?

Althis

[Passes your window spinning around madly] Watch out! I am FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

BESW

...I dunno why they decided to privatise that.

SPArchaeologist

Elaborating.

Assuming that the window isn't at floor level

this mean that the creature must be spinning while floating thru the air.

Althis

This creature is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

BESW

10:34

[prediction: you are about to reference Screwball.]

SPArchaeologist

I was thinking Falkor :P More cat like.

SPArchaeologist

11:01

(So much spam today. Meta Tavern is filled from reports)

David Reeve

good morning

Sandwich

Phew I did it

I made an image with nothing but geometrical figures

That was the hardest possible thing

STT LCU

11:43

hello chatroom

Do any of you have any experience with inkarnate?

Shalvenay

@BESW -- and things like your experience with Word are why I use LaTeX for any sort of serious document prep

BESW

Spsh. InDesign all the way.

STT LCU

I see that a dedicated design tool is superior than almost any web-based resource... but is it "good enough" for non-designer users?

Shalvenay

@BESW -- well, InDesign adopted TeX's paragraph breaking (and I think hyphenation as well?) algorithms

;)

Dorian

Anyone know of an aberration with a negative energy breath weapon? (D&D any/Pathfinder)

Joshua Aslan Smith

12:08

@waxeagle SETTING BOOK!

enworld.org/forum/…

Miniman

12:41

@JoshuaAslanSmith I'm so buzzed for this.

Joshua Aslan Smith

im kind ameh on the sword coast not being a fan of the setting as a 4e player

Miniman

I get that

I'm particularly psyched to find out what's going on with FR deities though

Joshua Aslan Smith

nothing thats happened in any of the 5e modules/encounters stuff has won me over, but it is cool that they are publishing a setting and now that this is out of the way we can get some kind of Dark Sun, Eberron, and Ravenloft

@Miniman purple dragon knight could be a good subclass option though me thinks for fighter

Miniman

@JoshuaAslanSmith Hopefully it's good, a mounted class would be awesome.

It's been a sucky class in the past though, so I'm not too hopeful.

@JoshuaAslanSmith Planescape FTW!

Joshua Aslan Smith

ehhh I feel so meh about mount oriented classes, the cavalier subclass was cool in 4e but in having one party member mount oriented suddenly everyone needs a mount and dungeon design is either hilariously unreal to allow a mounted person to move through or you gimp that character

Miniman

12:47

@JoshuaAslanSmith Yeah, it is awkward.

Joshua Aslan Smith

I like mounted combat as an optional thing you can use or not use

Miniman

Small characters on mounts practical for dungeon use are the way to go

Joshua Aslan Smith

hah

I like that its a feat option

M o u n t e d C o m b a t a n t
You are a dangerous foe to face while mounted. While
you are mounted and aren’t incapacitated, you gain the
following benefits:
• You have advantage on melee attack rolls against any
unmounted creature that is smaller than your mount.
• You can force an attack targeted at your mount to target
you instead.
• If your mount is subjected to an effect that allows it to
make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage,
it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the

wax eagle

@JoshuaAslanSmith yeah, I'm kind of excited. I feel like it actually makes core+1 viable

Joshua Aslan Smith

haha

wax eagle

12:59

because up to now we haven't really seen what that +1 might actually be

actually a bit disappointed I can't preorder on amazon yet

Joshua Aslan Smith

13:16

whats the price?

wax eagle

announced cover is 39.95

amazon hasn't put a page up for preorders yet, but they're usually 5-10 cheaper than cover

Joshua Aslan Smith

13:51

yep

Aaron

14:02

Morning

Joshua Aslan Smith

good morning

SPArchaeologist

Morning.

Joshua Aslan Smith

writing up this answer made me want to play netrunner again

2

A: Where can I find cyberpunk face cards?

There aren't any cyberpunk face-card decks as game-aid tools I can find... I've had the same amount of success you've seen to had and while proving a negative is very difficult I think its safe to say there isn't a commercially available product that would meet your criteria. However.... Androi...

thats definitely a if I had the time and money game hobby like MTG is for me

SPArchaeologist

MTG... still having those cards somewhere...

How many memories.

wax eagle

17:02

Anyone heard anything about Out of the Abyss yet? (next D&D 5e adventure)

wax eagle

17:22

So...Reaper just announced (well, last night), their 5-headed dragon for their KS campaign: He's a biggun kickstarter.com/projects/1513061270/…

MC_Hambone

17:55

hey guys, does anyone have advice for this situation?: One of the players in my group decided to try GMing. he has run about 20 sessions, about half of those i have been a player in his games. The first campaign i played in no one had fun since he constantly made house rules and it felt like he was railroading us and punishing creative problem solving. The second game we decided to play RAW, but half way thru he tried to make us do a PVP tournament, which we players took objections to (cont)

He has asked me advice on how he GMs (i have 6 years of experience to his 6 months) and I have told him that the biggest thing he needs to do is put everything out on front street. To let us know what House Rulles he wants to use before a game, to let us know what the basic plot is, and to use the same page tool... we have done some of that, used the same page tool and gotten a short plot synopsis, yet last session when he sprang PVP on us and we declined to PVP he told me (cont)

after game he didnt want to DM anymore, or at least take a break. How do I let him know that he is doing a fine job as DM, but all he needs to do is run the plot and house rules by us

like, I have said it to him, but he is still getting discouraged, and I dont wanna be the reason he quits DMing forever

Sandwich

Sit down with him, tell him he's doing a great job. That's the best thing you can do. Tell him what you did enjoy about his game, and what you didn't enjoy

The thing he needs most right now is positive feedback on what he was doing right and what he was doing wrong so he can change to accommodate your group

Not all groups have the same social dynamic, you guys could all be power players or minmaxers for all I know, but you need to let him know how you feel regardless

MC_Hambone

other than the little bit of house rule vague ness that made us feel like he was punishing us from time to time, i feel like it might be a difference in DM style. He seems to like running games where he is an enemy to the players, and we have to outsmart eachother, and for us to 'win' we have to survive his gauntlet. and for him to 'win' he has to kill us... which is like classic D&D DMing, but not post 3.5 D&D where the DM is a neutral observer

Sandwich

Create a list of +'s and -'s with the other players and let him know what you all liked and disliked

MC_Hambone

I have talked to him and told him how i feel but he is still getting discouraged

I guess tomorrow I'll just give a point by point rundown and hope he continues after a break

Sandwich

You've told him how YOU feel

The group has to do the same

On every - on the list that you include be sure to also add a way that he can improve on that point and make his GM'ing more dynamic

For example you said that one of his -'s is Railroading, suggest to him a way to make his plots more dynamic to allow player creativity and problem solving

MC_Hambone

18:05

hmmm i'll see if i cant get them to talk to him... tho tbh i dont trust them to not berate him for being "bad"

I think thats the root of my problem tho. I am fairly well spoken and I try to give him advice from experience. I have coupled my complaints with suggestions to improve, yet he is still discouraged that people arent having as much fun as when I DM.

like he writes his own adventures and then wants to pile on house rules and all sorts of other stuff. I told him that as a new DM that is a monumental task, and that he should maybe run a prewritten adventure or two so he can focus on the rules and not having to worry about us complaining about the story elements

ehhh i dunno, maybe I am over thinking things. I really just dont want to be the reason he gives up on DMing. the hobby needs more GMs

Sandwich

As a new DM he has to understand WHY you use house rules, just try to help him on those

MC_Hambone

one of his big complaints was that in D&D a 'hard' DC should be passed 60% of the time

which i get, i didnt like that either when i first DM'd, but i explained WotC reasoning is that players in D&D are larger than life heroes that SHOULD be passing hard checks frequently, sicne the check is 'hard' for average people

He wants to kill or knock out a player character EVERY fight

and i have told him maybe D&D isnt the right system... but he is then seemingly unwilling to look at different systems

i dunno... i feel like I have crossed the line into venting/complaining. so i'm gonna stop :P

dont wanna fill chant with negative vibes, im just concerned that these past 2 false start campaigns have tainted his experiences

Aaron

19:22

That was nice.

Doing mindless work that is just repetitive and easy is nice sometimes when you have been butting your head against a project that just wont be done.

Wingpad

20:17

Hello! I'm going to be a first-time DM soon and I've been planning out my game for a bit, reading the rulebooks and etc. I've played many a D&D session but this will be my first time DMing one and I'm rather excited about it.

The main reason I'm here is because I am contemplating using a custom spell-casting system and was looking for some advice.

First off, would you even recommend trying to homebrew my first session?

MadMAxJr

Generally would not advise tweaking a rule system that you haven't used as written yet.

Aaron

^

Wingpad

Hmm, is it really that different from a player to DM perspective?

MadMAxJr

As a GM/DM you're responsible for collectively keeping the players engaged in your story and subtly guide them in a manner to progress that story. You're the final arbiter of rules. If you're new to being a DM, you need to establish a baseline feel for the rules. Once you've got a handle on how you intend to run things, after a time, you can start experimenting on the rule system. Not a hard rule, but good advice to not drive yourself nuts on your first go.

BESW

There are two primary concerns, I think.

Wingpad

20:25

That seems reasonable, I 'spose I'll just hold back some of these ideas for a future session. I would really like to tinker with stuff but patience is virtue. I'm just worried about being too cliched/generic and wanted to put my own spin on things. I guess ultimately it's up to the players to decide that.

BESW

Max is talking about the first: system mastery from a GM perspective, which includes tracking and coordinating things that players don't usually see, and can take some getting used it.

trogdor

It is a lot of work transitioning to DMing, I have done it a few times recently, and even in a system lighter than D&D it is a bit of a chore in some respects

BESW

Adding an extra layer of new rules that the players will be less familiar with, and stress-testing them while also learning the GMing ropes, may be overwhelming. Or not, depends on you and your group.

The second concern, related but tangential to the first, is trust.

It usually takes some time for a group to re-cohese around a new GM, even if it's a person who's been a player in the group for some time.

Wingpad

I guess that's a valid point. I hadn't even considered that aspect of it.

BESW

If the homebrew doesn't work right off the bat, it'll get in the way of that trust-building process.

MadMAxJr

20:28

What edition of D&D is this?

Wingpad

We

*We will be playing 3.5e/Pathfinder

MadMAxJr

Lots of rules, moderate to high complexity, potential for lots of fun.

BESW

But at the end of the day, this is something you should ask the group about. As much as D&D likes to talk about how the GM is the "final arbiter" and give the GM a lot of social power as well as game power, it's still a group game among friends.

Including the group in GM decisions is a powerful choice.

Wingpad

I've talked to 'em a bit about it and they said they'd be open to trying it and ultimately left it up to me but I thought I'd get some more insight from more experienced players before jumping in to waters of unknown depth.

MadMAxJr

If I had to give you one piece of advice about DMing 3.5/PF for the first time, it's "be open to the fact you could be wrong about a rule." If you don't know how something works or a rule as written is unclear, indicate you're going to make a temporary ruling to keep the game moving, look up the rules later. If unclear, ask a question here or over on Paizo's rules board. If you have to make a long-term ruling, be consistent about it.

Because players can and will come up with things the rules either don't cover, barely cover, or cover in a way that doesn't make any sense.

Wingpad

20:32

Haha, I certainly have on more than one occasion...

MadMAxJr

Personally, I adhere to the way the rules are written. Others sometimes side with the concept of 'rules as intended'

BESW

18

Q: Is studying rules and pointing out which ones we've stretched or broken ok?

My group is mostly new to Pathfinder (including the GM), and we sometimes take "Accidental Liberties" while playing. For instance, my character has a spear with the "Brace" feature. I had been using that feature in the same round as casting a spell or firing an arrow. I just learned that the r...

@MadMAxJr I'm in favour of "rules as most fun" these days.

MadMAxJr

Yeah. That's an advanced GM tip. Knowing when to throw the rules away.

BESW

But that can jeopardise consistency, which is important for players to trust their characters will be effective.

3

MadMAxJr

And speaking from close to 20 years of experience as DM, try not to kill them at first level. As a DM you're allowed to tweak, twist, or bend things. Use it sparingly. Don't give them a sense that they can never die. Just let them get out of the starting gate before the real threats kick in.

trogdor

20:35

both rules as written and rules as intended have a tendancy to be able to be abused in some ways

BESW

On the subject of homebrew magic systems in 3.PF, @Wingpad: I started RPGs as a GM, but my first time as a player was in a 3.5 game with a much more experienced GM who was using a homebrew magic point system.

Wingpad

When I've played my GM has always leaned towards the "rules as most fun" rule. Recently I played with a less experienced GM and we got away with a few accidental liberties. More often than not, however, I end up feeling like I forget about what my own character's rules are, personally. Like I can tumble to try and avoid an AoE...

trogdor

not to say they are wrong or always are abused, I just don't see a reason one is better than the other

BESW

I immediately snapped the system in half and made the broken pieces dance to a hearty jig in ways the group had never thought possible.

Wingpad

Haha, how so @BESW?

MadMAxJr

20:36

Know your table, know your players (if a pub game, ignore this), and get a feel for what they're looking to get out of the adventure.

BESW

I found a loophole that let me double my magic point pool and double how fast it regenerated; most turns I was gaining more points than I could spend.

My point is that homebrew generally needs to be developed specifically for the people who are going to use it.

Wingpad

Wow, that's definitely good to know then

BESW

A homebrew modification is addressing needs of the group which the out-of-the-box system can't handle.

Sometimes it's just "Doesn't let us do [Cool Thing] the way we want," but something as simple as that becomes... something else... in the hands of a player or group with different play goals.

That's what happened when I joined an already-established group and looked at their homebrew without having their context for it.

Wingpad

Hmmm, at least from what I can see I guess I have a long way to go before I should start considering this stuff. I really should try and get some more experience under my belt.

Thanks for all of your advice, it's definitely been helpful :)

BESW

On the other hand, 3.PF is already swiss-cheesed with trap options. From an objective standpoint it's hard to make the magic system more imbalanced than the PHB has made it.

My "doubled magic" exploit didn't make my caster more powerful than he could have been with the regular system--it just made it easier for me to get him to that power level.

Wingpad

20:46

Is it worse off than 3.5e or could similar "brokenness" occur there as well?

BESW

3.5 and Pathfinder are effectively the same in terms of magical balance.

They're effectively the same in most everything, really. Pathfinder's tweaks are minor cosmetic changes; the underlying frame of the d20 System is unchanged, and that's where its balance challenges stem from.

user61230

Think of Pathfinder as a minor revision of 3.5e. In other words, more like a 3.6e. The underlying acting principles are the same, but there have been a couple cosmetic changes and fixes. If there's an issue with the underlying principles, that's in Pathfinder, too.

Wingpad

Ah, that's good to know. I just didn't know if the balance issues stemmed from PF stuff or if the problem dated back to 3.5e. PF is completely backwards-compatible with 3.5e, right?

Just wondering, in your opinions what is the most balanced version of D&D? I've heard good things about 5e but I haven't played a lot of it...

user61230

With a couple awkward spots, it's generally backwards-compatible.

BESW

4e is the most balanced, hands-down. It uses a consistent system across all classes and reduces trap options.

The tradeoff is that it's a tactical combat engine and doesn't try to do much else: outside of the combat the system mostly just gets out of your way.

Wingpad

20:52

4E is the one version I haven't played at all, maybe I should look into it then

BESW

That said, it's probably the best tabletop tactical combat simulator out there.

Wingpad

lol

BESW

I had a LOT of fun running 4e. It was hard work, but more rewarding-per-effort than 3.5 for me because system mastery wasn't an arcane art.

In 3.5 I had a hard time knowing what effect my mechanical choices would have in play, and mis-matched PCs made it very difficult to design encounters that would be fun for everyone.

4e gave me more control over my tools and less uncertainty about their effects.

user61230

Also, from the player's perspective, 3.5e can be made less fun by system mastery disparity, which 4e in many ways addresses.

BESW

The knobs and dials were explicit and mostly did what they said they would.

Eventually I burned out in 4e, but it wasn't because of any particular quality of the fourth edition--I just finally realised that D&D of any edition wasn't giving me what I wanted for my games.

Hmm. From a GM design perspective:

trogdor

21:01

4E was the most fun for me as a PC hands down

BESW

In 3.5 I had thousands of options. Many of them sounded great but were mechanical nightmares--too weak, too strong, too complex to keep combat moving swiftly.

The options were divided in dozens of subsystems that each had their own rulesets to learn, and interacted with each other in strange ways.

trogdor

as a GM,.. it was the only D&D edition I did GM, so I don't any comparative experience

BESW

I lived in constant fear of making a bad choice that would turn a fight unintentionally trivial or lethal, and I struggled with creating one experience that'd be fun for players of vastly differing system masteries.

But it was a lot of fun to flip through the options and play mix-and-match anyway.

In 4e I had a toolbox of limited generic options, and I could flavour them to my heart's content to create a wide variety of story-through-combat experiences without worrying about unexpected combinations ruining the play. My players didn't need to worry about varying system masteries making it hard for their PCs to work together, so neither did I.

I felt more comfortable making up homebrew in 4e, because the toolset was explicitly outlined and I knew how the pieces worked.

trogdor

I killed a lot of PC's by accident,... but that was on me being a new GM

MadMAxJr

I played 4E up until Essentials. 4E was great for people without a lot of prior D&D experience or mostly MMO experience. 4E was not great for veterans of 3.5 looking for more in non-combat scenarios.

BESW

21:07

Mmm, I kinda disagree on that.

MadMAxJr

Well I'm not particularly polarized on the topic. What's your counter?

BESW

The "skill challenge" mechanic of 4e was a lot better at mitigating the goblin dice effect. And whereas 3.5 wanted to have mechanics for everything --whether they were good or not-- outside of combat 4e just backed away and allowed freeform or whatever we wanted if skill challenges weren't the answer.

Zachiel

Speaking about 4e, ~~I see~~ has anyone here ever played Fourthcore? Then, back on topic, non-combat 4e is even more freeform (thus, better working than the mess that 3.PF was)

MadMAxJr

@BESW Valid point, but for players with experience in a rigidly structured ruleset for non-combat scenarios, it offloaded a lot onto the DM to figure out, make up as they go, or otherwise. In short, it didn't work for my group, but I've seen it work well for others.

BESW

@MadMAxJr Yeah. My group had found that rigid system failed to produce fun, and we'd already reached the point where the most fun we had in 3.5 was whenever the rules were least in play.

Zachiel

21:11

@MadMAxJr I doubt players with experience in a rigidly structured ruleset for non combat scenarios is a valid description of previous D&D edition players

BESW

So a system that didn't feel obligated to step up to the plate in areas where it wasn't able to deliver the goods was a welcome change.

MadMAxJr

It's different.

Zachiel

Except maybe for those things D&D 4e still has, like how far can you jump or the like.

MadMAxJr

Then 5E made it different again.

Zachiel

Then 5e came out and now -I- am the grgognard... :/

BESW

21:12

I kinda like what 13th Age did with skills, but there's something nagging me about it that's not quite right. Can't put my finger on it yet, though.

MadMAxJr

My team lead keeps carrying around 13th age, but I'm not sure I can take his opinions on it to heart, since he seems to revel over the various ways it gives him tools to kill players.

... I think what he really wants is Hackmaster.

I fear for his 13th Age Gencon tables.

Zachiel

Anyway, I gather none of you have ever played Fourthcore

MadMAxJr

Never even heard of it.

trogdor

not sure what it is

AJMansfield

21:41

Hey, I'm working on trying to work out how to keep a spellcaster PC from being useless during an event that will greatly reduce their spellcasting abilities.

The scenario is described in this post.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to address this issue?

Zachiel

21:56

@MadMAxJr @Trogdor Fourthcore is basically a Gygaxian dungeon played with 4e rules. I wonder if two character sheets per player will be enough.

@AJMansfield arcane strikefeat or something else that feeds on spell slots while not being spells would be the 3.5e solution, but in 5e I have no idea.

trogdor

@Zachiel ok, so it is modeled after dungeons Gygax used to put together?

Zachiel

@trogdor It's deadly, full of traps, requires metagaming and lateral thinking... a sort of challenge if you want.

trogdor

ah

ok

Zachiel

and it's meant to be played with a time limit

very different than 4e basic assumptions

trogdor

I have heard that he made some dungeons like that because people complained that nothing was hard enough

like Tomb of Horrors

Zachiel

22:04

that kind of gygaxian

the thing is meant to be played in 4 hours and each player respawning takes 15 minutes away from the total time

but I guess people can use the same character twice if I end up without pregens

Codeacula

wave

Does anyone mind helping with a bit of D&D 4e questions? They're based on opinion, so I don't want to ask them on the boards. I don't mind taking it to the deconstruction room or not a bar if it'll cause a fight

Progredi

22:22

Is anybody an experienced DM for D&D 5E? I would like to ask some opinion based questions and can't post them on the baord.

BESW

@Codeacula I'd be happy to help, but when I can help is hard to pin down. Not for several hours, at least.

Codeacula

@BESW That's fine, I can hang out for now. I'm going to work on this website in the mean time

@BESW Thank you :)

Pixie

I survived work this week, yaaay. Now, a weekend full of planning. xD

Codeacula

Yay!

user15026

@Pixie I still have an hour and half in my day, then 8 hours tomorrow, then 7 hours saturday, THEN weekend. (Featuring a trip to the zoo, which I am excited over)

Pixie

22:33

@AshleyNunn Hope it goes by quickly for you! :) A zoo trip sounds great!

I'm not sure why, but just working 4 days has me totally exhausted, so I am ready for this. xD

BESW

@AshleyNunn Zooooooo.

user15026

@BESW I hope this zoo has giraffes, they're my favourite.

user15026

(I fed one once, they have amazingly long tongues.)

trogdor

yes they do

Pixie

It's been a long time since I went to a zoo. We used to go when we visited relatives in New Jersey, but we haven't done that for a long time.

trogdor

22:34

it was a little disgusting the one time I did feed a Giraffe

BESW

Unfortunately, Guam's zoos have a sad history.

trogdor

not to say it wasn't also amazing

BESW

But good zoos are good!

(And the first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club.)

3

trogdor

Guam is not the place for a zoo, at least for the foreseeable future

Pixie

@BESW That is unfortunate. :(

trogdor

22:37

it is

I am happy to have been able to see some good zoos in other places

Pixie

I think there's a zoo in Boston. When I visit my boyfriend next, we are thinking of my flying in there because he can get there by train and spending the day there... hmmmm.

user15026

I am pro good zoo visits.

user15026

My family likes to go check out smaller zoos (although we are totally going to the Toronto Zoo in the fall for my mom's birthday, and they have pandas so I am excited) and stuff like that.

Pixie

There are apparently red pandas at the zoo in Boston. Red pandaaaaa. @o@

user15026

@Pixie Oh my goodness. That's super great.

Pixie

22:41

They are so cute. The cutest.

BESW

Guam's zoos... well, once we had a lion, because it was abandoned by a circus and nobody could figure out how/afford to get it shipped anywhere better.

Pixie

Aww.

BESW

(@trogdor, you remember Barb's husband Jim? He flew the tiny little island-hopper plane they used to get the abandoned circus animals from the NMI to Guam. The trainer lost a finger to a bear on the way.)

trogdor

@BESW ........ wow

Pixie

There are some nice zoos in the greater area, but my family has never really vacationed beyond visiting relatives, so I haven't been to any besides the one in NJ. There is a small one in the state, but I haven't been to it. I think they've expanded a lot in recent years, so it's probably worth an eventual visit.

doppelgreener

23:01

@BESW that's pretty metal

user15026

@Pixie My family never did many big vacations other than our annual camping trip, but my mom and dad liked finding things to do nearby, like small zoos or beaches or whatever.

Pixie

Oh! I did go to the... Cincinnati Zoo once. My mother went there on a trip with her professor and a couple of other students while studying biology and carted us along. I almost forgot about that one.

@AshleyNunn We did not do well on long car rides, and there is nothing we can get to that doesn't require a long car ride. :P

trogdor

@BESW I didn't realize he was a pilot

user15026

@Pixie Makes sense :)

Pixie

My grandparents took us camping and to the beach, though, so we weren't missing out. My parents were simply sparing themselves. xD

Still looking at these critters.

Codeacula

23:09

Fennec Fox > Red Panda

That's right, I said it

user15026

@Pixie Oh my goodness that cute little face

Pixie

Codeacula

Pixie

@Codeacula [falls over]

Codeacula

I used to live on a road called Fennec Fox. I enjoyed the reactions from friends who were aware of the animal

Pixie

23:13

But I'll see your fennec and raise you one jerboa.

trogdor

the hell is that unnatural beast?

Codeacula

Somebody killed a bunny and put a fake tail and legs on it

user15026

@Pixie I want like ten of those.

Pixie

@trogdor Jerboa! Similar to but not the same as the kangaroo rat.

If you think it looks unnatural, here is a pygmy jerboa, which looks like a fake furry little bird.

user15026

Yeah, that one does not look real.

Pixie

23:16

But it is! Nature.

trogdor

urgh

evolution, what have you done?

WHAT IS THIS

Pixie

A cuteness.

You may watch it in action. It hops.

Pygmy Jerboa!

►

doppelgreener

i raise you sugar gliders

seen here high fiving a human

or here high fiving even harder

@Pixie that is quite cute

Pixie

@doppelgreener So many cutes!

trogdor

SYSTEM OVERLOAD REBOOT IN T MINUS 7 HOURS

user15026

23:23

I cannot handle all of this cute

doppelgreener

23:40

Also sugar gliders are from Australia and Papua New Guinea (the island just north of us)

So we manufacture things that aren't trying to kill you, it is true

Pixie

[narrows eyes at sugar glider] hmm

But nah they're super cute. I think my old boss got one as a pet under pressure from her daughter. xD

doppelgreener

They are called sugar gliders, I think, because of their diet of feasting on nectar and sap during the winter. (But they eat insects mainly during the summer.)

Codeacula

sugar gliders are bait to lure people to Australia

So then the dropbears can feed

doppelgreener

And apparently our flowering trees are the reason we have birds that get territorial and attack people, and basically no other country gets that

Pixie

@Codeacula I... I misread "dropbears" as "doppels" for a second and was briefly concerned.

user15026

23:45

@doppelgreener wait, what?

doppelgreener

@Pixie <_< >_> <_<

Codeacula

O_o

Maybe it's better that way

doppelgreener

@AshleyNunn is that to the bird message? (On my phone right now, can't see direct message replies)

user15026

@doppelgreener Yeah, the birds.

Pixie

@doppelgreener "Of course he's showing us sugar gliders... it all makes sense..."

Codeacula

23:49

^

Come visit Australia! Look at all the sugar gliders. Stand around over here with your neck exposed.

Pixie

I have some interesting misreadings. As a kid, I walked past a truck that said "Pray Construction Company" and read "Pray Christian Conspiracy" and did a complete doubletake because why is there a van casually blaspheming in a hospital parking lot?

(Before BESW beats me to it, Casually Blaspheming would be a good band name.)

doppelgreener

@AshleyNunn In the outback there's a number of bird species that establish territory and fight over it, because the territory itself is their food source. (Not enough territory and they die. More territory and they become appealing mates.)

Codeacula

All of us programmers thought our HR director was telling someone that someone doesn't have an anal salary

doppelgreener

In the more populated areas though the main problem is magpies, who have a habit of swooping people during spring. They'll claim a section of a street, and then begin swooping by people who move nearby, and it's better or worse depending on how aggressive the individual is.

I've never been injured and injuries are rare, but it's still bloody terrifying having a magpie swoop near your ear clicking its beak from inches away.

user15026

@doppelgreener Yeah, that would terrify me.

Pixie

23:56

Yeeeah. I would not do well with that.

I... surprise easy.

user15026

Yay, time to head home :)

doppelgreener

@Ashley Hooray!

Pixie

Always a good feeling!

doppelgreener

@Pixie Nobody at all does well with it really. You just find alternate routes, or ways to ward off the magpie.

Transcript for