paddirn's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on How do you design your campaigns? in ~games.tabletop
paddirn LinkI tend to aim for "one-shots" (they may still take multiple sessions, but not full-length campaigns). I don't like the idea of running pre-written "epic" campaigns because of how forced they...I tend to aim for "one-shots" (they may still take multiple sessions, but not full-length campaigns). I don't like the idea of running pre-written "epic" campaigns because of how forced they always feel like whenever other GMs run them. As a GM, I prefer to not know the story ahead of time, I want to be just as surprised by the story as the other players. I plan my games around characters and I try to get a good enough feel for the characters that I know what their motivations are, what they want, and how they're likely to react to things. I plan for specific moments sometimes, but I don't know how those moments will happen, I like to let those moments just sort of spontaneously happen.
The most "epic" thing I'm doing now is Mutant Year Zero and running it as a sort of "hexcrawl"-ish campaign (on a square-grid). While I know some major story beats beforehand, I don't really know how the players will come into those moments or how they'll handle them. I've set the game to be more character-driven, like I'm more interested in how the characters react to each other than I am in how the background story elements play out.
I don't like to plan things out too far in advance, or assuming I know what direction the players will take the story. That always seems to set myself up for disappointment or just wasting time figuring stuff out that doesn't come to pass. Like you can spend all your time setting up a scenario based on a damsel in distress that the PCs will obviously agree to help out... and then they don't and you're like, "Well shit, now how do I get them to the dungeon?"
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Comment on r/art subreddit under new management after an artist was banned for mentioning their art prints in ~arts
paddirn LinkPart of me misses reddit, but then part of me remembers all the time I've wasted on different subreddits trying to post something that seemed related to whatever their theme was and having to go...Part of me misses reddit, but then part of me remembers all the time I've wasted on different subreddits trying to post something that seemed related to whatever their theme was and having to go through all their dumb, stupid rules to figure out what was allowed for that particular subreddit and what stupid formatting they required for their post tiles, and still getting posts removed for some arcane rule that didn't allow for that specific type of post. It'd be so infuriating having to spend that much time just to shitpost (or even serious-post) and getting posts removed across multiple subreddits. Its just too many individual rules to learn just to post on any one individual subreddit.
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Comment on What is your 'Subway Take'? in ~talk
paddirn LinkGun violence has been done to death, but it apparently never gets solved when we don't ever do anything about it. That's not the subway take. Gun ownership should be tied to service in the...Gun violence has been done to death, but it apparently never gets solved when we don't ever do anything about it. That's not the subway take.
Gun ownership should be tied to service in the National Guard and getting regular mental health checks. Failing a mental health check or if somebody is flagged for potential mental health issues or is forced out of the National Guard should lose their right to own a gun (until evaluated and given a clean mental health billing). Exceptions should be made for physical handicaps, just because somebody is handicapped shouldn't bar them from gun ownership or being able to serve in some capacity.
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People that go on shooting rampages have a tendency to be isolated and fall into weird insanity spirals where they don't interact with anybody and even though they may start showing signs of mental deterioration, nobody does anything about it because everybody assumes it's somebody else's responsibility. Then when something happens, everyone is like, "We should've paid more attention to the red flags." Owning a gun doesn't make you a crazy person, but a crazy person with a gun can do a lot of damage.
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Further, requiring people to be in close-knit groups with other people would help to root out mental health issues. If you're required to be around other people for extended periods of time, mentally unwell people are more likely to be found out over time by people close to them, versus just wallowing in their mental health issues in a downward spiral.
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The 2nd Amenment states: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It's pretty clearly talking about a well-regulated militia (it's literally the first thing mentioned) ie The National Guard. The connection it's making is that, "We need to have a well-regulated militia, so therefore people should be able to own guns... so that they can be called upon by these well-regulated militias". Otherwise, what would be the point of mentioning anything about them? People owning guns, but not being involved with the militia doesn't guarantee anybody's safety, if anything, it's the opposite. If they wanted individual gunowners to just haphazardly protect the nation, why even mention "well-regulated militias"?
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It's not a "magic bullet", it won't automatically solve every shooting death ever, just because something doesn't magically solve every problem ever doesn't mean it can't help.
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Comment on What’s going on with these viral, right-wing country music hits? in ~music
paddirn LinkAstroturfing - Most likely in preparation for the 2024 presidential election, trying to create these "grassroots" protest songs that seemingly come out of nowhere as a way to motivate their base...Astroturfing - Most likely in preparation for the 2024 presidential election, trying to create these "grassroots" protest songs that seemingly come out of nowhere as a way to motivate their base of voters. It could be a play at going after younger voters I guess. It's so odd how these people seem to be so quiet when a Republican President is in office, and never seem concerned about the shift towards authoritarianism in the GOP. Can we get a country song bemoaning the sad, sorry state of Republicans?
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Comment on I spent a week alone in the Metaverse in ~tech
paddirn Link ParentYea, I feel like by that same token, even a $300 Meta Quest should also be out of reach of kids as well. Having been one of those parents who bought my kid a VR headset, I speak from experience (I...Yea, I feel like by that same token, even a $300 Meta Quest should also be out of reach of kids as well. Having been one of those parents who bought my kid a VR headset, I speak from experience (I also wanted to use it myself, but that's beside the point). It's not like they really buy anything that they own anyways. $3000 may be just as out of reach for kids as $300.
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Comment on Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted on four counts on Tuesday, by a grand jury in the District of Columbia, over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election in ~society
paddirn Link ParentIt's kind of funny, kind of sad that he's actually right about the system being biased, but in this case it's actually biased IN HIS FAVOR. We've seen so many instances of the "small folk" doing a...It's kind of funny, kind of sad that he's actually right about the system being biased, but in this case it's actually biased IN HIS FAVOR. We've seen so many instances of the "small folk" doing a fraction of what he's done and getting not just the book, but the whole library thrown at them. Meanwhile, Trump commits multiple blatant crimes, does everything he can to lie and cover it up, potentially gave, sold, or lost classified documents to our enemies (or just anyone that was around), incites violence, threatens public officials, and he's still walking around free and has an actual shot at the Presidency again. It's complete madness, no, THIS IS SPARTA!
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Comment on Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted on four counts on Tuesday, by a grand jury in the District of Columbia, over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election in ~society
paddirn Link ParentHe's at the point now where he really doesn't have any other options other than he has to run for President. If he doesn't, he's most likely "screwed", as in he'll probably be under house arrest...He's at the point now where he really doesn't have any other options other than he has to run for President. If he doesn't, he's most likely "screwed", as in he'll probably be under house arrest for the rest of his life. Obviously to an important billionaire businessman doing business things, that's basically like torture. So he has to run because that's the only way he'll "beat the charges", by becoming President-for-life and corrupting the system. It's a huge test for our government and society in general in how we'll respond to this. Previous political norms, those sort of unspoken "gentlemen's agreements" that politicians would vaguely play by the rules just don't work in this situation. Trump is so far removed from any of that and so self-centered that there's no way he was ever going to respect any of that, plus he has absolutely no shame.
Really though, this won't be the first time the Republicans try to do it, if anything they'll get better at it the longer they're allowed to operate like this. Even if Trump had a heart attack tomorrow on 8/3/23 at 3:12pm and fell over dead, this wouldn't be the end of it. They've essentially become an extremist insurgent group, bent on overthrowing the government. The longer we tolerate their antics, the worse they'll get. Given though that half the voting population still supports them through all of this doesn't bode well for the country.
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Comment on What is some life advice that has stuck with you throughout the years? in ~life
paddirn Link ParentI try to put this into practice all the time at work. On so many projects I've worked on, I'll see stuff just languish around while people talk themselves in circles and they can talk themselves...I try to put this into practice all the time at work. On so many projects I've worked on, I'll see stuff just languish around while people talk themselves in circles and they can talk themselves into and out of almost any position depending on the most persuasive/persistent/loudest voice in the room. Sometimes you just need to do something, anything, just get a first draft out the door to really get the ball rolling. You don't know how bad or good an idea is until you've just thrown something together and you have something in front of you to actually evaluate. Too often it feels like people are waiting for a "magic bullet", some sort of perfect solution that solves everyone's issues all at once, when usually you're never going to see that, you can usually solve some of the issues, but there's going to be tradeoffs, it's just a matter of deciding what things you're willing to trade away to get closest to what you want.
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Comment on What is some life advice that has stuck with you throughout the years? in ~life
paddirn Link ParentYou know what, you talked me into it. I think I will go for that heist after all, who am I to say 'no' to an old friend getting the gang together for just one more score?You know what, you talked me into it. I think I will go for that heist after all, who am I to say 'no' to an old friend getting the gang together for just one more score?
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Comment on After Mitch McConnell's and Dianne Feinstein's episodes, should we talk about age limits in US public officials? in ~society
paddirn Link ParentYea, I feel like these examinations would just be maneuvered around by finding a party loyalist doctor who would just rubber stamp anybody to be fit to serve. Who would ultimately be in charge of...Yea, I feel like these examinations would just be maneuvered around by finding a party loyalist doctor who would just rubber stamp anybody to be fit to serve. Who would ultimately be in charge of the process that wouldn't be biased one way or another? Look back at 2015 when Trump dictated his own health report to his doctor, doctors aren't these paragons of ethical behavior either. In theory, finding a "government physician" could help with impartiality, but given the importance that these Reps/Senators carry, I'd imagine it could be easier to pressure/prod them into overlooking questionable behavior from a Congressperson.
Just set maximum age limits, the same way we have no problem setting minimum ages for people to become President, Senator, Representative, just set a maximum age limit as well. Why is it we have no problem discriminating against younger people entering these positions, but discriminating against older Americans is taboo?
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Comment on You have one fast travel point, where do you place it? in ~talk
paddirn LinkA hospital seems like a good fast travel point, though that really only helps you out in a medical emergency and hopefully it's not something you really even need to use that often (but it could...A hospital seems like a good fast travel point, though that really only helps you out in a medical emergency and hopefully it's not something you really even need to use that often (but it could be a life or death moment if you ever do need it).
My birthplace might be nice and make a bit more sense, but then traveling one-way from there on a regular basis would get expensive, and other than being born there, I have no other connection to it.
Home seems like the completely obvious answer, though if you ever move it kind of gives you a useless fast travel point if you can't change the location, but while I live there, I would be using that on a daily basis, especially if I could travel with objects. Ride a bike around everywhere, go to the store, load up the bike, then BAMPF! back home with everything. Going out drinking? BAMPF! no driving home drunk. Want to just travel to some random part of the globe for shits & giggles? BAMPF! home in a jiffy and you only ever need to get one-way tickets (though the authorities may become suspicious).
A Rick & Morty-esque save point remote would be even more useful if you could fast travel in both time & space (provided you weren't just dimension-hopping the whole time instead). Everyday could be Groundhog day and you could just keep on replaying each day til you "got it right", you could probably become a pretty successful day trader that way (assuming also you can change the fast travel point).
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Comment on Retired Maj. David Grusch tells Congress the US is concealing ‘multi-decade’ program that captures UFOs in ~society
paddirn LinkI think that without a doubt, there has to be aliens outside of our solar system, given just how mind-bogglingly large the Universe appears to be, for life to have just been this one weird fluke...I think that without a doubt, there has to be aliens outside of our solar system, given just how mind-bogglingly large the Universe appears to be, for life to have just been this one weird fluke on this one planet in a very unassuming corner of an unremarkable galaxy, while Life itself seems to show up almost everywhere we look on the planet. So Life is out there, but whether it can travel the distance between stars in a journey that would likely take hundreds/thousands of years is a different question entirely, and I doubt something they'd undertake lightly. They'd have to have access to some sort of cryo-sleep technology or have generation ships to even think of sending their own people. If we were to even be seeing alien technology in our star system though, chances are we wouldn't even be dealing with the aliens themselves, but some sort of drones just sent out for reconnaissance, probe droids. Only after some hundreds of years and with a specific purpose in mind, would the aliens probably even come here after that. So unless first contact was made centuries ago, if we've only just now seen aliens, we'd just be seeing a low-level representation of them, what their technology looked like hundreds of years ago when they sent the probes out.
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Comment on So I'm new-ish to cRPG's. I played the first four-ish hours of Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access. in ~games
paddirn LinkHaving played both the prior Baldur's Gate games, most of the old AD&D SSI cRPGs, Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale, Fallout, Planescape, and a host of other cRPGs, I've been really impressed with...Having played both the prior Baldur's Gate games, most of the old AD&D SSI cRPGs, Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale, Fallout, Planescape, and a host of other cRPGs, I've been really impressed with BG3, it's really really good. Most recent cRPGs have a tendency to try to "hide" their RPG roots, they're trying to tell a story and don't really want the mechanics to get in the way. BG3 does not shy away from it and it feels the closest to playing a tabletop RPG that I've ever played, it just feels like they've added so much detail to the game and give the players quite a bit of freedom.
What I'm kind of interested in is if they'll add support for scenario creation tools for the community. I could honestly see myself trying to play through a regular gaming session using BG3 as a sort of virtual tabletop. Let the game handle most of the combat mechanics, but then give the GM controls for running through the rest of the game for social encounters or for going through the story/plot elements, I think it could be really cool.
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Comment on US progressives in Congress unveil OLIGARCH Act to combat 'existential threat' of extreme wealth inequality in ~society
paddirn Link ParentThat seems to be it, makes it easier for people to get behind if they need to get people to protest or badger their Congress people. And it kind of gets the point across just in the acronym...That seems to be it, makes it easier for people to get behind if they need to get people to protest or badger their Congress people. And it kind of gets the point across just in the acronym itself, though they had to reach pretty far to get to the 'Oppose Limitless Inequality Growth and Reverse Community Harms' Act (OLIGARCH). They get to give it two names almost. It may have been better to have just called it the "Wealth Inequality Act" or something generic like that though, just say what the bill is about in as few words as possible and don't try to dress it up just for the acronym.
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Comment on Why is Elon Musk doing what he is to Twitter? in ~tech
paddirn Link ParentI think he honestly started buying into the real-life Tony Stark hype that people were attributing to him before he started opening his dumb mouth (seems to have started when he called the diver...I think he honestly started buying into the real-life Tony Stark hype that people were attributing to him before he started opening his dumb mouth (seems to have started when he called the diver guy a pedophile). So he just assumes he has the Midas touch, that nothing he does can ever be wrong, he's a genius, he's Iron Man. He has a bachelors in Economics and Physics but really doesn't seem to know a whole lot about anything, despite pretending to be an expert in everything.
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Comment on Norwegian left-wing party leader Bjørnar Moxnes resigned on Monday after stealing a pair of luxury sunglasses from Oslo airport in ~society
paddirn LinkHow weird. Here in the US we have people who have tried to overthrow the government running for re-election and have denied every thing they've done under the sun and will never admit to anything....How weird. Here in the US we have people who have tried to overthrow the government running for re-election and have denied every thing they've done under the sun and will never admit to anything. Like, I admire the integrity of the guy for admitting a wrong, but I almost think that someone with that kind of integrity should stay in politics, but he also tried to steal sunglasses. I'm so confused.
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Comment on The Summer Backlog Battle: Play your Steam backlog to benefit No Kid Hungry in ~games
paddirn LinkSounds interesting, but I always wonder about the point of these sorts of things, like unless you're actually donating money to something, what are you actually doing to help? Is it just...Sounds interesting, but I always wonder about the point of these sorts of things, like unless you're actually donating money to something, what are you actually doing to help? Is it just virtue-signaling and humble-bragging?
I had started up an effort to at least play through my backlog a year or two ago, going through my backlog of unplayed games chronologically (oldest games first) to at least say I had "played" all the games in my library, if only to install it, play for 5 minutes, call it done, then move on. I got sidetracked by Chrono Trigger however and hadn't gotten around to getting back into the effort yet.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~health
paddirn Link ParentYeah, the only semi-plausible reason I can think of is that the US Govt wouldn't want to destabilize trade relations with China "too much", like maybe the whole Trade War thing is really just a...Yeah, the only semi-plausible reason I can think of is that the US Govt wouldn't want to destabilize trade relations with China "too much", like maybe the whole Trade War thing is really just a behind-the-scenes agreement between the countries to try to decouple their economies from each other and the whole Trade War is just sort of political theatre. However, that's just some off-the-cuff idea I wrote up in 5 minutes with no basis in reality, just grasping at straws. It's just sort of magical thinking that assumes ulterior motives behind anything and everything happening in the world. There's been alot of effort on the US side to try to contain China and to weaken them, I think if there had been even a shred of truth to the Covid Lab Leak that we would've already been all over it, even just making the accusation to try to alienate China from the rest of the world. Though given how much the US probably contributed to the spread, I guess we don't have much room to point the fingers at others anyways.
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Comment on 'Barbie' review: Sometimes corporate propaganda can be fun as hell in ~movies
paddirn Link ParentI'm curious to actually go see it and bring my 5 year old daughter to it, is it something that a young kid would actually enjoy, or is it more tongue-in-cheek adult humor that will just completely...I'm curious to actually go see it and bring my 5 year old daughter to it, is it something that a young kid would actually enjoy, or is it more tongue-in-cheek adult humor that will just completely fly over kids' heads?
It's been out for years at this point, but I'm finally finishing out my playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3. I'd gotten it when it first released and got midway through Act 2, when general life and indecisiveness stopped me from playing. Now I'm back in and nearly finished with Act 3. As others have said, Act 3 loses a little bit of the shine that the other Acts had, it just feels kind of unfocused. Topping out at level 12 and having no way else to grow other than acquiring more loot, and some of the storylines feeling somewhat lackluster or unresolved just kind of takes it down a notch.
Still an amazing game that I wish they'd just convert to an engine for running tabletop RPGs online. Like, just make a standalone sandbox tactical setup where a GM can drop in whatever monsters they want in different environments with the players, and that's it, that'd be such a step-up above Roll20 or other VTTs. Maybe some capabilities to edit environments or they could just have AI automagically convert 2d maps into 3d, it'd be f'ing amazing. They wouldn't even have to write a single-player campaign or anything, just create a bunch of assets and let players make up their own stories.