The Very-Many-Questions-Not-Worth-Their-Own-Thread Thread XL

[Ajidica]

Why are RPGs on the PC called RPGs when they are not RPGs?

Is this something your "friends" said?

 

[Chukchi Husky]

Is this something your "friends" said?

Yes.

 

[Farm Boy]

Because they started that way. Fairly frequently you would have people in games like Everquest that actually wandered around talking in character, acting in character, and roleplaying the hell out of it. Then the genre mainstreamed enough the metaconversation won. It mostly became lame to roleplay outside of the people that are cybering each other. As far as MMOs go, at least.

I think my favorite MMO character ever was a Hybernian druid in Dark Age of Camelot. He was 100% straight invested into buffs, with nothing in heals, which made his buffs absurdly good, and his healing absolutely erratic. Like heal for 1-1200 per cast level erratic. He only ever referred to himself in 3rd person and a lot of parties wiped because they couldn't be assed to read the warnings, but some people got it(usually repeats) and the parties worked great. Was hella fun.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

Because they started that way. Fairly frequently you would have people in games like Everquest that actually wandered around talking in character, acting in character, and roleplaying the hell out of it. Then the genre mainstreamed enough that meta won and it mostly became lame to roleplay outside of the people that are cybering each other. As far as MMOs go, at least.

They quote Shigeru Miyamoto when it comes to MMOs, there's no point in playing them because they're boring.

 

[Farm Boy]

Well, there is certainly no point in playing a boring game, that much is true. But it's a game. There's no particular reason to take somebody else's word for what's fun.

That dude is impressive, but I cannot get more than 5 minutes into a Zelda game. I just do. not. care. So I waste plenty of my time otherwise!

 

[Valka D'Ur]

"RPG" means "role-playing game" and the player takes on one or more characters to roleplay (as opposed to the more obnoxious AD&D players who rollplay, constantly fiddling with the dice and insisting the string of nat 20s they rolled is perfectly legit, no cheating... yeah, right ).

In the gaming group I mentioned before, I had to play two characters. The person who was normally the cleric had taken on the job of DM, so someone else had to be the cleric. The guys wanted to be fighters or mages; the woman I'd thought most likely to want to be a cleric opted for the thief class. So it was up to me to play both a half-elven mage and a human cleric. I think I did a decent job of each, especially after coming up with unique character backgrounds for them.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

"RPG" means "role-playing game" and the player takes on one or more characters to roleplay

They hate that definition, as it means every game in existence is a role playing game. Super Mario Bros. is a role playing game where you play the role of Mario.

 

[Samson]

It's in children. There was a link between drinking unpasteurized milk early in life and better allergy/asthma outcomes later on. The objection to this is that growing up on a farm has the same effect and since the two often go together, it acts as a confounding variable. I'm not remotely qualified to judge which side of the debate is correct.



Listeria, E. Coli, etc are connected to raw dairy consumption.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6805749/
https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-...pasteurized-milk-can-pose-serious-health-risk

I just came across this paper, Farm-like indoor microbiota in non-farm homes protects children from asthma development. I thought you may be interested.
Paper New Scientist writeup.

 

[Syno]

Besides going to a mattress store and physically lying down on mattresses, is there a way to get a vague idea of what kind of mattress would be best for you? I've only slept on spring/pillow-top mattresses and never had any control over what I sleep on (furnished rentals), but that will be changing eventually as the springs in my mattress have collapsed and are making my back problems far more worse than they need to be. I don't want to leave this up to my landlord, but now I'm facing the issue of not actually knowing a single thing about mattresses. I could just buy the cheapest possible and leave it here when I move out, or I can invest a little and take it with me when the time comes to leave.

I assume there is a tangible difference between foam and spring? Coil and latex?

I see a mattress on Amazon that's a "green tea gel-infused memory foam mattress." What on earth is that supposed to mean? Do I want green tea gel in my mattress???

ETA: Also, some of these foam mattresses have different heights. Is there a difference between 3 inches of memory foam and 2? (Weight limit?)

 

[Cutlass]

Besides going to a mattress store and physically lying down on mattresses, is there a way to get a vague idea of what kind of mattress would be best for you? I've only slept on spring/pillow-top mattresses and never had any control over what I sleep on (furnished rentals), but that will be changing eventually as the springs in my mattress have collapsed and are making my back problems far more worse than they need to be. I don't want to leave this up to my landlord, but now I'm facing the issue of not actually knowing a single thing about mattresses. I could just buy the cheapest possible and leave it here when I move out, or I can invest a little and take it with me when the time comes to leave.

I assume there is a tangible difference between foam and spring? Coil and latex?

I see a mattress on Amazon that's a "green tea gel-infused memory foam mattress." What on earth is that supposed to mean? Do I want green tea gel in my mattress???

ETA: Also, some of these foam mattresses have different heights. Is there a difference between 3 inches of memory foam and 2? (Weight limit?)

There are articles that describe what is generally best for a person based on the way they sleep.

https://sleepopolis.com/guides/how-to-choose-a-mattress/


https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home-products/a25695/mattress-buying-guide/



Start with these and see if that helps you narrow things down.

 

[Syno]

Apparently either a coil or a memory foam mattress. The latter is significantly cheaper, so I guess that wins automatically. Thanks!

 

[Arakhor]

I was rather wondering how to choose a mattress too, so I'll have to watch that. Thanks!

 

[Birdjaguar]

One issue with all the fancy foam and foam topped mattresses is that they can be hotter than those without much foam. They can trap body heat pretty well.

 

[Ajidica]

I'd recommend to err on the side of a firmer mattress over softer. Although soft mattresses can give you that "ahhh" feeling as you lie on them in a store, it is hard to turn onto your side as you sink into them and I believe they can cause back/posture issues as you don't get enough support when sleeping.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Apparently either a coil or a memory foam mattress. The latter is significantly cheaper, so I guess that wins automatically. Thanks!

And your next adventure will be new bedding to fit the mattress! Back-to-school sales are going on now for university students, so you might be able to find some good deals.

 

[AdamCrock]

Any Magic the Gathering players around ?
I was wondering if we can exchange chatter, strategies, observations, cards ?

Soon some editions are going to "rot" so I've decided to try and start building a new "standard" deck which includes :
(read no further if You're not into Magic )

Spoiler Decklist :

Deck
3 Serrated Scorpion (IKO) 99
3 Erebos's Intervention (THB) 94
3 Hateful Eidolon (THB) 101
3 Lampad of Death's Vigil (THB) 103
4 Grasp of Darkness (M21) 102
1 Malefic Scythe (M21) 112
4 Grimdancer (IKO) 90
4 Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose (M21) 127
4 Demonic Embrace (M21) 95
3 Lurrus of the Dream-Den (IKO) 226
2 Call of the Death-Dweller (IKO) 78
2 Gravebreaker Lamia (THB) 98
4 Witch's Cottage (ELD) 249
20 Swamp (XLN) 268

Sideboard
3 Archfiend's Vessel (M21) 88
2 Epic Downfall (ELD) 85
2 Tavern Swindler (M21) 124
2 Inevitable End (THB) 102
2 Necromentia (M21) 116
2 Ayara, First of Locthwain (ELD) 75
2 Gray Merchant of Asphodel (THB) 99

The idea is to be a mono-black "Vito" life-gain archetype:

The Plan:
Ideally (1 land per turn)
Turn 1 Serrated Scorpion
Turn 2 Lamped of Death's Vigil
Turn 3 Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
Turn 4 Lurrus of the Dream-Den -> sacrifice scorpion with Lamped and trigger Vito's ability (enemy -6 life/ me +3 life,) and
Turn 5 Bring back Scorpion with Lurrus and repeat process (2 mana/3 mana free) and possible attack from Lurrus (power 3, lifelink + use of an removal to get rid of blockers)
... play on..

Considerations:
-Eidolon, Grimdancer, Lurrus and Lamia enter battlefield with lifelink to complement Vito's ability, reinforced with Demonic Embrace aura ( T4+ : +3/+1 flying) when and if needed.
-Grasp of Darkness and Erebos's intervention are removals (the latter compliments Vito's ability)
-Call of the Death Dweller can bring back the "key figures" from the grave
-Witch's cottage has also the abillity to bring back "key figures" if needed past turn 4
-Lurrus is not a companion
-Sideboard for now includes just some useful/compatible cards , but will develop / change when I see what's trending when Zendikar "arises"
-Malefic Scythe is basically a filler, looking for suggestions ...

Vulnerabilities (for certain) :
-"Control" deck's in general (counterspells , "bounce" creature spells etc.)
-"Protection from Black"
-"Runed Halo"
-Mass removals like "Shatter the Sky" (Turn 4)
-"Enemy can't gain life" and "Cannot cast spells from graveyard" ability.
-"Exile graveyard" ability

Any thoughts ? tips ? /and or tricks ?

 

[Birdjaguar]

@AdamCrock I loved MTG, I started playing when Arabian Nights came out and stopped stopped playing about the time Fallen Empires arrived, so whatever I do remember is mostly outdated.

 

[AdamCrock]

@AdamCrock I loved MTG, I started playing when Arabian Nights came out and stopped stopped playing about the time Fallen Empires arrived, so whatever I do remember is mostly outdated.

Glad to meet another MTG enthusiast out here ^^ Shame You stopped playing . So uh ... Do You think my strategy is any good ?

edit:

General idea is that whenever I gain life, enemy looses it , conveniently bypassing his/her defenses

btw. Arabian Nights wow ! I have to ask this : Do You have Black Lotus ? xD

Any of these are literally worth a fortune these days ! :

 

[Birdjaguar]

@AdamCrock I have no idea what the game is like now so can't really comment on your strategy. The last deck I played was with this guy

I was pretty fond of playing white weenie decks or combo black and white ones. My kids played too and we have about 3000 cards in a closet including some unopened packs of Arabian Nights and other expansions. As I remember we have a couple of black Lotus and a few of most of the Moxes. Some are played some not. All the blue cards you showed for sure. I haven't looked at them in probably a decade. My son kept playing after I did and as far as I am concerned, the cards are his. Other than a few decks, he hasn't taken them though. All the good stuff is still here.

 

[AmazonQueen]

They hate that definition, as it means every game in existence is a role playing game. Super Mario Bros. is a role playing game where you play the role of Mario.

Not really.
For it to be a RPG it has to offer you a choice of character to play, a choice in how to play them, and a variety of consequences that result from your previous choices
It doesn't have to be a clone of Baldurs Gate to qualify.