|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Waking up is a lot like being born. First you're warm, and it's dark and quiet. Then suddenly you're cold, it's bright and loud, and then someone slaps you and you start crying.
You just have to call my name. Don't need to slap me to wake me up.
Apparently I sleep with my clothes off...
...If within the AP there is a statement saying that, then I would. But I've run 2 APs and there's never been any statement like that within the book itself.What's more, if you suggest that you're just trying to go by the AP's suggested guidelines of what you get, you should be awarding 125% of WBL to the new guy.
It's not a statement of "give them this much."
If you're going to make hard statements about duty and APs, you need to do more math, I'm afraid.
Add up all the value of the "loot" an AP gives - each entry in the AP yields approximately 125% of the expected WBL. This is extremely intentional, because the writers are put in a tight spot, as they know they can't expect every group. So they place more treasure than necessary in there in order to give more chances for a group to make at least WBL, even if they make poor choices or if they miss l00t opportunities. And this is where your Duty sense should start tingling: the AP gives "too much" because it's there as a safety net "just in case." And this is actually a trade off AP authors are more than willing to give - giving that extra 25% for some groups is considered more than worth the "price" of (hopefully) getting at-or-near WBL for other groups. If you actually want to consider what a professional does, that's what they do, "The goal is WBL (so that they can be relatively balanced, mechanically), so let's put in more to hopefully help them get there."
This is the statement that every AP developer goes through.
... and sometimes it's still not enough (take a look at NH's kids group, as an example). This is why, when I asked the very AP authors about a potentially plot-critical element, their response was, "I'unno, make something up that works for your group." This response still drives me nuts, by the way, but it is absolutely legitimate on their part, and, fundamentally, shows you what they're goal is when developing an
Uh... if he said there is less than 125% loot, he’s demonstrably wrong. Not only are there multiple dev statements to the contrary, you can find many, many, many people discussing (and magnuskun complaining about) this exact issue across the forums. It’s very well known and highly proven.
If he’s suggesting that if you sell all your stuff and hire a dude to do stuff for you (or, worse, just consta-grind sell-then-buy) he’s right... because you’re literally throwing away money. You know who else doesn’t have 125% wealth? People that literally drop their coins and magic items in a hole and never go back to it. That doesn’t change what was given. Like, if I gave a first level character 5,000 gold and he donated all of it, I still gave him way more than WBL.
But if you sell and craft, you end up ahead again, because it costs you the same amount to craft what you sell.
The point still stands, though. If you total the value of what you get - the only thing you seemed to care about in your responses - they end up with 125% WBL.
TL - I found it
Yeah, I’m not student sure what he’s trying to say, but he seems to be disagreed with by most everyone that has done a deep dive of most every AP, including the people that write them.
EDIT: upon rereading, it appears the context is when you sell everything and pay full price to buy new stuff. That’s broadly wasteful, financially, akin to what NH’s group did with scrolls. But the actual loot value over the course of any given AP entry is 1.25 times the expected amount for four adventurers.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Welp. Finally made it. Drove until 5AM (give or take), but we made it.
... now to get breakfast.
Breakfast ach Ever Re. And now sleep.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
*Pops out of his shell, and clears throat*
*Hands in a signed personal apology for pushing the thread into the racism hole. Also agrees unequivocally to move away from the topic*
*Offers up a glass of liquor (Scotch, Rum or Cognac) or another cold beverage to those who don't drink (Sorry! only got Soda or Juice) as a band-aid for any "wounds" he might have caused*
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Breakfast ach Ever Re. And now sleep.
Someone hold him down, he's speaking in tongues, again.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
*Poops out of his shell, and clears throat*
*Hands in a signed personal apology for pushing the thread into the racism hole. Also agrees unequivocally to move away from the topic*
*Offers up a glass of liquor (Scotch, Rum or Cognac) or another cold beverage to those who don't drink (Sorry! only got Soda or Juice) as a band-aid for any "wounds" he might have caused*
Speak it brother!
*poops in solidarity*
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I was in kind of a raw mood last night (teenagers) so I might have been a bit overly sensitive.
My apologies.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Speaking of modules.
If you like Dark Sun get Feast Of Dust.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
No problem Cap.
I shouldn't have stirred too much around in it either, and I sounded a bit judgemental too.
*sigh*
It was probably one of those putting your foot in your mouth kind of things.
Also thanks for the...err..."spell check". Wouldn't have found that smelly mistake otherwise ^^'
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
No, no, you're good, it was entirely me.
Sorry everyone!
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
The last week of school, or as I like to call it The Neverending Week.
Except I don't get a Corgi-Dragon or David Bowie to fly around on.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Speaking of modules.
If you like Dark Sun get Feast Of Dust.
Don't tease me while I'm making my coffee; for a happy moment, I read those as names of roasts.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I'm betting Freehold wouldn't need 5 minutes to answer this question. In fact, I'm sure he already has an answer.earth pony.
Earth pony, plea-hease be-he mi-hine,
I promise not toPickle you in brine
I'm just a fool
A fool who's obsessed with pickling horses,
Wo-ho-ho, hohoho.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Waking up is a lot like being born. First you're warm, and it's dark and quiet. Then suddenly you're cold, it's bright and loud, and then someone slaps you and you start crying.You just have to call my name. Don't need to slap me to wake me up.
Apparently I sleep with my clothes off...
naked sleep is best sleep.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
That is true.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Seriously, my mom just irritated me.
Because of this accident, she told me not to go run on anywhere that is next to a road.
Singapore is all built up - almost everywhere has a road. So where was I supposed to run again? She said, go run in the stadium. Then I asked her, where's the nearest stadium and she said she didn't know.
Then she said that oh, the fumes from cars on the road are bad for you so you shouldn't run.
So wait. How do people even get out of their houses and go to work? It all involves walking by roads to the nearest train station to get to work. Does that mean because it's unhealthy so they shouldn't do it?
She takes any small issue and blows it completely out of proportion.
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
So I panicked this morning because for over 20 years I've been an hour's drive away from a deli where they make the best mysliwska sausage west of the Rockies.
My choices seem to be:
1. Find out how exorbitant their shipping costs are (if they ship).
2. Figure out how many pounds I can bring in a cooler on dry ice whenever I drive through town on the way to/from my mom's, and whether I can reasonably bring a cooler of frozen kielbasy through the desert for three days on dry ice and not have my car smell like a stockyard.
3. Learn how to make it myself. Although after hearing my mother tell stories about making sausages with my butcher grandfather, I'm not sure I want to do this.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
So I panicked this morning because for over 20 years I've been an hour's drive away from a deli where they make the best mysliwska sausage west of the Rockies.
My choices seem to be:
1. Find out how exorbitant their shipping costs are (if they ship).
2. Figure out how many pounds I can bring in a cooler on dry ice whenever I drive through town on the way to/from my mom's, and whether I can reasonably bring a cooler of frozen kielbasy through the desert for three days on dry ice and not have my car smell like a stockyard.
3. Learn how to make it myself. Although after hearing my mother tell stories about making sausages with my butcher grandfather, I'm not sure I want to do this.
1&2. Shipping will likely be cheaper than the dry ice anyway, if they do ship.
3. I think, based on my experience with cheese-making, that it'll take you longer than you want to spend on it getting as good at making it as them. That is to say, endeavors such as that tend to focus more on novelty than on becoming great at it.
Breakfast ach Ever Re. And now sleep.Someone hold him down, he's speaking in tongues, again.
Sigh. Even I don’t know what I was trying to say. Dang it, phone! I ate breakfast and went to sleep. XD
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I'm betting Freehold wouldn't need 5 minutes to answer this question. In fact, I'm sure he already has an answer.
Hmmm
Magical kingdom ruled by horses eh?I've always been been a salt-of-the-earth type, so I guess one of these 'Earth Ponies' then.
Very Grayish or maybe even Black preferably.
A cutie-mark? What's that? Oh some kind of personal sigil that denotes a core part of my function or personality.
Then its an executioners hood, maybe crossed with an bloody axe.
I mean, I would probably be the royal executioner. A slightly chipper soul, who's job it is to dispose of the enemies of royalty. Dragging rebellious, treasonous or otherwise condemned ponies to their deaths, with a light steep and a small smile.
Maybe cracking a small joke or two along the way!
like "Don't worry so much! its nothing to lose your head over, its just your execution", while padding the condemned on the back.
Or
"Watch your step. We wouldn't want you to fall and break your neck now would we!", while guiding them up the steps to the gallows.
I'm stumped for a good name though…
'Choppy' doesn't sound kind of right...
| 9 people marked this as a favorite. |
Tough topic time.
So, I’ve been avoiding doing so, because, emotionally, this place has been a bit of a refuge; but it needs to be those of you who have been praying for my family, and talking is helpful anyway.
This past Tuesday, after two and a half years of fighting, my niece passed away.
This is not a shock - we’ve known for a while, starting with when I made that emotional post a while back: it was clear that the cancer had not only come back but had done so with a vengeance. Every sign since was acceleration and aggression. This was, in fact, one of the (several) reasons I’ve been out of touch sometimes.
She is pretty much the best human being I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. She never met a person she didn’t love and the feeling was mutual, though she was an introvert. Her life struggle has been one long medical miracle after another - ever since preemie treatments that are now standard practice (as I discovered with my Youngest in Shand’s three years ago) were pioneered on her right up through today. She now no longer has to go through such fights or pioneer medical treatments - her battles are finally done. Many others may rest assured that once “radical” and “hypothetical” treatments have been well proven and adopted as standard practice thanks to her. She had wanted to go into medicine to give back what she had been given her whole life: hope and life.
Hey life verse was 2 Timothy 1:7, and, FaWtL rules aside, she would generally insist I not only mention that, but invite all of you to read my profile. Her last conversation was hoping a friend of hers would take the opportunity of her passing to trust in Jesus.
She finally gets to meet and be with her twin brother, who passed at birth. She is mourned by everyone that actually knew her, but especially her parents and sisters. If you are the praying kind, they are in need.
I know many of you have prayed for her, and we thank you. Peace and joy to you, and we mourn, but she is finally free of pain, and we, at least, have confidence that we will see her again.
Later!
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
As an aside: I hate cancer. It is pretty much the worst. That is all.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Wow... it seriously takes nothing more than a 1/2-mile bike to and from the blood lab to make me hate humanity all over again:
Is it any wonder I hate to leave the house?
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Tough topic time...
I'm sorry, Tac.
When the updates got worse and worse and farther and farther apart, I knew things were bad.
Nothing more I can say than, "Sorry for your loss."
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
As an aside: I hate cancer. It is pretty much the worst. That is all.
Impus Major agrees with you wholeheartedly.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The talk of racism reminds me of two things:
A couple weeks ago, amazingly, I got the Homunculi to watch The Great Human Odyssey, a documentary about the origin and growth of humanity. It's nothing ground-breaking for 2018, but super interesting and very well done. Anyhow. Afterward I talked to Homunculi #1 about diversity, and isn't it great that the two most different people on earth share like 99.9...% of each others' DNA? I clarified that there are differences between ethnic groups, and he asked "Oh like, some are smarter than others?" I don't remember how I replied, but I'd like to talk to him more about that.
But I'm not sure how to explain the topic. There are differences between different ethnic groups -- the Badjao have livers which allow them to hold their breath for longer than most, Tibetans have blood adapted to deal with high-altitude sickness, etc.. And there are probably other statistical differences that we're not are of. But 1) individual differences are much more variable and important than genetic differences, and 2) modern racism ingenuously conflates the possibility of this or that genetic differences with a belief that some races have specific advantages over others. I checked out LameFront before it was dumped by its ISP, and I think the common variation of these bigoted beliefs is "White people are statistically genetically more moral and smarter than other races, Jews are dishonest and hateful, and blacks are violent and lazy." And I want the Homunculi to be able to spot this bullsh!t.
Also, I'm reminded about that black musician who befriended and eventually got 3(?) grand wizards of the KKK to give up their membership and beliefs. A super inspiring story! It sounds like he really made a hobby of it though, and intentionally and literally risked his life, so not something all of us are prepared to do.
Oh and finally, Grand Poobah Trump may be dragging the overton window in the direction of racism, but eff that noise. Everyone with a speck of common sense knows that all forms of bigotry are wrong, even if more subtle forms aren't as overtly destructive as the KKK, and anyone who disagrees with me can report this post to the mods and see what happens.
Bring it on, fritzy.
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
Tacticslion, my deepest condolences. Cancer is a thief of the worst sort, and it seems we are all poorer today.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Fritzy...O-open fire, flaming bikes, full spread.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
*Sniffels*
*Waddles over and hugs TL, and promises to send his nieces family only the warmest thoughts and hopes. Fumbles around for an proper excuse, but settles for the simple truth, that he doesn't believe, and thus any prayers he could give would seem fake or phoney, both to her and himself*
*Offers to be here if a need for more talk about her and her life arises*
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Sorry Tacticslion!
It sucks most of all when it takes someone so young and undeserving of that pain.
Sorry man.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I'm so sorry, Tac. Your neice's awful struggles are over, but it sounds like she left a giant hole in your family. I hope everyone can grieve well and eventually move on.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Fritzy...O-open fire, flaming bikes, full spread.
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
Off to Crookshanks' 8th grade graduation ceremony.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Off to Crookshanks' 8th grade graduation ceremony.
it's high school for her?
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Tough topic time...
I'm so sorry Tac, for the whole family. *hugs*
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Off to Crookshanks' 8th grade graduation ceremony.it's high school for her?
Yup.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
The General's parents called saying they were going to be late.
"Our last name begins with two out of the last four letters of the alphabet, you're not going to miss anything"
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The General's parents called saying they were going to be late.
"Our last name begins with two out of the last four letters of the alphabet, you're not going to miss anything"
Xylophone? That's an odd last name.
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
Wow.
NASA announced finding molecules of ancient organic compounds in sedimentary rocks on Mars. Origins are not known, they could be result of inorganic processes, but still, it's kind of big new when it comes to astronomy and biology.
| 7 people marked this as a favorite. |
So, I'm a suspicious sort.
Tomorrow night is the choir awards ceremony, where the choir director announces awards, scholarships, and the like. All very focused on the kids, so I wasn't planning on going at all.
Then I got a desperate text from the lead chaperone: "You have to come! Someone has to be on stage with me to tell stories about chaperoning!"
So it's just... weird.
Yes, I'm affable, and tell a good tale. But getting pressed very hard to show up at a ceremony I haven't attended in 6 years, and to happen to be on stage...
...something tells me I'm up for a "participation trophy".
Whee?
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
My deepest sympathies, Tac. So sad to hear it. Glad of her legacy, though. :)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Wow.
NASA announced finding molecules of ancient organic compounds in sedimentary rocks on Mars. Origins are not known, they could be result of inorganic processes, but still, it's kind of big new when it comes to astronomy and biology.
Yeah, that's huge.
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
So, I'm a suspicious sort.
Tomorrow night is the choir awards ceremony, where the choir director announces awards, scholarships, and the like. All very focused on the kids, so I wasn't planning on going at all.
Then I got a desperate text from the lead chaperone: "You have to come! Someone has to be on stage with me to tell stories about chaperoning!"
So it's just... weird.
Yes, I'm affable, and tell a good tale. But getting pressed very hard to show up at a ceremony I haven't attended in 6 years, and to happen to be on stage...
...something tells me I'm up for a "participation trophy".Whee?
Yeah, I feel an "appreciation ambush" coming on.