What to do when the power goes out ...


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Sovereign Court

So I was kicking back watching Netflix and the power in my neighborhood went out (and man does my neighborhood go dark).

Can't really read (no decent light ... And I will not light a dozen candles to perhaps be able to do so), the cellphone has an 80% charge, so I should be good for Internet for a bit (but don't want to eat through all my data in one evening, so Netflix is out). It is still relatively early so I suppose I could go out for and hour or so, but was not really planning to do it and hate to hit a bar solo anyway.

So I am posting to Paizo and wondering what other folks do when the world has gone dark.


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First, check to see if Maria Bamford is standing by your home's exterior power panel/hookup with cut wires in her hands. If you see her there, you have been marathoning too many episodes of Lady Dynamite and are dreaming/hallucinating.

Secondly, you should light at least two candles, possibly more. If it is pitch black, you are likely to be eaten by a grue.


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Go buy a battery powered lantern so you can read or do stuff around the house. Then surf the internet either from your phone or at a local hot spot. Playing computer games on the laptop is fun too.


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Sleep.

Sovereign Court

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Forgot about the grue threat, but I do have matches, so I should be OK.

Will probably pick up a battery powered laters tomorrow (only place open right now with that kind of thing would be Walmart).

It is too early to sleep (and getting warm inside as well since the ceiling fans are just sitting there not spinning).

Might hop in the car and drive the area to see if I can spot the cause of this outage (most likely someone hopped a curb and hit a relay box or some such).

Grand Lodge

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I actually have a headlamp by my chair in case the power goes out here, as I live in the basement and there are no windows in the main room. I can at least read when the power goes out. I also have one of those little power units that can charge a cell phone, just in case the outage is extended. i sometimes just play solitaire or listen to music on my mp3 player.


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F~%$.


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I would probably play the Pathfinder card game after rigging up a lantern or two. If it got too obnoxiously hot to deal with being inside I would probably go and take a walk or call a friend and see if they were free.

Sovereign Court

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So I drove around and could not see a cause, though I did see a power company truck (and the guy said it would be another 3-4 hours ... Argh!). So I am now at a bar grabbing a drink and a bite.

I guess it does not count as going to a bat solo if you know the bartender, right? ;)

Sovereign Court

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And just checked the outage site ... Estimated time for power to be restored is in about 6 more hours ... I think I am heading home to get some sleep.

The Exchange

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We have flashlights. Last time here was a darkout, I grabbed a bunch of old toys (Dinosaurs, animals, model buildings, knights and soldiers, etc.) and found a clear section of a white wall. Hence commenced my famous "Shadow show of the apocalypse" which was a ton of fun for a couple of hours. Also, pro tip: if you have a dog, lighting them from below will cast the most terrifying forms on your ceiling ;)


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I listen to the radio when the power goes out.

Then again I own battery powered radios. :P


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Time for intimate, erotic adventures.


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But Freehold... in the darkness no one can see your dark sexiness.


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Aranna wrote:
But Freehold... in the darkness no one can see your dark sexiness.

we all black when the lights go out.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

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Freehold DM wrote:
Time for intimate, erotic adventures.

Wait, didn't captain yesterday already suggest that?


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Jiggy wrote:
Freehold DM wrote:
Time for intimate, erotic adventures.
Wait, didn't captain yesterday already suggest that?

there is a vast gulf between cy's mundane rutting and my nubian carnal escapades.


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NobodysHome's Story Time:

Although my parents were definitely in the "upper middle class" range, they had an obsession with "rustic" cabins that bordered on the psychotic...

So as kids, we were absolutely accustomed to the announcement, "A slight breeze has knocked out the generator! No power for the rest of the night!"

You would be amazed at what you can do by candlelight. Two candles is plenty for a group of four kids to play Monopoly together...
...that is, of course, until NobodysHome's elder sibling leaned forward so he could read the mortgage value of Kentucky Avenue. As he leaned back, all of us gazed in wonder as his 1980's-style hair was lit like a candle itself, burning brightly as Elder Sibling sat there, oblivious.

We all started laughing uproariously, because, as everyone knows, serious bodily injury is utterly hilarious when applied to other people. Once we convinced him that his hair was, indeed, afire, he reached up to prove the contrary... and burned his hand as a reward.

He panicked a bit, smacked his hair quite a bit, and finally extinguished the conflagration.

But I will never forget Monopoly by the candlelight and the stench of burning 1980's hair...


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Scythia wrote:

I listen to the radio when the power goes out.

Then again I own battery powered radios. :P

Mine uses a crank.


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drink and throw stuff off the roof

Sovereign Court

You know, I've thought about picking up a hand crank radio for a while. Should definitely look into that. Any recommendation as far as brand goes?

Oh, and the power came back on around 330am. I know this because I got the requested phone call at that time ... Did not think about calling back to cancel it before I crashed for the first time last night.


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Freehold DM wrote:
Jiggy wrote:
Freehold DM wrote:
Time for intimate, erotic adventures.
Wait, didn't captain yesterday already suggest that?
there is a vast gulf between cy's mundane rutting and my nubian carnal escapades.

Why use many words, when one word will do.

And my wife will tell you, I'm anything but mundane. :-)


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Jah Love Dragon Yesterday wrote:
Freehold DM wrote:
Jiggy wrote:
Freehold DM wrote:
Time for intimate, erotic adventures.
Wait, didn't captain yesterday already suggest that?
there is a vast gulf between cy's mundane rutting and my nubian carnal escapades.

Why use many words, when one word will do.

And my wife will tell you, I'm anything but mundane. :-)

many things once believed to be wonderous are revealed to be quite mundane in the shadow of my passage.


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zylphryx wrote:

You know, I've thought about picking up a hand crank radio for a while. Should definitely look into that. Any recommendation as far as brand goes?

With Radio Shack down the tubes, you're not going to be swimming in choices. You might want to get one that you can use to charge your cellphone with as well. If you want quality or self assurance go with the brand that has the Red Cross certification.

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16

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what do we do when the power's out *hums*


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I enjoy the silence and darkness. I'm something of a nyctophiliac and love the night and darkness, so it's actually quite relaxing for me. I have LED flashlights at different places in my house, so I just use the cellphone to find and keep one of those handy so that I don't use up cellphone battery lighting the area if necessary.


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My ex and I were watching a documentary about Bill Gates one night when the power went out. I was lying on the floor and he was lying on the couch. When the lights went out, we simply didn't move and dropped right off...

... only to be rudely awakened three hours later when all the lights blazed on and the TV, which had a weird quirk about sound, blared ON AT FULL VOLUME!!!

Took 10 years off my life, I swear.


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Freehold DM wrote:
Jah Love Dragon Yesterday wrote:
Freehold DM wrote:
Jiggy wrote:
Freehold DM wrote:
Time for intimate, erotic adventures.
Wait, didn't captain yesterday already suggest that?
there is a vast gulf between cy's mundane rutting and my nubian carnal escapades.

Why use many words, when one word will do.

And my wife will tell you, I'm anything but mundane. :-)

many things once believed to be wonderous are revealed to be quite mundane in the shadow of my passage.

{puts on Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses to slightly reduce Nubian Manliness levels, waits for previously-overloaded eyeballs to adjust} Hmmm, maybe there's a job opening for a new Empyreal Lord... :)


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Read HP Lovecraft or Clark Ashton Smith with an inadequate light source.

Panic.


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Limeylongears wrote:

Read HP Lovecraft or Clark Ashton Smith with an inadequate light source.

Panic.

This happened to me at a radio station I once worked at. I worked the over night shift and was reading Lovecraft for the first time and a storm knocked out the power. Every creak and bump and moaning of the wind kept me very, very alert.


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Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
Scythia wrote:

I listen to the radio when the power goes out.

Then again I own battery powered radios. :P

Mine uses a crank.

Mine used to pick up cranks, but I switched to FM.


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DungeonmasterCal wrote:
Limeylongears wrote:

Read HP Lovecraft or Clark Ashton Smith with an inadequate light source.

Panic.

This happened to me at a radio station I once worked at. I worked the over night shift and was reading Lovecraft for the first time and a storm knocked out the power. Every creak and bump and moaning of the wind kept me very, very alert.

Off topic, but related: When my sister and stepsister were watching The Ring for the first time, a torrential downpour started outside right as the cabin in the movie began flooding. They could barely finish watching it.


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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Up here in Alaska, we often suffer power outages, sometimes several days in length- back in '92, we went for a solid week with no power...

My Top Ten Things To Do When the Power Goes Out in the Winter (summer'sso bright you basically have all the light you need):

1. Go outside to sponge up some sunlight. Harder to achieve in winter, but also more worthwhile.

2. Curse, spit, and start a fire in the woodstove- a lot of the time it has a fire going anyway, but when in doubt...

3. Sharpen your tools- chainsaws, axes, kitchen knives, whatever, all of them get less love than they deserve,and all of them can be sharpened without having the power on.

4. Sing. In the dark.

5. Light some candles. Read.

6. Haul water in case the outage is a long one.

7. Turn off a few circuit breakers, just in case the power coming back on is more than the system can handle right away.

8. Tell creepy stories.

9. Play solitaire by candlelight.

10. Write a letter by candlelight. People flip out when they get 'em these days, so...

11. Raid the neighbors. It's fun! Sometimes they have nifty things to set on fire!

Dark Archive

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Cole Deschain wrote:

11. Raid the neighbors. It's fun! Sometimes they have nifty things to set on fire!

RIOT!!! BURN EVERYTHING!!!


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Angry Mob wrote:
Cole Deschain wrote:

11. Raid the neighbors. It's fun! Sometimes they have nifty things to set on fire!

RIOT!!! BURN EVERYTHING!!!

.

Burninating the subdivision,
Burninating all the neighbors,
Burninating the Homeowners' Association,
And their heavy-handed bylaws!
HEAVY-HANDED BYLAWS!


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Limeylongears wrote:

Read HP Lovecraft or Clark Ashton Smith with an inadequate light source.

Panic.

...Because Lovecraft is such a bad writer and you committed to read his hackneyed drivel. That would make me panic, certainly.

Good world or myth design alone is NOT good writing. Readability matters. See also Greenwood.


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Play pathfinder

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

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Trent formaldehime wrote:
Play pathfinder

*clatter*

Hm, that sounded like a 13 to me; what do the rest of you think?


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Jiggy wrote:
Trent formaldehime wrote:
Play pathfinder

*clatter*

Hm, that sounded like a 13 to me; what do the rest of you think?

It sounded like a one to me. ~looks at everyone~ It was a roll to confirm a critical hit on my character. A 12 or better would work, so it sounds like a one.


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Know that at long last you have been proven right and foolish civilization has been brought to its KNEES AS IT DESERVES?!?

... oh, wait, the power came back? Never mind.


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*takes off her postapoc outfit and smiles. She kicks her triple chainsaw and two sawed off shotguns in beneath the bed*

Oh well.

Silver Crusade

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If my clones haven't completely thawed, I may be able to refreeze them.


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It just occurred to me that my first priority when the power goes out (for more than a few minutes) was to immediately eat the ice cream.

And now I'm hungry for ice cream.


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Celestial Healer wrote:
If my clones haven't completely thawed, I may be able to refreeze them.

When you say "my clones", do you mean clones of yourself, or clones that you own of other people?


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Both!

Silver Crusade

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Professor Farnsworth, Scientist wrote:
Celestial Healer wrote:
If my clones haven't completely thawed, I may be able to refreeze them.
When you say "my clones", do you mean clones of yourself, or clones that you own of other people?

Yes I do.


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dien wrote:
what do we do when the power's out *hums*

Nothing But Thieves my new favourite band, they are amazing! Wake Up Call is a brilliant song. lyric 5/5!

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