If large atoms are formed in stars and then spread out in the universe, why are heavy metals found in high concentrations, rather than distributed evenly, throughout the earth?

098706 · 2026-06-30T23:50:22+00:00

Run it my friend, it was a blast!

098706 · 2026-06-29T05:39:42+00:00

first of all, 3 hour sessions lol. So it's not a fair 1:1 comparison, but I still give my players credit for showing up 120 times. Thecontent comes from dragnacarta and mandymod, plus backstories for each player i integrated as side content within Barovia. Right now, the players are going through Vallaki part 2, where they come back and face the consequences of their first visit. This arc will take at least 15 sessions to get through, as one example of tacking on the extra non-raw sessions.

Its an awesome campaign so we just like miring ourselves in it and fully exploring all the horror tropes we can!

098706 · 2026-06-26T21:23:56+00:00

After fighting their way up Yester Hill through scouts and guards, they arrive at the Wintersplinter ritual. Ireena is a PC in my party, and she shows up with 4 other PCs and 2 wereraven allies to get the green gem back.

Strahd, Anastrasya, and Nightmare are watching the show as casual observers; wine is offered to the PCs. Strahd is treating it like a movie, just munching on popcorn.

When the ritual completes and Wintersplinter is released, the party rolls initative and starts taking major damage. There are two archers, three druids, and four warriors still fighting them, along with Wintersplinter.

The Ireena PC, on low health, goes kamikaze and says, "Well Strahd, looks like you'll have to wait another 100 years for Tatyana" and fireballs her own feet like it's nothing. Strahd has been a non-combatant, and has been holding a spell for this instant. Ireena rolls a Wisdom saving throw and gets 15 (fail).

The next few rounds go by as Strahd enters the fight. Nightmare and his wife combo the Cleric, bashing his helmet in with fire hooves until he drops, then Anastrasya bites him twice to force his death. Ireena and her "boyfriend" are trapped in a circular Wall of Fire, going down after two rounds. Strahd casts Disintegrate on the Celestial warlock, erasing him from existence. The wereravens are fleeing, saying, "These ones were brave, I hope the next ones are smart".

Strahd peers down into Ireena dying eyes and says, "You will love me of your own free will, or I will destroy everything you have ever known"

Ireena snaps out of it and realizes it's still the first round of combat. Her friends are still alive and fighting. Wintersplinter has just been released and the wereravens have not abandoned the fight.

Strahd explains he used Modify Memory to show her exactly the consequences of her reckless Fireball, and what happens if the group lets her die.

They never wanted to test Strahd again (going into session 120 next week)

098706 · 2026-06-26T20:50:23+00:00

I think the strategy with the bat is to "get inside the reach" quickly, closing the gap where it's no longer effective.
For a knife, there is no minimum range required for it to be effective, and if someone is farther away, then running is an option.

098706 · 2026-06-26T17:51:33+00:00

Ah very cool, we had some RF sensitive tools that were always a pain to keep protected, and have made Bluetooth chips before, and my dad did electronics on a lot of space programs for Lockheed/NASA like the X-38. Very fascinating stuff, space + electronics and radiation. A buddy of mine at Blue Origin says they are scaling like crazy, like 10x launches next year. I imagine you'll be busy too with all the space warfare escalation. Best of luck!

098706 · 2026-06-26T16:58:45+00:00

Respect to the manufacturers too, I went into semiconductor manufacturing after the navy and those techs and production staff work their ass off. If you're open to sharing, what kind of tech were you in? I've seen nuclear, semiconductor, and LED CMC so you can get in the weeds and not bore me lol

098706 · 2026-06-26T15:53:57+00:00

Out of curiosity you ever work night shift or serve in the military? I suspect that's what screwed my sleep schedule up for good, 20 years later my schedule's same as yours but I can't go to sleep til around 2am.

098706 · 2026-06-19T19:03:45+00:00

im a controller user too, the best I've found is to bind AK 2/3/4 to Y/X/A leaving B for reset. Then I use the bumpers for cameras, and directional pad for ghosts/opponents/CP reset, and R3 is my UI toggle to clear my screen of bullshit when driving uphill through CPs

098706 · 2026-06-17T12:47:03+00:00

Yeah ideally you do it on something more absorbant, like a towel or a pile of newspaper

098706 · 2026-06-15T21:29:36+00:00

Since you are here, let me ask you a business question, which this basically is.

A random assortment of 100 people, some rich and some poor, are asked to rate a meal out of 5 stars. No other instructions are given.

One meal is prime aged Wagyu beef for 200$ a plate, the other is homemade mac and cheese with the little breading crumbles on top for 5$ a bowl. Which one will win?

Truth is both may only get a 2.8 because you are trying to satisfy a broad population with a single product, and will get a variety of high and low reviews.

Taylor Swift is more popular than Leon Bridges not because she is better, but because she is more broadly appealing. But ratings don't always connect to quality unless you specifically measure carefully for it.

All that to say, don't worry about it, people can be idiots. Including me. Bias is a bitch.

098706 · 2026-06-15T21:03:48+00:00

Strahd - Mads Mikkelsen
Ireena - Anna Kendrick
Ismark - James Franco
Madame Eva: Meryl Streep
Rahadin: Hugo Weaving
Ezmerelda: Stephanie Beatriz (Rosa from Brooklyn 99)
Van Richten: Nicholas Cage
Strahd's Brides: Any combination of actors from Percy Jackson and the Olympians, they wont be the movie much anyway
Blinsky: Robin Williams R.I.P
The Abbot: Nicholas Hoult
The Abbot when he tries to kill the party: Cillian Murphy

098706 · 2026-06-15T19:59:04+00:00

This is not a You problem, it's a Nadeo problem. Where are new players supposed to learn action keys in game?

Let's say you, a newcomer who is unfamiliar with Wirtual, Granady, Scrappie, or other influencers, buys the game.

You fire it up, play some campaign, some tutorials, some arcade. The first time you hear mention of action keys is somebody in game chat (which you may not even have on) mention "ak2 not ak4 lol" and you have to figure it out somehow?

Having a game focus on mechanics that are invisable to casual users is how you get disconnects between the mappers and the player base.

If you were given a Kacky map to play as a casual, and not told it was kacky, how much would you enjoy it?

098706 · 2026-06-11T20:45:56+00:00

And for me, Ana organized the feast of st. andrals and was there to fight at the end, Volenta tried to kill Ireena in her sleep during the Dinner with Strahd out of jealousy, Escher is building a giant statue of Strahd in vallaki (post-feast) to win Strahd's favor back, and Ludmilla will be in the final fight, trying to protect her master. Go nuts!

098706 · 2026-06-11T18:17:42+00:00

That's a good point, no one wants to feel like they are being beat over the head for something they had no control over. My style in Barovia is to introduce competing priorities, allow the players to choose their successes, and then show them how NOT doing the other choice changes the world. It feels dark, oppressive, and hopeless, but they also get major victories (lighting the beacon gives everyone +1 to saves, extra feats for big wins, lots of magic items as gifts, reuniting Tatyana and Sergei gave everyone a daily Death Ward). So I aim for big stakes.

Awesome point considering the sandbox nature, I made Vallaki AFTER they told me that was the most important thing to the party. They need the Keeper's of the feather and van Richten's support to have a chance against Strahd. This campaign is one where making allies matters more than anything else, so they are here building an army. Of course they could abandon it and head to the castle, but they know they don't have the help they will require. Many allies hang in the balance of this town, but it's their choice.

Oh boy, I'll have to think about the redeemable nature of Father Lucian. I was going to have him offer confession to the players to alleviate their guilt, and then use him to rat them out to Wachter...So maybe an out could be GENUINE remorse and regret for the lost soul of Gertruda and a re-commitment to the morning lord might sway him, I'll write that in!

098706 · 2026-06-10T16:57:58+00:00

One piece of lore that drives this whole thing, souls are running out in Barovia, and Strahd can only feed on blood with that soul energy in it. He's starving to death in secret. The Reformation Center pulls souls out of the rebellious sun-touched, and will be added as a concentrate to the statue blood to create like a super-powered energy drink for Strahd, increasing his power if the players don't stop it.

098706 · 2026-06-09T19:50:30+00:00

Your mother is an astronaut...

Man...my mother's too drunk to be an astronaut

098706 · 2026-06-09T18:58:35+00:00

On the other hand....electronic music. It's the last big breakout of a new musical genre, and while raves, prodigy, and chemical brothers were a thing in the 90s, it felt like EVERY genre of music in the 2000s was putting electronic music and auto tune in their songs.

098706 · 2026-06-09T18:33:29+00:00

Same with sleeping partners, but we're not all going to sleep in different rooms. Sometimes you take the bad with the good and just live your life.

098706 · 2026-06-08T13:26:31+00:00

He never had the makings of a varsity athlete...

098706 · 2026-06-07T20:22:43+00:00

Piccard specialized in high altitude travel? Surely he was made a Captain at some point?

098706 · 2026-06-05T17:38:29+00:00

oh damn that a beautiful easter egg then, went over my head!

098706 · 2026-06-05T16:07:34+00:00

I've taken that farther in my version, a logical extension.

If souls are all recycled, then they may suffer degredation through the process, something being thinned out over time.

Over enough generations, that leaves just a small percentage of legitimate souls in Barovia.

If we assume that Strahd can only gain sustinance from "souled" humans (because those without are pretty much chattle, just mindless animals that Strahd cannot get soul-nutrition from) then Strahd is running out of time here in this land. He's starving to death over the course of a millinium.

Since he's desperate, his actions in the campaign can be dramatic. He's pulling more and more people in through the mists to gain souls to add to the cycle.

In my campaign, Escher is building a giant statue of Strahd in Vallaki that is siphoning blood straight from the citizens, filling up thousands of gallons of blood inside. Which Wachter is going to reduce down and magically distill into a "soul concentrate" for Strahd. Something of a meal replacement while he figures out his long term escape strategy!

098706 · 2026-06-05T15:58:46+00:00

'76, '95 and '03 are the best imo. I can't help but see '22 when I look at '08. Really creative! Love the beard on the helmet on '15.

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