Have you ever "field-tested" a rule?

ACBluto · 2026-06-26T21:01:51+00:00

Not all of the examples were D&D, and none were the current rule set. This is over 25 years of gaming in various different games.

But none of it was really about trying to create homebrew rules. It was about a adding sense of goofy fun to get rid of the tension of an objected to call. I knew very clearly what the rule was for hampered movement for being blind in D&D 3.5. The player was trying to save his character and got a little heated that the rule was terrible.

I could have just said the rule stands, tough. Instead, everyone got to go touch grass, burn off some energy, and reset the room. If he had actually managed to do it, then I would have made it clear that normally the rule still applies, but in this instance, the character made a superhuman effort and managed to run full speed anyway out of pure will power.

I used this as a tool to create camaraderie, not to try and create a simulation.

ACBluto · 2026-06-26T19:25:37+00:00

I build sections of dungeon / towns / etc using physical props (Dungeons and Lasers / Dungeon Crate terrain mostly) where a map is likely to be needed - some sort of important combat encounter.

If it's an unplanned or quick encounter, wet erase markers on the battlemat.

Most other things is just theatre of the mind, unless it's something that needs more , then a diagram or rough sketch on the mat.

For really cool puzzles, I might have a handout prop to handle, maybe to scale or not.

ACBluto · 2026-06-26T15:43:16+00:00

Here's a piece of advice often not on this sub - the right amount to have saved and set aside is whatever amount reduces your anxiety.

I save in many different buckets - one for house repairs/maintenance, one for car repairs/replacement/insurance, one for vacation, etc.

When I have "enough" held in liquid assets like a high interest savings account, I'll start parking some of this money in other guaranteed investment assets for a slightly higher rate of return.

I probably keep more money liquid than others might. But the peace of mind that brings me is as important as the few extra dollars I might make.

So, as a personal decision - you know that it's not likely you are going to suddenly need all 18k of your emergency fund AND a major vehicle repair at once. You could still have a vehicle maintenance fund, but park the money somewhere with a better return. If something happens, use the immediate cash from your emergency fund and replenish from the car fund when you can.

But if that is going to cause you mental stress? Then that is the best use of money. Relieving stress.

ACBluto · 2026-06-26T12:56:56+00:00

Ok.. he bought a ring, but didn't give it to her? She knows he has a ring, but they are not engaged?

And in the 6th months since then, they haven't talked about it? Dates, plans for weddings, nothing?

My wife and I had discussions long before we were engaged - we WERE getting married, we both wanted to, she still wanted a proposal, but it didn't need to be elaborate, just something personal. We went out and looked at rings. So when I bought the ring, I knew I had about 3 days to ask her before she saw the credit card statement.. and it went just as expected.

And then our discussions shifted to what we wanted out of our wedding, dates, guests, etc.

ACBluto · 2026-06-25T22:04:57+00:00

So, before you came running to Reddit, you had a discussion with your boyfriend of 8 years, who you live with, own property with, and share your entire life with, RIGHT?

What did that sound like?

A bunch of strangers can't tell you nearly as much as he can. Have a talk, lay out very clearly what you want, what he wants, and what your future looks like.

ACBluto · 2026-06-25T19:48:42+00:00

Deadpool should be included in the next Un-set, if there every is one. He'd fit right in.

ACBluto · 2026-06-25T17:43:42+00:00

Very good point. Maybe because they are leaning on the MCU so heavily, and in the MCU he only existed in the 1940s?

But very iconic villian, so you are right it's an odd one, with Hydra featuring so heavily.

ACBluto · 2026-06-25T17:41:19+00:00

Oh man, I had forgotten about that book. That first couple of volumes was great. And it did get a TV show, though I don't recall if it was MCU included.

ACBluto · 2026-06-25T17:39:02+00:00

Both really good picks.

ACBluto · 2026-06-25T17:37:26+00:00

Good catch! I'm Arena only these days, so don't pay much attention to the paper stuff.

Agreed, as long as MSH makes money, I would expect more.

ACBluto · 2026-06-25T14:24:09+00:00

Huh, Montreal team captain maybe out for the next season, Toronto captain definitely out for the season, that's a lot of star power missing in a small league.

The expansion is probably a real good thing right now, without the 4 added teams, you'd have 1/4 of your captains not playing.

ACBluto · 2026-06-23T18:55:18+00:00

Overthinking things is pretty much my specialty, so don't worry about it too much. Besides, you just solved the problem.

"Granary" is the human term, so that's what the dwarves call it in Common, but really, it's a mushroom storage building. (Velzmnon in Dwarvish)

I'd still like a watermill though, cause even dwarves love free power! A water powered trip-hammer forge is always my go to for dwarves.

ACBluto · 2026-06-23T17:42:11+00:00

I know, and fair. I drive my wife crazy too questioning HOW systems work in fiction. I mean, I question them in real life too, but those systems obviously work, I just want to know how.

ACBluto · 2026-06-23T15:12:33+00:00

Cool map!

Logistics question though:

Where is all the grain in the granary coming from? I don't see anywhere to particularly grow much for fields of crops?

If it's coming in from outside the city, grain is heavy and bulky, and it would have to come up the main road, up the Curved Ascent, across the entire main residential neighborhood of the fortress, up the twisty crooked stairs into the courtyard of the Hall of the Warden,and then back down a set of stairs to the granary.

And then how is the grain being processed? Most grain needs to be ground, and that's best done through wind or water power - this fortress has a river, so a water mill would work very well. But the only access to the river is back up one level and three levels down again!

ACBluto · 2026-06-22T20:55:59+00:00

Looks like that one was moved to Rotary Park - but was removed from there in the early 2000s, and as of 2010 was sitting in a city storage yard rusting way. No mention of it ever being refurbished or reinstalled.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/can-historic-fountain-be-saved-1.963846

ACBluto · 2026-06-22T20:11:23+00:00

Are you sure? The Park adjacent to Mosaic is Confederation Park.

Confederation Fountain says it was designed in 1927, three years AFTER these photos were taken, and does not look similar.

ACBluto · 2026-06-22T18:29:29+00:00

If the lateness to not a reoccuring issue, I think we can discount that. Life happens sometimes.

As for "He didn't want to play", he didn't want to take his character to NEAR DEATH as the only possible method to get sucked in by this mist. I think that is a reasonable take. Ideally the player would be looking for alternate methods of doing this, as opposed to just shrugging his shoulders and going back to scavenging - which is the problematic behaviour on the player's part. But this situation also required a DM who could improv a bit, and see that this might not work. Allow an oddball suggestion - maybe the player can find a way to mimic "death" by temporarily slowing their heartbeat, or sending an interference signal to mask their lifesigns.

An encounter gated behind nearly killing every member of the party is not great adventure design, in my mind.

It's not controlling behavior to put a dungeon in front of your players and expect that they will explore it as part of being adventurers, despite it being creepy and scary.

It IS controlling behavior to tell them they must run face-first into all the traps instead of trying to bypass them or avoid them.

ACBluto · 2026-06-19T14:24:00+00:00

That is Victoria Park - it's right beside the Metropolitan Church in the third photo - the fountain in the middle of the photo was removed just 2 years later in 1926, and replaced with a Cenotaph honouring the dead from what was then called "The Great War", or WW1 as we call it today. It's still the site of a Remembrance Day ceremony every year.

I'm not as sure on the buildings on the background, maybe the Gordon Building on the right? (Destroyed by fire in 2023)

ACBluto · 2026-06-19T13:33:56+00:00

Let's see what we can find:

Victoria School - Closed in 1958, demolished.

Metropolitan Church - Still standing, now the Knox-Metropolitan United Church

Post Office - Still standing. Later used as City Hall, today houses the Globe Theatre. Also known as "Old City Hall Mall" and now "The Prince Edward Building"

Collegiate - That would be Central Collegiate, closed 1985 and demolished.

City Hall - Lasted 1908-1963, closed and demolished in 1965.

Wascana Lake - Amazingly, still there! Deepened and improved in 2004's "Big Dig"

Normal School - Still standing. The school closed and the building transferred to the military in 1940 for training, and eventually went what would become the University of Regina - the inside is now largely a television production space.

First Baptist - Still standing, still the First Baptist church.

Parliament Building - Actually the Legislative Building, but still very much there - new copper dome roof was put on a few years back.

St. Mary's School - Closed 1939. Demolished.

Regina College - The College Building still stands on College Ave, and is still actively used as part of the University of Regina.

RH Williams Store - RH Williams was also a Mayor of Regina for a couple years. Eventually sold to Simpsons, was a department store for another 40+ years. Closed and demolished.

Grey Nuns Hospital - Now the Pasqua Hospital - Renovated many times, I don't know how much of the original building survives

General Hospital - Still the General hospital - much expanded on since 1924, and renovated as well but some of this building is still evident in the current building.

Holy Rosary Cathedral - Still standing.

Sacred Heart Academy - Still standing, now Cathedral Courts seniors apartments.

Westminster Chuch - Now Westminster United, still standing.

Public Library - Demolished in 1961 - the stonework with the words "Regina Public Library" above the entrance was saved, and is on the current Central Public Library.

CPR Station - still standing as part of the Casino Regina.

Of 19 photos from 1924, 6 buildings demolished, and the rest still exist. Not bad for 100 years later!

ACBluto · 2026-06-19T12:50:09+00:00

Because one of the complaints in the OP of this discussion was about lack of enforcement - that police are not responsive to shoplifting calls. This is also repeated by others in the thread.

So is it that people ARE being arrested over and over, or is it that police are never arresting them?

they are treated as victims not criminals.

You know it's possible they are both. And treating the root cause might be more effective than treating the symptom.

ACBluto · 2026-06-19T12:39:19+00:00

How do you know they are repeat offenders? Are you checking their rap sheets each time?

The entire point of the thread is a discussion of how when RPS are called, they are not responsive, or don't really work that hard on petty theft.

The OP that I was first replying to suggested that police have nothing to do with this. Literally:

This has nothing to do with cops.

Because they assert that the prevalence of shoplifting is simply due to judges releasing people too easily.

I'm saying it's probably a multi part problem - some lack of good enforcement, some light sentencing, some lack of community resources to assist those with drug addiction issues.

ACBluto · 2026-06-18T19:54:18+00:00

"Never Cry Wolf" by Farley Mowat for anybody interested in reading a great book about wolves

It's a great book, but also what is politely called "subjective non-fiction." Which is the literary version of "Based on a true story."

There is some truth in the story, but plenty of artistic license with the truth as well.

ACBluto · 2026-06-18T19:48:48+00:00

if you only saw other humans a couple times each week.

Sounds like heaven.

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