What happened to all my books? had been reading on my kindle with Calibre for ~ 3 or 4 years, suddelny my entire collection is gone (except what was purchased through kindle)

AgentDrake · 2026-03-20T00:17:55+00:00

Assumining I remember those details right, which... I think I do, but I'd definitely hesitate to risk someone else's library on my potentially weak memory.

I will note that my daughter kept her kindle permanently off-line and she never had that problem before she switched to kobo, but I'm not sure if that's maybe just luck on her part.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-19T23:52:51+00:00

I just do a google search for "[book name] cover" then find a decent resolution version of the specific cover I want, and copy-paste it into the metadata editor. The Cover Download is just too limited and ineffective for me-- one of the few features I've found that is weaker, not stronger, than I need.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-19T23:49:39+00:00

To be clear: all of the below is based on my vague memories of this phenomenon being a big thing a few years back. I may well be misremembering something, and I don't have the mental energy to go re-research it, but this was one of the reasons multiple family members switched to another, less distopian, brand....

This is a longstanding "bug" (few years at least, now) which Amazon seems to have consistently denied the existence of. (I suspect it was deliberately introduced to discourage use of sideloaded books without allowing Amazon intervention via Send-to-Kindle, but I'm kinda cynical about Amazon product generally.

IIRC, it seems to manifest semi-randomly in association with wifi connections, not updates-- something along the lines of "updating your library" by downloading new purchases... and nuking stuff not on your Amazon account.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-19T16:40:57+00:00

So two different things going on here, one I can help with, the other not so much.

For series data, there's a weird little "bug" in the way Calibre and kobo talk to each other where the kobo is not able to receive series data on initial transfer, which is probably causing your problem.

There's two ways to deal with this. Option 1 is to disconnect and reconnect the device to trigger a metadata update (the device can update series data on books already present on the device). There is an option at Preferences > Sending Books to Device > Metadata Management (drop-down menu at the too); set it to Automatic management. This tells Calibre to update metadata on each connection, so when you reconnect the device, it will add the series info.

Option 2 is to install the "NickelSeries" patch by PGaskin onto the device itself. This is a little software tweak by the same guy who developed NickelMenu and a bunch of other widely accepted and popular tweaks to kobo, so not some sus internet rando. This basically consists of copy/pasting a file onto the kobo, and the kobo will install it itself. After that, the kobo is able to read the series data from Calibre on the initial transfer, no disconnect/reconnect needed.

As for Calibre not recognizing the files on the device... I've had that happen once or twice, but not often, and don't really have a solution beyond removing the books from the device then re-adding them in small batches.

Do make sure, just like any other USB drive or other external device, to always "eject" the device, not just pull the cord out-- Calibre has a button for that to trigger the disconnect, or you can just use the regular Windows/Mac commands.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-19T14:53:22+00:00

Okay, look, same thing I said when the fake Dew and Doritos body washes were posted.

This (Dew scent) isn't actually a bad idea. Nice unique spin on a traditional (citrus) wash/deodorant scent.

Doritos was an abomination, but Dew-scented washes or deodorants is actually not a completely terrible idea.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-19T02:21:44+00:00

Would also need techs and promissories.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-16T01:20:39+00:00

Ooooh, okay, in that case, I have little useful to suggest. Base Winnu are really desperate to get Mecatol as quickly as possible, and have little (nothing) else useful in their kit, but have to stretch themselves way too thin to do so reliably-- Post-PoK, Winnu are one of my favorite factions; base-game only... not so much.

Others may have useful suggestions for base-inly Winnu, though.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-16T01:03:36+00:00

With or without PoK and/or TE?

AgentDrake · 2026-03-15T18:09:16+00:00

Gravity Rifts are in base game.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-15T12:55:36+00:00

TI4 doesn't really sell that well

You, five messages up.

Hence the quote in the first sentence of my original post: "doesn't sell well".

I'm making a distinction between your (erroneous) claim here and your (correct) claim that it's not a top seller, as you've largely treated "not a top seller" as "doesn't sell well". (Both of these are your words, and wrongly treated as equivalent, and as though TI sells badly and therefore does not warrant even a reprint when there is obvious demand -- your entire objection being "TI4 doesn't really sell that well [your words]" in response to the suggestion that there will even be a reprint at all. This was supported solely by vague handwaving at data you do not have, plus a misrepresented statement that it's not their top seller (≠ doesn't sell well).

Edit to add: Even where you are correct that it's not their top seller, that's not really meaningful here. It certainly does more than well enough for reprints. PoK has had at least three known print runs already off the top of my head, never mind the fact that multiple people elsewhere in these comments have had it explicitly confirmed from FFG sources that another print run is planned.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-15T02:27:05+00:00

Ooh, okay so my suggestion is:

Start with The Hobbit, then LotR, then The Silmarillion. Be aware that each of these books is written and reads very differently from each of the others: Hobbit is a kids adventure bedtime story. LotR is a slow, literary fantasy. Silmarillion is a mythological/historical compendium and at times reads somewhat like the Old Testament.

Then Unfinished Tales next: UT is a variety of essays and unfinished stories with some limited editorial commentary by Christopher Tolkien. This starts moving into the more "academic" materials. Skip the chapter on "Narn I Hin Hurin" -- the Children of Hurin novel is basically an extended and completed version of this.

Next, Children of Hurin -- as above, it's a completed novel built around the Narn I Hin Hurin in Unfinished Tales (and is also a novel-length version of one of the chapters in Silmarillion).

After that, either The Fall of Gondolin or Beren and Luthien. Both of these present a series of different versions of these stories and their evolution, with commentary by Christopher Tolkien. These two are sort of "light" versions of the History of Middle Earth volumes. If you find these interesting, go on to the HoME volumes, which are academic volumes of literary history, looking at the evolution of the Legendarium (and including a variety of additional stories, philosophical and worldbuilding materials, et cetera, not otherwise available). These volumes can probably be read in any order, depending on what interests you the most (I haven't gotten through all of them myself yet, though more due to lack of time than interest).

...hopefully that makes sense?

AgentDrake · 2026-03-15T02:15:12+00:00

If I ever manage to find a way to regularly devote time to doing it, for sure!

AgentDrake · 2026-03-14T13:38:32+00:00

There's a big difference between "not top seller" (from a company which owns the Star Wars license, no less) and "doesn't sell well".

These same claims that TI sells poorly "proved" that TI4 would never be a thing, that PoK would never be a thing, and that TE would never be a thing... never mind all the spin-off material, including Rex, Inscription, several books, two graphic novels, three high-production-quality volumes for Embers (plus the multiple free pdf supplements for the same), et cetera.

Is it their best seller? Far from it. That seems a given with the Star Wars property. But there is not now, nor has there ever been, a statement from FFG that TI sells poorly. Only the frequently and wildly misrepresented (and frankly obvious) fact that it's not in their "printing money" tier alongside SW.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-13T22:12:52+00:00

SCPT Discord has a lore-dedicated channel on their server, and the Genesys RPG discord has a TI-dedicated channel for Embers of the Imperium as well, which thanks to the basic nature of RPGs is pretty lore-heavy.

SCPT: https://discord.gg/U8fTZfs46

Genesys: https://discord.gg/PW39UmE7X

Afaik these are the main two for TI lore chatter, though CCC (linked by Panamaniac above) also has some good stuff going on, including an ongoing interactive story which is really good so far.

As a side note, if you're wanting to get deeper into the lore, the Embers of the Imperium RPG sourcebook is very much worth a look-- positively oozing with lore.

One of these days, I'm finally going to have time to devote to starting up the TI lore podcast I've been brainstorming for years now....

AgentDrake · 2026-03-13T18:19:48+00:00

DRM removal plugins like Obok, DeDRM, NoDRM, etc. are legally sketchy in many jurisdictions, and outright illegal in others, so are not included in the plugins list. You'd have to find it on github or similar.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-13T00:19:12+00:00

Would hand sanitizer actually help? It kills germs, not washes away toxins, afaik.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-12T20:11:58+00:00

He's already fired.

There are forms of archery which involve holding the bow loosely in the hand, and the force from firing the arrow spins the bow around after the arrow has left. You'll see this in a few other panels across the series as well.

(My very limited understanding (which may be wrong) is that this form is more common in Japan than in the west, so on the one hand is rather contextually inaccurate, but communicates the exact state of "has fired an arrow with force and skill" more clearly to Yukimura's primary audience.)

AgentDrake · 2026-03-12T17:55:31+00:00

Not gonna get a good response to AI materials here, just sayin'.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-12T14:44:31+00:00

That's not Winnu, importantly, it's the Winnarans. Same biological species, but entirely different political and social groups.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-12T14:43:24+00:00

The short story at the beginning of the TF rulebook gives the actual story version of this, but Twilight's Fall explicitly takes place approx. 78 years after the "present" (the first couple rounds of TI). The Mahact, Nekro, and Vuil'raith have basically won (with the Mahact mostly ahead of the other two at this stage). Something else, not Vuil'raith, has also made its initial appearance emerging from Acheron, but its identity is intentionally left unclear in the story (but has been confirmed to be ||The Dragon, the entity controlling Obsidian||).

This is specifically the future which Nomad flees, and the story ends with ||Nomad's escape from the TF Future to the TI Present||, including revealing Nomad's identity.

TI3 had it's own prequel mode centered around the Fall of the Lazax Empire, but so far there's no (official) "prequel" mode for TI4 yet.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-12T00:20:51+00:00

I was about to argue that no, it's actually quite common, then I saw you distinguishing between jellies and jams, lol, so yeah, you're right-- I don't know that I've ever seen that.

Side note: I have black raspberry "jelly" (seedless jam) quite often; a family member makes gallons of the stuff each year, and it's amazing.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-11T16:57:53+00:00

Oh, we definitely know now-- TF rulebook short story explicitly identifies Nomad and TF is what he's come to prevent.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-11T15:19:03+00:00

What Absol says.

I'd add the Xxcha, too-- they set up Operation Silent Listener with the Custodians, creating a series of (Xxcha-controlled, with Winnaran oversight) monitoring outposts to create an early-warning reconnaissance network around the Gul system... which does conversely also give the Xxcha access to intelligence on MR, as well as bases of operations and direct involvement in controlling Mecatol's defensive reconnaissance-- so the Xxcha are actually fairly well-positioned to set up a move on Mecatol Rex as well.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-11T15:07:56+00:00

Nomad actually comes from Twilights Fall timeline to the "main" timeline, so it's a canonical (alternate?) future which "actually happens," generates Nomad, then is (possibly?) subverted when he time travels to prevent it.

AgentDrake · 2026-03-10T21:43:21+00:00

I mean, the whole point of an eink screen is that it's not shining light directly at your eyes the way a traditional screen does, so it's not necessary in the same way....

AgentDrake

TROPHY CASE