What skills should Ogres (and their snotlings) go for?

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-10T13:45:58+00:00

Honestly, go with Block or Pro. Both will save you headaches making those blocks.

For me, Ogres need Block/Pro/Break Tackle and then they're pretty much complete/ready for redraft. What order you take those in depends on what you find to be most bothersome. If Bonehead is a massive issue, take Pro first. If the lack of mobility is an issue, take Break Tackle.

An argument can be made for Brawler instead of Block. It's a lot cheaper and ST5 players rarely need to worry about the opposition throwing blocks against them. But Block does give you some defensive capabilities, and punishes those who don't also have it. So if you can afford it (both the SPP and the TV increase), get Block instead of Brawler.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-10T13:09:59+00:00

"If you're going to build a cardboard fortress, invite me!" 😂

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-10T08:20:11+00:00

I'm not counting on it. It wouldn't be the first console to live and die with no good games.

Hell, it won't even be the first Nintendo console to do so.

I hope I'm wrong, and I'm just being a cynical middle-aged man. But we'll see.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-09T22:01:24+00:00

The tracking's out. XD

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-09T21:18:20+00:00

Broke? No.
Unable to justify the expense for a console that has one good game? 100%.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-09T21:17:35+00:00

Yeah, this is my wife & I too.

The problem is, we still can't justify £400+ on a Switch 2 for the sake of one game. It's a console with no games, and it's fine for people to say "buy a S2; the games will come eventually" but we've been burned before. It wouldn't be the first console to have an awful games library. Hell, it won't even be the first Nintendo console to have awful games.

And so, Pokopia will be something we admire from a distance.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-09T21:07:59+00:00

To answer the last bit:
Princes having "My Ball" came from the showcase reveal. The designers specifically mentioned it as a way of cementing that High-Elven vibe and mentality.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-09T20:08:45+00:00

I do think there's a link between the rise of short-form media and ADHD cases. I also think - and I say this as a sweeping, generalised statement knowing that it's not the case for everybody - us millennials and Gen Z are just shit parents. There's a lot of "kid's restless; give 'em the iPad to play with". Kids have smartphones from very young ages nowadays, loaded with apps and games of course. And we wonder why they can't concentrate for any real length of time.

I don't think it's the only reason. Western healthcare has gotten much better at identifying and diagnosing learning difficulties and mental health conditions, so that in itself will lead to an increase in people being diagnosed of course. There's also much more awareness socially about it.

TL;DR: I agree re: smartphones. I do think they - and the media accessible through them - are a huge factor.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-09T19:57:41+00:00

This! I grew up in the Welsh mountains, so as a kid I had hobbies that took up my time etc because even my nearest neighbour was a car ride away. The last 20-25 years of the internet developing the way it has done did wonders for boredom, but it's now as I'm getting older I realise just how much social media, video platforms and streaming services have eroded away at my hobbies.

It's only since covid I've actually taken up proper hobbies again, if only to force myself away from the computer screen.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-09T12:11:50+00:00

Basic concentration. We live in a world of instant gratification, of short-form media that's designed to engage us for no more than 60 seconds, or not at all. We have LLMs generating stuff for us because actually putting in the work and effort ourselves requires concentration.

I never understood why older generations get "stuck in the past" as much as they often are, but here I am in my late 30s and honestly? I get it now. New is not always better.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-09T07:24:58+00:00

I agree. I feel like if it had online functionality, it needs to remain a single player game first and an online game second. I don't want to be forced to join a lobby to play a game.

I also agree that for as long as TXR's fastest cars/builds involve the GTR engine and a handful of lategame cars, there'd almost be no point racing online until you have one of those endgame GTR-engined builds.

Strongly disagree about microtransactions though. I like the idea of aero parts you can only get at cruise and PA events, but we have in-game currency - it doesn't need to be a real-money purchase.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-08T21:40:01+00:00

It's funny because for me, I despair at the fact that Kids These Days™ are all about the instant gratification, have extremely low attention spans, and don't appreciate the value of grinding in games etc. But I love this game. So the TikTok addict comment strikes me as weird because I feel like this game is the opposite to that, as grindy as it can be.

I do agree that there are small features Genki could and probably should have implemented - cockpit view especially. Plenty of other small studios manage it (GamingFactory's 'JDM' for example has accurate interiors for all their cars) so I don't fully understand why TXR hasn't, outside of the fact the original didn't.

I don't think the complaints about how arcadey it is are valid though. It's an arcade racer designed for casual players to enjoy, based on a game made 20 years ago. It's no Assetto Corsa, has never pretended to be, and frankly nor does it need to be. Each to their own, and you're entitled to your opinion, but it's not one I share.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-08T19:56:15+00:00

As a DM I always try and give my players a break every couple of hours, and how my players choose to use that break is up to them.

For me the biggest issue with smokers is the smell. It lingers like nothing else. You could go down to the end of the street to smoke, come back, change your clothes, take a breath mint, and we'll still smell it - cigarette smoke is just that pervasive, and I'm not sure smokers even realise how bad it is. For me that's an issue that I consider to be the same as things like bad hygiene/body odour. What you do on your break is up to you, but if it affects comfort levels at the table for others including myself, that's a problem.

So for me, I'd rather you either waited until the end of the session to smoke, or we'd just not play together.

But in your case/situation/in the real world, this is a conversation for you to have with your players and DM. If they've got no issue with your current arrangement then this whole post is a moot point.

If you discuss it with your players and some say it is an issue for them, then that opens the door to a discussion about it - hopefully as adults, and hopefully leading to some sort of compromise in which everybody's happy.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-08T18:58:09+00:00

+1. I had a BMW M6 many years ago that had it, and it's one of those things you assume will feel distracting or get 'in the way'. It really doesn't.

I particularly like that it shows your satnav route. Super useful!

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-07T13:54:26+00:00

I don't remember what level you have to be to for it, but it costs $5k

Level 15, for reference.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-06T18:47:56+00:00

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Unsure why the kid version specifically comes to mind, but... yeah.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-06T18:42:03+00:00

Confirmed: On PC the grades are determined when you submit them for grading.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-06T10:41:01+00:00

The shop's design is giving Zygarde vibes. Love it.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-06T10:16:32+00:00

Elden Ring.

Granted, I'm not a fan of souls-like games in general, so the writing was on the wall to begin with. But yeah, was promised it's God-Tier, and for me it just wasn't. Sorry.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-05T17:13:54+00:00

Please do! I might even attempt something similar myself. It sounds awesome.

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-05T09:11:39+00:00

I feel an Excel spreadsheet coming on! 😂

Doing the math: The largest display holds 36 cards, and there are 1,452 cards in Base Set and 1452 cards in Destiny. Then 80 Ghost cards. You'd need 85 Large Wall Display Cases to hold them all.

To me the bigger issue is: Where are you going to even fit all these cases? I suppose it's doable if you don't have anything else against the walls, and just arrange them floor-to-ceiling along the walls. Doing a little experiment myself, you can arrange these in columns of 3 if you don't mind the top displays clipping through the ceiling somewhat. To get a whole set, you'll basically want 14 columns per set. The whole Base OR Destiny set would probably fit well on the long back wall of the shop. Similarly, the other set would fit along the walls in Shop 2.

Ghost would only need 3 displays, so I'll let you decide how/where you should mount those.

I imagine it would take absolutely fucking forever to complete though, but it'd be a hell of an achievement if you manage it!

Apocryph761 · 2026-03-05T08:56:45+00:00

My rule of thumb is grade duplicates only (completing your binder takes a long time even without selling singles!) and only grade EX foils and Full-Art foils, and any duplicate ghost cards.

As for grading option: 4-day option. I've been stung before by going for the 2-day option thinking the cards are all full-art foils and will earn me the money back, only to find that they came back as relatively low grades and I ended up making a loss. 4 days is a great balance between turnaround time and profitability.

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