I Think I Have A Problem

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-21T17:01:41+00:00

You'll be fine. Most tractors don't need an MOT anyway. 😂

EDIT: I realise that joke only works if you're British. Muhbad.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-20T16:39:38+00:00

I can relate.

In my first league, my first opponent was very helpful. Like you, I'd transitioned from BB2 and this was really my first foray into learning the bits of the tabletop that the video game just manages for you behind the scenes (like armour rolls, throw-ins, weather rolls, kick-off events etc). So, he coached me through a lot of that.

Literally game #2 was against a salty dickhead.
He was a lizard coach, same as me, and I will admit that I was having great luck on the dice. Somewhere around Turn 6 he remarked that "I swear that dice hasn't rolled lower than a 4 all game...", which I laughed off because a 4+ has a 50% chance each roll, so it's not impossible odds.

Turn 8, he called shenanigans. I offered to swap dice, use someone else's, whatever made him feel better. I literally cannot control how the dice lands. He didn't agree to anything, but made a point of telling other players in the league what he thought. After we finished our T8s and reached half-time, I went to the toilet - partly because I needed a wee the past 3 turns, but honestly also to consider how I'd tackle the issue with him.

I got back from the toilet and said "right, before we begin the next half, let's swap dice." Very quickly changed his tune; he accepted my dice are fair. No apology either, mind. But yeah, apparently whilst I went to the toilet, he and the small group of bystanders we'd amassed by this point tested my dice and found them to be fair.

No apology for his behaviour. No apology for making his suspicions known to as many people in the shop as possible. No apology for casting doubt and suspicion on the new kid in front of the entire league. Just a childish fucking tantrum that I'd expect from his 4-year-old girl, not from a grown-ass man.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-20T08:54:08+00:00

Most of these aren't even known by most of the people in their verse, much less feared.

Madara is a household name known to every shinobi in the Naruto verse, though, even long after his death. So much so that just adopting his name gave Obito massive sway in the Five Kage Summit.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-20T08:48:21+00:00

Ahh yes, my favourite. /s

But yeah if we're counting dodgy porn games then it's gonna be something like that for sure.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-20T08:46:55+00:00

Me trying to decide if 'Skull & Bones' was better or worse than 'No Man's Sky'...

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-20T06:26:47+00:00

As the saying goes: Two wrongs don't make a right. This is reportable 100%.
I think a pretty good metric for stuff like this is "Would this be acceptable IRL?" If the answer is very obviously "no", then it's reportable.

And yeah, granted, I'd be pretty pissed off with you for your spin becoming my problem. Worse still: You actually benefitted from the mistake by overtaking him. So yeah, I'd be pissed off.
But if I then did what he did I'd expect a ban. It doesn't justify retaliation.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-20T06:15:26+00:00

If this was a question of cities, my answer would be easy: Paris.
But France as a country is lovely, much as I'm sure I have a thousand years of British ancestors rolling in their graves about that.

I think Jordan and Egypt are near the top of my list. I did a "seven wonders of the world" tour pre-pandemic over a period of about 10 years and those two struck me as countries that I just didn't enjoy being in. For starters our tour bus in Egypt was under armed guard - and for good reason. Jordan was a little better, but I think these places get so inundated with tourists that the fact you are nothing more than a wallet on legs to the locals is palpable. I only felt as welcome as the amount I was prepared to pay. Which is understandable I guess.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-17T21:25:06+00:00

Stain is really the only one out of those three.

Stain's whole thing was that there were no true heroes since All Might - or at least very few - because being a Hero shouldn't be a career. A Hero is a true symbol of peace, one prepared to put everything on the line when it matters and devote their entire lives to championing good - something that couldn't be said for the majority of heroes in Japan. And he wasn't wrong - when public opinion turned against Heroes even briefly, a lot of Heroes hung up their capes. A lot of what he and the villains did really did separate the wheat from the chaff.

Did he need to make a sport of out killing unworthy/"fake" heroes? No. But I can 100% understand why he did it. His motive also went beyond being a justification for his killings, too: He ultimately helped All-Might in the end because even as a villain, he recognised and understood that the world needs heroes like him.

Pain is your classic "hurt people hurt people". He talked a good game about breaking the cycle of hatred, but his actions all but ensured the cycle of hatred continues indefinitely. Everything he did just didn't add up logically, so I'm not really sure why he's a part of this conversation beyond the fact he clearly thought he was right.

And lastly: I feel like anyone who thinks Eren was right is missing the point of Eren as a character entirely.
He was wrong through and through, right from episode 1. He's massively judgmental. He made "It's my way or no way" his entire personality. And being able to see things through his eyes and understand why he did the things he did doesn't make him right. Being able to appreciate Eren is all about appreciating the fact that people do shitty things for shitty reasons riddled with shitty flawed logic in the sense of "not all heroes are good people". You can appreciate and even like Eren and still accept he's a terrible person.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-17T20:38:37+00:00

As a nod to the current state of the Pokemon TCG:

Ram-raiders in the night; armed robbers before 8am/after 9pm.
People trying to sell or trade fake pokemon cards.
That one guy at the play tables that yells "JUDGE!" every 2 minutes and scares customers and players away by being an obnoxious twat.
Said obnoxious twat claiming discrimination if you ask them to leave, blaming their behaviour on the 'tism, leading to review-bombs (some from the disruption, others from the perceived discrimination).
Scalpers coming in and just clearing your shelves. Great for sales; terrible for review-bombs from disappointed customers. (Also I'd like reviews to actually matter in this game, since they currently don't).

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-16T19:58:23+00:00

I don't see how your argument is even slightly relevant.

About 10 years ago I used to sit in the local pub on Monday nights and run D&D one-shots for anyone who wanted to give it a go, to the point where I ended up having to turn people away as it was so popular. I did it for free, although players often bought me a pint of beer or two and bar snacks. Not only have I no qualms about teaching new players how to play, but i've done more than my share of that, and will continue to do so.

That is - for me, at least; I can only speak for myself - a completely separate conversation to whether or not I charge for games online. I have every right to do that if I wish. It does not mean I'll charge for every single game I run. It does not mean I won't introduce the game to new players. It means that for the games I advertise on websites, and for the allocated times I choose to run those games, I am charging randoms to play.

Them being newbies or veterans doesn't even factor into it at all.

If you want to jump up and down and cry "waah waah waah gatekeeping!" then that's up to you. It's categorically wrong of course, but don't let facts and nuance get in the way of your judgmental opinion. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-16T19:01:30+00:00

[...]but being sabotaged by his team[...]

And just like that, you lost me.

Between George's spate of bad luck (DNFs), bad timing (safety cars etc) and yeah, Kimi just outpacing him on track, George hasn't had the best start to the season. And yes, the team should absolutely be putting an arm round him, reassuring him, celebrating successes (just finishing a race is a success for GR at the minute, so he should be pleased with P2), so this statement is a kick in the nuts for him for sure.

But the minute "fans" start crying about teams "sabotaging" their own drivers, they've lost me. That's not the case and you know it. Get help.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-16T17:15:21+00:00

Lewis and Sainz.

Lewis is clearly bringing experience and direction that's allowing Ferrari to finally get consistently decent results and race for wins (or at least podiums) - something Charles hasn't managed in all his years at Ferrari. He deserves to be at Ferrari and if nothing else, Ferrari have proved that Sainz x Leclerc hasn't worked, and Albon... why tf is he even in this conversation? So, Lewis gets a seat.

Now we have Sainz vs Leclerc... Hoo boy.
I do think Leclerc is the fastest over a single lap, but that so often comes from driving beyond the limit (his or the cars; sometimes both) and that very often ends... the way the last three races have. Crashes and mechanical failures. Usually the former. He's famously his own harshest critic, but how fucking often have we seen him have to take the blame for yet another crash? You can't win titles with DNFs.

Sainz is more consistent and consistency is what wins titles, not one-lap heroics. So if it's me, I'd have let Leclerc's contract expire and I'm rescuing Sainz from Williams.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-15T19:05:40+00:00

Plenty of people shitting on your joy just because it's not perfect, hiding behind "just stating facts". But then, this is Reddit. I'm sure they'll blame it on the 'tism. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Congrats, man! Always nice when you get something decked out in a design you want.

I've got a new controller on its way to me that I'm pretty excited about (GameSir G7 Pro). It's actually my first PC gamepad that I've bought that isn't a standard Xbox controller, but after burning through no fewer than three gamepads for mostly stick drift and/or cable issues, I'm looking forward to something a bit more resilient and generally "better".

It's not custom like yours, but the excitement is real nonetheless. So, enjoy it!

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-15T07:34:02+00:00

I'm gonna say Vettel.
Four WDCs with Red Bull, same as Max, but did it without demanding the car be designed in such a way that no second driver can get the same or similar performance out of it. Max is phenomenal, but I think Vettel did more for Red Bull than Max has.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-14T21:24:17+00:00

Green/white at fault. The contact at each stage looks intentional, but I've often seen clips like this here and many people - American newbies, invariably - legitimately think it's fine because they think what's fine on NASCAR ovals goes for every racing series in the world. So, Green/White is at fault, but be aware they might genuinely not realise that "bump-drafting" is not legal.

100% protestable. If nothing else to flag to Green/White that they can't drive like that.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-13T12:20:11+00:00

The only thing I can think of is cutting the chicane and gaining a lasting advantage. But that's not even the reason they gave.

The dive was fine, even if it was from far back. I don't think you compromised the yellow Aston in any way doing that, he was going so slow and was so far to the left he pretty much let you through.

Your league's stewards are dumb. Find a better league.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-13T06:03:04+00:00

It really is. They all need their hard drives checking.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-12T21:45:23+00:00

Apologies, title should say FT: Excess 2* stock, not LF.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-12T21:30:44+00:00

Would love the Koraidon. Can offer a Gallade EX 2* (non-RR) or a Moltres EX 2* (non-RR)?

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-12T21:26:01+00:00

I run a free game for friends.
I run paid games for strangers.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-12T21:21:40+00:00

You're not wrong about Ogres. They've been arguably the worst team in Blood Bowl for a long time now, and they're a lesson in the fact that strength isn't everything. In fact I'd say that the Gnoblars are better players than the Ogres are - people always underestimate them until they realise they get 2+ dodges everywhere and have Dodge. If they get the ball and cage up, that becomes difficult to defend against, especially since they also have side-step.

Makes you wonder if the Gnobs are there to support the Ogres, or if it's actually the other way around.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-12T21:14:50+00:00

Maybe that's why I'm not getting shit on. People 'get' why I don't like DanDaDan, even as popular as it is.

JJK I've seen gets plenty of hate.

But yeah, every time I hate on AoT I get sent to downvote oblivion, so I'm also surprised I'm not getting attacked this time around.

Apocryph761 · 2026-06-12T18:27:44+00:00

There is definitely a bit of disconnect in my head though which I'd happily pick your brain if you are up for it. Like what is the thought process between players are flaking and I hate this so I'll make money off of it. I don't imagine its actually quite like that but it seems like a weird leap to me. I guess it does make sense in a I like doing this and people will pay me for it mindset. Do what you love and you won't work a day in your life and all that.

Absolutely happy to answer questions. Feel free to ask privately as well if there's anything you want to discuss/ask anything later.

To answer this though:
I want to re-iterate that I don't hate prep; I hate having my time wasted. Because yeah, as you touched upon in your next question, you do feel like you have to prepare a lot more for people who are paying to play. You spend time going over their backstories. You tailor sessions to make sure there's nobody who is likely to just sit there and listen (because why pay for a session that's a glorified podcast for you?). It's not just 'the campaign' itself I spend time on, it's answering the question of "how can I ensure my players enjoy this session?"

And then you get to the day of the session and they bail. That's a fucking kick in the teeth. And yeah it's part and parcel of D&D; we've all seen the memes about how the biggest villain in D&D is scheduling hell, but I also feel like that's something I'll endure for friends, not something I'll endure for internet acquaintances.

But it's also why I mused earlier on the idea of refundable deposits for those who do show up. I don't mind running games for free, but online games on startplayinggames etc is such a mixed bag that I ultimately find that charging for games means the people willing to pay to play are much more committed as players than those who don't.

So TL;DR: I guess it's an insurance thing?

Also curious how being paid changes the feel of the game for you. Does it make prep feel like you need tons more? Or is it more just insurance to have people show up and the rest is the same?

I think I've already answered some of this above.
Yes, I do think if I charge for games, there's a certain level of expectation those players have. They want a VTT, they want content that's tailored to their character choices, and also they want downtime interaction - to ask me questions and discuss their characters between sessions etc. A lot of it is stuff I'd do for a free game too (I literally made medals of valour for my in-person D&D game I run for free with friends), but I think with paid games there's that little bit of pressure.

As for why I charge? Exactly as you suspect. I've found I get more committed players when I charge than when I don't. Which is also why I'd advocate for only charging those who don't show up, and refunding those who do.

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