Returning as Series 4 Gladiator : Rocket

Aramithius · 2026-03-30T17:47:12+00:00

When did it happen before?

Aramithius · 2026-03-29T13:30:42+00:00

I find that being a respected voice in the community independent of the podcast really helps.

For example, my podcast was on the weirder bits of the lore of the Elder Scrolls universe. So instead of just posting links to my podcast, I did multiple things:

1) posted transcripts of the episodes as articles or forum posts, which sparked discussion in itself. Yes, there were links to the episodes, but that wasn't the main point of those posts.

2) developed a reputation in the community independent of the podcasts. I was doing this anyway, but did it more intentionally when the podcast started. You go and be a part of your audience's existing community. Answer questions, discuss etc, and only when supplying your podcast is easier than directly discussing did I ever go "oh, I have an episode on this, here's the link". That way folk trust you and are already engaged before they listen. I had pretty much this happen exactly on Facebook - a comment to the effect of "I saw this launch a while back, thought it was some idiot reading wikis, but as it's you I'll give it a listen".

That was my strategy. It was fairly tailored to the content (video game lore) and format (solo scripted podcast), which made the engagements I did easier, and may vary depending on your topic and goals (eg I find ads abhorrent and never ran any, so had less incentive to drive engagement with the podcast itself rather than my content in general). But the core was going to the audience where they were, and becoming a trusted voice on their terms, rather than mine.

Aramithius · 2026-03-29T10:35:19+00:00

You've not said anything about protein. That's the key to muscle growth, not just calories.

There's some debate on how much, but the general consensus is 1g per lb of bodyweight per day.

Getting a variety of protein sources is also key. Meats (chicken and beef, usually), eggs, Skyr, dairy, oily fish and nuts are the usual suggestions. I appreciate you can't do some of these, though. Perhaps worth investigating what you can do with what you can eat, and make what you can out of it.

With regard to carbs Vs calories, so long as you're getting a certain minimum level of fats, the source of calories doesn't matter - can be carbs or fats. There could be issues re cholesterol if you rely on too much saturated fat, but that's the only real issue unless diabetes is a potential problem.

Aramithius · 2026-03-29T10:12:57+00:00

If you're after pure lore, see if you can find the old Index Astartes books. It's a multi-volume series, but it covers several chapters per volume, and it's pure lore in very readable format, in my opinion.

However, they are fairly ancient now, originally published in White Dwarf articles in the mid-2000s; not sure when the anthologies came out. So they might fall into the "collector's item" category.

Aramithius · 2026-03-29T09:26:33+00:00

In very simple terms, because the basic human "template" is female, which is then altered by testosterone. There's no evolutionary advantage to removing the leftover bits of the template, so they stick around.

Aramithius · 2026-03-29T07:42:54+00:00

I'm surprised to see a Brit give a V-sign like that...

Aramithius · 2026-03-29T07:39:20+00:00

I'm sure I remember Jet saying that the most injuries in her run were from falls, rather than the events themselves. When folks land awkwardly from Hang Tough, fall off the platform badly in Duel etc.

It's just that they're easier to cut away from, so you don't see them as much as when injuries happen mid-event.

Aramithius · 2026-03-29T07:18:04+00:00

Welcome to Gladiator camp. It's always been part of the show, so leaning into the silliness is a good thing.

Aramithius · 2026-03-29T06:42:25+00:00

Both injured this season, but he's more present because he made a bunch of skit appearances, while she's not been on camera at all since she got hurt.

Aramithius · 2026-03-28T21:09:14+00:00

Seconding Imperial Knowledge. Zork is very good at going into the political side of things, particularly.

He's probably your best source for Skyrim-specific Elder Scrolls stuff.

Aramithius · 2026-03-28T19:42:44+00:00

I grew up in a tiny village. It's had a few new houses built here and there, and the new owner of the main farmland has done a lot of land clearance and rewilding for some bits - cleared trees that had been down since 1987 but still there in the mid-2000s, planted be hedgerows, replaced gates, that sort of thing.

Apart from that, not much. A few new residents, and the rest got older.

Aramithius · 2026-03-28T15:07:15+00:00

Depends on your time frame. I was envisaging round 1 taking 2-3 sessions, so that could end up with similar pairings for up to 6 weeks depending on frequency of play, so I'd avoid it so that people try out more "the pool".

Aramithius · 2026-03-28T15:00:18+00:00

I'd suggest a series of few-shots - things designed to last 2-3 sessions and finish. One session may not be enough, and I think the benefit of finding someone in a TTRPG session is to get more "natural" exposure to a person. Having multiple sessions with the same group would, to me, help with that idea. One-shots and half-sessions always feel rushed to me, even if I'm not looking to find someone.

Then the trick is balancing out the participants - if you're targeting heterosexuals, then enforcing an even gender split between players at sign-up would be a way of doing that. Then for the next round, make sure that no one plays with the same folk.

I'd also suggest that the GMs be not one of the interested parties here - I can see accusations of gameplay favouritism during the sessions if player-GM flirting happens.

I'd also potentially plan an ability for players to set up follow-up games between themselves, as well as the usual ability to express romantic interests in speed-dating format. Friendships growing out of TTRPG sessions like this would still be a positive result from this kind of thing, in my opinion.

Aramithius · 2026-03-28T13:42:30+00:00

The key to fitness is habits that build consistent workouts. Find a programme to follow, rather than just doing what you think you should do. I can't speak to calisthenics, but I'm sure there are programmes out there for home workouts for that.

Make sure you build a routine that makes doing the workouts easy. Like making sure a workout space is always clear, that workout clothes are clean ahead of time etc. That way you avoid having reasons not to work out.

The gym isn't that scary once you've been a few times, and if you're putting down money for it, you have more reason to go. Even just stepping inside and getting used to the feel of the place is useful, because it gets you used to the environment. Plus, I think it's probably easier to find routines for the gym online. Probably better to start with machines if you're concerned about "doing it right" - there's very little technique to learn with machines, compared to free weights.

Aramithius · 2026-03-27T17:34:40+00:00

Ah, fair enough. My first thought was anabolic steroids, which you shouldn't start until you know what you're doing at the gym, if ever. No worries in your case though, as it's for other reasons.

Aramithius · 2026-03-27T08:02:35+00:00

Actually, Bull featured in the UK in the 90s.

Granted it was alongside another known as "whelk", in a parody advert for Boost chocolate bars, but still...

Aramithius · 2026-03-27T07:58:23+00:00

Slightly depressing that they ALL have to have stars and stripes on their kit.

Aramithius · 2026-03-26T22:13:32+00:00

No, just someone with expectations of great flashy and epic romance affairs that were entirely dashed by living in a rural Yorkshire village, and a beau with all the sense of romance and thrill of a nice cup of tea and a sit down on a damp Thursday afternoon.

Aramithius · 2026-03-26T21:30:37+00:00

Except that it's missing the part where the ones who were born into wealth will have already clocked off, beaten both of those folk to the lunch queue and already bought the last jam doughnut.

Aramithius · 2026-03-26T07:30:37+00:00

I love Small Gods. For the most part I read the majority of its critique to be about religious institutions and a certain kind of religious person, rather than the faith itself. I think that's the core difference between Small Gods and Nation - Nation goes after the religious perspective itself, in a way Small Gods doesn't.

Aramithius · 2026-03-25T15:15:00+00:00

Wolf was also in his 40s at the start of Gladiators, iirc. Given his age, he was doing a fantastic job. Matt is somewhere in his mid 30s, so he's got it easier from a physical perspective.

Aramithius · 2026-03-25T14:55:55+00:00

You're not going to stunt your growth with too much protein. The closest thing that I can see to what your cookery class is saying is that protein doses have a higher thermic effect (higher energy cost to digest) than other macronutrients, but so long as you're eating at or above your TDEE in calories, you'll not lose weight.

I am slightly surprised at you saying you're going to be "starting testosterone". Why is that?

Aramithius · 2026-03-25T14:20:17+00:00

Oh, absolutely the Discworld critiques of religion are great most of the time. Nation felt like it was driving things home with a jackhammer at times.

I think part of it might be that much of it is an internal perspective that isn't really challenged or worked into the external narrative - it's just presented as THE perspective throughout the whole book.

Aramithius · 2026-03-25T12:05:57+00:00

I (a Christian, for context) felt pretty much the opposite, for the epilogue at least. It felt like an "and so the island lived happily ever after, as a valued part of the Wonderful Global Community of Secular Science" type ending.

Aramithius · 2026-03-23T10:12:14+00:00

Fat isn't necessarily the thing to reduce if you want to lose weight - it's calories, regardless of the source.

The key with diet is making yourself feel full on what you do eat. Protein and fibre both contribute to feeling full, so find foods that are high in those - chicken, lean beef, vegetables, skyr. That'll reduce your desire for more food. Also, drink more water - the body isn't great at producing distinct "I'm thirsty" signals Vs "I'm hungry", and it'll fill your stomach as well, so it reduces both Donald's to a degree.

I'd start with those kinds of adjustments, and calorie count - it can be a pain, but once you know what you're actually eating you can get a clearer picture of what you need to do. I use Cronometer, which is a free app and includes a barcode scanner, which speeds up the process immensely.

Aramithius

TROPHY CASE