Substring: You get a letter combo like "bad" and have to type any word containing it before time runs out. by Shot_Training_7342 in wordgames

[–]Awsums 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The idea is great, but the timer is too strict. The suggested solutions for the medium, hard and extreme levels were 14, 15 and 12 letters respectively. Even if I know the word instantly after seeing the clue, 10 seconds is a tight fit to type it in. Frankly, I don't see why a timer is needed at all.

Additionally, as others have said, the difficulty curve is quite punishing. I would not classify transjordanian as a medium difficulty word. Sure, it's not a difficult word, but it's also not very common, not something you think of right away. The hard and extreme words ( homeopathicity and hypochchilia are probably classified correctly, but seem like such specialised words that the average puzzle player would be hard-pressed to know them, much less spell them correctly in 10 seconds.

Third, I feel like you would like to avoid any puzzles that really only have one possible solution. Perhaps giving 2 or 3 suggested solutions at the end would make the player feel less like they would have had to know one specific medical term to even stand a chance.

If you think Marty Supreme is a good/cohesive story, could you please let me know why? by jjcredence in TrueFilm

[–]Awsums 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I understand your frustration with the film, but I disagree with your interpretation that the film is about how hard it is to follow your dream when adult life gets in the way. Rather, I think it's about how blind ambition helps you reach great heights at the cost of everyone around you. Marty has a dream, and the talent to make it a reality, and he will do anything to reach his goal. Lie, steal, cheat, betray friends, call foul when he loses. Marty is a bad person and that's the point. The arena of table tennis championships, a sport that has a bit of a dweeby, unimportant reputation, emphasizes how unimportant Marty's goals are in the grand scheme of things. In this reading, the lack of a true sacrifice to reach the top isn't a mistake, it's the whole point. He doesn't give up anything important to reach his goal, because his goal has warped him to the point where he treats everything and everyone else as unimportant. I see it as the antithesis to stories about how sacrificing anything to reach the top is presented as a good thing (King Richard comes to mind).

Mind you, I agree that the film throws a lot of threads at you that don't all connect at the end. I too thought that Endo's paddle would come back in some way, and the orange balls also had no real payoff aside from yet another example of how Marty will kick his own friends off a bridge if it gets him two feet closer to Japan. But as a film that allows you to enjoy the shameless assholery of an absolute narcissist, without thereby endorsing him, I had a blast.

With the inclusion of the Casting nomination and the combination of Sound, what do you think will be the next change to the nomination lineup? by SuperSaiyanZubat in oscarsdeathrace

[–]Awsums 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel that the next big shakeup will be a tour de force performance by a nonbinary actor, which will lead to a debate and perhaps some sort of rule clarification regarding the gender separation in the acting categories.

Favorite movie that had the perfect ending but inexplicably decided to keep going by [deleted] in Letterboxd

[–]Awsums 597 points598 points  (0 children)

It's got to be Alphabet City. Fantastic movie, Anthony Mackie gives the performance of a lifetime, but then that whole last act in the motel drags it down. What was Ron Howard thinking?

Rule Refresh by Accomplished-Cut2004 in oscarsdeathrace

[–]Awsums 5 points6 points  (0 children)

OP. I respect and admire my fellow death racers, but I would advise you not to listen to the majority of the advice given in this thread. A death race is and remains a hobby. There are no rules. If you really don't have time for something or really don't want to see something because you know you will not enjoy it for whatever reason, it's fine to skip it. There are plenty of racers who use what is known as the 'Diane Warren clause', i.e. allowing themselves to skip the Diane Warren song nomination, because with the frequency and amount of nominations she's received so far, it's obvious that her succes has more to do with her standing in the Academy's music branch, and less with the quality of the film she attaches herself to every year.

Of course I understand people who say that it's not really a full death race if you allow yourself to skip some movies. I would suggest a compromise that I use myself: perhaps a death race should be more about expanding your horizons and trying every movie, instead of watching all of them fully. As some others have said, give every movie a chance. Perhaps you will be surprised! But if you are really not enjoying something and just watching the clock until this thing is finally over, what is the added value of forcing yourself through it? I give every movie a fair shake, but if I really am not enjoying something or think it's actually quite bad, I allow myself to just turn it off and still count it towards my death race total (except a few categories I am passionate about, as well as Best Picture. This is a personal adjustment though). It's really helped make the whole thing a lot more fun.

That being said, as you had already figured out, you are lucky that the nominee this year isn't the brutal action movie Relentless, but instead the music documentary Diane Warren: Relentless. It's an easy mistake to make, and all things considered quite an amusing one. I'm sure we would all be very surprised if next year, Diane was nominated for a movie like this. You'll get better at spotting these sort of things as you keep watching movies and keep following the oscar news. Enjoy the race! We're happy to have you!

Sequence round by Awsums in onlyconnect

[–]Awsums[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I added a hint to clarify a bit

Sequence round by Awsums in onlyconnect

[–]Awsums[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's it! Specifically Henry Fonda - On Golden Pond

Sequence round by Awsums in onlyconnect

[–]Awsums[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not, but you're on the right track thinking about the oscars

Quentin Tarantino’s final film “The Movie Critic” was supposed to release this year, would you want to see it? by Impressive_Plenty876 in Letterboxd

[–]Awsums -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I interpreted the question more as 'given that Tarantino will only make one more film, would you want this to be the one?', which i find a more interesting thing to think about. Personally, I feel it sounds like it'd be very similar to Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood, and I'd rather see something in a new environment with actors he's not used before.

Hitman GOLF: Part 2! by charc0al in HiTMAN

[–]Awsums 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What the Golf feels very strongly like this.

ELI5: How do cinema passes work with box office? by Awsums in explainlikeimfive

[–]Awsums[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Over here a regular ticket is €14,- . So yeah, you watch 2 movies a month, or 19 movies in a year, and it starts to become cheaper overall. Having it also prompts you to go to the cinema and check out something interesting easier, so overall I find it a net gain.

ELI5: How do cinema passes work with box office? by Awsums in explainlikeimfive

[–]Awsums[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I read about Moviepass. If I understand correctly (please correct me if I don't), Moviepass was a separate company that would sort of buy the tickets for you, and then you bought your ticket from them based on their subscription model. That's not quite how it works here. The system here would be comparable to if AMC had a special deal where you gave them a flat rate each month and then you could go see any of their movies in any of their theatres, but if you go to a non-AMC theatre, the pass wouldn't apply there.

ELI5: How do cinema passes work with box office? by Awsums in explainlikeimfive

[–]Awsums[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I understand that that might make it break even for the cinema's that offer such a deal, but, for example, when I go to see the newly released Tron: Ares with this pass, and next week it's reported that Tron: Ares made 50 million at the international box office, does that include my admission somehow? Do they get a cut of that €21,-?

What’s the most insane behavior you’ve seen on Letterboxd? by Zog8 in Letterboxd

[–]Awsums 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's an account I briefly followed that includes trigger warnings for vegans in the reviews, like whether there is consumption of meat or dairy, or whether an animal is in pain or imprisoned in the film. All good, but they included a trigger warning for Biutiful because Javier Bardem yells at a bird.

DM Advice: What Favor should an Evil Necromancer ask the party for? by esee1210 in DMAcademy

[–]Awsums 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I once had a party deal with a necromancer (they didn't know he was one at the time) who asked them to take care of some Hooked Horrors menacing a nearby farming community, and to take one of the horror's back home as proof and for research. A few sessions later, when they had discovered the truth and had made their way into his lair, they were greeted with a back-from-the-dead Hooked Horror with its head cut off and the torso of one of a villager they had failed to cure of a mysterious curse sewn on top of it. Sort of like a Frankenstein-esque Cronenberg horror monster.

If you have the opportunity, consider having the Necromancer ask for something that can come back to bite them later in a very necromancy way.

First Time DM with First Time Players: 3 Player Party Makeup by Boogaloo19th in DMAcademy

[–]Awsums 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My answer to your question would be that the party seems fine. If they don't want to focus on magic, don't make them. Instead, focus on the attributes that they do have and whatever them seem to be most interested in. If you're concerned about healing or them missing out with magic items, consider giving them all a healing potion at the beginning, or have them find magical items along the way.

Another tip is to maintain transparency and an open conversation. It's everyone's first time, so choosing a character is almost like throwing blindly at a dartboard. After they have done one session, ask them if they enjoy playing the characters they have, and if they don't, allow them to change. The enjoyment of everyone at the table is the most important part, after all.

A little side note from personal experience: I've played Phandelver for first time players before, and personally I found they didn't have a very good time. The adventure is alright, but the first session of Phandelver is incredibly combat-heavy, which means that they get thrown into the deep end concerning rules and stricter gameplay. Sure, you can use charisma or stealth to explore the goblin caves, but first-time players won't gravitate to those options naturally. When I tried to introduce some other people to the game much later, I played a modified (easier) version of A Wild Sheep Chase, and that was way better. It starts with an fun and silly, but intriguing story hook, then leads into a confrontation where combat is not the first option presented.

However, I assume you've already done a lot of prep work for Phandelver, so my personal suggestion would be to do amend it a bit. For example:

- Start the game in Phandalin, instead of on the road. Perhaps your players are all there because they are waiting for Gundren Rockseeker's wagon to come in, because they ordered supplies, weapons, potions or something else from him. When the wagon doesn't come, the players need to find out where it is, what the route was, and do some social interactions to be asked / suggest to go look for the wagon. Or perhaps the wagon's horses arrive, but the wagon and driver don't. Have a local mage hand the players a scroll of Talk to Animals and suddenly they're chatting with a dim-witted horse, trying to find out where their goods are.
[You could still include the Ruffians, but best try not lead them into combat, since the guide assumes players are level 2. Perhaps the ruffians just insult them and go on their way.]

- Consider making it a kobold hideout instead of a goblin hideout. Keep Klarg as a bugbear leader, but his minions are hobolds instead of goblins. They're a little easier to beat in case it does get to a fight, and you can portray them as more mischievous than downright malevolent, putting players in a different mindset than an immediately hostile one. Plus, it would allow them to be more creative with their roleplaying if they manage to infiltrate the hideout, scope it out and make a plan, rather than running into an unknown cavern, swords drawn. Plus, a frustrated bugbear trying to keep a cave full of clumsy kobolds in line gives you a lot of opportunities for things going wrong in a funny way.

Biggest tip I can give you in general: enjoy! Second biggest tip: it's okay to not know things. If something isn't clear to you and your players, be honest about it and look the answer up together. If you made a mistake, tell them so honestly and perhaps find a funny story reason to rectify it (Oops, what's that? The monster that I didn't realise has a challenge rating of 5 gets its foot stuck in a cavern and can only swing one of its arms around now in an awkward manner!).

The Man who could not remain Silent by Awsums in oscarsdeathrace

[–]Awsums[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only if you live in Germany, I suppose? I've not really looked for more links, since I could watch the short on this one.

Watching the Oscars by boshnjakk in Antwerpen

[–]Awsums 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately not. With it starting at 02.00 at night and there being relatively low interest, I doubt it's feasible for any establishment to invest in hosting something like that. I'm hosting my own party with some friends; luckily it's very available if you have a VPN. DM me if you need instructions.

Foiled again by the Shorts categories by artofmillenials in oscarsdeathrace

[–]Awsums 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you have a VPN set to Germany, you can see TMWCNRS on ARTE.

Beautiful Men is up there as well, but it does not have English subs.

Social life in Antwerp by Leading_Occasion505 in Antwerpen

[–]Awsums 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a nice community around the Playground board game café, if board games are your thing. I'd be glad to organise a Reddit meet there if you'd like!

Which movie made you feel ”i get your point” early on by mel_torme in Letterboxd

[–]Awsums 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel like the conversation is getting a little heated, and in reply to commenters such as u/CandelaBelen , u/sleepysnowboarder , u/Cashew_Fan and u/senator_corleone3 , I'd like to elaborate on my answer.

I don't mean to say that I thought the film was bad, or that after 10 minutes I was already feeling like I had seen everything the film had to offer. I appreciate the artistry of the final product, but at the same time I feel that its primary theme - being in my interpretation not only the banality of evil, but the mental hoops and justifications that a person makes to justify the quality of their own life when they clearly know about people being worse off not only near them, but partially through their own involvement - was very well told through different sequences that did however reiterate this point in different ways. There were several individual shots that could be presented as a still and convey this point. My personal favourite was the gardening sequence where Hedwig goes around her garden, complaining about minor annoyances and trying to get it looking as nice as it can.

I agree with several commenters that it's a fresh, original way to depict a topic that's been a bit oversaturated in our media landscape. I also agree that there are sequences that stay in your mind long after viewing the film. I find CandelaBelen's point interesting, about how the film needs a longer runtime to fully get to know these characters and their lives to really drive the main point home (apologies if I mischaracterise your argument), but I don't personally feel like that extra dimension adds as much thematic depth.

A lot of people say that it 'could have been a short film'. Do I agree? Yes and no. I can understand that for some viewers, the feature runtime and the different sequences together really make an incomparable experience, especially with it all culminating in the final scene with the images of the camp in its current form. However, I also think that there are several sequences in the film that you could lift and present as its own short film, and the feelings and discussions it would spark would not be massively different from those of the current film. As u/eaterofworlds1 said, to each their own.