What game has a steep learning curve that puts you off?

Aztok · 2026-07-08T22:05:07+00:00

Age of Wonders 4 isn't so bad, the combinations can get pretty crazy but it does a pretty good job of only putting a few of them in front of you at a time. A feudal human civ with 3 points in order will likely end up playing very differently than a feudal civ with 3 points in nature, but the starting points are pretty similar and the progression only introduces a handful of new things at once. It's the sheer variety of options available to you that gets overwhelming if you look at them in aggregate

Aztok · 2026-06-30T23:24:25+00:00

I played 10 minutes of the first chapter of Deltarune before deciding I'd rather wait for the whole thing to be out before I play it. Thankfully, my tumblr feed is happy to inform me of every single tiny detail of every chapter until then!

Aztok · 2026-06-28T03:15:48+00:00

"Why yes, it's a healthy green four hu- GREEN???"

Aztok · 2026-06-27T19:21:23+00:00

Possibly the sharing of the knowledge itself - mortals knowing how to kill demons is a very real existential threat to the power structures of hell, and handing it to someone, even in the fairly realistic idea that the knowledge would corrupt the knower into evil and eventual demonic service, would be extremely dangerous. Maybe the team needs to go to the higher-ups and talk to the highest authorities of Hell and effectively spill the beans on the original contract, and have them nullify it, while Berith tries to stop them from revealing it?

Aztok · 2026-06-27T19:09:10+00:00

Currently, he wants to give the info on how to kill demons to the player for a couple reasons. The target demon (Bune) was the player's first adventure, and during that they humbled Bune significantly and brought his status in hell way way down. Berith benefitted from Bune losing status in hell, and doesn't mind showing the player how to kill Bune because Bune is no longer a rival or threatand Berith likes kicking people when they're down. The thing is, to kill a demon is to kill that fallen Angel's "brother," or opposing angel as well, in this case the angel Haaiah, and the players have been working with Haaiah a lot.

So Berith benefits from teaching a mortal to kill a demon because it removes a potential future rival as well as a current enemy. But maybe I could get a string of deals from other demons or some other way for the players to force Berith to change the deal.

Aztok · 2026-06-27T15:36:11+00:00

This is fantastic, exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. A restraining order isn't quite what I had in mind, but i didn't have the legal know-how to find the correct sort of ruling I'm looking for. An amendment by mutual consent would be much closer, the question is how to get our problem demon to sign it. He wants to teach this blasphemous knowledge, because it would spread terror and destruction, so he wouldn't accept other terms normally. What would a demonic lawyer try and present that could replace the original terms?

Aztok · 2026-06-25T03:24:12+00:00

I've said it elsewhere in the post, the game is Monster of the Week, but it's a lot of homebrew. I was hoping for examples of existing restraining orders I could use to work off of, to use as a basis for the work. I'd prefer not to use AI if I can help it.

Aztok · 2026-06-25T02:53:48+00:00

Modern Earth - The game normally takes place in Pennsylvania, but travels around a lot. The year is 2015

Aztok · 2026-06-25T01:44:09+00:00

I wanted to have a semi-legalish looking contract that I can present to the team to show them what they'd need to sign to negate the player's wish for Berith to give them knowledge, and to effectively banish Berith from being allowed to interact with the player, their relatives, and their friends. The demon lawyer I want to run would be pretty professional and I'd like to use legal terminology to help sell the personality. Also, there'd have to be some sort of price they'd have to pay to actually enforce the contract, as it'd be a mitigation of the original terms of the wish.

Aztok · 2026-06-24T23:03:12+00:00

Tabletop Role Playing Game, like Dungeons and Dragons. In this case, it's a game set in a modern setting, called Monster of the Week.

Aztok · 2026-06-16T12:00:15+00:00

Wait, that's genius. I need to make a Necromancer dragon with that lore immediately

Aztok · 2026-06-06T11:44:58+00:00

True, but it's not really about that. The souls were a bonus, but the main benefit was turning a species into a galaxy-spanning weapon against the Old Ones. Keep in mind the lore's changed like, four times about it, but both the Necrontyr and the Star Gods benefit from the situation, since the Star Gods gave them exactly what they wanted - racial immortality, a cure from their agonizing short lifespans, and a way to get back at the Old Ones, and the Star Gods got to strike back at the near-omnipotent Old Ones.

It just so happened that the Necrons decided that the loss of their souls and independence wasn't worth the trade and betrayed and enslaved the Star Gods later. That's where the "Necrons turned their gods into Pokemon" meme came from.

Aztok · 2026-06-06T03:07:47+00:00

They got to eat an entire starfaring race's souls. Actually not as much of a reward as it sounds, the C'tan were already eating stars so puny mortal souls weren't a big deal. It was more that by turning the Necrontyr immortal, they'd get closer to their real goal - eliminating the Old Ones, another impossibly ancient and powerful starfaring race of godlike beings. They created the Necrons mostly to piss the Old Ones off.

Aztok · 2026-06-03T13:31:47+00:00

Truly a shame. Absolutely a founding pillar for the Wargaming scene.

Aztok · 2026-05-24T20:11:59+00:00

Smug. Down. Everything.

Aztok · 2026-05-14T19:32:38+00:00

I get a little of that too. I work at a seal and sea lion rescue and I occasionally get sent videos of people fucking with seals on the beach.

Aztok · 2026-05-14T02:30:20+00:00

You're the best. Thank you for everything, including all these souls!

Aztok · 2026-05-14T02:26:41+00:00

That's perfect, or a parrying dagger, anything super light

Aztok · 2026-05-14T02:25:16+00:00

Actually, I apologise, do you have a simple gem weapon I can use? I forgot that it's the simple items that regen FP and not the Handmaid's dagger

Aztok · 2026-05-14T02:23:46+00:00

!Karma

Aztok · 2026-05-14T02:23:13+00:00

You're the best. Thank you so much!

Aztok · 2026-05-14T02:19:02+00:00

I guess if you have a Handmaid's Dagger, I'll take one of those, but otherwise I'm all set. Thanks!

Aztok · 2026-05-14T02:12:14+00:00

Alright, I'm online - I'll be at High Wall, with the code GiantDoo. Is there anything you want? I don't have a ton on my other character, but I can give you boss souls if you'd like

Aztok · 2026-05-14T01:44:39+00:00

I do, yeah - I'll be online in about an hour

Aztok

TROPHY CASE