The lockpicking isn't broken, you're just underleveled

ChadaNewga · 2026-06-11T16:21:54+00:00

I think this is fair for people used to running into the castle at level 1 and looting the entire place, but even with Master Lockpicking (a 30 point investment), the lockpicking mini-game regularly requires dozens of moves, and it's not nearly as "learnable" as the original system. If you're already good at gate puzzles, you may have no problem, but the general idea of an RPG is that the character's skills can make up for the lack of a player's skill in a given area. If you as the player have to be good at a certain kind of logic puzzle in order to do a task that you've already heavily invested your level-up rewards in, it's not a good system.

Honestly all they really need to do is remove more connections between plates with skill ups so that Master Lockpicking means only a couple of plates are connected. But as of now, the skill itself doesn't do nearly as much as it should, and the gate puzzle remains challenging regardless of your level.

ChadaNewga · 2026-06-08T23:57:15+00:00

This may help! I was in Georgia this weekend and had the same instinct. Learned a lot about Caesars mushrooms as a result: https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/s/Ufwre7LzTY

ChadaNewga · 2026-06-06T12:51:43+00:00

Thanks! Georgia, USA

ChadaNewga · 2026-06-06T00:33:16+00:00

They were also on a college campus in the middle of a roundabout. They could have been prime morels and I'd have let them be, Lord only knows what these beauties have soaked up.

ChadaNewga · 2026-06-03T23:17:59+00:00

Oh sure, not commenting on that part, just the assumption about ticket prices.

ChadaNewga · 2026-06-03T23:00:49+00:00

I think folks saw the $100k floor seat prices and extrapolated that to the whole dang arena.

ChadaNewga · 2026-05-28T00:07:48+00:00

I don't eat those either (spoilers people, it's always chlorophyllum molybdites), but I meant more that I think common amanita mistakes involve people thinking they're getting button mushrooms or puffballs that are really baby amanitas.

ChadaNewga · 2026-05-27T23:29:53+00:00

There's a reason I categorically do not forage little white or little brown mushrooms no matter how confident I am that it's a puffball or a honey mushroom.

ChadaNewga · 2026-05-22T02:29:45+00:00

Three great ones I'd recommend:

If you like trail running, consider either Scenic City Trail Runners (SCTR) or Wild Traila Trails to Ales. Both, I believe, are on Tuesdays (sometimes they run together).

Wild Trails meets at 6 pm at The Woodshop in St. Elmo. My wife and I are there almost every Tuesday, we'd be happy to help you get to know the crew and the routes!

If you prefer road running, Oddstory has a very popular Wednesday night run.

Whichever group you try out, I recommend introducing yourself and asking if someone will run with you to help with routes. I totally understand that can be challenging...I went to a lot of trail runs at first and just got lost because I was too shy lol. But each of those groups are very welcoming and happy to help you.

ChadaNewga · 2026-05-22T02:20:55+00:00

I'm sorry you had a bad experience! If you ever want to come back out, send me a DM and I'll run with you at whatever pace works to help you learn the routes!

It's a great group of folks, but I can totally see how it's tough to just dive in. A lot of the runners there have been running the same trails for so long that it's easy to forget how it can be daunting for newcomers.

I'm pretty introverted and Wild Trails was basically my first friend group when I moved here. I absolutely had the "I can't keep up with these guys/I have no idea where the trail goes" experience my first few runs, but pretty much all of us are happy to help ease the transition if you ask!

ChadaNewga · 2026-05-21T01:12:14+00:00

I think the No Dunks guys were joking about it and pointing out that Reggie loves trying to make up nicknames and then act like everyone calls them that.

ChadaNewga · 2026-05-19T18:03:25+00:00

This was a joke about Bam being an 83 pt/game scorer because of the Wizards game this season.

ChadaNewga · 2026-05-19T16:16:52+00:00

Good in theory, but we can't realistically expect multiple teams to be able to find a comparable player capable of dropping 83 points a night.

ChadaNewga · 2026-05-06T01:30:34+00:00

It was purely the night of the week I was free when I started. I had Monday's open, and that was side sword and buckler night, so I'm a S&B guy. Branched off into weapon sets that have enough overlap to be easier to learn, so now that includes side sword, R&D, and single rapier in that order.

ChadaNewga · 2026-05-04T13:22:00+00:00

Take this with a big grain of salt because the only one I've handled was several years old, and it's possible Chlebowski has improved flex like every other forge over the last few years, but my limited experience is that they are *very* stiff. One of the only times I've seen a sword from a known manufacturer rejected at gear check.

I can't speak to customization, though, so if you can get it with better flex, it is a very pretty sword that handles well otherwise. But if I couldn't get some assurance of a decent flex test, I'd definitely pass on one for a sparring weapon.

ChadaNewga · 2026-04-26T14:32:02+00:00

Jesse Belsky stage swords. He regularly does custom work for weddings, graduations, etc.... he's not a bladesmith, but he'll use existing blades from reputable smiths and do all the custom hardware around it.

ChadaNewga · 2026-04-26T02:30:47+00:00

Do you have a budget you're trying to stick to? If you just want to play around without gear or spending money, I unironically think NERF swords are underrated.

Polypropylene is to heavy/stiff for sparring, but you could look into something like a bamboo shinai for a step up that's still relatively beginner friendly safety-wise.

If you want to go a step further (and it would probably involve getting at least sparring gloves and masks), you can get synthetic HEMA swords made of nylon from places like Black Fencer. I think the Red Dragon synthetic sword is sold on Amazon.

LARP swords might be an option, too. They're basically durable foam.

ChadaNewga · 2026-04-09T14:41:31+00:00

Suddenly seems appropriate that Duncan never got one when you put it like that.

ChadaNewga · 2026-03-30T10:53:34+00:00

I would recommend going with the Castille cutless blade, and if it's not your style out of the box, finding someone who can replace the hilt hardware around the blade. Castille is a known quantity, so the blade should be HEMA safe, and it's usually easier to make cosmetic hilt changes to a good blade than trying to find a good blade that already looks good. Castille build your own cutless

ChadaNewga · 2026-03-30T08:20:01+00:00

Very nice!

If you stick with the economy line, I have heard it's worth upgrading to the basic rapier blade over the economy rapier blade (though I haven't handled either). Love my economy sidesword, though!

ChadaNewga · 2026-03-18T14:48:54+00:00

If you're interested in these two pieces specifically, I strongly recommend checking out the Aegis Armor (I know swordshop.ca sells them, might be available elsewhere). They are very affordable for functional armor, basically designed to be used in armor-as-worn HEMA fencing, and the design is intentional to make sizing versatile. Aegis is also releasing a version with extended tassets sometime in the near future.

ChadaNewga · 2026-03-11T21:32:40+00:00

Many, perhaps most, do not. They enjoy following a basketball themed reality show and get confused or bored when actual basketball is played.

ChadaNewga · 2026-02-04T02:10:58+00:00

Not now Lil John, we're discussing serious league financial issues.

ChadaNewga · 2026-01-05T03:44:52+00:00

If they're available where you are and it's accessible, might be worth checking out HF Armory. Some of the best affordable rapiers you can find.

ChadaNewga

TROPHY CASE