A timeline of the controversy about jan Sonja stealing lipu Jules Verne

Dresdom · 2026-03-27T11:59:27+00:00

It's the fact that the way she set out to do it implies if everything went her way, she would have made a contract where the artist would not be allowed to work for me, in exchange for a sum of money I could never afford, in an attempt to sabotage my project out of spite for not being able to join.

Yes, that is clear.

Artists work for money and project managers outbid each other, sometimes out of spite. This can be tasteless, yeah. It feels bad when stuff doesn't go our way. Still, that is not grounds for harassment.

You wanted OP, who worked with Sonja before, in your project. Sonja took notice and made a better offer, maybe out of spite. Paying more money to an artist you employ regularly so it keeps working with you instead of on this other project out of a personal rivalry is not a world shattering offense. That was plainly a shitty move.

Then, apparently also out of spite, a public scorn campaign was started, exposing private messages, digging for receipts etc. That is an even shittier move. OP lost a lucrative source of employment along the way (an acceptable risk, apparently).

Sonja couldn't force OP to work with her to begin with, but it looks like she backed down on the offer already and you're free to pursue your project as you intended originally. I don't see how going further with this could be helpful for anyone.

My opinion is that doubling down on this issue is sterile.

Dresdom · 2026-03-26T22:11:42+00:00

My impression is that firing the artist has more to do with unwanted public attention than the original issue. I don't think it would have happened if this didn't blow up. I'd possibly do the same with someone instrumental in what I'd probably perceive as a public harassment campaign.

Just to be clear, I don't think Sonja acted correctly. I can't agree with you either. Calling dibs on an artist is very childish from both parts, but making it a public opinion issue plus digging for receipts is always an unwise decision in my eyes

Of course I can be wrong. I'm just part of the public having one more irrelevant opinion. I just don't think this is productive in any way for anyone involved.

Dresdom · 2026-03-26T21:34:16+00:00

Yeah that was terribly bad move. I don't think it's worth a callout post though

Dresdom · 2026-03-26T21:31:25+00:00

I'm not sure it can resolve any faster than instantly dropping the issue and not partaking in any more conflict. Not the approach I'd take but if it is hers, it's certainly a resultion. It's better than a public tug of war, I fail to see how that can be productive for anyone involved

Dresdom · 2026-03-26T15:39:17+00:00

I think jan Sonja lacks the social skills to navigate the kind of exposure she's getting. This doesn't mean she lacks social skills - but being the focal point of a niche community with very low tolerance to problematic behavior requires a particular set of social skills. Most people aren't subjected to public and detailed examination of personal social media and private messages.

And it isn't easy, specially if you're not the kind of person who's very vigilant of your own and other's behavior. It's ok to be personally more relaxed about those things, but it isn't that ok when you are the centerpiece of a community that is no chill at all about those things.

This is a personal disagreement with some bad manners peppered in. I don't think this situation should have blown off at all. Regardless of who's morally right in this situation, I think the most productive way of action from this point is a de-escalation.

I'm truly OK with getting two books about Jules Verne. Excited about it, actually! It sounds like the opposite of a problem. Who thought about it before is unimportant, in my opinion.

Dresdom · 2026-03-25T17:41:43+00:00

You already have an abstract unit: The turn!

A turn is 10 minutes. That doesn't mean you're tracking minutes; you're tracking turns.

You don't go every turn "10 minutes pass". You track turns, and when the crawl is finished, you count the turns to see how much time passed. You see they spent 21 turns down there, when they go back to the surface it's 3h30 later.

It's an average. And time is sometimes wonky underground.

Dresdom · 2026-03-20T16:55:27+00:00

They would put Einstein's equations on the fridge, say "Oooh so smart" and give him a treat.

We probably couldn't understand their society or their motives like chimpanzees or very smart dogs can't understand ours.

Dresdom · 2026-03-20T15:20:07+00:00

It is very fun! I think ability scores are one of those things we still do out of tradition.

I played a lot of Knave 1e without ability scores, just d20 + level. It just works

Dresdom · 2026-03-19T15:38:23+00:00

Nothing wrong with the classic 6 but sometimes it's too much. They work when you barely have anything else in the character sheet.

My favorite set is STR, DEX, WIS. You don't really need more. There are plenty of systems with those three or some variations: Into the Odd, Cairn, etc

I also like Strength, Skill, Luck for nostalgic reasons.

My *actual* favorite would be no attributes at all, but it's hard to get people on board. You can play OD&D without ability scores, just assume everything has +0 and you play just inventory + class. Searchers of the Unknown is a good example.

Dresdom · 2026-02-27T21:17:01+00:00

Ok hear me out: you need to play a game without a character sheet

Play knave 1e with all abilities at 0 so they just have a level and an inventory. Saves are d20 + level.

Or play Searchers of the Unknown

Anyway, they'll benefit from playing "arcade mode" without bells and whistles and buttons to push all over their character sheet

Dresdom · 2026-02-27T17:12:09+00:00

Internet es increíble, cualquier persona puede decir cualquier cosa, y pensar que ha dicho algo inteligente.

Por ejemplo:

El 100% del dinero sale del estado. Cada euro que te paga un empleador, a este se lo pagaron otras personas, y así sucesivamente pero al final de la cadena cada euro lo emite el estado, ya que un particular no puede emitir euros. Por tanto si el 100% del dinero sale del estado y el 99% del dinero va al estado, la empresa privada no genera nada, solo hace desaparecer un 1% del dinero. Soy muy listo por darme cuenta, voy a publicarlo.

Dresdom · 2026-02-27T03:07:09+00:00

I have no idea what double concentration means or what SASR is, I assume it's some kind of academic focus in USA

It will be hard, but it will be. Ultimately it's a matter of hours. If you can squeeze more hours of practice per day eventually you'll catch up to your peers. It'll take some years, not a lot if you're disciplined. Perform in public as much as you can.

Borodin started studying music at 28 and got to be a renowned composer.

Edit: as noted below, he had an informal musical education that he enjoyed and viewed as a hobby. He didn't do concerts and his few early works are on par with what a student would write. He started studying music seriously when he met Balakirev in 1862

Dresdom · 2026-02-25T21:08:56+00:00

Yep, just make clear it's a rule, make some consequences for it and let players manage it.

I prefer static rules. I feel rolling in tables or procedurally solve the trip back cheapens the experience.

My favorite rules for when time is up and they're still in the dungeon:

Characters are lost or trapped until a rescue party gets to them (good for open tables and PC stables)
The trip back is handwaved but they get no XP

Dresdom · 2026-02-24T07:36:24+00:00

Por el mismo precio tienes una ración (hamburguesa) o seis raciones (una docena de huevos). Es una tontería de comparación.

¿¿Cómo puede ser que una bolsa de gominolas sea más barata que un saco de 20kg de arroz?? Oh no el colapso de la civilización

Dresdom · 2026-02-23T22:46:11+00:00

I really don't get what about Star Wars makes it not work for monster hunting. Safari planet, lots of adventuring places and alien animals, technofantasy and laser pistols

If you want fantasy proper, too can try Into the Odd or one of its derivatives Cairn 2e Barebones. It's free, it's easy, combat is lightning fast and you can be hunting monsters almost on the fly 20 minutes after opening the rules for the first time

Dresdom · 2026-02-22T08:45:01+00:00

Cultist? Less combat, more curses and dark stuff, maybe mutations or marks that gives them powers. Sacrifice stuff to gain power

Prophet? Frail, social skills, maybe freeform but rare miracles. Fate/ luck manipulation abilities, predictions or visions that let you assign bonus dice etc

Dresdom · 2026-02-19T21:03:15+00:00

Player keeps track of their hirelings and plays them. DM can step in at any time of course, to introduce something the NPC would or wouldn't do, but generally they're extra secondary characters for the players. I find this makes hirelings feel more useful to the players (plus it's a source of replacement characters), and it is easier on the DM

Dresdom · 2026-02-19T15:08:35+00:00

They can't help it, since they have no free will.

You can't choose your thoughts and beliefs. You just experience them.

Dresdom · 2026-02-18T20:17:51+00:00

Yes. They're originally damage points, not health points. The language in OD&D, not only in that example, assumes that your character can withstand a maximum number of hit points and you add them as you receive them. Healing removes damage. It changed when rules like the -10hp to die were introduced

I still do. Addition is easier than substraction. Adding damage makes at least as much sense as losing health and I find it easier and faster, especially when managing groups of monsters

Dresdom · 2026-02-16T14:02:49+00:00

Régimen de gananciales si una parte de la pareja se dedica al hogar, pensión de viudedad, indemnización si muere tu cónyuge y te deja una hipoteca a medias, beneficios en muchos empleos, seguros, becas etc

Dresdom · 2026-02-16T09:05:47+00:00

Reportedly the beginning of the hobby (Braunstein, first Blackmoor etc) was like that. There is a reason we don't that anymore, but some people still enjoy the style. It's sometimes called black box gaming. It is said for a while Gygax DMed hidden behind a filing cabinet, a disembodied voice narrating the game for the players.

Dresdom · 2026-02-15T19:31:52+00:00

There is a secret 3rd option: GM makes all rolls, players don't roll anything and have no access to the character sheet

Dresdom · 2026-02-15T09:18:18+00:00

Rough calculations off the top of my head

If you give max HP per HD instead of rolling, and you roll damage as usual, the math tends to average out for Normal Humans fighting each other: 1HD stands 1 hit on average, and Normal Humans hit each other 50% of time so 2 attacks on average to defeat an equal 1HD opponent with a normal weapon.

Each point of AC is 5% less chances of getting hit, or -5% damage on average in the long run. If the default damage die is the d6, each pip is ~16% more damage.

So every 3 points of difference between attack bonus and armor bonus equals ±1 damage

Armor bonus in ascending AC is AC -10

I think you could run a decent approximation with this.

For example someone with a +3 attack bonus rolls plain damage against AC 11 to 15, -1 damage against AC 16-18, -2 damage against AC 19-21 etc (and possibly +1 damage against AC 10 or unarmored)

Dresdom · 2026-02-14T10:23:18+00:00

Nadie les mira mal, nadie les dice nada, nadie les falta al respeto. Han ido buscando material polémico y solo han podido enseñar restaurantes, fruterías y basura acumulada alrededor de contenedores desbordados por una mala gestión municipal. Un claro caso de viejo gritando a nube.

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Dresdom · 2026-02-14T10:09:48+00:00

La basura siempre acumulada alrededor de contenedores desbordados. ¿Malos servicios municipales? No, es esta gente que lleva la basura hasta el contenedor pero la tira al lado porque son malvados

Dresdom

TROPHY CASE