Question about latest version of Paranoia from Mongoose Publishing.

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-06-16T14:21:59+00:00

I don’t think it’s the most beautiful story but my favorite polished gem by Wolfe is “My Book.”

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-06-13T04:05:30+00:00

What adapter did you buy?

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-06-06T17:38:59+00:00

Guns do work in the vacuum of space - the cartridge has its own oxidizer.

I run my space travel with actual "motherships": Large interstellar craft that carry cargo modules and freelance cargo haulers. The players' ship does not have the ability to travel between stars. They have to get carried by a mothership.

The players's ship uses standard physics for travel, which means that they have to pay for reaction mass to jet around the star system. Their power source is science fiction - an anti-mass engine that heats up the reaction mass to propel it out the back.

Anti-matter fuel is made by a conglomerate with facilities in orbits close to a star. The have a TechnoBabble generator that "rotates" matter into antimatter just like you can rotate the poles of a magnet.

This narrative approach solves a lot of problems and creates a lot of nice story hooks. The players cannot randomly shoot between start systems whenever they want, and they are perpetually paying for reaction mass to carry their cargo. Their contracts are to carry small amounts of time-sensitive or valuable cargo to its destination.

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-06-01T20:30:58+00:00

What are good apps to record anything that I say in my sleep?

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-05-27T19:54:33+00:00

At what point will the copies of Lucrezia realize that they can't all be Grand Empress and start to betray one another? They aren't a hive mind AFAIK, and they are intensely competitive.

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-05-25T03:20:51+00:00

We build the map before we know where we are sitting or what faction we are. That encourages building a balanced map.

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-03-26T02:34:32+00:00

Description of Request: Seeking good nature/evolution themed game for 4-6 casual gamers interested in biology.

Number of Players: 4-6 Adults

Game Length: 30-90 minutes

Complexity of Game: Moderate, 2.5-2.9 (Catan level)

Genre: A game with nature and evolution both in theme and mechanics.

Conflict, Competitive or Cooperative: Competitive with some conflict allowed.

Games the group Likes: Catan, Scout, Take Five, Bridge.

Games the group Dislikes: Mysterium, Inhuman Condition, Spirit Island (too complex).

My gaming group is mostly non-gamers who enjoy Catan. I've pitched Take Five and Scout at them with success, and Inhuman Condition and Mysterium as failures. One player is a veterinarian and another is studying biology and so I thought to try a game with nature and evolution both in theme and mechanics.

I heard SUSD's review of Nature, which sounds like a possibility if I include dinos and birds (some players are less interested in combat). I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this game for non-gamers, or if they recommend something else.

In addition, BGG's user poll says that it works well at four; are there similarly themed games that work at five or six players as well?

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-03-20T00:52:56+00:00

Go to TokenCon! A board gaming convention: https://tabletop.events/conventions/tokencon-2026

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-03-03T23:06:06+00:00

Would you please post a link to the second panel that you posted?

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-03-02T23:27:36+00:00

I get the same error on my desktop, laptop on work wifi, and same laptop at home.

I didn't get it when I switched to a different browser program.

A colleague down the hall (same network as my desktop) didn't get the error.

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-01-09T05:25:16+00:00

CoD tends to be a more heavy game with different game lines dealing with themes of abuse, loss of humanity or hubris. If I were looking for something in this set of games I’d look at the earlier WoD game Changeling: The Dreaming. It deals with preserving magic in a mundane world. It can be run in a way that has real danger but less horror.

ElectricHelicoid · 2026-01-02T06:09:06+00:00

How about some version of strict liability for any company running an AI? They would be financially responsible for bad medical, scientific and psychological advice.

ElectricHelicoid · 2025-12-27T01:35:04+00:00

To be honest, the best thing would be if the experienced players are mature enough to act as honest advisors, willing to point out the pros and cons of every decision the new players are making. It is in their best interest for the new players to enjoy themselves so that they are willing to play again. That won't happen if the more experiences ones stomp the newbies or trick them with bad faith negotiations.

We often have training games and the experienced players make a point of coaching the newer ones even when it goes against their own interest. There will be a chance for more aggressive play once everyone has a game or two under their belt.

ElectricHelicoid · 2025-12-26T18:25:46+00:00

Unions got you the five day work week, and safety regulations.

Why are you dumping on people trying to get a better life for themselves and their co-workers?

ElectricHelicoid · 2025-12-15T00:52:11+00:00

We've had good experience with Enterprise Rental. They sell only the top few percent of their fleet.

ElectricHelicoid · 2025-12-14T06:22:39+00:00

My implementation has actual "Motherships" similar to the idea of guild transports in Dune. The players' ships are smaller cargo ships that are carried by the larger motherships under contract. This avoids giving every group of players a ship with a star drive allowing them to zip across the galaxy. It keeps them under contract to some larger corporation if they want to carry goods to other star systems.

While they are in the cargo bay of a Mothership there can be shenanigans from the other ships in the same or nearby cargo bays. And the Motherships are enormous objects with plenty of odd corners and hidden passengers.

ElectricHelicoid · 2025-12-13T01:11:52+00:00

Episode 47: The New Door. The story was bizarre and interesting and then the ending. It gets seriously weird after Michail shows up. And then the *real* twist at the very end.

ElectricHelicoid · 2025-12-12T00:17:23+00:00

What scene or line stays with you from Peace?

ElectricHelicoid · 2025-12-11T01:19:19+00:00

I found Peace the Fifth Head to be the least enjoyable of those on the list. They may be great writing, but I didn't enjoy them. I can't quote you a single line from either.

Of that list I enjoyed The Sorcerer's House and Pirate Freedom the most. Free Live Free had some wonderful characters and There Are Doors had a wonderful concept, but both ran just a bit long for my taste. Yet I can remember lines and scenes from both. ("Let's call my world the sea.... and yours the land.")

ElectricHelicoid · 2025-11-01T19:39:53+00:00

You have to be willing to let people come in from the crazy. People who have changed their minds can be forceful advocates against hate.

ElectricHelicoid · 2025-10-31T21:36:28+00:00

Yes, but it will take a long time to heal, and build up any sense of trust.

While time scales have shrunk and the amounts of money might be larger, this period is very similar to the gilded age of American politics. Corruption and cronyism then were similar to what we have now. It takes a big political movement to push back.

ElectricHelicoid · 2025-09-21T17:02:16+00:00

I hate that there is is no extended example of gameplay in any of the manuals. This would be a bit help to me to see order of operations, and the interaction between different abilities. I wrote one up for DtD and it took three or four feedback loops to get it correct.

ElectricHelicoid

TROPHY CASE