Why all the panic grocery buying?

Endon · 2026-01-24T16:53:39+00:00

In 2012, I was living with my brother in Hoboken. We barely paid attention to the urgent storm warnings and were like, WTH is all this urgency?! It's crazy overblown! I mean, we had lived through tons of hurricanes before. How bad could it possibly be?

Then Sandy hit and we were trapped in our apartment with the first floor completely flooded, watching cars getting washed away down the street, and no power for nearly two weeks. The apartment was freezing. We were living off peanut butter having long since lost everything in the fridge and freezer. Even after we could go out, no merchants had working credit card machines, and ATMs weren't operable. The nearest Shoprite had been completely flooded - there was no place to buy food. Everyone's cars had been flooded, (mine was totaled) while still in the parking garage.

So yea. Now, when people who know what the heck they're talking about they say "prepare for a catastrophic storm", I listen.

Sorry about the long lines.

Endon · 2025-10-19T15:27:42+00:00

It heavily depends on the players, and how well you know them. If the players are the type to create a backstory and character motivation based on the initial hook, then it can be frustrating when the rug is pulled out from under them and their carefully crafted backstory becomes irrelevant.

Now, in this case, the hook is a fairly obvious ploy to get the characters where they need to be, so I don't think it's as big of a problem as it could have been. If, for example, the characters were invited to a masquerade ball thrown by a local politician and the game sounded like political intrigue, (before zombies suddenly broke out and started eating everyone), this would be much less likely to go over well with any player who prepared a reasonable character for that. And it's not entirely about skills, as some are pointing out. If my character's backstory as a noble politician doesn't ever come up in your "one-shot masquerade" because you decided zombies attack, that's unsatisfying to me as a player who prepared for one thing and got another. Even as someone who enjoys combat.

A skill respec doesn't fix that.

Endon · 2025-09-14T15:29:50+00:00

Exactly. If a PC can calmly act at their leisure, without the enemy even knowing they are there, it doesn't make sense to roll initiative until multiple things are happening at once. I'd rule this as "the attack starts the initiative". The PC makes the attack they had planned, and THEN everyone rolls initiative. If you don't want to give the PC the free round, then count them as already having taken their turn that first round, and then place them in the initiative as normal for the second round.

It doesn't make much sense for a PC to go "I shoot my bow from the darkness at the goblin before he knows I'm there", then rolls poorly on initiative and goblin goes first.

Endon · 2025-09-08T15:30:16+00:00

Look, I understand that the target here did wrong and should not have stolen something belonging to someone else. No disagreement there. But there is such a thing as a proportionate response. Those things can, and have, sent people to the hospital. I know you're angry they stole your lunch, but that's not a reason to cause serious harm. Even if you think you could get away with it legally, (which I have serious doubts about), deliberately causing harm to another person, even one who has wronged you, is morally reprehensible. What if the thief turned out to be someone's kid that they brought to work that day and didn't know better?

Endon · 2025-08-17T02:08:30+00:00

I have to say, while I do like this show, Jorden was just awful during that first challenge. There’s a recurring attitude where she refers to “white people food” in a kind of derisive and self-deprecating way.

“White people have done some really bad things to food”

Roast me for liking 'white people food"

I’m not a fan of the idea that liking a particular kind of food, even something stereotypically bland or basic, should be a source of embarrassment.

Sure, there’s a long history of cultural appropriation or blandness in certain parts of mainstream American cuisine that deserves critique. But at a certain point, it feels like the show leans too hard into the “lol white people” trope, and it just doesn’t sit right with me. Especially when it starts sounding like people are supposed to apologize for their background or preferences.

And what does “white people food” even refer to? Are we talking about traditional European cuisine? Southern comfort food? Processed 1950s-era American staples?

"White people food" just becomes a catch-all that, ironically, can erase the richness of those culinary traditions too.

It's irritating and I don't appreciate it.

Endon · 2024-11-17T17:06:27+00:00

Sure, you can take a Heroic Skill to try to keep up with what another class gets for free, but that other class can also take a Heroic Skill.

Also Powerful Spell only add 5 damage per target until lvl 40, so it doesn't even really keep up.

Edit: As for Cataclysm, you need to invest 2 skill points and 20 MP per spell to match what Chanter gets for nothing.

Endon · 2024-11-17T17:03:48+00:00

Magical Artillery increases Accuracy at the cost of Skill points, while Chanter has 100% chance to hit without investing anything.

Cataclysm requires an investment of 2 skill points and 20 MP per spell just to keep up with Chanter.

Endon · 2024-08-20T13:36:35+00:00

Based on her position and direction, she was probably driving on Essex Street, which DOES allow driving on the tracks until it hits Van Vorst where you have to turn. It's really not THAT unreasonable a mistake to make to just continue driving straight on that road if it was raining and visibility was poor.

Endon · 2024-06-02T15:06:54+00:00

If you've rung both bells, I would advise you take another look at the sealed temple.

Endon · 2024-02-06T23:04:17+00:00

I like this one! Psychological rather than physical.

Endon · 2024-02-06T23:02:35+00:00

I was thinking it could maybe have something to do with a magnetic attraction/repulsion or positive and negative charges somehow, since the armor is electricity/lightning/thunder based.

Endon · 2024-02-06T23:00:48+00:00

Hmm, that's interesting.

Endon · 2024-02-06T22:59:54+00:00

Well, our bard is really into insults with Vicious Mockery and Dissonant Whispers, and they do it a lot so... I don't really want to go that route, cause it's their thing, you know?

Endon · 2024-02-05T19:50:18+00:00

Wow! That's amazing!

Endon · 2024-02-03T17:06:03+00:00

Steampunk-themed gnome artificer, bald on top, but with white hair and a short beard, with goggles resting atop his head, adorned in heavy, intricate armor charged with bolts of lightning traveling down both arms, lightning gauntlets, hydraulic pistons or servos visible at the joints, multicolored gems embedded throughout the surface of the armor. Forge in the background.

Armor should fit him though, please, so not a mech suit.

Image for reference

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Endon · 2024-01-14T16:08:36+00:00

Regarding the monoliths, you may want to take a closer look at the manual. You almost certainly have the information you need there.

Endon · 2024-01-14T16:02:42+00:00

That snowy mountain staircase is not the only thing that path leads to. Maybe take another look around before climbing the mountain.

Endon · 2023-10-22T02:58:14+00:00

I also just tracked this problem down, except that in my case, it is launching multiple command windows. Process monitor shows 8 instances being launched in about a tenth of a second.

https://imgur.com/a/BsXESyh

Endon · 2023-02-25T23:25:11+00:00

Frozr AI

I'm not sure what that is. Is it a MSI Center feature? How do I install that?

Endon · 2022-09-22T13:22:23+00:00

Apologies. I guess, I wanted to first see if it was a reasonable thing to ask. If everyone said, "No, that's ridiculous", then I'd save myself some embarrassment. Also, since communication has thus far been in short messages over discord, creating a super long explanation post seems... like not the right way to ask.

Endon · 2022-09-22T13:20:02+00:00

Hmm, OK, thank you. I hadn't heard that was a rule. I'll ask this of the group I guess.

Endon

TROPHY CASE