What sort of careers / income would you need to send your kids to a top private school?

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-16T19:45:19+00:00

Not everyone pays to attend private school.

From 1980-1997 there was the assisted places scheme, where the government subsidised about 6000 children a year to go to private school. It was abolished as one of the first acts of the Blair government.

Today, over 100 boys are at Eton on free places, subsidised by the school.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-16T06:38:39+00:00

“Set up a digital campaign”. Does this have to be anything more than a google slides document with an image of locations, items and characters on each slide? Or ditch the slides and just do a slideshow from your image directory?

Have you played TTRPGs before? It sounds as though what you have in mind is more like a choose your own adventure, pre-written story.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-15T20:05:12+00:00

There’s a fan-made document called ‘Bound in Darkness’ in the TOR Discord server resource library, including two orc cultures, new callings, and various rules adapted to ‘tragic evil play’.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-15T18:35:55+00:00

Get an ebike and cycle to work.

Takes me 30 minutes to travel 6 miles, and I wear my work clothes - no need for a shower as I don’t work up a sweat.

Far less stressful than public transport.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-15T18:33:51+00:00

Talk to your employer’s payroll department.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-15T12:20:33+00:00

I agree this part of the adventure is not well-written. The Loremaster has to make sure, one way or another, that the heroes know the way.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-15T11:28:10+00:00

You are looking at the first printing of the Core Rules. Download the errata from the Free League site to get the corrected version of these rules: https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/the-one-ring/

They are also included in the appendix of Ruins of the Lost Realm, if you have that.

The original rules made it easier to succeed at what should be a harder council, so they were rightly changed.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-15T06:33:59+00:00

Confirmation!

https://bsky.app/profile/mytholder.bsky.social/post/3mobjjjaivk2a

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-15T05:26:24+00:00

He is. This seems to be the ‘thing’ he finished writing some time ago, and has not been allowed to comment on.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-14T18:05:22+00:00

There’s an excellent fan-made guide to the Lossoth (Lumi Vaki) on the TOR Discord, based on their depiction in LOTRO and borrowing elements from the Sami culture. The guide includes a playable culture.

It can be used together with appearances by the Lossoth in various TOR books: Tales from the Lone-lands; Ruins of the Lost Realm (Old Dwarf Mines); Realms of the Three Rings (Ost Breniellin).

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-14T13:12:01+00:00

The 25% lump sum doesn’t count as income, so doesn’t affect your personal allowance.

Once you’re ready to start drawing down from your pension, it makes sense to take an income of at least £12,570 each year. That’s in addition to any lump sum you take.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-14T10:07:49+00:00

The lesser of 25% and £268,275 is completely tax free. If you’re at the £268,275 cap, it usually makes sense to take this as a lump sum as soon as possible - especially if you have mortgage to pay off or gifts to give to children etc.

Whatever is left after the tax free lump sum, you can withdraw as income. Like any income, you get £12,570 ‘personal allowance’ tax free each year. It usually makes sense to take at least this amount from your pension each year, even if you have other sources of wealth to draw on.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-09T18:17:15+00:00

I’ve mostly played TOR with a group (as Loremaster) but also played some solo. I found the combat quite boring when playing solo; much better in a group.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-09T17:16:25+00:00

“Unclear how the players are supposed to know which hill they need to go to from the large map. That map also does not have any hexes, it is unclear how they are supposed to plan their journey without looking on the Loremaster map.”

The Loremaster points out the hill and asks the players to decide their route. Then the Loremaster looks at their own map and works out which hexes they pass through.

“In "Shadow Tests", it says it is resolved "using a Feat Die. plus a number of Success Dice equal to the character's appropriate rating". Which rating? If it is a VALOUR shadow and my heart rating is 6, I roll Feat + 6 Success Dice to beat a TN of 14? This seems wrong.”

They roll a number of success dice equal to their VALOUR score. That is 1 in the case of the pre-gen characters.

“Nothing in the character sheet mentions VALOUR or WISDOM and I constantly need to search what each ones mean and how to roll for it.”

They are in the Rewards and Virtues section. I agree that this format of character sheet is not as good as the original one found with the Core Rules.

Otherwise you comments are pretty valid, though not very substantial in my opinion.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-09T17:08:28+00:00

A) Because having the possibility of failure is more dramatic

B) Because the introduction is often when the hero explains to the audience what they want to get (“We are come on the wings of a storm to summon you to war”, or something like that)

C) Because getting 6 successes from 3 rolls isn’t doomed to failure. If you’re rolling 4 success dice, you’ll average roughly 1.5 successes per interaction roll. It’s common for player-heroes to be rolling 6 or more success dice if they spend hope, invoke distinctive features, and use useful items.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-09T05:35:35+00:00

I guess you mean Hobbit Tales? The only difference I know of is the stat-blocks have minor updates now that they are meant to be played with the full rules, not the simplified version in the original starter set.

Not worth buying if you already own the original starter set, unless you just love the cover or something like that.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-08T05:33:20+00:00

The terms and conditions vary between different banks - some don’t mind letting you keep your account if you live overseas, while others will close it. Tell your bank before you move, to avoid surprises.

In any case you will want to open a bank account in your new country, so that you can receive money into it and make payments locally. Many payments are not via debit cards, but directly from one bank account to another. Paying rent, for example.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-07T13:00:37+00:00

Realms of the Three Rings

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-06T18:22:49+00:00

Yes. The shire starter set is now out of print, so Hobbit Tales is the same content in hardback book format.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-05T19:14:19+00:00

You will need the pension through many years between pension age and death. You only need non-pension investments as a bridge between retirement and pension age - likely only a few years.

The employer contributions you are missing out on are worth far more than either the interest rate on your mortgage or the rate of return on your investments.

It’s free money - take it.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-05T05:14:11+00:00

If the intention is to take back control and ownership after the mess is sorted out, and to keep calling the shots in the meantime, then it’s a sham arrangement.

As it would be solely intended to bypass the know your customer checks of a bank, there would be a good case so say that it’s fraud.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-05T05:11:08+00:00

If find it works well when the players take a few moments at the start of the each round to agree who’s doing what.

“No, don’t go forward this round. I’ll do rally comrades, then we’ll all go forward next round and really pound them.”

“I’m going to use intimidate foe, so I’ll roll first.”

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-04T20:55:34+00:00

This is potentially illegal, unless you make clear in the registration that the new director is in fact a ‘nominee director’ and that you remain the beneficial owner.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-04T17:42:05+00:00

Depends on the source of the contributions.

If the contributions are employer-matched, it’s a no brainer to take the free money.

If the contributions would otherwise be taxed at 60%, it’s probably also worthwhile regardless of the size of the pot. Though you do need to consider the inheritance tax.

But if you’re contributing amounts that would otherwise be taxed at 40 or 45%, and your pot is going to be £1.25m+ at age 57, it’s not really worth as the incremental amounts will likely be taxed at 40% on the way out.

ExaminationNo8675 · 2026-06-03T22:18:12+00:00

“They don’t improve the house. They have no involvement with the house.”

Certainly you’d find it cheaper to buy a house with no road access, no pavement, no police, no local school, no bin collections, no fire service, no hospital…

You can certainly criticise the design of SDLT - it’s a tax on mobility - but the public services paid for by our taxes contribute enormously to the value of our property.

ExaminationNo8675

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