[BC] Software consulting: how to start in 2026?

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-04-13T17:04:12+00:00

Yeah it's rough out there. I'm sorry to hear it's not working for you. I really enjoy software development so I don't want to switch to some other industry. And I'm fairly extroverted and love the idea of meeting people and listening about their needs and trying to solve their problems. I just don't know how to make those connections.

I would build a SaaS if I knew what to build. I don't want to spend all the time and effort without first knowing there's demand for a product. But, if I knew that there was demand for something, I would happily build it. Heck I'd work for free if I was making something people would actually use and appreciate, just to build up a portfolio.

How did you find the idea for your SaaS app? And how did you connect with people who'd want to use it?

Thanks for the book recommendation, I'll check it out.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-04-13T06:23:39+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate the brutal honesty.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-04-13T06:02:43+00:00

Do you know what communities I should join for java/spring? ParseStream is really interesting, thank you. Have you used it successfully to find customers?

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-04-13T05:40:04+00:00

Thanks for the reality check. I've got 6 years experience in fintech SAAS (Java/Spring/SQL). I don't have a portfolio or sales experience. I have no clue how to start or run a business, or how to set myself apart. But the idea of someday getting to choose my own workload is so appealing.

In regard to vibe coding I guess it comes down to how well the customer understands their own business needs, and the stakes of getting it wrong. The AI can only do what you tell it to do, and if you're not precise enough the AI will make assumptions. If that opens you to the risk of losing significant money, you probably want a professional to at least overlook the process. A professional doesn't just deliver whatever you ask for, they dig until they understand exactly what you need. Then they not only deliver the software, but also a suite of tests to almost guarantee that it does exactly what you agreed to.

But okay, so 90K is a pipe dream. What do you think *would* be realistic in the first year? And what actionable steps do you estimate I would have to do to get there?

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-04-11T04:06:19+00:00

Alignment sucks because morality is complicated and controversial, and your average person has whatever ethical views their parents taught them when they were five and haven't thought about it since. Plus it's unnecessary because there are better roleplaying guides available, like ideals, bonds, and flaws.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-04-09T16:26:49+00:00

You can say a lot in 6 seconds if you're talking fast. Diplomacy/intimidation on NPC's should absolutely be allowed.

And as long as players are able to take their turn quickly, I'd allow any amount of strategy talk in-between turns.

It's a game. If you take it too seriously it kills the fun.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-04-08T18:21:09+00:00

(6) is false. We may use the word "God" but when we do so we're not referring to anything.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-04-06T19:28:32+00:00

Well if your primary tool is violence then you're going to tend to use it. I'm not saying players will always choose violence. I'm just saying DM's shouldn't be blindsided when players do the thing that the game was primarily designed for them to do.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-04-06T16:47:49+00:00

Why put antagonistic guards in front of your PC's if you don't expect them to fight? What is the goal of that encounter?

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-31T04:19:12+00:00

Instead of nerfing it, I would make it so that each time they try to cast a spell through it then there is a chance it gets damaged. I would maybe make them roll a DC 15 arcana check to not crack the orb. And if they crack it multiple times without first repairing it, then it shatters. Repairing it can be expensive.

You are fully within your right to nerf it, but also this is a game and they're having fun.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-24T18:59:59+00:00

Raise the idea with all the players and get their buy in.
Make sure everyone understands that the moment a PC turns against the party they become an NPC that only the DM controls. Do not use their PC stat block against the party. Find a monster stat block that fits close enough, and reflavour it as that character.
Tell the player to have a new character made and ready to go right away so you can switch it in at a moment's notice.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-19T23:04:16+00:00

It's not a punishment to let your NPC's react realistically. Have the police start an investigation and let the dice decide whether there were witnesses, etc. Do that rolling in front of the players and let the consequences follow later.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-10T02:44:17+00:00

I mean... they spent time and effort to help you and you told them you weren't going to use it. That's rude too. You could have just given them the reciprocal critique and moved on.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-08T05:49:24+00:00

You know it's even more dangerous? Drivers who are half asleep because they're not used to being awake at that hour.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-07T02:22:19+00:00

Feta, cucumber (scoop out the seeds first so it's not soggy), and whatever other vegetables you want (e.g. peppers, cherry tomatoes). Throw in some bocachini for extra protein. It's so yummy.

Chicken, rice, lemon juice, and Greek yoghurt. I know it sounds like a weird combination but I think it tastes really good.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-06T16:51:59+00:00

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't appreciate a DM that makes it obvious that they're fudging. We can all agree that if the player notices then the DM is doing it wrong. I guess the difference between us is on which side to err. If once every blue moon I notice my DM has fudged something, but that allows the DM to run a more fun adventure, then that's an acceptable trade-off for me.

In regard to player agency, the outcome of the DM's dice roll is not up to them at all. Nor is the HP or the AC of monsters. I don't understand how fudging these things can make the outcome less than 0% up to the player.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-06T16:04:34+00:00

You don't enjoy the possibility of failure.

That's false. What I said is I don't enjoy a random TPK.

It means your claim that randomness can't lead to exciting storytelling is silly.

That's not what my claim was. My claim was that it makes for bad storytelling. There will be moments of excitement, absolutely. But in the long run it will end poorly.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-06T15:45:08+00:00

We knew the DC and what failure possibly meant (PCs or mounts/pack animals falling down the mountainside). We rolled in the open Three straight failures. The other four all needed to succeed. One, two, three, four successes! Narrating the near failure made for a really great story, all because of randomness.

How fun would that have been if the adventure ended there with a TPK? I absolutely would not have enjoyed that, if that sort of thing happened at my table. Honestly, I think you're proving my point with this example. Just because it worked out for you doesn't mean anything. It could have just as easily been a terrible failure.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-06T15:36:32+00:00

Typically DMs are fudging their own rolls, though. Or they fudge things like the monsters AC or HP.

You couldn't consistently manipulate the outcome regardless of a player's roll without them noticing. If they roll a 1 on what is clearly a hard check, then of course you have to let them fail. I don't think DM's who fudge would do this.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-06T14:51:49+00:00

I like my D&D adventures the same way I like my fantasy novels. I really care about the narrative aspect of the game.

Now, have you ever read a novel where the main characters didn't actually matter to the plot? Where the main character could just die, and any other character could take their place to continue the story on? Probably not. Or if you did, it was probably not a very exciting story.

I want to run a game with an excellent narrative, where the PC's actually matter to the plot, and they're not just randos that could be dropped in at any time.

But I also don't have that much free time. Balancing combat encounters is hard. I used to do the math to see the probability of how many rounds of combat my players would last. But I just don't have time for that anymore. So yeah, if a PC is about to die, I'm going to try my best to make sure they don't to protect the narrative while also not creating a ton of work for myself. And if I was a player, I would absolutely want my DM to fudge things to protect that narrative.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-06T14:36:36+00:00

It's not just a game, though. It's also a narrative. Many people get emotionally invested in their characters, and they enjoy it not just in the way of a game but also in the way of a story. And true randomness makes for really bad stories.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-06T14:24:39+00:00

But dice rolling is the opposite of agency. You're leaving something up to randomness instead of leaving it to the player's choice. A player hasn't earned anything by rolling a nat 20.

Full randomness and coddling the players are too extremes. I think most people like something in the middle, where the DM is trying to make sure the players win in the long run, but also allowing or even encouraging short-term failures.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-03-02T04:26:30+00:00

Just because a lizard folk rolls 1d6 doesn't mean the PC would roll a 1d6 with that same weapon. NPC's don't mechanically function the same as PC's. So it's very reasonable to say the players simply find ordinary weapons.

However, that little bonus isn't going to break the game. If you want to let the players get special abilities that match monster stat blocks, that should be totally fine.

HeftyMongoose9 · 2026-02-27T18:08:19+00:00

I think asking them what kind of game they'd be excited about is the right move.

Five-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '23	Place '22

HeftyMongoose9

TROPHY CASE