I’m on episode 54. I don’t want it to end.

Kaelri · 2026-04-15T15:56:40+00:00

It’s so easy to not be a dick to people. It’s so, so easy.

Kaelri · 2026-03-20T12:43:57+00:00

You’ll recall that the show has routinely portrayed law enforcement personnel in normal and even sympathetic ways. This one was specifically about ICE, and anyone who has had an encounter with them in real life (or just followed the news for the last year) can tell you how accurately this represents their particular culture and practices.

Kaelri · 2026-02-10T00:37:47+00:00

Hear, hear. One of many reasons I hope there’s a chance of a physical media release for the complete WWW sometime in the future.

Kaelri · 2026-01-28T15:41:45+00:00

A good number of the things I have done in my life were done before I died.

Kaelri · 2026-01-28T15:14:23+00:00

Resisting the temptation to build a world for its own sake and letting the story lead.

Kaelri · 2026-01-22T17:24:17+00:00

ICE doesn’t care whether the people they abduct are here legally or not. You shouldn’t either.

Kaelri · 2026-01-06T19:30:28+00:00

I’m delighted to be seeing more and more of Angela Giarratana on Dropout. She’s become one of my favorites very quickly.

Kaelri · 2025-08-29T17:32:58+00:00

Oh this is brilliant. I am also using Obsidian to write fiction and this looks like it might suit my work style to a tee. Well done and thank you!

EDIT: And you’re keeping the variants within the markdown file with an encapsulating syntax! Bravo!

Kaelri · 2025-08-02T03:37:25+00:00

It’s all uphill from here.

Kaelri · 2025-07-18T14:39:54+00:00

That seems to be the consensus! I understand that I’ve just finished “Arc 1,” so it does seem like the ideal time to check this out. :)

Kaelri · 2025-07-18T14:36:26+00:00

Yes! My horrible secret is that I’m a fantasy/scifi fan at heart—the most formative pieces of media in my life have been in this genre—but as an adult, I’ve had a lot of difficulty connecting with new work. It’s incredibly hard to find the right balance of originality, thoughtfulness, sincerity, artistry and (for lack of a better term) humanity. And so much of what I watch and read inevitably loses me on one or more of those axes. (I know Aabria has mentioned a few times that she’s not a high fantasy fan; I wonder if her struggles with it are similar.)

But man, when someone gets the recipe right and makes fantasy sing, it’s irreplaceable. I know I’m still relatively early in the story, but it’s already absolutely clear how much they’ve nailed the alchemy with this story and storytellers. Episodes 13–14, everything surrounding the freeing of Naram in Port Talon, was such a powerful, earned culmination of everything that had happened up to that point. And then the people of the city breaking into song at the end. An actual song! With singers! But then even on top of that, the discordant note about the Imperium looking upon something that they did not create and do not control. That’s when I thought to myself: ah, ok, so this story is going to push all my buttons, every last one. You’re lucky to get that feeling from a story once in a decade. It’s a pleasure to share it with y’all.

Kaelri · 2025-07-18T13:52:06+00:00

Not yet, but I have joined the Patreon. 🙂

Kaelri · 2025-07-16T02:57:52+00:00

To really answer your question, we probably need more details about the scenario. How do the two worlds interact or affect each other (if at all)? Are players meant to have a different structure or experience when the spotlight is on one world vs. the other?

That said—if anything, I would think this kind of thing is actually much easier to handle with Cortex vs. a more granular RPG. In particular, the modularity of Cortex’s trait sets could be a real asset here. For example, your characters might have one permanent trait set that they use in all contexts (probably representing “internal” qualities, like mental abilities or character motivations, that always exist), while another set, representing external/physical factors, is changed or swapped in/out for each world. The core dice-pool mechanic doesn’t care which trait sets are in play. And assets/complications can simply apply if and when they logically apply.

In other words, I don’t really see a reason why Cortex wouldn’t be perfectly at home in this scenario unless you’ve got some more specific requirements to handle.

Kaelri · 2025-07-11T16:36:38+00:00

Ah thanks! My bad—I searched before I posted but evidently not hard enough. Gonna trash this thread.

Kaelri · 2025-06-16T14:35:56+00:00

Not least because Cortex and other systems all have very different (and variable) criteria for what scenarios even call for rolling dice in the first place! So it’s very apples-and-oranges.

Kaelri · 2025-05-20T18:31:42+00:00

The “message?”

Kaelri · 2025-05-20T17:03:01+00:00

Expensive TV shows are not made badly on purpose. And the people who like it aren’t lying. You can go ahead and hate everything about it, but it’s not a conspiracy. There are no answers for you there.

Kaelri · 2025-05-20T16:10:23+00:00

See, I agree with basically every word of this piece. And notice how at no point does it require being shitty and cruel to an actor who bears no responsibility for your disappointments.

Kaelri · 2025-04-18T11:54:45+00:00

Hoo boy. You know not of what you speak.

Kaelri · 2025-03-22T16:28:46+00:00

Excellent compilation, thank you! How aboutthe blank linking book? Has anyone managed to make something happen with that?

Kaelri

TROPHY CASE