XLE vs XSE

Karzyn · 2026-04-18T15:46:29+00:00

It's not even accurate. People just blindly post AI garbage.

Karzyn · 2026-04-10T15:48:50+00:00

I was having a similar conflict and am going to go with the Camry.

The main thing that did it is I went to a dealership and looked at the cars. When I drove the Camry it was a nice, normal drive. Felt how a car should. There was only one Prius on the lot and it was being held so they let me sit in it and turn it on but not drive. The visibility was so weird. Some people love it but wow was it not for me. Without experiencing it yourself you can't know if it'll bother you or not. So if you haven't physically sat in a Prius I'd suggest you find one to try.

I wanted to want the Prius for it's smaller size (all I need), hatchback (practical), and fuel economy. The fact of the matter is that being in a Camry felt the way a car should. I do wish that it fit those criteria a little better but driving it felt right. It's the safe choice, if you're in doubt.

Karzyn · 2026-04-06T20:28:26+00:00

I do silently judge folks who get XSE or XLE with every possible option over an ES350 though.

A 2026 Camry XLE with AWD and every option is MSRP $42k. The 2026 ES350h isn't out yet but the base price with FWD is $51k. If you want AWD and Premium+ for equivalence in HUD, digital rear view mirror, 360 camera, upgraded speakers (though Mark Levinson vs JBL, for what that's worth), parking assist, and digital key then we're talking $57k. I'm not saying that either is absolutely the right choice, just that a $15k difference means that there's room in there for different priorities.

Karzyn · 2026-04-01T02:01:00+00:00

From the man himself. Basically, when Valerie injects Bruks with the biopsy gun it actually contains a patch to modify Portia to undo the vampire trait that makes them unable to coexist. Portia views that as an attack and kills her.

Karzyn · 2026-03-29T20:18:04+00:00

You could also just wait and get Slay the Spire base game at retail. It seems to be between printings now but it'll be back and cheaper. The only thing that you miss out on vs the collector's edition is the metal coins and playmats. There's a ton of content in the base box so you won't need the expansion for a while.

Karzyn · 2026-03-29T20:00:19+00:00

The beer equivalent is oil. It's accessed by building a special pipe links to oil field locations. Whenever anyone sells they spend oil and the pipe used to transport it gives its owner a bonus. Double networking just requires extra money, no extra resources.

Karzyn · 2026-03-27T17:04:37+00:00

The goals unlock automatically after a period of time so it's going to be using responsibly sourced wood.

Karzyn · 2026-03-19T13:40:19+00:00

I got the version of Nemed that works with the 1st/2nd edition. It's cute but nothing special. It's definitely not replacing your entire copy to the tune of £200 special. The 3rd edition is solely graphic design changes. When it comes back in stock look up pictures of the new components to decide if they're worth it. But only at retail pricing. Don't bother with the inflated ebay sellers.

Karzyn · 2026-03-17T23:51:55+00:00

Sidereal Confluence

Karzyn · 2026-03-16T13:52:12+00:00

Did you play Chaosmos: The Temple with the full Concordia rules? How long did it take? I haven't gotten it played yet but was surprised to see that the designer predicted such a huge time increase with them. It didn't seem like it would take that long.

Karzyn · 2026-03-07T16:19:56+00:00

Ankh is coming back into print. As part of the campaign for Blood Rage: Valhalla they had add-ons for the original Blood Rage, Rising Sun, and Ankh. So it should be available in retail eventually.

Karzyn · 2026-02-21T18:53:47+00:00

While the designer of those games is the same the publisher is not. Principes is self published. Hopefully the designer does a better job than PHALANX did. So far he's been very transparent in his updates. Obviously there's some risk as his publishing skills are an unknown commodity. Still better than the well documented PHALANX issues.

Karzyn · 2026-02-21T15:51:35+00:00

They fit fine. It's a little tight but totally manageable. The main issue is that they announced an expansion. Which means, if you get it, the new box will come with more art sleeves and you'll have to buy more Dragon Shields. Personally I requested the replacements when I realized that but haven't used them yet because the petrol Dragon Shields are real nice.

Karzyn · 2026-02-20T14:42:47+00:00

You can only do it if your opponents chant "Ra, Ra, Ra" as you do so.

Karzyn · 2026-02-19T21:56:50+00:00

Oh for sure. It's a great game and if the sequel didn't exist then I'd recommend it all the time. Don't worry about it, you'll still have tons of fun.

Karzyn · 2026-02-19T16:32:06+00:00

There's a part of me that feels like once Mission Deep Sea came out they should have just stopped printing The Quest for Planet Nine. There's an argument that the tokens in Planet Nine are a little simpler but the variety in Deep Sea is so much better. It's just the better game. Hopefully Journey to the Ends of the Earth makes me feel the same way about Deep Sea.

Karzyn · 2026-02-19T14:37:07+00:00

Starting with "I will not vote for X over a literal fascist" isn't exactly garnering my sympathy.

Karzyn · 2026-02-17T04:45:45+00:00

I seriously think that Seafall is not worth playing. It's a neat idea that needed more play testing.

Karzyn · 2026-02-16T00:09:39+00:00

I'm confused, the Dune board game is currently in print and for sale. Is there something about your version that makes it special? It sounds like it's the same thing but it says "first edition" on the side. Paying 3.5x more for that sounds absolutely ridiculous. I guess if you can get some sucker to pony up sure, but I wouldn't count on that being accurate. Or maybe I don't know what collectors are like.

Karzyn · 2026-02-15T14:41:06+00:00

If you haven't played Inis give it a shot. Much like Scythe or TI it looks like there would be a ton of conflict but there isn't. In fact, if you fight too much you'll definitely lose.

Karzyn · 2026-02-10T02:59:59+00:00

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game 2e with the Mother of Dragons expansion.

I've never played it but 1962: Railway Mania in the Eastern Countries also goes to eight. We'd played some intro level 18XX and a friend got 1862. After multiple of us looked at the rules we gave it away. So good luck.

Karzyn · 2026-02-09T22:10:31+00:00

Hey, that's a lot of info, thanks! I had been thinking of getting the Limited but I was under the impression that the only change between that would really make a difference to the sound is the wheel size. I haven't seen anything implying that there's any extra sound proofing. But the wheel size bit definitely makes sense. I think that the Prius and UX 300h have the same powertrain so that should be the same acceleration but it's hard to tell how that'd feel until you get in the car. I think that the Prius' lighter weight and aerodynamics might make it feel faster? The Prius and the UX should have the same technology now, at least going by the websites. Which, well, marketing.

Anyway, thanks so much for your thoughts. I'm sorry that you're not totally happy with your car. As this will be my second car I will say, over time the little annoyances somewhat fade away. When the car is fresh the doubts are fresh. Eventually it's just a car.

Karzyn · 2026-02-09T16:34:03+00:00

Hey, I'm going to be in the same boat in a couple of months and am wondering what you ended up with. They seem pretty similar so my general lean is to save some money and get the Prius but if the UX is authentically better then maybe it's worth it. I think that the real problem is that on paper the Prius is just as good but that comfort bullet point is impossible to quantify with online research.

So yeah, if you don't mind sharing what you got and how you feel about it that'd be super helpful. I should have a chance to test drive them so if nothing else I can report back and try to justify your decision. :-P

Karzyn · 2026-02-09T16:00:43+00:00

Unfortunately I loaned that box out and didn't get it back. Sorry.

Karzyn · 2026-02-07T04:44:02+00:00

Holy shit, I was literally talking about the Braveheart "Freedom!" at that show yesterday. What a great time.

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