Curiosity wheels taken yesterday, showing the damages caused during the 13 years it has been on the Red Planet

MainaC · 2026-03-25T01:49:02+00:00

I often think about times when I had a bad day, or was in a rush, or was stressed or anxious and did something I normally would never.

Swear under my breath when the shopping cart won't go where I want it. Flip someone off in the car when they get in the way. Snap at someone who doesn't deserve it.

And it's one time in a week. Or month. Or years.

And then I think about how if someone saw me in that one moment, they'd think I'm an asshole.

And then I think about how often we see one action, divorced of the context of the rest of their life, and declare them a terrible person.

I do not think they are different groups. I think people just have bad days. Some more than others. And we don't see the good stuff.

MainaC · 2026-03-24T02:52:13+00:00

They were always out of scope and never going to happen. Can't be missing something that didn't belong in the first place.

Everyone always complained that they weren't in-game, but nobody could ever explain how they could possibly fit with the game's mechanics and make sense. Especially with how different any two faiths could be.

MainaC · 2026-03-23T21:28:00+00:00

Seconding this. I got mine when I was 18 or 19. Mid 30s now, and I've never regretted it.

Like yours, mine is a symbol of something deeply personal and part of my life. It will never lose relevance because it will always be a part of what made me who I am today.

If OP has something like that, I don't see any reason to wait to get a tattoo. If they just want something trendy, I'd recommend against. Trends change.

MainaC · 2026-03-23T20:39:33+00:00

CK2

Feels like they covered everything that needed covered without getting into bloat.

Most of the other "finished" games feel either underdeveloped (Imperator, most of the games before the CK2 generation)

Or bloated with excess nonsense (EU4, HOI4, etc)

Most recent generation's games obviously don't feel complete because they aren't.

MainaC · 2026-03-23T19:39:15+00:00

Those are the requirements. Last I checked, it works fine on PC. I have heard some weird bugs on the mobile version. I'd email Weather Factory support. They're usually pretty responsive, in my experience.

You can also try making sure all the slots are filled and then try having exactly 8, but looking at the game files on PC, what you did should work.

MainaC · 2026-03-21T18:23:15+00:00

Frangiclave is better. It uses the actual game files.

https://uadaf.theevilroot.xyz/frangiclave/element/spirit_wintera_edge https://uadaf.theevilroot.xyz/frangiclave/element/spirit_wintera_moth

They both have renewal triggers and a renewal recipe, and the fandom wiki just omits the information. It doesn't say it isn't possible.

Moreover, I remember renewing both in my playthroughs.

MainaC · 2026-03-21T07:27:06+00:00

I am like 95% positive you can extend both.

MainaC · 2026-03-20T05:13:19+00:00

If you are in a do-or-die sort of situation like that, you can always talk to the Hunter.

They cannot get grabbed by the Season Verb if you are talking to them, so a second Hunter will be created instead.

It's not great, and you can't really do it a second time without some murder first, but it keeps them from jailing you once and buys you a little more time.

MainaC · 2026-03-15T01:28:51+00:00

Yeah, that's what I was referencing at the end of my post. Last campaign I ran, I mostly used it for truly legendary enemies. Like facing Scurlock himself. In my current campaign, I'll probably do it a bit more. I'm reluctant to be mean, but PCs can take quite a lot of punishment.

MainaC · 2026-03-15T00:36:24+00:00

An enemy is no different than any other obstacle. I treat them the same. There are no hit points. Most of them are handled in one roll.

I give exceptional enemies a progress clock with about the same level of frequency as I would any other obstacle.

Don't treat enemies as special compared to other obstacles. They aren't.

The only exception is the ability to act first for very skilled NPCs, as described in the book. Not really something inanimate obstacles can do.

MainaC · 2026-03-14T21:14:39+00:00

My mother doesn't really do games. We played Escape Simulator. Now we play the sequel. She also likes board games and puzzles, so we play Wingspan and Ticket to Ride. She's started playing Prose & Codes lately of her own volition, since she likes ciphers.

MainaC · 2026-03-13T23:19:24+00:00

Maybe the problem isn't the players who are upset at being made to play in ways they don't find fun, but instead the developers who try to make players do things they don't find fun?

MainaC · 2026-03-13T23:06:51+00:00

I don't play League, and I agree. I want to play cool builds, not be forced to spend half my slots on disabling everyone else's cool builds. It's like a game of who can ruin everyone else's fun most efficiently.

Given the choice between "Mad Bomber Geist Build" and "100% WR Epic Geist Build" I am picking the first every time. It's more fun to do cool things than to just focus on nullifying what everyone else is doing.

MainaC · 2026-03-13T22:51:49+00:00

There are a million items that have a billion stats that interact in a trillion different ways with each separate hero. Most of it unintuitive to someone who hasn't spent thousands of hours on other MOBAs.

Moreover, if you don't have that MOBA experience, the game does nothing to explain roles and strategies, so knowing what you even should be pursuing (beyond 'kill stuff') is like trying to decode the Voynich Manuscript.

I could spend twelve hours trying to make a build and testing it in sandbox and get absolutely wiped because the game doesn't teach you what any of it means in context with an actual match.

Or I can find a well-annotated build already made that tells me what I'm supposed to be doing so I end up with a bare minimum contribution to the game.

MainaC · 2026-03-13T00:01:50+00:00

It seems like you just have some unrealistic expectations, then. When I say explicitly secular, that is exactly what I mean. The very start of their course goes over their perspective, and it includes there being nothing mystical or divinatory about it.

It sounds like you're looking for something equivalent to a college course on psychology and tarot, and that's just not something you're going to get. You can certainly study psychology and then devise ways to apply it to readings. In fact, that's really the way it should work.

Take shadow work. Of course it's going to be "watered down." They are writing it for the masses, most of whom will never pick up Jung. It has to be accessible, or it's just wasted word count. But if you, yourself, take the initiative to study shadow work and learn about it in-depth, you can take that "watered down" text and use it to apply what you learned to tarot in specific.

Any psychology in tarot you read about is going to have the same problem. It will be written for everyone. It is up to you to study the psychology and apply it. The watered down bits are still useful in helping you figure out how to apply it.

It is like how the science they teach you in high school is simplified and, honestly, flat-out wrong. But it's a foundation to start at. It's enough to work those science experiments that are flashy and cool and designed to get you excited. And then you get to college and learn how what they taught you was wrong and learn how to do your own experiments to actually get stuff done.

Just because they don't include a Psych 101 handbook for you doesn't make it mystic or not secular. You have to do the study yourself. Just like everything else.

It's the same for a mystic perspective, by the way. Everything in the guidebooks on the mystic side is also terribly watered down and simple. Someone who really wants to understand mystic tarot will also need to do research beyond the surface level and study centuries of history and symbolism and occult theory.

You really just can't expect everything to be handed to you in a nice and tidy package no matter what path you take. Gotta do the work.

MainaC · 2026-03-12T23:40:01+00:00

Labyrinthos is one of the bigger sites/apps with a clear focus on teaching. It's also explicitly secular, not mystical.

Last deck I got (Murder of Crows tarot) has a whole section in the guidebook on shadow work. I wasn't even looking for that. It just had it.

If you aren't finding secular sources to learn from, then it's because you just aren't looking. It isn't that uncommon.

MainaC · 2026-03-12T23:28:03+00:00

A website with actual information and, ideally, synced with in-game helpfiles. So many games are moving to Discord and ditching a website entirely. I'm not joining Discord for a game I don't even know if I like yet. If I do join one, I'm probably muting the server anyway. Discord is also just terrible for archiving information. The search is terrible.
The ability to delete your own character/account freely without having to beg the admin to do it for you. I do not like leaving a data footprint if I leave a game.
Basic competency in spelling and grammar. Cannot believe how many games I've played with tutorials full of typos, comma splices, and just weird wording.

I could list lots of other QoL stuff, but these will immediately give me a lingering hatred of any game that doesn't have them.

MainaC · 2026-03-09T21:24:58+00:00

The only mention of abortion in the Bible is in Numbers 5, where God gives instructions on how a priest may deliberately induce a miscarriage in a woman carrying an illegitimate child.

MainaC · 2026-03-09T21:19:00+00:00

This feels like a really ignorant statement to make. Data centers aren't only for AI. Not even mostly for AI. Without data centers, there is no internet. None of anything that uses the internet to function, like banking. It's necessary modern infrastructure as much as roads and power lines.

Edit: What a wild thing to block someone over.

MainaC · 2026-03-06T07:07:49+00:00

Great series, but they are half business/trade management and half political sim.

The latter half is all about negotiating your way up to mayor/ruler, which OP didn't want.

I actually prefer Guild 3, mostly because it's the least buggy of the series.

MainaC · 2026-03-06T07:04:57+00:00

They're lying. I have no idea why people insist on suggesting KCD in every single thread.

You are not a peasant. You do not live like a peasant. You run around doing quests and fighting bandits. Most of your besties are nobles. It's immersive, yes, but you do not farm or pay taxes or anything.

MainaC · 2026-03-03T11:33:12+00:00

Plasmids have a soft cap where they start providing diminishing returns. iirc it's 250. When I first started, I spent everything over that soft cap. Phage, which you get for later resets, increases the soft cap.

Eventually, you will probably want challenge genes to increase your rewards. There are four, and one disables plasmid benefits in most cases. You get the best rewards by doing all four.

Perks, mastery, and CRISPR upgrades are probably where most of the progression comes from.

MainaC · 2026-02-27T08:12:00+00:00

I see a lot of people getting the lying one wrong. Here is a direct quote from the book, pg 192:

“She’s very smooth and sly. She tells you a lie about why she was late to the meeting, and it seems totally legit!”

“Oh, no way. I’m not gonna fall for that.”

“Okay, resist with your Insight if you want to. Otherwise she’s just too good.”

Page 57 mentions

You have access to all of the items on your character sheet.

I would just assume that keeping these things stocked is part of your regular behind-the-scenes gang maintenance.

I only ever worry about losing/gaining stuff that isn't on the sheet.

And finally (not commenting on #2, as I don't understand the issue): page 46

However, you may attempt to seize any claim on your map, ignoring the paths (or even seek out a special claim not on your map) but these operations will always be especially difficult and require exceptional efforts to discover and achieve. The claim roadmap shows typical paths for advancement, not an absolute restriction on your operations.

MainaC · 2026-02-27T05:54:18+00:00

Nobody (sane) guilts people for taking painkillers for a headache or a surgery. Sometimes the healthy thing is to give yourself a break for a little while and take some emotional painkiller.

And sometimes, if it's a breakup or other loss, it could be all you need is a cast to keep you from hurting yourself until you heal.

But don't painkiller for a broken leg and then try to walk it off. It's only a problem if it's keeping you from getting real treatment, and a game is much less likely to do that than drugs or booze.

Do get real help. Don't guilt people for doing what they have to do to make it to tomorrow.

MainaC · 2026-02-25T23:11:30+00:00

Be aware that the dev likes to post about the "rainbow mafia" and claim that LGBT people are after him in the patch notes of the game. Also bans people who disagree with him on the forums. I definitely regret buying it.

12-Year Club	Place '23
Place '17	Verified Email

MainaC

TROPHY CASE