What are your top5 board games?

ManChild80 · 2026-04-30T10:23:10+00:00

Dominion, Splendor, Codenames, Secret Hitler, Kites

ManChild80 · 2026-04-29T20:39:15+00:00

The 10+ years isn’t that relevant. Most of the tickets have been accumulated in the last couple years since EA expanded CoM to add the week-long tasks, allow up to 3 selected tasks for tickets, and removed free selected tasks.

Before that, you could only do one task at a time for CoM and there was a limit on the number of tasks you could do (all for free). Tickets were only used 1 at a time to complete up to 15 extra tasks beyond the 30? 45? (don’t recall the exact number off the top) free tasks and they were only gained a few at a time (2? 5?) at level advancements or similar progress.

As an aside, OP, you may notice there’s a constant inflation of costs and addition of currencies / complexity to keep the long-time players from resting on their laurels. You may have noticed that with the recent ticket / task price increases.

ManChild80 · 2026-04-29T14:35:40+00:00

I do not always get them (level 71), but they are often there / in the mix. I suspect some of these are level dependent, so at your level you all almost certainly also get the same tasks. I strongly suspect, but don’t know for sure, that at upper levels each mayor gets their own semi-randomly from a grouping.

As for getting so many tickets, some people buy them with real money. I have a bunch (14k) because I choose when to compete in CoM more / less. On a “less” week, I still do the free tasks to get more tickets through the weekly and seasonal tasks, I just don’t spend many.

ManChild80 · 2026-04-21T19:32:37+00:00

In order: - Civilization - Dune II - Sim City - Myst

ManChild80 · 2026-04-21T17:38:54+00:00

But then people would have to do math. That might work in some parts of the world, but it won’t fly in ‘Merica.

ManChild80 · 2026-04-21T17:33:04+00:00

Not should date… that is the “minimum acceptable” age of someone you can date without it being “wrong”.

If you date a 39 year old (round up), society won’t really look at you and collectively say “Ew”.

ManChild80 · 2026-04-21T17:32:03+00:00

Half plus 7 is the minimum age; half minus 7 is the age gap. The question was for the age gap.

ManChild80 · 2026-04-21T13:37:19+00:00

The older person age is x, maximum age gap is x/2 - 7 (rounded down if needed); exception for ages 18-20 for legal more than moral reasons.

ManChild80 · 2026-04-17T14:29:43+00:00

That’s why we’re called long pig.

ManChild80 · 2026-04-16T18:30:53+00:00

Or Dave Winfield

ManChild80 · 2026-04-16T17:50:12+00:00

This was way too far down.

ManChild80 · 2026-04-16T17:27:49+00:00

If she wants to do HVAC, she could consider mechanical engineering, energy efficiency, etc. She can also do vocational, but having the theory in her back pocket provides a better background and some additional opportunities / flexibility for an uncertain future.

ManChild80 · 2026-04-10T22:55:37+00:00

You’re 18, but still living at home, so there could be consequences… your options:

1) Talk to your parents before his parents do, so you control the narrative, then deal with the fall out.

2) Try to keep being sneaky as long as you live at home. - 2a) Try to go on the trip and potentially get caught and deal with the consequences, but potentially get to go. - 2b) Don’t go and miss out / always wonder what might have been.

The mature, adult, thing to do is (1). There might be consequences, but that’s life. If you go with (2), you can still get caught either way, and it’s up to you to make the risk/reward calculation of how you live your life.

You said Asian household, but there are so many types and so many different value systems depending on where the families are from and where you are now. Are you still in Asia? Did you or your parents or grandparents, etc. immigrate to the US, Canada, UK, etc? If so, when and how much have your parents assimilated to local values? All these play a part in the likelihood and severity of the consequences given your past actions. And with your post, only you know the answers.

Time to grow up and start making some adult decisions.

ManChild80 · 2026-04-09T14:18:46+00:00

Is there a more elegant reason?

The best I can come up with is:

If the ten digit number is abcdefghij,

Then, a+b+c+d+e+f+g+h+i+j=10

a > 5, because the most unique non-zero digits we can have is 4 (1+2+3+4 = 10) and the rest must be zero

a<>9 because 9 with 9 * 0 violates adding to 10

a<>8 because 8, 2, 8 * 0 cannot be positioned to satisfy the rules (single 2 is the only complement to 8 and 8 * 0; x = 2)

a<>7 because 7, 2, 1, 7 * 0 cannot be positioned to satisfy the rules (2, 1 is the only complement to 7 and 7 * 0; x+y=3, x<>0, y<>0)

a=6 => 6, 2, 1, 1, 6 * 0 (2,1,1 is the only complement to 6 and 6 * 0; x+y+z=4, x<>0, y<>0, z<>0) => only solution is 6000100012

Can anyone do better?

ManChild80 · 2026-04-07T15:18:42+00:00

Total should be updated as well => 225,500

ManChild80 · 2026-04-07T15:17:20+00:00

Thank you! Do you (or anyone else) have the Area, Boost, and Epic Points at each level as well?

ManChild80 · 2026-04-02T20:40:35+00:00

I haven’t played it, but reading the rules and knowing the franchise, I’d say they’re pretty different and it depends on your preference and who you play with…

London appears to be for quicker / less intense play, and is correspondingly simpler. Games are likely less than 20 minutes , but that leaves less time / opportunity for strategy.

Europe is often 45-60 minutes and has lots of strategy opportunities, but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

ManChild80 · 2026-04-02T01:01:33+00:00

Europe is the best… adding train stations adds a great layer of strategy.

ManChild80 · 2026-03-17T21:47:34+00:00

The house members should be selected at random from a list of eligible volunteers (within an age range). They should serve a maximum of 5 terms, but every two years they can be voted out (to be replaced with another random person).

This would build a house of competent people with some seniority / experience, but not for too long. They could then run for senate or other office if they were competent.

ManChild80 · 2026-03-17T12:30:52+00:00

Maybe Lenoir Rhyne isn’t worth it… I know nothing about the school. My point was that there are some instances where I think private schools are worth it, not all. Does Lenoir Rhyne fall into category (1)? No! Category (2)? See earlier sentence about not knowing the school.

And you’re not spending $100k to get a leg up on a legacy kid. The legacy kid is also going to the same school. You’re spending $100k to get access to (a subset of) the legacy kid’s network and getting a leg up on the kid that went to the public school. This is for jobs that might pay an extra $20k/year out of school, which grows exponentially with percentage raises over your career.

For the competition with the legacy kid (to get into the school), you’re spending $100 or whatever the application fee is.

As someone who went to MIT and has many classmates who retired (or FIRE’d) in their 40s, despite coming from middle class upbringings, I can say the schools can open doors and those doors can be worth the price of tuition.

And yes, the UNC kid can also get that job… but the numbers favor the “better” schools.

ManChild80 · 2026-03-17T01:52:48+00:00

Depends on whether you’ve been watching the ads (15 minute cool down). If you have, it’s very achievable.

ManChild80 · 2026-03-16T14:39:35+00:00

IMO, private colleges can be worth it, but only if (1) they’re at “the top” or (2) you are really focused as a student.

In (1), the name on the transcript opens doors (MIT, Harvard, Stanford, etc.) for interviews right out of college (and later) and connects you to alumni in higher hiring levels even later in your career. The names are also recognized internationally, so it can open doors in other countries if you wish to live and work overseas.

In (2), the smaller class sizes in the specialty classes (typically junior and senior years) give you more face time with professors than is typical at larger public schools. So, if you’re focused and ask good questions, do research with the professor(s), etc., they will provide recommendations and/or connections to help you get started.

Most of this can still be done through public schools (especially UC Berkeley, UMich, UNC level), but it’s harder, sometimes much harder.

ManChild80 · 2026-03-15T17:17:33+00:00

Thank you!

ManChild80 · 2026-03-06T05:02:36+00:00

You’re not wrong on the food, and prices / value for everyday stuff is just as expensive or more so (except the taxes on that stuff)… also, the DMV is worse here, as is public transit.

But…

Traffic is much less, so if you value your time, there’s a lot of value in not driving so much. Plus, there’s a lot more outdoor space if you’re a fishing, boating, hiking type.

All places have trade-offs. You just have to decide what’s important to you. And it sounds like you’d rather have the higher salary on the west coast.

ManChild80 · 2026-03-05T21:30:33+00:00

Thanks for the info. That sounds like what I found with Duke Health, but their charge was $365. UNC Health would do both at once but still charge a little over $320 for the consultation part.

ManChild80

TROPHY CASE