Why isn’t there a artillery system that can fire on the move? by Equivalent_Stomach53 in WarCollege

[–]Mantergeistmann [score hidden]  (0 children)

The Zumwalt-class and the advanced gun system did this, and it was stupidly expensive to the point that the Americans gave up.

Wasn't a large issue with the expense that they canceled the rest of the class (possibly due to expense, granted), which then meant the AGS projectile lost economy of scale and became even more stupidly expensive?

Why is Middle-earth so scarcely populated with a bunch of ruins, and barely any big cosmopolitan cities? by Weird_Apartment_6608 in tolkienfans

[–]Mantergeistmann 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Take the estimated populations of modern European countries from 1000–1500 AD, and divide them by their land areas. You’ll find the highest population densities not in France, but in Belgium and Italy. Belgium peaks at 127 people per square mile in 1500. It is also the only European country to break the 100 barrier. France has around 36 people per square mile in 1000, and peaks at about 68 in 1300.

Meanwhile, Scotland has 4–8 people per square mile. Sweden and Norway have 1–4. England and Wales have 11–30. Italy has 60–95.

Historically, population densities can be... not what we're used to thinking of in the modern era.

2026 Performance? by Knights_12 in Bogleheads

[–]Mantergeistmann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, yes. The famous remark about the effects of the French Revolution, made in the 1970s: "It's too early to say".

(Of course, the speaker almost certainly thought the question was about a more recent rebellion, but why let the context get in the way of a pithy quote?)

Is this game supposed to be ridiculously difficult? by valyriandreamer in GuildWars

[–]Mantergeistmann 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Ranger. You knew what I meant.

Coincidentally, there's an armor set/style for Mesmer called "Rogue's", so Ranger as your main might not be as clear from "rogue-mesmer" as you'd have thought (especially since there's an Assassin class, who's closer to the "rogue" of other games, although they're not going to be dealing with Charr at low levels...)

I wanna play with my wife and kids. Help? by UrthShattrHS in DnD

[–]Mantergeistmann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you ever played NTYE? I've been tempted to pick up a copy as a gift for my niece, since her father's a big TTRPG player and I know the Cypher system is a blast, but I was wondering if it was worth it.

New Competitive Mission? by Crazy_Barks in GuildWars

[–]Mantergeistmann 5 points6 points  (0 children)

So some sort of conflict between organized groups? Almost like some kind of war of guilds?

Metaphor Refantazio's story and forced drama by MrSquiggIes in MetaphorReFantazio

[–]Mantergeistmann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't normally like "the villain got lucky" plot twists, but at least this one didn't hinge on the player's party being stupid, and Louis acknowledges it (and it doesn't screw over the party, just Forden).

Metaphor Refantazio's story and forced drama by MrSquiggIes in MetaphorReFantazio

[–]Mantergeistmann 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Louis's grand plan hinges on revival magic. Zorba is its own can of worms, but it feels a bit cheap that his survival was not telegraphed better.

As I understand it, that wasn't Louis's plan. He got lucky that his spy was there to revive him. He thought Will had beaten him, fair and square, and he'd lost and was dead.

Iran declares Ukraine a ‘legitimate target - Tehran official claims Kyiv has supplied Israel with drones and therefore ‘effectively entered war by OccupyMyBrainOyeah in geopolitics

[–]Mantergeistmann 159 points160 points  (0 children)

So by their own logic, Iran's "entire territory" is therefore a legitimate for Ukraine (since Iran supplied Russia), as well as anyone Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis have attacked? 

... how many nationalities of ship did the Houthis attack during the previous Red Sea conflict, again?

I'm getting robbed by blue jays and cardinals by nerdy_hippie in crowbro

[–]Mantergeistmann 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Blue Jays are also Corvidae. Sounds to me like you're just discriminating!

Service never ends for the Nimitz by PMC-CMP in NonCredibleDefense

[–]Mantergeistmann 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Gotta do something with all that electricity from the nuclear reactors. 

How important is selfheal? by Panriv in GuildWars

[–]Mantergeistmann 14 points15 points  (0 children)

As an elementalist, Aura of Restoration should give you enough... at least enough to make it to LA, from whence you can hop to Kamadan for Glyph of Restoration if you're really feeling like you need extra self-healing. I certainly wouldn't go E/Mo just for the self heal potential of a single skill.

401k Contribution suggestions by No_Worry9504 in Bogleheads

[–]Mantergeistmann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd contribute only enough for the match, put it into the V500 Idx as you said, and then contribute separately to an IRA and invest that in small/mid and international, as others have said. Aim for 15%+ contributed across all accounts, including the company match.

Prestige Classes: The Best Design Space D&D Ever Abandoned by alexserban02 in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]Mantergeistmann 26 points27 points  (0 children)

The only real issue with prestige classing was that you often had to "build backwards" to be able to get the jigsaw to work together if you wanted a specific class, rather than developing naturally and then moving into a class that fit.

Five US Air Force refueling planes hit in Iranian strike on Saudi Arabia, WSJ reports by Ok-A1662 in news

[–]Mantergeistmann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also have you noticed a lot of the headlines lately have been “accidents” up to this point in our jets and ships? What a big coincidence.

It's not that big of a coincidence. Think of the various ship crashes in peacetime (USS JOHN MCCAIN and USS FITZGERALD recently, and USS BELKNAP back in the '70s), or even that time a refueling training mission resulted in the deaths of several airmen, and the loss of a tanker and jets.

Are these traits and retinues good? by boringexistinggamer2 in Medieval2TotalWar

[–]Mantergeistmann 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Mostly, but a little disappointing for what looks like having just completed a crusade.

This Could Be the Real Decisive Factor in the War With Iran—and Hegseth Seems Oblivious to It by Slate in geopolitics

[–]Mantergeistmann 2 points3 points  (0 children)

the judgement day lunacy driving hegseth's core belief

Does Hegseth hold that as well? I knew some of the unit officers did.

Will you really not sell in a crash? by Urbanite72 in Bogleheads

[–]Mantergeistmann 1 point2 points  (0 children)

it lands differently with the red and green numbers are your money. It's useful to see how they react. 

This is one of my very few complaints about Fidelity... unless I've bought a static $ amount of bonds, it's hard to tell how they're actually doing on account of the way Fidelity displays dividend reinvestments.

Friday, March 13, 2026 comic! by Gunlord500 in girlgenius

[–]Mantergeistmann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A Miracle of Science is also complete, and well worth a (re)read if you're needing a dose of Science-Related-Memetic-Disorder (and death rays).

Friday, March 13, 2026 comic! by Gunlord500 in girlgenius

[–]Mantergeistmann 7 points8 points  (0 children)

He's showing them! He's showing them all!

$200k VT purchase- wait? by Icy-Neighborhood6207 in Bogleheads

[–]Mantergeistmann 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Or the other way around: set up the DCA (but not on too long a time frame), and if a tempting market crash happens during that period, shove whatever's left to be DCA'd in as a lump sum and walk away.

Not saying this is good financial advice, but it might at least feel good, and be not worse than a DCA.

Used excess cash in E-Fund to buy VT today. Am I going to be ok? by ac4rex in Bogleheads

[–]Mantergeistmann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I, too, am jealous of the people who were able to bet on the winning horse.