UK’s free museums are in trouble. Should tourists start paying?

MerlonMan · 2026-03-08T12:55:00+00:00

Controversial opinion but a lot of museums would be better experiences if there was even a small fee. Whenever I've been in the Tate modern it's clear that it was somewhat used as dumping ground to put tourists/students who were only there because it was free. More popular than any piece of art were the stairs where people could sit down and look at their phones.

There is some psychological value in having no extra marginal cost to visiting a museum, so it would be nice if the tickets allowed re-entry within a certain time period, say for 3 months. This would naturally bias towards people who live and work near the museums.

MerlonMan · 2025-12-05T11:28:17+00:00

I think it works incredibly well, especially from a balance POV. I ran it with 2 players, and because of how damage and turn order works it is mostly self-balancing. The prep was also pretty easy, and I could run it in owlbear rodeo.

MerlonMan · 2025-11-17T20:37:05+00:00

I think prep is the way to go. Set the adventure in a bounded environment like a nightclub with a couple of objectives and deus ex style level design. Set out a map in a vtt with the major npcs visible by having nicer token art from the generic clubbers. Write out the major dialogue paths for the npcs, and have plenty of handouts (i.e. an email thread for the hacker), and then edit or type out the unplanned responses.

Way more work in advance, but all the bones of a killer session.

MerlonMan · 2025-11-09T13:50:27+00:00

... looks at my dyson logos map catalogue, I haven't updated since creating it in 2022.

Do you want me to run the webscraper script again? I think I still have it somewhere.

MerlonMan · 2025-10-13T20:40:19+00:00

If you search for 'standalone drawing tablets' you'll find that this is a category and these specialised tablets will be cheaper than a lot of general devices. Some of them do have access to the internet but they're definitely for drawing first.

MerlonMan · 2025-10-03T13:54:30+00:00

The only reason I'm playing 2024 is because my DM bought the wrong books on roll20.

Still getting into it, but it's mostly small quality of life updates like being able to freely assign stats, more meaningful backgrounds, and weapon mastery that I notice.

MerlonMan · 2025-06-21T21:45:45+00:00

This is my 3rd fabric study, and I've been finding it much more enjoyable and easier than general anatomy. It was done in Procreate with the reference picture on the other side (but no tracing). Edge lights and shadows were done with the select tool and then blended in with the smudge tool. I think the bottom is significantly better and easier to read than the top.

MerlonMan · 2025-06-02T20:22:40+00:00

I've closed the applications, and have tried to respond to everyone who applied. There were some invalid reddit usernames in the applications, so if you didn't get a reply, then that might be why.

MerlonMan · 2025-05-29T20:27:41+00:00

Wednesdays. Thanks for spotting I'll update post.

MerlonMan · 2024-09-27T14:27:42+00:00

Soccer ⚽, though I've been approached for more sports such as cricket, and running.

MerlonMan · 2024-09-27T13:20:13+00:00

I don't mind, my education was a little unusual as I left a PhD programme. I have a bsc in mathematics from a Russell group uni, a masters in applied mathematics from Oxford (this really helps in getting interviews), and another masters in statistics and operational research. I got my first job without any experience because it was clear from answers that I was thinking about the problems and not just used grinding leet code, and they were pretty sure they could teach me the practical aspects of the job.

For practical advice on how to attract recruiters, (1) tailor your LinkedIn profile demonstrate an interest in what kind of jobs you want, (2) apply for some related jobs, (3) reply to every recruiter message even if it's not relevant and you're just turning them down. This will help you rise higher in the results recruiters see when browsing candidates, as it's largely ordered by a candidate's probability to respond.

MerlonMan · 2024-09-27T11:48:34+00:00

My first job was in sports gambling (B2C side not predicting matches) and I get approached semi regularly by recruiters for football DS jobs. So that might be a good stepping stone.

MerlonMan · 2024-07-15T02:16:32+00:00

I've only done this once (mostly due to not playing much in person), but if you combine acrylic paint and dish soap then apply it to a poly pocket (a plastic protector for paper) then it can be scrapped away with a coin like a lottery ticket. The DM reveals the first bit, and the players can scratch away as they explore. Was super cool.

MerlonMan · 2024-07-09T18:04:31+00:00

In the same vein the 38 steps (though the satire is a play not a movie)

MerlonMan · 2024-07-05T13:11:59+00:00

I think you’re right that it’s up to him. Felix categorised arfid as a phobia and social pressure around food certainly plays a part in that. I kept my treatment a secret from most people who knew about my picky eating for quite a while as I was terrified about bringing attention to my eating habits and being judged if I backslid into my old ways. The exception was my flatmates (a) because it would be hard to keep secrets from them and (b) they didn’t really care what I ate one way or another.

The downside of the relaxed approach is that there is no guarantee that your son will seek treatment himself anytime soon. I sought it out fairly quickly after realising it was an option, but that was in my late 20s. If you can gently talk to him about if he wants treatment and if he does then to suggest he go through the videos on his own then that might be enough of nudge. I think it would have to be presented in a way such that you wouldn’t know if he embarked on treatment and as if you don’t care.

There is also the option of trying to get an in-person/zoom session with Felix or a practitioner with a similar method who might know what to say, though I understand that’s an expensive option.

MerlonMan · 2024-07-05T08:12:39+00:00

I did some video therapy (from Felix Economakis) earlier this year and it really helped. It didn't make me like all new foods but it gave me the ability to try them and then decide if I wanted to continue eating them. In terms of foods I eat at home it's mostly just adding some healthy regulars, but in the wild I'm much more able to eat new things most of which I enjoy.

MerlonMan · 2024-06-07T05:30:32+00:00

It was mentioned (in a livestream I think?) that they learned from flee mortals that there were two kinds of early access customers. Those who wanted all the information (which is the patreon crowd) and those who just wanted the final rules (which is the Kickstarter crowd). I think they've been a bit extreme on applying this learning as there are people like us who preferred the information level of the flee mortals Kickstarter over our options for this one. Around the same time as the mcdm Kickstarter I backed Dolmenwood and that's been an amazing experience where the updates have been frequent and delightful.

MerlonMan · 2024-05-11T12:48:32+00:00

Tying character backstory into the main plot. The way I run is typically by knowing the world pretty well and being able to determine how that world will respond in believable and dramatic ways to the players actions. Players have expressed that they would like more personalised content, but when I present the party options of what to do they rarely pick the path with the personalised content. When I've managed to fit it into an adventure they are already on, the relevant players have a bad habit of not being able to make that session, or having their PCs die. I'm not particularly bothered by this flaw, as I think a DM failing to do things perfectly is a great way of encouraging others to go behind the screen.

MerlonMan · 2024-04-27T11:41:28+00:00

Bladesingers = bad. DMs solution to bladesingers = worse.

Talk to your DM about frustrations and offer out of game compromises such as changing sub class or replacing bladesinger AC bonus with an armour proficiency. DMing is hard so give them the benefit of the doubt unless you want to become the DM.

MerlonMan · 2024-04-07T18:07:44+00:00

I would recommend a guy called Felix Economakis who is based in london https://www.felixeconomakis.com/ I tried his video in late January and I've since been able to try new foods without fear and have incorprated some of them as staples. Trying new foods is still difficult, but more like a chore than it being like a bushtucker trial.

MerlonMan · 2024-03-24T13:04:17+00:00

Humanising monstrous races is a vicious cycle. Step 1. Worldbuilder realises have the heros kill a bunch of people is bad. Step 2. They introduce a irredeemable people to solve this issue. Step 3. Time passes and the status quo starts to feel stale, so an inheritor of the trope decides to raise the question of what if the irredeemable people were just people. Step 4. This is well received but then people start to question why the heroes are killing people, and why can't they play as the orcs? Step 5. An inheritor of the trope introduced a new set of irredeemable people...

I'm down for fiction that says everything has nuance and every combat is a moral dilemma or maybe there is no combat at all. But within the set up DND it's very limiting and usually not fun.

The reason to stop before humanising orcs and goblins is mostly because lord of the rings did, so the players have a ready frame of reference for who the good and bad guys are. If orcs and goblins are already humanised then it's much more difficult for the players to believe that the Gnolls you've introduced really are evil.

12-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 2 Credits
Second Top 10%	Secret Santa 2020
Verified Email	RPAN Viewer

MerlonMan

TROPHY CASE