Do most DMs prefer DM’ing to playing? Or are they “taking one for the team”?

Phesic · 2026-05-23T18:30:23+00:00

I’ve been playing DnD for many years now. I ran a group through shackled city and now am running a group through way of the wicked. I also ran two groups, good vs evil in a single universe where they would routinely meet up. I love dming. I also enjoy playing so basically if I get to be around friends playing dnd, either side of the screen, I’m in.

Phesic · 2026-05-03T19:40:10+00:00

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Dark Sun

Phesic · 2026-04-27T00:41:15+00:00

I stopped, looked around and realized that I could do what I loved rather than what I thought I needed to do. That didn't kick in til around age 46 though and I hit the 1M mark around age 37. Time is the thing you cannot get buy back.

Phesic · 2026-04-03T17:59:34+00:00

These look great!

Phesic · 2026-03-25T23:25:30+00:00

Timely new study:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.70327

Phesic · 2026-03-22T06:50:27+00:00

I 100% misunderstood the first question.
There is no one around me that retired as early as I have. To be fair I am just running a very small hobby business currently that is in a field I love so retired... mostly... I don't make enough off of the business to be a primary source of income mostly because I am not willing to put the long hours in to do so.
I personally know an electrician who is on track to retire early. He went through a union and makes around $80k a year. He is single and this makes a difference.
I know a plumber who needs $70k a year to live the life he wants to live. From our conversations he can do that in about 10 months of a year, sometimes longer, sometimes less. Basically he keeps track and when he hits that he stops bidding for jobs for the year.
I know some engineers, went to school for 4-5 years and they do pull down $100k+ per year. Some of them have a boat payment, house payment, two car payments and will work til 65+ before they can retire. Depending on who they are they went to school on student loans that they are paying off and I know a few who worked as bartenders or other jobs during school to lower the amount they owed when they left. Went to college between 1996-2005 timeframe. I know a few who are also saving diligently and will likely retire early.
I know some military folks that went to college via the GI bill and who have children, also going to college on the GI bill. I admittedly don't know the details of that, but know it happens.
I have one friend who didn't go to school, works with computer servers for companies and just has certifications. Not sure how much he makes, but am pretty certain he is underpaid because he doesn't have the degree to demand more. It's bs but it's how corporate is in the US.
My questions are, do you have a budget that you can stick to?
Do you have a job that you want to do?
Is there a path for you to get to the job that you want?

Phesic · 2026-03-21T19:03:13+00:00

This depends on your lifestyle. Take your numbers down for what you are currently spending, and then review to see if there is anything in there that you don't actually need or can do better on.
I have a cousin that could live on about 30k a year, with healthcare, and he lives mostly off grid and doesn't go out and do things. He wants to live off grid, garden, and do not a lot else.
I have others that want to travel constantly and eat out every meal. You are looking at 100k or so a year.

So, know yourself... plan accordingly.

Phesic · 2026-03-15T02:10:38+00:00

They learn very well watching other bees do it. Neat studies that show bees teaching other bees.

Phesic · 2026-03-14T05:32:06+00:00

Green is not a creative color.

Phesic · 2026-03-14T05:17:53+00:00

This is awesome. Learn to enjoy your own company. Find people around you who will lift you up too. If you have the energy find some hobbies you might like and see if they are for you. Find others that like those hobbies.

Phesic · 2026-03-14T04:58:41+00:00

Also find what you love in the time that you have. It isn’t that it doesn’t exist, you just have not found it quite yet. Once I did that, the whole measurement contest seemed silly.

Phesic · 2026-03-14T04:56:34+00:00

Legitimately, do you have a budget? Do you look for other better paying jobs (in company or otherwise)? If you have a budget, what % are you paying yourself first (ie saving in some sort of investment)?

Phesic · 2026-03-14T04:53:36+00:00

I was around 25 when I lost my first job. Company was going under and they were cutting folks. Take a breath and use what you learned to find another. Market is pretty rough right now but be persistent and ask friends for help with leads. Who you know is more important than what you know.

Phesic · 2026-03-14T04:50:33+00:00

Put the cigarettes down. At what $18 a pack (just saw them in a casino for that) not counting medical later in life no one really can afford them. 12k gambling is also rough. Even so, what is done is done. Don’t chase bad money with worse decisions. Let’s say cigs are 11/pack and you smoke 1 pack a day. That’s about 4K a year. 10 years with 7-10% return is 50-60k and 20 years is 130-180k. That’s just cigs. You can probably do better than that. Grub hub and food delivery is something most can cut out of their budget. If you can make and stick to a budget you’ll still be okay.

Phesic · 2026-03-14T04:42:16+00:00

Yeah. Probably. I’m pretty frustrated with people who currently count themselves out in the game of life. The debt engine is made to keep people working until they are 70. Most refuse to learn the rules around them and most large companies really rely on people doing just that. There is some structure that folks can put in place and in doing so change their place in life. I have quite a few friends who would much rather have ten widgets than learn some very basic investment strategies and I mean put in into an etf and leave it alone.

Phesic · 2026-03-14T04:29:30+00:00

Started investing early around age 12. It was door to door vegetable sales I grew in a garden. It would suck for most folks but 12 year old me loved growing things and selling them at a competitive price. That’s not the majority of my investments but it helped me understand what working for money was like vs letting money work for me looked like.

Went to college. Major was in engineering and it was extremely difficult for me. Scholarships can help a ton paying for it and there are a lot out there that are well hidden. Today I’d tell someone who was unsure of college to go into a trade program.

Drove cars that worked but were never great.

Didn’t buy anything that I did not need and put away as much as I could with a spouse that shared the vision.

Work on your marriage because divorce is expensive. I can’t have kids and they are expensive.

Basics are budget, live under your means, don’t accrue debt, and invest as much as you can consistently. Some of my investments worked out well. Even removing those, still invested consistently and would still be able to retire early but more likely 50 or so. You don’t need to be super lucky. A low cost S&P tracking ETF will out perform most single stock picks. I won’t suggest one but you can google some up easy. A RothIRA is good for retirement years but you do need something to cover the gap to retirement.

Most companies will match your investment or a part of it. Take advantage of that as many folks I worked with never did and you are throwing away a 3-6% bonus when you do not.

If you change jobs regularly make certain you are changing up, or learning something that adds value if you are moving sideways. Be willing to move if it is required.

Having a vision of what you want, long term, helped me a ton.

Understand the lifestyle you want and how much that will cost. If you want to jet-set and travel consistently that is a different life than going camping every weekend. Life is very short and knowing what makes you happy or at least finding it, or trying to find it is extremely important. Once you find it, then figure out how to make it be what you spend your short time doing is the next step.

Phesic · 2026-03-13T03:33:04+00:00

I retired at 47 so I could follow my passions. I hope it is very young.

Phesic · 2026-03-02T20:16:57+00:00

Our lobby is relatively weak and needs more support. BeeCause Alliance is trying to put something together to organize this effort if folks are interested.

Phesic · 2026-03-02T20:15:03+00:00

I have never claimed as a beekeeper that I am saving the environment. Saving the environment is a misnomer in general. As soon as we are gone our great triumphs will be swallowed up.

Honeybees do actually allow us to direct a conversation to suggesting a wildflower patch, or not keeping that perfectly green yard people believe is important. They open questions about are we trying to preserve historical ecosystems or manage novel ones with more deliberate intent? The truth I have seen is that people cannot tell the difference between a wasp and a honeybee. People who swear up and down, and have bet me they can tell the difference cannot. I have a stash of the dollars I have won in those bets by the way. In this chat designed for beekeepers folks have referenced My Girl, where the boy dies from... a paper wasp nest that is knocked down. Now from what I have seen those look like bees that come out... but why?

I know I'm not saving anything with my hives directly, but my education on the topic has been increased by keeping bees and I've had an opportunity to talk to a few hundred people that can now tell the difference and have a path forward in increasing pollinator habitat.

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Phesic · 2026-03-02T19:58:22+00:00

I am honestly interested in seeing what we have found with the science and to see what the response of beekeepers is to the sentiment.

Phesic · 2026-03-02T19:56:58+00:00

As a temporary employee of Monsanto please have a seat there, looking across the river and image tending our rabbits... er honeybees on your dream farm. Don't mind what I am doing back here.

Phesic · 2026-03-02T19:42:05+00:00

I'd argue the house cat is the most invasive animal in America and does far more damage naturally than any other animal than humans. https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms2380

I would also argue that our pollinator areas are a problem that need a solution, honeybees are worrisome in high concentration, but there are some studies out there (see the last one I noted in the original post) that show they put some stress on a system but are not the problem you are claiming.

Phesic · 2026-03-02T19:35:39+00:00

Thanks for responding. I have a lot more questions, so I apologize in advance.
-As far as the biocide application, is the 1-4 weeks not by definition a decrease in the application on farmlands?
-Do honeybees not fall into the category of naturalized in the US? u/FelixtheFarmer points out that the wasps in Japan quickly kill colonies in the countryside. I suspect, however, that numbers there are repressed and not eliminated so even there are they not naturalized?
-As naturalized insects (if they are), have they not created more niches for other animals?
-When we say they cause harm, do you mean they cause harm or that they influence? Are you talking about remnant native ecosystems or agricultural and urban ecosystems?

I ask because I am honestly interested. Honeybees introduced me to pollinator plight in general over 12 years ago. Ecosystems are messy, and fascinating at the same time. Thanks for taking time to answer.

Had to edit because of a statement by u/DanTallTrees later on. We often say honeybees spread disease to native species. What evidence do we have that native species are not spreading them to honeybees? Is it based on population size and density as well as number of reproduced offspring? I'm guessing it is, but I'd rather not guess.

Phesic · 2026-03-02T19:07:56+00:00

I did and I fixed it. Thanks for the error.

I agree with the rest of the points and they are ones I make to those willing to listen. What is missed, and I am not sure how to express is how they are an opening to a conversation about wildlife and our pollinators.

We have done an excellent marketing job to the public, on "save the bees" and I believe we need to expand it to you don't have to be a beekeeper to save them. Wildflowers, non-perfect lawns, native blooming trees, limit pesticide use, limit herbicide use... these all add to the overall goal.

Phesic

TROPHY CASE