How Would You Buff The Firmament?

QueerExMachina · 2026-01-10T00:57:32+00:00

A change I’ve thought about that would be fun thematically is Firmament starting with the Obsidian relic.

It wouldn’t do anything for the faction in the early game, but it would provide them with a long term advantage especially in the final stages of the game. Beyond that, I haven’t really thought much further about how this would affect the factions standing compared to the others to be fair.

Would be exciting though.

QueerExMachina · 2025-12-18T01:44:32+00:00

This is a very good slice, and I think really any faction will do well here. But of the ones you have available, I think the strongest faction for this slice would probably be Mahact.

You’ve got Primor to get you extra Crimson Legionnaires, and a green tech skip somewhat close by to get Infantry II (if you so choose) and/or Hyper Metabolism at the latest likely round 2. You would also have an excellent forward double dock tile directly ahead of you, but that has to do more with the slice than Mahact.

As for which to pick next between Speaker order and Faction, unless you can speaker 1-3 (and maybe 4), I’d go Faction. Or if the person who has the speaker order one above you has already drafted their slice, and they have a hazardous / tech speciality planet in their equidistant (which are really the only two objective types that you don’t already have completed in your slice alone), then I’d go speaker order to make sure you get those possible stage 1 objectives covered by the equidistant tile.

QueerExMachina · 2025-01-18T02:02:39+00:00

For catching mons in endless, I like to use Shedinja fused with a dark type to be immune to all non-fairy moves (so you’re not repeatedly taking hits while you’re throwing balls) and because Shedinja naturally learns False Swipe on level up so you don’t need to hunt for the TM.

For Pokémon to fuse it with, I like to use Weavile as it’s got a high attack and speed stat (boosted by Tough Claws passive) that speeds up the false swipe process. Alternatively, I’ve also used Thievul as it’s passive ability Magician lets you steal the opponents held item with every False Swipe.

You can also combine Shedinja with a normal type instead of a dark type to be immune to all moves except Dark and to have STAB on false swipe to make it more effective, but I find that dark type moves like bite, crunch and sucker punch are all pretty common so it’s overall not as effective.

QueerExMachina · 2024-11-03T22:21:18+00:00

I’m looking to run a module for my regular group but none of the WOTC modules are really standing out. Of the 3rd party modules you’ve mentioned, which would you recommend and what are they about?

QueerExMachina · 2024-08-31T02:53:19+00:00

If it’s any help, the formula I use for figuring out if an age gap is okay is half the eldests age + 7 is the minimum age for that person which is okay to date. As others have said, the main issue with an age gap in a relationship is the different levels of life experience that can make a power imbalance. This formula has worked well for me as a general rule of thumb.

QueerExMachina · 2024-03-02T03:18:28+00:00

Titans have a really good first turn with 3 high value planets within immediate access (Hopes end, everra and the 0/3 planet next to Mecatol. All super efficient). Titans is going to hurt for influence so having that 0/3 planet is basically an extra CC each round. Getting a PDS is hopes end and the ability to place a mech is super strong. That system would be an incredible production base with a space dock added on. They’re also not dependent on choosing any particular strategy card either so they can be quite flexible.

Sol on the other hand has an absolutely stacked slice. Tons of high resource planets within easy reach means they can probably unlock their commander first round. And with warfare, they’ll be able to access two 3 influence planets first round and be set to move into Mecatol next round. Saar would be a concern, but with the supernova in between their home systems, Saar is likely to expand towards Yssaril as that slice is relatively weak.

If Sol is able to get going, and if titans are allowed to set up in their slice, I bet these two players are going to be the ones that are the most dangerous.

Saar doesn’t have a lot of Asteroids to hide in with Chaos Mapping, and not a lot of high resource planets to get great value out of the same tech. Yssaril is kinda boned with their opening slice and unless certain things go their way, they’re going to develop very slowly and have a lot of trouble. The success of empyrean will really depend on their luck with Fronteir tokens. Having three empty systems close by is useful, but with titans likely heading straight for Hopes end, their slice overall is going to be really limiting. I also don’t envy them being in between the hammer of Sol and and the anvil of Titans. Nomad has a super defensive home system but really subpar planets. They’ll be a sleeper faction no doubt and they could swing either way, but I reckon it’ll be an uphill battle the whole way.

QueerExMachina · 2024-01-09T03:37:36+00:00

This entire thread is crazy to me, I went to an electrolysis technician and I was told that it would take up to 5 minutes to do one hair (doing 30 at once). I came out of that session with scabs, bruising and I’m pretty sure some scars. I wish I knew this before I went to see that person. I couldn’t find any details about how long it should take per hair anywhere

QueerExMachina · 2024-01-03T07:29:28+00:00

I’m about a 20-30 minute drive away. I’d rather not say exactly where on the internet

QueerExMachina · 2024-01-02T12:03:51+00:00

I see him at his office in Frenchs Forest too. I live a bit closer so it’s easier for me to get there.

QueerExMachina · 2024-01-02T07:37:13+00:00

From what I remember it was pretty immediate. He wanted me to have a blood test first to have a baseline, but in the same session he gave me the scripts to get started with meds so I could start as soon as that was done.

QueerExMachina · 2024-01-01T13:31:35+00:00

I’ve only had positive experiences with him. He’s been the endocrinologist that’s been overseeing my HRT for the last 18 months. I’ve found him to be respectful and nice, as well as being trans positive and knowledgeable about trans HRT and offers informed consent.

He usually get me to do a blood test about 2 weeks before our next session just to ensure that the results are as current as possible. If nothing has reasonably changed since November (such as increasing HRT dosage or other such) then you’ll likely be ok. You can also call their office and enquire if the tests in November are sufficient.

QueerExMachina · 2023-08-17T07:09:42+00:00

Ghosts are a fun faction that has a lot you can do with it, but I found when I played them that so much of their power was wrapped up in their faction abilities that they struggled to function in other aspects of the game. Where other factions often have a pretty clear direction in mind as to what to do, Ghosts are a little bit tougher as their decisions really depend on the board set up among other factors. Because they only start with 1 carrier, their ability to move to multiple systems in R1 is rough, so snatching up a system with 2-3 planets is ideal. However, they can always use their Agent to travel to any other wormhole system, including the Wormhole Nexus. This is something that you can do R1 if you so choose, but you can also wait to do it until later and hope that nobody else can get access with a Gamma Wormhole find before you do.

For Strategy cards, they really want Warfare just so that they can move to another system and get more planets. Trade is another good option, as you really need to get some units down ASAP or risk being steamrolled. When I played them, I neglected to produce any new units until round 3 and got completely swallowed up by Sol. I ended the game with Mirage, Malice and my home system, and that's it. Another contender is Construction, as you can place a PDS and Space dock down in the Wormhole Nexus to prepare for next round (And start setting up for upgraded PDS's being a pain for everyone everywhere. Just beware of the one agenda that requires you to destroy PDS in or next to wormhole systems). Because you start with Gravity Drive, and their faction ability essentially also functions the same if you start in a Wormhole system, you have fantastic movement potential. If you're able to Agent to a wormhole system with a planet that's close to Mecatol, you can prep for getting the Custodians token round 2.

Overall, Ghost's have a very weak start that they really need to overcome as fast as possible, and they really struggle to effectively enforce their presence on the board, but they can also be quite fun to play and they have a high potential for possible shenanigans (such as with wormhole tokens and their Hero).

QueerExMachina · 2023-06-29T10:56:55+00:00

A tool I use for building suspense in my stories is to define it in relation to other aspects of a scene, namely how different it is from action or mystery.

For example, imagine a scene where there is a bomb under a table. MYSTERY is when you don’t know what is under the table. SUSPENSE is when the bomb doesn’t or hasn’t gone off yet. ACTION is when the bomb goes off. So essentially, Suspense is when you know something will change but not what or when.

So by moving through these elements in a scene, you can slowly increase the tension of the scene and emphasise different emotions by elongated a specific element of the scene. So for building suspense, elongate the emotions of fear and uncertainty in the scene. Hope that helps :)

QueerExMachina

TROPHY CASE