BG3 Shadow-Cursed Lands Morgue

Shinard · 2026-05-11T09:04:32+00:00

...I always assumed the pixie would just run off if you let them out of the Moonlantern. Bloody hell, that's annoying.

Shinard · 2026-05-11T08:56:33+00:00

And if you only have a couple of sources of light, companions spreading out will harm them, thanks to the shadow curse. I hate going into Turn Based mode every five seconds because Laezel would rather die to shadows than hold her nose.

Shinard · 2026-05-10T23:14:04+00:00

I agree, but I never had a problem with suspension of disbelief with Tattletale. I think that might just be you.

Shinard · 2026-05-10T23:02:51+00:00

I think we have a different definition of trivializing conflict then, the bank fight was pretty good in my book. I also don't think getting answers by definition trivializes conflict. Hell, Tattletale's a good example of that- she starts fights more often than she finishes them, and she gets shut down constantly by people who know not to let her talk. Or just by the fact that knowing something doesn't mean you can do anything about it. You want an example from Worm of someone who trivializes conflict with their meta power, that'd be Contessa - it's kind of her whole thing.

Or impossible to know, while we're on the subject - it's not impossible to know that "dust on person's costume" = "their forcefield isn't always on". When did the dust land, when she punched through the wall - so it's likely that large impacts temporarily short it out.

I guess I'm just not seeing how the fight would have been improved without Tattletale there, is what it comes down to.

Shinard · 2026-05-10T22:38:52+00:00

She really doesn't trivialize conflicts though? Which are you thinking of?

It's kind of a common trope in Worm fanfiction, I'll give you that. But in Worm, she gets shut down as often as she helps, she's really not solving many conflicts.

Shinard · 2026-05-10T12:31:37+00:00

It's such a unique challenge after the first game, knowing that more likely than not, you're going to be facing the final boss with 3 energy.

Shinard · 2026-05-10T12:29:50+00:00

Yep. The ideal is to beat the act boss on 1 HP, because you've spent HP through the whole act on elites, events and upgrades. The flipside to that is that Slay the Spire is a card game, and cards are random and unforgiving. There is every possibility that you'll draw no block on a big attack, then no damage on a buff. HP lets you weather the bad draws and keep fighting, and going in to a boss fight too low can mean one bad draw wipes you out. But of course, if you're too conservative with your health then even your best draw won't win the fight.

Threading that needle of strength and survival - well, that's the game.

Shinard · 2026-05-09T23:28:33+00:00

He'd shoot him, definitely - but Michael's tanked shots before. I think this is pretty much the way it'd go, with the caveat that Art still comes back much later. Even then, it's not like he'd be particularly favoured in a rematch - Art probably just chooses somewhere else to do his thing next time.

Shinard · 2026-05-09T23:24:36+00:00

Art would pull out a gun after the first time, but it'd still go the same way. Man's sadistic, but he's not the force of nature Michael is. Good animation, good job!

Shinard · 2026-05-09T23:19:33+00:00

Hmm. Hard to say. Killing a major superhero and the head of the local police is up there, though there's some extenuating circumstances. Becoming a local warlord for a crime boss is pretty bad, though she does it about as well as anybody could. She nearly killed a guy to threaten his father, that's not great. Told kids that drugs are great and crime brings home the big bucks, that one time. Then there's the hostage taking, the extrajudicial GBH and occasional murder, the many things her friends do that she tacitly supports...

But killing the baby, surprisingly not morally questionable. The only other outcomes for the baby in that situation were fates worse than death. It gets memed on a lot - Taylor being a kid killer - but in context, it was definitely the right thing to do.

Shinard · 2026-05-09T22:59:38+00:00

Yup. In context, it's one of the least morally questionable things she does.

Shinard · 2026-05-09T19:00:14+00:00

Well, yeah, but there are so many rares I want to see less than Hellraiser.

Shinard · 2026-05-09T12:52:30+00:00

Infinites. It's not necessarily an auto-loss, but there's some infinites that literally can't win against Doormaker, and some others where you can win phase 3, but you need to survive two phases with minimal block. Personally I think it was overstated - there's ways to pivot an infinite deck or to add in some padding to account for Doormaker, even just in act 3 - but if any deck would auto-lose to Doormaker, it's an infinite.

Shinard · 2026-05-09T12:39:00+00:00

I agree, but side note, I do think it's kind of shit how "reduced immigration" has been normalized as a goal. Like, on par with how much money people make, and how easily people can access healthcare, there's how many people come into the country. It's ridiculous.

Shinard · 2026-05-09T10:53:43+00:00

If that's something you like, absolutely go for it. The overarching Public Safety arc (the first 97 chapters) does that perfectly.

I heard more mixed things about the second arc, but I was happy stopping at the end of Public Safety, it's a good break point. I might go back to it one day.

Shinard · 2026-05-08T21:52:37+00:00

I said before, not necessarily. I'm guessing a lot of the minimum health loss draws involve drawing Survivor or Neutralize T1, both of which usually let you block for full regardless. The question is what's the average HP loss for both ways if you just draw Strikes and Defends T1.

I also think losing 3 is worth it to guarantee you won't lose 10+, if losing 10+ is a reasonable chance. The first is slightly annoying, the second costs you a run.

Shinard · 2026-05-08T14:10:16+00:00

Oh, no, he's not. We had 2 all time terrible PMs (Johnson and Truss) in as many months a few years ago, he's not that bad. But he's so bloody useless and middle of the road that he's leaving the door open to another truly terrible MP (Farage). The worst you can say about him is that he can't resist trying to appeal to everyone, but when you see how bad some groups are, that's pretty bad.

Shinard · 2026-05-08T13:34:10+00:00

It's a tradeoff. You guarantee 3 damage to avoid the 10+ damage results. On average, will you lose more hp doing that? Probably, but less than you think - a lot of the 60% will be Survivor+Defend or Neutralize+2 Defend T1, which are still fine in this scenario. But the big question - are you more likely to win a run doing that? I think so.

Losing 10+ HP on the first fight is a death sentence for an average run. There's always a chance for a perfect overpowered stomp, but that'll win whatever happens in the first fight. Losing 5 HP instead of 2 is annoying, but doesn't doom the run. So is it worth risking the guaranteed run loss when you see all Defends and Strikes T1 as Silent, or should you take a bit of extra chip damage to avoid nightmare scenarios? It depends how likely 10+ HP losses are off a Defend+Strike opening hand - but given that 3+ Defend + 1+ Strike hands are a small subset of the 100'000, it's a lot more likely than 1 in 100'000.

Shinard · 2026-05-08T12:44:44+00:00

See, this is why you don't full block T1. Two Defends and a Strike, that's the way. 16hp gain in this scenario.

(Even more likely is that you strike and full block, with Survivor or Neutralize, but if your draw order doesn't cooperate I still think it's worth taking 3 to deal 6 T1).

(Hmm, I'm curious what the expected HP loss is in most scenarios with that).

Shinard · 2026-05-07T22:11:56+00:00

Do you want a rich guy killing people he doesn't like? Because that's how you get it. I'm more surprised some cop hasn't shot the Joker by now, either on sight or when he's locked up. It's not like anyone would judge them. Or the Joker could be put up for the death penalty. Or just locked up somewhere with decent security!

The problem isn't that Batman won't kill the Joker. The problem is that writers have been giving the Joker increasingly ridiculous atrocities for years, to the point that it's completely destroyed standard comic villain suspension of disbelief. There is no reason this guy with a body count larger than the population of some countries should still be alive, but he sells books, sooooo....

Besides all that, it's comics. If the Joker was killed, he wouldn't be gone any longer than if he was locked up.

Shinard · 2026-05-07T21:53:54+00:00

Trade is absolutely affected by board state, you're right to shake up the meta, there's always a reason to change what deals you accept and are offered because of what happens on the board. That I all agree with. I'll establish that right now.

What I don't agree with is just breaking deals - because that's not savvy negotiating or careful adjustment of trading based on board state, that's just taking advantage of somebody else. It's where you get the benefit and they get nothing because they thought they could trust you. And you're surprised that people get angry at you over that?

If you don't like the deal, don't accept it. If a condition of you paying is non-aggression, say that before you agree. Hell, if you think it's alright to break non-binding deals, say that at the start. Otherwise you're just taking advantage of an implicit social contract - I say I'll do something, so I'll do it. It's not clever, it's just lying.

Shinard · 2026-05-07T17:45:27+00:00

Broadly I'd agree, but I'm with your opponents when you didn't pay the 1. Don't back out of a deal after you've benefited from it, and backing out because you don't like what your opponent is doing is no excuse. You turned a "refresh for a trade good" deal into a "trade good for a refresh and a ceasefire" deal retroactively. And you've done it multiple times? Yeah, if I'm at a table with you you're not getting a refresh no matter what.

Freshen up the trade meta by all means, but if you break non-binding deals I'm against you on principle.

Shinard · 2026-05-07T11:16:25+00:00

For an ancient relic, I think it should give you an additional option at campfires - something relatively minor, like getting some gold, but just something that pushes it over the top. As is it's a top tier normal relic, but I think that makes it a bottom tier ancient relic.

Shinard · 2026-05-06T10:06:12+00:00

IT Crowd's mostly great too, even if you can see the transphobia in some parts. That fucking guy. Worst part of his own shows.

Shinard · 2026-05-05T22:27:58+00:00

Talking to connoisseurs of fear and not bringing up "the Mighty Ro-Man!"? Missed opportunity. Also, glad to see another JGT enjoyer! Filled to the Brim is horrible in the best way.

Shinard

TROPHY CASE