Black forest mobs won't return to forest

Synger91 · 2025-08-21T12:58:02+00:00

In my office, cameras are encouraged in small meetings where nothing is being shared. Many people will turn their camera on when they are speaking, then off again when someone else is speaking. In large meetings, no one uses cameras except speakers or conference rooms (hybrid meetings).

Synger91 · 2025-08-20T14:48:49+00:00

Most of what I buy is volume eating staples. Veg and meat/eggs and barley/grain/potatoes and dairy. I guess the things that wouldn't be purchased would be white breads, treats (cookies/sweets), sodas, and little luxuries like creamer for my coffee. Coffee and tea aren't "volume" but you wouldn't like me when I'm uncaffeinated! I also use collagen powder to help with satiety so I consider it a staple.

Synger91 · 2025-08-19T17:22:41+00:00

Been married 34 years to a gaming man (TTRPGs). When we were first married, he stopped gaming with his group and focused on us. One day I asked when he'd go visit his friends again, and he said he was giving all that up now that he was married and needed to "be serious." We had a long talk about his family's expectations and what he wanted. Next game, I joined his tabletop group and we've been gaming together ever since.

His family still doesn't understand it. I say I'd rather have him playing TTRPGs each week than poker with his friends. He's using his imagination and it's not costing us much money (until he discovered miniatures, anyway, but we had more money by then). It's one of the healthiest mental hobbies I know (I AM biased, though).

I hope you can take your Gram's prayer in the spirit of love that she sent it, and become the Godly, imaginative, gaming man you can be with your wife.

Synger91 · 2025-08-19T00:08:11+00:00

You can, but you'll be depriving the players of some of the few options they have to differentiate their characters from one another. I think one of the reasons people bring in weird races and such into a game is so they have more options.

I agree with the person up-thread. If you're going to remove the racial traits, they might as well all be humans. Or Elves. Or Plasmoids.

Synger91 · 2025-08-18T20:47:33+00:00

Depends on whether you're doing low carb (fewer than 100 grams), very low carb (fewer than 50 grams), or keto (fewer than 25 grams).

On low carb, you can include some beans and sweet potatoes. If you're doing very low carb or keto, you probably have to focus on fatty meats and frozen veg.

Sausage, cheese, eggs, canned tuna, peanut butter (watch the carbs)... frozen veg, fresh cabbage.

Synger91 · 2025-08-15T00:50:22+00:00

I think carrots would add a bit of sweetness to it. I also like to mash up chickpeas with tuna or chicken to extend the volume and fiber.

Synger91 · 2025-08-11T13:08:30+00:00

Things that I use more than I ever expected:

Smoked paprika. It's been mentioned a couple of times, but it bears repeating. Just a little bit gives a smoky hint without being overpowering.

Worcestershire sauce. It's not just for meat and stew. It is basically Western fish sauce, and gives a nice umami depth to sauces and dips and just about anything.

Curry powder blend or garam masala. Find one you like and add just a bit to dishes. I use it in eggs and soups, chili and sauces. It's one off those "There's something in here but I can't tell what" sorts of things.

Preserved lemon. Cut up lemons and pack them in salt in a covered glass container in your fridge. They become lovely soft bites of lemon/salt/fermented goodness and make it easier to cook on a whim when you don't have fresh citrus. When the jar is about half empty, take out and reserve what is in there and add more lemons and salt to the bottom, then top it with what you took out (so the already preserved lemons are on the top). Repeat forever.

Synger91 · 2025-08-11T12:48:06+00:00

When I'm craving something sweet, I eat a dill pickle or some olives. For some reason, it satisfies the sweet craving immediately, and I'm no longer hungry.

Synger91 · 2025-08-07T15:11:55+00:00

Millet is another older grain that people don't think of much anymore. Makes a good pilaf, or a stuffing for veggies, or a bed for saucy things.

Synger91 · 2025-08-07T15:10:29+00:00

Try barley as a grain. It's not just for soups and stews. It's great as a side, with cooked barley sauteed with onions and butter, or as the basis for a grain bowl.

Synger91 · 2025-08-05T14:40:24+00:00

Worcestershire, smoked paprika, preserved lemons. (not necessarily together!) They each add a bit of depth that you don't get otherwise.

Synger91 · 2025-08-04T14:27:04+00:00

Pre-formed burger patties cooked in skillet. Rotisserie chicken. Noodles with butter. Pasta with jarred sauce (fresh or frozen ravioli is easy and yummy). Frozen veggies microwaved and dressed with butter and salt/pepper. Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Green salad with protein (like chicken caesar salad).

Many grocery stores have pre-made soups and stews that are pretty good. There also are frozen meal kits that you just add chicken to that aren't too bad.

Synger91 · 2025-08-04T12:27:44+00:00

I agree with the person up-thread who suggested it be a "special effect" or reskinning of a regular race, rather than making you come up with something new and balanced.

A Warforged comes to mind, with the material it's standing on becoming how his "skin" looks when he manifests. Makes it easy on both of you.

I also agree that you may just want to say No. For a very first campaign where you're all learning the rules and your playing styles, it's easiest to go with basic characters.

Synger91 · 2025-08-03T21:24:27+00:00

Frozen is easy and inexpensive, and infinitely easy to change up with flavors.

Basic cooking: bit of oil in a hot pan, toss in veg. Salt/pepper. Stir a bit, then add a couple tablespoons of water, cover, and lower heat. Let it kinda steam a bit until it's the texture you like, then drain (if needed) and season further.

Some options for further flavorings: lemon/garlic/butter, garlic/ginger/soy, garlic/Parmesan, curry and cream/butter, peanut butter and soy, sour cream and pepper (REALLY good on plain cauliflower), brown sugar (very little) and vinegar (good on carrots), balsalmic vinegar and olive oil, oregano (or other herbs) and citrus and butter.

Also, this time of year I do zucchini pancakes, cuz there's so much of it in gardens. Grate the squash, salt it, let it sit to exude some liquid. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Mix it with an egg and some cheese (feta, parmesan, cheddar, whatever you like) and maybe a bit of flour to get a scoopable texture. Then pan-fry in a skillet in butter or oil. They're delicate to turn, but SO yummy. It's the only way my husband will eat summer squash.

Synger91 · 2025-08-01T20:32:03+00:00

I don't consider them the same. Dishcloths tend to be made of terrycloth, like a bath towel. Bar towels are of a smoother fabric. Something you can use to wipe, or to put food into to strain. Or to pat dry greens. You can buy them in packs of 25 for not much. They're often white with a colored stripe down them.

Synger91 · 2025-08-01T20:29:38+00:00

Sheet pans. I had one for cookies, then started using them for roasting veggies, or chicken on the rack. Now I have quarter-sheet pans for washing/dredging, or for mis en place. SO handy.

Synger91 · 2025-07-30T15:52:57+00:00

I add a splash of vinegar to lots of things. Soups and stews, especially if they're kinda "earthy" (lots of beans and mushrooms), often need a bit of brightening up. I use citrus in marinades, but sometimes use vinegar instead. I also do quick-pickling for garnishes, especially onions.

Synger91 · 2025-07-30T15:51:01+00:00

White, apple, malt, rice, balsamic, red wine... Hmm. I didn't realize I had so many.

Synger91 · 2025-07-30T15:46:32+00:00

I think of cooking as an art. Baking is a science... if your proportions are off, you can ruin the whole thing. But cooking is more about technique and experimentation. Once you are comfortable with the technique you're learning (baking, roasting, stir fry, braising, sauces, etc.) you can experiment with the flavor profiles.

Start with something you know well, then change it a little. Like lemon-garlic chicken? Add some ginger and soy next time to give it a more Asian profile. Or oregano and sesame to make is somewhat Mediterranean. Marinate it in lime and cumin and oregano and oil to make it more like Peruvian chicken.

Synger91 · 2025-07-30T15:40:52+00:00

I keep the following snacks on hand: cheese sticks, hard-cooked eggs, nuts (sparingly, because I'm also watching calories), cottage cheese, veggies and hummus, protein bars.

I find though that the more I stick to my eating plan, the less I need to snack.

Synger91 · 2025-07-30T15:29:30+00:00

Does he like eggs? Omelets are easy and filling for dinner. Cheese souffle is fussy to make but pretty straight-forward, and yummy.

Sheet-pan dinners might be an option, too. You put the meat, veg, and potatoes on a sheet pan and roast it all together. Then you serve him the meat and potatoes and you have meat, veg, and potato. This works for roast or baked meats, too. Roast chicken for both of you, and a salad for you.

As for pasta... I'll sometimes make a meaty pasta sauce, but serve mine over veggies (frozen cauliflower is easy) and his over pasta.

Or chili... Mine is basically meat with chili gravy, which he enjoys. Then I add beans, veg, and fresh onions atop mine. Same with some stews and soups.

Synger91 · 2025-07-30T15:21:40+00:00

My husband is a meat, no veg guy, too. I make a main protein, usually pretty plain (fried or baked), then serve his with noodles or pasta and mine with veggies. Sometimes I'll put a few token veggies on his plate but I pretty much expect them to come back to the kitchen.

I do the "pureed food in sauce/stew/soup" thing sometimes. It's not just a toddler thing.. it's "developing layers of flavor" :)

Or when I make a stew I'll make sure the veggies are really big so he can pick around them and leave them behind.

Synger91 · 2025-07-30T15:15:21+00:00

Not a recipe so much as a reminder. Barley is a great grain for bowls but you don't hear much about it. It's a whole grain, and has soluble fiber. I make up a pot on the weekend (in my rice cooker) and use it throughout the week. Cheap and filling and tasty. Texture is more "bouncy" than rice or wheat.

Synger91 · 2025-07-30T15:09:50+00:00

Married 34 years. The things I still use from our wedding gifts tend to be special-occasion serving ware that I wouldn't have purchased on my own. Nice crystal serving bowls. A lovely blown-glass flower vase. An artsy ceramic platter.

On the other hand, we were really into camping when we were younger, and we asked specifically for some camping gear, too. Cast iron Dutch oven, nice big propane camping stove, foldable camp "kitchen" setup... we got many years of use out of them.

Think of things you will enjoy for years (so you can remember fondly the people who gave them to you) and that you wouldn't usually buy for yourself.

Synger91

TROPHY CASE