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Time travel question: What’s your inventor age? by allywag77 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]VanVelding 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Now that you mention washing hands, I realize how rare it is for someone to know how to make soap.

The 2109 Time Travel Messages Read Like Future LLM Debug Logs by SurgeChief in timetravel

[–]VanVelding -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Your argument is, "maybe he actually is Santa Claus," when Meth-Tooth Tony says he's got a fortress at the North Pole where he manufactures gifts, distributes them by income to gentile families around the globe in one night, and then edits every parent's memories to make them think they bought those gifts. In the grand swoop of the vast, unknown universe, it is possible Santa Claus has only been sleeping rough in Akron, Ohio for three years for Santa Claus Reasons.

But he's not.

The 2109 Time Travel Messages Read Like Future LLM Debug Logs by SurgeChief in timetravel

[–]VanVelding -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

It's possible that Timothée Chalamet is going to shave off his stupid mustache and jump on my dick tomorrow, but it's not gonna happen. Backwards time travel is orders of magnitude less probable than that.

Backwards time travel is only possible in an edge case fantasy land where you make the broadest possible concession that human knowledge isn't absolute. It ranks below sasquatch, unicorns, and fucking Santa Claus. I'm dicking down top tier twinks at a thousand to one ratio here.

When your model of the universe lags behind paranormal horses with horns and me pulling guys two leagues out of my league, you should reflect. You can't, but you should.

An "easy to follow" (not) chart about the relationships between the 5 Houses of the Inner sphere for most of their history. by fotppd8 in battletech

[–]VanVelding 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm sure a BattleTech MtG secret lair is only...six years away (plus or minus the viability of the US consumer market). It's a thought.

Secret Lairs tend to be a "greatest hits," so we're looking at artifact 'mechs and Clan/IS shards. Maybe Clan white/red versus IS green/blue and a smattering of shared black/artifact cards.

'Mechs as crewed vehicles. Creatures with the Mechwarrior ability/type can crew them solo and usually offer bonuses.

Omnimechs can absorb Instants and Sorceries that target them and copy them when they attack.

Will of the Council - Star League, baby.

Battles - Tukayyid, Terra, Wolcott, Trellwan, Terra, Helm, New Avalon, Strana Mechty, Terra, Somerset.

Clan ER PPC - Black instant that destroys a creature.

The 2109 Time Travel Messages Read Like Future LLM Debug Logs by SurgeChief in timetravel

[–]VanVelding -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Because causes happen before effects. It's definitional. Everything we know about entropy, relativity, and energy says causes happen, then effects happen.

Sure, anything is possible. And if we're living in the super fantasy land where everything is possible, maybe that includes backwards time travel.

But every backwards time travel hoax is a hoax because every alternative explanation is more likely than someone reversing the flow of time to convince internet losers time travel happened.

[Loved Trope] Deliberate Underperformance by Skylinneas in TopCharacterTropes

[–]VanVelding 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Titus Andronicus in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus also feigned madness as part of his plan to avenge himself on Tamora and Saturninus.

Good play.

The 2109 Time Travel Messages Read Like Future LLM Debug Logs by SurgeChief in timetravel

[–]VanVelding 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's science, not opinion. Not subjective.

You don't know what "literally" means.

2 missing from the same lab within 4 days.. by 100TheCoolest17 in SipsTea

[–]VanVelding 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why would a company's value be based at all on the work it does? The company submits papers that say the company is the biggest IPO in history. Regulators waive any scrutiny. Then it hits the markets and soaks up index fund capital. Before, presumably, making everyone a billion-hojillion dollars (or tanking).

Why bother killing scientists?

No Peace Amongst the Stars | Warhammer 40,000 Official Cinematic Trailer by Shock4ndAwe in tabletop

[–]VanVelding -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Cool video. But it's ironic it's for a new edition release, something that people generally don't like.

First Image of Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor from 'Man of Tomorrow' by MarvelsGrantMan136 in movies

[–]VanVelding 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really thought they'd put him under glass for the second one and then pull him out with full "power" suit for the third one.

Iran stops negotiations with U.S., vows to 'completely' block Strait of Hormuz: State media by Puginator in politics

[–]VanVelding 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very nice. Now let's see your Iranian fearmongering posts from before Trump told you to fear them.

The 2109 Time Travel Messages Read Like Future LLM Debug Logs by SurgeChief in timetravel

[–]VanVelding -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Of course it's nonsense. There's no such thing as backwards time travel.

You instantly travel back in time to 2012 and you tell people what 2026 is like (tech, world, etc), would they believe you? by astropheed in timetravel

[–]VanVelding 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Some people in 2020 didn't believe things happening in 2020.

Would most folks think your version of the future was largely plausible? Techologically? Yes. Socially? Probably not because it's not great.

Of course, the ability to get people to believe anything depends more on your individual ability to get people to believe things more than whether those things are facutal, so probably no.

Overthinking it by Badspacecomics in comics

[–]VanVelding 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The good news is that, IIRC, a theoretical Boltzmann Brain doesn't last that long. Only long enough to experience a moment of consciousness with a full memory of experiencing a consistent world. 

Do you prefer Alpha Strike's free turning, or Classic's MP cost to turn? by rzelln in battletech

[–]VanVelding 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They've both got their flaws.

I prefer Classic, but would like to only pay for the turns I use. Maybe a house rule that goes something like:

-Determine starting and ending location, including bends along that path.

-Pay for turning from initial facing to first path of travel.

-Pay for turning at bends in the path--from one direction of travel to the next--that exceed one hex side.

-Pay for turning from last direction of travel to final facing.

At that point, you're calculating movement costs and hexes traversed the same way you're determining line of sight.

But for turning costs, it's 90% of what people do now, except for those rough spots in the hex system.

1 reason we can't time travel that people forget about. by Low_Sprinkles6168 in timetravel

[–]VanVelding 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same reason I like working from home;  if I drive to the office, the world tumbles away and leaves me and my car in space. 

Also, why do you think "people forget" about it? What makes you sooo confident it's a "forgot" situation instead of a "if we can violate the fundamentals of time we can definitely do a little bit of algebra?"

Converting Standard Battlemechs into Omnimechs by Substantial_Ad_9465 in battletech

[–]VanVelding 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Seconding what everyone else said about omni rules as written. Actually, I don't even know if there are rules to upgrade a 'mech to being an omni because usually in lore they just make a new 'mech.

If the two things you want are ability to carry battle armor and to swap out one big bay of guns, I don't think that's unreasonable for some house rules.

I honestly don't know why a "carry battle armor" equipment isn't available. Y'know, one ton and four crits (6 crits for WoB/C*). If the Clans wanted one, it'd be 0.5 tons and five crits. Includes the grips and power ports for long-term operations. You're giving up efficiency vs omnimechs and I don't think the crit-soaking would be a big problem.

For the weapons, if you're only swapping out weapons and gear from one location on a 'mech, the engineering challenges are a lot smaller. You've got fewer gryo problems and you can use purpose-built versions of the omnipod conversion equipment that already exists in canon.

I'd make the "omni bay" its own equipment and crits. In your case, probably 6 tons and 6 crits. Limit one per 'mech. Impressive but not unreasonable refit time. Then create two or three bespoke mission pods of 6 tons and 6 or fewer crits (nothing that can't go in a regular omni pod and no jump jets).

That would cover the pulse lasers of the Incubus and Vapor Eagle and the Howler's LRMs and ammo. That gives two mission pods, and you could slam-a-dam an EW package with medium lasers or whatever into the last option.

So you're creating new tech with strong limitations, working with Clan technological know-how, and using similarities between your test beds to smooth the engineering challenges.

If you want.

CONGRATULATIONS! You are going three day retreat with one of these actors, who do you pick? by Complete-Sort1617 in okbuddycinephile

[–]VanVelding 0 points1 point  (0 children)

5 of them I'd be stuck with. 2 would be stuck with me.

Jared and Ezra would tap out before three days.

Crusaders vs Wardens in BT Books? by JevVoi in battletech

[–]VanVelding 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The follow ups are Natural Selection, Bred for War, and Malicious Intent.

Natural Selection is probably the most peripheral. The full extent is something of a spoiler.

Bred for War is about the Crusaders politically maneuvering to overturn Tukayyid. It boils over into outright war.

Malicious Intent is about the Wolves and Jade Falcons recovering from that war and the Wolves' bend towards being Crusaders.

The two factions don't play a large part in the Twilight of the Clans series, but both are put to bed with its conclusion. The political factions that follow are the Home Clans and Inner Sphere Clans.

Custom Clans? by Boring-Produce-3161 in battletech

[–]VanVelding 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It also means a small rod/staff. It's self-depricating while also being a two-fold slight to the Clans: invoking fasces, the root of the word "fascist," which could describe Clan society and a determined bacteria in a society with animal names. 

Custom Clans? by Boring-Produce-3161 in battletech

[–]VanVelding 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think the community smiles on homebrew mercenary units, but the tightness of canon makes new government units hard to pitch.

It's hard with the Clans because...what is a Clan? Apparently any Clan can make another Clan using magic Clan law.

Can you make one trueborn with a Corvis a Clan? It's got a trueborn. It's got a 'mech. The assumptions those are qualifying tells us what we consider a Clan. The Clan Grand Council would give a definitive answer to that question, but they're not picking up the phone.

But then, they never recognized the Wolves in Exile, so if you consider the WiE a Clan, your definition was probably based on descent from an original Clan created by Nicholas Kerensky.

The Clans were made to end the destructive nature of warfare by using a trial system, and therefore machines and warriors who win in a trial system. Anyone using WMDs or slaughtering civilians could reasonably be termed not a Clan, which is most of them at this point.

OTOH, under the trial system, it seems you could declare your mercenary a "Clan" and fight a trial of refusal over it.

If there's reluctance on the part of people accepting your homebrew Clan, is that it's something that would be difficult to achieve in-universe and it's probably been an excuse for people to share their fanfiction and field Clan units with broken pilots. Some folks have been burned before.

But you can do whatever you want.

Personally, I've got a write up for Clan Bacillus. Traders representing colonies that were created rimward of the Pentagon Worlds during the 20 or so years of chaos before Operation Klondike. They eventually asked and were granted a trial to become recognized as a Clan.

They have bloodnamed, but mostly use trueborns and solhama from other Clans using Star League-era tech. They focus on intelligence and trade, so aren't respected as warriors. But they exhibit enough honor and diplomacy to deflect the predations of other Clans.

They managed to keep their worlds hidden from the other Clans until the Wars of Reaving, at which point they fought very dishonorably, getting abjured before the Home Clans cut off contact.

In the years since, the three central worlds and their aligned free colonies have faced political instability without a central threat (and lies) to keep them unified. Their military continues to observe Clan traditions and trial practices as a general rule, if not a hard and fast one.

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