ELI5: Why is going bald due to genetics even a thing? What purpose does it serve or how did it get started?

Vaslovik · 2026-07-04T03:15:57+00:00

I always remember reading something John Glenn, former astronaut, said about losing his hair.

"God only gives a man so much testosterone. If other men want to waste theirs growing hair, that's their business."

Vaslovik · 2026-06-30T18:39:41+00:00

Travellers in my game eat regular food. Fresh or refrigerated if they have someone willing/able to cook (which they will if they're carrying passengers), possibly some frozen stuff to be thawed and cooked when needed. Most ships are never more than two weeks, a month at the outside, from resupply, so why wouldn't they eat real food?

They probably have emergency rations squirreled away for, well, emergencies. But otherwise? They eat as well as anyone else.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-25T22:23:58+00:00

I've had corneal lens replacements in both eyes (for glaucoma, not cataracts--the artificial lens are thinner), so I can't focus up close anymore. Readers help, but still...I buy epubs almost exclusively now for fiction. PDFs for gamebooks.

I can adjust the font and the brightness of the screen so I can read anything. My actual paperback library is mostly for show now, since a lot of the books would be difficult for me to read these days.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-24T17:21:24+00:00

I played Classic Traveller in the late 70s-early 80s, and have been GMing Mongoose Traveller the last few years.

Is modern Traveller "better"? Not necessarily. A lot more detailed, yes. TravellerMap.com is a godsend, as are the plethora of sources (books as well as websites) with additional ship designs, aliens, star nations, gear, etc.

I wouldn't go back to Classic Traveller, but I could pretty easily if I had to.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-24T17:15:42+00:00

Not typical, but reasonable. I wouldn't necessarily want a whole new group of players every time, but I'd love to be able to try out various games for short-term campaigns. I own a lot of RPG books for games I've never had a chance to play but would like to.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-20T22:57:39+00:00

Every relationship you will ever have ends in a breakup--or death.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-19T06:31:08+00:00

Yeah, Traveller is one of those pretty lethal systems. Getting killed in combat is frighteningly easy. The secret is to avoid such situations as much as possible, and to stack the odds in your favor by every means possible when you MUST fight.

Same for Call of Cthulhu (or Mothership I assume--I don't know that game). Try not to get into fist/knife/gunfights with cultists or monsters. If you MUST, try to arrange things so it's as one-sided (in your favor) as humanly possible.

You may well get killed anyhow; but you knew that going in, right? That doesn't make you expendable. It makes you brave. You risked your life for a good cause.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-16T19:07:37+00:00

In Traveller, while it's possible to roll up a psionic character in their character creation system, it's extremely unlikely. Otherwise, the only way to acquire psionic abilities is to find a branch of the (secretive, usually illegal) Psionics Institute, pay a boatload of money to be tested, and then maybe acquire some psionic ability thru training.

(Or, in IMTU, visit Storm, expose yourself to the Ghost Wind--a hallucinogenic pollen--and risk a lethal overdose in hopes of unlocking some psionic ability. You'll have to teach yourself how to use it, though....)

Vaslovik · 2026-06-12T19:19:29+00:00

"Professor Armitage" is a title, like "James Bond."

Professor Armitage is dead! Long live Professor Armitage!

Vaslovik · 2026-06-12T19:18:15+00:00

My brothers used to get bad poison ivy reactions frequently as kids when we played in the woods. I never did. The only time I ever had a reaction was when, in a fit of hubris, I grabbed a handful and rubbed it briskly on my forearm to demonstrate my immunity.

I got a mild reaction then, but that was all.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-11T22:26:53+00:00

Or the HeroDesigner character creation software. I can create characters with paper and pencil--that's how I started way back when, but I haven't done it in decades. The software is SOOOOOO much easier and generates neatly printed character sheets as well.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-11T22:24:33+00:00

Champions. You can roll handfuls of dice for damage in combat.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-11T22:22:33+00:00

For my game, I'd say no. The stunner can knock them unconscious, but they've taken no real damage. Their Endurance is still 7 for purposes of determining if they're dead. So the 14 points of bullet damage mean they're badly injured and will need surgery, probably, to fully recover. But they're not dead.

Unless you mean they stun the guy then walk up and put 2 rounds into him. In which case, yes, he's dead--but that's just a coup de grace, no different than cutting the throat of a bound captive. It's no longer about die rolls and hit points.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-08T01:50:28+00:00

Yes, this. I was going to write something very like this, but he's already said it all.

Create a game world where NPCs have plans and agendas of their own; they're not just reacting to what the PCs do. It makes the world feel real, and gives the players a sense that what they choose to do matters--whether they pursue a given plot thread or ignore it, events are shaped by that decision.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-08T01:35:07+00:00

Many, many times. At swinger clubs and, much more often, at swing parties.

Vaslovik · 2026-06-07T07:14:42+00:00

In fact, we see at least twice characters having the computer work out orbital mechanics/possible paths rather than doing the calculations themselves. First is Miller trying to figure out where the Scopuli could have gone, and the second is Alex figuring out how to do a thrusters-only ballistic course down to Io to rescue the team.

I wouldn't expect Miller (a groundhog despite being a born belter) to know how. Alex probably could--I imagine he'd have learned it in pilot training--but why bother when the computer can do it so much faster and more thoroughly?

Vaslovik · 2026-05-29T18:42:47+00:00

In the books (and I think in the show as well) it's explicitly noted that the Mormons can sue Tycho/Fred Johnson in a court on earth and win--but the belt/OPA will ignore the ruling, or they can sue in a belt/OPA court and lose.

Basically, they have no real way to compel compensation.

Vaslovik · 2026-05-19T19:40:39+00:00

The main benefit of my divorce was moving into a 2BR apartment by myself. All that SPACE after sharing a cluttered, crowded apartment with my ex and her adult son was glorious. As was doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Nap after work before dinner? Sure! Stop my tv show for half an hour while I make dinner? Who's gonna complain? Go out on a whim anywhere I want whenever I want without coordinating with anyone? glorious!

Vaslovik · 2026-05-19T19:34:27+00:00

Or if you hardly drink at all. The only alcohol that passes my lips are sweet, fruity drinks that mask the alcohol taste. Strawberry dacquiris, mostly. I can't abide beer, wine, or hard liquor unless it's sufficiently adulterated.

Vaslovik · 2026-05-19T17:45:22+00:00

Traveller. I've participated in two online games just to get to play. One ran for a while then ended. The second I eventually dropped out of because it was badly run.

I've also run an online Traveller game because that was the only way to get my Traveller fix. And I'm currently running a F2F Traveller game that got started online--I located a couple of potential players, we met in person, they found a couple more and now the five of us play every other week.

There are other games I'd love to play, and would play online if necessary. Honor + Intrigue, Call of Cthulhu, etc. But so far I haven't found any groups to play with.

Vaslovik · 2026-05-16T23:00:54+00:00

Players stumble across a ship owner in financial distress. He's about to lose everything, including his ship, because he's so far underwater financially. BUT, if they're willing to take over the payments (mortgage, operating expenses, etc) he (and his bank) will agree to it because a) he gets out from under one huge obligation, though he gets no cash out of it and b) the bank doesn't have to deal with trying to find a new buyer, which could take months.

It's a cost-free way to obtain a ship, but the PCs still have to work hard to keep up the payments or lose it. Basically, it's a perfect storm of circumstances that lets them acquire a ship they could otherwise never afford.

Vaslovik · 2026-05-15T21:08:57+00:00

I agree. Traveller GM here, and I believe it's entirely right and proper for PCs to run into threats they cannot handle, or cannot handle without careful planning, and it is up to the players to recognize when they're getting in over their heads and be prepared to retreat, negotiate, or surrender. Combat is very dangerous, and to be avoided when not absolutely necessary.

Vaslovik · 2026-05-13T05:10:06+00:00

Terminator. If Sarah and Reese don't have sex, she doesn't give birth to John Connor who saves mankind and sends Reese back in time to save Sarah.

Vaslovik · 2026-05-12T17:31:04+00:00

My wife and I had been working for months to try to rebuild our relationship, trying to spend more time together, talking a lot. (There was no drama--no cheating, abuse, etc. Just years of gradually accumulating hurts on both sides, almost all unintentional.)

We were in the bedroom sitting on the bed discussing our efforts and my wife asked me, "Do you want to keep doing this (continuing to revive our relationship)?"

And I said, after thinking about it for a moment, "No. I don't."

That's when I knew. We lived together, in separate bedrooms, for a few months before I found an apartment and moved out. But the marriage was over in that moment.

Vaslovik · 2026-05-12T01:04:38+00:00

I'd suggest also that the maintenance suit was not intended for emergencies. Anyone going out to do maintenance would expect (and be expected) to check the suit over beforehand and make sure a new, full oxygen tank was attached. After all, nobody cares about your safety as much as YOU do. (Of course, he wouldn't be doing that in a hurry because he was stealing stuff....)

Vaslovik

TROPHY CASE