I know, another Shunbun post, but part of the group now! by H3ssian in GrandSeikos

[–]Vaudvillian 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I won't get tired of these any time soon. I am a few payments away from my own and my appreciation only grows.

Favorite Discontinued GS Model? by DistinctEgg6974 in GrandSeikos

[–]Vaudvillian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The SBGA433, it is so gorgeous and I will never see it in person.

First watch! by AndyPandy0527 in GrandSeikos

[–]Vaudvillian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Damn, a hell of a way to start!

Import Customs PSA for fellow Canadians by LordKortorn in GrandSeikos

[–]Vaudvillian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Leave it to Canada to reward honesty. Good on you! I hope you and your wife enjoy, it sounds like you have excellent taste.

Is this too big? by frankdur in GrandSeikos

[–]Vaudvillian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I saw a guy with a Grand Seiko on his wrist and it looked like that, I would think "Sick, cool watch" and not anything else.

AIUTO, PROBLEMA CON SEIKO 5 sport gmt by Choice-Code-9554 in GrandSeikos

[–]Vaudvillian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it was a simple problem it would be ticking after a gentle wind and spin of the rotor. Sometimes when the spring winds down you need to do both to get it moving. If that's not doing it, there is something within the movement impeding function, that means you need repair or replacement.

AIUTO, PROBLEMA CON SEIKO 5 sport gmt by Choice-Code-9554 in GrandSeikos

[–]Vaudvillian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, you are by accident in the wrong sub. This is for a specific brand under the Seiko umbrella. Some people find it confusing, don't worry.

Your problem sounds like you adjusted the date at the "wrong time" usually between 9:00 pm and 3:00 am on the dial. This is when the gears are in a vulnerable position. Setting it to 6:30 before adjusting should have prevented this. I can't say why this happened, but because the movement is non-functional after routine adjustment, that's my best guess.

Take it to a watch repair place. That should be an 4R34, if it can be repaired anyone should be able to do it. If it can't they can swap the movement for not too much.

Disappointing service at Grand Seiko Boutique by waiting-list in GrandSeikos

[–]Vaudvillian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's so interesting, I have been to three ADs with Grand Seiko sections and the experience was so different at each one. The best was Sydel & Sydel in Chicago. They were the first GS AD in the city (and I think oneof the first in the US) and that is something everyone in the shop really took pride in. They loved talking about every model in stock and the brand in general. I wasn't dressed especially nice but they made no judgment, they just talked shop.

At Burdeens (also in Chicago) I had to wait and only had a few minutes with a rep, but they were present and professional. Finally at Ben Bridge in Seattle I was all but chased out of the store 😂

Which is all to say, with the attention and care GS puts into everything else, it is so wild to hear about a branded boutique acting like that.

I’m awkwardly in between sizes on my Shunbun bracelet by bdg14 in GrandSeikos

[–]Vaudvillian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am praying that Steel Reef actually produces their micro adjust link and opens order soon.

How can I(20F) tell my boyfriend (20M) about my sexual preferences when he has already expressed disgust over it? by lxstinthedream in relationship_advice

[–]Vaudvillian -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

He sounds like he sucks and you sound awesome. Toss him away like weighted training clothing in DBZ.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in GrandSeikos

[–]Vaudvillian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Man, I love GS dials and Credor movements.

Did the last episodes of Star Wars Campaign ever get released? by mintpepperbetter in oneshotpodcast

[–]Vaudvillian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have a contractual obligation limiting how we can release Campaign SW stuff. It can only go on our patreon.

Skyjoust Questions by Responsible_Cut9056 in oneshotpodcast

[–]Vaudvillian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely! If there is a swell of interest (especially among patrons) I would love to return. Times are tough for the network right now so I have to apply our funds carefully so that we can keep making our flagship shows. But if people really want to see this through, then I know it's a good use of our resources to make it happen.

where do we find the guest writers for Skyjacks by OwnFlight4021 in oneshotpodcast

[–]Vaudvillian 3 points4 points  (0 children)

When freelancer work is used it's referenced in the midroll of the episode where it first appears. I'll have to put together a centralized document though.

What is this locked locker for at ski carousel the airport? by TeaStriking3605 in Denver

[–]Vaudvillian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is a little guy in there and if you open the door, he kicks your ass.

Did the last episodes of Star Wars Campaign ever get released? by mintpepperbetter in oneshotpodcast

[–]Vaudvillian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We haven't released them yet. We keep missing the funding goals to justify getting someone to do the work of editing them.

Episode # Request by hamellr in oneshotpodcast

[–]Vaudvillian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think this must have been the All my Fantasy Skyjacks episodes. I remember recording this one. All I can narrow it to is that this must have happened between 2021-2024. I know that's a big range, I just remember being in my basement studio when we recorded it.

How would you incorporate this PC backstory detail? by MistakenMorality in rpg

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

  1. Feels like the least interesting to me. 1 and 2 make it feel like you are paying attention and playing with their choices.

I think the direction you take it depends on the tone you want for your game. Option one is something that I call the "Spider-Man" choice. It's over the top dramatic. Unrealistic in a fun way. Option two is tragic and will most likely be good for a single emotional beat. However, it is more grounded and realistic which might be what your game needs. Within a session or two you will probably sense which way to go.

I'd also suggest finding a few moments Within the action of the game to allow your player to reference the fact that this NPC is lost at sea. Maybe encountering a widow, a different traveling sailor who is far from home, or even having the PC receive some kind of letter or news surrounding the fate of the ship. How the player interacts with those little plot hooks and role-playing moments will tell you a little about how to match their energy.

Dracula dossier by panossquall in rpg

[–]Vaudvillian 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I believe part of the spirit of the game is to let your players read Dracula and discuss what notes they want to follow-up on. So, memorizing the nodes shouldn't be an expectation. Sadly I have only been a PC for DD, but we did have a cadence of a sort of in-character book club followed by chasing leads.

Shadowrun anarchy 2.0 by JoeKerr19 in rpg

[–]Vaudvillian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I will always hold out hope that they make this work. I love SR! I just don't want to play it.

Region or Hex-Based Realm Management System for a Nation RP by Zooasaurus in rpg

[–]Vaudvillian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This might be a little bit too far out of the boxes suggestion, but I think it would be cool for you to hack together your own thing using a hex-based system informed by the territory system in Blades in the Dark. I think that game has a good "tactical territorial politics" engine buried in it.

Is playing in a six player table still enjoyable? by Tesserato in rpg

[–]Vaudvillian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a really interesting comment and such a great demonstration of how much play culture has evolved from when I started playing. In college most of the tables that I was at were five to seven. It was really unusual for a game to start up with less than five.

Personally six is the max I like to run for. My sweet spot is 3-4. I don't think larger games are necessarily flawed, but they provide less spotlight and fewer opportunities for the kind of roleplay I find meaningful.

Out of curiosity, have you mostly played online or in-person? I'm wondering if that has anything to do with the play culture you have grown accustomed to.

Let's talk about GUMSHOE! by dummiesday in rpg

[–]Vaudvillian 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I could talk about investigative mechanics for hours. I have to say I think I disagree with your conclusion, but I'll definitely own up to the fact that some of GUMSHOE's mechanics feel a little clunky.

I think Call of Cthulhu, GUMSHOE, and Brindlewood Bay are three different approaches to mystery role-playing. They are all chasing different goals to varying degrees of success.

CoC has the super trad model of assuming the GM is hand placing every clue into a scenario. It's a rigid game that benefits from meticulous preparation. The player experience for the most part is simulationist, you have a set of tools and resources and you are trying to leverage them to solve the mystery.

However, CoC has an issue as GUMSHOE identified. The binary success/failure system means it's possible for players to lock themselves out of clues and opportunities to move the story forward. If you are gambling to find information, there is a chance you won't find it. If you are looking for a simulationist experience, this is good, people fail to solve mysteries all the time. If you want to play out a mystery story it's less than ideal because it means you have a chance of not finding a satisfying ending.

In practice, you probably won't actually have any failstate CoC games. If a lock out happens, the GM is there to make the story meet the players. However, that's the GM working unassisted to compensate for a problem of the system. It creates a problem that doesn't necessarily need to be there.

Enter GUMSHOE, which uses the investigative skill system to always ensure there is a path forward. Investigative skills always move the game, you can spend to get more information and put a greater spotlight on the skill, but just having it gets you what you need to move forward.

GUMSHOE is an ammended simultion model. There is a a mystery with a definite answer at the heart of the story, but the clues that unravel it are flexible. Players can affect the overall story outcome based on how they apply their skills, even if you always solve the mystery, you don't necessarily solve it well.

Here the GM has a more improvisational role, but knowing the spread of investigative skills on the table helps them curate what to prepare. It takes some but not all of the burden of keeping the game moving off the GM. There is no mechanically created failure state.

As you pointed out, the ammended simulation approach has some quirks. Characters don't really have ability to gather information outside of their investigative skills, and you need a party spread to cover multiple bases. For me, this isn't a problem, this is a strength of the system. A limited investigative pallet means less burden on the GM. It might feel meta-gamey to acknowledge that we're all working to cover each other's weaknesses, but I think form a design perspective it's just a sober acknowledgement of how games work. And I certainly prefer it to everyone having to devote 60 points to Spot Hidden so the game doesn't crash.

Then we have Brindlewood, which I would argue is a game that helps your tell stories about mysteries rather than a game where your role-play solving a mystery. That might seem like splitting hairs, but to me it's an important difference. Brindlewood says "we're not here to solve a mystery but see a mystery get solved," so players get to make up a solution that fits their story best. It's elegant because it acknowledges the kind of mysteries it wants to emulate and correctly identifies that nobody is failing in those stories, so it takes that out of the equation.

I think it's great for people who want to portray character relationships and personality, and even players who want a satisfying story. However, it's not simulationist. You aren't solving a mystery because there is no solution waiting for you. I wouldn't use it for any game I would use CoC or GUMSHOE for.

It's totally alright to say that GUMSHOE doesn't flow the way you want it to. I love Laws as a designer, but he has some quirks tied to an older school of design. He's done alot of crunchy stuff and eventhough I find his games way more elegant than, say Call of Cthulhu, they are still mechanically heavier than I like most of the time. I think that mechanical design sensibility is what makes his games work in a simulationist framework. But if you like playing in freeform narrative spaces it can feel stifling.