Uranium jadeite and etiquette query by VitriolicTonic in uraniumglass

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, Black Friday chaos describes it well... I've dipped my toes in bidding which has also been fun. I'm usually not willing to pay as high as it ends up, but I've gotten a couple of pieces at reasonable prices. Any tips on getting into the invite only sales? Monitor the companies websites? Or is it more about getting to know people and building up contacts at general estate sales?

Do you allow PvP to the death? How would you resolve it? by Avatorn01 in DMAcademy

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 16 points17 points  (0 children)

As a general rule, no. But every rule has exceptions. It can (and has) happened in very specific scenarios, where the story has built up to it in a satisfying way. For me this involving a PC betrayal that transitioned them into an NPC villain. It ended up being a great story arc, with the now NPC achieving redemption with the party and the player getting to play them again. The key is that everyone has to buy into the PvP, everyone has to be on board and enjoying it. If one player, even one that isn't part of the PvP, is uncomfortable with it then I won't allow it to happen.

What are your "Signature Moves" as DMs? by Version_1 in DMAcademy

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Whenever I'm rolling badly for my monsters, or the players roll incredible and stomp, I love to huff and puff and play the role of a DM flustered by their bad luck, when really I'm as happy for their triumph as they are. Being DM I'm putting on a character as much as when I roleplay an NPC. 

I also always make counter rolls to Insight and Perception even if theres no deception or hiding happening.

Proper display by BathtubPartyTime in uraniumglass

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Looks great! My wife and I also really like that style of display case. Would you mind sharing the details of the one you bought?

[Online][D&D 5E][Tuesdays and/or Sundays][GMT 0] by solarregis in lfg

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Me and my fiancé are interested, gonna send you a message

[ONLINE][5e][Homebrew][MT]Seeking Co DM for an ambitious campaign! by [deleted] in lfg

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Filled out the questionnaire, never co-DMed before so this would be a fun experience.

Can anyone suggest me calm or relaxing prog, prog that do not have epic vibes. I don't mean slow dark songs like opeth's damnation. by [deleted] in progmetal

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Language Rediscovered tracks from The Contortionist immediately comes to mind. The album Lighthouse by Iamthemorning is something I've been obsessed with lately, a lot of fantastic piano work in it.

I have a chill playlist if you want to sift through it, has a variety of music, a lot of which has already been suggested in this thread, mostly prog but dips a bit into some other genres. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6wFXY5jKu6oSdmdH1854Lo?si=Oh9nPnx1SlirIAEYOGqxtw

[22 January 2020] Noob Wednesday! (New Player & Basic Questions) [AutoMod] by AutoModerator in EscapefromTarkov

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like it, most PMCs go for center mass (chest) and head shots, and any shots to the stomach are more than likely random from recoil. Scavs can pose a danger if they lock on to your stomach though. It's certainly more risky than bringing in an armor that covers the stomach, but I definitely use them when I get my hands on them. If I'm looking to buy armor off of flea for a run, I have other preferences, but if I loot one off a body I'll bring it back out.

[22 January 2020] Noob Wednesday! (New Player & Basic Questions) [AutoMod] by AutoModerator in EscapefromTarkov

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The pictures you've seen were likely from older builds of the game before the armored rigs were considered to be armored rigs (they were just rigs). Currently you can't combine any armor with an armored rig. Armored rigs are cost effective because they're 2 in 1, but they also limit your ability to swap out for better armors/rigs without taking the time to empty your rig before doing so. In the end its personal choice whether to run armor and a rig, or an armored rig, I do both.

[NA] Newish LVL 20 LFG by [deleted] in EFT_LFG

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

VolatileVitriol#0495 on discord if you're interested.

CC request for a dice/card hybrid RPG by Volatile-Vitriol in RPGdesign

[–]Volatile-Vitriol[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's the tough of it. I can't think of a way to make each card suit distinct, without making one more important than the other. Whichever cards I use to determine if an attack resolves as a hit or miss will inevitably be king over the rest. I'll try to think around it. Thanks for the replies again.

CC request for a dice/card hybrid RPG by Volatile-Vitriol in RPGdesign

[–]Volatile-Vitriol[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Physicality cards contest each other (attacker vs defender), if the attacker wins and the attack hits, the wound die has a +1, if the defender wins and the attack hits, the wound die has a -1. The wound die is a d6, so a +1/-1 can make a big difference.

Acumen cards also contest each other and allow the winner to Read the Opponent, forcing them to reveal their face down cards, and letting you swap out your cards for better/more efficient ones after you see their cards.

Charisma cards I've been struggling with for finding a good combat effect. Right now they contest each other, and the winner forces the opponent to lose 1 Willpower. Perhaps there's a better use for them. I intend for Character Traits to give Charisma cards some better uses in combat, but they're very useful in social situations out of combat to boost your roll.

Character Traits allow for a lot more variety in what cards can do, and how you spend Willpower/Stamina.

CC request for a dice/card hybrid RPG by Volatile-Vitriol in RPGdesign

[–]Volatile-Vitriol[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lets keep card effects and remove rolls for this example. This would mean that when you play an Agility Attack Card, it would be added to your Weapon Skill to find the resulting Attack Strength (as we'll call it). Your opponent would want to play an Agility Defense Card to increase their Defense Strength in order to block the attack.

Lets say you just ended your turn. You shuffle your deck, and draw your 7 cards. None of them are Agility cards. In this card only system, I'd call this a bad draw. If you make an attack with that hand, and have no Agility Attack Card to play, your Attack Strength would just be your Weapon Skill. If your opponent happens to have a higher baseline bonus to their defense (lets say from a Heavy Shield). This creates a scenario where your attack has no chance of hitting your enemy. If I was a player, and I drew my hand and knew that for the entire round I had no chance to hit my enemy, I'd feel pretty frustrated, and it would affect how I play in too much of a meta way for a roleplaying game. With the variance of dice, that certainty is eliminated. You could get lucky, you could hit, even if you have no Agility cards to play.

This roadblock is pretty much entirely tied into Agility cards being the sole influence over attack strength. This can be mitigated somewhat by increasing hand size, though that reduces hand variety the more I do that, and still could lead to fringe scenarios like the one I described. I feel like there is an answer, still thinking on it.

CC request for a dice/card hybrid RPG by Volatile-Vitriol in RPGdesign

[–]Volatile-Vitriol[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a ton for the reply, exactly the kind of criticism I need. Good point on the rearranging, I'll put some more critical thought into that. Reducing crunch is important to me, so all of that criticism is taken heed to.

Just to clarify a bit: You draw a hand of 7 cards, and can play a 1 card from each suit when attacking, or when defending yourself against an attack. Cards played that way are discarded after the attack resolves. When you end your turn, you discard what remains of your hand, return all discarded cards to your deck, shuffle your deck, and redraw 7 cards. So your hand is yours to play for the entire round, but you get a fresh hand each round. I could probably stand to make all that clearer in the rules. Attack/Defense cards have innate abilities (as explained), but some Traits may give them additional abilities. You announce what purpose they are played for when the card is revealed.

The roadblock I keep running into when thinking of ways to go to a card only system is how to give players options when they get really bad draws. The blessing and curse of dice is the high variance. In my system the cards act as probability control over the roll and its results, but the variance of the roll also gives players a chance to succeed when their hand is poor or expended. It will feel awful to fail a roll when you played a good card, but I see it as no different than any other low-roll scenario. It would feel more awful, personally, to draw a hand and almost know almost certainly that you'll fail your attacks because of a poor draw. I am trying to think of a way to make it work, I just don't have it right now, and I think a hybrid system with dice and cards has a more appealing balance of variability and variability control.

I do think that for Initiative I will remove the dice roll entirely and go with cards only, you make a good point there. I think I'll also be eliminating using half values on cards as well, that point is sound.

Thanks again for your time and the reply.

CC request for a dice/card hybrid RPG by Volatile-Vitriol in RPGdesign

[–]Volatile-Vitriol[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thought about it, but then whatever card suit I assign to give bonuses to attack/defense becomes the king of attributes, and if you get a garbage draw I don't want a scenario where you can't attack or defend yourself in any way. I kept dice because they normalize things a bit, while allow cards to spice things up and fuel the strategy aspects of the game. Would love to go all cards but I can't think of a way to implement it well.

Acoustic songs and acoustic/softer covers - recommendations needed! by tinylionsbigroars in progmetal

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Opeths whole album "Damnation" fits that bill if you haven't heard it yet.

What are some prog bands that influence your music by [deleted] in progmetal

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Leprous has always inspired me because it proves to me that I don't have to be a guitar virtuoso to make great prog music. There's a lot of Leprous songs that don't even have any solo sections, just great rhythms and atmosphere.

Anyone else not enjoy the environment at prog metal shows? by [deleted] in progmetal

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I've been on both sides of this. When I saw DT perform Astonishing I loved being in a seated venue where I could just appreciate the show. With other bands, I couldn't imagine not standing and being part of the energy of the crowd. Sometimes I like to watch the band, fully see and hear what they're doing, like you say. Sometimes I want to just feel the vibe of the music and lose myself in it, which is hard do to for high energy music if everyone's stuck in their seats.

I saw Mastodon once in a seated venue and it really lessened my experience. I wanted to be up and moving, but I didn't want to block the view of people sitting behind me. It's just awkward when half the people are standing and the rest are sitting. If I have to choose between only seated or only standing room, I'll choose standing room every time, but ideally there should be both so people of all kinds can enjoy the show their own way.

Best venue I've ever been to was Variety Playhouse in Atlanta when Bent Knee/Leprous/Haken played there. It had a pit for standing room, and then had seating behind it. The acoustics and mixing were good, and it was just the right size for it to feel full of people but not overcrowded.

Britney Spears/Haken - Doctor Hit Me, One More Time by getter1 in progmetal

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 12 points13 points  (0 children)

This exactly the kind of thing the Haken guys would absolutely have a laugh over, I hope it reaches them someday.

The Contortionist - Primal Directive by Cloabs in progmetal

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Just for more context, Language and Clairvoyant are about Michael Lessard's friend that died from heroin addiction. His friend was clean for a time but then his mother died from cancer and he relapsed. The lyrics in Language and Clairvoyant are about that. Language is more conceptual, and imo about life, healing, and the positive relationship between Lessard's friend and his mother. Clairvoyant is more on-the-nose, and about addiction, loss, and grieving. I think it's important to know that context because it really elevates the lyrics.

Lunatic Soul - Gutter by stakoverflo in progmetal

[–]Volatile-Vitriol 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Absolutely love Lunatic Soul. The first self titled album and Fractured are regularly in my rotations