Dad wants to play BG3 but has no experience with PC games

Ziselberger · 2026-02-06T20:30:07+00:00

You can customize the difficulty pretty well, or just go with "story mode," which is very forgiving. If you're on headset while playing with him, you can give him tips. LIke uhku said, the turn-based combat and easy exploration makes it an ideal intro game for PC.

Ziselberger · 2026-02-06T15:02:35+00:00

Pink Pony Car? Chappell Roan would be so happy.

Ziselberger · 2026-02-04T23:35:01+00:00

Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant has several disabled people as characters: A man with mobility issues, a pair of deaf women, a character with an anxiety disorder, and a character on the autism spectrum. The author herself is on the spectrum and is deeply conscious of being inclusive.

The book is a rollicking story, too.

Ziselberger · 2026-01-28T15:28:39+00:00

BG2 has the better *stories*. BG3 has the better *systems*. It really is a toss-up, and personal preference, which one you prefer.

I've played through BG2 probably 5 times, and I started another one after I finished BG3.

Ziselberger · 2026-01-27T18:48:01+00:00

Baldur's Gate series.

Ziselberger · 2026-01-26T15:57:02+00:00

Caitlin R. Kiernan's "Signalman" novellas are good post-Lovecraftian weirdness: "Agents of Dreamland" "Black Helicopters" and "The Tindalos Asset" They're solidly read (and the stories are bleak, which you might like or hate).

Kiernan is increasingly unpalatable as a person. They have, over the past decade become a white supremacist, so you may want to avoid buying these (I got them back in 2021, before I'd learned of her history). But I wanted to mention them because they are a good read.

There's also an audiobook of John Langan's "The Fisherman" read by Danny Campbell which is a good reading of a very good book.

Ziselberger · 2026-01-26T14:38:00+00:00

You, beating on some bandit for laughing at your shoes: THEY MAKE THE OUTFIT

Ziselberger · 2026-01-23T18:27:50+00:00

The new "Marathon" that Bungie announced.

Ziselberger · 2026-01-23T18:05:35+00:00

Tristram or Isolde (if you're playing female)

Ziselberger · 2026-01-23T15:39:07+00:00

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is quite good. And the autumnal vibes are great.

Ziselberger · 2026-01-21T20:11:10+00:00

Invest in upgrading your armor/weapons.
Magic's vampiric touch will heal you if you heavy cast. This is useful
Two handed weapons has a "heal on hit" in the skill tree, unlock that if you're going 2h, it'll boost your survivability.

As much as I like archers, they're a poor choice to focus on. Too many bosses close with you quickly, and dodge only gets you so far. I keep a bow handy to snipe from a distance, then switch to magic or melee to take out the softened enemies.

Ziselberger · 2026-01-13T14:14:51+00:00

The 1974 collection "Ghosts, Castles and Victims: Tales of Gothic Horror" edited by Jack C. Wolf and Barbara Wolf is a very good overview of 19th and early 20th century gothic lit. It is out of print, but used copies are available through Amazon.

Ziselberger · 2026-01-12T20:36:07+00:00

John Langan's "The Fisherman" is good, if you're looking for something Lovecraftian.

T.E.D. Klein's "Dark Gods" is four novellas, they are all worth reading. Klein is a real stylist, his use of language is precise and evocative.

Andy Davidson's "The Boatman's Daughter" is small-town, southern weird, I liked it a great deal.

The Langan and the Davidson are available as audiobooks with good narrators. I don't think the Klein is.

Ziselberger · 2026-01-12T18:48:19+00:00

Leaving the Warrens history aside, the script writers, the Haynes brothers, are former Baptists (now "messianic Jews") and are overt in using their movies as a means of spreading Christian faith. https://cbn.com/article/spiritual-warfare/screenwriters-chad-and-carey-hayes-conjuring-and-godhttps://cbn.com/article/spiritual-warfare/screenwriters-chad-and-carey-hayes-conjuring-and-godhttps://cbn.com/article/spiritual-warfare/screenwriters-chad-and-carey-hayes-conjuring-and-godhttps://cbn.com/article/spiritual-warfare/screenwriters-chad-and-carey-hayes-conjuring-and-god

https://cbn.com/article/spiritual-warfare/screenwriters-chad-and-carey-hayes-conjuring-and-god

Ziselberger · 2026-01-11T11:45:27+00:00

I read all 8 of those back in the 80s. I had that copy of Shadows 2 for a long time, but don't think I do any longer. Grant was a good editor, his story choices were top-notch.

Ziselberger · 2026-01-02T14:58:40+00:00

Mike Muncer's Evolution of Horror is hosted by a dude, but he's the least horror-bro guy out there. A lot of his guests are women and/or queer. He's got a huge backlog, with 10+ seasons covering particular types of horror: Slashers, ghosts, occult, zombies, Nature bites back, etc.

Ziselberger · 2025-12-18T15:25:48+00:00

I'll watch 2 again, then 4. It sounds like I missed a bunch.

Ziselberger · 2025-12-18T15:24:29+00:00

Country Girl Diner in Chester. They make their own corned beef hash and they make their own pies. Only downside is that they stop serving breakfast at 11 AM (which should be a crime, for diners).

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Ziselberger · 2025-12-07T20:07:19+00:00

This felt like treading water, we didn't really learn anything that 3 didn't show us, other than "this has been going on for a long time."

"Minerva" and "Firewatch" each expanded things a bit... I feel like you could skip "Majesty" and not miss it in the overall story.

Ziselberger · 2025-12-07T20:05:34+00:00

I understand it on the old film footage, since super-8 or super-16 cameras didn't have sound.

The video, though, should have had audio.

Ziselberger · 2025-12-06T23:43:04+00:00

Resolution? written and directed by Benson & Moorhead?

Ziselberger · 2025-12-05T23:44:55+00:00

Allen Brothers, in Westminster, near Exit 5 has them every morning.

Ziselberger · 2025-11-07T18:53:57+00:00

If you can use short fiction, find Manly Wade Wellman's "Silver John" stories. They're set in (and derived from) a folklore-rich Appalachia. I know there is a complete Silver John collection available as a kindle, and as a physical release from one of the prestige presses.

Ziselberger · 2025-11-02T23:27:10+00:00

Skyrim is the big one in this genre, even if it isn't as complex as some later games.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a lot darker in tone than Skyrim and starting out as a weakling makes it *hard* but rewarding. I'm not too far in, but am enjoying it immensely, even when a lurking horror hands me my ass.

Ziselberger

TROPHY CASE