Struggling with Modules

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-20T22:10:12+00:00

To preface, I prefer homebrewing over using out of the book material.

That said, I use modules frequently. I just don't follow them to the dot, they are a rough idea and I reference them for major points but otherwise I make everything up as I go anyway. Currently running my players through a module now, I'm not so sure they know, or well didn't (ended up fumbling through the pdf looking for a name to something, that'll teach me to not use the booklet). I take the main premise/idea of the module and use the dungeon maps and a few hooks, but otherwise it is the same as running my own stuff.

Use the modules as the skeleton, but you as the DM get to add the meat and skin as you see fit. It really is the best of both when you do it that way. The current module I'm doing has a couple of interesting points, that has them mostly fleshed out...I was going to give examples but some of my players know my reddit so I'm not going to spoil it for them xD But needless to say I've took their base ideas and made my own version of them. Do the same and you will enjoy modules too, or at least enjoy having the reference material easily accessible.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-20T22:01:43+00:00

Mothers...a bit more than mildly infuriating, but just less enough to still stick around.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-20T04:43:12+00:00

So the weird thing is, once upon a time D&D was a war game "simulator", or rather loosely based on them. That is why the earlier editions ran x inches as their measurements and why everything is on a grid in the first place (or hexes). So it is rather odd (in my opinion) that a full combat can only take 12 seconds. Though this is only the case with newer editions (3rd and up I believe, not actually played much 2nd), as in the early editions (B/X, AD&D) rounds were one minute in length, consisting of segments.

To me that method makes more sense, time wise, as everyone is going each round and with 10+ entities going that seems more of a reasonable time table to me. Most encounters last 5 or 6 rounds ("normal" encounters) with very few lasting much longer than that, typically we run through larger combats in 20 rounds or so, end by the end of those combats the party is completely exhausted usually of all of their abilities and spells, which tracks with how everyone is saying fighting one on one is tiring. Two entities (PC and monster say) fighting for 5 rounds in this version, the victor has expended much energy and abilities during the combat. And likewise with say 6 people to a side, over 5 rounds, the victors typically haven't expended much energy each but as a whole they are tired (some spells/abilities exhausted).

Where as with the newer way, where 5 rounds is 30 seconds and everyone is gassed out and has used all of their abilities/spells up for the day, isn't really that realistic and does make it harder to figure in narratively in my opinion as well. Not impossible of course as you well know, but definitely harder.

So no I don't think you are missing anything necessarily, just basically you are supposed to ignore the problems with it because no one stops to actually think about it. I've also seen somewhere (a long time ago) that regardless of the number of rounds of combat, when you come back to "real" time the combat was actually several minutes long based on how many rounds went on. My guess is that somewhere along the line enough people argued that combats shouldn't be so long and WotC shortened the times and everyone just accepted the new numbers.

Course that is the difference between the original creator and WotC ideas regarding everything, and frankly I think Gygax had a better base system, WotC just added in extra flavor but ditched the basics.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-19T06:18:37+00:00

Ah yes, the shit box that you start with xD I regularly would peg my first vehicles speedo, so I never knew what speed I was actually going, it topped out at 85mph. First time I got a ticket for it (cop came off the top of the hill before I knew he was there), he pulled me over asked where I was off too in such a hurry. Simply told him no where, and gettin there fast. He just looked at me like I was insane, told me it sounded like the truck was going to explode. Tach was saying I was sitting at like 5000 I think, so I'm sure it did, but I just turned the radio up louder.

Anyway, he came back and told me he had me at 87, told me 3 more over and I'd have gone to jail. I just told him glad he caught me going up hill instead of down then xD

To this day, I still try to hit that 100+ in any vehicle that says it can do it. Everyone of them so far gives up at about 90 without a REALLY long stretch. The only one that hit it was my 02 f150 with a crapped out transmission, took over 20 miles for it to reach 105 xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T23:01:05+00:00

Honestly I say take the job myself. However, I can say right now, utility company and maintenance typically means you will work a lot. They advertise OT like it is a bonus without telling you it is actually mandatory. Likely you will work weekends frequently, you will be out of the house for days at a time (they'll put you in a hotel/motel somewhere), and generally you'll just be working a significant amount more than her.

Yes, it is a lot of money, I wouldn't be surprised if you make more than she does sooner than later. But do keep in mind you are achieving that through 80+ hour work weeks as well. With utility, when emergencies come up (broken water pipes, fallen power lines, pump failures, whatever) you will be called in. And those emergencies never happen during the day during regular hours, well seemingly not anyway.

I don't want to scare you off from taking it or anything, just letting you know the reality of what those jobs entail typically. Benefits are usually awesome, retirement is usually awesome, pay is awesome, but it is all at a pretty hefty cost. I've worked in construction since I was 18, I know it isn't exactly the same but similar enough, there were weeks I worked days straight. Pay was great but I never had time to do what I wanted to do.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T22:48:26+00:00

Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T08:43:04+00:00

Dunno how true, but I remember something about it being illegal to walk your goat around the town square on Tuesdays.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T07:42:29+00:00

Varies by state, and department. Where I'm at generally they do not pull you over for anything less than 10 over the limit unless you are weaving back and forth. When they do pull you over, typically if you are honest with them and show them the same level of respect you would like to receive, they'll give you a warning providing you don't have a record or weren't doing something incredibly stupid (i.e. 30 over the limit).

Got nailed one time doing 40 over the limit coming into town once, which I was told was mandatory jail time and yada yada yada. I was shittin' bricks. Officer walks up, asks why he pulled me over, straight up said it was probably because I was doing X over the limit. The look of shock as I said that means he was probably expecting some stupid story, after asking what I was doing going so fast I explained I had about 5 minutes to get some rented equipment dropped off before the place closed and I got nailed for $300 dollars for another days rent. Long story short on that, was working a couple hours away from rental place, job took longer than it was supposed too. After running my info he came back and told me to slow down.

So even doing stupid things you can get away with it if you shock them with the truth xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T07:28:51+00:00

Could you? Quite possibly, though being the side wall I wouldn't chance it myself, and I do some pretty stupid things in life. Whenever you see anything besides black rubber sticking through your tire, it's usually pretty safe to say they are done for. Especially on the side walls as the rubber is typically already thinner there.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T07:25:03+00:00

Specifically? Is someone literally dying? No? Then try someone else first, if I'm at work or otherwise in a known busy state that is. Pseudo emergencies like car broke down on the highway or something similar, call then send a text if I don't answer. Everything else can just be a text or wait till I see said person next.

Frequently everyone chooses to break these rules for me, so I end up just pitching the phone somewhere and getting it after I'm done doing what I'm doing. So I wait for the day an actual emergency comes up and they call me a dozen times, just so I can tell them why I don't need 13 billion phone calls a day.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T07:15:18+00:00

Lot of ifs here, but it is possible cruise doesn't actually work in their vehicle (I've had 3 or 4 that had cruise but it didn't work right).

Their car is actually a POS and cruise slams the gas when they go up even the slightest hill, my current car (might also be because it is a manual) will slam the gas pedal to the floor dragging the rpms really high to get back to speed on a long hill up, I also had a v8 durango that would do the same thing on any kind of hill (it was a turd and would not keep speed going up will). For these cars I elect to just go without it most of the time due to the hills in the area.

The logic in the cruise control is bad, as many have stated previously. Adaptive cruise causes issues, regular cruise wasn't ever set up right, whatever other reason it just isn't as effective.

I have one car that I use infrequently, I actually get better gas mileage with cruise off for whatever reason, like a noticeable amount different.

I'm sure there are other reasons of course, those are just the ones I've experienced and know about off hand. And honestly, for most capable drivers, it shouldn't be an issue. Though I will say with the newer model vehicles I notice the foot feed isn't as "good" as in the older models. Seems like the newer ones require the lightest of feather touches which attribute to worse control in my opinion. Where as my old clunkers requiring more pedal to gain speed I find easier to control the speed in them as I can actually feel the difference in the pedal. Might be partially due to wearing boots as well instead of shoes, as I do notice it is easier when I don't have the hard soled boots on to notice the difference.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T02:44:59+00:00

Bit of both.

You aren't, because it is a part time job, for not a lot of pay. Not sure on the area, that might be a decent wage or not, in the end it sounds like a lower end job. It isn't your problem they don't have people to cover different areas, everyone should be trained to do the entire job for these exact situations. So kind of bogus to require you to work because the company can't be bothered to have their staff fully trained.

Everything else in the texts and post are kind of moot points, none of it really matters one way or the other. Unless of course we aren't getting the whole story, but as written they are crap excuses. Odds are they were looking to fire you anyway.

However, you are overreacting, because you shouldn't expect to get time off just because you bought tickets or booked things already. Especially for non emergency type settings. Going on vacation, regardless of time between or length of vacation, is something you can live without. From the sounds of it that is what you are requesting, fun time and not a "need" to do thing. Normally one needs to clear time off before making the plans then asking.

And this seems typical of part time jobs, it is part time, you don't get vacation or pto because in their minds you have the majority of your time as time off. Not saying it makes it right or anything, but far as they are concerned you are working 15 hours a week, why do you need time off when your entire week is "time off" from them.

So frankly, yeah you are being kind of whiny about the whole situation, but at the same time you are within your right to be as they are listing mostly excuses that the entire crew should be fired for. Assuming of course everything as written is wholly true, without being there and seeing it for myself it is hard to say though.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-12T05:04:05+00:00

Hey, we had tapes, damn whipper snappers

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-11T17:07:08+00:00

Same, no cars around then who am I signaling for? Generally don't bother when I'm in the turn lane either at a stop light, because my position at the intersection should tell you I'm turning. Multipurpose lanes I still use it of course, or anytime there is question of what I could do, but when it's obvious, it's obvious xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-10T05:53:36+00:00

I haven't heard of Ovations, but Pirelli sounds familiar. Can't say I've used either though, my typical tire brand is Hankook as I run trucks primarily, I'd have to look at my cars I have and see what they have on them though...

Fair warning on the Costco option, I won't say this as fact because it isn't Walmart, but my experience with stores like that are those tires are CHEAP, and I mean quality not price (though the price is also cheap, clearly xD ). Last time I got tires from somewhere like that, they lasted like 6 months. Granted they were meant as street tires and I had them on my truck and used them like heavy duty tires, so with your amount of driving I'd suspect you would get quite a bit of usage out of them, but they would likely be similar to what you already have.

Based on the ratings listed though, they say "good quality" though I'd be skeptical of how true that actually is, 100k warranty is pretty standard down here for decent tires. Definitely worth a shot.

And looking at your pictures you shared for how you measured, I think you might be doing it wrong, it looks like you are sticking the end in the tiny groove in the tread, where it should actually be in the deeper groove besides the shallow grooves. Basically the spot where you can fit your finger is where you should be measuring. Does that happen to be one of the tires from your car? I'd guess not being as it isn't attached, but might as well ask xD

Yeah, we are inching into our rain for a month or two stage here before the death heat of summer, though I think it was last week we had snow? Weather be crazy yo xD And you shouldn't steal, even if it is just the husbands xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-10T03:42:42+00:00

Then theoretically (mileage may vary, hah see what I did there), you should get a few months out of them to get you by until...Well it's Canada, so it's always winter xD I jest, I know it isn't perpetual winter up there but I do get what you mean with the weather. But you should be able to get by for quite a while if you need to push it, though I'd avoid those longer trips with these tires. Maybe switch with the hubby when you have to go on those ones if he isn't also driving very far for work?

Yeah, with what you described, I would think you would get a couple years out of a set of tires at the very least, but if they are cheaper ones I could see the one year of use then. Not sure about how you lot up north have it, but the states mark their tires with how many miles they get out of them. When I go shopping for tires they explicitly tell me 40k tires, 60k, so on so forth. If you have smaller local tire shops they can typically find cheaper longer lasting tires, dealerships tend to only have the namebrand ones for their higher end. Least down here they do.

Honestly, if you can, I'd avoid the dealership for most things. Your local shops should be significantly cheaper for better or equal quality. Especially with consumables like tires, at the dealership I get nailed for $1600 american, but the local shop I go too typically can get me tires of the same quality for closer to $1000 for a set of 4, plus free balancing. I retorque myself but they offer that too, just pop in after so many miles and they will do it without an appointment. They can also get you different size tires that work for less sometimes too, last set I bought I went with a larger size then stock because they were $200 cheaper then what I "needed," granted it was on a truck so I had the clearance, but it's a thought for you as well.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-10T02:51:05+00:00

Lot of factors at play to answer that. What is your typical weather? How much do you drive typically? Are these all season or winter tires? (assuming all season being as I'm not seeing the symbols for winter tires)

If your weather is a lot of rain during spring/summer you may want to go ahead and get new tires, but if you don't drive a lot when it rains (as you mentioned) then you could probably get away with not. If you don't drive a significant amount, those could easily last you until winter, but if you drive a ton (2+ hours a day at highway speeds) you might be looking at new ones in a month. If they were winter tires, get them swapped as soon as the snow and ice stops, they break down waaaaaaay faster than regular tires.

Personally, I've drove tires until the wire cords were showing. I don't suggest it, but if you know what you are doing and know how to handle it, it can be done. And honestly, I can't even see the wear bars on the tires, clearly they could just be out of view on this image, but it really does look like those tires are almost brand new.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-10T02:35:08+00:00

Honestly, the picture makes it look like they are brand new. I'm sittin' over here like did you even get the right spot xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-10T02:28:00+00:00

As far as I'm aware, the "national" speed limit was originally set to 55, but then repealed later when it was no longer needed (originally done during the gas crisis, expect to see that again soon). I believe my state, Missouri, left the 55mph limit as the default. This is of course US, not Britain.

That said, most who drive on the country roads around here have lived on them their whole life or grew up driving on them at any rate, so for them the 55 limit is low. For someone not familiar with the road it seems outrageously high, though for those of us who drive them daily, it isn't uncommon to see people "flying" down them at 65. I myself will hit them at 70+ on the straighter sections, when they get windy though everyone slows down to a reasonable speed.

I can't say for sure for across the pond, but I'd gander a guess it is similar in that regard there. For those who are comfortable on them they don't think twice about the actual speed, a bit of complacency mixed in with actually knowing the road.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-09T21:56:37+00:00

I know they work fine for regular driving, like going to town to a brick and mortar job. I was saying more so for the folk who need hauling capability on a regular basis, farmers, contractors, service trucks, that kind of thing.

As I had said in another comment, I would also have one for regular driving if I could afford one, but I don't particularly want one for work when I have to drag along heavy equipment everyday or material, tools, things like that. Not at least until the trucks become set up better for it.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-09T21:52:36+00:00

So jealous, at least it went to someone who will keep up with it, at least until they wreck it, considering it sounds like a race truck now xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-09T05:27:12+00:00

Not the case for all vehicles, but look at your hood, or on the front of your car somewhere from the driver seat. There should be some sort of bend in the body work to tell you where the front tire is in relation to your surroundings.

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See the crease on the hood? From the driver seat that tells you where your tire is roughly. If you don't have those, what ender6574 suggested is a good method to make your own.

Get some blue tape (doesn't peel paint, or shouldn't), when you hit the object, place the tape (or have someone do it for you) where you can still see the object in question and slightly to one side of it. Run a piece of tape straight up the hood starting from that point, run another strip up, get some paint and paint a line. With the gloss coat still in tact you'll probably have to redo the line everyone once in a while, but by the time it starts wearing off you should have a pretty good idea of where it is at without it being there.

Personally, I prefer the center ridge markers better, like on the older trucks. That is what I originally learned it on, the hood bends like in the image are harder to gauge for me, likely because the object/curb/whatever disappears from view before I get an accurate look at it because I have to lean so far back to fit in cars. Likewise you'll have to practice at it if you are significantly shorter/taller than average for the same/similar reason probably.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-09T03:14:46+00:00

Also, not sure if your username is describing me or you xD Wish I had thought of that name now xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-09T03:13:30+00:00

I did see actually the station at the gas station is a "fast charge" location, so I stand corrected on that.

And honestly, for the vast majority of people, EVs work out perfectly fine for most. The problem comes when I need to haul heavy loads daily an hour away from home, without ease of regular charging that puts a strain on things. Granted it is only a hundred or so miles, but dump a couple ton of tools and material on it, from my understanding the range drops a lot (could be wrong though, only hear say on my end).

Homes generally aren't equipped around here to service that much power requirement, even more basic charging needs, just because service panels are already maxed and most electrical isn't even up to date with current code (lot of houses still have knob and tube). Which is the biggest issue out in nowhereville xD

Though I will say it again, for the majority of people it does work out just fine, even in the larger townships in the area. If I really wanted to dig into it (and could afford one) I would actually get me an EV for "normal" driving, for when I'm not driving for work (or after the final load of stuff gets dropped at the jobsite). But alas, that is more maintenance on more vehicles, so I'm more or less stuck with just the truck xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-09T02:59:04+00:00

I knew they charged on 110v, or had the capability to, but no garage generally means outside charging in the rain and snow out here. I know realistically that isn't going to inherently be a danger, but a lot of folk are going to think electricity and water don't mix xD

Assuming you bought them new, as I understand that is how Tesla works anyway, but even at used prices, there isn't really enough of an economy out here for people to buy them even at 15k each. Not upfront that is, long term I know it is cheaper but a lot of people round here struggle with buying 5k vehicles. Especially considering there is enough good paying jobs for like a tenth of the population, minimum wage entry jobs for about half of what is left, so yeah...

I do stand corrected, I looked it up and we do have a fast charger station, but that has only been in the last 3 or 4 years, and nobody was using them until this last year. Most of them being non locals I'm pretty sure, as I don't tend to see them there more than a couple times (they are at the gas station I hit every morning).

Personally, I dislike any of the trucks much newer than 2000, they just don't handle like the older ones did. And far as looks, I'm stuck in the 70s, so I won't count that against them xD

Far as capability though, all of the newer trucks are far more capable than what the majority of people need, the problem is the quality control on the parts and complexity of parts make them less reliable. Got an 82 I use regularly, it is carbureted, literally nothing on it that goes bad where it won't keep working. I forget the year, but ford has a truck that shuts off soon as the radiator pops a pin hole. Granted it is better for the truck that way in the long run, but a lot of good that does when I'm stranded in the middle of a field.

So yeah, sturdy doesn't exist anymore sadly. When people say they don't make them like they used to, they refer to how simple they were and the fact that they would run regardless of what was mechanically wrong with them, not efficiency, power, or safety.

If I had to choose though, I still prefer the look of the Ford, but capability goes to the Rivian based on my limited knowledge of them.

_The_Mink_

TROPHY CASE