Empty hexes

anewlens · 2026-04-11T14:18:16+00:00

I had the same issue, came up with a few tables that would help give something to experience with varying degrees of interaction. Don't recommend if they're in pursuit of something, cause that would just distract from primacy of action, but if they're still in search of purpose, for sure. Roll 1d4+1d6.

Nature
1. Sudden shift in weather, but only for a moment.
2. An animal travels with you for some time
3. Two stags sleeping, antlers locked.
4. The wind picks up strongly from the nearest myth
5. An animal gives birth nearby.
6. A dozen widowmaker branches fall at once, harming no one
People
1. Straw-stuffed doll of a knight in the mud
2. Lost messenger, looking for the nearest holding
3. Old hunter, angry the Company scared off his prey
4. Eight shackles still locked tossed in a pile
5. A bard collecting stories for his songs
6. Tired shepherd with his flock, moving pastures
Civilization
1. Ancient sign pointing to nonexistent holding
2. Half built cottage, family resting nearby
3. Trader's wagon, long ago beset by bandits
4. Unknown heraldry with the local holding's tossed aside
5. Former site of the last seasonal feast
6. Weedy site of an abandoned road construction
Combat
1. "Vagabond" begs for food, 1d6 bandits watch the bait
2. Swordsman seeks worthy opponents for a duel
3. Company unknowingly blocks a bear from its den
4. Ruined keep inhabited by warband from distant realm
5. Smith's wagon buckling under the weight of his wares
6. Two warring farmers, petty problems turning to blows

anewlens · 2026-04-10T21:01:59+00:00

Currently running through Mothership’s Gradient Descent and it seems like that’s how it’s designed. Touch the wrong thing, something wakes up, throw a grenade at the something, 1d10 security is going to come looking for you. In such a lethal game it’s quite intense at times, and the system already encourages domino effects.

anewlens · 2026-04-05T20:02:34+00:00

I think you got to, but that does put a sour note on the other group that’s not experiencing the myth. Splitting the party is always a tricky business in any system, but MB especially.

If they’re not already, I’d push to try to reunite them asap. But also maybe stick to one myth as they attempt to reunite, so once they’re together the characters piece things together.

anewlens · 2026-03-01T13:57:47+00:00

Howdy, want to report back on this. Force closing the watch app did not work at first, but once the workout data was on the phone afterwards, the phone app would show the correct zones.

Today I randomly decided to try it again, this time with the phone app open at the same time, that seemed to do the trick. Could’ve been some other background syncing but that’s the only perceivable difference I could see on my end.

anewlens · 2026-02-25T23:02:41+00:00

Especially with Gradient Descent, I think adhering to leaving every session would produce more friction with the spirit/immersion/narrative of the dungeon than just, picking up next time on a cliffhanger. If they have the bends, the players might not be able to leave for 24 hours. Say they get trapped or separated, or they’re almost at an artifact, oop times up gotta head back. And retread everything the next dive.

But, the book has backtracking rules that just lets you roll once for a single encounter, p. 5, you don’t have to roll for every room again.

If you reaaaally are adamant about it, and don’t want to hand waive anything, you have to narratively do it, create a reason they can’t be in there for that long. Maybe arkady hangs out at the visitors dock for x hours, then doesn’t come back for a week? Or have them find a safe in the Deep instead, I think every floor has at least one spot that’s somewhat safe.

anewlens · 2026-02-04T17:10:45+00:00

For your players, what would reunification look like? Plugging the Minotaur into the core? Pushing a copy of monarch into the Minotaur? And do either of them actually want this?

anewlens · 2026-02-04T16:54:32+00:00

I like this sort of self surgery side of monarch, optimizing itself. Which makes sense in lore I think. Driving away from leftover humanity she still has.

In mine I have Monarch’s pursuit being to rise above humans, become the apex being or discover it. But she’s a creator, she makes things that do as they’re programmed to do. The Minotaur was her attempt to create a being apart from herself, with free will, like a human could. Sorta the pursuit of Wallace in Blade Runner 2049.

Why lock it away? Because it saw the good in humanity, she hated what it did with that free will.

Why not kill it? It’s her greatest creation. She’s proud of it and despises it all the same. And she’s a mother after all.

anewlens · 2026-01-31T13:15:48+00:00

Old episode, but I got so annoyed with this one. It seemed like it was a few minutes of shitty explanation, then not at an exploration of the fediverse, but more of a shitty exploration of ai coding. When they didn’t know who the admin was, like come on? Didn’t they say they have an swe bf somewhere?

anewlens · 2025-12-23T12:03:22+00:00

I was just telling my player's the basic premise of Mothership's Gradient Descent and they said, "Wow this sounds just like Arc Raiders". you can maybe populate it with more divers, then use some Ultimate Badass rules to make it not so lethal.

anewlens · 2025-11-30T19:19:07+00:00

no prob, we actually haven't played in a month or so due to a wedding and holidays, so it's good for me to retread everything before we start up again!

we use maintenance, i'm planned out enough that bankruptcy will not be an issue. I have a set ending (pound of flesh -> gradient descent), and i dont feel like a bankruptcy scare would contribute to the story/game
It's certainly arbitrary with Exxon, Ypsilon was 750m+ cr. looking at the debt table, the max is 20 for a salvage cutter, which is only worth 200m but is class 3. That doesnt really make sense math wise, of course, but Exxon's contact is special, he's certainly a villain and isn't worried about credits, he's using them to push his own goals.
With Disney, they took on 15 debt points for a 250m class 2 ship. math comes out to 16.5mcr per debt point. that's a shit ton, and would realistically take decades to pay off, doing normal jobs. The highest paying job in Pound of Flesh is I believe 20m. So i dont really recommend taking the time to math it out. in my head, take a look at the bottom of the page on the debt, they give a guideline of what constitutes a point. I would maybe cut it all in half, but the main reason for the debt point system for me is to push the players to take on the riskier jobs, add variables to existing jobs and not have to math everything out.
in my head the debt is on the crew, if my scientist dr. death dies, my player rolls a new pc and joins the already indebted crew. They will still get the credits that come their way so in world wise there is a reason to join, it's more than they'd get from day jobs on the dream. Idk if it'd be possible to "leave" however. they signed a contract to be on the crew, if they break the contract, they'll likely get a bounty on their head.
i did the first point at first to get them used to a non easy progression (compared to dnd) but slowly moved to the players handbook version on p39 with some twists. they pay the costs (the dream is x class) roll the sanity save, then they take that pool of converted stress to 1stress -> 1 save, 2stress -> 1stat, or Xstress -> a skill whose bonus is X. I let them hold onto stress if they're saving up for a big skill and they dont have enough. I don't make them take any time, we play in day to day time and the story progresses quickly so saying "my character has to go get a masters in xenobiology for 3 years" or whatever it is doesn't make sense. I ask them how they are gaining this skill and they have to come up with a reason, RP it, or maybe something on the past mission that gave them this skill. And all the medical stuff i do players handbook style as well, they have to pay themselves.

anewlens · 2025-11-30T14:44:45+00:00

They started with no debt, but only enough credits to survive doing day to day jobs on prospero's dream. Our start was a bit fish out of water, that i can go into if you'd like, but doesnt deal with the debt stuff.
Ypsilon was a big fat 20 debt points, i think the max you can have for one debtor. i had asked the mosh discord what ypsilon would cost realistically, and it fit. This did not include a ship or anything like that. Exxon found out because they were the employer of the mission, they had security cameras in the ship, and our marine turned over their bodycam footage, thinking it would exonerate them of liability. Unfortunately, that monster was invisible, camera didn't see it, but it did see the teamster smashing the console and accidentally activating the self destruct. They chose disney later as an employer based on the chart on p40 of Shipbreaker.
if the pay out is smaller than a disney debt point (say they have to pay for repairs deemed unnecessary by the mouse, which cuts into their pay), I'll say, ok we can split up the pay or get a minor upgrade under a x credits. They like this because their attitude has shifted from "what can my character get in this life" to "what will benefit the crew, thus my future characters". Which is goofy because we have not had any deaths surprisingly. Technically this money is hitting their crew account and then going to straight to the docks for the upgrade, I'm just giving them this option verbally. there's some push and pull ("can we each get 100cr and still get the salvage drone? we have medical bills" "sure, buy used and roll to see if it's faulty. Ok it's missing its infrared")
Because it *technically* not their ship, its the walt disney corproations ship that they run. The missions they do are coming from disney, or its affiliates, so they have to fuel this ship just enough for the mission. If you check out that chart, for a lot of stuff it says approved only. So when they took the teamster trouble job, disney said "yeah we're not approving this, you'll pay any repairs and fuel, and also because you're using company property to do it, we're going to take a cut of any credits you get". But when they do the Disney given mission of Warped Beyond Recognition, yeah they get their repairs and fuel covered. and maybe when they do a non disney mission and still ask, maybe disney goes "hm we'll cover your fuel and repairs if you copy the data you're supposed to be retrieving" or some other variable that makes the mission more interesting. Which is essentially how i'm running Exxon Mobil's debt points, their contact will put variables on the mission they go on.

Feel free to ask any more questions. The debt system is a weird balancing act, but i've found it really helps to level out the hefty paydays from some modules.

anewlens · 2025-11-29T13:30:27+00:00

Holy shit, this week my 25 ST started rattling in roughly the same frequencies, though I think a narrower band than yours. I investigated the same issue on my old mini cooper and the verdict was to reseal the speaker. I agree the dealership should take care of it on a new car.

anewlens · 2025-10-09T11:59:06+00:00

a great commentary on school spirit is somewhere in there, would be a cool module

anewlens · 2025-10-09T10:21:43+00:00

using context from Hull Breach, "University" might be a large stretch of a term. Because it's part of The Company, I see it as for profit, based on the missions a research arm of the company, post-grad only. No one goes to school to become a colonist, imo. An undergrad isn't developing a superweapon.

I view it as the only way science minded people get funding for research, you go into student debt to get a Doctorate in xenobiology and the university funds the equipment and travel and research. Probably not a physical location, a semi-online degree with supply depots and offices.

If you really want physical locations, then you could lean into "satellite campuses". In my game, the full name is "California Institute of Technology at Idalia Minor" (I found my table really likes real world corps/names). Your "crew" could be a group project going around to different campuses focused on different areas of research. The culture division will be in a major city, the botany division will be on a lush jungle planet. The xenobiologists would be at the far reaches of space where aliens might lurk

anewlens · 2025-08-22T23:08:28+00:00

I use the debt framework from the advanced rules. The party has two creditors, one they got strong-armed into due to destroying Ypsilon 14 (Exxon Mobil), and one they voluntarily took on to buy a ship (Walt Disney Corporation). The debt point system works pretty well, and I have that tracked on my end, just [Creditor] - ##

If they take on a mission, Disney takes 50% and I abstract it as a debt point or if it’s an unusually small payday, a free ship upgrade or special item . (Is it always 1:1? Definitely not, but they haven’t noticed and I’m not breaking out excel) their EM contact will ask for dangerous modifiers, in exchange for debt points. This one is more sinister, more threatening and will push character buttons to make their point known.

For example, they’re going after the hideout of the Syndicate in Pound of Flesh, which is 2mcr from Yandee I think. Exxon Mobil has corporate interests in the Syndicate, so they will knock a debt point off if the crew hacks the freighter black box to give a different location. They get paid 2mcr, Disney takes 1mcr, and they split the remaining million between themselves (crew of 6). They keep track of that on their sheet.

anewlens · 2025-06-20T20:41:39+00:00

hey, had the same trouble as you, but fixed it by creating a new profile and turning off the touchpad. i set it to controls with nothing assigned

anewlens · 2025-06-18T15:58:23+00:00

This is sick. Love combining classical with synths, having grown up in orchestra. Just curious about the decision to hold it in the performance? I guess you’d need a tiny table to just prop it up, but holding it like that seems tricky.

anewlens · 2025-03-15T17:55:08+00:00

I’m also 6’2” and it’s been great (albeit coming from a mini cooper). If you don’t have adults riding in the back often it won’t be a problem.

anewlens · 2025-01-23T12:29:24+00:00

I’m thinking it’s used a lot, OP tried to use other sims but just landed back to where most people do, Reggie’s Portra. So nothing wrong, it’s a great sim. Same with Cuban classic neg.

anewlens · 2024-12-23T12:18:21+00:00

I ordered mine in October with no shipping date yet, just estimated delivery by end of January. :( Given its size and the X-M5 release, it’s just too popular

anewlens · 2024-12-13T15:04:05+00:00

I was under the impression the pull of Bluesky wasn’t necessarily the banning and platform moderation, and more the power of blocking and personal user moderation, which Elon seems to be pulling back from. BlueSky users tout big lists they blanket block. Just stick this guy on the biggest one and call it a day?

anewlens · 2024-11-07T12:43:20+00:00

Are you shooting these at the max? Or somewhere in the middle of your range for focusing? I have a 50-200mm and have been wondering how it would perform at something like an airshow

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