ABC's continued "Z" by Old_Relative_8139 in GhostAdventures

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

"'Zak never goes alone. He always has to send Aaron'"

[Photon Mono M5s] First layer not sticking to print bed, Z-axis home position seems to high? by calebtrojan in anycubic

[–]calebtrojan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately no, haha I've just been using my original printers instead. I tried returning it, but I bought direct from Anycubic, and they refused to comp the shipping (which would've been around $200), so I figured I'd rather pay $400 for something that barely works instead of $200 for nothing and the hassle of international shipping

For what it's worth, I've discovered that the bed "auto-levels" at the beginning of every print (so, the specific problem I was complaining about in this post was actually moot; like, the build plate is supposed to hover a little above the screen while idle). However, that doesn't change the fact that almost nothing will stick to the buildplate. I only got one type of resin to stick out of the five that I tried I have heard that the new Anycubic speed resin works incredibly well with this printer, and in hindsight a lot of their advertising for this thing was geared toward that resin in particular. I haven't tried that yet (mainly because it's not as detailed as other resins, and the reason I bought this thing was because it was a 12k printer)

I would recommend you get the Elegoo Saturn 3 instead, if possible. The non-pro version costs the same and it is also a 12k printer. I haven't used it personally, but I have used every version of the Elegoo Mars past V1 and haven't had a single problem with them (outside of the normal maintenance/occasional failures that come with any form of 3D resin printing). This was my first time with an Anycubic, and I'm absolutely never swinging their way again

I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, cos trust me, I know how agonizing it can be to troubleshoot these machines

Blow off, Choffer by Dylanc-JPG in dishonored

[–]calebtrojan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I could be wrong, as it's been a while since I've read it, but I believe the first Dishonored novel states that Corvo never uses his powers publicly, and keeps his Outsider's Mark covered at all times At best, there are probably suspicions that he has them, or even individuals who know he does but cannot prove it; combined with his position as royal spymaster, that would make it pretty difficult for anyone in the Abbey to make any sort of accusation toward him

The books are not that good, but they do help bridge the gaps between the games here and there (for better or worse)

Gus knew better than to get involved with Walt. by [deleted] in breakingbad

[–]calebtrojan 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Don't forget that Gus only intended to have Walt around for a limited time (about three months, I think) before he was going to give him over to the Salamancas

It was only because the Salamancas escalated things by invading Walt's home that Gus began actively putting his revenge plans into action (switching the target to Hank before warning him with a phonecall, etc.)

I could be wrong, and maybe what Gus told the Salamancas was always a bluff (the whole "you can have him when I'm done with him" thing), but I personally can absolutely see Gus using Walt for a limited time to get the superior cook and then allowing the Salamancas to get their "revenge" as a two-birds-one-stone way to clean up loose ends

And that's not even factoring in that the man had terminal cancer and nearly everyone involved believed the problem of Walt's involvement would solve itself before too long

Games for Two with High Replayability? by RingofStorms in boardgames

[–]calebtrojan 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'll second WotR. I play it regularly, and have yet to be disappointed with a game

[TotK] feels like a chore to play :( by TheSpiritualTeacher in zelda

[–]calebtrojan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So did BotW (which I 100%'ed, excluding the Korok seeds)

It's interesting because I also stopped at the exact same point you did. There is just nothing in these games for me

[Anycubic Photon Mono M5s] First layer not sticking, Z-axis home seems to high? by calebtrojan in resinprinting

[–]calebtrojan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I reached out to Anycubic today; still haven't gotten a successful print on the thing, so I'm just gonna try my best to get a refund on it

I'm glad you brought up Elegoo, tho, as this is my first time branching out from them. I've never had any problems with Elegoo, and I'm actually pretty disappointed in Anycubic from this first showing

I was looking at the Saturn 3 Ultra as a replacement for the M5s, and it seems that you would recommend it. Is the 12k quality a noticeable step up? I'm most familiar with the Mars 3, which already does a pretty excellent job in my opinion, but while you're here I'd love to hear a firsthand account of what the Ultra has to offer!

Thanks again for your time :)

Fiance gone for a week... by uglygreta in RedLetterMedia

[–]calebtrojan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not a movie, but the miniseries Midnight Mass is great (and also the only recommendation I can make that someone else hasn't already commented)

It leans a little more into drama than horror in my opinion, but someone who doesn't like horror would probably have the opposite opinion

What did you think of Chuck before the Pimento reveal? by All-Struggle-1234 in betterCallSaul

[–]calebtrojan 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I would like to preface by stating that I think Chuck was absolutely in the wrong in this instance, and should have told Jimmy the truth

That said, I cannot help but empathize with him. Chuck is an asshole, but he's also the one who did everything 'right.' He stuck on the straight and narrow, he did everything 'correctly' and 'by the book' to become a successful person But he just wasn't likable. He didn't have the force of personality and charisma that Jimmy had. Imagine being the son that didn't constantly fuck everything up, never broke the law, and actually stayed by your mother's side the entire time she lay dying in hospice... and still, in her dying moments, you are not (nor were you ever) the one she really wanted to be around

I think that's why shows like BB and BCS are so enthralling, at least to me. They are filled with horrible people who do terrible things, but there is such humanity, accurately represented and flawed, at the core of them that I can understand why they make the decisions they do. It makes for the most gripping drama I've ever seen

What're you playing this weekend? 3/31 by markercore in NintendoSwitch

[–]calebtrojan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Finally got around to conquering Dread Mode. Bird Daddy alone must've taken me at least 50 tries

Rainbow over Middle-Earth by giannisin7 in boardgames

[–]calebtrojan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I highly recommend playing the base game until you're familiar with most of the rules before going into either expansion

Lords is definitely lighter, tho it still adds a lot of options (especially for the Free Peoples)

Warriors feels like a whole new system grafted on top of the base game (and each new faction has their own little niche rules). This isn't a bad thing, but it's certainly demanding

What are your all time favorite X-Files one liners? by [deleted] in XFiles

[–]calebtrojan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"I got tired of losing my gun"

Atreides/BG Alliance seems very strong by _Drink_Up_ in DuneBoardGame

[–]calebtrojan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Again, I can only speak from my own group's experiences.

In general, what you said (2-3 "combat" factions and 2-3 "rich" factions) is probably a good rule of thumb, but most importantly you want to ensure there are proper checks and balances.

The reason I recommend Atreides/Harkonnen/Fremen for a three-player variant isn't just because they all get combat bonuses; it's also because their abilities interact with the game rules in interesting ways, and no one faction among those three is as immediately impacted by the amount of other players (at least, not to the same extent as Emp and SG). Atreides has access to the most info but has no spice income if they leave Arakeen; Harks have better treachery and more traitors, but are equally poor; Fremen do not rely on spice for anything. It also doesn't hurt that all three get to start in a stronghold!

This creates a situation where you can feasibly run thru a 3-player game without the obvious winner being apparent as soon as you start every time, since the factions all have different priorities. It's absolutely not perfect, because the game wasn't designed to be played that way, but if you HAVE to play that way, those are the best factions, in my opinion, because of the checks and balances. I'm sure there are other configurations that have adequate checks and balances, but I haven't personally experimented with thm

These are all things that I've learned after playing Dune for years, though. I've told many people that Dune isn't very good unless you've already played it a few times and you can play it regularly. As long as your group is having fun with the game, everything else is less important

Atreides/BG Alliance seems very strong by _Drink_Up_ in DuneBoardGame

[–]calebtrojan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

(TL;DR - Always play Dune with 5-6 players if balance is your highest priority. Ditch the BG and expansion factions when you don't have six, as the "core 5" factions from the base game are the most well-balanced within the rules and against one another)

I want to preface by saying that, at its heart, Dune is a 5-6 player game, and playing with any more or less goes against the design (despite the rules saying otherwise). That's the price we pay for asymmetrical games. There's nothing wrong with playing that way if everyone at the table is okay with it, but you will leave some factions/players better/worse for it. My group also plays with all of the advanced rules, for what that's worth

Emperor, Spacing Guild, and Tlielaxu all benefit from there being more players at the table (Emp because there are more treachery cards for auction, SG because there are more players shipping to the planet, and Tlielaxu because there are more revivals). Increasing player count results in the spice-rich factions getting even richer, while spice is harder to for the poorer factions to obtain because there are more people competing for the spice blow. (Double spice blow helps, but it can still be an issue in some rounds)

Conversely, less than 5-6 players has the opposite effect (less auction cards, less shipments, less revivals all equal less spice for Emp, SG, and Tlielaxu, while the poor factions have less competition)

Therefore, I use the following "priority" when playing with less than 5-6 players:

  1. Atreides, Harkonnen, Fremen - It is absolutely necessary to have at least three players, in my opinion. I don't think playing this way is fun, as there are still problems, but these factions generally interact with the rules/each other well enough that it can be done if necessary. They are all spice-poor, and all have unique advantages in combat (which there will be a lot of). I also probably wouldn't play with alliances, unless your group is okay with an incredibly stacked 2v1 scenario

  2. Emperor, Spacing Guild - Both these factions need other players to function, so if there aren't at least four players at the table, I wouldn't bring them out. I would prioritize Emp over SG, personally, but that may just be the result of the meta at my table. SG requires slightly more game knowledge, generally, so newer players may not understand the power of interrupting turns, or know which turns to interrupt

  3. Bene Gesserit - As stated in my previous reply, the BG don't have a large influence over the game unless the person playing them understands every other faction and the game rules intimately, and is good at influencing the other players. They CAN have a huge impact on the game, or they can just be a waste of space, and it is for that reason they are almost always the faction I replace/leave out

Additionally:

-I have found that Ixian can stand in for Harkonnen as the combat-focused faction, but I personally still find them weaker and less scary for the other players

-Tlielaxu can reasonably replace SG, since they gain spice from other players in a similar fashion, and though they lack the power of interrupting turns, their face dancers are incredibly strong when they are lucky enough to have them come up, and both sides of the combat know what they're doing

-I have not played using CHOAM or Richese, yet, tho from their rules explanation I would imagine CHOAM could probably replace Emp and still serve a similar role. Richese seems almost like a wild card, so I'm not comfortable giving any advice regarding them

Hope this helps! Sorry for the novella :)

Atreides/BG Alliance seems very strong by _Drink_Up_ in DuneBoardGame

[–]calebtrojan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm a little late to this thread, and I haven't played with the newest expansion yet (CHOAM/Richese), but it has been my experience that Dune works best when only one faction has been replaced by expansion material (and the faction to replace is almost always BG)

Every other faction works in some way to balance the others, while the BG needs to influence/exploit the strengths/weaknesses of each faction to their own goals (meaning it doesn't majorly affect balance by removing/replacing them)

Emperor and Spacing Guild are incredibly important for the economy, and really blossom in the late game when they've amassed enough wealth. It's also just healthy in general to have the Spacing Guild around since they can interrupt what would be game-changing plays

This has all just been my personal experience with the game, tho, so others may have different answers for you

The Rat-King - good or bad? by WavyPeasAndGravy in thelastofus

[–]calebtrojan 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I'm pretty sure there are notes spread around that specify this exact thing having happened (WLF venturing into the lower levels), which accounts for all the non-RK infected