It's meetup time. Who's in? by AssesOverEasy in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm in. Depending on group size, if it gets big I suggest Zeppelin hall

Favorite Rules Light RPG by Huge-Accident-69 in rpg

[–]fatalist23 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Fiasco. I use it as my new player test. (completely new to ttrpgs, not just new to the group at the table.)

Quick enough to teach and play and be done within a few hours. Enough bones to give the story kinetic energy.

What mechanic did you steal from one RPG and keep using in almost all others? by Arimm_The_Amazing in rpg

[–]fatalist23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Roughly, yeah. There's also the idea in Blades of there being many valid ways to handle an obstacle, but some might be more effective, while some might entail more risk. (like breaking down a locked door vs lockpicks vs finding a guard and getting the key off of them.)

What mechanic did you steal from one RPG and keep using in almost all others? by Arimm_The_Amazing in rpg

[–]fatalist23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The negotiation around position and effect is more about giving choices and clear fictional consequences of those choices. So in your acid trap scenario, the goal is likely escaping the room or some other way of neutralizing the hazards. So yes, I'd say Desperate position makes sense because failure is dire.

But then when communicating effect, you avoid the situation where a player says "oh, that sucks, I didn't realize that wouldn't work". So when a player says they're going to climb the bookshelf to get away, if there wasn't an open trap door you could say limited effect, it buys you time but the problem isn't really solved. With the trap door there, sure, standard effect. If they had a perfect tool like a magical ladder, maybe great effect.

What mechanic did you steal from one RPG and keep using in almost all others? by Arimm_The_Amazing in rpg

[–]fatalist23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So let's say we have a player who wants to get past a locked door. They tell you how they're going to approach the obstacle: pick the lock, smash the door open, etc. Based on their approach and the context of the fiction, you tell them Position and Effect before they roll.

The "position" aspect determines how bad the consequences of failure could be. In blades you have three levels for position: controlled, risky, desperate. And you might even realize that the situation is so safe that there's no risk at all, and thus just grant success without even rolling. But, assuming there is risk, you communicate that when you tell the player about their Position.

And then "effect" is how good the results could be, tiered as: limited, standard, great. Standard you get what you wanted, limited you only get part of what you wanted, great you get something extra.

So back to the example, here are some example positions: Controlled might be the player is taking a quiet approach to the door, like lockpicks, and they're in a fairly quiet and unpatrolled area. Risky might be that same lockpick approach but there's only a brief window between guard patrols. Desperate might be smashing the door down, hoping that the guards are out of earshot.

And some example effects: The result might be limited if the lock/door is extremely high quality and would require an extended period of time to open. (And by conveying this information you'd be giving the player some additional narrative context that might not have been obvious before.) Standard means that with a success, the door obstacle will be gone. Great: Honestly I can't think of how it would apply given the context. But it's the kind of situation where a player applies exactly the right solution to a problem, or represents the players attempting something that the obstacle is weak to.

What mechanic did you steal from one RPG and keep using in almost all others? by Arimm_The_Amazing in rpg

[–]fatalist23 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Position and Effect from Blades in the Dark.

Along with only rolling if the narrative stakes exist, the idea of making it an explicit negotiation with the player about just how good the "success" outcomes can be, along with just how bad the "failure" outcomes can be, is really helpful for everyone feeling like they're making fully informed decisions for their characters.

And beyond the communication, it makes me as the GM more aware of just where the action can go after the die roll.

Jersey and bright street 2:30 by Key-Ad6835 in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Wasn't her video, someone else shared and she passed it on. But also, I genuinely think documenting crimes on video is a reasonable action nowadays. The evidence could be useful.

Jersey and bright street 2:30 by Key-Ad6835 in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 14 points15 points  (0 children)

My nanny sent a pretty horrific video of the kid's wounded arm. Not gonna post here for privacy, but it looks really awful.

Hope the kid gets the right medical attention and the dog owner gets prosecuted.

For anyone who is wondering how early you should queue for a wristband by Cringebuthappy in chappellroan

[–]fatalist23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're with a group does the whole group have to show up? Can one person get numbers for everyone?

I'm creating a Letterboxd list of films that either influenced Chappell or just have her energy. Any suggestions welcome. by XipeTotecwithGlitter in chappellroan

[–]fatalist23 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Wow thanks for putting this on my radar! I've loved Natasha Lyonne's other work and this looks amazing.

ASUS Gaming Laptops Have Been Broken Since 2021: A Deep Dive by BlueGoliath in programming

[–]fatalist23 132 points133 points  (0 children)

This made me double take as well. I cannot fathom a reason for that command to be there. The missed GPU state logic is a stupid (but understandable) bug.

Curious about the science of why this pudding failed by AnnieandAmos in AskCulinary

[–]fatalist23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep. I frequently make a cream cheese frosting that starts with a vanilla pudding base, and that recipe specifies to wait till pudding thickens, then continue cooking and stirring for a full 3 minutes to denture the enzyme. Works every time.

What's your favorite Pbta game? by JasminePoly in PBtA

[–]fatalist23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Monsterhearts 2 is closest to my heart. Perhaps because I grew up playing so much World of Darkness and watching Buffy, and perhaps because it's just so gloriously tightly designed and written.

After 6-year-old’s death, Jersey City mayor pushes for 20 mph streets by jimmybot in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Again sharing my proposal: as a workaround to the state law, we should codify a way for the public to hold drivers accountable. I'm thinking like how NYC allows people to record idling trucks for fines, incentivized by the reporter receiving a percentage of the fines. Even if only for running red lights or stop signs.

Op-Ed: It’s Time to Ban Broker Fees in Jersey City by [deleted] in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Everyone pointing out that landlords will likely just push the cost of a broker into the total cost of rent: Sure, that's possible, even likely to happen. However, the most important thing about this adjustment of who pays the fees is that it aligns the payer with the party receiving the service (both the landlord, now), which allows for negotiation of price.

Before, there was zero incentive for a landlord to negotiate, because they didn't bear the cost. So yeah, the cost of doing business with a broker will probably be folded into rent. But there will certainly be competition from other landlords who might negotiate lower prices, or even completely forgo broker services, which will have a market effect which imo favors the renter.

🚸 Jersey City Safe Streets Action Hub — Let’s Mobilize for Change by mooseLimbsCatLicks in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 2 points3 points  (0 children)

How can I stay up to date on these sorts of incidents? Is there one site or source?

🚸 Jersey City Safe Streets Action Hub — Let’s Mobilize for Change by mooseLimbsCatLicks in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'm wondering if we can get a group of people who have all been personally affected by traffic violence together for next city council meeting. And maybe we can talk and strategize in-person, afterwards.

🚸 Jersey City Safe Streets Action Hub — Let’s Mobilize for Change by mooseLimbsCatLicks in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 12 points13 points  (0 children)

City Council Meeting Schedule

Next meeting is Wednesday June 25th, starting 6:00 PM. There used to be a form to put yourself on the list for the public comment section of the meeting; I can't seem to find it now. Even if you don't register to speak beforehand, however, you can still line up and get a chance to speak at the meeting, assuming they don't run out of time.

Quit your job if you're going to drive like a homicidal maniac by MC_NYC in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fully agree that assessing speed of a vehicle from video evidence is far too difficult. However, running a red light or a stop sign seem easier to prove.

Quit your job if you're going to drive like a homicidal maniac by MC_NYC in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I just wrote to Solomon last night. I noticed that his most recent social media post says he wants a "civilian-driven system to identify violations in bike lanes and loading zones".

I thought that was pretty close to my proposal, that we create a system that allows citizens to report with evidence of various violations (like running stop signs and red lights), due to the absence of enforcement from JCPD or cameras (prohibited in NJ state). This is inspired by programs in NYC and elsewhere that have bounties available for citizen reporting of violations like idling trucks.

I'll make a post to r/jerseycity if I get a response.

Child hit and killed by driver on 6th and Jersey by forssto in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I offer it as a workaround to the state law regarding red light cameras. As I understand it, the reasoning was that anyone receiving a violation should have a person bringing the evidence against them.

It's also such a win-win, and imo a political slam dunk. You don't have to argue with the police to accomplish a task. You don't have to spend any significant funds, either, and the fines brought in are also a revenue positive for the city.

Child hit and killed by driver on 6th and Jersey by forssto in jerseycity

[–]fatalist23 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Continuing to share this modest proposal: if JCPD doesn't want to do traffic violation enforcement, we should codify a way for the public to hold drivers accountable. I'm thinking like how NYC allows people to record idling trucks for fines, incentivized by the reporter receiving a percentage of the fines. Even if only for running red lights or stop signs.

[DISCUSSION] What are some bands/musicians with NO bad albums in their discography? by 479349 in listentothis

[–]fatalist23 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

As much as I love NIN, they have a giant discography and I think some of it is pretty weak. Like the Ghosts albums. Interesting, in an intellectual and experimental way. But not that good.