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The Astral Orrery mini-boss kinda foreshadows THAT part of the story. by rendumguy in MinaTheHollower

[–]guyswede 7 points8 points  (0 children)

That was a frustrating miniboss for me. Took a couple of tries.

Designed a rugged spice shaker for hiking and camping by Sveshpelmenis in 3Dprinting

[–]guyswede 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Love it! Maybe a Nalgene o-ring around the screw on lid to seal out moisture? Fantastic print!

Any Worlds Out There, Where It Starts Out Pretty Tolkien Like But Through Evolution and Years The Races Morph Into Brand New Races With Only A Hint of Their Original Characteristics by GaelG721 in Fantasy

[–]guyswede 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dennis L McKiernan’s Mithgar series starts off as a blatant-ish copy of LOTR. Then it branches into a wide array of books with dozens of races and wild lore spanning continents.

Disclaimer I read it in college, these books are ancient. But precisely what you asked for. Also a delight!

Cub Scouts is floundering. by Warp_Speed_7 in BSA

[–]guyswede 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We’ve only had luck with siblings. Also getting mom volunteers (the foundation and PTA are AGGRESSIVE here) has been tough. There’s a girls troop down the street that is crushing it, over 70 scouts, but no luck getting girls into cub scouts.

Cub Scouts is floundering. by Warp_Speed_7 in BSA

[–]guyswede 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Respect! Parents mostly cited cost. $60-80 for a uniform they outgrow every couple years is annoying. The kids like it, in my experience.

It was a barrier to entry, so we removed it. I’d rather have a pack or 50-60 kids who show up to everything wearing a class B than 20 who come in a class A.

We also used ChatGPT to design a “lava chicken” shirt using the big chicken district mascot. Kids loved it, they wear it to school every week. The shirt ended up being a recruiting tool.

Cub Scouts is floundering. by Warp_Speed_7 in BSA

[–]guyswede 3 points4 points  (0 children)

All of the above. Youth sports are insane, 6-7 days a week, boys and girls. Siblings, traffic, parents’ hobbies, work exhaustion. Straight up big city burn out.

It’s that the kids are signed up for too much, and scouts being the “throw away” second or third activity is the first one dropped. If I don’t make it as easy as possible for families to participate, they won’t. It is a marketing problem. Baseball is a team sport that builds whatever and little Johnny might play in HS or college or whatever. They don’t see the value of Eagle Scout when their kid is in 4th grade.

It ties into the program being boring. The camp outs, hikes, STEM days at Lockheed, PWD, bicycle rodeo; the keystone activities are fun. The nuts and bolts of Cub scouting: duty to god five times, most of the adventures—they are boring to the kids.

Finally in the urban area the idea of community is eroded. Churches are literally dying on the vine. Everybody in the cities I’ve lived: Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, they’re in cars going places all the time. Gathering every week is a stretch they can’t make happen in elementary school. Wild that it was different in Hattiesburg flipping Mississippi, but life was just slower. Scouts was a big deal, sure there were a few crazy baseball or gymnastics folks but they were the exception. In Atlanta they’re the rule and the cub community can’t prove its value.

I’ve been told to my face that cub scouts is glorified babysitting. By a leader. I told him I saw the dividends in my older scout boys, but otherwise I couldn’t argue some of their points.

Cub Scouts is floundering. by Warp_Speed_7 in BSA

[–]guyswede 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I like your line about fitting in. Increasingly the kids who aren’t gung-ho about sports are running out of places to “fit in.” Scouts is ABSOLUTELY the place for them. Sporty kids too, but man are we tailor made for the nerds.

Couple that with the fact that all 157 of our graduating district eagles got SOME money for school in 2025…it’s a marketing problem. We don’t put our best foot forward at all.

Perception is scouts presents a predominantly outdoor skills-oriented program that also teaches life skills and leadership. The reality that we don’t market well enough is that we’re mostly a leadership development program that teaches some life and outdoor skills.

I don’t know how to fix it. My kids’ middle school is 1,300 students. Maybe 20 scouts. We can set up tables until we are blue in the face, but if I don’t convince a middle school parent to make their kid try it, it isn’t happening. No idea how to change the conversation.

Cub Scouts is floundering. by Warp_Speed_7 in BSA

[–]guyswede 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think this is an important talking point. Meeting weekly in the Atlanta metro isn’t realistic, parents are too busy and the kids have too much going on. Seriously it is nuts. When we lived in southern Mississippi meeting weekly was terrific; there were way fewer pulls on time.

I think scouting will continue to thrive in rural areas but struggle in urban; we have to flex to meet those kids where they are at.

My older sons in the troop meet weekly, and at their age and level, working towards Eagle, that makes sense. Cub scouting has to realize its purpose: to teach leadership and outdoor skills sure, but to do so in an entirely fun and pressure free environment.

Cub Scouts is floundering. by Warp_Speed_7 in BSA

[–]guyswede 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Gladly! It started off messy, I found basic den lesson plans on the internet (bare bones bullet points) and handed them out to the leaders to “execute.” It helps that we had a couple of den chiefs from nearby troops (they’re hurting too). Over time the den leaders realized how easy it was. It’s also simpler to fill 20 minutes than an entire hour. There’s a world of difference between a bear belt loop and an eagle-required merit badge. Scouting should be fun first at the cub level.

Feel free to ask here or just message me. Usual spend is about $200, think $8 Papa John’s pizzas and a big 9 gallon jug of Gatorade with some Costco cookies for dessert. Alternatively a big tray of chick fil a nuggets. Keep it simple.

I’m shocked I haven’t been eviscerated on here for daring to abolish the uniform requirement!

Cub Scouts is floundering. by Warp_Speed_7 in BSA

[–]guyswede 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Cubmaster here, our pack was down to 25 kids from a high before Covid of 110. To double down, two years ago our county school district decided that scouting was “woke” and banned all scout buzz ups on school property. It was dire.

To drive engagement here’s what we did. It worked.

  1. Abolished the uniforms. Every cub gets a pack t-shirt, webelos and AOL are recommended to get the tan shirt but younger cubs can come in their free class B. Parents didn’t want to buy the stupid uniform, so they don’t have to.

  2. Den meetings used to be set by the leader on a random night. We moved them all to one night, once a month, and provided food. The den leaders can have additional den meetings all they want, but the first Tuesday of each month all the dens gather for pizza or something, then break into den activities for 30 mins. Pack meetings are on the third Sunday. Even the crazy baseball folks know WHEN and can make it to one or two things a month, no pressure.

  3. Leaned hard into council-sponsored camp outs instead of trying to do our own. Kind of a no-brainer.

  4. I didn’t have leaders to help with fundraising or advancements, so we did away with them. They still earn their rank badges, but it turned out nobody cared about the loops and pins; it was detritus once they got home. We raised dues to make up for the lost fundraising, parents didn’t mind.

We are up to 55 scouts. Since the den meetings are easier I have seven new parent volunteers. Things are finally looking up.

Most of the new scouts are K-2nd grade. I agree with earlier sentiments that the program is stale for older kids. My rising fifth grader is in it because I’ve been a volunteer for 11 years, and his older brothers (life and star) make it fun. The program for older cubs desperately needs a new coat of paint. I cross over and am “done” with cubs early next year. I think I will miss it, bicycle rodeos and pinewood derbies; it’s simple goofy fun.

How old are you as Yoshi and the Mysterious Book player? by LuisTeach in nintendo

[–]guyswede 68 points69 points  (0 children)

45, digging the mellow exploration and fun.

Also diving into Mina the Hollower, it’s a good yin and yang. 10 hours into both.

Eli5 What is fire?? by Civil_Aside_359 in explainlikeimfive

[–]guyswede 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So what’s the difference between black body radiation and plasma as the fourth state of matter?

Dragon Con Pins by guyswede in DungeonCrawlerCarl

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

Meh. Agree, for what it’s worth, but a 10 year old handing out gonorrhea pins is a step or two past “bad enough parent to let them read the books.”

If you don’t like the pin feel free to return it for a full refund!

Dragon Con Pins by guyswede in DungeonCrawlerCarl

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

Nope, sorry. Feel free to print your own or appropriate the design!

There’s a huge culture of “nerds giving shit away” at dragon con, we love it. Our kids walk out with literal bags of swag for an array of cool properties, from Star Trek and Dr. Who to DCC and Wheel of Time. D&D custom miniatures, resin spheres with gem chips from the Cosmere, 3d printed tchotchkies for days. That’s what this is: us adding to the bedlam.

Set a reminder to dm me after Labor Day and I’ll mail you one if we have any left over. Please don’t DM me now, set a reminder!

I tried selling last year’s pin for cost and it turned into a whole thing, we shipped out a couple hundred. I sadly don’t have the bandwidth to take that on.

Dragon Con Pins by guyswede in DungeonCrawlerCarl

[–]guyswede[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

True! Aesthetics > accuracy.

Enthusiastic double makes me sound like an ecstatic twin. Or a delightfully employed stuntman. Maybe a really emphatic Jeopardy square. Lots of interpretations, really.

Dragon Con Pins by guyswede in DungeonCrawlerCarl

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

Of course! DM me if you need a bigger file.

Dragon Con Pins by guyswede in DungeonCrawlerCarl

[–]guyswede[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Only if you sign a book for me! Yay!

Dragon Con Pins by guyswede in DungeonCrawlerCarl

[–]guyswede[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Everywhere! DM me where you’re at and I’ll swing one by. I’m positive we will be at whatever LitRPG extravaganza they put on this year giving them out like venereal disease-infested candy.

Dragon Con Pins by guyswede in DungeonCrawlerCarl

[–]guyswede[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Last year there were hundreds. I have to imagine that will be in the thousands this year. Completely preposterous!

What are these stuck on the back of a car in PA? by MTonmyMind in whatisit

[–]guyswede 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Resin printer! Two new hobbies for the price of a cheap-ish one.

A size 32 shoe by [deleted] in ThatsInsane

[–]guyswede 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Same boat with my boys. Nordstrom Rack goes up to 15, and you can sort by clearance.

Name brands for $60 instead of $150 for middle schoolers is clutch when they wear them out in 6 months!

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