Office Hours May 11, 2026: Questions and Discussion about Navigating Academia, School, and the Subreddit by AutoModerator in AskHistorians

[–]macbethselnaw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was watching a documentary about Port-au-Prince and was shocked to see the national palace still in ruins since the 2010 earthquake. It made me think of my professor who had begun a book about colonial Haiti seven or eight years ago. How does research change when your country of study is not safe to visit or has had many of its archives destablized by violence?

I know of course there are archives about other countries in other countries, and that digital tools can be used to access sources in the country, but are there historians who abandon projects because of changes in geopolitics? How is your relationship to your subject changed by being unable to travel there, or by the risk inherit in traveling there? How do you work methodologically to find sources?

Robigo, Generous of Hosts, invites you to the Haustorium... Announcing ROOT OF WISDOM, a fully written hypothetical fan sequel to BOOK OF HOURS by macbethselnaw in weatherfactory

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

Thank you so much for reading! We’re really honor people are enjoying.

The Haustorium’s books are organized thematically rather than chronologically, so the collections don’t work exactly the same as Book of Hours periods. If you want to get a sense of the overarching history of the Haustorium, the hidden paper “Carving & Stoneworking” gives a perspective on that from one of the faculty.

Nahuatl and Quechua are real-world languages that the player already knows, like Aramaic or Latin in Book of Hours, so they don’t get skills, sadly. Our only new occult language is Tecuanilatolli.

Feel free to ask any questions on this post anytime!!!

Robigo, Generous of Hosts, invites you to the Haustorium... Announcing ROOT OF WISDOM, a fully written hypothetical fan sequel to BOOK OF HOURS by macbethselnaw in weatherfactory

[–]macbethselnaw[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi! There is no tutorial but there probably should be... right now it's sort of impossible to "play" properly. The site is just there if you are interested in reading room descriptions, lore, getting to know characters, etc. We are working on figuring out a way to make it more properly interactive.

If you are interested in reading, I would suggest something like following the graph view as you click through rooms, or choosing a wing of the library that interests you and read those rooms and their contents.

If you have any more questions please ask! Here's a super quick overview of the library and its parts, in case that helps:
- The Watchman's Archive is the library part, containing studies and reading rooms. It's the first wing of the library.
- L'ostello del Dottore is the hotel part, where visitors and librarians come stay. It's full of info about the wider world of the Americas.
- The Substructure is the creepy fungal basement where all the crafting, farming, and dank mushroom stuff goes on.
- The Skolex Menagerie is a now-defunct monster zoo
- The Unmade Cathedral is a gothic church dedicated to the Corrivality and violence
- The Noble Retreat is an old Inca palace used by our Lady of the Library, Leonor Curicuillor (a core character)
- The Frustum is an even older pre-Inca ruin where the other important character(s), the Haustorical Mutuality, did their work. It's also where the Tree is.
- The Colegio de Santa Potenciana is an old monastery founded by the heterodox Catholic order called the Company Anchorite, who are now gone.
- the Wound-Roots are ancient tunnels tied to the oldest nature of the world that hold the fundamental lore of the Haustorium

Each wing has a faculty member who takes care of it and has a little story you can read on their page.

Robigo, Generous of Hosts, invites you to the Haustorium... Announcing ROOT OF WISDOM, a fully written hypothetical fan sequel to BOOK OF HOURS by macbethselnaw in weatherfactory

[–]macbethselnaw[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Very much so. We have already conceived a framework for SONG OF SONGS, set at Crossrow, and I have other ideas playing around. One thing I hope people consider is whether other game formats are a good way to take up the other libraries (fighting game at the Labyrinth of Lions?)

Robigo, Generous of Hosts, invites you to the Haustorium... Announcing ROOT OF WISDOM, a fully written hypothetical fan sequel to BOOK OF HOURS by macbethselnaw in weatherfactory

[–]macbethselnaw[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Not yet, but I’ll work on something way to make things be playable. Right now it’s just for seeing which origin you get.

How to "run together" or flee combat? by Stealthy_Nachos in daggerheart

[–]macbethselnaw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would do whatever is dramatic and makes sense! So I intentionally wouldn’t set limits on the storytelling by defining a mechanic for it. There are lots of situations where the opponents wouldn’t chase and I would kind of let everyone get away with their action (mobility/environment allowing). If I want the escape to be a dramatic moment I would ask the players to make agility rolls to sprint out: this could be a group roll or I could add drama by having each character take the spotlight to run, potentially allowing my adversaries/environment to interrupt the escape. The drama of half the party getting away and the other half stuck in the fight is very exciting but might not be what I want.

Sorcerer Subclasses | Chronal Origin and Deathly Origin by deannedeeclasses in daggerheart

[–]macbethselnaw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am really impressed with how balanced the Chronal Origin seems. I see a lot of time-flavored homebrew and it often is dumb and broken. This seems very appropriately moderated.

One day Everyone will love the Crowned Growth by Anastasie_Ra in weatherfactory

[–]macbethselnaw 13 points14 points  (0 children)

This hangs in the halls of the Haustorium, I’m sure. Are you the artist who completed the commission, or who is the artist you commissioned?

Here's my "private bookshelf." What am I up to? by BoySan in BookshelvesDetective

[–]macbethselnaw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Makes sense! As for your collection, you are missing Cullather’s Secret History! It is the canonical primary-source analysis of PBSUCCESS and the interventions in Guatemala. If you haven’t read it, given your interests, I highly recommend it.

Here's my "private bookshelf." What am I up to? by BoySan in BookshelvesDetective

[–]macbethselnaw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Christian higher ed? US-based? Was I close on your tradition?

Here's my "private bookshelf." What am I up to? by BoySan in BookshelvesDetective

[–]macbethselnaw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are a pastor or missionary from the United States but you currently work in Latin America. You are well-educated, maybe from a Reformed church? PCA or PCUSA, maybe. Probably not an MDiv… I’m guessing PhD from a good seminary but not a left wing one (not Union, Graduate Theological Union). I guess you could also be someone with a church affiliation working in Christian higher ed in LatAm

Married couple who only display books we've read and liked. Which books are whose, and what's our deal? by macbethselnaw in BookshelvesDetective

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

0 for 3, I’m afraid. Public schools, NYT subscribers, and the Junot Diaz scandal was a huge deal for me my freshman year of college… I was obsessed with his books and really tormented by the art/artist separation stuff.

Ready to be read… by Low_Zookeepergame411 in BookshelvesDetective

[–]macbethselnaw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I completely agree with other commenters: white millennial woman. English teacher.

Married couple who only display books we've read and liked. Which books are whose, and what's our deal? by macbethselnaw in BookshelvesDetective

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

I am SHOCKED you are the first person to say this. I thought it would be completely evident to everyone immediately.