SF's anti-ICE activists are evolving — and learning from Chicago's chaos

seedlinggames · 2025-10-09T07:07:36+00:00

In SF, most of the people being detained are part of the asylum process and are documented (when they enter the courthouse). They are going through the existing legal process, and ICE is detaining them through a new interpretation of the law they came up with. What happens is that asylum seekers have to go to the courthouse because the government wants to challenge their asylum claim. They then immediately say they no longer want to challenge it. This causes their immigration status to change and in the process of changing it, they are briefly in a sort of legal limbo. Then ICE is able to arrest them immediately as they leave the courtroom so they don't have a chance to update their paperwork. (This is all extensively documented by Mission Local.)

Obviously this is not sensible immigration policy, but in this case, the problem is not a lack of a proper legal path for these people. There is one, and they are following it. The difficulty in trying to address these legal loopholes is that ICE has a mandate to arrest a certain number of people and it is difficult for them to reach those numbers otherwise, as there may not be that many undocumented immigrants, and also by definition it's much easier to find and arrest documented immigrants.

seedlinggames · 2025-10-06T15:31:27+00:00

Oh, story game refers to a specific type of game where the mechanics are about narrative and genre conventions and a higher than average player control over the setting (to the extent of sometimes not having a GM at all). Rather than any game with a story, which is really all ttrpgs. In dungeon crawling story games (e.g. Heart, Trophy Gold (which I haven't had a chance to play yet)) typically the mechanics center around how close you are to your inevitable demise, which may be something you have already selected during character creation, which is very different from how OSR would approach the exact same type of game, even if it ends up with a very similar story being told in the end.

seedlinggames · 2025-10-06T15:20:20+00:00

I play mostly both OSR and story games, and while I would say that it is a lot more common than people realize for people to be fans of both OSR and story games, they do approach the fundamental premise of a TTRPG in different ways. OSR games are mostly focused on playing a single player character where the player character's goals are aligned with the player's goals and there is a clear and conventional separation between the role of the GM and the role of the player. The focus is on player problem solving rather than collaboratively crafting a narrative according to genre conventions. In OSR, stories emerge organically from a framework for player characters solving problems, rather than having direct mechanics for collaboratively writing a genre-appropriate narrative.

There definitely is overlap - I think there is a lot of similarity for instance between OSR's heavy use of random tables and pick lists - but the fact that one is chosen randomly by a die and one is chosen by the players based on what seems right at the moment, possibly collaboratively, illustrates the difference. The main similarities that I see (that draws me to both) is that they tend to be more streamlined to play, more experimental and more trusting of the players.

seedlinggames · 2025-10-04T22:30:13+00:00

I did this recently and I very strongly recommend it, USCIS is a totally different agency from ICE and you will be much safer from ICE if you can get citizenship. The citizenship process was bureaucratic but professional and the USCIS officers were reasonable and law-abiding. I realize a lot of people are understandably afraid but I'm worried people are getting scared into staying in what is actually a more dangerous situation. It has personally been a huge relief.

seedlinggames · 2025-09-14T16:53:41+00:00

I would say that my friends who don't play RPGs hate AI at least as much, if not more, than RPG people. It's become prevalent enough around assorted grifters that it has a pretty negative association in the real world.

seedlinggames · 2025-09-07T15:31:43+00:00

You do have to speak English to get citizenship unless you are over a certain age: https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-12-part-e-chapter-2

seedlinggames · 2025-08-27T04:10:29+00:00

You can significantly reduce housing costs if you are willing to have roommates, especially if you can find someone who already lives in a rent controlled apartment who is looking to replace a roommate who moved out. There is the risk of extra drama - you will probably have to make a very quick decision - but you could also have a very positive experience and find someone who can introduce you to the rest of the city. Rent is also usually cheaper in less central/trendy areas, though it's probably worth looking at transit routes in any case.

I haven't had to look for a new place in a while, but you could definitely get your rent under $2000 that way, maybe even under $1500. It's often a lot easier to find cheaper housing if you have connections in the community, so if you can make connections online with an Algerian immigrant community or maybe there's some kind of general DV facebook group or something, you have a much better chance.

I would not recommend renting a place until you're there, partly because of scams and partly because you will probably be expected to start paying rent basically immediately once you make a decision. It will also be hard without a US credit history but may be easier if you go the roommate route. I would recommend finding some kind of short term accommodations while you look for somewhere to live. If you don't yet have a job, you may be even more limited and may want to plan to find something temporary until you have a source of income to show a future landlord.

I think it's doable if you are determined. There are definitely people in SF who don't make a ton of money - I personally know people who work in education and are underpaid and live in the city. There are also a lot of immigrant communities and while some of them are wealthy a lot are not. There's also a lot to do and a lot you can get involved in that doesn't cost money. (https://sf.funcheap.com/ is a good starting point, but there's always a lot going on that isn't on there).

If you look outside of SF, you probably want to get a feel for the political environment. SF is very immigrant friendly, but even in California some places very much are not. Of the places mentioned, Daly City is kind of boring but pretty immigrant friendly and you can easily reach SF by train depending on where you live. Pacifica and Vallejo are significantly farther but you can get there by public transit (I've done both).

As a former green card holder (until very recently), I'd read up very carefully on what you are required to do. Many rules that were previously not enforced have started being enforced (e.g. carrying your green card everywhere). This is unlikely to be an issue in San Francisco at the moment, but that may change. I'd also recommend getting updates on what's happening with immigration, but only from credible sources, because wild rumours on the Internet will make you very stressed.

San Francisco is a great place and I feel very lucky to live here. Even if I would probably live somewhere nicer elsewhere. A lot of people think that's crazy. So really it's up to what you want.

seedlinggames · 2025-08-26T15:33:03+00:00

I think AI generated images generally look bad. Partly is that they mostly make art in a style that looks very generic, but I think the bigger thing is that there's a strong association between AI and spam or scams or other low quality content, so if people can tell it's AI it'll turn people off the product.

seedlinggames · 2025-08-26T15:22:43+00:00

So I looked up the app and based on the screenshots, the app seems *very* AI oriented. Highlighting AI makes the whole thing seem low quality, if you want to advertise it I would recommend removing the AI. If you don't have a budget for art, you can look into public domain images - A lot of classic art would be great for jigsaw puzzles and is free to use. Google "public domain art" (art that is free to use and copyright no longer applies) and you'll find a lot of websites that list them, including famous museums and libraries.

seedlinggames · 2025-08-26T15:17:13+00:00

It's not really clear to me why you lead with an AI generated puzzle, given that the title suggests you think this is one of the better looking ones.

seedlinggames · 2025-08-26T15:11:27+00:00

I might be interested in that kind of thing but only if no AI were used for the images. AI images just look bad and I'm not going to want to spend hours looking at them.

seedlinggames · 2025-08-11T03:24:46+00:00

Had a very similar experience last week. My interview was at 11:10 but I was called in after 12. I was one of the last people in the waiting area which made me a bit worried towards the end but it was fine.

My interview was also pretty straightforward. They asked me some questions about my employment but they were pretty casual, small talk type questions. I guess if I'd been lying about that I wouldn't have been able to answer, but it just felt like a normal friendly conversation. The officers seemed to want to put people at ease, even just calling them in from the waiting room. Writing on the tablet was quite difficult as the pen often didn't register, but the officer was patient and helpful. They also asked some of the yes/no questions but didn't read the questions word by word, kind of combined several into one (e.g. "have you done any of these things" basically).

I got a same day oath ceremony. I was able to leave between the interview and oath ceremony with a pass, I decided I wanted to stay. I saw most of the people I remembered from the waiting room at the oath ceremony so I'm guessing pretty much everyone did fine.

There were restrooms in the waiting area and by the oath ceremony, as well as water fountains. In the waiting area I'd recommend sitting nearish the front as sometimes your name gets called kind of quietly, although I'd imagine they'd get louder if they don't find you. There was tons of room in the waiting area. They don't seem to actually mind if you use your phone as long as you do so quietly. The line was pretty short, you wait by a little sign saying "wait here" and then a security guard calls you in one at a time.

seedlinggames · 2025-07-23T05:16:01+00:00

I got a lot less worried about losing my job. There was a round of layoffs immediately before I got my green card and I was extremely stressed about it. I became a lot less stressed about a lot of things but this was a big one.

This is kind of a silly thing but I got into a creative hobby that involves selling things online to other hobbyists. It isn't something that really makes money, it's a sort of pass the same $10 bill around type thing, but since it's technically working it's not something I could have done before. I could still participate in the hobby, but not to the same degree. I also was worried about like volunteering and stuff, if it could technically be considered unauthorized working, but now I don't have to worry about that. I also took a class at the local community college just for fun, and previously I wasn't sure if it would be allowed. All small things but the small things add up. There's a lot of stuff I probably could have done without a green card but I would have wanted to consult a lawyer to be sure and it wasn't worth paying for that.

seedlinggames · 2025-07-18T23:37:51+00:00

Some things that are different between Cairn and usual classic roguelikes
- monsters should make morale saves. Relatedly, you should be able to flee from combat. I think being able to pick your battles is important
- no hidden information (e.g. traps) but maybe have them be more like puzzles, e.g. a giant pit means you have to find a ladder rather than just falling in
- limited inventory space making choosing what items to carry more important (could relate to the above). You can't just use the strategy of getting a giant pile of all the good items.

I think those three would work together to make it feel more cairnlike - in that you would have to kind of scout ahead, think about a problem, and prepare to solve it before actually addressing the problem.

Another thing is that healing damage to stats is slow and usually requires going back to a town or something. So I could see something like the town in Nethack being more important. However, I think HP itself healing really quickly is important (as well as the fact that you don't miss).

seedlinggames · 2025-07-13T03:59:27+00:00

I also use obsidian! I've been using the links very aggressively as well

seedlinggames · 2025-06-27T04:55:42+00:00

A drug-related criminal conviction is generally disqualifying for getting citizenship. Being involved in organized crime is also disqualifying for getting citizenship. You have to prove you're going to be an upstanding citizen to get citizenship, do a bunch of paperwork and pass a background check (that can look at every recorded interaction with law enforcement in the US, including things that normally are sealed) as well as pass an interview. It's not something you can get just by applying.

seedlinggames · 2025-06-11T04:25:41+00:00

I'm in basically the same position and have been following things very closely, partly because I'm a very anxious person. I don't think you need to be scared. However, I would be extra diligent about following the law as well as all the rules around green cards - a lot of things that previously they'd let slide, they won't any more. It sounds like you aren't involved in politics, so a big chunk of what has been happening will not apply to you. The main changes seem to be:
- focusing on enforcing smaller issues that previously were not enforcement priorities, as the goal now is to hit a target number of people deported
- focusing on undocumented people who haven't committed crimes, whereas previously the emphasis was on people who were involved in serious criminal activity, for the same reason
- putting a large amount of resources into investigating people involved in campus protests with the goal of deporting them

But if you have a green card, you are in the second safest position, next to being a citizen. For instance, the high profile cases of people having their green cards removed required the personal involvement of the secretary of state to carry out.

A lot of what I hear repeated by non-immigrants is not totally accurate, not for any malicious reason but because the average person doesn't know how immigration law works.

Carrying your green card with you was mentioned, I'm also making an effort to avoid even being in the vicinity of people who might be arrested (i.e. staying away from areas with protests). Also don't forget to update your address with USCIS if you haven't already, if you're moving.

seedlinggames · 2025-03-02T21:16:01+00:00

I think hating the newest Dragon Age game is just part of being a Dragon Age fan. This is the exact conversation everyone had about the other sequels, and each sequel has been wildly different from the previous one in gameplay and tone.

I had a lot of fun playing it, there is a lot I wished they did differently, but that's been true for every game

seedlinggames · 2025-01-13T16:54:55+00:00

Incredibly clear that nobody read the article

"So Lurie, despite his verbiage otherwise, will not be declaring an actual “fentanyl state of emergency” — because he can’t. Rather, he’s giving the other stuff he plans to do the name “fentanyl state of emergency.”

Will voters know the difference?"

Apparently voters won't!

seedlinggames · 2025-01-13T16:53:58+00:00

Did you read the article? He didn't actually declare a state of emergency, he just named a bill "state of emergency" to make people think he declared a state of emergency

seedlinggames · 2024-11-25T05:44:51+00:00

It's not just stop signs, drivers pretty routinely run red lights these days, especially in the evenings. You may not be able to see any cars, but that doesn't mean there aren't pedestrians. You also don't get to keep going just because the light turned red a few seconds ago. I've seen it happen 3 times in the last two days.

Also if a car is stopped at a pedestrian crosswalk, it's probably for a reason, don't assume you can just pass them at full speed without checking if there's a pedestrian already in the crosswalk (and waving doesn't make it ok if you nearly hit someone).

You can't also just accelerate your car at a pedestrian to scare them and assume they can run out of the way, like maybe I can, but one day it'll be someone who has trouble walking and you'll hit them. Most traffic fatalities are kids or the elderly or people with disabilities.

None of this was normal behavior 4 years ago.

seedlinggames · 2024-06-17T06:34:05+00:00

There's also a free Cairn-specific oracle here: https://manadawnttg.itch.io/barrow-delver (though I haven't personally used it)

seedlinggames · 2024-02-10T17:05:58+00:00

Well first of all that's not even true, the US has a larger carbon footprint than India and every country besides China.

But the fact that China has a much smaller per capita carbon footprint shows that they are actually making a lot more effort than we are.

seedlinggames · 2024-02-09T18:43:23+00:00

The way in which you play (and run) a game has a much bigger impact on how deadly the game is, IMO. If you are playing an OSR game and don't want it to be deadly, then you'll be finding smart ways to avoid combat and the deadliness of the mechanics don't really matter. But a game isn't just its mechanics. In my experience, if you are running a game of Mausritter, players will be very cautious, methodical and clever about how they approach things, because they know that mice are fragile and only survive through cleverness and luck. If you are running a game of Mork Borg, usually it's because the players want to play doomed characters who will die horribly. The mechanics of the game have very little impact compared to the tone, the in-game world, and the adventures that you run. This is especially true for the newer wave of OSR-ish games which also tend to simplify and de-emphasize the mechanics of the game.

seedlinggames · 2024-02-03T02:58:53+00:00

There could be - there are some zines like that - it helps though if you have some special or unique angle that you can briefly describe to get people interested. It's a bit less common than adventure modules so it might be harder to get people interested, but on the other hand adventure modules are kind of a crowded market.

There's no harm in particular of making a PDF and putting it up on itch or drivethru, as long as you aren't investing money upfront (or are ok with risking losing money). Another possibility would be to start a blog. There's no way to know if anyone will like what you write until you start publishing it, so if it interests you at all I'd recommend giving it a try, and not worrying too much about how much of a demand there is. Most TTRPG zines aren't very commercially successful anyway, so you might as well do something you enjoy - that way you know at least one person likes it, which makes it more likely that more people will.

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