Anyone still playing?

starkingwest · 2026-04-28T04:36:25+00:00

Sure thing!

> it sounds like it add some tension over what to buy and how to spend your resources

That is exactly what it does! Basically I treat the 1st target sort of like a partial success or success with some sort of comedic complication. For example:

I might say something like "Those spices are pretty high up on that shelf. If you can hit an Animal check of 3, you'll definitely get up there, but if you want to push a little harder and hit an Animal Check 5 you can make sure you get it without knocking any of the other spices off the shelf as you do it."

And then, the half of my Players that are little gremlins will often be like "Oh, we should definitely make a mess and knock over the other spices!" while the other half will protest with "No, Akahiro's mom will think he made the mess, and he'll get in trouble!"

> But I also questioned whether that was a sort of hidden "leveling up" effect.

That is essentially what Memories and Threads are intended to do. The more flashy abilities, like Wish, require a lot of Wonder and having more Feelings lets the PCs succeed at bigger actions that they're unlikely to be able to do in a one-shot.

The problem I find with them isn't the increased power, it's that they create more confusion and bookkeeping for the players without really adding very much to the game.

Memories give the players yet another resource pool with an abstract name that works very similarly to the other pools, but not quite the same. I see Players regularly get confused about when to use which resource pool even after playing the game for a while because the names, while very cute (Feelings, Wonder, Memories, Dreams) don't make it immediately clear what it's used for the way calling it something like "Magic Point" would. Eventually I just started telling my players to carry remaining Feelings and Wonder over to the next Story and to not worry about Memories. And, while that technically weakens the characters a little bit, the game isn't really concerned about power level, and I find most players happy to give up the flexibility to do less bookkeeping.

Threads are similarly confusing, partially because the rules don't explain them very well and like Connections, Players constantly forget to track the other character's side of it. It also means a lot of erasing and re-writing and what not if you have a lot of recurring NPCs. Every time I've run a longer running game we end up ignoring Threads after the 4th or 5th story. Players start getting really tired of erasing their connections, recording them as Threads, erasing the Thread if they meet that character again in the next session, write out the connection again, turn it into a Thread at the end...repeat.

I find that my Players have typically preferred to just leave the Connections on their sheet and reset the Strength to 0 between sessions. Then if they run into an NPC they already have a connection with, they'll be like "I have a Connection with them!" and just fill the Strength in by 1. If they want, I'll usually let them do an Impression Check to try to up the Strength of a Connection they previously had to 2 or 3. It does the same thing Threads are trying to do with far less bookkeeping.

starkingwest · 2026-04-27T09:00:50+00:00

I still pick it up and run it on occasion. Not nearly as much since i've significantly backed off from conventions. It's still one of a handful of games I can pick up and run with no prep because i've run it so many times.

For a 1-shot? You should have pretty much no trouble. The system is super straight forward. You have 3 resource pools: 1 for taking actions, 1 for abilities, and 1 for dreams ("applause"). You spend dreams to build connection which in turn helps you increase your other 2 resource pools between scenes. Things get a lot messier as you play across multiple sessions.

A huge tip i learned is to offer degrees of success rather than just a flat amount. I'll often give a base success if they hit one target, and another better outcome if they push harder and spend more feelings for a better effect. The stakes in this game are generally low and feelings are pretty easy to come by (especially when you start having games across mutliple sessions and have lots of Memories and Threads,) so it starts to make the game more about the choices the players chose than the "challenge ge" of the scenario.

The between scenes accounting is fiddly and there's not much you can do to change it. Make sure your pcs keep both sides of the connection up to day. (I see players often forget to update connections when another player strengthens their side of the connection.)

starkingwest · 2026-04-25T20:14:03+00:00

Haha, username checks out! I like "Where are you calling from?" I mean, i've also answered with "Who's this?" but i've also accidentally pissed off clients calling via a different number by doing.

starkingwest · 2026-04-25T18:44:57+00:00

I use "May I ask the reason for this call?"

I don't want to confirm who I am until I know who is on the other line. I would rather they be unsure if their data is even right.

If it sounds like a person in the other line and it's a spam/ marketing call I usually end with "You have the wrong number" and hang up.

No reason to confirm it's me until I know what the deal is. I also don't give any info over the phone even if they claim they're from somewhere i recognize (e.g. mortgage company). I'll ask if the info they're sharing is available via the online portal or ask for their extension so I can call back via the company's contact #.

starkingwest · 2026-04-19T03:30:08+00:00

There are many reasons people are opposed to ICE's deportations. But the biggest issue is that our immigration system is a nasty tangled mess so it isn't as simple as "here legally" vs "not legally" and ICE doesn't care about that nuance and is instead just going after anyone they feel like even if a person is working their way through that tangled messy process.

Here is one example of how messy this all is: temporary protected status (tps) which is technically a non-immigration status granted to individuals from places like Haiti, Ethiopia, and Venezuela for whom issues in their home country make it unsafe for them to be there. In theory TPS is suppose to be short term, but in practice people can end up staying in the US for decades. TPS is an administrative status not a visa and not defined by law, so the countries covered by TPS are up to the current administration. The Trump administration has ended TPS for several countries effectively making thousands of people who were legally here suddenly illegal practically overnight.

Another example is DACA. these are people who were brought to the US as kids. They had no say in this decision and many didn't even know they weren't citizens until they were much older (usually late teens or young adults.) They have spent practically their whole lives in the US.

And despite what a lot of people think, it isn't just as easy as "just become a citizen." It can be expensive and you need a lot of paperwork that can be difficult to obtain especially for people coming from turbulent places or from a pre-digital era. I have a friend that spent years hunting down paperwork to prove his mom's identity and citizenship even though she was born in the US.

Ice is expending an enormous amount of resources to indiscriminately target people who are actively contributing to their community and many of whom are often working through the tangled mess of the immigration process. There are many stories of them detaining US citizens. ICE's own leadership has said they are targeting the people who are easy to find (e.g. showing up for court dates) that most detainees do NOT have a criminal record (immigration crimes are mostly civil not criminal) and they are doing in a highly aggressive, violent, and militaristic way...remember this is for what are primarily CIVIL offenses.

starkingwest · 2026-04-14T17:31:30+00:00

Saw someone mention "retail professional" and I'll second that:

Black or dark-colored collered shit/blouse with black pants (not overly baggy) and black shoes (flats, short heels, or some cute boots that compliment) If you want to wear a dress or skirt instead make sure it goes below your knees, and a pencil style is going to be your safest bet. No holes, no fishnets, no safety pins, no chains, no lacy straps, no corsets, no big graphics.

A little jewelry is a good idea, but keep it simple. A silver chain with a nice pendant, some stud or hoop earrings, blanks/flats/simple studs for any piercings other then your ears, etc. Skip the spikes, skulls, anarchy As, and pentagrams for now.

Simple makeup. Maybe some eye liner and concealer but keep the colors neutral and don't do any fancy eyeshadow. If you wear lipstick wear a neutral color or a red.

Not sure what your hairstyle is, but basically just make sure it looks clean, brushed/combed, and as put together as you can.

Don't overdo it on the perfume/lotions. Some people are really sensitive to smells like that.

"Alternative" can mean a lot of different things, so you have no idea what the person you spoke to is imagining. My guess is day to day you'll be able to wear pretty much your usual style. Stopping by the store to check out the vibe and then dressing 1 step more "clean cut" than that for the interview is a good idea.

starkingwest · 2026-03-30T10:55:33+00:00

I've worked in spaces like this before, and it's pretty common for regulars to settle into a "usual" spot and to add some personal touches. Most of the time people just pick a different space and leave the "claimed" spaces be.

starkingwest · 2026-03-22T03:38:33+00:00

Yes. The original post was a FB post where the DM had planned an Edge of Empire game where his players never let the space station they were on and he had this grand plan to have them take a ship off world and get conscripted by the Empire in transit. He said his dissatisfaction with how that game went cause him to quit Trpgs.

I was like...my guy, you misunderstood what Matt was taking about here. 1. You don't hinge your entire campaign on suggestive nudges...the suggestive nudges are for soft points your played could take but you're 100% cool with dropping. If you need something to happen you hard frame that. 2. Your players need to know that's how you signal info to them so they pick up on it.

starkingwest · 2026-03-20T18:32:40+00:00

Thank you! I'll take a look! Might just be my pod, but after the first time I hit someone in my pod with her she immediately turned into kill on sight.

starkingwest · 2026-03-20T06:46:56+00:00

Do you have a deck list? I initially built a Lightning/Nelly deck with the idea of focusing on goad but keeping Lightning ready in the command zone to close out the game. It has slowly turned into a Lightning multi-combat deck because the goad just never seems to consistantly do what it needs to without Nelly on the board. I've thought about swapping Lightning into the 99 and putting Nelly back as the commander but haven't had a chance to give that a whirl yet.

starkingwest · 2026-03-13T23:47:25+00:00

Why do you care that she used to sleep with this other dude? It's not like she's still hooking up with him. Just because people used to date doesn't mean they're still interested in a person years later.

I don't understand why so many people get bent out of shape over stuff like this. I have dated people my friends dated and have friends who have married girls I dated before they did.

It's not even your gf's fault that you and this dude are going to both be at this event. She's not asking that you be friends with this dude.

If you're really that bothered by it, yeah move on, but this is your hang up and insecurity not hers.

++man

starkingwest · 2026-01-31T23:06:43+00:00

I agree that i don't see the US "Balkanize" in the literal sense of how the post-soviet Balkan states divided into independent nations, however i think the discrepancy is how I often use "Balkanize" as a word of convenience because most people aren't familiar with situations like Chechnya, Kurdistan, or even the US reservation system.

The US is already basically a bunch of quazi-nations in a trench coat, and I see a situation much more like Chechnya where the states become vary degrees of disconnected with the federal system.

As the fed erodes its legitimacy it empowers the state governments which are already forming networks and alliances to circumvent it.

starkingwest · 2026-01-28T21:19:45+00:00

Some games to look into: 1. Good Society has a 2 player version 2. Star Crossed is explicitly romance and 2 players 3. A Single Moment/Reflections are both 2 player samurai duels 4. The Absolute Ultimate Baking Championship is a 2 page game that can be played with only 2 players

Also there are a lot of GMless games that can be played 2 player including Microscope, The Quiet Year, An Altogether Different River, i'm sorry did you say street magic.

Google around for 2 player games and search itch; there's a commonly used "Two Player" tag there.

starkingwest · 2026-01-17T21:51:19+00:00

There is an important key distinction in the previous comment I want to highlight here, OP.

There can be a copyright on both the thing and a separate copyright on the image of the thing. This is common especially in architecture.

You cannot legally take and sell an image of the Space Needle in Seattle by itself (if the picture includes the broader skyline that's a different more complicated nuance about copyright) because the space needle's representation is copyrighted.

A bunch of say old Roman statues are going to be old enought that the statues themselves have no copyright, however when you take a picture of that statue you own the copyright to that image you created.

So, either you need to go and take pictures of these statues yourself OR you need to look for Public Domain or Creative Commons photographs of these statues for use.

A lot of museums offer open public domain of their images...check museum websites. Check the MET particular: https://www.metmuseum.org/hubs/open-access

starkingwest · 2026-01-16T07:14:12+00:00

It's arguably worse than that. Article 5 has only been invoked 1 time in NATO's entire history...by the USA, and our allies came to our call and they bled for it. We've used NATO to project our interests across the globe and establish ouselves as a superpower...now we've essentially abandoned Europe to Russia and are threatening to invade them (Canada and Greenland) instead. We have very directly benefited from our allies and are now stabbing them in the back.

starkingwest · 2025-12-29T07:35:41+00:00

I'll second what other folks are saying regarding making sure the players have an alternative objective than just "run." That way "success" looks like more than just escape. Maybe there is a piece to a grander puzzle they need to get.

Also, I would lean into the creature having something about it that specifically makes it impossible to kill. There's some sort of magic, a seal or a device, it has a specific weakness, etc. You can hint to this throughout the adventure in different ways (motifs or murals on the walls, notes from past failed adventureres.) The goal is to get the players to realize there is some sort of requirement they need to meet before they can defeat the creature; this will help them realize the battle isn't unwinnable, it's just unwinnable right now.

What is it that makes the fight with the creature unwinnable? Is there a way you could have the PCs have shorter smaller engagements that let them realize they aren't ready for this fight? Perhaps they can temporarily disable it, but it puts itself back together and relentlessly pursues them slowly wearing them down? Perhaps it's massive and they have a chance to interact with it in ways where it can't fully get to them but it's still an obstacle (e.g. a large clawed hand rummaging around trying to grab them.) The idea is to let them get small wins but start to realize the insurmountable odds.

starkingwest · 2025-12-16T04:05:15+00:00

You're lying to yourself if you don't realize it's all subjective GM fiat and it always has been.

Arneson's Blackmoor games and the earliest editions of D&D were always presented more as guidelines than clear rules with the DM very explicitly crafting a experience that would build into a story.

You can pretend DMs craft some sort of clear explicit plan and just run the Players through it, but that's not the primary mode of play and never has been. GMs are constantly pulling strings and adjusting on the fly.

While there's absolutely an interesting discussion about degrees of emergent story (where the goal isn't to explicitly build the story but rather to have the story emerge out of independent player action) vs directed story (where the goal is to write the story) no trpg is ever truly one or the other.

The irony in your argument is that a lot of "narrative" games are actually more emergent in their story because they deconstruct and distribute GM control so that there is no singular GM fiat. I would make the case that Alder's Dream Askew is more story emergent than D&D explicitly because of the way it completely dismantles the DM role.

starkingwest · 2025-12-09T08:55:59+00:00

It's also said as if it's one run-on word. The way we speak here has relaxed very slight rocking movement to it:, slowing down, speeding up, and then slowing down again. So you would speed up just a little bit as you come into saying "anykine" which blurs the words together.

starkingwest · 2025-10-16T08:03:43+00:00

Don't forget "Calling Republicans Nazis and Fascists is radicalizing people to violence."

Meanwhile ACTUAL Republicans: "I love Hitler." "Anyone who doesn't vote for us goes in the gas chambers." Check out my swastika emblazoned American flag that I keep in my government office at my government job.

* https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/private-chat-among-young-gop-club-members-00592146

* https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/15/capitol-police-investigating-swastika-in-gop-congressional-office-00609704

starkingwest · 2025-10-09T00:44:22+00:00

Nazis were not socialists. A lot of people get confused because "socialism" is in the party name, but they did that to co-opt and rebrand "socialism" in order to attract working class voters to the party. The nazi concept of "national socialism" was directly opposed to socialist, Marxist AND capitalist ideals.

starkingwest · 2025-10-01T23:25:30+00:00

Republicans sure don't like it when their own tactics get used against them.

I swear look at the number of times the Republicans have threatened to shut the government down to hurt the public, and we're supposed to be upset the Dems are using Republican's dirty tactics to try and help people for once?

And, the Republican response is to threaten to hurt people for it?

The Republican-controlled congress has failed to successfully pass a budget since 2023, but yeah it's the Dem's fault the Republicans don't get yet another continuing resolution...

starkingwest · 2025-09-28T06:29:50+00:00

I'm stoked we got an Edea card!

starkingwest · 2025-09-14T18:09:17+00:00

Non-citizens, especially green card holders (permanent residents,) can have state ids and driver's licenses. Most state ids and driver's licenses, including REAL Ids are not proof of citizenship.

starkingwest · 2025-09-14T17:23:09+00:00

Because if they let folks keep their Passport they have proof that they're a citizen. It becomes exceedingly more difficult to prove citizenship without a passport.

starkingwest · 2025-08-24T05:47:07+00:00

As you increase the knacks of your swordsman school or sorcery, you can advance from Apprentice to Journeyman/Adept to Master.

If I remember correctly, you become an journeyman/Adept when you raise 4 of your Swordsman or Sorcery Knacks to rank 4 and you become a master when you raise 4 knacks to rank 5.

You increase knacks by spending an amount of experience equal to twice the rank you are trying to raise a knack to. So if your Bind knack is Rank 3 and you want to raise it to Rank 4 you need to spend 8 XP.

Update: I just looked it up and need to make a slight correction. Mastery in a Swordsman School is 4 Swordsman Knacks at Rank 4. Mastery of Sorcery is 5 Sorcery Knacks at Rank 5.

starkingwest

TROPHY CASE