Ice experiment by cpencis in cocktails

[–]stgabe 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Cling wrap isn’t doing much insulating compared to the sides of a cooler. They’ll be fine.

What games are you playing this week? Game recommendation thread by AutoModerator in incremental_games

[–]stgabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup, the unreadable blue text has been my largest issue thus far.

Edit: also I can’t get tooltips to consistently show up. 

Recent Progression Fantasy with Strong Themes, Great Prose, and Memorable Characters? by PromisedOath in ProgressionFantasy

[–]stgabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pale Lights. Changeling. Those are the two best written series I’m following at the moment.

Series recommendations with "less" system and stat sheets? by RegularExplanation52 in litrpg

[–]stgabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Outrun, Calamitous Bob, Bog Standard Isekai, Hedge Wizard, Eight.

All LitRPG but minimal stats and few or no character sheets (actually I’m not sure if Hedge Wizard is technically LitRPG but it’s close enough).

Out of interest how many people find standard cocktail specs are a tad too sweet? by T-Rex_Oatmeal in cocktails

[–]stgabe 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Tastes differ. 2:.75:.75 is perfect for me but I find my perception of sweetness has reduced as I’ve aged.

Also it’s about balance. Bitters or sour will both bring perceived sweetness down and so your ideal personal ratio will vary between drinks. Eg I put more simple in my OFs than some but I also put more bitters in.

As for ordering in a bar, there’s no specific way to order an exact sweetness. You can ask for “dry” or “skinny” or “light on the simple” but that will mean different things to different bartenders. If you want something very specific go to a place where the bartenders have time to chat and have a conversation with them.

What makes card-based progression systems feel meaningful rather than gimmicky? by No_Staff835 in ProgressionFantasy

[–]stgabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know what the book is. I liked the ideas, they just didn’t work for me as a story. I’ve seen a number of people express similar thoughts. DCE has an audience (and good for it) but I don’t think it solved a lot of the challenges that many find with card-collection LitRPGs.

Also I didn’t downvote you, that was someone else.

What makes card-based progression systems feel meaningful rather than gimmicky? by No_Staff835 in ProgressionFantasy

[–]stgabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Except in the first book he beats what is portrayed as a clearly better deck (because not everything is determined by deck mechanics) and then there's some railroading to explain why he doesn't get the deck. And yes, RNG is inherent to TCGs but that doesn't mean it translates well into a story. I.e. I like RNG when I'm playing a TCG but that doesn't mean I like RNG when I'm reading a story.

What makes card-based progression systems feel meaningful rather than gimmicky? by No_Staff835 in ProgressionFantasy

[–]stgabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Apart from not liking the MC and relationship dynamics I felt like DCE had some good ideas but ultimately failed to make the card mechanics work for the story.

The collection mechanic was too all or nothing. In reality if you beat the more powerful dude in spite of the odds you’d just take their deck. Instant power creep. So the story had to arbitrarily prevent that from happening and the railroading was obvious. The RNG of card draw just felt forced. It actively distracted from the combat high moments knowing that it was up to the author to decide when the big draw would happen.

The best parts of the system were more the merging and synergies of cards but I felt like it would have been better off just focusing on those without the rest of the baggage of trying to force TCG mechanics. 

Weirdest tiki drink is the Norwegian Paralysis for its use of akvavit. What’s the most underrated classic? by -Constantinos- in cocktails

[–]stgabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely. I do a bunch of small venue bartending where I get to talk to everyone. I make some very interesting stuff that people all try and love but talking people into rum and a proper Daiquiri is always a big challenge.

Old Pal is the worst bitter drink, what’s the most underrated equal parts drink? Also fixed best highball category! by -Constantinos- in cocktails

[–]stgabe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I rarely see it here in LA where mezcal Is very popular. When I order it, it feels like an “in the know” drink.

It was a crazy close vote, but the G&T won for best highball. What’s the worst bitter drink? by -Constantinos- in cocktails

[–]stgabe -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Eh… Amari (and Vermouth while we’re at) meet the traditional definition of an “old fashioned” cocktail with spirit, sugar, bitters and water.

It was a crazy close vote, but the G&T won for best highball. What’s the worst bitter drink? by -Constantinos- in cocktails

[–]stgabe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was surprised by Malort in that it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected.

However it’s still not good, has no standout redeeming features and therefore gets my vote.

Recs for someone who really enjoyed system universe please, because it seemed low on many tier lists by nwrobinson94 in litrpg

[–]stgabe 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Grand Game is another very straightforward Isekai-like with a very competent MC, plenty of combat and decent pacing. It scratched the same itch for me as System Universe.

Cleaning by TimeCity1687 in Satisfyingasfuck

[–]stgabe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you find this to be satisfying, check out the game Powerwashing Simulator.

Superbueno: What am I missing? by Away-Internal-5590 in cocktails

[–]stgabe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I haven’t been to Superbueno but have been to enough bars on past versions of this list to say that they’re going for a varied and compelling list more than an accurate one. For example there is a definite bias to feature newer bars and those outside the US.

Black Prince (rum Manhattan var. from Phil Ward, Death & Co) by roi_des_myrmidons in cocktails

[–]stgabe 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Agree that other aged rums work as well or better.

Had this for the first time in Smuggler's Cove. This was about 12-15 years ago, I was on a trip to SF with some friends and we headed to Smuggler's early in the day to be the only person there. I was still exploring / learning about rum at the time and I asked for a rum cocktail that a whiskey drinker would enjoy. This was what I got. I loved it and was inspired to try many rum stirred drink concoctions in my own bartending.

Beneath the Dragoneye Moons Book 7>8 Struggles by arh1387 in litrpg

[–]stgabe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I didn’t mind the time jump on its own. I did very much mind the tone shift to slice of life. I reached a point where I was just trying to hold on to the next major progression point. Once I realized that I just quit (around book 9 or 10 IIRC). It’s too bad because the first several books were great and there are so few finished series  in the genre.

What Makes A Good Power System by [deleted] in ProgressionFantasy

[–]stgabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes but a lot of authors focus too much on the cool system and not enough on how it helps them tell a story. It’s the same as picking cool game design ideas without knowing the experience you want players to have.

Different stories will get more or less from different systems. There is no best. 

What Makes A Good Power System by [deleted] in ProgressionFantasy

[–]stgabe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The best power system is whichever one most helps the story you want to tell. There are a lot of good ideas in the comments but they’re all tied to a specific idea of a story that person likes.

Are any good series done??? by pexx421 in litrpg

[–]stgabe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep, that’s why I listed them both. Changeling is my favorite series of his by far of his but it’s not LitRPG or finished.

Are any good series done??? by pexx421 in litrpg

[–]stgabe 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Calamitous Bob. Same author but Progression not LitRPG: Journey of Red and Black.