• 6 Posts
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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 30th, 2023

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  • Leverless controllers are fairly popular. Supposedly more ergonomic and precise than an arcade stick or pad controller, more portable than the stick, and better to use than a keyboard.

    It is a fairly large learning curve if you’ve already played fighting games with another input method, but after building some new muscle memory, you’ll realize that your understanding of the game is still intact. There are also some really good “shortcuts” in input methods to get precise, just-frame inputs, allowing you to input opposite directions just 1 frame apart, with no stick travel time.




  • Online groups! There are great ways to play using things like Discord or other voice options, along with digital tabletops (roll20) or virtual tabletop applications (Foundry, Talespire, Tabletop Simulator or even the new beta for Project Sigil).

    Online has its own set of bumps and friction points, but it can be a good way to get your feet wet with the rules and also practice the role play part. Just make sure that you’re finding a group that is like-minded. There is often something called a “session 0” where the group will discuss the expectations in behavior and roleplay and responsibilities. It doesn’t always happen with online groups, but in that case make sure you have a DM who is setting those expectations in advance.


  • Rule 0 still exists. This is meant to help give a quick distinction for playing in “untrusted groups” where you don’t know what other people consider a “7.” You can state clearly that by the brackets, your deck is considered a 3, but also mention that it plays out more powerfully, like a 4.

    For most players, this is a pretty helpful guide:

    • 1 is for your jank and meme decks. It’s not designed to be strong, it’s just to do something funny.
    • 2 is for precon level decks. Not awful, but definitely not optimized. A number of budget decks and pet decks may fit in here.
    • 3 is for your good decks, but with the caveat that they’re not full of the salt-inducing “game changers” or Mass Land Destruction or 2-card combos that go off turn 2.
    • 4 is for your best non-CEDH decks. Push it as far as you want, understanding that other people at the table likely did the same
    • 5 is for CEDH. If you don’t know what that is, you’re not playing a 5, just a powerful 4.

    I know that most of my decks are 2s, or a 3 with 1-2 Game Changers. None that would really be 4s, but sometimes I can play them at a 4-level table and still luck out into a win.









  • In my experience working with kids of all ages, from toddlers to high school students, the biggest thing is enthusiasm and energy. If you’re faking enthusiasm, they can tell. If you’re not excited and happy to be there, no one will be having a good time. Obviously everyone ticks differently, but you gotta make sure that it’s something you want to do. Once you’ve decided on that, the actual interaction becomes much easier and more genuine.

    I think you definitely have the right mindset, since you’re looking for places to get involved. Just jump in earnestly and it’ll work out.


  • Not sure what the public opinion is on this, but I used to volunteer with Union Rescue Mission occasionally, and through my church I’ve had a few chances to help out with other orgs and shelters.

    There are groups that do trash pickups, especially around the hiking trails and public spaces.

    It was a one-off, but my work had a volunteer service day last year where about 15 of us showed up to help out at Catholic Charities of LA over in Long Beach. We helped hand out food for lunch and pack up food bundles for the holidays.

    Not sure about how available for commitment you are, but if you’re good with kids and are down to really put yourself out there regularly, look into Big Brother Big Sister. It’s one of those things I know can make a big change in a kid’s life, but I’ve never had the commitment or drive to volunteer myself.



  • I haven’t been active in TF2 in years, but I have 2.9k hours, all without idling for items. That game was basically another life for me, around 2010-2016. In that timespan I picked up PC gaming, got into shooters, got into TF2, joined a community, started collecting strange weapons, got my first unusual and traded it, and captained a Highlander team as Pyro.

    The game was and still is amazing; I only ever stopped because it was becoming detrimental to my life and schooling. Now, when I try to play, I mourn the loss of my old community servers, get frustrated with my worse skills, and despise the number of bots I run into on Valve servers.




  • Moonrakers is way up there for me personally. I enjoy the cooperative elements and the deckbuilding, even if there isn’t too much politicking, just bargaining.

    Agricola is a tableau style game where you’re upgrading your farm, but it feels very tight. It feels like you have to use each turn to it’s highest efficiency to just keep up with the harvests, let alone get ahead. And when someone takes an action on the board, no one else can use that action for the rest of the round, meaning it’s always a contest to get first player of a round and secure the spots you need. No direct player interaction or deal-making, just a lot of making the best decision for yourself while keeping an eye out for someone else who may want the same action.