Deadlock. I feel like you need experience in maybe 3 genres of games before you can understand the concept well, and then it’s a sizable time commitment. I adore it, but that’s a pretty steep entry fee.
I think that’s the best part about the game. They didn’t make a game for everyone. They made this ultra specific game that looks amazing, it is funny, it has hundreds of thousand voicelines. The movment is the best i have ever seen in a game. It’s complicated as fuck, the later you start playing, the more characters you have to learn. But still, they cracked over 200k players last week after the update, and it is still invite only. I really enjoy my time right now, because i feel like we’re in the good old times right now, before it goes public and the lootboxes roll out.
Playing magic the gathering.
To play at the level many people play at requires knowledge of hundreds or even thousands of cards and it’s very difficult to play correctly because of the complexity of the game. Furthermore, the game pieces are at times ridiculously expensive and are often acquired by gambling, so it’s very easy to waste way too much money if you aren’t careful.
I can second this. I’ve been playing for 23 years now, I picked it up at 7 from my cool uncle and have never really put it down for more than a release or two. I’m more than happy to proxy every card out there and I’m an ardent opponent of gatekeeping the game with money, but I also recognize that a lot of people just aren’t cut out for the game itself. Hell, most dedicated players aren’t cut out for it.
Proxying is the way to go if you have concerns about cost, for sure.
Plus, as a lorehound, I can remake all the universe beyond nonsense as in universe cards instead!
Do you do that? If so, pretty damn cool!
Stopped playing MTG in college, recently a friend tried to get me back into it but I had to tell them I can’t afford it.
Cockatrice is a free program that allows you to play MTG with friends online.
There’s no way to play single player, it’s strictly multiplayer. But it is a free way to play the game with someone.
Fair. Proxying has become increasingly accepted over time though, so as long as you clear it with your friend, that’s a very affordable way to play.
Yep. Saw how much my friends were spending on it and decided I prefer eating daily meals to playing Magic.
When I was in high school I played. Then I stopped playing for years. Recently took a look and im like…wtf are these collabs now? Not a bad thing but I dont even know the rules like commander anymore.
It’s super fun if you’re into it but yeah it takes a lot to stay on top of all the new cards nowadays.
Commander is the best thing to happen to magic though since it is a multiplayer format and it’s now easier to play with friends.
No because it drove my collection I sold for a couple hundred to insane prices. I’d probably have about 20k if instill had them.
Still kicking myself.
Lot of the revised through nemesis cards, some mercadoan masks. Even those old. Commons shot up in price
I used to say this until I got into cube. Cubes are super fun, don’t cost anything for the other players (and not much for the owner depending on the cards), totally remove the issues around the meta, and only require that players are familiar with the game and a few hundred cards (or less, I have a 2-4 player cube with only about 45 unique cards that’s a ton of fun). Still not for everyone but it has made me willing to recommend my favorite game to anyone who I think will like it.
My buddy wanted me to get into magic so I bought a bunch of starter packs booster packs blah blah blah blah blah
I’m very thankful that he completely shredded me with a specialist deck that he had been slowly acquiring over the course of 5 years. I mean he beat me like a Persian rug on Nowruz
Made me realize that as much as there is a skill component, underlying it all… it is pay to win.
I’m really thankful he showed that to me, it made me realize I have zero interest.
It definitely can be pay to win although I don’t spend much on it and have good success. But I’ve been playing for decades and consider myself a pretty skilled player. I also use proxies, basically printed out images in place of real cards, especially for new decks where I’m not sure I want to spend money on them yet.
That said, your friend didn’t give you a good introduction. Your friend should have done more to help you build a solid deck and to match the power level of his deck to yours. I have many decks of different power levels for this reason, and I think good etiquette is to bring a deck that’s near the power level of your opponent’s, especially if they’re new.
Also, buying packs isn’t the best way to start out. Probably best to have a friend build you a deck or if that’s not an option or to buy a precon. Most of the cards you get in packs are bad and no one really plays with them, so if you put those in your deck, you aren’t going to have much success.
Or, just decide the game isn’t for you. That’s also valid!
I know what you’re saying but I disagree with your underlying point.
Although it is completely poor form and bad instruction to destroy somebody in a game that you’re introducing them to, he did me a huge favor by revealing the underlying flaw.
I am not trying to insult your hobby, people are allowed to spend money on things, but success is not possible without cards that you paid good money for and I’m not going to play a game like that. I know deep down that you also know deep down this is true.
Yeah, it’s kind of a weird hobby that way. I don’t get how people can see the problem with loot boxes but be enthusiastic Magic players… people have extensive criticism of monetization of video games, but when it comes to trading card games: absolute crickets.
Well a lot of us do think the gambling aspect is problematic, which is why I mentioned it in my initial comment. I just think it’s a fun game but I can think that while also wishing certain aspects were different.
Dude what are you talking about? People are constantly ranting about loot boxes and taking shots at valve.
It’s fine for you to like your hobby, but don’t go off the rails and try to justify it. I’m not criticizing the pay to win nature, but you can’t do whataboutism in your defense of it.
I’m really not arguing with you though, you are completely allowed to like your hobby, there’s nothing wrong with it even if that means spending money. It’s just not for me for that reason, that’s all.
I don’t know if you read me correctly. I’m saying people see the obvious problems with loot boxes, but have no problem with the same mechanic in the physical form of a card deck.
The disconnect seems kinda weird.
I’m just asking for consistency.
This is where you are very confused.
Your argumentation comes from the perspective of whataboutism.
Ironically, you strengthen my underlying point and you weaken yours. I am making the point that your game is pay to win which is why I do not want to play it.
You are arguing a different point, which is that you feel it’s justified for you to play the game and spend money on it, because other people spend money on other pay to win games.
This is fine for you to enjoy your game but it’s specious reasoning. You do not need another random person to justify your spending on your game, it’s just not for me, enjoy your hobby my friend.
If you stick to they type 2 format. Starting out it can be easy to get into. But playing against someone like me who’s been collecting since 95 it can’t be fun. And even then older decks are just broken.
I haven’t played for awhile sort of took a break and don’t have time to get to tournaments anymore. I’ll play arena on occasion but I no longer spend money.
Commander became popular after I sort of got out of magic but still read and built decks.
Commander van be pretty fun. Even if you make a deck with no chance of winning but just fucks with everyone
I’m in the process of selling off a shit ton of old cards. I bought them around when the game first started. I’d say they’d be from around 1994ish? I have two of those card holder containers full of them.
Since you seem to know a lot about this, what would you recommend is the best place to go to evaluate their worth??
I don’t have any direct experience selling collections but there’s a few ways you can go about it. The simplest is to go into a local card shop and see what they offer. You might want to read reviews because there is a risk they could low-ball you since it doesn’t sound like you have a clear idea of the value. It might be a good idea to visit a few different shops and see what they offer, but if you have thousands of cards and don’t know which are valuable, they won’t be able to give you a precise value since they’re not going to spend hours sorting until after they buy the collection. With old cards they can be worth anywhere from ten cents to hundreds or even thousands of dollars. So if the valuable cards are hiding amongst the worthless ones, it’s hard to accurately assess value without doing that sorting.
If you have cards from the earliest editions, you may want to at least go through and look for some of the most valuable cards to exist, which are the power 9, and dual lands. You can find a list online, these are 19 cards that are extremely valuable due to their rarity and power. If you have any of these they can be worth more than the rest of the cards combined, so pulling them out and selling them separately would definitely be worthwhile.
If you have more time and the number of cards isn’t too overwhelming you can also go through and enter them all into a collection manager: I use https://archidekt.com/ but there are many options. Then it will tell you which ones are worth money. Most of the value is typically in a small number of cards, and the rest can be sold as “bulk” for basically pennies. Once you have an inventory you can check with online collection buyers to see what offers you can get.
Keep in mind that when you look at prices online or in a collection manager, you’ll see what cards sell for, but you won’t necessarily get that price as a seller. They offer you lower prices so they can make a profit, but if it seems too low you can shop around.
Fantastic info! Thank you so much for the time and patience to write all of that out. Very appreciated.
And don’t just forget about commons. Some had a huge price spike because the demand for singles for commander skyrocketted
I edited it just now so check out the parts I added. If you were near me I’d offer to help go through it. Looking through old collections is fun. Kinda like gold panning!
I’m in Seattle WA, and yeah. This is overwhelming.
Ah I’m in California so no dice! Let me know if you find any of those expensive cards I mentioned so I can have some vicarious excitement. It’s probably not super likely since they were only sold to very early adopters in I think 1993. But you never know!
Nope! Appreciate the offer though.
Smoking cigars.
It is a skill that takes a long fucking time to master. Only a non-cigar smoker thinks you light it and you’re good. Omg no.
Don’t take up cigar smoking unless you want to waste $1,000 choking on cigars while you learn how to smoke them.
E: also pipe smoking. So profoundly satisfying, but it takes so much skill to get a good smoke that it’s not even worth it. I have been smoking pipe for over 5 years and I still don’t know what the fuck I’m doing although I’m getting a lot better.
I only smoke a pipe on special occasions now, but I always used flake tobacco. Generally an easier time getting the bowl going than the loose wet stuff.
I buy properly cured pipe tobacco from our local tobacconist… It’s always a crapshoot, I think you know that as a pipe smoker LOL
Psychedelics.
The Wire. I feel like at this point you’ve either already seen it, or you’re not interested in it, or you tried it and didn’t like it.
But it is not only the best TV show ever but the best piece of visual media ever.
none of the above, actually.
I was a little too young when it came out, and HBO just never recommended it to me. My boyfriend couldn’t believe I’d never seen it, just cause of like who I am and what my values are. We’re working through Death Note and Andor right now, but I’m very excited to eventually watch it with him.
I don’t like to recommend things to other people. I have terrible taste in about everything.
Daily driving beater cars. I have the tools, knowledge, shop space, and time to buy just about anything without getting scammed and get it back on the road. But if you don’t have those things, buying a beater car can be a good way to create a lot of very expensive and difficult problems for yourself.
Daily driving Linux. I have the skills, knowledge, and time to deal with the little inconveniences that inevitably pop up from time to time. Many people do not.
Cooking from scratch every day. It requires a lot of knowledge, and time management to
- Make sure there’s always something on hand to eat
- Make the most of what you’ve bought without wasting anything
My whole day-to-day schedule revolves around what I have, what I need to eat before it goes bad, and what I have time to cook. Many people aren’t able to plan their whole lives around prep, cooking, and storage of food.
Hiking, camping, hunting, fishing. If you don’t already know for sure you like these things, you’re very likely to not enjoy them. In my experience, everyone who likes these things grew up liking them. I’ve never met anyone who grew up without them and decided later they did. I’ve met plenty of people who thought they’d enjoy these activities, only to find out half way through their first or second trip they actually hate everything about them and want to go home right NOW.
Ive thought about the car thing before…but honestly my wife is more of a gearhead than I ever will be.
Re: Linux. I’ve updated my view in the past year. It’s actually fine for people with some technical skill and patience these days. Before, there was always some problem driving me back to Windows, some problem that would take a weekend I’d try–and fail–to solve.
It’s a combination of Linux just getting better for non-nerds; I have not needed to go to the command line to fix or adjust anything.
And, I hate to say it, but credit where it’s due, LLM’s are really good at filtering and finding content specific to your distro; so much time with Linux trouble shooting was spent looking for relevant information, and search has only degraded.
I second the beater cars. Both of mine combined cost less than the first year depreciation on an average brand new family car.
But it definitely requires a skillset, mindset and tool set. Its not a lifestyle for everyone.
I was buying vodka yesterday and a guy in line behind me looked at what I was buying and he said he hadn’t heard of it and asked if it was good. I said yes. I don’t like recommending vodkas to people because it absolutely matters how you are drinking it. If he doesn’t drink it the way I do, he might think it’s not that good but I can’t stand there and explain this to him so I just said it was good and on sale.
Isn’t vodka supposed to be colorless, odorless, and tasteless by definition? I don’t drink it (and don’t want recommendations) but is the difference that the less expensive stuff is less pure and gives you more of a hangover?
That’s something that hardcore alcoholics believe. You can absolutely smell and taste it. You can smell it on their breath, and coming out of their pores the next day. In fact vodka breath is just about the most distinguishing liquor in that regard. I remember PT tests in the army and you could count them as you ran past them. Other drinkers, it was much harder, maybe they’re struggling cause they’re sick? But vodka hits you like the brick wall of Aunt Miriam’s perfume.
I don’t really know where that idea came from. Even pure ethanol has a taste and odor.
I’ve worked with a few dumb fucks that though it was impossible to smell on your breath.
I’m not sure either, but I guess the key term was “distinctive” in the United States federal guidelines, which might be where the misconception came from. Also, according to this article, in 2020 in the United States federal regulation, flavor was dropped:
Until recently, vodka’s long-standing federal definition was “neutral spirits distilled or treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials so as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color.”
and then they go on to regarding the new standard:
we have a new standard of identity: “‘Vodka’ is neutral spirits which may be treated with up to two grams per liter of sugar and up to one gram per liter of citric acid.” While neutrality remains part of the definition, for the first time since 1949, the standard no longer defines vodka by the character it does not possess.
A little maybe. I can tell you that I hate the taste of alcohol. I have never in my life drank anything with any kind of alcohol in it, where I couldn’t taste that disgusting flavor. I do like being inebriated though, so I’ve tried a lot.
An uncle of mine, backwoods af, all kinds of stills, dozens of different homebrew alcohols, would turn anything that “failed” into this odorless, flavorless, perfectly clear shine that I could taste only as a faint idea.
It was so potent that even at his parties, with dozens of other backwoods alcoholics, that jar would go on the stage so we could all see who drank how much, and intervene if we thought they had more than the occasional small sip. It was murderously potent, and your body had no idea.
Do you mix your vodka with Tang?
A1 sauce. I know it’s frowned upon but I enjoy it on steak and chicken sometimes in burgers
I hope that steak is cooked well done.
It’s not often I usually prefer medium rare and then I’ll only use it to dip in, but not all the time.
But it’s actually best on well done
Best on well done, because it moistens the overly dry meat.
I say this as a lover of A1, and lover of medium steaks.
I grew up with leather and A1, and I still like that from time to time. Now I’ve come to love medium steaks, and if seasoned and cooked correctly, I don’t need A1. Though I still crave it, and will use it on my own steaks at home.
All in all, steak is delicious.
Medium rare is where it’s at. But if you ever want to be brave. Go to a hibachi grill and order a tuna steak rare. I didn’t believe it but it’s like the best version of prime rib but it’s tuna. And I’m extremely paranoid of undercooked fish more so than red meat or chicken but man was that delicious
I won’t turn away a medium rare steak. It’s quite good on fact. But I’ve found with my palette, I’m more sensitive to being too rare than too done, having grown up on leather.
Like, rare is delicious, but if the cook does it wrong, myself included, then the texture and temperature of the meat is off putting to me.
My father in law gave a steak that was wedge shaped, so the thin end was overdone, but the thick end was beyond raw, on the inside. I struggled to eat that, though I did.
That being said, I also love beef tartare, so, go figure 🤷♂️
Thanks for the tuna recommendation, maybe I’ll have my SO order it and I’ll try some. I’m starting to like fish, in small doses. But my mom is allergic, so growing up we never even had it in the house, so I never learned to like it. That and my first introduction to it was some swampy pond Bass that my friend swore was delicious. It was not. It tasted like bad fish smells. That set me back a decade or two. But again, I’m coming around.
I like certain salmon meals, perch, crab, etc. Heck, canned tuna just went on the menu for me this year, so, progress.
When my daughter was two the first meal she ever asked for seconds on was Tuna helper. She also ate fish sticks.
My wife hates all seafood, refuses to eat it. So my daughter hears her say that’s disgusting. Hasn’t touched it since.
And I’d really like her to try it again. I’ve actually been secretly pissed at my wife for about 10 years now. Our daughter only listens to her. Sometimes I’ll get the rate victory of her trying something I’ve told her is good. But she looks to mom first. I’ve told my wife to stop doing that
A1 is really good on brats.
The Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Fan-fucking-tastic, but dark humor is not everyone’s cup of tea.
I only got through the first quarter of book one, is there a lot of dark humor?
Man, the end of book 1 really sets up everything. The books really go deeper into themes we are experiencing today in society, but on a larger level. I don’t want to spoil it in case you ever want to get through it.
The absurdity of what happens in the dungeon is literally meant to be absurd because it’s galactic entertainment on a fucked up level.
In the end, it’s an entertaining series with a lot of social commentary.
I love the series and yeah its definitely not for everyone but I would say finish book one. Its a very unique flavour. I cant think of another “If you like that then you have to read DCC”
The situations and characters that are introduced through the books get more and more twisted and IMO funny, but I don’t like to spoil it for others. But if you finish book 1 and don’t care for it, then you probably won’t enjoy the following books.
It took so long for my friend to convince me to try it but I’m loving it now that she has. And yeah it’s only for the sort of people who can handle just how much of everything it is
I have ALL the books physically and audiobooks. So good! But I totally agree. Its not for everyone.
I have a friend who’s very much into DCC, but all he laughs about is a talking cat and a robot who’s very clearly into feet. I was bored of it already the third time he brought up a reference to the feet-thing, so I don’t really feel like reading a whole series with that type of running gag.
I never heard a word about the dark humour in it… Then again maybe he tries not to spoil anything and that’s why it seems kinda weak?
I’ll probably go for it if it ever becomes like an animated series or something.
The humor lies in the messed up situations and characters. The narrator in the audiobooks brings so much depth to them. One of my favorite characters who is a good example of this isn’t introduced until book 4. Again, it’s definitely not for everyone, but there’s a growing cult fan base.
The lawyer is legit my favorite character.
Quasar is good but by the end of book 8, the A.I is low key becoming the best character.
Aside from Prepotente of course.
Prepotente has definitely had his moments but the way the A.I has transitioned slowly from a plot advancement, narrative and exposition tool into a full blown “Whats IT going to do?” character is one of my favorite things about the series.
Are the characters good? I think what tripped me up most is from what I heard they seemed one-dimentional. Like do they have complexity and personality, or are they mostly one-note or trope-y? (Which can admittedly still be fun in the right setting)
Because I like the premise. Kind of like a mix of tabletop RPG + dungeon crawler/procedurally generated games + hitchhikers guide to the galaxy?
It kinda straddles it. Most of the characters are on a TV show, and some play into it or are minor bit characters. Meanwhile the major characters have growth and depth as it’s explored what kind of person survives in this situation and what it does to them.
You’re not going to get the level of depth from side characters you’d get in say Murderbot, nor will you get similar growth, but that’s because Murderbot is about healing, and DCC is about people in a ridiculous and bad situation trying to stay whole or at least break on their own terms.
Thanks, that sounds good enough. I don’t mind some flat side characters if the rest makes up for it.
I am not an advid reader so I don’t not want to mislead you with my answer, but I feel the main characters do build a depth of dimensionality as the series continues.
Thanks for being upfront lol. But I must say, after having read a 6(?)-book series, you’re at least bordering on “avid reader” by now…!
To be fair, its really hard to explain to people why its good. Like imagine the inverse of trying to sell someone on seeing John Wick by describing the plot. “Theres a retired assassin and some gangster kills his dog and then he goes on a rampage”. DCC ping-pongs around from dick jokes to proper emotional torment to obscene violence and back to dick jokes so well while not being able to stick to a genre worth a damn that any attempt to decribe it will sound like a delusional fever dream.
Im way too embarrassed to say…
Now we have to know.
… it’s soapy tiddies, isn’t it?
I’ll recommend that to everyone. Wash your tits
Relevant username maybe?
linux
Hell yeah!
In recent years, I’ve started feeling comfortable recommending it over Windows.
Sure, I’ll still tell friends and family to just get a Mac. But if you’re not going to do that, Windows is just a worse experience in most the important ways at this point, even for a non-techie user.
When I was younger, I was pretty into drugs. It would be hard to exaggerate how much fun I had. I don’t regret much of it, me and the people I cared for never got hurt, sick, or in trouble. But we were definitely exposed to those dangers. And I don’t think my lucky experience is a good example.
The worst part of drugs was that you ended up being “friends” with people you despise, mistrust, and are occasionally afraid of.
When I was younger, I was pretty into drugs.
Same. If I told you half of what I’ve done, you’d think nobody could do that much. I regret nothing.
Swansea’s monologue at the end of Mouthwashing sums it up pretty well for me.
spoiler
“I got a collar shirt, mortgage and a credit card.”
“All the things that make a good man.”
“I hoped I could raise my children to be better than their old man.”
“I wanted to believe I was never one setback away from my worst self.”
“But the truth is.”
“Discipline.”
“Drive.”
“Routine.”
“The endless fucking desperation to get shit done.”
“A loving wife? Great kids?”
“Sobriety?”
“I’m telling you.”
“You.”
“Accomplishments I’d been chasing all my life.”
“Never felt as good as I expected when I crossed the finish line.”
“…”
“So now that we’re at the end. Takin’ inventory.”
“Those nights spinning out of my head, sinking into the sofa.”
“Broken glass in my palms. Bleeding dry the funniest thing ever.”
“Old dogs laughing and snarling on a waterbed floor, mocking the moon for daring to show its face.”
“All nausea and wreckage and vomit and ugly cruelty.”
“The only problem in the world an empty bottle.”
“Those were the best days of my life.” “Yeah.”
“…Those were the best days of my life.”I ended up getting chased off the roof of my colleges basketball gym, over a suspension walking bridge and through the woods by a security guard and a police officer. I ran to a bar and called a cab back to my dorm and acted like “yo, what’s with all the cop cars?” Thanks to drugs. The next morning my girlfriends twin and their friend, both RAs, asked if we had fun last night. They didn’t know, but they knew.
I have two friends that used to say this all the time.
similar. I liked the taking of the drugs, but not really the getting of the drugs. Even the “okay” drug dealers were being graded on a curve - maybe compared to other drug dealers they were cool, but they weren’t really cool, you know?
films for me.
San’s Soleil, Andrei Rublev, The Holy Mountain
You have good taste.
'preciate it!
Honey on scrambled eggs. Peanut butter on rice. Gotten a lot of side-eye for these over the years.
Peanut butter on rice is widely endorsed in certain expat circles. It’s not that different from putting it on bread, really.
Peanut butter and honey is great on pancakes, especially the whole grain kind.
