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What's the difference betone lemmy instance or another?
  • Similar to Mastodon, the different instances can represent single individuals, a small group of friends, a shared common interest, or host anything. It allows a “local” feed but can also connect to any part of the federated network. An instance might even choose to not broadcast to the larger federation at all.

    These instances also spread out the workload of any single server by decentralizing the network, which allows Lemmy to grow without falling into a capitalist growth method.

  • What is your religion and what led you to identifying with / believing in it?
  • Raised Roman Catholic. Broke away in high school. Went all-out atheists but explored options to see what might fit my world view. Eventually settled after a while on agnostic atheist (I don’t believe in a higher power but I don’t “know”). Also found that Zen Buddhism aligns pretty closely, but by this point I don’t care to put myself into a box anymore. Nothing is a perfect fit and people make assumptions

  • What are you Reading? (August 2023)
  • isn't "Fitz and the Fool" part of that Assassin's Apprentice trilogy by Robin Hobb? goes to find oh! another trilogy. I'll have to check it out. I loved the Assassin's Apprentice trilogy.

  • Book suggestion: LONG Space Opera (or sci-fi or cyberpunk) packed with action and cool characters
  • I don't know what it is, but I struggle with both series that take place in the Commonwealth. Pandora's Star took quite a bit for me to get into, hooked me right as the book ended, but I enjoyed Judas Unchained after that.

    I just finished Dreaming Void (Void #1), and it flowed the same as Pandora's Star to me, but I've grown a little over that kind of lead-up and then just end the book. On top of that, the world shifted too much, and it's hard for me to feel like I understand it in the slightest. I've been hesitant to continue it.

  • What makes a great sci-fi story?
  • It's so hard to describe what really makes the books work for me, but the ones that stick out the most tend to follow along a few main threads lately:

    "End of the World": in which we follow characters, but are regularly given a top-down review of how things are happening on a global scale. "Lucifer's Hammer" is a great example of this, as well as "Seveneves," "40 Signs of Rain," and maybe "Project Hail Mary"

    "What if" looks at geopolitical intrigue: This plays out in which a new technologyis dropped in, or time has passed from modern era. How would things change? What societal structures would go through an upheaval and how would the various forces react. Good examples are "A World Set Free" by HG Wells, "The Long Earth," and "The Expanse" -- I think "Three Body Problem" fits here as well. "Dune" is a possible fit as well.

    "ALIENS??": books in which we discover new worlds, technology, and are exploring it for the first time. "Rendezvous with Rama," "Aurora," and "Ringworld" -- "The Long Earth" also fits here.

  • What makes a great sci-fi story?
  • I wonder if this is why I haven't enjoyed Dreaming Void or Pandora's star as much as I thought I would. The focus definitely seems on the characters more than the world/science.

    Meanwhile some of my favorite books involve exploring new worlds and delving deep into what they're discovering: Aurora, Rendezvous with Rama, Long Earth, and the like.

  • Equipment Suggestions

    I've only DM'd for ~3 times so far, and only once in person (this past weekend). I was introducing two friends to the game, and we're all excited to continue.

    Originally planned for a one-off (we're doing Mines of Phandelver. I aimed for it to be more introductory but the PCs are interested in continuing with what we have!)

    So, with the second session booked, I'd like to scale up my setup to help be more immersive. I have a lot of work ahead (reading, notes) so I'm in a better position. I've discussed with a DM friend of mine with decades of experience, and I'd love to hear what people suggest.

    Currently, I am aiming to purchase:

    • "wet" battle map (dry-erase)
    • tokens for characters/creatures (hoping to find dry-erase ones here, too)
    • basic 'tiles' set for when the the scenery is more generic (optional)
    • figurines for the PCs (optional)

    I was thinking the figurines would be unpainted, and I'd love to find a company that sells them individual, with generic designs for race/class, that I can go back to again and again as my campaigns diversify.

    Am I heading down the right path? Any other suggestions?

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    What are you Reading? (August 2023)
  • Not sure if Riot Baby counts, but I just finished that and The Dreaming Void.

    I’m tracking my progress through the Hugo award winners, so I’m now reading Rendezvous with Rama and have the Broken Earth trilogy on hand for when I’m done that.

  • Pet peeve, games that won't let you save
  • I just watched a video that covered this in part. You want to keep the player immersed in the game experience. The more interfaces you give them, the more they’re taken out of the experience.

    So autosaves are a great way to keep the user interacting with the game and feeling immersed.

  • [Question] How do you balance your mental health?

    Ever since we've had kids, my usual laid back attitude has been replaced with increasing stress and anxiety. I feel like I manage it well enough, but at the same time I find myself becoming more and more of a hermit.

    I need to get out more (run club once a week right now), and I always feel better when I do, but I also feel guilty for leaving the wife with the kids, or not spending time with them, by doing things for myself.

    What do you to balance yourself and your family?

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    InitialsDiceBearhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearhttps://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/„Initials” (https://github.com/dicebear/dicebear) by „DiceBear”, licensed under „CC0 1.0” (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)SO
    soben @orcas.enjoying.yachts
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