VestigialLung @VestigialLung@dice.camp

Alright, I guess everyone’s doing the #introduction thing, so hi, I’m Andrew, and I imagine like a lot of you, I’m putting out feelers for an alternative to the bird app in light of recent news.

I’m a TTRPG nerd, amateur world builder, rabid podcast consumer, and metal (esp. prog/avant-garde, atmospheric black metal, funeral doom, post, other stuff that makes me a real drag at parties).

So, uh, hi. I’ll be trying to figure things out here.

#TTRPG #StoryHook :
Upon arriving in town, your party sees people casting furtive glances their way and whispering to each other. Shortly thereafter they are approached by guards and ordered to stand down. It would seem they’ve been mistaken for a well known revolutionary/freedom fighter/terrorist (nature of the person will depend on how you want to paint your world’s govt.) do they try to fight their way out or stay and clear their names through the legal process?

#worldbuilding prompt:
What is winter like in the region. Obviously climate is going to play a big part in that, but what about the people? Do they see winter as a lonely and dark time to be survived, or are there many gatherings and festivals to lift their spirits? What do those who farm do to pass the time? How do those engaged in more year-round lifestyles feel about this with more seasonal work (and vice versa)?

I forgot to add alt text. Screenshot of a congratulations screen on Babbel, completed newcomer lvl 2 lessons.

It’s odd that Babbel doesn’t allow setting a higher goal than 9 (roughly 5 minute) lessons per week. That’s maybe plenty if there’s no urgency to learning a language, but if you’re actively pursuing fluency, it’s a joke.

Læringen av norsk fortsetter.

#TTRPG #StoryHook
Mutilated bodies are turning up in back alleys throughout the city. Authorities suspect they have a serial killer, given the consistent pattern of corpse desecration. It’s a solid theory; the only problem is that they’re dead wrong. What’s actually happening?

Anyway, if there’s any #Norwegian speakers out there who don’t mind occasionally letting me practice the language talking to you (I’m still very early in the learning process but will be plowing through rapidly), let me know. Babbel is a good start, but I know there’s no substitute for actually using a language in learning it. [5/5]
#norsk #norway

Anyway, so I’ve got a whole-ass language to learn, and frankly that’s probably the least of my responsibilities over the next 12-18 months (somewhat arbitrary timeline, but it seems like a reasonable/achievable goal that’s still close enough to push the process along). But, with all that said, I enjoy posting the things, and one can’t work all the time. I just may be a bit spotty, as there’s a Supreme Court shaped warning sign in front of me. [4/5]

than here, but as long as I’m picking a place as opposed to just happening to have been born there, might as well factor that in.

I know about the mass shooting that happened the other day, but frankly, a mass shooting targeting the queer community is just Tuesday here; whereas, it’s national news there. [3/?]

Free time preparing to get my family to someplace where she has a chance to live safely. Currently angling for Norway, since based on my reading it’s appears to be as trans friendly a place as I’m going to find, and their handling of covid right now (my wife is immune compromised) looks a hell of a lot better than several of the other places that looked relatively safe for my daughter. Granted literally anywhere on the planet is safer from a covid perspective [2/?]

Going to try to keep up with the daily TTRPG/world building posts I’ve been making, but my free time just became considerably more spoken for. The story hook about getting out of a place that has become unsafe was a bit autobiographical. My daughter is trans, and the US is no place to raise a family at all, much Tennessee, much less a family that includes someone who the state would love nothing better than to see dead, so I’ll be spending much of my [1/?]

Og så begynner det

#worldbuilding question:
Got any moons? How many? If the answer is not yes, one, roughly the same size and distance from my planet as earth’s moon, what does that say about the tides on your planet? While the moon isn’t the sole force on earth’s tides (and thus a moonless world won’t necessarily be tideless), it is the predominant one. More moons means your tides are likely to be complex to say the least, possibly delaying the development of seafaring

Alright, so for a system designed for heroic play, I’d approach this one of two ways.
1.) you’re the leaders of a group of refugees. Success or failure will be measured not by how many monsters you kill but on how many of your people arrive alive and well enough to prosper.
2.) encourage the players to play some form of mage in a region where magic use is punishable by death. They’re powerful but not enough to fight off the long arm of state if they show that power recklessly.

#TTRPG #StoryHook:
This one probably won’t be immediately suited to a heroic fantasy situation, such as D&D, but I’ll post a comment underneath with an adaptation recommendation.

It’s not safe where you are. Maybe it once was, but those days are long gone. Whether it’s disaster (natural or artificial), religious or political persecution, or otherwise, it’s time to get out, past time really, but inertia is a hell of a drug. Regardless, it’s time to leave everything behind in pursuit of safety.

#worldbuilding questions:
Going to go with a fundamentals today, why is this city here? What resources drew people to the area? Where’s the water? Is there something else that drew people to the area (maybe like a natural wonder or particularly pleasant climate leading to a resort town)?