iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

So the systems: PBtA: partial success is the expected result, Fate: can spend replenishable resource to ensure success FitD: spend hard-to-replenish resources to simply stay in the game, Its very different attitudes toward success and the ultimate results for a character.

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Contrast to Fate, where players, if they want, can ensure success, and "success with a cost" is an optional mode for failures. Or Forged in the Dark, where the idea is pushed to the point where characters are basically incompetent stumblebums careening from one near disaster to another. (4)

And IMO the fundamental conceit is this: Success is not fun. Partial success, allowing referee input is fun. Failure is fun. Which frankly, often gives the feeling that PBTA characters aren't competent. And I will say I think this dynamic is far more oriented towards referees than players. (3)

Which leads to a couple things- * Some PBTA games massively decrease bonuses (I think Thirsty Sword Lesbians reduces it to +1?). Because they dislike full success. * The difference between "incompetent" and "competent" is often only a range of 2- 3 points. (2)

One of the things I notice with PBTA is at least it is possible (depending on the game) to have up to +3 in a certain category. Which massively shifts the odds. In Masks if you have +3 in Savior, then You'll have a 58% chacee of a full success in facing singers, and only a 17% curve if failure (1)

The things is, the definition of "Good Gaming skill" has varied tremendously over the decades. Compare the attitudes of say AD&D, Amber, and Fate for an example. And a classic was "Let the dice tell the story." So I'm Palladium, if 1 in every 20 commute drives resulted in an accident, so be it.

IIRC, original Runequest didn't have any "routine task" rule, and one wanted to roll for all tasks anyway, since that's how I've got skill increases. At least it wasn't Palladium, with it's "drive car" skill that needed to be rolled every time one operated a car. Commuting must have been lethal.

Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Given who funded him, Becerra is almost certainly going to be as much a corporate lapdog as Newsome.

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I mean the question is, was her more of a Medievalist than Poul Anderson? After all, Tolkien's English countryside was in a musical past. Anderson made medieval longing a centipede to his future history. Come to think about it, so did Asimov, Harrison, Webber...weird the longing for empire.

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Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Oh let's go go for the big names. The classic names: Robert Heinlein. Larry Niven. Poul Anderson. Robert Silverberg. Ray Bradbury.

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The primary movement in indie games over the last decade has been to remove player power and choice, and transfer it to referees. All so characters can be more easily pushed around by the referee in scenarios.

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I've always suspected games like that are more fun for the referees than the players. I mean I was invited into a "funnel" game once, and I was "OK, I'm a baker with zero combat experience, no armor, and no decent weapons. Why aren't I, you know, baking things?"

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Sounds fairly standard for "Forged in the Dark" games. For unskilled attempts (read: most of them), one rolls 2D6 and takes the lower value. Also, you only fully succeeded in a 6.

It doesn't have to be workable , as long as someone gets payola from the contracts. I just wonder who would be making the grift off this thing.

The Flying Ship is a webcomic and comic needed on Slavic folklore. One of the main character is trans.

A webcomic about swords and sorcery and subways

The webcomic Spell X Sword, whether the first six pages deal with a main character's transition. spellxsword.com/comic/chapte...

spellxsword.com

Spell X Sword

Karen Luk @karenluk.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Reposted by Happyroach

5 days to the start of #Catober2026! Get your favorite inking tool and draw along with me. The Purrific 2027 Calendar is launching soon! Early backers get a bonus Cat Bus traffic sign sticker. www.kickstarter.com/projects/kar... #Catober #ink #draw #drawingchallenge #cat #cats #catbus #trafficsign

Graphic of Catober 2026 ink drawing prompt list created by Karen Luk with the following words:
1. fathom
2. pitcher
3. wing
4. ennui
5. snowflake
6. archive
7. tech
8. antennae
9. torque
10. seal
11. level
12. giant
13. muse
14. aurora
15. crawl
16. well
17. cozy
18 kind
19. thwart
20. orbit
21. discombobulated
22. manuscript
23. goddess
24. clarity
25. gaff
26. fragrant
27. sneak
28. ravenous
29. player
30. quiet
31. eerie

Graphic of a cat bus draw as a cat bus traffic sign, diamond shaped with a yellow background and the cat bus is in black.

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You wanna share at least some of the confidential information with your spouse, because then when you suddenly disappear they'll have clues to give to the alcoholic private detective.

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No, Doom's basic flaw is overwhelming pride and vanity, to the point he CAN'T admit he made the mistake that wounded him. And let's be very clear. Someone like that won't make a great or altruistic ruler. Anyway, Conan had him pegged:

Fantasy Doom and Conan at a feast table, where Conan is insulted that Doom won't eat with him or remove his mask. Doom says he was wounded, and Conan calls him vain.

Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Back in the day simply moving across country was an excuse to end contact with parents- and moving to new cities was considered practically a sign of adulthood. But now with the Internet, distance is deterrence.

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The artist had obviously never seen birds so blitzed on fermented fruit that they can't fly.

Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

It says a lot about the political leanings of the writers who do that. "You must imagine that the person whose face is being stomped on forever is in the best of all possible worlds." ."

Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

It's at the level of "Oh dear, my car just drove through the display window of this store, and a bunch of jewelry just fell into the trunk. Bad car."

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I can't help but think that even in their attempt to buy the election DoorDash cheaped out

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Headlines like that make me want to put an arcology in downtown Palo Alto. That place really could use a pyramid that's one kilometer on a side.

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I'm not surprised by the traction at all- after all, I remember the same things happening to Madonna a few decades ago. And Courtney Love, and Yoko Ono and...

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Fate Core. I find out the most flexible and broad ranging system that puts the most power and choice in players hands. Which seems to be a concept that's out of favor now, since more modern systems basically are designed to remove player autonomy.

Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I wonder how long it will be before "If you have Saxon ancestors you aren't actually English" will become a thing.

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Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

And, and, AND I think that may be my favorite Supergirl outfit!

Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

"Write What You Know" is probably one reason why we're seeing so much video game based writing.

Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I understood everything you just said. I regret that tremendously, and I think I want to go back to bed.

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Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I am utterly amazed that there's people who need to be told this. I mean this was something I learned in summer camp when I was like, 12.

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Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I remember when I was told about that interview with Liv Tyler where she said "No I haven't had my lips done, look at my dad." "Wait, who's her father again? OH."

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Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

He wants to go back to the first season of the TV Wonder Woman where she *checks notes* fought Nazis.

Happyroach @happyroach.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The problem with Doom for me is all the fans who are like "Latveria is so awesome! We would be better off if Doom ruled us all!" And the number of comic writers who buy into that. Doom should have two things: 1. His arrogance is the source of all his failures. 2. He hates Richards because of 1.

Ben Fleuter @benfleuter.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Reposted by Happyroach

Wiccanery - a short comic about a witch and a vampire.

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Reposted by Happyroach

Starfire’s Deranged Neocon Foreign Policy Podcast @irhottakes.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

It’s very simple. A reality TV host became dictator because he turned down a role for Sharknado 4 and that’s why the king of outer space, who cheats at Diablo, got to kill Africa. Now the economy is controlled by a sex cult that has something to do with Harry Potter fanfic because of robots.

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Not mention looking at the old pulp fantasy and horror stories and seeing where concepts got borrowed and twisted to fit the game.

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Makes sense. Early D&D was more informed by Sword and Sorcery than High Fantasy like Tolkien. Of course modern high fantasy is highly informed by D&D, even as D&D reduced the S&S elements.

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I'm looking forward to reading the article...but I can't stop thinking I want to see this diagram as a Wikihow page.

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This is not the story I was expecting. But it is some nice storytelling, leading to an unexpected twist. It's worth checking out!

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