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Thread: Where have you been?!
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2020-02-22, 10:22 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2018
Where have you been?!
Hi,
Just curious what folks were up to during the "hiatus" or "crash" or "forum blight" of 2020. Maybe we should poll for an official name for the incident.
Anyway, I resumed the search for lively and interesting vBulletin forums (that initially led me to GitP) and found it fruitless. Most places are slow if not dead, Reddit is a data hog, and I grow to despise popular social media with ever deeper passion every time I experience it, so it is with a great deal of relief that Mr. Burlew and his esteemed Web team sought to maintain this space for us. I am grateful.
Pathetically, one of the baser things I end up doing without a steady message board to waste time on is shop. Not entirely selflessly, mind, but I do tend to obsess. Real time tracking became a sad pass time. My wife's tea, a funny shirt for a friend, bulk dice to have on hand in case our player group expands/someone forgets/extra rolls - all arrived less than a day after the order even with free shipping. Impressive, but far less interesting than the ongoing saga of the metal dice I bought myself.
I had an eye on them for some time, and, well, mostly out of boredom and the fact that the price had nudged down to something I could justify, I bought. It was the last set, according to the listing, but as soon as I confirmed, the price nearly doubled and suddenly there were two more. I verified that I had been charged correctly, and it was so, then began to wait. It's rare that I buy or trade outside of the U.S., and it had certainly been a while, so my expectations were off, to say the least. I guess I just figured it would be on a boat for a week and in customs for another, and I didn't balk when it said the expected delivery date would be in March.
See, I need a good forum to properly express the journey I've vicariously enjoyed whilst checking the whereabouts of this innocuous package several times a day. In the past week, I've learned more about how Amazon does fulfillment, some of the history of Rochester, UK, and about the existence of a company called Australia Post Global with operations in the train station from Harry Potter, apparently. My package took two days to get there, a distance that looks like I could walk in a half a day. I read a great deal about trans-Atlantic shipping during this time. My dice did not, however, spend a week on a boat, but may have briefly traveled by train, or flying train? because the next stop was JFK, which i know to be an airport. According to the time stamp, it arrived before it departed. Time-travelling dice. Australia has that locomotive from Back to the Future III.
The next steps are confusing. The parcel entered customs, but also New Jersey, but not at the same time, but also again...at the same time. There are a pile of Amazon buildings in New Jersey, but somehow they're never mentioned again. For whatever reason, customs handed the package over to DHL, who immediately apologized for the delay. I checked the calendar, I still have at least a week to see how things play out before the initial anticipated delivery date. This is now a story about logistics, because DHL drove my dice all the way across Pennsylvania last night, passing within 100 miles of me, to give them to the U.S. Postal Service in Ohio. If you're with me so far, you'll note that this makes the fourth carrier to handle my package. I feel like I'm going to need to wash these dice. USPS says I'll have them by Monday. I Googled whether it would have been mail fraud if I somehow could have intercepted that truck last night. I also confirmed that USPS has a presence in the state of New Jersey, and that there are still multiple routes along major highways between here and New Jersey, even new ones since the last time i was over there. My box went straight to Ohio.
Now that the forums are back I will probably forget all about the shipment and be like "when did I order this?" after it shows up in June. More importantly, I should be much less inclined to waste any more money on frivolous purchases...
So, yeah, that's my boring tale of woe. What's yours?
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2020-02-22, 11:25 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2008
- Location
- England
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
I was in a couple of play by post games on Discord (recruited here). So I was able to stave off the inevitable insanity caused by the crash for the most part.
Piratebold-Bard by Elder Tsofu | Backer #121 of the Giantitp Kickstarter | My homebrew
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2020-02-22, 11:54 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2015
- Location
- San Francisco Bay area
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
I read and re-read some of Robert E. Howard's Conan stories, plus the Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman which is #6 in The Invisible Library series, a series the books, and if I had known that it would be a six book (and counting!) series I likely wouldn't have picked up the first book in the series, but I'm glad I did as it's still a "page-turner", and I read a lot of free on-line amateur fiction.
"On-line" I posted some comments in the comments section of a blog, but I stayed away from Facebook (which I joined this last year), and I took my three-year-old son to "Children's Fairyland" and the Zoo in Oakland.
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2020-02-22, 03:25 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2009
Re: Where have you been?!
Browsing reddit more than I should, honestly. Other than that, mostly pining for the forums; there's nowhere else I know of for friendly discussion and chatting on all the various nerdy subjects we talk about here, at least without diving into modern social media.
ithilanor on Steam.
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2020-02-22, 03:40 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2014
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
All I could think of when reading the title was GLaDOS' "It's been a long time. How have you been? I've been really busy being dead. You know, after you MURDERED ME."
So, y'know... really busy being metaphorically dead. Not actually doing much productive. Hazards when one only has, like, three communities they frequent.
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2020-02-22, 04:10 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2010
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
I've been on a long quest though binge- watching pretty much almost the entirety of
Spoiler: The Unexpectables spoilersThe Unexpectables. My review of it is that while it is lighthearted and fun, it has it his good serious moments and while the DMing is in general good there are a few decisions I disagree with. of the PC characters Panic Grimtongue is the best, followed by Task, Borky is sometimes enjoyable sometimes annoying and Greckles is a mess that I don't know how to feel about because while he has heart and its in the right place, as well as moments of being smart or right, he often dives into on obsession with either his homeland or his newfound religion.
Greckles being a mess of course ties into one of the biggest messes of the campaign, which is the love triangle between Brorc, Solly and Greckles. both Brorc and Greckles love Solly but there is no indication of her loving either back in that way, the problem is, Brorc while a good person has this creepiness to him when it comes to Solly because his entire deal is that due to how Aasimars work in this campaign they are all forced into political positions that act as prisons while being unable to go against what their gods tell them to do, and in Alivast only aasimar are allowed to marry other aasimar which is bull because there is no restrictions on this for anyone else- we get a marriage between an elf and a gnoll that both families support in one episode for crying out loud! Brorc himself is shown to be a lonely workaholic whose problems are mostly due to his own lack of attempting to have a social life outside of his work, who keeps trying to justify him trying to marry her as "protecting her" from political enemies who are stronger than Alivast, so the entire reason why Brorc wants to marry Solly has so many agendas, ulterior motives and restrictions on it that it doesn't feel like a good romance at all, but rather a pathetic guy trying to solve his social life by dragging a victim of orun clergy's oppression into his life which wouldn't change much because the two already are in a gilded cage of the high district bound by political jobs in the council who have to approve of their marriage anyways, not helped by the fact that he is clearly older than her and acts more like he is her father than a boyfriend, yet the DM is clearly trying to slowly make it happen anyways, and no one even considers trying to reform the system so that aasimar are freed from this stupid marriage law that doesn't even make any sense given the world around them (I mean how does forcing a marriage to other aasimar help aasimar who are forced to work for their purpose no matter what even help, they are just getting their own issues reflected back at them and there isn't even a good political reason for it because no alliances are formed from it, it seems to simply be there to create drama?)
I mean sure, Greckles is a flawed individual and can't even marry Solly under Alivastian law. but the way he is roleplayed makes it clear he truly cares for solly beyond just protecting her and wants her to have a good life and make her own decisions. it just works far better than Brorc who for all we know wouldn't even be considering solly if it weren't for that stupid law.
and I've already seen Gruul and Audrey earlier in the campaign, that has basically the same thing but on a smaller scale, Audrey just suddenly deciding to love Gruul out of nowhere even through Remy didn't make much sense either. the DM while good sometimes forces romance into things that don't need it and I' worried that brorc and Solly will just be a repeat of Gruul and Audrey with Solly picking Brorc just because the DM wants it to happen. meanwhile Panic while he is the best roleplayed character in the campaign he is being pulled every which way by his love interests and surrogate daughter because the DM can't seem to make up her mind where he is going after saving music.
like I had to stop at episode 107 because it was just filling me up with salt after so much binging. and I still have like eight episodes to go to actually catch up to present? so maybe I should just take a break from it until I feel like watching it again because I sincerely hope that things won't go the way I think they will because it will just be painful to watch.
good thing the forum is back, speaking with people here will a be good break from that.
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2020-02-22, 04:20 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2018
Re: Where have you been?!
Cool. The pbp I'm in managed to survive on Discord, too. The question now is whether to move back.
Your three-year-old lets you read novels? I can't get through a comicbook without interruption.
Reddit is such a sink, but has never felt like a place I could contribute. That's why I prefer message boards. Even if I'm generally quiet here, putting up a topic now and then doesn't seem like a waste.
I put thought into the heading for that very reason. Even now, I can hear her voice.
Nice. I finally got around to watching the Witcher and was not displeased.
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2020-02-22, 04:31 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2015
Re: Where have you been?!
Been into other internet forums, making Youtube videos. Same old, same old.
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2020-02-22, 06:48 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2007
- Location
- Some rainly old island
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
I literally tried to come back just when the forums went down.
I've basically been posting on TV Tropes and Discord, which is what I've been doing since I was last here. Also streaming on Twitch.Hi, I'm back, I guess. ^_^I cosplay and stream LPs of single player games on Twitch! Mon, Wed & Fri; currently playing: Nier: Replicant (Mon/Wed) and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Thurs or Fri)
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2020-02-22, 10:21 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2014
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
Got the terrible habit of using twitter
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2020-02-22, 11:50 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2010
- Location
- Dallas, TX
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
My wife bought me the Virginia Edition -- the complete 46-volume works of Robert A. Heinlein, and it arrived in mid-January.
I've kept busy.
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2020-02-23, 01:22 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2006
- Location
- BFE
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
I was here. Pressing F5. A lot.
SpoilerBossing Around Mad Cats for Fun and Profit: Let's Play MechCommander 2!
Kicking this LP into overdrive: Let's Play StarCraft 2!
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2020-02-23, 08:33 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2014
Re: Where have you been?!
I too have been here. Lurking. I also went slightly mad and decided to write my own version of a Ravenloft campaign in the style of 5E's Curse of Strahd with the same level of detail. You know how it is
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2020-02-23, 10:00 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2005
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
I spent a lot of time on Reddit. But then also more time than I will freely admit watching the Wrath of the Righteous Kickstarter and hanging out in their Discord. Especially during the first 7-10 days when new stretch goals were being hit/unveiled 1-2 times a day.
If my text is blue, I'm being sarcastic.But you already knew that, right?
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2020-02-24, 08:24 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2018
Re: Where have you been?!
Staying busy is good.
Well, welcome back. Again.
Don't worry. With time and support, you can kick this. Believe in yourself.
Oof. Even when I was heavily into reading, that would have taxed my attention span. Enjoy.
I tried not to check in more than twice a day. After it logged me out, I wondered if I was being annoying...
Yeah, the homebrew ideas tend to percolate in simmering boredom. Mine aren't usually good ones.
Thankfully, I've avoided Kickstarter's hooks. I worry too much that I'll need the money more desperately sometime before the KS delivers and be saddled with regret or that I'll get ripped off. Two instances where I came really close: one was successful in its campaign but utterly died after launch and I grabbed a complete collection for about what the base pledge would have been; the other is still unfolding, as only some of the product shipped after years of delays, but I found some sets on eBay for slightly less than the corresponding pledge level.
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2020-02-24, 01:56 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2008
Re: Where have you been?!
I was down a computer for the duration anyways, so it didn't really affect me.
I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums.
I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that. -- ChubbyRain
Current Design Project: Legacy, a game of masters and apprentices for two players and a GM.
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2020-02-25, 01:32 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2005
- Location
- Australia
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
I was busy. Doing... something.
"My Hobby: Replacing your soap with gravy" by rtg0922, Doll and Clint "Rawhide" Eastwood by Sneak
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2020-02-25, 07:56 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2018
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2020-02-25, 07:57 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2015
Re: Where have you been?!
Given that most of my posting time is at work waiting outside Legal waiting for a contract ruling, I've just used that spare time to manage my personal emails, do shopping (set up and ordered a gas fireplace insert for our house, so you could say that I worked on my marriage ), and basically take some bandwidth off of my at-home time, where I...
...I re-read most of Niven's Known Space novels (Ringworld, etc.). I enjoyed it.
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2020-02-25, 10:50 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2010
- Gender
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2020-02-26, 05:07 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2019
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
I've been... doing lots of checking GitP most nights after work to see if it was back up, as well as checking a couple of other forums I look at regularly. Lots of RPG writing and a bit of game playing (PF and computer stuff).
I foresee myself spending a lot of time here over the next week catching up with what everyone else is writing as they catch up!
It's good to be back :)
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2020-02-26, 08:40 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2018
Re: Where have you been?!
There you go. That combination of a warm fire and a good book is always win.
Same. Just wish the old man would get off my back about it.
There is a LOT of creativity on display here. I don't always check it out, but I have come across some very interesting stuff from other users. OotS is the main draw, but in between comics you can usually find something else to enjoy.
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2020-02-26, 05:57 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2011
- Location
- Broomfield CO
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
I was playing at the stock market and hitting up dating sites.
Turns out I've done poorly at both. Though since I haven't sold anything that now worth less (not worthless) this should just be a short term problem (By retirement standards). Hopefully the dating thing will be similarly short. Hopefully not short by retirement standards, I'd like a date before I retire.Now, Back to Lurking!
Originally Posted by The Giant
Belkar's Death Countdown best guess: 31/49 days used before Belkar is gone forever more! - updated to morning at 1190!
Hey, its the Blog where I write! Dice Roles
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2020-02-26, 07:42 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2013
Re: Where have you been?!
I literally died and have only just now reanimated and clawed my way out of my grave.
Not really, obviously. Mostly trying my best to look after my homies, finishing up my last term of school, work and planning a future move... Man, am I tired.
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2020-02-27, 05:05 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2006
- Location
- Germany
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2020-02-27, 09:15 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2008
Re: Where have you been?!
I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums.
I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that. -- ChubbyRain
Current Design Project: Legacy, a game of masters and apprentices for two players and a GM.
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2020-02-28, 08:39 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2018
Re: Where have you been?!
Wishing you well on both endeavors. I got married before Internet dating was really a thing, and subsequently have accepted that I must work until I die.
Dead...tired? Clawing back into the grave can be just as difficult.
Oh, that unfathomable rabbit hole that delivers many to their doom. Blessed are the forum keepers - their dedication may yet save us all.
Let it out. We feel your pain.
My dice did arrive and...well...there are some issues. I'm sure if I pushed for it I could receive adequate recompense from either the seller or the manufacturer or both, as they appear to have done so for others in the past. Instead, I'd like to see if I can pull off the correction myself and perhaps modify the look of them with different inks. I'm still looking into it, and haven't learned enough yet to rule out anything. I like the dice and would have preferred them to have been perfect, but for the price I can't be too put out by the situation, and I see it as an opportunity to improve a skill depending on how things unfold.
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2020-02-28, 09:53 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2018
- Location
- Belgium
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
One of the games I was in had just moved to Mythweavers before the forums died, so I still had a game and didn't go in full withdrawal symptoms. I did check up daily to see if this was back up or not.
Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett
"Magic can turn a frog into a prince. Science can turn a frog into a Ph.D. and you still have the frog you started with." Terry Pratchett
"I will not yield to evil, unless she's cute."
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2020-02-28, 03:11 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2020
- Gender
Re: Where have you been?!
Most of, if not all of my games are over Discord, so I didn't experience any particular changes.
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2020-02-28, 03:11 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2013
Re: Where have you been?!