#pro gm for hire

[tald0z]

If you'd like me to GM a system or game of your choice, feel free to book me as the GM in a custom game request! You can book me at the link below! I'm most familiar with Genesys, Star Wars FFG, DnD 5e, Essentials20 Power Rangers, and Spooktacular, but am more than willing to learn a system to help you get the game you want!

https://startplaying.games/gm/taldoz

[darachbeo]

kinda wanna look into becoming a professional GM tbh

[sleepyconfusedpotato]

⚔️ Task Force 141 - NFL AU 🏈

by me (sleepyconfusedpotato) and @alypink ! This AU will include some Original Characters made by us both!

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New Hampshire 141s, a new rising american football team whose players dominantly came from the United Kingdom, is ready to face the NFL season!

As the previous Head Coach, Herschel von Shepherd got fired by the General Manager MacMillan, John Price (who has roots in rugby) got chosen by MacMillan to bring the team to victory. Let us see which players caught Coach Price's eyes!

John Price (HC)

John Price was born in Liverpool, England, but moved to America when he was still very young due to his father being deployed from the military to an American base. Although his father retired a couple of years later, they decided to stay in America. He grew up loving sports as a child but American football always piqued his interest more than any other sports. He played safety in middle and high school, but in his junior year, he had Meniscal tears that prevented him from ever playing again. John was heavily depressed after his injury, one day one of his close friends, Nikolai, who was also one of his fellow teammates on his high school team, told him to cheer him up to go watch the team play or to attend the training camps, John agreed and started assisting to the games and eventually started to think about becoming a head coach. He was recommended by his former high school head coach to take the job as a defensive coordinator for the New Hampshire Wildcats, a college football team. His performance and playbook were impressive, leading the Wildcats to reach a bowl and winning it twice. He proved to be fit and ready for a professional football team in the NFL and was hired as a defensive coordinator by the New Hampshire 141’s, by the HC at that time, Herschel von Shepherd. His first two seasons were disastrous as there was friction between the players and their head coach, most of the players disagreed with Shepherd's decisions and playmaking. To add to that, he seemed to never care about the player's input or needs. Although in those seasons they held a record of 4 wins and 12 losses, the General Manager of the team noticed his defense was the best in the league for both points and yards, and also noticed that a good portion of his defense players were selected on the all-pro team of those two seasons. After the owner and GM fired Shepherd as a Head Coach, John took his place.  In his first seasons with the 141s, he restructured the team and went to playoffs and one NFC championship. As he wanted to improve his team, he started attending college football games, he attended once a college game in which he met the offensive coordinator at the time, Aly, and after the game he met her to ask about some players he was interested in on her actual team, for QB and WR positions, they became acquaintance since that day and kept communication for some time, as she sent some prospects his way. She also requested his help every now and then, making him attend her games and inviting her over to watch the 141s too. After spending time together and sharing the same interests and love for football, they started to date but kept it low as two months later, John hired her as his new offensive coordinator.

#26 Kyle Garrick (WR)

the most responsible and reliable player of the team. Kyle’s dad was an ex-WR and a former head coach out of a college football team. His father is a very hardworking man and disciplines his son like a football player, and with that, comes a great expectation for Kyle since his high school years. Kyle is extremely reliable, responsible, and respected on and off the field. He is HC John Price's favorite due to his work ethic. Kyle believes in having discipline in everything he does to be one of the best. He keeps a picture of his girlfriend, Eleanor Graham (Ladybug) everywhere, especially in his locker room as he says she brings him good luck for catching the hail mary’s from Alex.  Kyle and Alex met in Baylor University, where they played together and won many games, including several bowl games. They became best friends in and out of the football field, supporting each other infinitely. “You've got friends nearby.” On Alex’s quote, “I can throw the ball like ‘fuck it, he’s over there somewhere’ and Kyle would magically appear and catch the ball. He’s always at the right place.”

One day during practice Alex was throwing the ball too far to the left, which headed straight towards her head. On instinct and in an attempt to catch the ball, Kyle collided with Eleanor, which bruised her arms. Instead of being upset like how Kyle would expect her to react, she laughed loudly at him, saying that she chose to sit there. She knew the hazard of studying near a football field. Even though Eleanor said she can take care of her bruises, Kyle insisted on nursing her. (Alex SMILED ear to ear). They both met from time to time. Every practice, Kyle always looks for Eleanor on the side of the field. Eleanor’s laid-back personality often bothers Kyle as she's a damn med school student, but through her, Kyle learns how to slow down and live in the moment. Love bloomed between them and they became a couple midway through freshman year. 

When Kyle was drafted to the NFL to be with Alex for New Hampshire 141s, Eleanor was there with him when he received the call from HC Price. Though Eleanor has to stay in Texas to continue her studies, Eleanor travels to New Hampshire often to visit Kyle.

#31 Alex Keller (QB)

Alex is the quarterback of the 141s, second draft pick and first QB of his university. He is very skilled and hard-working, he is in love with water girl Farah Karim and aspires to be like Tom Brady. He and Kyle Garrick (WR) met in their first year of freshman in University and they played since their first year as the duo of QB and WR (Burrow and Chase vibes) and were drafted together in the NFL draft by the same team. Young duo but very effective especially during the regular season. Alex Keller met Farah Karim in his rookie season during training camp in his first year and has been infatuated with her. Since then, he has tried to score ASAP or reach 4th down so he can sit on the bench and talk with her. Whenever he can, he visits and picks her up from University and helps her out whenever he can in anything she would need.

#70 Simon Riley (TE)

Simon Riley used to be a rugby player in England. He joined the rugby team during his college days and met Price as one of his coaches, who trained and guided him to become one of the most dominant flankers in college rugby. Unfortunately, though he’s always dependable whenever he’s on the field, Simon was often riddled with injuries. His quiet personality didn’t help his case either, bearing the pain in his left leg in silence, until one day, he tore his ACL during an important game which cost the team their winning chances. Simon rested for a whole year to heal his knee. Together with his familial struggle, he contemplated quitting being an athlete. That was until Coach Price offered him a fresh start in the USA. As a flanker is equivalent to the Tight End position in American football, Price told him that he would be perfect for the role. Simon was adamant at first as he was still injured and how he’d be able to completely heal from this devastating injury. But when he said that in America they could find him a good physiotherapist to help him heal his knee, he reluctantly accepted the offer.  Simon got into the draft and was a first-round pick due to how much of a good player he was in rugby. On his first day on the team, he met the other players who got drafted, but the most important and the most fateful meeting was when he got introduced to Charlotte Le Jardin (nickname Jade to simplify her last name), a physiotherapist that Laswell had promised help him to heal his ACL and help him regain his top form. It was a rough road, but with every step he took, Jade was there to help him.  Now, every injury he has he doesn’t stay on the sidelines but goes inside the tent or the stadium so he can be checked by her. Whenever Jade’s out watching the game, he scores more than usual or gets distracted. He often carries the team, especially during the conference championship games. 

#71 Johnny MacTavish (RB)

Johnny MacTavish was born and raised in Scotland. After high school, he was offered an academic and sports scholarship to a prominent university in the USA. He began his football career when he was a freshman at University as a very talented runner, which elevated him as the starter RB on his fifth game. In his senior year he was  awarded the Heisman Trophy winner at college, but due to a shoulder injury, he missed being the top pick at the draft. He was later selected by the New Hampshire 141s and got put in as a starter as soon as he got drafted. He has good chemistry with his team but gets injured by overdoing himself or trying to tackle defensive players on the other team. He is also constantly with Jade for treatment and often misses important playoff games. Johnny is a very talented running back and that is why HC Price can’t get rid of him no matter how he misses practices and meetings and how his personal life affects his performance on the field. He always tries to take his friend Simon Riley to social gatherings and social media, but he completely shuts him down every time. That's different on the field though, as whenever Johnny's going to play a run, Simon will always be there in front of him to push the tacklers away, making way for Johnny to score a first down or a touch down. They're an unstoppable duo together. Johnny is very popular among female fans, making his jersey the one with the most sales every year. His dating story is pretty large and his games are always attended by the women he dates (which constantly changes).

some memes I made 😭

Here's the Hereford 141S' Logo and jersey design! The logo is heavily inspired by the Task Force 141's logo, so it's pretty much just a sporty twist of the logo!

More characters underneath the cut!

#11 Alejandro Vargas (MLB) and #22 Rodolfo Parra (OLB)

(Drawing to be posted!)

Alejandro and Rudy both moved to El Paso, Texas when they started high school at the age of 14 years old. They were avid football (soccer) players during their time in Mexico, but when they started High School they began to play football. Both Alejandro and Rodolfo played as Linebackers, Ale being MLB and Rodolfo being OLB. They did amazing in High School then they both received a scholarship to attend the university in Dallas, Texas. Both of them were later selected to do the NFL Pathway program, for both of them. Being together since their childhood years, high school and university they were a packaged deal and were both selected on the same team, same position on the NFL draft.  Alejandro is especially hyped when playing against Philip Graves, QB of the Dallas Shadows. They have had beef with each other on and off the field since they played against each other for the first time. Ale’s average sack during a game against Dallas is approximately 5 per game, he sometimes is way too harsh while tackling making him get a couple of flags whenever he blitzes and sacks. He’s often scolded by his friend Rudy, but he does not care as long as he can sack Graves.

Kate Laswell (Defensive Coordinator)

(Drawing to be posted!)

was raised in Virginia, USA. Both her parents and brothers loved football and so did she. Since elementary, she watched and never missed a game during weekends, she always had a fascination for the Chicago Bears and their ‘85 team. Her father told her about how that defense, without an extraordinary QB or offense made them win the superbowl and also made them the best defense of all time. After witnessing that season and that Superbowl, she fell in love with how the defense scheme in football works. Unfortunately professional football for women wasn’t an option, so she studied a lot to become a defensive coordinator. She studied day and night, memorizing the plays, analyzing games and creating new playbooks since she was young. She struggled a lot to have an opportunity since it was a male-dominated team. One of her childhood friends made it to the roster to become a defensive coordinator for the Colorado Buffaloes College Football Team, he was a good coach but not “impressive”. She supported him by attending his games but couldn't help but try to talk to him whenever she thought he could do better, often interrupting his play callings during his games to make him change the play, and it always worked. She and his friend attended a College Bowl, and met John Price at that game, the three of them watched the game and she started to tell both of them what adjustment she would do for both teams, and that piqued John’s interests as she was awfully right, he was impressed by how well she read offense’s routes and how she was able to change from a 3-4 or 4-3 to a hybrid defense. He decided to give her a chance and hired her as his new defensive coordinator for the 141’s and established a very good partnership and friendship with her ever since.

Farah Karim (Intern Physical Therapy Student - Watergirl)

(Drawing to be posted!)

Farah Karim is a university medical student who got an internship in his junior year of college to be the water girl and help around the New Hampshire  141s team. She comes from an immigrant family and is the pride and joy of her parents. She struggled so much in her younger years to pursue an education and get into a good college in the USA, she managed to get a scholarship due to her great school performance and was given the chance to work with a professional football team. She met Alex Keller after his rookie season and developed a close friendship with them that later turned into a romantic interest. She is grateful for his help and also supports him during games. Her classmates usually bug her by asking Farah to let them meet Alex or to set them up with him, which she dislikes very much.

(OC) Alyssa Martinez (Offensive Coordinator)

Aly was born in Mexico and moved to the USA thanks to a scholarship she received when she graduated from High School and moved to Texas to attend college. As soon as she graduated from Texas A&M holding a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management, she started working as an offensive coordinator at a local highschool. She then escalated to being an offensive coordinator for the College she attended. Aly managed to take the team to a College Bowl where she met 141s Head Coach John Price and became acquaintances after that game, they kept communication after that game, as Aly asked for suggestions for her playbook and she helped Price on suggesting him prospects for the upcoming draft selection and also players on free agency.  She was later hired by Price as his offensive coordinator and they began to have a low key romantic  relationship. She specializes in West Coast offense, having her team play the Air Coryell scheme. She suggested Price to draft Alex Keller as he was the perfect pocket passer that would fit their offense perfectly. She’s an avid Tom Brady fan.

(OC) Charlotte Le Jardin (Physical Therapist)

Originally from England, Jade was adopted by an American couple and moved with them to the United States at an early age. Her parents, Eli and Gracie, worked at Bravo Stadium, home of the 141s, and Jade became a constant presence on the sidelines. As time went by, the Bravo Stadium became her home. Jade started helping around the sidelines bringing water, towels, medical kits, and even helping out in the blue tent, all the while completing her college in biological science and doctor of physical therapy (DPT), and of course, licensing in Physical Therapy. When she got her license, her experience was already on par with the other physiotherapists since she had been jumping from senior to seniors, learning and practicing all she could. Kate Laswell who has been seeing Jade there since she was a teenager, hired Jade as one of the many physiotherapists for 141s, and with that came a fateful challenge: a newcomer Tight End with a torn ACL from his rugby days, who’s trying to get back to his top form in order to play in the NFL.

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PHEW so there you have it! If you've read it this far, oh my LORD me and Aly love you so much! This is a pretty severe brainrot that we had, so hope you like it!

And let's enjoy the 2024 NFL Season 🏈🏈🏈

Hope you like it! 🥰🥰

[level2janitor]

Introduction to the OSR

what's an OSR? it's a game that's kinda like old-school D&D. or is old-school D&D. or is compatible with old-school D&D. an OSR game generally has some or all of the following principles:

low character power with highly lethal combat. in old-school D&D a 1st-level fighter has d8 hit points and a longsword does d8 damage, and you die at 0HP. this is not to ensure characters die all the time but to emphasize the next bullet point:

emphasis on creative problem solving. most situations cannot be solved by straightforward use of your abilities (such as charging into every situation with swords drawn, if a fighter), so the game tests lateral, outside-the-box thinking.

emphasis on diegetic progression. spells are found, not obtained automatically on level-up. you get XP by finding gold more than killing monsters. most of your cool abilities come from magic items. making alliances & hiring followers is encouraged.

focus on managing inventory, resources, risk, and time. the players are constantly faced with meaningful decisions; this is the heart of the game.

very sandbox-oriented. the focus on creative problem solving means the game must be accommodating to players taking a course of action the GM didn't plan for. use lots of random tables to generate emergent story. some elements of new simulationism.

high tactical transparency, i.e., the optimal course of action is rarely system-specific, and ideally very possible for a new player to intuit.

usually semi-compatible with old D&D, but not always. usually rules-lite, but not always.

what does the OSR mostly NOT do?

focus on character builds. these change the focus too much to be on the rules than the fiction, can create situations where stuff everyone should be able to do is an ability locked to one class, and impede tactical transparency.

resolve everything with a die roll. combat uses dice to be scary, unpredictable and most importantly not your default course of action. everything else should bring up dice rarely - dice are your plan B when your plan A fails. the best plans need no dice.

use linear storytelling or put players into a writer/GM role. linear storytelling gets in the way of the decision-making so core to the playstyle; letting players write details into the setting is mutually exclusive with them discovering it.

rules for everything. 400 pages of crunch is worse at simulating a believable world than the GM and players' shared understanding. OSR games rely constantly on GM ruling.

mostly still applies to all the above. making your system a "pure" OSR game comes second to doing what's best for your game.

System recommendations

old D&D or a retroclone

old-school D&D - or old school essentials or basic fantasy or swords & wizardry, which are old D&D's mechanics repackaged with quality-of-life tweaks (and the upside of not giving WOTC your money) - are usually the go-to when recommending someone's first OSR game. they're actually not my first pick, though!

PROS:

very complete, with more robust rules than a lot of the lighter games on this list.

100% compatibility: most OSR adventures are statted for old school essentials. converting them to other OSR systems is usually simple, but not 1-for-1.

easier to find games for. anyone interested in the OSR space knows what old school essentials is.

CONS:

jank. these games largely still have weird saves, level limits for non-humans, some still have descending AC, etc etc. it's not that bad but it is there

i hate thief skills. lots of essential dungeoneering actions are locked to the thief class as abilities, with abysmally low success chances. this is stuff i prefer being handled without a roll. thieves in this system suck and make everyone else worse at dungeon crawling by existing.

there's just lots of really cool shit in other systems i'm about to go into that you just don't get here

Knave 1e and its various hacks

this is a 7-page super-lightweight system that boils everything down to just the essentials.

rolling a character takes like 5 minutes. roll stats, roll gear, roll traits, go. done. it's great.

characters are defined entirely by stats and gear, no classes. wanna be a fighter, have high strength and carry a big sword and armor. wanna be a wizard, have high intelligence and fill your inventory with spells. item slots are elegant and pretty limited.

initiative is instant: roll d6. 1-3, monsters go first. 4-6, PCs go first. swingy, but god it is so smooth and shaves like the most boring 5 minutes off of every combat

monsters are so very elegant. old D&D gives monsters a "hit dice" rating to determine their HP, e.g. a 3HD monster rolls 3d8 for hit points. knave takes this number (HD) and uses it for attack rolls and saves (aside from exceptionally bad/good saves), so a knave statblock looks something like this.

spells are all one or two sentences long & extremely easy to remember.

7 pages is so light. i have the system basically memorized.

DOWNSIDES: there's no dungeon crawling rules (standard for meatier OSR games & something i consider essential) and no real bestiary, though the second point isn't a huge deal cause they're so easy to make. it also kinda assumes you already know how to run OSR games, so there's very little real advice or guidance.

KNAVE HACKS

knave 1e is in creative commons & comes with an editable word doc for you to publish with modifications, so there's a ton of variants (there was a spreadsheet of them somewhere, but i can't find it).

Grave is a favorite - i'm two years into a grave campaign and it's fantastic. it's a dark-souls-y version of knave with some really elegant innovations.

you have a set number of deaths before you for-reals die, as every character plays an undead as is dark souls tradition. makes it good for OSR beginners! being able to tell when you're close to your final death is really good - it lets you emotionally prepare for losing your character & raises the stakes more the more you die. (though honestly you should probably cut the number of extra deaths in half, it's super generous)

XP and gold are combined into one resource, souls. legendary creatures drop big souls you can make into magic items. this has ended up being the coolest thing in my current campaign. my players love finding powerful souls to make into magic items it's so fun

uses preset packages of stats/gear instead of knave's rolled ones, filling the role of more traditional character classes. has the wonderful side effect of not making you get stuck with low stats cause you rolled bad one time.

you have stamina equal to your empty item slots. you spend stamina on spells if you're a caster, or free maneuvers (on top of your attack at no action cost) if you're not. it's super elegant.

there's 3 classes of spells: wizardry for intelligence, holy magic for wisdom, and witch stuff for charisma. nice and intuitive.

there's a page of 50 magic items each a couple sentences long. this PDF is worth it just for the magic items.

DOWNSIDE: see the downsides for knave 1e. all still apply.

i enjoyed grave so much i made a variant of it with the dark souls bits removed (and some dungeon crawl rules added!) to use for my standard fantasy campaigns.

Knave 2e

sadly knave 2e is not purchasable yet (i backed it on kickstarter so i have access, though). but when it comes out i highly recommend it.

much larger and denser than knave 1e. it finally has dungeon crawling rules, it has GM and player guidance, everything is refined and the layout is so so nice and readable.

combat is a bit more interesting than 1e. you can break your weapon against an enemy to deal max damage. you get a free maneuver on high attack rolls.

there's rules for stuff like alchemy, warfare, building a base. it all kicks ass.

there are so many goddamn tables. i rifle through it anytime i need inspiration.

DOWNSIDES: some of the new rules are a little untested & wonky. introducing randomness into how often your rations spoil or your lights go out can cause issues.

Mausritter

you play tiny little mice! in a world full of big dangerous things that want to eat mice. cat = dragon. you get it. what more could you want

the mouse thing is just super intuitive. you get the dynamic between you and the big scary lethal world. fantastic OSR game to introduce kids

nice and robust ruleset; nothing feels missing

tons of super nice GM stuff! faction rules, tools for rolling up hexcrawls and dungeons, plenty of tables

super clean readable layout. font isn't too small to avoid being intimidating. guidance is really nice and clear.

combat is autohit. super fast & lethal.

100% free

look mausritter is just. good. i wanna run it so bad someday

Worlds Without Number

sort of a middle ground between OSR stuff and 5e. paid version here free version here

lots of classes, at least in the paid version. the free version comes with just the warrior, expert and mage. there's feats and more of a focus on builds than most OSR games. if you like more mechanical build variety than a typical OSR game, this is a great game for you!

extremely good multiclassing. y'know how in most games if you just mash together two classes you think are cool you'll end up with a total mess? not here! every combo is viable and works fine! easily the best multiclassing of any game i've touched

an absurd amount of GM stuff and tables. easily more than any of the other stuff i've praised for also having them. but personally i haven't dug into them as much, so i can't really comment on them

skills the way modern D&D has them. you roll dice and try to beat a target number. i don't tend to like rolled skills, but most people do, so if that's your thing WWN has them

DOWNSIDES

the layout is terrible. everything is a huge wall of text with very little use of bold text or bullet points to draw attention to the important bits. the table of contents has like 15 things in it for a 400-page book! i couldn't find any of the paid-version-exclusive classes for like a month after i bought it! looking up rules is a nightmare.

the way the default setting handles "evil races" is like an exaggerated parody of all the problematic aspects of how D&D handles it. like, it wants so bad for you to have an excuse to genocide sentient free-willed people. but at least the default setting is easy to chuck in the trash

Dungeon Crawl Classics

the goal of this system is to take all of the crazy gonzo moments people remember playing old-school D&D in their childhood and turn all of that up to 11 while cutting the stuff that doesn't add to that. i think a lot of its innovations have ended up kind of standard in newer OSR stuff (like fighters getting maneuvers with their attacks), but it still has more to offer.

the funnel: you start the game with four randomly rolled dipshit peasants that you then throw into a meatgrinder to get horribly killed. you pick one of the survivors to be your 1st-level character.

maneuvers: fighters roll an extra die with each attack that gets bigger as you level. if it's a 3 or higher, you get to do a cool thing on top of your attack. pretty standard for OSR games, but this game popularized it!

crit tables: fighters also get more crits and nastier crits as they level. every crit, you roll on the crit table. maybe you chop off a dude's arm. maybe you just knock them over. maybe you shatter their shield. it's very cool

spell tables: i don't really like roll-to-cast mechanics, generally. but DCC goes so all-in on roll-to-cast that it still looks fun as hell to watch. you cast a fireball and maybe it goes how you want. or maybe you explode, or you nuke everything in a half-mile radius, or from now on you permanently ignite flammable materials you touch, or whatever. casters just have to put up with turning into a weird mutated mess across a campaign

there's no dungeon crawl rules, no encumbrance - this game is all about the big over-the-top wacky shit, and is not really interested in the more down-to-earth number crunching. it's more in the you-die-hilariously-all-the-time area of OSR than the you-avoid-death-through-clever-play area. not really my thing but the system knows exactly what it wants to be and i respect it

iron halberd

this one is mine! as the author i'm not qualified to tell you what isn't good about my system, so just assume it's worse than i make it sound, but here's a bunch of the selling points

semi-random character creation where you flip back and forth between rolling dice and getting your own input. roll stats, pick ancestry. pick starting gear kit, roll different dice based on which kit you picked. etc etc. stats are random but all equally viable (no rolling incredibly low or high stats). every time i run this game the character creation is a hit. seriously go roll up a character it'll sell you on the whole thing

you start out a lot stronger than a standard OSR character but grow way more slowly. i don't like 4th-level characters being 4 times as strong as 1st-level ones; HP never gets that high. emphasis is more on diegetic progression instead.

way too many subsystems for alchemy, crafting, strongholds, warfare, renown, rituals, likes 9 pages of magic items, a whole subsystem for becoming a cleric mid-campaign. i couldn't help myself i love this shit

in my current campaign we had a player permanently sacrifice some max HP to become a necromancer after deliberating on whether that's a good idea for like thirty seconds, which instantly made me think my necromancy system is a success

also free

Adventure recommendations

(in rough order of size)

Moonhill Garden (by Emiel Boven): look at this. look at it! this is like the best template for a little dungeon in an OSR game. all of the little factions are tied together. this would be a great oneshot to introduce people to an OSR system with.

A gathering of blades (by Ben Milton): a system-neutral, one-page sandbox. i ran this for an iron halberd game and it went super well. lasted like 7 sessions. highly recommend.

The Waking of Willowby Hall (by Ben Milton): a single dungeon with a million things going on. it's super chaotic with half a dozen different factions crashing into each other and a big angry goose. highly recommend, especially for kids

The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford (by Chance Dudinack): small sandbox with a fun fairytale vibe and a very fleshed-out little town. and a big nasty dragon.

Evils of Illmire (by Zack Wolf): this is a very dense, entire campaign's worth of hexcrawl in a very compact package for like $5. it doesn't do anything particularly new, but the value-for-money is absurd and it's a really good template for how to do a sandbox if you're used to 5e adventures

Ask me anything!

if anything here is unclear or intrigues you, send me asks! i love helping people get into OSR games. i'll link frequently asked questions here if i get any.

[disastardly]

After the defeat of Octomus, Chip Thorn tries a lot of things, and he’s pretty good at most of them. Freelance wizard, knight errant, alchemist-for-hire: you name it, he’s tried it, but the one most people don’t expect to stick is actual-play TTRPG content creation.

Given the timing of Mystic Force, he’s in a good position to get in on the ground floor and doesn’t even realize it when he starts. He just likes playing games with his friends, and records them so he can make sure he never misses anything. Putting them out as one of these new ‘podcast’ things makes sense when he’s already got all the audio and Vida offers to edit.

Of course it takes off - he’s creative, high energy, a really involved and thoughtful GM that seems to have an endless well of fantastical ideas to draw on. It’s word of mouth at first, but soon there are articles and blog posts and requests to livestream and the whole thing is spinning out of control too fast for even him to manage. That’s where Xander steps in, takes over production, and helps build an empire.

The Mystics all play, naturally; their entire first campaign is the five of them, nicknamed the Rowdy Rangers for their shenanigans at the table and an inscrutable in-joke about each multiclassing in Ranger. (Their character sheets do not reflect this and it’s a constant point of consternation among the fanbase to this day.)

They develop a bit of a retroactive fandom as their names grow; did you know Palme d’Or considered documentarian Madison Rocca also played D&D? Oh and what about her sister, 2007′s “Best New Artist” Grammy-winner Vida Rocca?

The buzz that really breaks containment stems from how Chip manages to get so many disparate, big-name folks to play at his table: pro motocross rider Dustin Brooks, director and stuntman Dax Lo, the highly entertaining and highly abrasive combo of Air Force Captain Taylor Earhardt and Silver Guardians Commander Eric Myers (they always play together), the list goes on and on. They all seem to get along like a house on fire despite having absolutely nothing in common, and Chip brings out the absolute weirdest, wildest, best in each of them, no matter how uncrackable they seem.

The fandom likes to joke that Chip is secretly a wizard (or maybe a bard) to get all these people to show up and play such incredible, heartfelt games together. A few anonymous posters online enjoy encouraging this rumor, maybe a little too much.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Umar Lee:

Before Mike Brown

Growing up in North St. Louis County, I remember a vibrant community full of churches, bars, VFW halls, Knights of Columbus, shopping malls, movie theatres, and all of the amenities working, and middle-class post-war Americans desired. To be a kid who loved sports, like me, North County offered Khoury League baseball, JFL football, little league wrestling, boxing gyms, soccer clubs, hockey clubs, basketball leagues, and much more. I played plenty of sports growing up in organized leagues (wrestling, baseball, and football); but I played more with kids in the street. When I wasn’t playing sports, I was listening to Jack Buck and Mike Shannon call Cardinals games on KMOX radio, sneaking up late at night to watch pro wrestling, reading wrestling and boxing magazines in the store because I couldn’t afford to buy them, also reading the St. Louis-based The Sporting News to keep track of stats, admiring the photos and articles in Sports Illustrated, of course reading the sports section in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch daily, and watching whatever sports were aired TV on the weekend for households without cable, topped off by sports news coverage from the likes of Jay Randolph, Ron Jacober, and Art Holliday on Channel 5.

Yet, while all of this was going on, which has left me with a life of fond memories, the North County, and my personal story, isn’t complete without looking at other events. The sports sections of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discussed Whiteyball, our loss of Big Red football, almost losing the Blues to Canada, and the Steamers; but the news and businesses pages were far bleaker. St. Louis had then, and has now, one of the highest rates of violent crime in America, political dysfunction and corruption, and countless municipal fiefdoms. These pages also contained news of factory closings and job losses. Like Michigan, Pennsylvania, northeast Ohio, and other parts of the Rust Belt; working-class St. Louisans were reeling from job losses. North County was built up and populated by factory workers and those in the building trades, the small houses were built for guys like my dad who left high school and walked right onto an assembly line, and when those factories close, and the builders stop building, the economic conditions that underpin the health of families and communities erode. When Combustion Engineering in North St. Louis laid off my dad, uncle, and other relatives in the 80s, it hit like a micro version of the Great Depression. The saving grace would come years later when my dad joined my grandpa at GM, which had moved from North City to St. Charles County, skipping North County in the process, and my uncle getting rewarded for his service loading dead and wounded American bodies into helicopters in Vietnam by getting hired at the federal records center in Overland.

Beneath the changing economic conditions was the issue that defines St. Louis, and in particular, North County. Race. North County was largely farmland before World War II with a sprinkling of small towns mixed in. Old Town Florissant and Sacred Heart Parish in an example of historic North County which was a community of French and German Catholics who later welcomed and embraced Irish and Italian Catholics. Like south St. Louis City, places like Ferguson and Florissant, bonded together at church, in labor unions, and in neighborhoods. The problem is that these tended to be nearly exclusively white, and as the Black population of North City spilled into North County in large numbers beginning in the 1970s, this began to create tension. As a reference point, my dad graduated from Riverview Gardens in 1970 when the first Black student enrolled, today the school is virtually 100% Black. After splitting with my dad, my mother, who lived in North City and North County with us as small kids, took my biracial younger half-siblings to be raised in the Shaw and Dutchtown neighborhoods of South City, because she deemed the Riverview Gardens schools to be too white and racist. I stayed in Black Jack and then Florissant along with my older sisters, dad, stepmom, and grandparents.

As economic conditions became unstable in North County, white families began moving out to St. Charles County, and Black families began settling in areas that had previously been all-white, the existing white establishment relied on police departments, most of them either all-white or close to it, to act as a buffer zone. This frequently was manifested in traffic stops with places like Jennings being the worst. White residents of North County feared crime rates would soon mirror those in north city, and these fears were only heightened after high-profile crimes such as the 1982 kidnapping and murders of Gary and Donna Decker in Bellefontaine Neighbors, the stabbing death of McCluer North student and football player Dan Mckeon (brother of two professional soccer players) at a 1987 party in Florissant, the rape and murders of the Kerry sisters in 1991 at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, and the rape and murder of freshman student Christine Smetzer by a fellow student in a McCluer North bathroom in 1995.

Meanwhile, Black families arriving in north county for better schools, safer communities, and more amenities, after generations of legalized housing segregation in St. Louis City and County, often faced the brunt force of aggressive north county policing. Instead of harassing criminals and reducing crime, police departments in north county were often harassing students and law-abiding citizens coming home from work, church, or a night out. Before body cameras and smart phones these police interactions often included profane and racially abusive language and frequently beatings. This created a climate of distrust and anger in the Black community in North County. Crime was going up, but police were harassing law-abiding citizens instead of stopping criminals, and Black residents were also disproportionately victims of crimes that received far less media attention. As the racial composition of North County municipalities changed to majority-Black, voter turnout remained higher among longtime and typically older white residents. This meant that the numerous city halls and police departments in places like Ferguson remained nearly all-white even as whites became a minority in those communities.

In 2014, North County was a powder keg waiting to erupt. All it needed was a spark. That’s why I began writing about north county in my Evening-Whirl column and for the Huffington Post. No one was talking about North County and it was ready to explode. Local media focused on stories about bike lanes, hipster neighborhoods, and business as usual. Months before August 9th, I told Paul Fehler, of the Pruitt-Igoe Myth and political fame, that if there was a riot and civil unrest in St. Louis it would be in North County. A week before August 9th, with future mayoral candidate Cara Spencer watching, I had a heated argument with legislative aide Michael Powers at The Royale because he said I talked about problems in North County too much. Everything in the County is fine, I was told, all focus must be on the city.

Then it happened. Mike Brown Jr., a recent graduate of Normandy High School, walked to an immigrant-owned and ran store with a friend (most such stores in the Black communities of St. Louis are owned by Palestinian Muslims), there was an altercation, but nothing out of the ordinary for a St. Louis hood store, and as he walked through the apartments and onto Canfield at the edge of Ferguson, he met up with Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The encounter was fatal and almost certainly avoidable. Ferguson immediately handled the situation in a reckless and insensitive manner. Allowing the dead body of Mike Brown to lay in the streets for hours, and bringing out police dogs to intimidate family members, neighbors, friends, and those brought out by social media posts and discussions on Black radio. What happened that day, we’ll probably never know the entire truth. What we do know is what happened on August 9th of 2014 permanently changed St. Louis and America.

My Time in Ferguson

People have to remember that what became known as the Ferguson Uprising was not something that was instigated by academics, leftist political organizations and organizers, out of town celebrity activists, intersectional dogmatists, or people with college degrees. The anger at the death of Mike Brown came from the neighborhood. A neighborhood ranging from lower middle-class to generational poverty. People struggling and hustling just to stay above water. The community came out August 9th, but the uprising began August 10th and that was a day when an older generation of pastors, community leaders, and politicians were largely pushed aside, by a younger generation seeking an immediate redress to their grievances. It was leaderless and often without direction. Purely organic and there was a beautiful sense of community in the early days. Elders such as Anthony Bell attempted to provide direction (Bell setting up voter registration tables); but the situation was too fluid and beyond the capabilities of individual organizers.

[...]

From the beginning, I sought to use whatever platform I had to highlight the history of North County and attempt to tell a story of how we arrived at this moment. Having said that, like everyone else, I was caught up in the drama and passion of the Ferguson moment. I made videos, wrote some articles, cowrote a few pieces with Sarah Kendzior, and appeared on many local, national, and international news outlets (Al Jazeera links aren’t working). I was also arrested twice in Ferguson, threatened with arrest many more times, received numerous and graphic death threats, sparred with police supporters, lost my cool, provoked, was provoked, and finally lost my job and shortly thereafter my apartment (and in the middle of all of this, my grandma died and I was in a messy relationship). If you look at photos I didn't have grey hair before Ferguson. A few months later I was buying Just For Men.

I found a way to piss off police supporters and get under their skin, as did guys like Bassem Masri. In my estimation, the reasons for that are twofold. Firstly, we both grew-up in north county, so many of the people responsible for targeting and doxxing us were those we either grew-up with or went to school with. I saw lifelong friendships created in the Ferguson-Florissant School District end over Facebook posts during the Ferguson Unrest. This was mostly along racial lines. Secondly, unlike most activists, or those you see on Ivy League campuses today, we didn't talk and sound like spoiled brats, smart alecky rich kids who'd have to go to therapy for decades after one physical altercation. We'd been in plenty of fistfights, street brawls, and I'd been shot at and stabbed. Twitter trolls, insults, and radio talkshow hosts like Mark Reardon and Bob Romanik weren't gonna hurt my feelings.

[...]

Trump and The 2020 Sham

For the sake of time, and if anyone is still here, I'll fast forward to 2020. I've already previously stated, and Sarah Kendzior noted this in her book discussing St. Louis, that I believe Ferguson is partially responsible for electing Donald Trump as president. As in 1968, when Richard Nixon promised law and order, I knew conditions were ripe for a populist right-wing politician promising to restore law and order. No one saw COVID-19 coming, the shutdowns, the summer of massive protests after the murder of George Floyd, and the crazy presidential election. Four years later, I think we're still all trying to make sense of it.

While I fully embraced vaccines, and I'm happy I'm vaxxed, and I supported shutdowns at the time, I think it's pretty clear they did more harm than good. Most harmed were our children- particularly poor and working-class kids, who fell behind due to the virtual learning sham, and never caught up. I was at the Dallas campaign event where Biden was endorsed by multiple presidential candidates, thus virtually sealing the nomination. The South Side Ballroom was so packed, that I could barely move or breath, and couldn't get in a position to take a good photo, despite being relatively close to Biden. The next week it was too dangerous to publicly campaign, Biden stayed at home, and we elected an elderly man who was not up to the job but has generally been good in office both for American workers and our international allies. Mainstream media, so eager to defeat Trump, played along. Oh, the viable Democratic alternative was another elderly gentleman who honeymooned in the Soviet Union. It was not a year of good choices, but Biden was the best in my estimation.

[...]

The Aftermath: Where We Stand

Where are we today? A decade later, are we in a better place? North County is still in a state of serious decline and seems to be getting worse each year, North City is doing even worse, the population of both St. Louis City and County is declining, and many are opting for more prosperous communities, most notably Texas and Georgia suburbs (both reddish states). Violent crime spiked for a period, the decline in traffic enforcement has made driving and walking our streets far less safe and often deadly, and area police have essentially stopped policing. They don't want to be stars in a viral video or become a hashtag. For many cops, if they couldn't do things the old school way, they aren’t gonna do it at all. This has made our communities more dangerous, less livable for the most vulnerable, and places few people want to live in. This is a negative consequence from the lack of a strategic plan after Ferguson and failures on both the parts of law-enforcement and the community to hear one another.

The good news is that St. Louis now has better prosecutors (Wesley Bell and Gabe Gore) who are committed to public safety, holding those accountable who harm our community, and enacting diversion programs and other positive post-Ferguson reforms. St. Louis has a mayor in Tishaura Jones who wasn't created in a lab by white progressives; but is a genuine leader, reared and educated locally. Without Ferguson, I'm doubtful Mayor Jones would've been elected, nor a new generation of leaders such as Adam Layne and Marty Murray.

So, it must be recognized, that while there have been some unintended negative consequences from Ferguson, there are also positive developments. These aren't just political. What inspires me isn't politics. I'm inspired by faith leaders in our community who took the Ferguson moment and began having serious conversations with their congregations. Fathers and mothers who began having difficult conversations at home with their sons and daughters. Teachers who began listening to their students. Old classmates who reached out to one another to have a beer and talk across the racial divide. Our increased racially diverse families and suburbs who are defying our political discourse on both sides as progressives have adopted a rigid and dogmatic Race Science and MAGA is doubling down on Nativism and Majoritarian racial grievances. By our faithful and intact immigrant families providing needed life to a region desperately in need.

@Umar Lee wrote a solid perspective on the 10-year anniversary of the killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson and North County from a North County POV. #Ferguson

Read the full story at Umar Lee's Substack.

[mattpoitrass7thgoal]

You are Don Sweeney, GM of the Boston Bruin and most annoying man in the known world. You were hired to improve this team and GMing is an arduous business. You could use some help within your already signed players.

Where do you turn for it?

Patrice Bergeron

Pros:

- he is Patrice Bergeron

Cons:

- Nil

Brad Marchand

Pros:

- his really good at annoying people

Cons:

- he annoys me

Taylor Hall

Pros:

- is a Boston Bruin

Cons:

- you just traded his wife so he may not like you at the minute

Matt Grzelcyk

Pros:

- is underrated

- is so small

Cons:

- is so small

-his last name is hard to spell and the one vowel is silent

Linus Ullmark

Pros:

- future Vezina winner

Cons:

- once had a minions mask

Derek Forbort

Pros:

- Darla

- Likes laying on the floor

Cons:

- packs a lot of things on road trips

Trent Frederic

Pros:

- he will probably bite someone for you

Cons:

- once he bites once I don’t think he could stop

Charlie McAvoy

Pros:

- is a horse

Cons:

- he hasn’t been given the Norris yet

David Pastrnak

Pros:

- so Elite

Cons:

- you still haven’t paid him to hang around next year

[nice-bright-colors]

Monday 12:30 PM

The plumber still hasn’t been on site yet, hmmm?

Looks like flooring and painting are moving along nicely

Spoke with the GM here, and the City has put nothing in writing at all…everything was verbal direction

Which means we’re going to have a hard time on an insurance claim

Plus the building was Grandfathered in until the storm and Serve Pro ripped the shit out of everything

Tucker Carlson & Don Lemon fired on the same day

Ex Officer that shot Breonna Taylor was hired as a Deputy in Carroll County northeast of Louisville.

Minnesota Officer that killed Daunte Wright was released

My AP News app has been flaring up like heartburn after eating a Diablo Sammich

Delta has upgraded me on my flight to Detroit tomorrow and back home on Saturday

There’s currently a problem with refrigeration at this shithole of a racetrack, and the current concern is the $3900 worth of Prime Rib in those refrigerators

I’m really tempted to just blow off the rest of the day, but I’m supposed to meet with that Insurance Company. Maybe after that is done?

It’s been a helluva day at sea.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Drew Sheneman, The Star-Ledger

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 22, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

Two major stories today seem to bring together both the past and the future of the country to chart a way forward.

The first involves a historic workers’ strike. A week ago, on Friday, September 15, after workers’ four-year contracts expired, the United Auto Workers union declared a limited and targeted work stoppage in which about 13,000 workers walked off the job at three Midwestern auto plants. For the first time in history, those walkouts included all three major automakers: workers left a General Motors plant in Missouri, a Stellantis (which includes Chrysler) plant in Ohio, and a Ford plant in Michigan. 

Workers accepted major concessions in 2007, when it appeared that auto manufacturers would go under. They agreed to accept a two-tier pay system in which workers hired after 2007 would have lower pay and worse benefits than those hired before 2007. But then the industry recovered, and automakers’ profits skyrocketed: Ford, for example, made more than $10 billion in profits in 2022.

Automakers’ chief executive officers’ pay has soared—GM CEO Mary Barra made almost $29 million in 2022—but workers’ wages and benefits have not. Barra, for example, makes 362 times the median GM employee’s paycheck, while autoworkers’ pay has fallen behind inflation by 19%. 

The new UAW president, Shawn Fain, ran on a promise to demand a rollback of the 2007 concessions in this summer’s contract negotiations. He wants a cap on temporary workers, pay increases of more than 40% to match the salary increases of the CEOs, a 32-hour workweek, cost of living adjustments, and an elimination of the tier system. 

But his position is not just about autoworkers; it is about all U.S. workers. “Our fight is not just for ourselves but for every worker who is being undervalued, for every retiree who’s given their all and feels forgotten, and for every future worker who deserves a fair chance at a prosperous life,” Fain said. “[W]e are all fed up of living in a world that values profits over people. We’re all fed up with seeing the rich get richer while the rest of us continue to just scrape by. We’re all fed up with corporate greed. And together, we’re going to fight to change it.”

Fain has withheld an endorsement for President Biden out of concern that the transition to electric vehicles, which are easier to build than gas-powered vehicles, will hurt union jobs, and out of anger that the administration has offered incentives to non-union plants. That criticism created an opening for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to announce he would visit Detroit next week to show autoworkers that he has “always had their back,” in hopes of winning back the support of Rust Belt states.

But for all his talk of being pro-worker, Trump recently attacked Fain, saying “The autoworkers are being sold down the river by their leadership, and their leadership should endorse Trump.” Autoworkers note that Trump and the justices he put on the Supreme Court have been anti-union, and that he packed the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees labor laws and union elections, with officials who reduced the power of workers to organize. Before he left office, Trump tried to burrow ten anti-labor activists into the Federal Service Impasses Panel, the panel in charge of resolving disputes between unions and federal agencies when they cannot resolve issues in negotiations. 

Fain recently said: “Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers.” 

President Biden prides himself on his pro-union credentials, and as soon as he took office, he fired Trump’s burrowed employees, prompting the head of the union representing 700,000 federal employees to thank Biden for his attempt to “restore basic fairness for federal workers.” He said, “The outgoing panel, appointed by the previous administration and stacked with transparently biased union-busters, was notorious for ignoring the law to gut workplace rights and further an extreme political agenda.”

Today, in the absence of a deal, the UAW expanded the strike to dozens more plants, and in a Facebook live stream, Fain invited “everyone who supports our cause to join us on the picket line from our friends and families all the way up to the president of the United States.” Biden has generally expressed support for the UAW, saying that the automakers should share their record profits with their workers, but Fain rebuffed the president’s offer to send Labor Secretary Julie Su and White House senior advisor Gene Sperling to help with negotiations. 

Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and John Fetterman (D-PA) have both visited Michigan to meet with UAW workers, but it was nonetheless a surprise when the White House announced that the president will travel on Tuesday to Michigan, where he will, as he posted on X, “join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create. It’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs."

If President Biden is showing his support for the strong unions of the past, Vice President Kamala Harris is in charge of the future. The White House today announced the establishment of a National Office of Gun Violence Prevention, to be overseen by the vice president. 

Lately, Harris has been taking the lead in embracing change and appealing to younger voters. On September 9 she hosted a celebration honoring the 50th anniversary of hip hop, and she is currently in the midst of a tour of college campuses to urge young people to vote. She has been the administration’s leading voice on issues of reproductive rights and equality before the law, issues at the top of concerns of young Americans. Now adding gun safety to that list, she is picking up yet another issue crucially important to young people. 

When 26-year-old Representative Maxwell Frost (D-FL) introduced the president today, he said that he got involved in politics because he "didn't want to get shot in school."

If the president and the vice president today seemed to represent the past and the future to carry the country forward, the present was also in the news today, and that story was about corruption and the parties’ different approaches to it.

ProPublica has published yet another piece about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s connections to wealthy donors. Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski reported that Thomas attended at least two donor summits hosted by the Koch family, acting as a fundraising draw for the Koch network, but did not disclose the flights he accepted, which should have been considered gifts, or the hospitality associated with the trips. His appearances were coordinated with the help of Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society, who has been behind the court’s rightward swing.

The Koch family network funds a wide range of right-wing political causes. It has had interests in a number of cases before the Supreme Court during Thomas’s term, including an upcoming challenge to the government’s ability to regulate businesses—a principle the Koch enterprises oppose. 

Republicans have been defending Thomas’s behavior since these stories began to surface. 

Also in the corruption file today is Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who, along with his wife, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in New York on three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion in connection with using his influence to advance the interests of Egypt. 

This is Menendez’s second legal go-round: in 2015 he was indicted on unrelated charges of bribery, trading political help for expensive plane flights and luxury vacations. Ten of the twelve members of the jury did not agree with the other two that he was guilty and after the hung jury meant a mistrial, the Department of Justice declined to retry the case. 

That the DOJ has indicted Menendez again on new charges undercuts Republicans’ insistence that the department has been weaponized to operate against them alone. And while Menendez insists he will fight the charges, he has lost his position at the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee under the rules of the Democratic Conference, and New Jersey Democratic leaders have already called on him to resign.

“So a Democratic Senator is indicted on serious charges, and no Democrats attacking the Justice Department, no Democrats attacking the prosecutors, no Democrats calling for an investigation of the prosecution, and no Democrats calling to defund the Justice Department,” wrote former Republican representative from Illinois and now anti-Trump activist Joe Walsh. 

“Weird, huh?”

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[mayhemproduces]

A sight we haven’t been privy to seeing in MPW as of late, we’re actually starting the show with the self-proclaimed Deathmatch King, Matt Cardona here tonight! Cardona, dressed in a suit and tie tonight, with his arm in a sling, and his neck in a brace, slowly makes his way out to ringside here. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Matt Cardona in MPW regularly due to injury, but we had thought he’d been healed up by the time Mystery Vortex came around, apparently something went wrong in that match with Sam Holloway & Microman, who we’ll see later on tonight challenge The Fallen for the MPW World Tag Team titles.

Cardona gets into the ring and is handed a microphone from Steve Guy, as he waits for the crowd to quiet down so that he can speak.

“A couple weeks ago… here in this very ring, once again, I, Matt Cardona, put my body on the line for you people, who don’t deserve it, and don’t respect me for it. But unlike all those other times, this time, I had no choice in the matter. At Mystery Vortex, I was tricked. I was forced into the ring before I was ready, forced to work with a dangerous, unsafe maniac of a worker like Microman… and I paid the ultimate price for it. Once again, I have torn my pectoral muscle. Once again, I’m forced to go back on the shelf, and once again, I am unable to provide for my family, because of the selfish actions of Paul Heyman, and everyone else here in MPW…”

Well that still doesn’t explain the neck brace…

“But this time! Oh, this time, I came prepared. This time, I hired legal representation, to make sure that I’m compensated what I am owed from MPW. And Paul Heyman realized that if this suit was to go to trial, he’d go broke and MPW would go under… now I’m a reasonable man. I would not deprive Paul Heyman and everyone in the back of their livelyhood, the same way they have done to me. No… so, we settled out of court. And I told Paul he could keep his money. I wanted just one thing…”

“And since I can’t wrestle… You are now looking at the active, operating General Manager of Mayhem Pro Wrestling!”

What?! What the hell?! We don’t even have a general manager?!

“And as the active general manager, I will do my best to lead this company, and make sure everyone in the back is putting their best foot forward as company representatives, and role models for the youth. And with that, I’m proud to announce, my very first decree as MPW General Manager… for both fans and active MPW Talent, smoking Marijuana at an MPW show is strictly prohibited.”

WHAT?! Cardona’s trying to get the pot out of MPW?! Has he ever BEEN here before?

“Winners don’t do drugs, and you should all want better for yourselves!” Is Cardona’s response to the boos from the crowd. “I can smell that a lot of you out there either haven’t showered, or are in violation of this policy, but I am not a cruel man. There will be a one week grace period of the fans of MPW to clean up their act, but starting next week, ABSOLUTELY NO Marijuana here in MPW. You may all be mad now, but you will thank me in the long run. If you just stop smoking the Devil’s lettuce for even one week, I believe each and every fan that comes to MPW CAN get a job, and CAN move out of their parent’s basement. I’m here to make MPW a better place for ALL, including you people, because even if you don’t care, your new GM does! Now let’s have a great show tonight!”

With that, Cardona hands the mic back to Steve Guy and leaves, but we’re all still in shock here.

Matt Cardona is the MPW General Manager?!

[esoutherngolf]

Martin Hall Celebrates 400th “School of Golf” Episode

The Club at Ibis Director of Golf Instruction Martin Hall Celebrates 400th “School of Golf” Episode When Golf Channel hired Martin Hall in 2011 to essentially become America’s Instructor, he didn’t think it would be a long-term gig. Eight shows, perhaps. A second season unlikely. Instead, Hall hit TV golf’s version of the flyer. The Director of Golf Instruction at The Club at Ibis recently hosted his 400th episode of “School of Golf,” making it the longest-running instruction show in TV history. “It’s staggering … mind-blowing … remarkable, really,” Hall said recently at his daytime home on the back of Ibis’ range. “It’s hard to believe we have done 400 shows.” That’s a longer run than some of the greatest shows in TV history, such as Cheers (273) and Seinfeld (180). Hall has produced his share of laughs with his upbeat personality. The 67-year-old Martin admits he wasn’t keen on the idea when originally asked to audition for the role. He thought he was too old to appear on live TV every week. But Hall soon realized he didn’t have to change his style. He just needed to teach in the same manner he’s done since he quit playing on the European PGA Tour in 1977. “I decided when I started doing this that the Martin Hall you will see on “School of Golf” is the Martin Hall you will meet on the range at The Club at Ibis,” Hall said. “I teach the same way on TV as I do in person.” It’s not an easy job trying to teach someone the incredibly difficult task of hitting a golf ball correctly. It’s more difficult trying to teach through a camera. But when Golf Channel moved Hall’s show this year from linear (TV) to digital (GolfPass app), golfers can hear Hall’s words of wisdom halfway across the globe. “I must say I like being on digital better,” Hall said. “I can go longer than 21 minutes (during a 30-minute show) and my producer will allow me to go on rants. But what’s best is you can see me from anywhere, anytime, across the globe on GolfPass.” Hall once counted that he has either played golf with, given lessons to or done TV alongside 47 different major champions. Plus, he worked with teaching legends such as Boca Raton resident Bob Toski, John Jacobs, Peter Kostis and Jim Flick. The wisdom they have given me is something I can pass on to the next generation,” Hall said. “I feel a responsibility to serve as a bridge between the older teachers and the younger golfers. It’s important we preserve this golf knowledge.” Martin Hall, the Director of Golf at The Club at Ibis, with co-host Blair O'Neal celebrate the 400th episode of the "School of Golf". Hall had the credibility before stepping in front of Golf Channel’s cameras. He won the 2008 PGA Teacher of the Year and ranks 14th on Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in America ranking. He has worked with major champions Morgan Pressel, Karrie Webb, Lexi Thompson and Shaun Micheel. Hall has been teaching at Ibis since 1997 from his office at the back end of the range. Any time he invites a pro golfer for a clinic, it’s a must-see event. “Completing his 400th show is an incredible accomplishment that is indicative of his professionalism and overall knowledge of golf instruction,” said Stephen J. LoGiudice, Ibis’ GM/COO. “Martin is synonymous with golf not only at Ibis, but within the industry. “He adds credibility to our golf program and is an extraordinary asset to the membership and staff he teaches. His golf clinics have been some of our most memorable member events and we look forward to having him here for many more years." Jay Berger, Ibis’ Director of Athletics, understands Hall’s role at the high-end private club better than anyone. Berger is a former top-10 tennis player in the world who also served as coach of the U.S. Davis Cup team and the Olympics. “Martin means a great deal to Ibis in so many facets,” Berger said. “He gives massive exposure to our great club through his Golf Channel shows that I constantly watch. He participates in lectures with our members on the mental side of sports. “He has shown incredible dedication to our club and members. Besides being a top 10 coach in the world for many years, he is incredibly approachable and one of the nicest people I have met.” Hall has written all 400 shows. Asked where he gets the material, Hall smiled. It’s because he spends hours a day on the range doing what he loves. “I get them from the students I teach,” he said. “I teach every level player from people who have won major championships to absolute beginners. I get a lot of lessons from my most difficult student – that’s me! I am my most difficult student because I have all this information swirling around.” Thankfully, Hall will continue to pass on this information for years to come. And you don’t have to be a member at Ibis to listen in. “I made a promise to myself and the people that watch “School of Golf” that I will give every show 100 percent and that I’ll treat every show as if it’s my last. Every show I do is important to me, my personal Super Bowl, and I give it everything I can.”   Read the full article

[jimi-rawlings]

MLB Front Office Manager - Wikipedia

Greetings Ines Chaieb,

MLB Front Office Manager allows a player to take the role of a baseball general manager over the course of a thirty-year career; the goal is to perform well enough to become inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The player's GM is rated on eight disciplines including North American scouting, international scouting, pro-league scouting, player development, trades, contract negotiation, owner confidence and leadership.[1] GMs also have former career backgrounds (e.g. ex-manager, lawyer, business person, former player, or talent scout) that affect the GM's disciplines. A GM's ratings improve or regress over his career depending on their performance.[2] A GM will also have seasonal goals depending on the club they're hired by.[1] The player will be faced with decisions such as spring training evaluation, initiate and respond to trades, develop rookies, and even bid for Japanese baseball players.[3] The game also promises advanced AI-controlled GMs who have unique motivations.

I played this before and after I was scouted professionally; I play sports in Systems as a defensive facilitator. This is why my comeback is not flashy; it's about agility and not getting beat consistently. I choose 200m Sprint Training and Sports Specific Systematic Calisthenics. I play Football without the ball consistently.

Regards,

Adrian Blake-Trotman

[flowergirlmiwa]

WWE 2K23 first impressions (I haven't played more than like one match but lots of GM mode)

with recent sports games like The Show 22 and NBA 2K21, you can pretty convincingly watch them as if they were real sports broadcasts. i've bought several NBA 2K games that I've never actually tried 'playing' because this concept fascinates me. 

generally this isn't my experience with wrestling games, particularly the early entries in the series which today has spawned WWE 2K. early SmackDown! and SmackDown vs. Raw games developed by Yuke's were some of the best pro wrestling games of all time. while I've always admired the fun gameplay and free season mode of Here Comes the Pain on PS2, it's not like those games are particularly enjoyable to watch CPU vs CPU. 

in SmackDown vs Raw 2006, General Manager mode was introduced, basically a light booking sim that tasked players with hiring wrestlers, booking them in rivalries, building up the popularity of them and your brand while trying to have more fans than your rival wrestling brand. while not as in depth as something like EWR, it was a fun mode that actually served as something of a precursor to later Universe modes and helped breathe some of that 'sandbox' feel back into the series after its season mode had become more scripted and rigid. after a few games, the mode was removed, coincidentally this was exactly the timeframe where wrestling games (these included) all started having a turn for the mid

wrestling games have obviously become better looking over the years, and this extends to the gameplay. over the years Yuke's and later current devs Visual Concepts brought the gameplay of the WWE series closer to real world broadcast. 

that brings us to WWE 2K23. is this game fun to play? would I rather play this than any Yuke's wrestling game released before 2007? not really. it's fine. WWE '13 played fine too. if the gameplay is fine you can turn your brain off and get through the games Showcase mode to get the unlockable legends and arenas. I haven't bothered doing that yet but it seems Fine. 

but who cares about that GM MODE IS BACK since the last game BUT STILL! i didn't get the last game (the series return after COVID and a bad last entry made it skip a year), so this is the second edition of new GM mode. as a longtime fan of the mode who basically paid for this game just for new GM mode, how is it? i think it's cool!

modern GM mode lets up to four brands face each other. this is a lot better executed than 2008's three brands because WWE 2K23 has a massive roster. that's kind of been the thing for the series for the last half decade, having massive rosters. even with four brands drafting and plenty of wrestlers held back for later free agency, they can comfortably draft and have dozens left over. 2008's GM mode (the final classic one) had a multitude of issues but the biggest one was not having a big enough roster for its mode. in 2008, one brand (ECW) was also screwed by only having access to one title belt and thus one champion to boost show ratings. every brand has access to the standard suite of titles in modern GM mode

this mode would be great fun with friends, and one of the big reasons are the power up cards you acquire during your streamlined season. on a roughly half year schedule every show you book has Triple H offering you these rewards in return for fulfilling his arbitrary demand. some of these do things like boost costs on your opponent's show and would be nice for head games and strategy. they can also give a variety of boosts to the user like boosting match quality for steel cage matches. you can buy a handful of these every week so it's one of the things you juggle and think about throughout a season

the basics of GM mode from the old days remain but just streamlined and in a fresh way. the core tenants of build rivalries and book exciting shows while keeping an eye on wrestler morale and stamina are all here, not the same as in classic GM mode, but all I think well realized. wrestlers have classes this time which adds strategy to booking; cruiserweights and giants match up well as do fighters and bruisers while technicians can get a good match out of anyone. juggling all these systems, maximizing profit and trying not to get your guys injured is the name of the game

as the season goes on, stamina becomes increasingly important and concerning. you'll need to play chess to make sure you protect people so they don't get hurt while keeping them popular and their rivalries fierce. hiring new blood and legends becomes necessary and you'll probably stock up on cards. at the end of the season this stuff all resets, causing a flow where your small cozy roster goes through the gamut and is very different by the end of the season

morale is more interesting in this than classic GM mode. every week you get messages, rival AI GMs periodically bother you or whine about you using a card, but more interestingly your wrestlers will come to you with requests, demands, or thanks. they'll be more loyal to you depending on how you treat them, and if you don't make people happy they'll be just as likely to demand $100k or they'll walk… though not everyone will actually go through with it lol. none of this is that complex in execution but it's fun and these requests and morale can be amusing and/or affect booking. 

wrapping back to my earliest point, while I don't have much interest in playing the game, the presentation has certainly become pretty good over the years. not quite as spot on as MLB The Show, but wrestlers generally look and move roughly how they ought to, and with the right AI settings they can simulate genuinely realistic wrestling matches. perhaps in ten years the games will really look like real wrestling, for now I think what this game provides is damn impressive. 

with matches being semirealistic and entertaining to watch, a mode where you spend some time figuring out where to put all the chess pieces and then sitting back and seeing how it all plays out can be deeply satisfying. I haven't even touched Universe mode in this game yet, but what I've seen so far has been pretty satisfying to me as a longtime wrestling game fan. 

with modes like this, games that simulate real world athletics, fake or otherwise, will be infinitely replayable for anyone who has a good time playing in the sandbox of the offered modes. WWE 2K23's standard creation options and downloadable suite of thousands of player creations only add to this, though the servers for those won't be around forever, the game's included roster is well sufficient. when you get into custom draft classes including custom wrestlers, things start to get a little wild, so have fun exploring

my only gripes with modern GM mode really are just a few things that aren't Even More sandbox. the four slots can use any of five brands but no brands beyond that. the given brands are logical i suppose (RAW, SD, NXT, NXT 2.0, WCW) but more would be nice including legacy options or just the ability to import custom images and names like in Universe mode. options like ECW, 205 Live and NXT UK would have made sense here. the GM selection is solid (would have liked to see William Regal here but classic Bischoff is a nice touch I usually use as GM of Raw) and I always play as Sonya Deville. being able to choose a custom wrestler as a GM is appreciated and makes up for this. the other complaints are a lack of available match types in the mode. you can literally do 8-man matches in this game but are restricted to four man matches at most in GM mode. you also can't use custom belts for this mode and stuff but it's whatever. like I said my complaints are mostly related to wishing it were even more customizable

[canigetacupofugh]

Let's talk about AI "Art"

I was watching a comment section spiral into arguments about what is or isn't wrong with AI "Art" and I have thoughts. You've been warned! I'm going to address all the pro-AI argument points people were making and my thoughts.

(I'm assuming you know what AI "art" is for this)

"It's just automation, you just don't like it because of capitalism

No, even if I don't need the money from my skills, I still feel like the title of Artist and Art matters to me. This leads into the next one-

"It's a tool - if you can be an artist as a photographer, then you can call people making AI art artists." This is a weird one and super rude to photographers - see, if you take a photo that doesn't make you a photographer. You have to develop some kind of skill here. Even if you're using a digital camera, you have to understand what you're doing, and be able to produce these good results over and over - one good photo doesn't make you a photographer. If AI image generation continues to be wonky, then I'm ready to call a person who is good at producing NON-wonky images with AI an AI Artist. But if you just say, "gimme a blue duck." and it spits out a blue duck - no. Just like I'm not going to call a person who builds flatpack furniture a Carpenter. That's rude to the craft. Let's stop calling it art.

"It's just leveling the playing field/making art accessible to all." Art is already accessible to all- you just haven't put in as much work as me. I know plenty of differently-abled people who are artists- this isn't about that kind of access. I can't speak for them, but I'm fairly certain they aren't on your side of this either. This isn't a stylus holder for somebody who doesn't have hands. "Leveling the Playing Field" is also disingenuous. We aren't talking about making Drawful or Pictionary with your artist friend more fair. We're talking about big companies not hiring an artist and using AI images instead, we're talking about people circumventing commissioning an artist to get AI to make images in their style. The problem isn't with your GM who has no money getting the AI to make them a quick portrait for the BBEG - This is a much deeper problem than that, and I'll cover the actual issues I have with AI generated images in a moment.

"It's just a tool - like a stylus, the undo button, or a camera."

It is - but it's also not. I've played with AI image generators and they're great for concepting, or making a quick image when I don't have time to draw it myself (for personal use, not monetization). I'm not completely against AI Art, and I don't think other artists should be either - BUT I believe our concerns over it are very valid. Let's use photography as an example because I think it does well in this instance - the big complaint artists had when photography became more widely available is that this would take their jobs, and it did. They weren't wrong. The good thing about photography is no one was trying to pass off photos as being drawn by humans and the title for humans who took the photos is Photographer - they don't get considered an artist without a level of skill in the photography.

Capitalism makes this issue suck- but if I offer you a photo-realistic painting vs. a photograph, you understand the difference in value. AI image generation is going to take jobs away. Just like photos did. We artists will be okay so long as the same level of understanding and respect is applied like it is between a photo vs. something drawn or painted by a human.

Some Thoughts: The problem isn't a one off image. It's not somebody playing with their own photo in an AI generator. It's not the GM making a quick portrait for an NPC, or a commissioner making a quick reference to show an artist they're paying to make them something custom. It's not the little guy that's the problem. The problem isn't even necessarily the shitty companies who are now going to use AI instead of hiring an artist - they weren't going to pay them well anyway.

The problem is that getting people to actually value what it takes to make art, to be an artist, is already a problem for a lot of us. The problem is people trying to pass off AI images as art they created. The problem is a person developing a unique art style and having that reproduced by an AI and either having these fakes passed off as their work, OR having people decide they don't want to pay. The problem is in art budgets getting cut as large companies devalue art because the machines can just do it. The problem is the terrible art that's going to get slapped on things as a result of greedy upper management not valuing a job well done.

If AI images get the same value as a photo or an Ikea chair - if the title of Artist is respected, and people still value it, then I have no problem making room in my heart/life/whatever for AI Images- but right now it doesn't. It prowls the internet looking for images to add to it's database without the consent or at least consideration of the person who made them.

This brings me to my last point-

"Human artists study each others work all the time and copy from it - that's all the AI is doing."

Only it's not. If somebody see's my work online and goes, "Oh, I like how she draws -insert aspect here-" and copies that, then I don't care. If somebody looks at my style and wants to emulate that themselves? Well, it's going to take them learning the skills to do that at least - though generally speaking, a fan learning from me is going to add their own spin to differentiate us from each other. I don't know enough about AI image generators to tell you -exactly- how they're making their images. Some study data points I'm told, but some straight up mix images together - and if a human took some of our art, mixed it together, and just presented it as their own art without acknowledging us in any way- we wouldn't like that.

Ultimately I think what I want from AI developers and the people who want to use the AI to make images is 2 things; honesty and consent.

Call it what it is- AI generated images. And stop pulling from the whole of the internet without the consent of artists. Let's add available for AI or something to the creative commons licensing types. Let's have open submissions. Let's have searchable AI resource databases so we can see if somebody submitted our art without our permission. I'd be happy to teach an AI how to draw- so long as I consented to it. I bet I'm not alone here.

Is this too much work? Well, guess what - this is the price of being an artist. You want the title? Work for it.

[kingwuko]

The thing about the Avatar Legends TTRPG is, you could certainly make the argument that a lot of the added details are canon, particular the boring stuff like the layout of Republic City and the rules of pro-bending. But really, the premade adventures and plot hooks are not canon at all. They're fun ideas to get a group of people started with their gameplay, but it's all made to be vague and easily altered to fit the gameplay style of the group.

It also really tries to take the focus off of the main characters of the actual show, because the game is supposed to be about the original characters that the players make. The show characters can be there, but they aren't the stars of the game.

And the GM has the ultimate say over what's canon in that group's universe. If I wanted to make an adventure where Asami hires the PCs to provide security for a business expansion into the EK and I wanted to weave in themes of homophobia and slave-like work conditions, I absolutely could do that. If I want to say there's a huge emergency in the city and the PCs are the only ones who can save it because every important character in the show is at Mako and Wu's wedding in Ba Sing Se, I could do that.

There's also talk of safety tools for the table. Some groups may want to explore the injustice in the world regarding homophobia or transphobia. And some groups may absolutely not want to deal with that at all, and the GM can just "ok, homophobia doesn't exist here. Let's go have fun!"

So I'd definitely not take the avatar legends stuff as canon. I love a lot of it and I think it's fun and a great opportunity to expand past the show and comics, but I think we can say it's optional and supplemental, not strictly canon.

Found some tidbits of Wu in the Republic City book

The book has some plot hooks to inspire the GM and get an adventure started and this one is something else:

Text:

"After a tumultuous term as president, wouldn’t Raiko be kicking back and relaxing out of the spotlight? Not entirely. The radio talk show he and his wife, Buttercup, have started is wildly popular, covering politics, scandal, and high-society news—but mostly politics. While they describe their show’s outlook as “even-handed and fair-minded,” the guests they interview and the topics they explore tend to be pretty negative about Chief Beifong and President Moon, and even more negative about Mayor Ailani. These days, when you hear a political argument on the streets of Republic City, odds are good that an episode of the Raiko Report was behind it. Presidential and mayoral policies mandate that no government employee appear on the show, especially after Prince Wu’s disastrous interview. Nonetheless, Raiko keeps sharing confidential secrets on air from an anonymous “trusted source” within City Hall, and no one is sure who it is. While she searches for the leak, President Moon has tasked Bolin with planning to counter the ongoing headache Raiko causes. No one listens to the government-sponsored radio channel—is there some way Bolin can make it more interesting, maybe with the right host or the right guests? Or will someone have to bite the bullet and go on Raiko’s show themself?"

I love this plot hook and the idea that Raiko would do this. And imagining all the possibilities of how Wu's interview was disastrous, that has a lot of potential right there.

In another section of the book, it also confirms the commentary cannon that Wu was educated at Republic City University. And, adds that the Dean of the University is Wu's distant cousin, Shihan, who is assisting him with drafting policy for the earth kingdom's transition to democracy. Like, whaaaa??? He actually has living family??? It does say DISTANT cousin, so who knows how distant, but she is like a lifelong academic who dedicated her life to traveling and learning before settling in Republic City where she was a lecturer and then eventually made Dean.

I thought those little details were interesting!

[xqueenofthecraziesx]

So a keyholder position has opened at my job (its kinda like management but a little less) and my gm offered it to me before hiring outside our store. Every time this position has been available she's offered it to me first and I've turned it down because I like my set schedule and keyholders don't really get that. But my gm really wants me to take this, she said I could keep doing what my current job is and I would always be the opening person (meaning I keep hourly schedule of 8-4:30). It's also like a $3/hr raise, but I am terrified of having extra responsibilities. But it's more money and several of my coworkers have said I should take it, I'm just worried about how any kind of actual responsibility will mess with my anxiety ya know. I tried talking to my bf about it but he's like too supportive of me doing whatever I want and I don't know how to get across to him that weighing the pros and cons to make a decision literally makes me sick. I'll probably talk to my gm on Monday about what the job would actually entail for me but currently I am stressed and anxious and a little lost