So I played magic some 20 years ago and wasn't into the whole money pit thing as a kid.

I'm an adult now so I'm open to it. Ended up playing commander with some friends and had a blast coming in last place.

So now I'm casually looking around a bit for more information and landed on the FF precons. Reviews all say they're too expensive but they seem to have dropped in price.

$70 each is $280 at launch. Now it's around $180 which is $45 per deck as a bundle.

My questions:

Is this a good idea for a first timer?

How long will this last me before I'm off buying reprints to mod it? Any recommendations? (Trance apparently needs work)

What accessories do I need besides a D20 and some D6s?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/48801617

Ain’t Right [Rory Blank]

Rory Blank | Instagram | Patreon | Bluesky

::: spoiler Transcript 3 Panel Comic

Color scheme: pink and blue on white background

1: [Hank Hill wanders around an endlessly checker tiled room] Hank: Dangit Peggy, this is the last straw. I can’t find the boy. He turned into a glowing sphere of light and floated into the sky.

2: [Hank has that “bwah” look on his face as Bobby’s face appears from his forehead] Bobby: I’m right here dad. I have cast aside the chains of by body, dad.

3: [Close up of Hank as he looks up speaking to forehead Bobby] Hank: You get outta my head right now, Bobby! Bobby: I’m not in your head dad, I am you. I am everything. And you’re me dad! Hank: But if I am you and you are the universe, then the universe ain’t right. -I ain’t right. …I am wrong. :::

Just sharing some wholesome gaming. Taking a vacation soon and planning to game like I'm a teenager again.

Just sharing some wholesome gaming. Taking a vacation soon and planning to game like I'm a teenager again.

Built a private server for the wife and myself. LAN only for stability. Vanilla settings. Disabled teleport restrictions because we don't have the time for that walk. Working great so far.

We just finished Act 1 and really enjoying the storyline, progression, combat and castle building.

We're in a clan but maintain our own castles. Turned out the right move once we hit the servant system.

Playing without research or guides. Best experience. The struggle is part of the fun.

The most annoying thing about the game is the last of LAN server history. The game knows you played on a LAN server, but doesn't remember the IP:Port so you have to paste it every time you login. Pretty frustrating.

So I've been playing Icarus with the wife and the optimization is hot garbage. Wife is hosting and pulling 10 fps with a Nvidia 3070TI

We enjoy the game so I start doing research. Turns out once you've played enough the database on the host just gets too big and chokes out the CPU threads since it can't use more than 2 cores.

Answer is to migrate your world to a sepf hosted dedicated server. Say no more.

So now I got an excuse (wife approved) to setup a computer as a server and keep it running. I have an old HP SFF i5 16GB RAM with an SSD I've reimagined a few times for a home server.

Flashed it with Debian and setup the Icarus server in docker. Runs like a champ.

Bonus points. I hooked up a wattage meter and it idles at 1~2 watts!
I used to run an old gaming computer as a home server and it felt like $30 a month in electricity.

Edit: System idles at 19 watts. I had the meter plugged into the wrong device...

Now I can start throwing more stuff on there once I figure out backup for the game world incase I bork it.

So I switched to brazzite and have had only minor isshes. All resolved with research and tinkering. AMD 7700 and a GeForce 3070TI with 32GB of ram.

My only big issue is playing Icarus through steam (and built in proton).

I had to pull out my backup win11 gaming laptop and it runs smoothly.

I got some hope I can fix Icarus on Linux but I can't see past changing proton versions under compatibility in steam.

I've checked protondb and tried launch options and proton versions to no avail.

Not sure how to fix this.

Workstation uptime?

Home server uptime?

How did you get there? Config? (Optional)

The horse chips post reminded me of this gem.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/56810574

The article itself is from August, but after seeing Flock cameras at a local Lowe's store that were missing from the DeFlock map, I thought it'd be worth bringing increased attention to such companies contributing to the propagation of Flock cameras. If there's a Home Depot or Lowe's near you that's not on the DeFlock map already, it might just not have been added yet.

Starting to watch local markets.

This one feels like a scam or stolen at $175 even if all the batteries are shot.

I needed two similar pieces of wood to prevent my sofa from banging against the wall and damaging it.

Cut the pieces and it was ugly and misshapen. Have a hand pane so I shaved off the jagged bits.

Miter boxes don't help when you can't keep a saw steady.

Just bought my first home and still unpacking.

The list of things to fix is ever growing. The bathroom vanity latch is the first one the list!

We're hoping to renovate but in the meantime one door won't open (latch) and two mirrors shake when you open them.

Latch is an easy fix. Got parts locally. Replaced the broken one. Wife loves the loud strong click. Wants them all upgraded. Good thing I bought upgrades too. So they're all new now. Shame they're not tan but the click is good.

::: spoiler Tap for action shots

:::

The mirrors are peeling off the wood. Uninstalled, glued and reinstalled.

::: spoiler Tap for action shots Peeling mirror

Glued them up, put weight on it overnight to cure. Cardboard under the mirrors to protect them. Wood to direct pressure and tools to weigh it down.

:::

I found a squeaky door so I got the oil and fixed it... Then did every door I could before my wife caught me.

Am I alone here? It's so satisfying to just glide open!

Edit: She followed up with: "you're enjoying yourself too much"
Damn straight I am. It's the little things you have to enjoy!

I borrowed some landscaping tools from my brother in law and he offered his old air compressor since he doesn't use it. Broken tube. Easy normal part to replace.

Got a air compressor accessories kit on the way home. Replaced the hose and tip. Plugged it in outside. Left it for 10 minutes...

Never turned off. Hmm. Might be one of those that have a release valve and not auto shutoff.

20 PSI? That's odd. Unplugged it. Hissing...
Air coming out the bottom. Maybe a puncture?

Found the spot. Got 80 grit sandpaper and 3300 PSI rated epoxy. Sanded and found rust.

Patched it and my spidey sense went off while looking at the epoxy...

Did a search:

A leaking air compressor tank—especially with a leak on the bottom where corrosion is likely—can be extremely dangerous, even if "repaired" with epoxy or other sealants. The primary risk is catastrophic rupture under pressure. If the integrity of the tank is compromised (for example, by internal rust or a patched-up hole), the tank can explode with explosive force, launching shrapnel and causing severe injury or death, as well as property damage

When tanks rupture, the velocity of air and shrapnel can be lethal. For example, a 60-gallon tank at 150 PSI can explode violently, creating 680 mph air blasts and extremely loud noise, both of which are highly hazardous for bystanders

Nope! Tossing it!
Dodged a nearly literal bullet there.

Bonus shots: