BruceVC

How would Russia be admitting strategic defeat when it gets Crimea and Donbas and Ukraine wont join NATO?

Im not sure why this is such a terrible peace plan Its exactly what has been discussed many times, Russia keeps Crimea and Donbas and Ukraine wont join NATO Ukraine keeps 80% of its country and can join the EU when it meets the requirements It seems the most reasonable suggestion where both sides make compromises

I configured Kingdom Management to auto, I regret that now because I think I would have liked to try my hand at managing my kingdom but once you set this option you cant change it So the AI makes all decisions around my lands and so far so good

Yes his sexual deviancy only added to his nefarious character, very accurate cartoon But the show also creates nuance in personalities which I appreciated, so for example Banner starts off as this dumb Scottish thug but then you see everything he does is just for his family and he questions what Whitfield is doing to those women. You can see how conflicted he is and he ends up redeeming himself at the end IMO 1883 was better for me than 1923, both are great but 1883 captures the harsh reality of how people made the trek to the West and a better life.

Did you end up watching Interview with a Vampire on AMC? Initially when I saw it was a black Louis I thought " here we go again, how are they going to explain how you ever had a black plantation owner in Louisiana in the 1800's " and I assumed it was going to be a complete woke revisionist failure But they created the new Louis really well in a convincing way around his history and how he faces bigotry apart from everything else And I really enjoyed both seasons . Deep themes around true love and relationships and how Vampires would and could experience these things. But they dont avoid the dark nature of Vampirism and how tragic and lonely it can become

I really enjoyed 1923, I think the idea of Spencer saving them is intentional considering his past as a hardcore soldier and lion hunter. The rest of the family are ranchers It made sense to me but the incredibly difficult journey that him and Alex made to get back was epic and how it ended was both evocative and really sad Its all based on real historical events in Montana like the rancher wars and Native American religious schools and the abuse that occurred in them The Dutton family are fictional. But damn didnt Timothy Dalton play a real degenerate that you can only hate Have you watched 1883, its excellent and its the start of the Duttons journey and the prequel to 1923

Oblivion is a great game when you can mod it and fix its systemic vanilla flaws like level scaling Bethesda is saying this version wont support mods which makes its a non-starter but modders are disputing that already https://www.ign.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-4-oblivion-remastered-mods-have-already-been-published-online

https://www.investors.com/news/bessent-us-china-trade-war-unsustainable-trump-tariffs-sp-500/ Not a surprise, Bessent acknowledges China trade war a bad idea Markets had some recovery just on this sentiment. Its clear investors want it to end " Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly told an event hosted by JPMorgan Chase that he expects the U.S.-China standoff to de-escalate, characterizing it as unsustainable. The Bloomberg report, which suggests the Trump administration is looking for a way to climb down after ratcheting Trump tariffs up to 145%. That helped fuel a soaring S&P 500. "

I was under the impression that Trumps doublespeak and selective interpretation of facts was a reason for criticism? But that should apply to both sides Shouldn't it be normal to believe in fair and balanced opinions?

Its a great question and only American voters can answer that because they will vote on the successes or failures of Trumps presidency So we will see in the Midterms, personally I think Trump has created too much chaos, inconsistency and criticism for this positive development to balance out But we will have to see, the strength of the economy and overall inflation will be the deciding factor in support for Trump in the midterms. That can negate or worsen everything else

Yes the GOP blocked the implementation of Bidens bipartisan border policies at the end of Bidens presidency But the Dems only did this at the end of Bidens presidency and this was the problem, they failed to anything meaningful about the border and its one of the reasons that the Dems lost so badly in the election Its important to try not to be obsessed with all the SM drama and outrage around Trumps presidency. Focus on what delivers on, like this, and what he fails on around actual outcomes For example the global tariffs are very inconsistent and confusing and not a good idea But no reasonable person would suggest the Dems took the border seriously or did anything significant about illegal migration numbers into the US These new numbers reveal a much more positive story and shows border policy success. We just have to wait and see if it is maintained

I just has my most difficult battle around strategy, it was the Womb of Lamashtu quest And it was at the end where you need to split your party, lucky I double up on roles but it was very tough. The hard part was the second battle because I hasnt rested and my party was wounded and low on spells. But I used scrolls, potions and then a Wyvern summon that helped distract all the monsters that appear Havent come across him yet but I see he should be available in my city

But Pidesco dont you think its important we give Trump recognition when he is able to deliver on campaign promises and commitments? We dont only want to hear about all the negative things

https://www.thegamer.com/baldurs-gate-3-sales-15-million-larian-losses/ This is a old story but I found it interesting because of how Larian was running at a loss and BG3 sales numbers saved it. It was a small loss and would have been around the cost to develop BG3 which is expected " We now have a better idea of just how successful Baldur's Gate 3 was, with the Irish Independent reporting that the game sold 15 million copies. This comes after developer Larian reported €214,000 in losses prior to Baldur's Gate 3 launch. Now, it's being reported that Larian made €249 million in pre-tax profits - quite the turnaround after its losses. This puts the studio in a very comfortable position as it works on its next two RPGs, which are not Baldur's Gate related and therefore won't require the Dungeons & Dragons licence. "

https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/mexico-border-crossing-numbers-6b2ddf34 We dont have any Trump good news stories on this thread around his presidency But here is one, illegal migrations are down to record lows. Trump ran on this as one of his main objectives, Im not sure if its enough to counter all the bad policies or negative sentiment but its something that US voters care about so it matters "Border Crossings Grind to Halt as Trump’s Tough Policies Take Hold Illegal crossings at southern border are at lowest levels in decades, as a trend that began before the election has continued under new administration CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico— In this border city, large groups of migrants marching toward the U.S. have all but halted. Migrant encampments are disappearing, and few people are trying to sneak across remote desert areas to start new lives in the U.S. “The door is closed,” said Yorman Briceño, a Venezuelan migrant staying at a church-run shelter in Ciudad Juárez, just across from the border from El Paso, Texas. He had been waiting about six months for his Jan. 23 appointment to request asylum in the U.S. under a Biden-era program, until it was scrapped by President Trump on Jan. 20. Now, after watching how others have been rounded up in immigration sweeps and extradited by the U.S. to a notorious prison in El Salvador, he said he wasn’t even sure he wanted to go anymore. “There’s no more hope for entering legally as long as Donald Trump is there, and anyone telling you otherwise is lying,” said Briceño. During the presidential campaign, Trump promised to shut the U.S. border to illegal immigration after surreptitious crossings reached record levels under the Biden administration. As the issue featured prominently in the campaign, migrant encounters tallied by U.S. authorities fell precipitously in the months leading to the election. Since taking office, Trump has delivered on his pledge as encounters have since fallen further to their lowest levels since the 1960s. For the moment, tighter controls by the U.S. and Mexico, along with Trump’s moves to shut down legal immigration pathways has brought migrant crossings to all but a standstill. The administration’s targeted and dramatic expulsion of migrants to the prison in El Salvador has also created a powerful deterrent. Though Trump is struggling to deliver on another campaign promise—mass deportations—the border is an early political victory. According to a Wall Street Journal poll in March, 53% of voters approve of Trump’s handling of border security, while 43% disapprove. At an annual Border Security Expo this month in Phoenix, administration officials celebrated the low border crossing numbers to a crowd of hundreds. Border czar Tom Homan said “gotaways”—an agency guess of how many people might have crossed the border without getting caught, based on clues such as footprints and camera sightings—had dropped to 41 the day before. “Forty-one is pretty good,” he said. “But we’ll get to zero. And when we get to zero, we’ll have operational control of the U.S. border for the first time in this nation’s history.”

Im 36 hours into Pathfinder and I have just ended the Troll threat I am absolutely loving this game. It has a wide depth of mechanics and rules around the Pathfinder system but this is my first time playing Pathfinder and I have never been someone too concerned with a deep understanding of mechanics in these types of RPG, I obviously learn how to be effective in combat and what buffs and roles are best to adopt in a strategic way in battles And then I just have fun and go wild. And this game really delivers. Some components that are entertaining and really well done I love how you need to explore to find things like the troll lair. combat is obviously the best part of the game, very strategic and complex around how you need to use different approaches I like the lore and the history of the gods no level scaling from what I can see, when I get annihilated I come back at higher level and I can win battles loads of Easter Egg encounters like the Young Dweomercat and how he randomly appears to help me some really interesting companion side quests I am not sure how I should configure my XP gain around active party members only getting XP? Because the downside is when you select another party member they not on the same level but I now think I have my "ideal " party and its based on a combination of tanks, healing and combat magic This is my current party selection Gimar ( my main character ) as the primary combat magic user Amiri as a tank Valeri initially as tank but I have now adopted Ekundayo because his archery and dog companion seem much more effective? Octavia as thief and secondary combat mage ( I decided to replace her with Kalikke) Tristian as main healer and also combat mage Linzi as main buffs and very useful in combat with spells and healing (Tashas hideous laughter has literally saved me several times fighting trolls )

Now we know Gromnir is alive what happened to @Keyrock?

Im just glad you still around and alive You had been so quiet for months I was worried

Im 20 hours into Pathfinder and its going great, fantastic experience so far I have just defeated the Stag Lord which was tough. I succeeded on my 5th try by locking the Owlbear in the cage defeating the bandits in small groups getting Akiros to help me The game offers loads of choices and ways to win these types of battles And after that battle I was finally able to defeat the Kalannah and her slavers of the Technic League And I gained 2 new potential party members so I am happy with my decision to kill Kalannah

Im watching lots of series But I just watched episode 1 S2 of The Last of Us, its going to be good

Kanie can I give you some good advice I adopted 6-7 years ago that I had to learn because I finally started playing lots of CRPG from the 1980S onwards or games from the 1994-2007 era that I had never played before or even replays of old games. And the advice is the same You either replaying an older game because of nostalgia and fond memories or because you know it is a foundation RPG from the era that RPG became popular and you have love and deep appreciation of RPG but you also want to know the gaming journey. And then the early games often set a precedent for future games. I ended up playing many older games because of how much I enjoyed the later versions so I went back years and played the early games. This also made lore more relevant, I did this with Elder Scrolls 2, Fallout 1&2, Gothic 1&2. But the advice I learnt is you first make sure you know why you originally liked the game and you accept that there could be mechanics and designs that create unhelpful or frustrating outcomes. But its important to remember what you liked or disliked and what you think now because its strange an older game would now create such a negative view on something that originally never use to bother you. Of course its normal to become more analytical and aware of certain older designs and get annoyed by them but that cant be used to dislike the game. You focus on what is good What I always do with older games before I play them is some quick and easy research about what can be improved around older bad designs. And I always find common views on what mod you can instal to address this Then at I will look at any mod recommendations that improve the game without fundamentally changing it I have played about 25 older games over the last 8 years and I have been very fortunate that I enjoyed them and in most cases I was able to experience of what made these games so popular But I make sure I install " common sense " mods around QoL For example an older game that has no fast travel unless under some cases so you have to travel on foot on a large map and this can become annoying because it is just a waste of time

https://reason.com/2025/04/02/the-senate-just-passed-rand-pauls-bill-to-block-trumps-tariffs-on-canada/ The Senate has passed a bill to block tariffs on Canada, it probably wont get through the House but Rand Paul has summarized accurately why tariffs on Canada make no sense "In remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, Paul outlined the many reasons for America to avoid a trade war with Canada. Perhaps the most important is also the most straightforward. We're not at war with Canada," Paul said. "They're an ally that buys more of our stuff than almost any other country in the world. Indeed, it is quite insane to believe that the $400 billion in goods that crossed into America last year from its northern neighbor are some sort of threat. It is simply untrue that those imports constitute an emergency of some sort that demands dramatic executive action. And it's just silly to think that higher taxes on those imports will improve life on either side of the border. "

Its a completely inaccurate understanding of " tariffs " that Trump is suggesting Its actually about the trade deficit and the percentages are all about the overall differences between exports and imports to the US from each country, that has nothing to do with the word tariffs. So its just Trump doublespeak

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-set-report-drop-q1-deliveries-weak-demand-musk-backlash-2025-04-02/ Tesla is seeing some real sales and share price pressure and it seems largely influenced by his new political position in DOGE " Tesla shares were down early on Wednesday but reversed course after a Politico report that Musk was planning to step down from his role as an adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump soon, as administration insiders increasingly view the billionaire as a political liability." The WH is denying he will leave DOGE so it will be interesting to see what happens

Because of the complexity of the ruleset and because I am not familiar with Pathfinder ruleset I set Kingdom Management on Automatic I read some Beginners Tips and this was recommended and also Im playing this game for the RPG element and other mechanics, I dont have an interest in spending hours micromanaging my kingdom because this seems to a point of real criticism about the game