Gromnir

nowadays is ez to see them (democrats, libertarians, republican, progressives, etc.) as not just people with whom you disagree, but as monsters. the kinda dehumanization you expect but likely condemn during wars is happening based on political divisions, which is not normal in US politics. if republicans are evil, then it is a mistake to resolve differences with them as 'posed to eliminating the threat they represent. 'course the problem we personal see is that all too many people is willing to fight to get at them. speech and religion, which were kinda reflexive deemed off-limits by americans until recent, is not protected by libs nor conservatives same way as when we were younger. we need safe places from bad speech? converse, 'cause wokeism is so bad we need do something legislative 'bout those companies which make movies or champion causes which might turn our children into gays or some other nonsense. and yeah, too many "republicans" appear to be willing to literal and figurative burn down american institutions if their guys don't get elected, so is not a both sides situation and is why am effective a one issue voter for the nonce. *sigh* also 'cause it should need not be said but still is, vandalizing an empty court house in portland as a form o' protest, while excessive and deserving legal prosecution o' offenders, is so not same as attempting to prevent the peaceful transfer of power 'tween a republican Presidential administration and one which is led by a democrat, attacking the Capitol while Congressmen is still present and huddling for safety in locked rooms and hiding under desks. the fact we still feel the need to repeat what should be axiomatic is kinda horrific. the thing is, if you are genuine convinced nancy pelosi or climate change deniers is indeed evil, then what actions is unwarranted to remove the threat they pose? sit around and take no action is the real injustice if you is convinced they is evil, right? brave new world. HA! Good Fun!

that's the point. chances are many players would replay *add whatever unspecified span of time you deem appropriate* worth o' the game to fix their "mistake" with sosiel. is not a practical solution. choice and consequences has little value if gamers think they got treated unfair by the developers and resort to a mod to fix the perceived problem. yeah, more than a few players will reflexive mod out any bad selection, but for crpgs am suspecting many players is gonna try and attempt to adhere to whatever is their personal notion o' fair, as meaningless as is such a concept in a single-player game. HA! Good Fun!

spoiler: dunno. the quest didn't make much difference to us as am admitted only slight more invested in the wotr companions than we were regarding bg1 companions. am admitting there is for Gromnir a kinda knee-jerk displeasure in achieving an avoidable bad ending which were in no way foreseeable as potential wrong, but as long as sosiel stayed in the party and served his purpose, then we cared little for his pain. truth is we treat the wotr companions as if they is the galley slaves in ben-hur even if we pretend to be friends with them. row well and live, 41... or ember or sosiel or... HA! Good Fun!

yeah, but keep in mind that all happened in 1890. scoff if you will, but isn't the pizzagate and seth rich folks dedicated to the notion powerful democrats, with the help o' george soros, is draining the blood o' children to achieve immortality and become the kwisatz haderach... or something like that? have never quite been able to figure out all that q and seth rich silliness, but those beliefs is a decent litmus test for stoopid and/or those easily manipulated. regardless, if you is a part o' the not insignificant % o' critical thinking challenged persons who has been voting republican o' late, then chances are you believe nancy pelosi is an american elizabeth báthory, so don't pretend as if our 1890 quip is beyond the pale. however, am gonna concede 2022 nancy does look a bit like ida lowry. is nothing wrong with being or looking old, though women do suffer from an unfortunate cultural double-standard. am not a woman, so... HA! Good Fun!

update HA! Good Fun!

hobbs now projected to win in the arizona govenor race. so, cheney channeling a bit o' nelson muntz? HA! Good Fun! ps once again am linking the relevant fox news article: Arizona gov election: Katie Hobbs defeats GOP challenger Kari Lake, race may now go to recount under state law read the comments and recognize how even though lake lost, a significant % of americans are true believers in the lies trump, lake and others is continuing to sell 'em. real don't matter. facts don't matter. truth don't matter. given the degree o' polarization we see as normal nowadays, any narrative which benefits or originates from the libs is part o' a scheme by them to keep real americans down... or whatever. lake' losing is a win for reality, but not a big win 'cause look how close a thing it were and those near 50% who supported lake yesterday is not waking up tomorrow to the realization they has been willful buying snake oil. is a real win when folks such as lake is once again a momentary punchline embraced serious only by the lunatic fringe.

the final tragedy o' the nixon ouster is rare taught in schools, but am suspecting mitch mcconnell and others were much aware o' how the story ended for Congressional republicans who did the right thing. to this day, on this board, you will see people suggesting january 6 were unfortunate but nowhere close to an insurrection... and whatabout the 2020 summer protests? trump were not particular popular when he won the Presidency in 2016, but somehow a cultlike following developed during four years o' ignominy and incompetence? what? am thinking republican leadership is gonna be hesitant to move on from trump, regardless o' circumstances. history o' "heroic" nixonian republicans and the january 6 backlash 'gainst folks such as lindsey has taught the gop there ain't no practical benefits in doing the right thing. is in part 'cause o' the history o' nixon we are stuck with trump for the near future. @Pidesco (edit) there were no smoking gun moment for republican voters in regards to nixon. the narrative taught today is embracing more than a little romanticized fiction. what happened were, after a substantial elapse o' time following the release o' the watergate tapes, a collection o' republican Congressmen let the President know they would no longer support him through impeachment and a subsequent trial, at which point nixon resigned. the thing is, republican voters did not forgive those Congressmen who were disloyal to their clear guilty President; most o' those republican politicians were primary'd or voted out o' office in the subsequent election 'cause they had such diminished support from republican voters. HA! Good Fun!

yeah, we mentioned a few posts ago how ordinarily, and maybe with one or two exceptions, the only time a House with the kinda majority the 2022 gop may achieve (is not certain, but is increasing likely) has ever been able to do anything noteworthy were during times o' crisis. assuming there is no war or other catastrophe, then what is the gop gonna do other than investigations? might be able to bring about a government shutdown, but am not seeing how that helps republicans. budget reconciliation is a thing and should not be dismissed. ... o' more immediate concern is the strange but true scenario o' trump being made speaker of the house. at the very least, such an outcome could have a chilling effect on the criminal investigations o' trump. HA! Good Fun!

the post mortems is gonna be interesting. so far the stories we has seen from conservatives is that they either blame trump election denialism or mitch mcconnell failure as a team player for the red trickle. is good news for democrats if gop can't even consider the possibility that there were other factors to consider. Why were the midterm elections close? Exit polls offer clues. There was a significant partisan divide in voters’ priorities and attitudes this year. About 45% of voters who supported a GOP House candidate called inflation their top issue from a list of five, with 15% picking immigration and fewer than 15% picking any other issue as their priority. Among voters who backed a Democratic candidate, about 43% called abortion their top issue, with 18% picking inflation and fewer than 15% picking another issue. ... obviously inflation were gonna be a factor, but... It’s Not Just the Economy, Stupid the economy were gonna be significant and real even if Congress or the President has limited capacity to do anything meaningful in the short term. that said, the party in power is ordinarily blamed for perceived economic failures, so were hardly crazy-talk to assume democrats would suffer in the midterms... as were near invariably the case even w/o historic inflation increases. however, most o' the other hobgoblins the gop imagined into being only resonated with fox viewers, and that clear weren't enough. democrats got their own issues to resolve and am no more confident they will come up with a compelling unifying message which genuine speaks to voters as a whole than the gop. scotus handed midterm democrats a huge gift with abortion. trump and his carnival o' crazy will also continue to benefit democrats. is quite possible those two factors will continue to motivate liberal and independent voters in enough numbers to make a difference, but for how long, eh? regardless, is good news for democrats if the gop savages their own instead o' addressing real problems. am admitted curious to see how much blood is metaphorical shed before/if the gop achieves some new power dynamic, 'cause am suspecting they embrace stoopid and forge ahead with an investigations-focused platform which is only gonna reach their base and conspiracy theory nutters. HA! Good Fun!

the game scales down based on meta and munchkiny exploitation, assuming that the hardcore fanbase is not averse to needing resort to guides and the like to successful navigate the game if one did not invest substantial hours in the beta. such an approach is not reasonable, 'cause you can't knock off 10 points o' ab and ac from a boss beatable by a party which uses guarded hearth, mark of justice, madness domain, metal curse and skald song exploits simultaneous to be manageable and then assume a casual player will be okie dokie with the unfair boss being handicapped down to core levels... simple knock off a bit o' stat bloat? that said, am not knowing sales totals, but so far it appears such an approach is working, so is little motivation for owlcat to change their design philosophy. even so, am feeling much sympathy for any sane player who perhaps has only a passing knowledge o' owlcat's unique interpretation o' pathfinder 1st edition. similar, those encounters which is clear designed as surprises for even knowledgeable players become well nigh insurmountable and prohibitive frustrating for more casual players. punishment level is such an odd way to design a game, but if the typical owlcat fan who complains 'bout stat bloat and unfair encounters has also already completed the game and is purchasing season 2 pass, then why is owlcat gonna listen to what is being said when is far more reasonable to listen to dollars or rubbles or whatever. wotr is designed to punish casual players. am not understanding the appeal; am thinking it would be a better game and more inclusive w/o such an approach, but is tough to argue with success, eh? HA! Good Fun!

if you know about the encounter, you may prepare a bit, no? first time were different, but subsequent we always have potions o' protection from fire in a slot for every companion and critter if am in the general time and location nexus for the encounter. you may quaff a potion and then move in a round. at higher difficulties, the improved initiative feat(s) is almost a prerequisite, and the dragon has unimpressive initiative, so is a better than fair chance you got multiple casters able to achieve buffs as well as seelah casting mark of justice. have more than once done enough damage to send the dragon scampering before it attack as the big lizard will retreat if it takes enough damage. is possible to end the encounter before the flame breath. however, am conflicted 'bout trying to drive off the dragon or just enduring some pain. in the balance, am thinking it makes more sense to focus on mitigation o' losses, but chances are we waste at least one possible reload seeing if we beat bloody the dragon so as to premature end the encounter. if we get initiative wins for sosiel and seelah, then chances are we try for the fight rather than flight option. animal companions resurrect after a rest, so death o' critters should be considered from a tactical pov. not being mounted is our preference, 'cause the dragon will spend a round destroying your critters and then escaping. mounted means your companions is killed along with the animal they is riding. unmounted means you may distance your squishy and expensive-to-resurrect humanoid comps. spreading out is a good idea, but with our recent azata skald build we didn't wanna spread too much. ordinarily we move companions out and away from the animal companions who serve as cannon fodder. and keep in mind, the encounter is over kinda quick, so as long as you survive, even only barely, you may raise dead and heal and whatnot. is not an encounter you are s'posed to win. assume you are gonna need raise or resurrect a couple party members means needing doing so is less painful. though am admitting given the somewhat unimpressive 1007 haul from killing the dragon, in addition to need paying greybor, the purchase o' extra scrolls and potions to survive the encounter is a bit irksome, especial at a point in the game when you may not yet be richie rich... rich. is a loser quest from a financial pov. HA! Good Fun!

they are laughing at an empty juice container. advice: keep walking. jealous? HA! Good Fun!

Democrats to maintain control of the United States Senate am posting not for the story but for the comments. fox news articles is worth reading if only to get a looksee at what fox readers/viewers believe. in any event, the next two years will be interesting. success o' democrats is gonna depend on foreign supply chains, the housing market, putin and a bunch o' factors they is gonna have even less control o' in 2023. perhaps more vital to democrat fortunes is how the gop reacts to the 2022 midterms and to the trump legal problems which is only gonna increase in the near future. am doubting anybody believes trump is gonna try and fade into the background as the gop power dynamic is clarified. how does the gop respond this time. after january 6, many gop leaders made an attempt to distance themselves from trump. a few visible republicans even criticized trump excesses which they had ignored the previous four years. has been multiple times during the past +6 years republicans shoulda' showered off the trump filth and stank, but didn't. is 2022 gonna be different? am thinking we are stuck with trumpism for awhile, but the gop could be in for major or minor changes as republicans either swear new loyalties or reaffirm their devotion to trump. is so many times republicans coulda' turned away from trump but did not. is 2022 different? am genuine uncertain. Did Lindsey Graham Say Republicans Would Get 'Destroyed' If They Nominated Donald Trump? credit where credit is due, eh? call, him a spineless hypocrite, but many o' lindsey's pre 2016 election predictions 'bout trump look positive prescient, yes? HA! Good Fun!

am thinking georgia is a near must for democrats. manchin is up for reelection in 2024 and is quite possible he needs to out gop his gop rivals if he has a chance o' victory. sinema is... weird. am not sure what is sinema's endgame, but if the republicans ever get a budget reconciliation effort passed (filibuster proof) or whenever Presidential appointments are up for senate approval, democrats should not feel comfortable they got the senate votes to prevail. am thinking dems serious need to hit the georgia messaging with all resources at their disposal. yeah, the kinda majority the gop is likely to have in the house has only ever been effective during crisis situations when both parties set aside differences... and am thinking there were one oddball year when a bunch o' Congressmen died due to disease right after an election and so a bare majority effective increased, but a gop majority in the house is still bad news for democrats and not just 'cause o' the investigations. similar, the razor-thin margin democrats will enjoy in the senate is deserving a momentary sigh o' relief, but not much more as you got at least a couple senators who is as likely to vote with gop as the libs. regardless, and unfortunate for more than a few posters, while 2022 were not great for republicans, it is terrible for progressives. the only legislation which is gonna get made law for the next two years is the increasingly rare bill which got bipartisan support. even Presidential appointees is gonna need tend towards moderation to be successful. unfortunate, progressives ain't fans o' compromise anymore than has been the maga republicans. if every issue represents an existential crisis, then it is indeed immoral to ever give ground. in any event, am predicting a whole lotta stoopid investigations from the likely (not certain) new House majority, 'cause am gonna assume the gop did not get the memo (in the form o' unanticipated poor midterm gains) from their constituents that all the trumpy vendetta and outrage is providing diminishing returns for their party. furthermore, if we were a democrat we would be mighty concerned 'bout manchin and sinema these next two years. georgia is if not vital, it is still mighty important and am thinking the messaging on that point so far has been lacking. HA! Good Fun!

am agreeing, but... is good to recall where clockwork orange falls in the kubrick catalog. is after spartacus and 2001 and orange were a warner brothers release. would we see a similar film from an established director nowadays? is possible, but major movie studios cannot afford to take risks the way they did in the 70s. is not the lack o' cojones 'cause o' dark and edgy content per se, but economics is different in 2022 and the current reality makes such releases extreme unlikely save as the kinda streaming fare you identify and possible indy stuff. am recalling we mentioned chariots of fire not too long past as the kinda movie is near impossible to make nowadays, and not 'cause it were edgy or dark neither. the industry is in a tough spot with their tried and true theatre release model becoming less viable every year. that said, am not a huge fan o' kubrick's orange. had the misfortune o' reading the book (including the oft omitted final chapter) before seeing the movie, so our pov were perhaps tainted the same way a person who saw movie first would read the novel different. curious, the movie is extreme faithful to the source material save for the manner in which kubrick used film techniques to subtle change his portrayal o' alex and the missing final chapter. kudos to kubrick insofar as his craftsmanship and skill, but am not able to embrace his vision. HA! Good Fun!

am gonna guess trump is lying, 'cause if is true he sent doj resources to interfere with a state election, then he just admitted to crime. somehow having this go complete unnoticed in 2018 is unlikely, so am gonna suggest trump reflexive falsehood is what is happening with this admission, but it would be big news if true. HA! Good Fun!

doing similar, but am gonna wait a couple months 'cause o' silly tax considerations. spent a whole lot on repairs and improvements this year and 'tween costs and depreciation on rental property, am effective paying no tax on our properties. as such am crossing fingers 'cause costs is all over the place, but am not wanting to waste the tax advantages on a year where am already at 0. am already losing 4% on the solar credit by waiting 'til january. so our tax and home improvement planning amounts to an episode o' press your luck? do we end up as terrell or owen? HA! Good Fun!

would put judge mark pittman in a similar legal rogue's gallery as aileen cannon. “In this country, we are not ruled by an all-powerful executive with a pen and a phone,” he continued. is a direct shot at obamma, has no place in the opinon and seeing as how the judge admitted ignored the standing issues, this decision amounts to little more than political scree. ... am knowing is texas, but... c'mon man. HA! Good Fun!

and thus you keep making the same mistake. education is not ez and am admitted similar old(er) so we no longer try and lead folks such as you gently to enlightenment. take or leave the opportunity matters little to us. *shrug* is a good example o' a common problem. ask most americans if we got a two party system and you will get near universal agreement. then ask those same americans what it means that we got a two party system or how 3p are limited and am suspecting an embarrassing high % o' folks scramble to their favorite search engine 'cause they never bothered to consider what it means that the US is two party. surely there must be some kinda meaningful limit on parties other than democrats and republicans or we would have more parties represented, yes? even so, is one o' those things everybody knows while most people don't have a real clue as to reasons and they sure don't get why is so difficult to change. our gimmick is indeed annoying. may come as a shock, but that were the original intent behind the gimmick. *eye roll* regardless, you still have a chance to self educate. never too late or too old. HA! Good Fun!

your loss. you too mighta' learned something. keep in mind, the specific euro observation were that the US should "allow" more than two parties. is a frequent claim by americans and foreigners that the US has a two-party system. is nothing which prevents 3p from being successful at the local level save familiarity and custom. at the national level is similar no impediment or systemic limits. curious enough, is a state-level issue 'cause most (not all) individual states has winner-take-all grants o' "electors" (or whatever is the state vernacular) and this has led to 3p success at the national level becoming prohibitive difficult for President and a smidge less so for Congress. etc. and then we explained the whole state v. national aspects and constitutional prohibitions and limits am not gonna once again get into 'cause one person were too lazy to read. US literal can't do anything to allow... and the follow up where an american indicated he were 3p were precise our point, 'cause most americans don't recognize the issues any better than does ordinary australians or germans who get all their political info from the intraweb. education is always the first step. am here to help if you let us. next, if you wish, we can explain how poor understood and misapplied is the occam's razor principle. HA! Good Fun!

aside, am thinking even if dems manage to win both the nevada and arizona senate contests, georgia is extreme important. am guessing IF dems do win nevada and arizona, and those victories is hardly a certainty at this point, then the person rooting most aggressive for herschel walker in the runoff is krysten sinema... and that is only slight hyperbole. the other senator from arizona, who has been identified as the most disliked member o' the senate by a number o' recent polls, is only relevant these days as a spoiler who appears curious committed to wall street. manchin is troublesome for democrats, but he has displayed a willingness to work with his party to advance key legislation and he is at least arguable representing his coal loving constituents. marginalizing sinema with an additional senate seat would be a major boon for democrats, and for the people o' arizona. HA! Good Fun!

*sigh* have no idea if trump woulda' eventual become embroiled in ukraine following a russian invasion. we didn't claim a trump administration would have perpetual avoided. am also having no idea what point you see in bringing up serbia as somehow relevant to the specific issue o' how US policy regarding ukraine would be different under biden than the former guy. 'could also have told complained to us 'bout US foreign policy regarding pakistan. if you got a wild hare up your arse regarding serbia or pakistan, then no doubt you see such as debate worthy, but neither is touching specific the differences 'tween a biden and trump administration response to ukraine. can't believe am responding, 'cause this is a level o' obvious difficult to fathom. (edit... and done with this. pontius pilate moment arrived)'cause of course trump woulda' been working with ukraine and nato allies pre-invasion, sharing intelligence and quietly attempting to impress upon them the threat the US intelligence agencies (agencies which trump did not trust and routine ignored) were observing? and when invasion did happen, no doubt trump's first reaction would have been to get other nato nations to commit to defense o' ukraine, as 'posed to a whole lotta bluster and ridicule directed at nato leaders and the press and hillary. is no way the trump and biden response to ukraine is similar. consensus building with nato by trump? serious? whatever. am so no going down the rabbit hole any further. perhaps this is one o' those situations where pre invasion opinions is preventing any meaningful chance to reevaluate. @majesticwould hardly be the only person paralysed with pre-invasion opines, but we don't know as have been avoiding to a great degree. regardless, equivocating as to whether the US response to ukraine would look different under biden as 'posed to trump is... silly. HA! Good Fun!

as difficult as it may be to believe, the laughing cave encounter is easier today than at release. that said, w/o meta knowledge is doubtful you would see the vavakia vanguard as having been nerfed in any meaningful way. pre nerfing it were fair to ask why the two wotr vavakia vanguards didn't overthrow deskari and baphomet and then set their sights on the entirety o' the abyss, 'cause their powhaz were potential army shattering as well seeming tailored to overcome most demonlord defenses. 'course asmodeus and mephistopheles wouldn't have fared any better, so war 'tween the fiends were all but over as soon as the vavakia vaguards made an appearance. as to secrets o' creation, am admitted confused by the replication o' content from enigma and secrets. @Agielsuggested backer contribution were at least in part to blame as a backer were the one who demanded an all puzzle quest. for whatever reason, owl cat went full infernal or bottled genie, perverting the backer wish so as to become a curse... or so we assume. edit: am mostly finished with act iv. a few things has changed with act iv. we got jumped by a bunch o' slavers which hadn't happened previous, but were such minor encounter am not sure why it were added or fixed. am also seeing how the hand no longer tops off your spells and daily abilities when he heals you, but resting works curious as our meal bonuses don't appear to expire as one would expect. rooftop remain dangerous for a party with many critters and embiggened companions as we inevitably set off traps when our oversized party is crammed into rooftop space. gonna finish off the quasit and then move on to the mines. HA! Good Fun!

@Guard Dogdoesn't even need be here for people to try and use the i was keeding defense, eh? if Gromnir makes an off-color joke 'bout trump or antifa and somebody calls us on it, we would look kinda stoopid if we claimed that this time we were joking. got some rando who has a posting history o' years trying to pretend he is just keeding, this time, eh? is no reason you need pretend as if posters has never posted on these boards previous to making their "joke." as for @majestic suggesting that maybe biden deserves some credit for a shift in policy toward ukraine, am admitted confused 'cause it didn't appear to be meant as keeding. like him or not, agree or not, biden responded to russian buildup much different than woulda' the former guy, and act dismissive as if nato posture and US contributions maybe/possibly could have been different with 45 is the sorta hyperbole another poster, after the fact, pretended were keeding so... but while is admitted not fair, am gonna get resist becoming involved in a nato/ukraine debate, save that am thinking it ain't actual debate worthy to suggest nato posture and US response to the russian invasion o' ukraine would look quite different today, but for biden. is hardly a trivial change. even so, were so much gaslighting and pretending as if january and february ukraine posts didn't happen on these boards that am so not gonna deal with further ukraine punditry at this time... and for the foreseeable future. HA! Good Fun!

evidence o' that gop infighting we were talking 'bout moments ago, yes? trump's favorite "newspaper" is staking him out like the goat from jurassic park and is hard to imagine he exits as the gop leader anymore quiet and dignified than he did when he lost the Presidential election. january 6 didn't convince republicans to jettison trump, nor did any o' his legal issues. is almost insulting to think lukewarm mid-term gains could be what ends the gop collective genuflection at the mar-a-lago altar. for democrats, the best scenario is for the trump base to rally around their guy and prevent trump's fall or at least make it take as long as possible. am thinking democrats need trump far more than does the gop. HA! Good Fun!