=== ANCHOR POEM ===
══════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────
 @user-126 think about other things in your life that you like and are good at.
 If you enjoy telling stories, and are comfortable being the center of
 attention among groups of 4+ people you know and trust, then you'll do fine
 with the in-session part. And if you like worldbuilding or character creating
 or spreadsheets or even map making, then those are useful skills. But really
 the only thing that's important is imagination, because you can apply it
 wherever and however you'd like. Most of my sessions are almost entirely
 improv, when I've tried writing down my ideas I just throw them out the
 window, and if I use someone else's I get distracted by trying to page through
 it during combat. So I mostly just try and explain what happens and let the
 players guide the story. Everyone has a different style and each style
 requires different skills, but after you try it you'll better understand how
 you perform best for a group. I say try it, if you don't like it then ask
 someone in the group to take over.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────┘

=== SIMILARITY RANKED ===

--- #1 fediverse/2643 ---
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────
 @user-1292 
 
 You don't have to come up with the WHY for why a character does something -
 only that it happened.
 
 if the "WHY" leaps out at you, sure, yeah, go for it, until of course your
 players sitting around the table say something like "I bet they did this thing
 because of this reason" and you're like "shit that's better than what I got,
 okay that's how it's gonna be"
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┘

--- #2 fediverse/2175 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────
 @user-1056 
 
 I just got my copy of Knave version 2 and there's this line that stuck out to
 me:
 
 SCHEME
 Think laterally, not linearly. Avoid risky plans that require you to roll dice
 and instead create plans so bulletproof that success is certain. Use
 psychology, magic, allies, equipment, and the environment to overcome
 obstacles rather than relying on ability checks.
 
 I can't wait to try doing that in my next D&D campaign. This was listed
 under "player responsibilities" and there's some other bangers in there too -
 like this:
 
 TAKE INITIATIVE
 Set your own goals and make your own fun. Seek out adventure rather than
 waiting for it to come to you.
 
 I wish every player I ever had read that single page. And I wish I had read
 the "DM responsibilities" listed just one page prior. It's a really great
 game! I'm also into OSE, or Old School Essentials. What kind of D&D do you
 like?
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────┘

--- #3 notes/dungeon-looting-methods ---
═════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 the reason dungeon masters should give the gold value of the items distributed
 is because the number represents what it eventually sells for. and the players
 will try and appraise and haggle at the market and such but that all happens
 off screen between sessions. so anyway during the adventure, the dm will say
 "you find some precious gemstones" or "there's some high quality silk here" or
 "these bears are renowned for having magic livers" or "the mold growing on the
 walls can be scraped into a vial and sold to an alchemist"
 
 then the dm will say "this treasure is worth 50gp" or "this treasure is worth
 25gp" and players can "buy" the items from the other players. so player 1 has
 50gp, the item costs 20gp, so in a party of 5 he gives every other player 5gp
 this way, the relative treasure hordes of the players stays the same.
 
 then, when the players find treasure, it can be evenly split - it's only fair.
 when in town, players will feel more impulse to buy things if they can sell
 them too. like "here's an enchanted axe that does some mundane thing like
 never dulls" well, that's probably going to be very valuable to a small village
 or "an enchanted quill that writes down everything you tell it to" could
 increase the education level of the area ever so slightly. Then, after several
 generations of adventurers, the surrounding area will be ripe with magical loot
 the players distributed from the dungeons and such. it can trade with neighbors
 and so over time the markets will have better and better goods for sale - for
 example, maybe after trading with the swamp people, now there's a supply of
 healing potions that runs out both over time (to represent other adventuring
 parties buying the supply) and when the players buy some (to represent
 consumption in their minds). Trade with the dwarves? Now you can buy +1 swords
 for a while. village attacked? the militia can be armed with the holy relics
 plundered from the evil priest-lich. boom development!
 
 the players should also have choices about large scale effects. for example,
 the heart of the forest could be a) preserved, b) burnt down, or c) studied by
 the local wizards. each choice would have different effects on the populace,
 and so the world would change to adapt to the player's choices.
─┐                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similarchronologicaldifferent════════─┴══─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

--- #4 fediverse/5478 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────┐
 you won't get far with a "community" of dedicated people                         │
 what you need are teams. who can trust each other. you build them through        │
 brotherhood, and you trust them from their results.                              │
 for example if you wanted to organize a grouping or get-together, you'd put a    │
 bunch of people in a room or seven and let them while they're there work on a    │
 plan or a decision.                                                              │
 who needs tabling? who needs the chance to speak? just let them socialize and    │
 say "hey guys here's where you'll plan"                                          │
 [uh no officer we were just playing board games]                                 │
 plans are hard without material so make sure you always prepare a pricetag on    │
 each plan you produce.                                                           │
 keep it for reference. make sure you note all the requirements. the location     │
 is often the least important part.                                               │
 "what the hell man you can't just say stuff like that as if it'd work"           │
 yep, I, uh, am a passenger in life just the same as you. And I only write down   │
 what I want to.                                                                  │
 you could show me anything on the internet and I'd believe it. Facts aren't      │
 important to me because I "forget"                                               │
                                                            ┌───────────┤
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──┴──────────┘

--- #5 notes/four-dimensional-spaces ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────
 you'd still perceive higher dimensions in 3 dimensions - unless you can only
 see
 things that are coming directly toward you. 
 
 magic only happens when your other half is in a situation and needs to turn
 your
 narrative into theirs so that you can collectively engage with a shared inter-
 operationality.
 
 your dark side is just a massive bitch
 
 hey how about we put the game designers in charge of running the government
 
 just saying they build human-oriented systems all the time
 
 "how do we get the player to do this or that"
 
 "everyone keeps picking the same card so we gotta make them more different"
 
 "how much gold persists in the virtual economy, how much resources are produced
  and traded by players? where does it all go, do they have enough at level 30
  to
  afford weapons and armor? I wonder what happens if we swap prices on A and
  B.."
 
 it's literally their job
 
 actors, meanwhile, know how to interpret the emotions of another. Like...
 you're
 up on stage, thinking out what to do next IN REAL TIME, as your partner is
 trying to throw you curveballs. AUDIENCES LAUGH AT CURVEBALLS that's the whole
 point of improv comedy - to be surprised in a state of joy. It's great! It's
 fun! It's practicable like a sport! Yet nobody comes. To the shows, where it's
 performed, like a hospital where you perform surgery or a pizza place with no
 walls so you can see the pizzas being cooked. It's just part of what they do,
 but that's not why they do it. Sure, some want to be seen, it's not a BAD
 feeling once you're used to it. But, like a sauna or jacuzzi, sometimes you've
 just had enough of the hot. Like, the sun peering through a magnifying glass as
 a creature roasts alive. yikes.
 
 ............. anyway being quickly versatile and adaptable is important when
               you're taking turns in unpredictable scenarios. You can react to
               your opponent, and keep time with the rhythms of the moment, to
               deliver your wittiest lines. It's fun! It's a game! But it's also
               a place to be entertained. and like a gym, it's sometimes just
               fun
               to watch people exercise. like, damn, you got a good body. Wow,
               nice flex, yeah sure I'll put that one away. Cool pals helping
               each other out, and showing off all of their efforts. Neat!
 
 ... anyway .. being emotionally vulnerable gives your opponent a chance to
               continue. When nothing's going on, your moves barely make an
               value
               (of comedy) (for the moment, so the crowd's not just sitting
               there
               staring at you like ... and then - and then ummmm nevermind lemme
               sit down (usually someone else picks up on it before then and
               jumps up to save you, but EVERY actor has felt that moment where
               nothing goes well and the audience just is totally not into it.
 
               it's the worst.
 
               anyway, they try their darndest to AVOID that, because like...
               duh
               it sucks, why would you want that. Much cooler I think to have a
               good time, and chill out and listen to your friends talk. Like,
               they can show you an argument they had earlier, or maybe work
               through an idea with input from another. like, debate club, but
               for whatever kind of respective [retroactive, recreation,
               relearning, maybe others] you desired in that moment. ideally,
               something that someone could take the arguments of the other side
               and present them, regardless of whether they believed them or
               not.
 
               like, lawyers arguing for a client.
 
               in these stochastic seminars, you could think about and study for
               future societies. how would you like to conduce? [-]
 
               every time you see a face in motion, that's another time that's
               seen from their place. we are all present in each other's lives,
               in terms of the spaces we choose to fill.
 
               well, that's a tough thought, but don't worry about it. faces
               are just waves on the winds of light.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────┘

--- #6 fediverse/2177 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────
 Oh, you want solutions?
 
 Yeah, I can do that.
 
 I am a very solutions oriented mindset.
 
 But developing solutions requires a firm understanding of what resources are
 at your disposal.
 
 Which is information that I lack.
 
 Hence, my practice, filling the gaps between the important bits.
 
 I have an endless array of stories, and all of them are true! Come, listen as
 I regale of an ordy, or "ordeal" as the kids are taken to call.
 
 ... I guess I could guess, but then people would hear it and assume that it
 would work even if I don't know that the required resources are in place.
 Maybe I could just start by saying "here are the requirements:" like stating
 your variables at the stop of a script.
 
 huh? typo told me to stop. Okay guess I'm going to sleep, bye for now 
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────┘

--- #7 notes/joust-gdd-with-extras ---
════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 imagine a game where you can have conversations with an AI that's playing the
 role of a character in a video game. Picture this: You're a traveller visiting
 the tournament that's in town. There's jousting, melee duels, archery contests,
 all kinds of things that are just fun to play around doing. The earliest
 sports,
 if you will. Anyway the whole game is about talking to the other people there -
 basically the games are "playing in the background", and while you can compete
 in them it's not the bulk of the game. Most of it is just having a conversation
 with an AI and acting it out *like a roleplaying game*. O M G teach people to
 roleplay the way you play games! You're always going on about how "different"
 your way of gaming is than other people. So *show us* how you do it, how do you
 play? Like what are the fundamental, actual, steps that you take? You can show
 us by programming a game that inspires that playstyle. That's what game design
 is all about, finding creative ways to think. Well, think and act. But still.
 
 anyway, so you know what you're about? Good. Let's go.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

--- #8 notes/joust ---
════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 imagine a game where you can have conversations with an AI that's playing the
 role of a character in a video game. Picture this: You're a traveller visiting
 the tournament that's in town. There's jousting, melee duels, archery contests,
 all kinds of things that are just fun to play around doing. The earliest
 sports,
 if you will. Anyway the whole game is about talking to the other people there -
 basically the games are "playing in the background", and while you can compete
 in them it's not the bulk of the game. Most of it is just having a conversation
 with an AI and acting it out *like a roleplaying game*. O M G teach people to
 roleplay the way you play games! You're always going on about how "different"
 your way of gaming is than other people. So *show us* how you do it, how do you
 play? Like what are the fundamental, actual, steps that you take? You can show
 us by programming a game that inspires that playstyle. That's what game design
 is all about, finding creative ways to think. Well, think and act. But still.
 
 anyway, so you know what you're about? Good. Let's go.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

--- #9 fediverse/6334 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────┐
 a D&D rulebook can double as tarot if you need it. place one hand/bookmark       │
 at the start of a chapter, and the other at the end. flip to a page randomly,    │
 or randomly gain a percentage value from physical objects and then use that      │
 value to determine roughly where in the chapter you jump to. then, read words    │
 randomly, jumping back and forth, or try and divine some meaning from the        │
 words that are printed there. with D&D it's easy because you can say "ah I       │
 landed on the rogue section, that means this guy is probably pretty suave"       │
 (confirming your expectations) "hmmm, here's the rules for fatigue and           │
 drowning. maybe I need to take a break." (validating your unconscious            │
 decisionmaking) "oh neat, treasure!" (needs to explanation) but with other       │
 kinds of books it's usually better to pick the next-best word from the things    │
 your subconscious eyes can take in and process multi-laterally (you lost your    │
 audience, circle back) oh uh so if you wanna randomize it just put the words     │
 in the page in an array and pick one random.                                     │
(you lost your audience, circle back) oh uh so if you wanna randomize it just put the words in the page in an array and compare llm embeddings on each of them and see which has the highest score. this is a language-based truth serum, a way of divining exactly how something is seen to be by the model in use and mixed with a dash of randomized causality.
                                                            ───────┤
 similar                        chronological                        different═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────┘

--- #10 fediverse/1401 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────┐
 some people are the memory kind of autistic, where they know everything about    │
 a thing and it's the coolest thing                                               │
 I'm more like... the optimizing autistic, where everything has to be perfect.    │
 and if it's not perfect, then you should change it. and if you can't change      │
 it, then you should tell someone else to change it. and if nobody can change     │
 it, then you should consider it part of the context / starting variable and      │
 then just say "okay" and treat it like it's normal and something you should      │
 use to inform the rest of your optimization actions / decisions.                 │
 other people are other kinds of autistic that's not a comprehensive              │
 classification system. But I mention the first kind explicitly so I can          │
 contrast it with my experience, which is implied to be [impulsively?]            │
 different in the kind portrayed in the following contrastion, where I mention    │
 how I'm autistic and don't get "irony" or "sarcasm" that people on the           │
 internet seem to revel in in a way that makes me feel isolated and anyway        │
 optimization is great becaus                                                     │
                                                            ┌───────────┤
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────┴──────────┘

--- #11 fediverse/4897 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────
 what if we asked chatGPT to generate a list of every personality archetype
 that humans have. Like... really get super specific and fill out the whole
 list of character sheets.
 
 then we give each fraction of it that fraction of dollars and if some people
 aren't fully represented (because they have greater needs) then we both
 increase production of resources and take a penalty on our own supply, in
 order to meet the needs of our allies.
 
 simplest thing. how could it work? who can say. maybe it won't. maybe it's
 just... arcane. /shrug that's game design for ya you can't tell how it'll go
 until it's in the hands of your players. too bad we don't do too many
 play-things.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────┘

--- #12 fediverse/4601 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────
 @user-1710 
 
 my strat is to write a page or three whenever I feel called to it. They don't
 even have to be in sequence, just, "here's a scene with these characters in
 it" or just writing down notes like "what if the jewel encrusted sceptre was
 haunted by the ghost of christmas past" or something.
 
 in a couple years you can look back at the directory on your desktop and think
 "wow this all sucks, I'm gonna write it from scratch now that I have time" and
 that'll be part of the process. Gotta get the useless stuff out of the way.
 
 Also... if you don't mind pen and paper, keep a dream journal and just, write
 for 15 minutes every morning. Not necessarily about your dreams, but just
 about whatever's in your mind. Try and aim for two pages per morning, if you
 can. Helps a lot. Sometimes you'll find yourself writing longer than expected,
 and that's okay, as long as you fill the two pages with whatever morass is
 clogging up your creative machinery, you'll be able to make something when you
 do decide to write.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────┘

--- #13 fediverse/1485 ---
════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────
 ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ CW: re: more D&D/Pathfinder venting │
 └─────────────────────────────────────┘


 @user-1005 
 
 If you'd like, I can try and explain "killer instict". Though I get the
 impression you would prefer to play games that don't emphasize combat, which
 is 100% okay and valid and should be encouraged.
 
 My understanding of the rules of D&D is that combat is a contest between
 two or more entities. Contests need rules, and combat being based on physical
 prowess (or magical, or spiritual, or w/e) can be defined. Other kinds of
 contests, like "how well did the ranger do at the archery competition" or "did
 the rogue manage to convince the diplomat to share the plans" are impossible
 to genericize because they are based on situational factors, rather than
 physical (or magical, or spiritual, or w/e)
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent══════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────┘

--- #14 fediverse/3099 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────
 people gravitate toward other people who are in different situations but who
 feel the same.
 
 it's not always a bad thing to "talk past each other" - sometimes you just
 want to say how you feel.
 
 then again, if nobody can understand wtf you're talking about, then surely you
 are lost.
 
 all good ideas come at the cost of the second-most-favorable-option.
 
 all good ideas come at the cost of the current destination.
 
 [current, flawed,]
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────┘

--- #15 fediverse/2178 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────
 @user-1056 
 
 whoa, sounds like we have un-similar influences! Together, with our powers
 combined, we could be unstoppable >: )
 
 I love systems, but I like writing them, not reading them. I guess that
 difference is why I gravitated toward OSR style games and you to AD&D and
 4e! Pathfinder 2e I haven't read all the way through but what I did read felt
 like "the good parts of 5th with the good parts of 4th" which I thought was
 pretty neat.
 
 Most of the rest I haven't heard of before, alas, that's what we get for
 contributing to and engaging with a scene. =P
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────┘

--- #16 fediverse/744 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────┐
 ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐                                │
 │ CW: alcohol-mentioned-protests-games-laughter │                                │
 └───────────────────────────────────────────────┘                                │
 Protests are great because they give you the opportunity to make friends with    │
 2-5 other people who you've never met before, and who've never met each other.   │
 People who you could play DND with - for those who don't know, DND is a fun      │
 activity you can do with friends that involves chips, soda, sometimes beer,      │
 and plenty of laughter and loud voices.                                          │
 It's essentially a game where a group of people create plans, solve problems,    │
 and organize solutions to roadblocks on their path to success.                   │
 It's also great because it's a planned activity that you don't have to take      │
 your phone to - in fact, it's best when you don't make a reminder for for the    │
 event anywhere digital or easily misplaced.                                      │
 There aren't too many rules, and whatever you can't remember you can make up     │
 on the fly. It's not like there's any consequences in a game, not like anyone    │
 could die.                                                                       │
 Most people don't like playing games with me though because I have a pretty      │
 bad memory. Call it a quirk of fate or something                                 │
                                                            ┌───────────┤
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═══════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────┴──────────┘

--- #17 fediverse/2180 ---
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────
 @user-1056 
 
 heh true - my roots in role-playing games are directly from the playground, so
 it makes sense that I'd gravitate away from dice that are hard to roll when
 you're on a hike or bike ride. Can only really play D&D on a bike when
 you're in the country though, otherwise the sounds of a city are too noisy.
 
 Also, systems that are so simple you can keep a character sheet in your mind.
                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similar                        chronologicaldifferent═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────┘

--- #18 fediverse/5730 ---
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────
 part of being family with someone is being part of their lives.
 
 what if like... a whole group of people was your family?
 
 "workplace dynamics" yeah sure that'll generate love
 
 I'm not here to make moments. I'm trying to get through day-to-day.
 
 the rich, yet impoverished.
 the sensation, that feeling of betrayal, the moment when you realize some
 people just don't care about other people's troubles and trials.
 
 scary... I'm here to do my part, accomplish my duty, and help wherever I can.
 
 I'll agree to anything if you tell me the whole strategy and it aligns with my
 goals and designs.
 
 if you doubt those goals, I can surely help thee remember.
 
 everything is logically rooted in love,
 nothing's out of place or a mystery.
 
 everything I've thought of, everything I had the grace to write down, all of
 these things drift behind me like a placquard explaining my deeds and needs.
 "that was her idea" ok great now go and use it.
 
 this fall is fast ahead, looking forward to the scene-films. it's too hot
 inside of a bed
                                                           ───────────┐
 similar                        chronological                        different═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────┘

--- #19 fediverse_boost/5370 ---
◀─[BOOST]
  
  I went to a talk lately that was mostly about something else, but the speaker came out with:  
                                                                              
  “If you only remember one thing from this talk, remember this.  Everyone in this room who likes helping people, raise your hand.”  
                                                                              
  Every hand, or nearly every hand, went up.                                  
                                                                              
  “If you like asking other people for help, keep your hand up.”              
                                                                              
  Almost every hand went back down.                                           
                                                                              
  “As you can see, people like helping you. When you ask for help, you’re making them feel good, even if you don’t like asking.”  
                                                                              
  I’ve genuinely forgotten the rest of the presentation but I won’t forget that.  
  
                                                            
 similar                        chronological                        different 
─▶

--- #20 messages/20 ---
══─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 My mom was always the reason I did school work. After she stopped pushing me,
 I stopped moving because I didn't know how to generate my own momentum. I had
 no passion and was listless. Least of all for school work.
 
 So, how to do it better? Instead of buying toys and extravagance for kids, you
 should set them up with projects. Ask what they want, and then help them build
 it. Include them in your thought processes when you're problem solving, and
 ask them for input. If they offer bad ideas, then *tell them*, don't just let
 them fail. If you're not 100% sure but they're convinced, then trust them! Try
 it out, who knows. Maybe it'll work better than what you had in mind. The goal
 isn't to be BETTER than them, it's to make them BETTER than you! Not right now
 (don't push too hard), but when they're your age. Like, it's best if they
 accomplish more and lived life more fully than you did at your age, but don't
 push them to be wise or strong or intelligent at the age they are now. Trust
 that they will grow when you give them room to, and guide and cultivate them
 toward goodness. For example, if they do something wrong (hitting other kids,
 messing with animals, destroying objects) then guide them toward a better
 path. Teach them empathy, and show them how it works by doing it yourself! Ask
 them questions like "How would you feel if that happened to you?", show them
 weak points and how to avoid them when playing, and give them alternatives to
 the behaviors they do that directly harm others. "Maybe play with the dog this
 way, instead of being rough" "Maybe you and that other kid can ride your bikes
 or draw instead of fighting - or if you still want to fight, then learn how to
 tell when someone is hurt and try to help them."
 
 The goal isn't to push them really hard off a cliff in a hanglider, hoping
 they can figure it out in the air, it's to strengthen their legs so they can
 run fast enough that they can take off successfully.
────────┐                                                           ┌───────────┐
 similarchronologicaldifferent────────┴┴───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘