#that addition definitely feels like reminding us this is a fantasy setting with established rules and nothing super 'deep'

[askdacast]

Just re-read Symposium of Post-Mysticism. Man, it's such a weirdly timeless book, and equally insightful no matter whether you read it as a simple lore book or purposeful commentary on real life.

Also, Miko is really mean, and Kanako is really sassy. Poor Byakuren.

The only thing I ever had complaints about - and still do - is how the three big leaders define religion. Both Miko and Byakuren define it as a philosophy, whereas Kanako defines it as a system of understanding the world with its own internal rules, much like science and magic/the occult. Kanako gets it closer than the other two imo, but all three focus on the idea of religion as being an individual pursuit, rather than also being a system that creates and structures cultures. Which is ironic, considering how much Kanako keeps talking about the transactional relationship between humans and gods, and how all three keep talking about how their presence determines the fate of humans, youkai and Gensokyo!

ZUN is both a STEM guy at heart and as far as everyone knows non-religious, but he always has a lot to say about our modern world's relationship with the unknown and the supernatural, and that's what makes Touhou so strangely insightful. Nevertheless, the dichotomy between the individual and the collective in what constitutes religious practice is a very modern idea, and equally reflective of the new ideals of contemporary society. It feels a lot like SoPM is just as reflective of ZUN's (and our own) modern ideas of what religion means to us, or what the supernatural means to us now in an age of rationalism. I could be talking nonsense here, given that I'm not the Japanese-born person making video games about Japanese culture (and come to think of it ZUN is not wrong in describing general trends regarding the supernatural in Japan). But it still seems like ZUN/Kanako almost underestimate the power of belief in people when they mention humans' wish for the supernatural despite no longer "believing" in them. New religions/cults exist, and are powerful. Belief itself is no longer a straight dichotomy of "I believe/don't believe this is real," especially not with youkai and other supernatural creatures which have created such popular followings and ways of consumption.

Or, you know, the three leaders were purposely written to be arrogant and not really understanding humans. That's also a running gag in the text.

[imsobadatnicknames2]

I'm curious about your take on my favorite rules light fantasy game's alignment system.

(I've also occasionally used an addition set of aspects as a homebrew; naive or jaded)

I've always really liked this system as a GM, because it feels like my players can actually like, meaningfully roleplay to or against their established morals and there's a lot less disagreement about where an action lands.

I didn't know this game, but this look very cool. Kinda reminds me of the values and personality traits system from Dwarf Fortress, except much more simple, or the values system from Pendragon. I definitely like the feature of different degrees of leaning towards each aspect. I'm also very curious about checking out what the rest of the game is like.

[epicapplicationsusa]

Hardspace: Shipbreaker – available now on Game Pass – is an essential, searing rejection of sci-fi tropes

Video video games love the house. It is easy to see why – the setting permits for not possible vistas and a way of surprise. It makes doable so many childhood goals of getting our personal spaceships to take us on cosmic adventures, crammed with implausible creatures and laser beams. It normally goes hand in hand with a normal air of optimism and hope, influenced by the vaguely utopian visions of the way forward for Star Trek and different foundational works of common science fiction.

It is one thing that was endlessly interesting in childhood, however currently it is sounding an increasing number of hole as we get additional into the longer term. Hardspace: Shipbreaker is refreshingly conscious of this, bringing the fantasy of life in house again to Earth.

Inform me the phrases “house sandbox salvaging recreation” do not make you are feeling something.

Hardspace casts you as a contract mechanic, residing alone in a large storage in excessive Earth orbit and saddled with a billion {dollars} in debt to the LYNX megacorporation – the value of paid work away from the now poisonous floor. That is the one likelihood you may ever must see the celebs, the little hope that in the future you may repay your debt and fly to the bourgeois outer colonies.

Till then, your days are crammed with Shipbreaking – the method of painstakingly (or haphazardly, if you happen to want) dismantling and stripping disused spaceships for elements and sources. Every 15-minute shift ends with an itemized assertion of each penny of worth you’ve got managed to achieve – minus the rental prices in your instruments, room and board, and different service costs. All the pieces else goes in direction of paying your debt, one other spit within the ocean.

The rugged, industrial view of our future appears depressingly acquainted.

The view from the one window in your tiny residential capsule is of countless industrial waste amid a sea of ​​scrap steel. A hulking railgate — a central a part of the interplanetary journey community — sometimes pulses with exercise, a reminder of a bigger universe you may most likely by no means see. The each day grind settles into that paradoxical groove of half soul-crushing/half satisfying that many roles finally settle into – alternating between stifling boredom and bursts of satisfaction as you grasp the techniques and duties essential to get the job finished.

Watching that multi-billion greenback debt trickle down might really feel draining, however it does not diminish how good it might really feel while you excel on the activity of decreasing a fancy ship to nothing. So that you console your self with the loop, the trickle of dopamine you get while you feed a pleasant thick piece of titanium into the oven. And also you attempt to ignore that existential worry that’s chasing you.

It is a bleak and pessimistic view of what the house has to supply. It is a pessimism that feels extremely refreshing, a necessary and grounded counterpoint to the customarily uncritical means video video games use the aesthetics of science fiction for nothing however energy fantasy. If house was ever the one place untouched by capitalism, it definitely is not in Hardspace. Each facet of your each day life is owned and managed by LYNX, a ubiquitous entity that has colonized a lot of the photo voltaic system.

One other day, one other job.

The merciless reality is that there merely is not a totally automated luxurious homosexual house communism ready for us up there. Area is now not the purview of specialised unbiased businesses – the required infrastructure and expertise is now all within the arms of personal firms, nothing however an added asset for reinforcing the egos of our ruling vampiric billionaires. Terraforming is functionally not possible. Lengthy-term human spaceflight is functionally not possible. We’re not going wherever; we’ll all slowly run out of air down right here, as our corrupt establishments enable the wealthy and highly effective to hoard as a lot wealth as they will.

The very very first thing you do in Shipbreaker is signal a complete 24 clauses and settlement with the LYNX firm which, amongst different issues, indicators your individual physique possession. Greater than that: your individual existence. You are mechanically signed as much as LYNX’s medical health insurance plan, which supplies you with a flash-grown clone uploaded with a backup of your persona and recollections, do you have to finish your employment early. The primary strategy of extracting your organic data is deadly.

That is it; that is your life, now.

From the very starting, earlier than leaving the environment, you play a clone reconstituted from DNA now the unique property of LYNX. Any mental or tangible property you produce throughout your lifetime is now the unique property of LYNX. All of the aspirations you may have, all of the objectives you are working in direction of – they don’t seem to be those shared by the particular person you have been on Earth. They’re lifeless. You’re a grotesque flesh spirit within the type of who you have been. With every new clone one thing else is left behind, the cumulative impact resulting in degradation of your persona and physique. In the long run, you will not even be a shadow of who you as soon as have been. You can be solely a Shipbreaker, physique and soul owned by an entity you’ll know solely as a blip on a spreadsheet.

The world of Hardspace might not sound like a spot you’d usually need to go to. It is basically a recreation about having a crappy job, in a medium normally solely used to supply numerous distractions from those you most likely have already got. It is brutal and chilly and there is not a lot to take a look at. You’ll not expertise thrilling adventures to alien worlds or have interaction in thrilling house battles. You may normally end up deep within the guts of yet one more steel behemoth, fastidiously attempting to free a barrel of gas earlier than it might rupture and blow you to items or worse – injury your potential rescue.

This isn’t your common sci-fi recreation.

The sport has an everydayness that appears downright revolutionary; a confidence in imaginative and prescient that makes it a completely important work of science fiction for video video games. It takes actual braveness to make use of boredom and repetition successfully, to belief that gamers will cope with it on their very own phrases. Hardspace: Shipbreaker might sound like an ordeal, however it’s price placing your self by way of it if you’d like video video games to make use of spaceships for something aside from escapism.

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[usatrendingsports]

Sorting the Sunday Pile, Week 15: Rams go from plucky underdog to NFC West titan

If you happen to come on the king, you greatest not miss. The Rams didn’t miss on Sunday. And within the means of throttling the Seahawks 42-7, they did not orchestrate some David-Goliath situation. Nope, the Rams flipped the script on the NFC West — a division they are going to possible win now — and established themselves because the group to beat transferring ahead in a division that is been owned by the Seahawks for practically half a decade.

Seattle had not trailed by 27 factors at house since 2010; the Rams led 34-Zero at half in CenturyLink Area, due to Todd Gurley, an unheralded MVP candidate who might discover himself within the fray after Week 15’s 160-yard, four-score efficiency that propelled the Rams to 10 wins and secured tens of millions of Fantasy Soccer semifinals wins. 

In a sport the place Jared Goff and the passing assault was wonderful however not essentially explosive, Gurley supplied a public reminder why the Rams will probably be so harmful come playoff time. He is a multi-faceted again who’s harmful on the purpose line (two 1-yard scores) and able to breaking off lengthy scores.

The Seahawks obtained the perfect of the Rams earlier within the 12 months, however this might have been a sweep state of affairs if Cooper Kupp had made a landing catch late towards Seattle. And the Seahawks are banged up in a nasty means: Earl Thomas has been taking part in harm for some time; Bobby Wagner battled by means of a busted hamstring on Sunday; Richard Sherman, Cliff Avril and Kam Chancellor are all injured; they haven’t any offensive line; and the group hasn’t been in a position to maintain a working again wholesome all season lengthy.

However it’s honest to marvel if that is the decline of the Seahawks’ defensive dynasty. Seattle can’t proceed in its present iteration; anticipating an getting old protection to dominate for an additional 5 years whereas additionally anticipating Russell Wilson to work his spinning magic with no safety is just not a components for sustainable success. 

Seattle is an older group attempting to alter its identification on the fly. John Schneider is without doubt one of the greatest expertise evaluators within the league, having proven an aggressive capacity to accumulate the requisite items for a championship group. The Seahawks have a franchise quarterback in Wilson. They won’t evaporate into the maw.

However Los Angeles, the brand new child on the block, is healthier positioned for the long run. Sean McVay is a mortal lock for Coach of the Yr in 2017, having turned a boring and staid Rams group right into a powerhouse with double-digit wins and one of many extra thrilling groups to look at within the NFL. McVay has twice as many 40-point video games this season (4) as Jeff Fisher had for the Rams from 2012 by means of 2016.

“Seattle’s been within the playoffs a handful of years in a row now, they’ve gained this division three out of the final 4 years now,” McVay remarked throughout his postgame press convention.

It was powerful to think about a situation the place the Rams did not run into hassle in Seattle or the Seahawks did not no less than maintain the sport shut. This was a type of “massive brother video games” proper? Very fallacious.

The Rams are only a higher group than Seattle proper now. And so they is likely to be the higher group transferring ahead, too. Seattle has to go play the Cowboys in Dallas with Ezekiel Elliott coming again earlier than taking part in host to Arizona in Week 17. 9 wins is just not going to get you within the playoffs. The Rams get Tennessee and San Francisco. They could win 12 video games and, with numerous assist from Minnesota and Chicago, might steal a bye. That possible will not occur, however they will be internet hosting a playoff sport come January 2018.

With Goff, Gurley, Robert Woods, Aaron Donald and a bunch of younger expertise in addition to an impressive teaching employees in place, this won’t be the final time we see them on this place over the following few years.

Seven layers of madness

Good luck matching Patriots-Steelers on the subject of late-game drama. We knew it might be an important sport however it in some way managed to exceed even the very best ranges of hype, and the soccer gods doubled down by a completely bananas ending. The ultimate two minutes of this sport had, effectively, all the things.

The Patriots had struggled a bit on offense within the first half however began to come back alive after the break. The choice to feed Rob Gronkowski was a giant cause why — the tight finish was a power on their last drive, racking up 69 receiving yards, transferring the Patriots down the sphere on the velocity of sunshine after which drawing single protection on the 2-point conversion play to place the Pats up by three factors (bettors with New England minus-2.5, rejoice). 

Pittsburgh answered instantly, with Ben Roethlisberger hitting JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 69-yard catch-and-run that put them within the crimson zone with a first-and-goal. On the following play, Roethlisberger would discover tight finish Jesse James over the center for a landing that will … OH NO THAT’S THE CATCH RULE’S MUSIC.

This may be dominated an incomplete go due to Rule eight, Part 1, Article Three, Merchandise 1 within the NFL rulebook, and, frankly, it isn’t fallacious. This is the total rule: 

Merchandise 1. Participant Going to the Floor. A participant is taken into account to be going to the bottom if he doesn’t stay upright lengthy sufficient to display that he’s clearly a runner. If a participant goes to the bottom within the act of catching a go (with or with out contact by an opponent), he should preserve management of the ball till after his preliminary contact with the bottom, whether or not within the discipline of play or the tip zone. If he loses management of the ball, and the ball touches the bottom earlier than he regains management, the go is incomplete. If he regains management previous to the ball touching the bottom, the go is full.

James clearly misplaced management of the ball and the ball clearly touched the bottom. Any argument within the Steelers’ favor — Pete Prisco tried to argue on the Choose Six Podcast Sunday recap that the ball was rolling on his proper hand and he by no means misplaced management, however it was clearly transferring — is one born out of a hatred for the rule itself, not the interpretation.

And that’s wonderful. The rule is silly. James caught a go and reached over the purpose line with the ball. He crossed the aircraft in a state of affairs the place he was not in the long run zone when he caught the ball. It is dumb to determine your self as a runner in a state of affairs the place you’re required to run/transfer/leap/bounce/fall towards the tip zone in an effort to rating. If you happen to’re outdoors the tip zone and also you catch the ball, and then you definitely put the ball over the aircraft of the purpose line, it needs to be a landing. 

Moreover, having to “survive the bottom” is simply foolish. You are asking soccer gamers to attempt to not rating. Plus, the thought of slowing issues right down to a crawl after which figuring out whether or not a ball was rolling on a finger feels extra fallacious than it does proper at this stage of using replay.

“You realize, I haven’t got HD and all of that stuff. So it is actually irrelevant how I really feel about it to be trustworthy with you,” Mike Tomlin stated after the sport in his press convention. “It isn’t going to alter the end result of the sport. I am not going to cry over spilt milk and all of that crap and speak about replay. I ain’t doing it.” 

However no matter, that is what the rule is. And as such, the Steelers didn’t rating, the go was incomplete. 

After a whole go on the following play that stayed in-bounds, there was a serious situation with Roethlisberger’s communication with the sideline. Ben stated he was planning to clock the ball, however then stated offensive coordinator Todd Haley informed him in his headset to run a play. The end result was a mangled faux spike slant that led to a Patriots game-winning interception.

You do not need to run a faux spike towards the Patriots.

“It was one thing we labored on from the start of the season. In April, we’re at all times speaking about that as a result of Tom does it and all the nice quarterbacks do it,” Devin McCourty informed Scott Van Pelt on ESPN after the sport. “So you may see us scrambling to get set and ensure we have been in a position to play the play.”

CBS Sports activities NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported that Roethlisberger had a pair of performs known as and easily determined to run what he ran.

Large Ben had 2 performs known as to select from on what turned out to be last Steelers play. Resolution to fake-spike and throw was his

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 18, 2017

So, on a day during which the catch rule might need modified the course of the AFC postseason chase, all the things modified for the Steelers. Antonio Brown suffered an harm that would put his postseason in danger, and we’d have this loss create some drama between the quarterback and offensive coordinator. 

Pittsburgh’s most likely going to earn a bye regardless of the loss, as a result of they have the Texans and Browns to shut. Do not sleep on a Steelers hangover creating a problem in Houston subsequent week for a group that’s unafraid to put an egg towards a nasty group on the street. 

Paper tiger

Simply if you assume you’ve got seen all the things within the NFL, you understand you’ve got by no means seen Gene Steratore — the man who known as the “Dez Caught It” playoff sport between the Packers and Cowboys — hand Dallas a primary down by pulling out a bit of paper on a first-down measurement state of affairs.

The Cowboys went for it on fourth-and-inches and snuck Dak Prescott. As a result of the NFL is tremendous exact in the best way it handles measurements, a few outdated guys holding a series and two sticks ran onto the sphere and positioned stated chain and sticks close to the soccer. 

Steratore could not decide instantly if the ball certified for a primary down so … he pulled out a bit of paper? 

It was a really weird scene throughout.

Many, many questions right here. 

To begin with, would not the paper becoming between the ball and the marker imply it was not a primary down? Why on earth would you fold the paper, when folding the paper creates more room and subsequently makes it simpler to rule a primary down? WHY WOULD YOU USE PAPER IN THE FIRST PLACE? 

In response to Steratore after the sport, he didn’t use the paper to substantiate the primary down.

“Did not use the cardboard to make the ultimate choice,” Steratore stated, through a pool report from the sport. “The ultimate choice was made visually. The cardboard was used nothing greater than a reaffirmation of what was visually achieved. My choice was visually achieved primarily based on the seems from the pole.”

Requested repeatedly about his choice to make use of the cardboard and why he did what he did, Steratore would solely say the cardboard had nothing to do with the choice and that it was clearly a primary down. 

Possibly he was utilizing the cardboard as a strategy to measure whether or not the 2 issues have been evenly lined up? That also would not account for why you’ll function with a folded piece of paper. 

As Jack Del Rio famous after the sport, if there may be air in between the stick and the ball, how on earth is it a primary down? The largest situation is that the NFL is a billion-dollar trade and it has outfitted its referees with items of paper to find out game-changing — and season-altering — performs on a nationwide tv stage. There must be a greater means. 

Killing the dream

The return of Aaron Rodgers was purported to be the Packers’ launch pad for a playoff run. However as a substitute, Inexperienced Bay might simply be sitting at house when the postseason rolls round, and you’ll simply blame it on the return of Rodgers being too early. Whereas he regarded like he might flip into pre-injury Rodgers at instances, he was undoubtedly rusty for lengthy stretches, resulting in the one-time MVP struggling three interceptions.

Rodgers had the ball down seven factors within the fourth quarter with loads of time left on the clock, however credit score the Panthers for a formidable defensive effort that most likely quashed the Packers’ playoff hopes whereas concurrently boosting Carolina’s NFC South odds. If Carolina wins out, together with towards the Falcons in Week 17, and Atlanta can beat New Orleans subsequent week, the Panthers will come away with a division crown and a house playoff sport.

They seem to be a group that will be scary to see on the opposite aspect; Cam Newton is heating up, and Greg Olsen’s return makes the Carolina offense solely that rather more harmful. Olsen topped the 100-yard mark and scored a landing, though he didn’t do an important job of breaking down a weird second that featured a landing for Damiere Byrd.

Will probably be referred to as the Butt Down. Or one thing, as a result of Byrd — who caught the ball, obtained ft in, then bobbled the ball, then landed on his rear finish — was actually dominated in by a single cheek.

No, actually. They dominated that he obtained a cheek down, which equated to his complete physique.

By way of pool report, a part of referee Craig Wrolstad’s rationalization of the Damiere Byrd TD: “His rear finish hit inbounds. Only a small a part of his rear finish must be inbounds for it to be thought of inbounds.”

— Invoice Voth (@PanthersBill) December 17, 2017

Olsen was really irate bout the problem when it occurred.

However most likely thrilled to be fallacious. The entire thing was fairly freaking absurd.

It wasn’t the one viral second on this sport, both. Cam Newton had an unbelievable second the place he known as out Clay Matthews. The Packers linebacker sprinted as much as the road and began yelling concerning the Panthers working a wheel route. Newton responded by yelling, “Oh you watched movie … watch this,” and throwing a landing go. 

Misplaced on this silliness was Christian McCaffrey having his greatest sport from a scrimmage-yards perspective. He hasn’t hit any large house runs but this season, however he has actually turn out to be a steadying presence on the offensive aspect of the ball. Carolina’s obtained a stout protection and an offense that’s beginning to click on. I am telling you, they’re harmful.

Actually, too. Linebacker Thomas Davis, who little question felt unhealthy about the best way he hit Davante Adams — Davis was seen on the Panthers’ sideline together with his head in his arms — most likely deserved an ejection for what will be described solely as a grimy play on this sport. 

Davis, a former Walter Payton Man of the Yr, is just not a grimy participant. He is a great particular person and an important soccer participant. However this was a grimy hit.

The refs flagged him for it, however you must begin questioning concerning the league not handing out punishments for guys who lay into gamers in a state of affairs the place the results may very well be severe.

“I feel it was an pointless hit. Sadly, throw a greater ball and the state of affairs would not occur,” Rodgers stated after the sport. “He is a repeat offender, so I am certain the league will cope with him in response to that.”

Possibly Davis will get suspended. Possibly not. The league hasn’t proven any actual consistency on the subject of meting out self-discipline for stuff like this. However the situation with the league not stepping in and ejecting guys on harmful helmet-to-helmet, concussion-causing hits is an issue that doesn’t look like going away.

Celebration of the Week

There is a dude in my neighborhood who’s at all times power-walking round. Rain or shine. Could not not consider him when the Packers busted this out.

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