
On the other hand, gold coins are shiny and make a fun jingling sound when you have lots of them.
– Shamus, Monday Sep 18, 2006
Continue reading 〉〉 “DM of the Rings Remaster: Lootless”
The last time we checked in on the Smith family, Jimbo had taken over the family home despite it not belonging to him. He smoked, and had ill-kept cats, and allowed the place to be covered in tar, dust, mildew, and cat pee. Eventually, he began just leaving the back door open a crack so his animals could come and go as they pleased. This led to him getting more and more pets, as the smell of cat food drew in more felines; along with the occasional raccoon. The population boomed with the family home as the epicenter. To him, a lonely old man this meant he usually had someone to watch the news with in his old recliner. To the neighborhood, it meant bird populations plummeted and cat fights were constant. The local trap-neuter-return program couldn’t keep up and the area became known for its strays.
In 1990, where we left off, Jimbo was 70. We’re going to jump forward in decades now, rather than twenty years at a time, since things are going to pick up a bit for a while. Bringing us, finally, to the year 2000. Jimbo didn’t care much about Y2K, but he did pull his money out of the bank just in case. He’s 80 now, living in a house that isn’t his and mostly trying to slip under the radar with his family.
Continue reading 〉〉 “Sims 4 Overthinking: Not with a Bang”
Well, there comes a time in nearly every young adult’s life when the dentist looks at them and says ‘time to get those wisdom teeth out’. Most of the time this is said once, and then they do it, and you have fewer teeth, yay(?) I get that there are all sorts of reasons humans have evolved this stupid extra medical cost, but I get mad all over again every time I remember. It’s like your appendix, I know it logically has or used to have a purpose, but as far as doctors can tell that thing just sometimes self-destructs and kills you for no goddamn reason.
That aside, dentists have been basically pleading with me to get out these bonus teeth for years. The first time a dentist told me I needed them out, I was 18. This guy handed me a piece of paper face-down halfway through our consultation. The expression he held in that moment told me the paper was either informing me I had months to live, or how much the procedure would cost. Unfortunately, it was the latter. $6000, out-of-pocket, barring complications and extra expenses.
I looked at the number, and at him, and said ‘Oh yeah, I’ll talk to my in-laws about arrangements and make an appointment’. I’m pretty sure he knew I was lying since he was a dentist and it was straight through my teeth. Sort of his field.
Continue reading 〉〉 “30 Teeth and Less on the Way!”

I’ve mentioned before how I’ve had trouble with coaxing players to rest. You have to watch these guys: They will do everything they can to escape the finely crafted rails you’ve put them on.
– Shamus, Wednesday Sep 13, 2006
Continue reading 〉〉 “DM of the Rings Remaster: Uphill Battle”
Last week, Jimbo, the youngest son of the Smith family, redid the entire house. He outfitted the place with cutting-edge designs like animal print carpets and wood panel walls. His reasoning was that it would ultimately up the property value, and give his mom an excellent place to spend her advancing years. Obviously, from his work, he ended up blinded by what turned out to be a vanity project along the way. His sister ended up taking up the housework he was supposed to do, and his mother ended up resenting his help more than appreciating it. It’s tricky, disliking something that someone is doing to help you. On the one hand, they’re putting in time and resources, on the other, she didn’t ask for it.
Jumping forward another 20 years, we’re in 1990. Mrs. Smith is gone. She was moved into hospice care in her nineties and expected not to last a month. Jimbo was left housesitting while Mom was in the home, and all the kids visited frequently knowing they didn’t have long with her. Much to their, and the nurses’ surprise, she lived another five years. She got to meet her first great-grandbaby, spite a doctor she really hated, and see New Coke fail before she died. She went happy, and a little glad she didn’t have to go in her newfangled decorated house.
Continue reading 〉〉 “Sims 4 Overthinking: Legal Issues”

I think I’ll post these M-W-F until I get tired of them.
– Shamus, Monday Sep 11, 2006
Continue reading 〉〉 “DM of the Rings Remaster: Small Town Blues”
This is why shopping for graphics cards is so stupid and miserable.
How did this niche racing game make a gameworld so massive, and why is that a big deal?
From the company that brought us Fallout 76 comes a storefront / Steam competitor. It's a work of perfect awfulness. This is a monument to un-usability and anti-features.
An interesting but technically dense talk about gaming technology. I translate it for the non-coders.
C++ is a wonderful language for making horrible code.
Both a celebration and an evisceration of tabletop roleplaying games, by twisting the Lord of the Rings films into a D&D game.
The true story of three strange days in 1989, when the last months of my adolescence ran out and the first few sparks of adulthood appeared.
Who is this imbecile and why is he wandering around Europe unsupervised?
A videogame that judges its audience, criticizes its genre, and hates its premise. How did this thing get made?
Ever wondered what's in all those quest boxes you've never bothered to read? Get ready: They're more insane than you might expect.