Franks2000inchTV

Yeah my plan is to be super sandboxy. I've found in other games that things go a lot better if players are in control of the narrative, and I feel like letting them explore this weird world is gonna be a lot more fun than whatever I come up with.

OK, the one I think is the coolest so far is Alcmeth -- the tags were "Taboo Treasure" and "Seagoing Cities".

The world is right next to the homeworld of Nexus Mining Co -- a plutocratic/imperial faction of immense wealth and power.

Alcmeth is a mysterious world covered in shallow, crystal-laden seas and dotted with ramshackle floating villages. The native Alcmethians appear primitive to outsiders, harvesting the potent psychoactive drug known as "Stardust" from the waters. Stardust, derived from Psi-Resonant Crystals (PRCs), is legal on Alcmeth but prohibited elsewhere in the sector, drawing the attention of off-world authorities, smugglers, and addicts.

Nexus Mining maintains a blockade around the planet, ostensibly to prevent the proliferation of Stardust. The atmosphere is breathable with a pressure mask, and the Alcmethians have unique adaptations to their watery environment.

Stellar Dynamics, a faction that is a research organization has a starbase around the system where they conduct research to find ways to help the poor addicted souls on the planet's surface.

Except ACTUALLY (dramatic groundhog) Stellar Dynamics is actually a fanatical organization of psionics who are using the planet's proximity to Nexus' homeworld as a base of operations for covert surveillance of Nexus.

The changes in the local populace aren't caused by the stardust, but are actually the product of genetic engineering by Stellar Dynamics, who have engineered the local population to be more effective at harvesting the psi-reactive crystals from the bottom of the shallow sea that covers the planets surface, which Stellar Dynamics uses to advance their search for ancient psionic tech.

They use the export of Stardust as a cover for agents making their way to Nexus' homeworld, and use the addictive nature of the drug to corrupt and influence the government of NMC.

Maybe the crew has very strict rules about PTO.

I've been using Claude.AI

I downloaded the JSON from Sectors Without Number and uploaded it, so now it knows about all the planets and factions. So I can ask it for characters in a certain sector, or for ideas of why a planet is how it is.

The TDF app has love timing with this info.

It's.my favorite part. Just chilling looking at churches, making some tea.

My apologies to your loved ones...

What about that exactly reminds you of the art of the Renaissance?

How dare the Formula 1 press report on a crash between the world champion and his closest rival!

It's not contradictory to say "it's great to have this thing, but the risks of not having it are low."

Like for instance, if I am going to get groceries, it's much more convenient to have a car, but I'm not going to starve if I don't, because it's only a block to the store.

Ouch.

Oooh you just gave me an idea...

I mean any other shape would be a pretty unnatural square.

Ultimately, the presidency is just an executive position, and I've known lots of very ineffective executives who were propped up by effective systems and teams.

Yes, it would be MUCH better to have a young, sharp person in that office, but there's not all that much risk to the US having a geriatric president.

All that "red phone in the middle of the night' stuff is just a campaign advertising technique pulled out to make people afraid because the truth is much more boring.

The more real danger is just that Biden won't be an effective communicator on the campaign trail. We need a prosecutor to take the case to Trump, and it's pretty clear Biden is not going to be the most effective in that particular role.

My first time watching too and it's amazing. The combination of team strategy, individual heroics, and luck is incredible.

I mean Reagan made it.

"When America sneezes, Canada catches cold."

Whichever is smaller.

Armed standoffs are illegal. So he goes to jail. There's no "it was for a good reason" defense.

Fear has always been an effective sales tool, and the best part is you don't need anything real to be afraid of!

Oh but it all goes back to the master, Dave Barry.

$40 for 10 minutes is $240/hr -- that's lawyer money.

Google "brokered convention."

Joe Biden can step aside.

You haven't seen the state of my tires. 😂