Unpopular opinions go here

[Dannyalcatraz]

Makes as much sense as beaver tail being 'fish' for Lenten dietary purposes.

THAT was originally a directive to a limited population for a limited time to stave off malnutrition issues. Religious leaders of various kinds have done similar things in the past. Some rabbis in the 1930s-40s advised their people to eat pork to avoid starvation when it was all they could get.

As I recall, you’ll find similar dispensations for whale & seal.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

THAT was a directive to a limited population for a limited time to stave off malnutrition issues. Religious leaders of various kinds have done similar things in the past. Some rabbis in the 1930s-40s advised their people to eat pork to avoid starvation when it was all they could get.

Necessity is the mother of leniency.
-Members of the Donner Party, probably.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Necessity is the mother of leniency.
-Members of the Donner Party, probably.

 

[Aldarc]

Comparing the cuisines of two Germanic countries is kind of cheating, but even then, Austrians still eat a lot more Hungarian-derived dishes than Germans do. A more fair comparison would be to look at a month of meals that a French person eats at home versus a month of what a German eats at home. They will be clearly different.

You mean like comparing the cuisines within a single country like the United States? It's hardly cheating to compare culinary traditions between regions of German-speaking areas to culinary traditions within the regions of the United States. There will be cultural variation influenced by neighboring regions, such as Hungarian-cuisine around Austria or Mexican-cuisine around Texas. But you will also see a lot of American-influenced food here as well as things like Asion-Fusion sushi, Vietnamese, Italian, Arab, Turkish, Persian, Greek, and many other restaurants that aren't just regional cuisine. I don't think that the narrative that you are pushing cuts the mustard when evenly and fairly applied to the culinary traditions between regions of the United States.

 

[Guest 7042500]

Beaver is fish for Lenten purposes.

So during Lent, medieval monks could eat all the beaver they wanted.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It's hardly cheating to compare culinary traditions between regions of German-speaking areas to culinary traditions within the regions of the United States.

Well, if you're trying to sincerely address this, rather than get internet points, yes, it is.

I mean, no kidding, two countries with lots of historical and cultural overlap eat dinner in similar fashions. Yes, very true. I will alert the Nobel committee on your behalf.

Likewise, it's not a gotcha to say "ah ha, we have pizza for sale in our country, too."

That's why I keep trying to say look at a month of home cooking. Do you genuinely think that what the average Austrian is eating at home over the course of a month is the same as what an average Spaniard is eating?

In any case, I'm not willing to die on this hill. Either I'm explaining myself very poorly, or people have a weird vested interest in not agreeing with me on this issue. May Ronald McDonald have mercy on all your souls.

 

[overgeeked]

That's why I keep trying to say look at a month of home cooking. Do you genuinely think that what the average Austrian is eating at home over the course of a month is the same as what an average Spaniard is eating?

Okay. Let's look at a month of home cooking. Show me the data you're looking at to draw this conclusion.

Either I'm explaining myself very poorly, or people have a weird vested interest in not agreeing with me on this issue.

Or you're explaining yourself well, but you're just wrong so people are disagreeing with you. No vested interest involved.

 

[Aldarc]

Well, if you're trying to sincerely address this, rather than get internet points, yes, it is.

I genuinely and sincerely feel that you were trying to win rather admitting that you were wrong because your argument feels disingenuous to me, in particular because of how it engages in what feels like special pleading. Claiming that I must be cheating here in my argument is likewise needlessly insulting.

I mean, no kidding, two countries with lots of historical and cultural overlap eat dinner in similar fashions. Yes, very true. I will alert the Nobel committee on your behalf.

Likewise, it's not a gotcha to say "ah ha, we have pizza for sale in our country, too."

You are getting uncharacteristically snarky. But this is my point. There is also culinary overlap between countries and regions in Europe, much as there is in the United States.

That's why I keep trying to say look at a month of home cooking. Do you genuinely think that what the average Austrian is eating at home over the course of a month is the same as what an average Spaniard is eating?

Based on my experiences and that of my fellow Southern expats, I do believe that your average Southerner in the United States does eat different things at home than the average New Englander or Californian.

In any case, I'm not willing to die on this hill. Either I'm explaining myself very poorly, or people have a weird vested interest in not agreeing with me on this issue. May Ronald McDonald have mercy on all your souls.

This is a false dichotomy as you are excluding the possibility that you are wrong or that people have divergent experiences from yours.

 

[overgeeked]

Very unpopular opinion. If you could streamline D&D 4E combat to be as quick as 5E's combat, or quicker, and revise the skill challenge system to be looser and more manageable, it would be just about my ideal expression of D&D as a game system. Just pile on optional rules to mod it so you could also get gritty OSR-style play and port in all the fantastic lore and settings from over the years and it would be perfect.

 

[Amrûnril]

A la carte multiclassing is a great tool for allowing players to choose abilities that facilitate a specific character concept (or to dynamically respond to what's happening in the game). Restrictions against level unevenness have no thematic merit and create more balance issues than they solve.

Classes should not have predefined primary ability scores, nor should single attribute dependence be possible to anything approaching the extent seen in 5e D&D.

2 axis alignment is a useful tool for describing and discussing character motivations and ethics.

Phandelver is a poor introduction to the game, in that it teaches players and DMs not to expect intelligent opponents to be played intelligently (a band of goblins defending their home base would slaughter a 1st level party if played intelligently).