While I’m no fan of gaming via telepresence- never tried it, TBH- I think those platforms sound pretty reasonable.
D&D and the rising pandemic
DMing for my 11yo's friends there have been... some... concerns. So I started having them roll on Roll Dice With Friends I think the question mark in the group has gotten better with the temptation.
Ryujin
Legend
Things have come a long way since apps like OpenRPG, in which rolls had to be manually made up, and such. I ran a few sessions (D20 Modern) via that way back when, using a home made server with TeamSpeak, as the host. From my end it was a bit of a nightmare doing prep. Manual creation and scaling of maps, making text docs to copy/paste attack and skill rolls from for NPCs, and the like.
I've been a player in a Roll20 D&D 5e campaign (Curse of Strahd) and a Fantasy Grounds Pathfinder 1e campaign (Way of the Wicked). The materials for both were available in the applications, so not much extra work was needed. There's even a deal between Smiteworks (the creator of Fantasy Grounds) and Drive ThruRPG that if you buy the physical product and it's available in FG, you get something like 50% off the electronic version for use in that. I believe the opposite is also true.
I haven't used either as a DM yet but, given how much I enjoyed using FG, I went in on their Kickstarter for the Unity Engine based version, with an "Ultimate" license (allows hosting of other non licensees at no charge, ability to save data, etc.). Might do the same sort of thing with Roll20, if I'm ever in a position to be running again.
Like I said, the tools are far better now. Also, specifically because of Covid-19, the tools for online group chat are much more accessible now. More people have cameras/mics/headsets. You can play like you're practically in the same room, barring internet outages.
Sure. I think my point still stands that the platform isn't the thing that causes distrust.
Whether there's good reasons to play in that state is a separate, case-by-case question.
A little more on the IP waivers.
www.yahoo.com
Moderna's CEO said he 'didn't lose a minute of sleep' over the US support for waiving patents for COVID-19 vaccines
Pharmaceutical companies usually guard their intellectual property closely. But Stéphane Bancel said a waiver wouldn't affect the company financially.
A little more on the IP waivers.
Moderna's CEO said he 'didn't lose a minute of sleep' over the US support for waiving patents for COVID-19 vaccines
Pharmaceutical companies usually guard their intellectual property closely. But Stéphane Bancel said a waiver wouldn't affect the company financially.
Yeah, the limitations on making the stuff are not unexpected. I can see why Moderna would be unconcerned.
So, new guidance from the CDC, that folks who are vaccinated can for the most part go about their business unmasked, indoors and outdoors, with a small number of caveats.
And it looks like this guidance has given many people a yawning pit of fear in their guts. We think, "But... as a practical manner that means people who are not vaccinated can lie about it, and go unmasked! They'll spread the disease! We're hosed!"
Any time news gives you that yawning pit of fear, is the moment you should stop, breathe, and think.
Consider: Think about the kind of yob who would lie so they could go without a mask. This person... is a shmuck. These aren't people who have dutifully and effectively followed mask protocols so far, are they? No. They are people who have already been ignoring masking every chance they can get. They are the ones already spreading the disease, aren't they?
That would mean that this guidance really doesn't add appreciable risk. The number of folks who won't get vaccinated, but who do and will dutifully follow masking guidance is probably very small, and those would be the only added new risk.
And it looks like this guidance has given many people a yawning pit of fear in their guts. We think, "But... as a practical manner that means people who are not vaccinated can lie about it, and go unmasked! They'll spread the disease! We're hosed!"
Any time news gives you that yawning pit of fear, is the moment you should stop, breathe, and think.
Consider: Think about the kind of yob who would lie so they could go without a mask. This person... is a shmuck. These aren't people who have dutifully and effectively followed mask protocols so far, are they? No. They are people who have already been ignoring masking every chance they can get. They are the ones already spreading the disease, aren't they?
That would mean that this guidance really doesn't add appreciable risk. The number of folks who won't get vaccinated, but who do and will dutifully follow masking guidance is probably very small, and those would be the only added new risk.
Still gonna mask up for a while. Leading by example; keeping my paranoid Mom at ease. Etc.
The problem is that before, if you were wearing a mask, and the infectious yob was also required to wear a mask, it was incredibly unlikely you would get it from them after an encounter. But now, you might still be wearing a mask, but the infectious yob won't be, so your protection is lessened just that little bit. And if you choose to listen to CDC's guidance and go out without a mask yourself, and encounter the equally maskless yob, you might find out you're one of the unlucky folks whose vaccination wasn't good enough.
Plus, anything that encourages the continued spread of the disease ups the chances of a new strain being bred that can get around the current vaccine.
Not really seeing the upside of this CDC guidance. We should all be wearing masks until community spread is no longer a danger.
That hasn't changed. If fully vaccinated, you are incredibly unlikely to get it from them after the encounter. If you do get it, it is even more unlikely that you'll end up in the hospital. And it is unlikely that you'll spread it to anyone else. Doubly so if they are also vaccinated.
Basically, what this is telling us is that, except in the most crowded enclosed placed (like public transit), the protection of vaccine turns out to make the mask superfluous.
And... you figure somehow the CDC has suddenly forgotten how disease works? You figure they didn't account for this before issuing guidance?
So, here's the thing the CDC can do, that us duffers at home cannot - define what "no longer a danger" actually is, and who is actually subject to that risk, and who isn't.
