u/madjarov42

I started doing this and thought someone else surely must have beat me to it.

I'm creating some badges, ID cards, etc. for my agents. Is there any repository that contains templates of stuff like an FBI ID card with the agent's name and all the other fine print, with accurate colours and layout?

(I know about the resource pack with all the official logos for different real and fictional agencies, I have it and it's great but only part of what I'm looking for.)

Backstory: This girl and I met on Tinder quite a few years ago. She was 19, I was 25. (Don't scroll down, nothing happened.) Conversation was just full blast all the way from the start, no dead air or awkward silences. Within an hour or two, we exchanged numbers and she went straight to video call, which had the same energy. A day or two later, she came over and we just chatted, flirted some more, and played some video games. At some point during that, I kinda realised we don't have much in common because she was much less "mature" than me - obviously - and slightly superficial, and the conversation started to lull. But it was still a lot of fun, we didn't notice the time go by, and I had to rush her home at sunset. We hugged, said good night, and then we didn't talk for 11 years.

Perhaps some added context: I'm just a poor boy. She, it seems to me, is very much not. Also, during this interim, she did come up in conversation with some mutual friends, who kinda seemed to have had negative experiences with her, but I didn't pry further.

Fast forward to last night. Now I'm 36, she's 30. At some this last year we started following each other on Instagram. We're both mostly lurkers. Yesterday, she posts a photo of her feet. I DMed her with a joke, and boom, it was like pressing unpause on an action movie. Full throttle all the way. We caught up a bit, chatted for a few hours, exchanged numbers, talked on the phone until late, and it ended with her kind of inviting me over for cinnamon rolls.

A lot of that conversation involved me talking about some of my interests, which she had previously expressed (both to me and some mutuals) a passing curiosity about, but I'm very much a Tom Segura looking nerd and she's very much a Cara Delevigne type, just absolutely gorgeous. Like, if I saw her and a me-type dude holding hands, I'd go "either that guy's loaded or there's some other answer to this anomaly", and in our case the opposite seems to be true.

Like... This just doesn't make sense. Maybe I have too negative a self-image. I have been in many relationships and had even more sex, with very attractive women over the years - some even better-looking than her. But there was always an explanation. Some wanted to get back at an ex. Some had very similar interests or aligned values. Some were just fun time party girls.

If it seems like I'm being superficial, that's because I don't know this person very well. We've talked for a grand total of maybe ten hours.

I keep thinking things like: What's wrong with her? Why isn't she married with kids already? Why is there nothing bad I can think of about this whole situation?

Am I being too cynical and negative and pessimistic?

This isn't quite worthy of r/rpghorrorstories but I do have a grievance. And yes I know, "talk to your players". But I don't know if that would be an over- or under-reaction, or maybe I'm just the only one who cares about these things.

Context: I'm a professional DM. I currently have one group of 6 players (was 7, one is relocating temporarily). It's been mostly going well for about a year.

But I have a problem with one player. He hasn't done anything particularly bad. There was one occasion where he heavily railroaded two newcomers by dictating what they should do on their turns. I spoke to him afterwards and he acknowledged it and apologised. He's just very childish despite being about 30.

- if someone asks "can I do X", without fail, he responds "I don't know, can you?" followed by a self-satisfied giggle before I can answer the question

- he will interrupt any conversation and stick his phone in someone's face to show them a funny (usually D&D related) video he saw earlier

- he's constantly asking people if they've been watching whatever show he's been watching for the past week, and when they say no, proceeds to explain the plot and why he likes it

- he's married but I'm pretty sure he has a crush on one of the other players (also in a relationship) because she's the most prominent target of his quips. E.g. recently he brought some kind of medicine that works by smell, and he "jokingly" stuck it in her face going "smell this, smell this, it's so nice, trust me" to the point she leaned so far back in her chair that most of her body was off it (which he found very amusing)

- he's always trying to force things to go his way. E.g. Recently about half the party couldn't make it and he didn't want to reschedule (which is what we always do in such situations). So as usual, those who could make it started saying "well if we're only 3 I'd rather reschedule". He starts telling people on the group (a couple of hours before the session would have begun) to bring their partners, friends or relatives so we have enough players for a session. "Jane, tell John to come with you" etc.

- he always forces himself into every interaction. As player will ask something, either I or another player answers, and then he will explain the answer that was just given, or go "yes yes--" and proceed to give the same answer. It's like everyone is an NPC just waiting for him to exercise his dialog options.

- he's made a few... off-colour remarks. One time during the pre-session chit-chat I was complaining about some bad service I'd received earlier from some person. Randomly he butts in with the question "let me guess, this was a black person?" (I didn't respond, I wanted to let the question just sit there for a bit and move on. But then someone else walked in saying hello and ruined the potential awkwardness.)

For these reasons, I just really do not like or respect him as a person. Apart from him, I feel like we have a really great party. I'd happily hang out with or invite over anyone else from our table.

The thing is, I don't know if this is just a "me problem". I've taken the approach of just ignoring his stupid jokes and calls for attention, because any response seems to encourage him more and validate the behaviour. I'm hesitant to speak to any of the other players because if I'm wrong, it would be like I'm trying to create a schism where none exists. I'm also slightly autistic and I don't know how to "read the room". So I'm kind of stuck. I love running RPGs but I hate being in the same room as this person, let alone interacting with him. I'm not exactly rich but I'd be so happy if I could just let him keep his money (about 25 USD/month if you're wondering) and just not have him be part of our group anymore.

I don't know what to do, and whatever it is, I don't know how to go about doing it. Help?

---

UPDATE: Okay, thank you all for your responses. I agree that asking this player to leave is probably the correct answer. I'll talk to him. I do believe that people can change, and often the reason they don't isn't that they're simply "bad" or don't want to, but rather that they don't know what they need to change - or that they need to change anything at all.

Often those who need the most compassion are the ones who seem least deserving of it.

D&D can stimulate self-growth but it shouldn't be at the expense of everyone else's experience.

Hi fellow handlers. I start every new RPG party with a WhatsApp group. How's this for a group description:

>
Greetings agents, this is your Handler. You will soon be issued a code name and dossier.
Do not disclose your true identity to your fellow agents.
Do not use your code name outside this operation.
Do not attempt to contact any authorities, including Delta Green, other than your Handler.
Do not disclose any operational information to a potential friendly before they have been vetted.
Do not leave any evidence of your presence, or the presence of The Unnatural.
Do not interact with The Unnatural except to destroy it.
Use and hone your Tradecraft. Complete the operation as quickly as possible. Prevent the compromise of yourself and your fellow agents and friendlies. If this proves impossible, eliminate without prejudice.
Your operation briefing will follow when the Cell has assembled. Until then, maintain a low profile and be safe.

Also, for my first operation I'm thinking of adapting Dead Letter (I live in Namibia, a former German colony) because I want to write a follow-up Karotechia adventure, set locally (partly as a cool way to expose players to some fascinating history).

Any other advice you could offer? (Context: I've run hundreds of D&D sessions, and some Blades, Fallout, Degenesis, Clocktower.)

Greetings, handlers.

I've just gone and bought the Fanatical pack of basically every main Delta Green PDF, and am now going through the delightful task of sorting all the little extra stuff that came with it. That includes a whole bunch of symbols, seals, logos, and so on. But! Problem! I have no idea what most of these symbols mean. I see a sefirot, two Yellow Signs, but that's about it. Everything is just numbered without meaningful labels. Surely there must be some catalogue of what these things mean?

https://preview.redd.it/n01ck0uues7h1.png?width=798&format=png&auto=webp&s=b8bab9c79e6869046cb533a3fe242c2bbc80ebd4

During a Session Zero for a 5e campaign in Sigil, one of the players chose to be a Warlock. We chose her patron as The Fiend, but I explained (possibly incorrectly) that though this won't change anything mechanically, her patron can't be and actual god, because gods aren't allowed here. So her patron will have to be an entity within Sigil, went straight for the Factions, and she ended up choosing Mercykillers, which meant her patron is now the Factol of the Mercykillers, Alisohn Nilesia. The way I think of this is, Alisohn is like an intermediary between the Patron and the Character, and if e.g. the PC falls out of favour with the faction (though not necessarily her patron), the Factol can just decide to cut off her power.

My first question is: Was that even necessary? I know gods aren't allowed to enter Sigil, but are there acually any restrictions to their influence? If not, wouldn't that mean that Asmodeus can just send his avatar in there to wreak havoc because it's technically not him (and devils looove being "technically correct")?

Would similar logic not also apply to clerics, and perhaps also paladins, maybe rangers, etc.?

It's so much easier to identify AI art and text than to actually have taste in art and literature. The main objective of AI hate isn't to save water, or artists, or jobs. It's to feel morally and intellectually superior. Lazy AI content is bad and basically worthless, yes. But the negative response is so much more extreme than the low quality of the content.

Hating AI simply because it's AI is just low-effort elitism.

I'm not arguing that we should do that. If we could guarantee non-interference, and only use the footage for informational purposes, how is it different from filming wildlife?