Makes sense if there's one nation that dominates economically and/or diplomatically. Like English today, IRL.

Though, if one group does not have such a strong influence, you'd probably end up with something like the "Lingua Franca," a mix of multiple languages spoken by the most relevant nations (IRL, in Renaissance Western Europe that was a mix of Italian, Greek, Arabic, Turkish, etc.)

So Common may not be a proper language at all, but instead be a creole/pidgin of all the other big ones. So characters hearing a language they do not speak might still catch words here and there allowing them to decipher the gist of what was said. Also, Common would most likely be spoken in more metropolitan areas. A backwoods farming town may only really speak their native tongue, save for the mayor or merchants.

"Merge finances" aka combine the family jewels.

This assumes anything would evolve in such an inhospitable environment. If it's cold and oxygen is thin, it'd likely be as barren as mountain tops.

I'd suspect they would perhaps be a popular place for large flying creatures who might like to make nests there in safety and use them as resting locations during long migrations

They'd probably also attract humans and their ilk who wish to capitalize on the islands' natural defenses as well. Though this would obviously come at a cost of seclusion. Goods would be difficult to transport and would probably cost more than in a city on the surface.

I'd imagine they might still find settling up there worthwhile to mine whatever unique materials these islands hold. Perhaps the islands are composed of rare magical minerals that cause them to float. Minerals that would probably fetch a high price.

Just don't connect smart TVs to the internet. Get something cheap like a raspberry pi + wireless mouse/keyboard or an android TV box for the same functionality. (More functionality, actually)

I got one as a gift. So dumb. Just what a I need in mug: IoT and a charger! /s Plus, I can just microwave a normal mug to heat it back up, but not this. And forget about the dishwasher.

...except now that I've used it. It's pretty fucking nice not having to go over to the microwave when I inevitably forget about my drink. And if I use the charger as a coaster. That battery is always topped up. So, I understand its appeal.

Tl;dr: It's dumb, but it's also actually quite nice. I certainly wouldn't buy myself one, but I enjoy using mine.

My '21 Malibu had it out of the box. I can't speak for Car Play, but wireless Android Auto is 95% flawless. There's that 5% where I get in and the phone won't connect automatically. But I think it's an issue on the phone side. I have to unlock the phone then it kicks in.

I don't really get to play much these days. But I'm currently reading Fléaux! to help me flesh out the Black Sword Hack campaign I'm planning.

I'd like to add the OGL they were pushing would have effectively allowed them to steal homebrew and 3rd party content. They'd reserve the right to resell this content as their own or make it disappear altogether.

This would include supplements and adventures, of course, but the way it was worded, it would even include blogs and YouTube videos, etc.

Of course this isn't a unique situation (Meta has done this forever, for example)

As a general rule, at least in my experience, players don't read. Unless they request a pdf, I wouldn't bother.

Personally, I would bring it up in Session 0 without getting too specific, just the big changes you plan to impose. Then warning players if they make character build choices that would be impacted that you're not going to use RAW.

I suppose I see it as a flaw because it generally goes underutilized. It's a cool mechanic, but only 1/3rd of it gets any regular use.

Thanks, you make some good points.

Upon reflection, I do tend to approach the game with more combat than it's designed for as my players love combat. And the general lack of dex and wil/cha attacks from sample foes in the various games just exacerbates the issue for me.

I like the Wil damage from casting spells in Mausritter. (If I remember correctly, Into the Dungeon: Revived does it as well.) It makes casting more high-stakes, which is something I love in a game. To me, magic should be scary, even to the one weilding it.

Ooou, how are you liking BSH? I finally received my copy and I've been itching to try it.

On paper, it seems to hit my subjective nail on the head for heroic, yet still mortal characters. Also the magic systems are really neat. I love how uncontrollable they seem. Magic should be scary, even for the wielder.

I have doubts about the perks, though.. There aren't that many, and I'm concerned about characters feeling very samey by top level.