October is going to be a very busy month for gaming... And I'm here for it!

"The paths divide the players from the rules. But we're the ones who chose to plaaaaaaaay...

...the game."

Agreed. I find Bing chat is really good when I know almost nothing about what I'm searching, or when I know a whole lot about what I'm searching. Like in your example, if I know exactly what I need but can't remember its name Bing will read all the spammy beginners' guides for me and get the answer. And on the opposite end, if I'm looking to buy a gift in a hobby I don't remotely understand Bing does a pretty good job of holding my hand through the search process.

Weirdly, medium knowledge questions seem to still do better as a basic Google search. If I need to fix an appliance I've fixed before, but it's been a long time so I really need a full walkthrough, the first few results on Google are faster than waiting for Bing to talk through it.

I try to ask myself what the motivation of the FOMO is. Does it come from me, or is the platform/game/whatever designed to make me feel that way?

If it's coming from the design of the thing, and I notice that design, that can immediately change my attitude toward it. It's not "I want to play one more game" anymore, it's "this game is pressuring me to play one more game." Does the game have my best interests at heart? Am I comfortable with being pressured by this game? I find those questions really reframe the FOMO and help me step back from it.

If the FOMO is actually coming from me, now it's a question of priorities. If I'm spending time watching one more video on this platform, there's something else I'm not going to get to. So the question for myself is "out of all the things I can be doing right now, is this the thing I want to do most?" Sometimes the answer is yes! I might take want to catch up on the latest news if I haven't checked in today. But if I've been doomscrolling for hours, the answer is probably no. And framing that as a choice between a bunch of activities instead of the simple FOMO choice of one more click makes that easier to see.

I've heard some really good things about that one!

I'm just using the mobile website. It works and it doesn't pester me to use something else, which is really refreshing!

I really liked Broken Age's interface, but that game is pretty in every aspect. A simple collapsible inventory and conversation options that will just use the item you're talking about without additional clicks. Lets you focus on puzzles, story, and art.

Plan 9 From Outer Space redefined bad movies for me. It's inexcusably bad. Many bad movies are really just doing the best they can with the skills of the cast and crew. But the filmmakers of Plan 9 From Outer Space just keep making decisions that are so much worse than they have to be. It's amazing to watch.

I tend to run long term games in crunchy systems that require a fair amount of build time to make a good characters, so I don't think this would work well at my table as-is. But there are some really neat ideas in this process I might find useful!

I already start my games with a similar "here's the first scene" prompt: during Session Zero I'll tell the players what the opening scene will be, and I ask them to tell me why their characters showed up to that situation. Just like in your "make it up live" technique, it works really great to make sure you get characters who actually fit in with the game.

I like the approach you take to asking (sometimes leading) questions about the character concept, and I may keep those in mind for the next time I start a new game. Usually my group does very independent character generation, but that back-and-forth at the concept stage could be really useful.

I'm also fond of those mini-scenes with a few of the characters in the past, though that's harder to fit in my high investment types of games. Though I did once convince half my Shadowrun group to include my character somewhere in their backstories, so it can be done!

I'm not really interested in most microtransactions, but I don't mind battle passes in games I intend to spend a lot of time playing. It gives me something to do in game that feels rewarding, helps make the seasons feel different, and throws a couple of bucks at something I enjoy doing to keep that thing being made. And unlike a subscription fee I can buy in or avoid it season by season without any cancellation drama.

This is going way back, but the 7th Guest soundtrack had lived in my head since the first time I saw the game. Really great atmosphere, equal parts creepy and playful, perfect mood for a haunted mansion filled with puzzles.

Hello, all!