MadCast: RedJustice

From time to time, you may hear a suggestion to "call your elected officials" about an issue or a problem in your community. Many people are not sure how to go about this, what to say, or what to expect, so I thought I would lay it out here: Firstly, your elected officials provide direct services, and also vote on issues on your behalf. If you need help with something government related (i.e. your application for a business permit seems stuck and no one will help you), you can call and ask for help and they will advocate for you. If you want to see your official vote a certain way on a bill, or introduce legislation about a topic, you can call and let them know. That's what this is about: You have local, state, and federal elected officials. You can find your officials here, or in other similar tools. You can also tweet at, email, write, or fax, or w/e, but if you call, you can expect to leave a voicemail or talk to a person. Either way, here's how it goes: If leaving a voicemail, you will leave your Name, Number, and possibly Address (because people want to make sure they are taking comments from people who actually live in their voting district. Not all districts follow zip code boundaries, for example, so some tools are less accurate, or people just get confused). Then you will say: "I am calling to leave a comment for [ELECTED OFFICIAL] about [TOPIC/HEARING/BILL]." Then you state your opinion, including how you would like to see your official vote on an issue. You can state reasons why, but you don't necessarily have to go into detail or leave a thesis about it. I personally always like to state that I vote in every election, and state that I have voted for that representative in the past if I have. They can see who has voted, though they can't see who you voted for. If you don't vote, your representative still works for you, but your opinion just doesn't hold as much sway in the long run. Then say thank you and hang up. If you reach a person (usually not always), they will generally just take your comment, say thank you, and say they will let the representative know (you will usually not reach the representative directly). Then you can say thank you and hang up. Sometimes they will engage you to ask you more on your opinion or offer insight into the representatives position. Be polite to them, as they deal with a lot of crazy angry people (it's worse than retail), but also be firm on your position if they try to convince you you're wrong/you idea is not feasible/etc. Remind them elected officials work for you. Just because something is hard or different doesn't mean it can't be done. It's literally your official's job to implement things on behalf of citizens. Remember not to ONLY call if you're upset and want to complain to someone. Also call to say thank you and keep up the work when your official is doing what you want to see more of. Generally, people only make negative calls. If you don't call because you're happy with things, you risk your elected official changing course because everyone who calls is demanding they change their stance. If you are consistently happy with a representative and want to help and support them, ask how you can volunteer for their campaign or support their office when you call. They will let you know.

Sign me up for Tuesday. Edit: Tramere for me

Of course- this will be a pretty open evening, since we'll just be learning together.

Are you curious about all of the tabletop talk happening around MadCast? Are you also a little overwhelmed or intimidated at the thought of getting started? During this Introduction to DnD in Roll20, I'll walk you through the most important numbers on a character sheet, and explain what they mean. I'll explain what some of the mysterious abbreviations like "DC" or "AC" or "2d20" mean, and I'll show you how to use the Roll20 DnD interface to do stuff like use a spell, roll a dice, or attack! Then we will go on a short adventure and practice all of the things we've learned. This will be a very short event following Townhall on Monday, June 1. It should take no longer than 2 hours, though people may want to hang around and talk about the adventure or ask questions afterwards. ---------------------------------------- What do I need to do to prepare for this event? Make a free Roll20 Account. That's it! Will there be followup sessions? This event is designed to be self-contained and focused on demystify DnD and Roll20 for you. You are not signing up for this with the expectation of attending any future events or using these characters again. How much will this cover? Just the basics- I've stripped away some aspects such as character backgrounds, and limited some choices (like which spells to take), so that new players won't feel overwhelmed. If you enjoy this and want to play more, you'll have experienced all of the core concepts, but you'll still have a lot more to discover. Do I have to role play? Role playing just means making decisions about what to do. It does not have to include talking in first person or using an accent, thought that can be fun. If you are describing what your character does, you are role playing. And you do have to describe what your character does. So yes. You have to role play. I still feel awkward about role playing... Here's what role playing looks like. I say: "You see a kitten stuck in the tree next to the path you are walking down. A little girl is crying and trying to get the kitten to come down. What do you do?" and you say: "My cleric wants to go help get the kitten down." Then I say: "Okay, how do you want to help get the kitten down?" and you say: "By climbing the tree and carrying the kitten down." or "By climbing on the ranger's shoulders to reach the kitten." That's role playing! It's not going to be awkward unless you role play being awkward. How do I sign up? If you want to reserve a spot, sign up in this thread (if you are an experienced player, mark that, and I will count you as a provisional sign up). Otherwise, it will be first come, first serve with newbie priority following Townhall. I will cap this at 5 players, though anyone else is welcome to silently spectate. Priority: Newbies who signed up in the thread Newbies who join after Townhall, in first-come first-serve order Experienced players who signed up in the thread Experienced players who join after Townhall, in first-come first-serve order Can I join even if I'm not a newbie? Yes, but I'll give priority to people who are new to DnD and/or haven't used Roll20 before. Understand that you are not the target audience for this event, and I have a few expectations for you: Do not jump in to explain something without being called on, and be respectful if I ask you not to get too deep into a concept that won't be relevant for the evening. It's not fun to be overwhelmed, and we want to make sure new players can master the basics before they do a deep dive on anything else. Do not criticize new player decisions or back-seat game. If new players want to phone-a-friend and ask for input, that's fine, but if you keep jumping in to tell someone what they should do without being asked, I will ask you to leave the event. You'll have to use one of the pre-made characters, and I'll ask you to choose from what's left after our new players choose what sounds fun to them. Afterwards, we'll open things up for talking and informal Q&A, and you can share away. Attendee Signup: MadCast: Sotarkadin MadCast: Mike MadCast: Wazap Dramatic Hippie theperuvianjuan Provisional Signup: M3R0VIUS (M3R0 on Discord) ameyeeee MadCast: Icarus

Permissions updated. Congratulations!

[Hubert could be persuaded, but FYI he will style everything he writes to be about himself, and what a fabulous fashionista he is, his clever wit and intellect,the ravishingly romantic figure he cuts, and of course the legendary bravery and heroics he exhibits at every turn.]

Hubert IV of House Starfall languishes against the marble archway of the central window in the Osmund Family Library, fingers trailing through artfully tousled locks as one arm casually drapes over his head, and the other cradles a fragile old tome. Anyone walking through the courtyard outside will be certain to see his striking silhouette and beautiful face, marred only by the exertion of study. Sheets of parchment lay scattered over the windowseat next to him- empty, sadly. Hubert turns another page, sending a faint cloud of dust, and something that smells like burnt chicken feathers wafting from the book. Another day, another disappointment. He has been through nearly every book in the Osmund library, yet a spell for a suitable bed eludes him. It is just then that he catches sight of the strange figure bumbling across the flagstones towards the library entrance. Could it be- new books?

I'm glad you're playing DnD with us again.

And yet we are considering this as potential criteria for maintaining Full Membership?

Sorry, my ear infection is really bad and I don't feel well enough to play right now. T_T

Sign Hubert up! Level 4 wizard.

Well, some good news for your friend who quit his job (Stan and Scooba are right, that's a bad move generally). He is now eligible for pandemic unemployment insurance under the CARES Act. He can read the specific provision here. Additionally, this is backdated to January 27, 2020.

Date of Purchase (Posting): 03/14/2020 Gold Before Purchase: 3016gp 96cp Gold After Purchase: 16 gp 3sp Items purchased: Dappington's Divine Duds (3,000 gold)