Staying Safe from the Virus

[Sorcerous Overlord]

Hi guys. I hope a non-Exalted post is ok with the mods.

How are you all handling the Corona virus? I'm a teacher in Japan so my school was closed early (thankfully I'm still collecting salary). We (the Japanese) aren't panic buying food or anything, but masks and toilet paper are perpetually sold out. I'm lucky enough to have an 18-roll pack for myself.

You guys safe? Missing anything? Have more time to game? I was able to get 2 extra sessions in, so small comfort there.

Anyway, stay safe everyone and take care. I don't want to lose any of you.

[Eric Minton]

I'm working from home. The local supermarket is completely sold out of a variety of specific things, such as bread. I'm using the time saved by not traveling to work and not socializing to try and catch up on Exalted development work.

[Ekorren]

My life hasn't changed much overall apart from me being more mindful and trying to keep people at a distance. Since I work at a medical clinic, I still need to check in for work. Since I don't have a car, I still need to take the bus there. My brother is showing symptoms now, though, so he's quarantined himself with his family.

[TheCountAlucard]

I can’t stay at home. I mean, I’ve been cleared to do so, but I wouldn’t be paid for it, and my finances are not such that I can comfortably sit out a pay period.

So, every night I go in to work and try and keep to myself as much as possible, washing my hands frequently, and shower thoroughly as soon as I get home.

I’d love to stay home, but I can’t.

I’m sure looking forward to Sunday morning’s Exalted session, though; we’re playing over Discord.

[nalak42]

I work on the property I live in, so while maintenance has had a few alterations to how we function as the emergency call up guy my role hasn't changed.

[Sunder the Gold]

I’d love to stay home, but I can’t.

That sucks, man. My condolences.


I live with my extended family, and we're sitting pretty for now. It helps that we planned ahead for emergencies like this, so we already had surplus toilet paper, food, and water bottles.

I get to work from home, my parents are retired and surviving on Dad's pension, and my sister is still sharing custody of her kids with her trustfund-baby ex.

Sis is enjoying the opportunity to cook at home more often, and we're all enjoying the more frequent family meals. I went and picked up chicken dinners for us all from a local favorite fast-food place of mine.

Another time, she cooked a dinner so spicy I couldn't bring myself to sit at the table. The smell alone...

[Tikor]

I've been lucky to be able to stay home with my wife. We're both going a little stir crazy, but neither of us are suffering much otherwise.

I ran a session on Saturday, and one on Friday, both Exalted 3e, both on Discord with an assist from roll20. I tried a full-social one-shot murder mystery, and got some great feedback. I hadn't hammered it into sharp enough shape, but now I know where to strike after the playtest. The other session was running some newbie Solars through their first Wyld Hunt. They were shaking in their boots, but were never in real danger.

A buddy I regularly play boardgames with is down with a very bad flu, but since I live in the states he won't be tested. We have cancelled all of our regular boardgame get-togethers, and moved the roleplaying online. With all the time I have, I'll see what I can do about tabletop simulator or roll20'ing up some boardgames, most likely. After I revise the social one-shot... After I get session prep done for the next session...

Really, I'll still be full of sit-at-the-computer projects even if I spend the next month sitting at my computer. So I expect quarantine to go well.

[JohnDoe244]

Not a mod, but you know there's an off-topic forum, right?

Exalted specific? Dynasty of Dovak is back down to just the two of us. If we get isolated we might increase play frequency, but we're back to shorter sessions. We're trying to blue-book a session with Melody's player, but their wedding has been called off so they have bigger concerns right now.

I'm a prepper, so I needed to grab some long-life milk and I'm going out shortly to get some fresh fruit but otherwise I'm stocked up. Things aren't that bad where I am -- toilet paper is restocked three times a day (it sells out within an hour and folks queue for it), and there's always alternatives on the shelves (Fixadent is sold out, but you can buy Polygrip; no dispersable paracetamol but plenty of Lemsip; no Thick Cut Hovis but plenty of Medium, Toastie and Doorstop). Still lots of empty shelves and not-quite suitable alternatives (I can get Sanex, my brand of moisturizing body wash, for normal skin but not for my Very Dry skin type; I can get mixed beans in tomato sauce but not mixed beans in water or normal harricot beans in tomato sauce). But as I said, I'm a Costco-shopping prepper: I'm still working through my Christmas supplies. The family aren't preppers and I fully expected to have to prop them up, but they've all been shopping sensibly and making-do with what's on the shelf. Neighbours doing fine too. [Edit] That said, just arrived at the shops an hour before they open and they're already queuing round the car park. Maybe no fresh fruit today. Still have plenty of canned goods. [/Edit]

The gas war between Russia and OPMEC has been a god-send. I was anticipating fuel shortages, but this couldn't have been better timed.

Like TheCount, I have to work. My sympathies to everyone else out there, but Alucard has the right of it: minimize contact, frequently clean hands, shower. Remember to change your clothes too.

I don't want to get political about this but you're all in my prayers (substitute "thoughts" or "protection spells" if it makes you feel better). Stay safe Exalted forum.

[The Wizard of Oz]

I was teaching from home last week, but now I have no work. The government said that they will pay people's wages so that they don't get fired, but that's no good if you're on a zero-hours contract anyway. But people on zero hours contracts don't vote Conservative I guess, so...
In the old days I would sign up for unemployment benefits, but these days you don't get any money for a month. I'm hoping my boss can find us more online teaching.
Luckily I am good at saving. I live with my disabled sister, so she's used to being trapped at home.☹️
I can't really complain too much. Could be way worse. I have a lot of friends who work in hospitals or homeless shelters. The hospitals were already manic, underfunded places, now they're way worse. And the homeless shelters have had to close, but of course homeless people still need help, so they're working on the streets all day/night now. Our WhatsApp group is just full of requests for prayer.
Oh, and my friend who works for a travel agency told me half her colleagues were fired. 😧
Hope/pray you all are safe, but also that you're okay financially.

So, I'm fine really, for now, but in a week I'll be bored out of my mind. Going to rejoin an Exalted game I sort of dropped out of; I've played Exalted too much (almost every week for 14 years) and I am burnt out. Last character was boring and unmotivated. Couldn't think of a new one. But I had a dream about an intelligent and cunning bear, a bear wizard. 🐻

In our other Exalted game, I have a character who dislikes and is disliked by the other PCs, who don't want him to do the plot, and who has lost an eye, arm, and 3 toes. Think I'll retire him. I got a book of Egyptian history for my birthday; the game is set in Egypt-land, so hopefully it'll give me an idea.

I might also run some online games for my friends if they're bored, but I play 2 Exalted games and run 1, I'd rather do a different game. I'd like to run Only War maybe. Or DnD. Ran a short Mage game, they enjoyed that.

We have run stuff over Skype, but I want to try some different platforms, because Skype isn't great. I like Discord, but it doesn't have video.
What is the benefit of Roll20?

[Chausse]

I'm doing my thesis from home, it's ok because it's mainly research. Sometimes it's hard to get motivated because you get stuck and you got neither your colleagues nor your (dunno the English word) PhD leader to help you so it can be pretty demotivating when you hit a wall. But overall it's going good.

We did some groceries last weekend so we're kinda all good. But since this is our new apartment with my girlfriend, we don't have a lost stock because we arrived last month, so we are starting to run a bit short on some things. It should be good because the nearby supermarket seems to have enough stocks, the downside is that you have to queue for apparently quite some time and I don't really wanna go outside and risk catching the Coronavirus.

Thanks for the topic it's very kind of you. Hope you guys are all doing well.

Edit : Also we're starting a mini-campaign with my girlfriend, she almost never played before si I hope I can give her a good experience with Exalted, since I love this game so much and she has heard me talk about it so much.

[The MG]

I'm a substitute teacher, and the schools aren't closing yet, so I've been benefitting so far. I might get sick, but that's a risk I'll just have to take.

The toilet paper keeps being sold out, even though it basically can't run out; today I'm heading out to try and beat the ghouls for it.

[Lioness]

In the old days I would sign up for unemployment benefits, but these days you don't get any money for a month. I'm hoping my boss can find us more online teaching.

It's worth making the Universal Credit application anyway because

#1 We don't know how long this crisis will last, getting paid in 5 weeks might not seem worthwhile but if you spend a week not applying because you're holding out hope online job that means you won't get paid for 6 weeks etc.
#2 You can get an advance on your UC that's repaid via deductions.
#3 You can still work part-time and claim UC.
#4 If you don't sign on there's no evidence you were financially impacted by Corona Virus.

I'm a buisiness start advisor for the Chamber of Commerce in the last couple of weeks I've had to tell a lot of my clients to throw in the towel and claim UC. It's fucking depressing.

[The Wizard of Oz]

Yeah, I think I'd better apply just in case. Thanks. I've got 3 hours of work next week, but I guess that comes under part-time work.
It's a **** amount of money though. Still, better than nothing.

[Sorcerous Overlord]

wow, I feel like I just got a small window into everyone's personal lives. Really reminds you that behind the screen name and the comments is a person with there own struggles going on.

My Dad works at a hospital so he has to go in (he's not a doctor or nurse though, so he shouldn't catch anything), and I'm a little worries because he had heart surgery about 18 months ago. If he gets corona it would probably kill him. My mom works at church, which is now cancelled, but she's trying to set up a video feed for the old folk so they can watch mass from home (apparently you can't hold up your own bread in front of the camera for teletransubstatiation).

[QUOTE=The Wizard of Oz;n1376081 I got a book of Egyptian history for my birthday; the game is set in Egypt-land, so hopefully it'll give me an idea.[/QUOTE]
What book? I made an NPC out of Pharaoh from Prince of Egypt's version of Exodus. Really played up that his adopted brother was a Solar Scourge of the South. I love pharaohs and Egyptian motifs. Really underplayed in fantasy.

[TheCountAlucard]

(apparently you can't hold up your own bread in front of the camera for teletransubstatiation)

What sense does that make?