Army promotion board biography template

Hope this doesn’t fall foul of the ‘don’t ask for lists’ rule - I have a potential list but would really welcome some feedback from those who actually know what they’re doing.
For a bit of context, 40k was a big childhood deal for me but I am depressingly old enough for that to have been back in the days of 2nd edition (yep, I know) when Thousand Sons was not even a distant dream and basically everyone played Ultramarines and a lot of a game involved breaking out cutouts for the range of weapons. Clearly, because that is how time works whether we want it to or not, a lot has happened since then both in terms of real life and in terms of the development of 40k but I am now at a point where for better or worse I am considering indulging in a bit of a nostalgia itch that’s been building for a while and getting back into it - at least in terms of buying and painting some models, as a bit of a treat to the childhood me who couldn’t really afford any decent models or paints back in the day.
The Thousand Sons have caught my eye, I can’t really say why although maybe it’s not unrelated to the fact that even younger me was also obsessed with ancient Egypt (I also obviously enjoy being the ‘bad guys’). As I say, I’m not necessarily looking to play too many games if any (no one wants a 40 year old turning up to such things, I would imagine, especially one who is indulging himself by buying whatever models he fancies within reason because he now can) and the chances are these models will just sit on display somewhere to make me smile (I may have to convince my wife on the display part, but I remain optimistic). But nonetheless I would like to imagine that it’s an army that could potentially make sense in a practical context.
What I have (very) roughly come up with so far is a list of:
Magnus Exalted sorcerer Tzangoor shaman Infernal master 20 rubric marines 5 occult terminators 20 tzangoors 20 cultists 6 tzangoor enlightened 2 chaos spawn 1 rhino 1 helbrute 1 vortex beast
My thinking is that the cultists, spawn, and tzangoors could be the ‘advance force’ at the front of the battle, causing a bit of damage hopefully but more than anything just keeping the opposition busy whilst the marines move up supported by the Helbrute and Vortex beast as essentially cover artillery. The terminators could jump in the rhino and basically problem solve where needed, e.g. dealing with any particularly stubborn enemies. Then Magnus and the others could cause psychic chaos whilst moving up the board behind the other lines (and being relatively protected).
Is this tactically sound? Would this even make sense or is it a completely random assortment (it almost certainly is, as it’s largely just a selection of models I liked the sound and look of and imagined the use of)? It does sound like A LOT of models for an army which from what I have read is often seen as being handicapped by the exact opposite, so am I missing something?
Since coming up with it I have thrown this list into New Recruit and seen that I have somehow actually underestimated the points cost so may have to trim a bit of if I am going to pretend it’s a hypothetical 2000 points army but it still feels like a decent starting point…to me at least. Anyone else got any thoughts? I’d love to find a few points to have some blue horrors in there too, but that’s for the next phase!

I would love any advice you guys have on how to improve my application along with what schools you think might fit me!
Demographics: upper middle-class LGBTQ+ South Asian male from small-town/rural Indiana; medium sized non-competitive public school (600-750 kids per graduating class)
Intended Major(s): Astrophysics/Physics/Computer Science, Vocal Performance, French
SAT: 1510 SAT - 760 Reading, 750 Math (first time taking it as a bench; will study and retake over summer - goal: 1550)
UW/W GPA and Rank: 4.0 UW / 4.78 W (UW rank: 1/725; W rank: 3/725)
Coursework: taken 6 APs so far (5 on the one’s I’ve received results for), taking 8 APs senior year
Awards:
Ronald Reagan Leadership Medal 2024
2024 Rising Star of Indiana (Indiana Association of School Principals)
Show Choir Nationals Grand Champion at the Grand Ole Opry under my leadership
2024 Outstanding Vocalist from my whole school’s choral program
Gold Medal (ranks 3-5 nationally, rank 1 in state) in Le Grand Concours (2022, 2023, 2024) - a French national board exam
Student Officer of a student government named 2024 National Gold Council of Excellence by the National Association of Student Councils
Extracurriculars:
STEM:
-will be conducting research in astrophysics at local university labs for six weeks this summer; will be producing and hoping to publish a research papers (11-12)
-will be conducting an independent project in computer science over the summer; planning on creating an astronomical model and producing a research paper for it as well
-paid research assistant at local university’s Department of Physics for half a year; ran simulations of charged crystals to enhance data quality and tested projects to be used in college workshops for physics students (11)
-conducted and paid stipend for research in soil metagenomics at local university; used Python to analyze DNA sequences to uncover soil biodiversity in samples to solve soil quality problems in local agriculture (10-11)
-trained at the Advanced Space Academy at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center; unanimously elected by crew to be the pilot on our final extended duration mission (10-11); rigorous training involving piloting skills, undergoing physical training (SCUBA diving, pole and rock wall climbing), debating space law, and working on space materials science and engineering problems (rocket design, building and launching, space suit design, etc.)
-remote shadowing under graduate student of astronomy at UChicago learning astronomical data analysis of galaxies, using Python tools and libraries (11)
-Math NHS + local math college competition (9, 10, 11)
-HOSA Junior Officer (9)
Volunteerism/Outreach Initiatives:
-volunteerism at a large Space Day event at my local National Armory; headlined by the Indiana Astronomical Society and engineering teams at Purdue involved with Mars rover - over 1550 participants; volunteer instructor of astronomical phenomena (eclipse demonstrations), materials science, space history (11)
-programming contributor and volunteer at local Solar Eclipse Festival, raising over $15,000 for Habitat for Humanity through a “Run for the Sun” 5k fundraiser (11)
-author of multiple articles on various space science topics; published in an international youth-driven science journal with the goal of more accessible and impactful youth science communication (11-12)
-virtual volunteer work for the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
-planning to organize and direct a watching party/educational event or program for the peak of the Perseids meteor shower (12)
-conceptualized and planned for a space-themed prom as a officer of my class in student government (11)
***Student Government (9-11)
As an elected officer and secretary of my class of ‘25, I am responsible for managing much of our group and organizing our tasks, including
-planning/execution for Homecoming and Prom for all of the students at our school
-planning, coordinating, and building Homecoming Parade floats to increase community and school spirit over months of meetings and hours of student-led construction
-a city cleanup project near the public library and park to make the community a better and cleaner place to live in
-increasing school spirit with planned spirit weeks, pep rallies, and other activities (Staff vs Student games, etc)
-leading class meetings to further overall goals of community service, leadership, and raising spirit
Officer in the group that was named a 2024 National Gold Council of Excellence by the National Association of Student Councils
***County Youth Leadership Representative (11)
I was chosen to represent my school in a selective group of youth leaders in my county tasked with initiating community improvement and local leadership. We use our leadership skills in order to take civil, financial, and interpersonal action and change within our community. As part of the group, I
-took charge of a team to put on a promotional fair for over 20 fantastic non-profit organizations in our county, along with producing promotional videos in order to spread awareness about them on social media and other platforms; I wrote the scripts for the interviews and filmed them myself, set up all of the non-profit booths, welcomed representatives, and kept the event running smoothly.
-presented at our conferences, researching and speaking at length about the history of our county, important local non-profits, and about our non-profit fair project.
-was chosen from the group to introduce our own Mayor at our conference (11-12)
Music:

• school’s varsity mixed show choir since my freshman year and primary dance captain and section leader; led our group to a vocally undefeated year and our first overall undefeated year against multiple nationally recognized groups, winning Best Vocals at every competition we attended; won Show Choir Nationals with Best Vocals for the first time in our group’s history under my section leadership; named showchoir.com’s 2024 Best Show Choir of the Year

-hand-picked by choreographer to attend Show Choir Camps of America on full scholarship
-named Best Performer of the group (3x) and Best Male Soloist
-student director of a selective A Cappella group; we perform at charity events, such as funerals and veteran services, along with the national anthem at several sporting events and go caroling to dozens of homes and venues around the community during the holiday season to spread cheer
French:
-taught myself French since I was 13 and am still an active and passionate learner and lover of the language; top student in my school’s French program
-volunteer tutor for other French students in my free periods at school
-Vice President of French NHs (9-12)
-participated in initiative to raise hundreds of dollars worth of hygiene supplies for local Haitian refugees (11)
LORs/Other:
LORs from my AP Calculus teacher that I’ll have for two years, my AP French teacher, who I’ll have for four years, and my varsity choir coach, who I’ll have for four years; all will have plenty of things to talk about regarding my leadership in their disciplines over years
School List (as of now, from least likely to most likely): Harvard (uncle worked/researched there), MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Northwestern, UMich, U of Maryland, U of T at Austin, Notre Dame, UIUC, UC Boulder, IU Bloomington, Purdue (legacy), Penn State

I think its common knowledge in these circles that the first draft of TPM from 1994 (originally called The Beginning) is much better. Still very flawed, but a good baseline for a better movie.
For some reason, Lucas added many things in the final draft that made the movie a lot worse. It's fascinated me for a while now about how things could have been if the original script was built upon.
I have been watching videos summing up the original draft for a while now and I discovered something. Apparently Lucas gave his final TPM draft to Lawrence Kasdan a week before shooting started and asked for him to take a look at it. However, Kasdan refused because he though he wouldn't have enough time to make revisions.
I want to imagine how TPM would look if Kasdan or some other hypothetical collaborator got to see the first draft in 1994 and fixed it up. This isn't my preferred PT rewrite. This is just what I would have done if Lucas had dropped his first draft in my lap and told me to revise it.
Here are the videos I got the information from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPHUWM3QNk0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqsD8s2W9Ho
The movie starts with an opening crawl talking about how it is a time of weakness in the Republic. The Outer Rim controlled by megacorporation's has seceded backed by droid armies. War has not broken out yet, but the galaxy is on the brink. They are now blockading the peaceful planet of Utapau to gain its rich plasma mines as well as its newly discovered Cloning formula. The Supreme Chancellor Valorum has dispatched two Jedi to investigate and/or negotiate if they can.
We then cut to a republic starship coming to land just like in the finished film. Only the Jedi are wearing samurai esqe uniforms (like the concept art), one black and one white. The black uniformed Jedi is Obi Wan Kenobi who is about 30, trained by Yoda and is already a full Jedi Knight. Very strict and by the book. The white uniformed Jedi is his brother Ben Kenobi who just became a full jedi. This is Ben's first mission without his master Oui Gon.
Ben Kenobi is very reckless and wonders why the Republic doesn't just declare war on the Confederacy already. Obi Wan argues with him while they wait in the conference room. Meanwhile Nute Gunray and the rest of the Nemoidians look more like how they do in early concept art. Much less humanoid and they speak in an alien language with subtitles.
They call Palpatine on the hologram and he is enraged that they let the Jedi land. He chokes Nute Gunray through the hologram, cowing him. They agree to kill the Jedi and things go similarly as in the finished movie. The ship is blown up, and poison gas is pumped into the conference room. Ben and Obi Wan cut their way through the battle droids and get to the hanger. They decide to stow away on the landing craft.
On the surface of Utapau they run into Jar Jar. In this version though, Jar Jar while emotional and still comic relief speaks in a normal voice and is a bit more mature. He's more of the everyman character. Ben persuades Jar Jar to take them to the Gungan city with a mind trick, this is something Obi Wan disapproves of. Ben is more unorthodox.
They get there and are captured just like the real film. The only difference is that all the Gungans have regular voices. They are taken to Governor Nass and we learn that Jar Jar was banished because he was a trouble maker who argued for more cooperation between the Gungans and Humans. As he rants, fish continuously fall through the bubble and a young gungan gathers them up and puts them outside again.
The two Jedi still convince him to call the humans and the whole bubble is engulfed in static. It is clear that communications have been cut off. The two Jedi are then given a submarine and told to try to navigate the planet core. Nobody has been able to do it in generations and it is clear Nass thinks its a suicide mission, a convenient way to get rid of three nuisances. They then travel through the planet core being attacked by various creatures while Jar Jar is kept calm through mind tricks.
We then cut to the city of Oxon (what later became Theed) where Queen Amidala who is 40 and her daughter Princess Padme around 14 are being briefed by captain Panaka and Sio Bibble. The Queen is complacent while Padme thinks they should take the fight to the Confederacy. Suddenly the droid army attacks the city and we see building being blown up and city guards killed.
The Queen, Padme, Panaka and all the other dignitaries are captured. Nute and the rest of the Nemodians show up as well to gloat like in the final movie and give some more exposition about how they want Utapaus cloning formula. We then see the Gungan submarine surfacing and the Jedi and Jar Jar sneak into the city.
They find the prisoners being walked down an alley and save them like in the real movie. Ben uses some flashy moves to finish the droids off and is almost killed by another droid while his back is turned. Obi Wan cuts the droid down and admonishes Ben for his recklessness. The Queen and co are pleased to see two Jedi knights but they are very hostile towards Jar Jar. Which the Jedi are displeased over.
They run to the hanger like the finished film and free the Pilots, however a stray blaster shot kills the Queen with Padme screaming in horror as they board the ship. The humans also try to prevent Jar Jar getting on board but the two Jedi insist upon it.
The ship gets attacked by the blockade and Naboo guards man gun positions while astromech droids finish the repair. After they get into hyperspace there is only one droid left. R2D2 who is thanked by a still in grieving Padme. She goes off down into the droid bay to be alone and runs into Jar Jar who consoles her. This starts Padmes turn towards liking the Gungans instead of being bigoted towards them.
Meanwhile Ben and Obi Wan look through the planets accessible through their damaged hyperdrive and only find one inhabited world. Tatooine, which most of the royal guards/pilots are horrified about. Still they have no choice so they land. Padme goes with the Jedi despite protests. She wants to see another planet and get some fresh air after what just happened. Panaka lets her go reluctantly because she has two Jedi to guard her. Jar Jar also goes with them because the Utapau humans say he's "stinking the ship up".
We then cut to Utapau again where Nute Gunray and the Nemoidians are talking to captured scientists about their cloning program. They look at something in a cloning tank and look impressed. Then a hologram droid walks in projecting Darth Sidious. He castigates them for their failure in letting the princess get away and they grovel before him again. Darth Sidious says its no matter, as he will send his apprentice, Darth Maul. The Sith warrior himself looks even scarier than in the film we got with him looking like the concept art, he also has blood red robes.
We cut to a balcony on Coruscant where master and apprentice talk. Maul speaks more than in TPM and says how eager he is to get revenge on the jedi, they are no match for me yada yada.
Back on Tatooine in Mos Espa we see our heroes trying to get the part they need. It is a rowdy place and a leering slimy alien (Sebulba but we don't know that yet) tries to touch Padme arm but she elbows him and after that the crowd gives them a wide berth. Obi Wan and Ben sense something, an overpowering aura of the force. They follow it and find themselves in front of Wattos junk shop.
They meet Anakin who is 14 the same age as Padme. He is mature for his age and has a bit of a chip on his shoulder from being a slave. We also meet Watto but he resists the mind tricks because of his strong will, not because of his species. Things go similarly, though the dialogue would be much better, no "are you an angel" in this version. Jar Jar still clumsily breaks a few things but it is more toned down. Watto also hits Anakin and tells him to get back to work. Ben grabs Wattos arms as he is about to hit him again while Obi Wan helps him to his feet.
The heroes get nowhere with Watto especially after stopping Wattos abuse and a sandstorm starts to blow in so Anakin offers to take them to his place. We meet Anakin's adopted mother Shmi Lars and her son Owen Lars who is older (19) and very protective of his little brother. At the dinner scene we learn about Anakin's Podracing (how he's nicknamed Skywalker) and how many people gamble on it for huge sums of money. Ben gets an Idea while we also see just how rare Jedi actually are in most of the galaxy with Owen calling them wizards.
We then see Anakin working on his Pod while talking to Padme. They both share their own struggle going up. Padme says she's never met anyone like Anakin while Anakin says he's never met anyone like her either. He then kisses her on the cheek while Jar Jar (who was watching out of boredom) jumps in surprise. Meanwhile we see the Jedi helping Shmi and Owen with the dishes.
The topic of Anakin's father comes up. We learn that Shmi's sister left Tatooine when she was young in search of adventure. Years later she came back and gave Shmi baby Anakin begging her to take care of him before leaving. She had a lightsaber on her belt same as the two Jedi now. She also tell them how Anakin is special and can see things before they happen, just like her sister.
Ben says Anakin needs to be trained as a Jedi while Obi Wan resists the idea saying he's too old. He's all about giving the family their freedom but not taking along Anakin. Owen is Obi Wans side, saying Anakin's head is already off in the clouds as it is. Being a Jedi won't help him, he needs to be grounded and down to earth. His idealism is going to get him killed. Shmi isn't sure which side to take in the argument and defers judgement until after Anakin hopefully wins the podrace tomorrow.
Ben goes out and talks to Anakin and tells him about the Jedi and the Sith. We get a whole spiel about how strong Anakin is and how he would be a great asset to the order. Meanwhile, Darth Mauls ship lands on Tatooine at dusk and he sets out different probes to find the Jedi and the Princess. He smiles evilly to himself, showing rotting teeth.
The pod racing stuff is basically the same, only Padme is outraged when Sebulba threatens Anakin and Ben/Obi Wan manage to get the freedom of Owen and Shmi as well by trickery (not sure how). There is no two headed announcer and no Jabba cameo either. At the end, in desperation, Anakin uses his force powers to crash Sebulbas pod killing him. Nobody notices that Anakin used the force except the two jedi who look on in concern
While everyone else gathers around Anakin's pod to celebrate Ben and Obi Wan have a heated argument in the shadows of the bleachers. Obi Wan takes this as a reason why Anakin shouldn't be trained while Ben thinks that it would be better to teach Anakin before he falls down the path of evil. Eventually they agree to let Anakin decide, Obi Wan saying he'll probably want to stay with his family.
However Anakin decides to go. His mother respects his decision and is proud of him while Owen is furious, but accepts the decision as well but telling Anakin that one day he'll regret his choice and when he does he's always welcome to come live with them again. The family hugs while everyone else just kind stands around.
They walk back through the desert when they encounter a probe droid. Obi Wan slashes it with his lightsaber and tells everyone to run. Everyone runs inside while Maul approaches in his speeder bike. The fight goes differently as it is a two one one fight. They all exhibit powers never seen in the original trilogy like levitating objects swirling around them, going super fact, and slow motion. Basically a Matrix fight with lightsabers before they both jump onto the ship.
The scenes as they travel to Coruscant are similar. Anakin and Padme miss their parents etc. They then arrive at Coruscant and it is basically like the finished movie in design. They land and meet Chancellor Valorem, Senator Palpatine, and Qui Gon Jinn. Qui Gon hugs Ben like a son while Palpatine talks to Padme. Padme then talks to Jar Jar about how she doesn't understand the rift between the Gungans and the Humans. We then learn that the Gungans have a large army. Padme has an idea and decides to go back to Utapau.
The senate scenes are cut down dramatically. Its more of a montage showing Padme's increasing frustration before she finally calls for a vote of no confidence while Palpatine smiles sinisterly. The Jedi Council meanwhile consists of three members. Qui Gon who is a very unorthodox Jedi mindful of the living force (wanting the jedi to go and help the common people more), Mace Windu a bastion of militaristic conservatism (wanting the Jedi to take their rightful place as generals/leaders, and Yoda who wants to stay the course on isolationism and study of the force.
We don't see the Jedi trials, Anakin just talks about them to Ben, Obi Wan and Qui Gon. He says he didn't understand them, and Qui Gon who has taken a liking to this upstart kid says he wasn't supposed to. They are all called in and Mace says Anakin shall not be trained. He is too old and there is much anger in him. Anakin is heartbroken while Obi Wan nods grimly in acceptance. Ben Kenobi however is not having it. He says he shall train Anakin with or without the councils permission. Mace denounces this as Heresy while Qui Gon smiles. Yoda sighs and says the matter will be decided after this current crisis has ended.
Ben, Obi Wan, and Qui Gon all decide to go with Padme, but Anakin is told to stay behind. There is also the discussion about how Anakin is dangerous which Anakin overhears. Being told by Ben and Qui Gon that he's not a problem and how he will be a Jedi. Anakin gets an idea and sneaks aboard the ship with the help of R2. He is quickly discovered to Obi Wans rage and Bens laughter.
They get back to Utapau and have to go through the blockade. Anakin is able to hyperspace jump between the ships and the planet with motivation from Ben. Our heroes then try to find the Gungans at their city but it has been completely blown up. We actually see this though, as well as Jar Jars sorrow before he remembers the Gungans sacred place.
They go there and like the movie Padme makes a big speech about overcoming difference, with Jar Jar intelligently backing her up. We then get ready for the battle. Anakin tinkers with a disabled battle droid and finds out there is a second droid control hidden somewhere in the palace. So the plan is set. The Gungans will distract the droids, while the humans will infiltrate the palace, one team disabling the backup control systems and the others capturing Nute or stealing starfighters that will be used to take out the droid control ship.
The plan goes into action and things are kind of similar to the finished film, though Jar Jar shows intentional heroism instead of the goofy antics in TPM. When the starfighters are launched though, Padme goes into the fighter with Anakin. Him being the pilot and Padme being the gunner. The rest of the human teams make short work of the battle droids. However when they reach Nute a surprise is awaiting them, clones.
These clones look kind of like Dark Troopers and a Super Battle droid had a kid. They decimate the Utapau soldiers while Nute flees. Meanwhile with the Jedis they disable the secondary control system but are then met with Darth Maul. It is a brutal and awe inspiring fight. 3v1 and yet Maul still comes out on top. He knocks out Qui Gon who falls of the bridge (the duel setting is the same) while taunting the other two. "This is the end of the jedi" you get the drill.
The remaining soldiers manage to kill the clones but there are not enough left to fend of the droids. They are captured same as the Gungans. Ben gets riled up, makes a mistake and is killed. Obi Wan screams and charges getting knocked into the pit, hanging on by a thread. Meanwhile Anakin and Padme manage to destroy the flagship at the same time that Obi Wan takes Ben's lightsaber and cuts Maul in half. He then says "learn not live not as my master says" and then rushes to Bens side.
Ben begs him to train Anakin and he agrees. Meanwhile the humans and Gungans are celebrating. We cut to Qui Gon and Queen Amidala's funeral. Qui Gon throws away his lightsaber and walks off. He is done with the jedi after the death of what was effectively his son. Palpatine looks at him go intrigued. Meanwhile Yoda and Obi Wan argue over Anakin's training. Obi Wan says he will train him even without the will of the council like Ben said. Yoda gives in but warns Obi Wan of his arrogance.
We then get the celebration the end.

I'm a huge blood angels fan and want to hopefully start work on a 30k army soon. I've looked over other legions and can generally tell what their rites of war want to be doing but day of revelation has me a little stumped.
It feels pretty restrictive to only be able to bring in a lot of your cavalry exactly where and when your opponent knows it'll be coming. I can only assume there's ways to effectively control the board as they scramble to get in position to counter-attack your big deep strike, and ways to make that big deep strike difficult to ignore, but I feel like I could really use some insight from more experienced players to try and understand this a little better.

In an alternate timeline, Jango Fett doesn't become the template for the Clone Army for the Republic, and Grievous does not become the cyborg General of the CIS. Instead, they swap places. I've altered their backstories to explain how this happens.
During Jango Fett's time as a bounty hunter, an accident occurs. Someone plants an ion bomb aboard the ship he's on, causing it to crash and burn, leaving him badly injured. He is found in time and brought to Geonosis, where Dooku tells him that the Jedi, the same ones who wiped out his Mandalorian clan years ago, want to finish the job. Dooku offers Jango Fett a chance for vengeance: to have his body rebuilt as a cyborg and become the General for the Separatist droid army. Jango agrees and is transformed into a cyborg, but not with the insect-like and skeletal design of General Grievous. Instead, he is taller, bulkier, resembling something like Adam Smasher from Cyberpunk 2077 or Frank Horrigan from Fallout 2 or the Gen'Dai bounty hunter Durge. His armor is lined with Beskar and Cortosis to make him resistant to lightsabers.
As for Grievous, or his birth name Qymaen jai Sheelal, shortly after the Huk War ends in 32 BBY by the Republic and Jedi, he is met by representatives of Dooku and Sidious who offer him a deal. If he agrees to help their benefactor and become the template for the Clone Army for the Republic, they will reveal information that the Kaleesh were victims and were retaliating against the Huk. They promise to give his homeworld Kalee better technology to help both defend themselves and improve living conditions. The representatives also bring something else: the preserved body of Ronderu lij Kummar, Grievous's lover who died in the Huk War and whose body was thought lost at sea. They found and preserved her body and will give it to him even if he refuses. However, if he agrees, both he and Ronderu lij Kummar's remains will also be used as cloning templates, allowing her to live on through the legions created from her. Grievous is reluctant but agrees to it. After he lays Ronderu lij Kummar to rest, he takes a sample of her blood and goes to Kamino. In his youth, Sheelal was an excellent marksman with a slugthrower rifle and learned to wield swords from Ronderu lij Kummar. Thus, the Clone Army learns how to wield both ranged and melee weapons.
This is not the Grievous from the Clone Wars show who is a mustache-twirling villain that runs away when the situation is not in his favor. This is the Grievous who was a leader seen as a demigod by his people, who fought a more advanced species off his homeworld and used their own ships to launch a counter-invasion of the Huk homeworld and colonies. If Grievous had not been stopped, he would have wiped them off the face of the galaxy. This is the template for the Clone Army.
How would this change the events that happened during the Clone Wars? How would the Republic feel about having an army of cloned aliens fighting for them? Would Qymaen jai Sheelal also want unaltered clones of Ronderu lij Kummar and himself to have as children, like Jango Fett did in the original timeline?

Highlight the following benefits: This is my personal opinion, but you may disagree with me!
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"Create a budget template that will work with my income and spending habits. I want something I can easily track and modify." 

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And, unlike a real financial advisor, AI platforms are noticeably cheaper and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Here's a prompt you can use:

"Explain the key financial ratios and how to calculate them. Provide examples of how to use them to assess my business health." 

Investment Management: AI is increasingly important in trading, as financiers make trades using algorithms. And if the best experts are using it, why shouldn't we? AI platforms are trained on vast amounts of data, allowing us to identify patterns humans might miss. This helps ensure the integrity of financial data and reduces costly errors.

In addition, some platforms can assess risk tolerance, financial goals, and market conditions to generate customized portfolio management recommendations.

Here's a prompt you can use:

"Summarize the current economic climate. Highlight key indicators (e.g., inflation, interest rates, GDP) and their potential impact on my investment portfolio." 

These points add to a common conclusion regarding one fundamental advantage: data-driven automation. AI can quickly handle routine and time-consuming tasks, allowing us to make more educated decisions or free up time for more enjoyable activities.

I am an SPED teacher. I’m also a certified ELA teacher; I’ve taught English for the majority of my career. I have an 8th grade resource class for students who need specialized instruction in ELA and Math. There are 10 students in the group and I’m the only adult in the room.
I’ve worked really hard with my kids this year and I hold them to high standards. We do grade level content with a lot of modifications and support. My students have read two novels this year (the same novels that the Gen Ed classes read). They have written papers, had debates and discussions, and on average have improved their district test scores by two grade levels.
We have about four weeks left until their promotion ceremony. The last two weeks in ELA will be spent doing their district common writing assessment, which is a major research paper. Many of my students have challenges with their social-emotional skills, so I decided that I would spend the two weeks of “in between” time working on SEL activities that incorporate ELA standards like speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. The Gen Ed teacher is reading a short story with his group (not part of our district’s curriculum), but I thought my kids would benefit more from SEL activities.
The other day my administrator came in to observe me during the ELA block. My students had completed an emotional intelligence self-assessment the day before. We did an anonymous form where they submitted the results of their surveys so as a class we could look at the areas of strength and challenge of the group. I posted the results on the board and we had a class discussion. Then the students did a personal reflection about their results and brainstormed strategies for improving their skills in various areas.
The kids loved the activity and were contributing great ideas during the class. I felt really good about the observation and I was proud of the work my kids did. However, after class my administrator pulled me aside and was upset that I was doing SEL activities. She said it was not part of the curriculum and didn’t relate to ELA. I explained to her that the lesson incorporated multiple ELA standards and that this was an area that my class needs a lot of support in. She was still displeased.
This is frustrating on so many levels. (1) this is the first time all year that she’s actually observed me teaching (2) I teach in a high needs urban district and many of my students need intense SE support, but we don’t have the resources to provide it (3) I wasn’t even offered a written curriculum until March (4) it’s a RESOURCE ROOM and I’m allowed/expected to modify instruction to meet the needs of my students and (5) all of my students have transition goals that involve identifying their strengths and weaknesses and completing self-assessments, so I have to do activities like this in order to accurately assess their progress towards these IEP goals.
She said that only service providers like social workers and counselors should be working on these skills with the students. This made me mad because that’s unrealistic and I know my kids and what they need. Am I in the wrong here?

What is this?

This is a weekly crowdfunding roundup of new projects launched last week and projects that end the coming week.

Google Docs

As an alternative format, the lists are now also available as a Google Docs found here: Weekly Crowdfunding Roundup

Updates

Expect new lists every Sunday between 00:00 and 23:59 CEST on the following platforms:
Mastodon: @danielpervan@mastodon.social
Discord: https://discord.gg/dN4P4PZcU9
Reddit: /boardgames

Selection criteria

The criteria for the lists are as follows:

Ending soon

• Sorted by number of backers
  
• Kickstarter projects ending in the next 7 days, that have at least 100 backers (or marked as "Project we love" by Kickstarter), will have reached more than estimated 95% of their goal by their deadline and passed the filters:
  
  • No DnD books
  • No zines
  • No 3D printing
  • No dice sets
  • No magazines
  • No shirts
  • No playmats
  • No furniture
  • No events
• Gamefound projects ending in the next 7 days, that will have reached more than estimated 95% of their goal by their deadline and passed the above filters.
  
• (beta) Backerkit Crowdfunding projects ending in the next 7 days, that will have reached more than estimated 95% of their goal by their deadline and have a matching BGG page.
  

Newly launched

• Sorted by number of backers
  
• Kickstarter projects launched in the last 7 days, that have had at least average 15 backers per day, have at least 100 backers or is marked as "Project we love" by Kickstarter and passed the filters (see above).
  
• Gamefound projects launched in the last 7 days and passed the filters (see above).
  
• (beta) Backerkit Crowdfunding projects launched in the last 7 days and have a matching BGG page.
  

Notable filtered projects

• Filtered projects from above lists that have more than 1000 backers.

Tags

🎉: Staff pick/featured
💰: Funded
🔥: More than average 200 backers/day
🌱: Creator's first project
🌳: Creator's >5th project
🔄: Money back guarantee (Read more)

FAQ

I live in Cuba/Canada/Haiti/USA, why are you posting on a Saturday?!
Because I'm writing this from Europe in the future where it's already Sunday. Timezones be crazy.
Why are there a bunch of non-board games in the board game list?
Because the Tabletop games category on Kickstarter includes anything remotely related to board games and sometimes things slip through my filters.
Why is this future award winning board game and literal saviour of humanity missing from your list?
Sometimes my filters get a bit overzealous and discard actually valid projects. If you feel something is missing for this reason, leave a comment and I'll add it (maybe).
Can I donate all my money to you?
No
Can you help me promote my game?
Please no. I make lists. Nothing more.
Your list is full of errors and now the great old ones have awaken!
Indeed, this fine piece of code runs purely on faith, trust and pixie dust, so anything can happen. Leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

Ending soon (18)

Name	Description	Backers	Pledged	Ends	Information	Tags	BGG
Dark Cities | Deluxe Editions	Five games of social deduction & light strategy for up to 9 players. Deluxe book boxes include upgraded components & mini expansions.	2982	$321,124.00 (1284%) in 20 days	2024-05-23	💸 Kickstarter	🎉💰🌳
LONG DARK SEA	Long Dark Sea is a cooperative adventure card game for 1-4 players focused on exploration and combat where deckbuilding and resource management are their main mechanics. Venture into the unknown with your pirate crew in search of ancient relics in a Sci-fi universe.	1006	€136,749.40 (228%) in 19 days	2024-05-21	💸 Gamefound 👥 1‑4 players 👶 12+ ⏱️ 40-60 min. Card Game Dice Game Deck Building Cooperative	💰🌱	BGG
Hannibal & Hamilcar + Metal Minis	Hannibal: Classic Edition by one of the most acclaimed game designers in the world, Mark Simonitch.	972	€102,134.25 (340%) in 6 days	2024-05-24	💸 Gamefound 👥 2 players ⏱️ 120 min. Card Game Wargame Dice Game Area Control	💰🌳
Picky Eaters: Ultimate Collection	A delectably devious game for 2-6 players.	681	$50,546.00 (1011%) in 27 days	2024-05-23	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2‑6 players 👶 8+ ⏱️ 20-40 min.	🎉💰	BGG
Apistocracy	You're invited to make your season debut in a game that blends worker placement and trick-taking with the delights of Victorian London.	646	$55,877.00 (559%) in 27 days	2024-05-23	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2‑4 players 👶 12+ ⏱️ 40-80 min.	💰🌱	BGG
Park Life 🇬🇧 🇨🇦 🇪🇺	Cozy trick-taking game. A celebration of public spaces and cute hedgehogs! 🦔🦔🦔	461	$13,854.00 (13854%) in 27 days	2024-05-22	💸 Kickstarter 👥 1‑5 players 👶 10+ ⏱️ 15-30 min.	🎉💰	BGG
Long Live Backyardia!	A modular expansion for the award-nominated Trick-Taking and Mancala board game Bug Council of Backyardia!	454	¥2,447,309 (489%) in 20 days	2024-05-21	💸 Kickstarter 👥 3‑5 players 👶 10+ ⏱️ 30-40 min.	💰	BGG
AI 100% Human - Boardgame	Innovative drafting game with a reserve and immediate scoring, all structured around building a tableau.	370	€24,480.00 (245%) in 20 days	2024-05-24	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2‑6 players 👶 14+ ⏱️ 30-45 min.	💰🌳	BGG
Nanga Parbat: Animal Powers	A promo pack for Dr. Finn's Nanga Parbat to add even more strategy and fun to an already awesome game.	320	$4,223.00 (422%) in 12 days	2024-05-22	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2 players 👶 14+ ⏱️ 30-40 min.	🎉💰🌳	BGG
Cosmic Chains	A tactical dueling card game of cats and robots. Build the longest satellite chain to provide the best network coverage!	293	$8,739.00 (175%) in 19 days	2024-05-26	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2 players 👶 14+ ⏱️ 30-40 min.	💰🌱	BGG
DragonStrike	Mount your Dragon and ride into aerial combat in this fast paced but deviously cunning Board Game, using beautiful pre-painted Dragons!	261	$49,705.00 (124%) in 27 days	2024-05-25	💸 Kickstarter	💰
Potion Crafter	Alchemy calls! Fill the shelves of your magic shop with unique potions in this roll and write, print and play strategy board game.	251	€2,762.00 (2762%) in 14 days	2024-05-21	💸 Kickstarter 👥 1‑6 players 👶 8+ ⏱️ 20-40 min.	💰	BGG
Renters + Parking Expansion (Print & Play)	Renters, is a roll & write boardgame in which we will have to host groups of up to 5 people in our building, according to a roll of the dice. But our building requires repair the elevator, air conditioning and wifi.	225	€2,117.45 (4235%) in 45 days	2024-05-20	💸 Gamefound 👥 1‑10 players 👶 10+ ⏱️ 20-30 min. Dice Game	💰🌱	BGG
Dungeon Rooms with FLAVOR	A deck of geomorphic dungeon rooms cards with... flavor!	205	€2,986.00 (299%) in 11 days	2024-05-24	💸 Kickstarter	💰🌳
Treasures Lost	Navigate wisely across the uncharted lands. Choose your path and find the lost treasures! | Fantasy | PnP | Roll n write | Dungeon |	198	NZ$4,313.00 (431%) in 27 days	2024-05-23	💸 Kickstarter 👥 1‑99 players 👶 8+ ⏱️ 15-30 min.	💰🌳	BGG
Paycheck to Billionaire: Board Game Meets Financial Freedom	Start with a Paycheck, Manage Daily Bills, Invest Smartly, from Startup to Business Empire. ----A Game Changer, not only in the Game.	189	$6,500.00 (130%) in 27 days	2024-05-23	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2‑6 players 👶 8+ ⏱️ 20-60 min.	💰🌱	BGG
[Micro May] Roll A Coaster Park - Print and Play	Build paths, rides and stalls and attract guests to your new roller coaster park in this roll and write game.	148	£1,465.00 (1465%) in 20 days	2024-05-21	💸 Kickstarter	💰🌱
Post Necrone : The Party Wanted Necromancer Expansion!	Experience Deck-Building, Roguelike Exploration & Party Game Dynamics with the Latest Expansion for the Strategy Card Game PARTY WANTED	104	$3,732.00 (560%) in 29 days	2024-05-20	💸 Kickstarter	💰

New this week (30)

Name	Description	Backers	Pledged	Ends	Information	Tags	BGG
2024 Crokinole Board Season 8: Mahagony or Beech + Cases	We are back for our 8th Crokinole Project, this fan favorite will include all the best of prior projects plus wax with every board!	3481	$459,805.00 (9196%) in 6 days	2024-06-05	💸 Kickstarter	💰🔥🌳
Feudum	Game-of-the-year winner, Feudum is back with the 7th anniversary collector's edition featuring an exclusive clockwork behemoth! Grrrrrrrrrr.	2089	$273,565.57 (1094%) in 5 days	2024-06-14	💸 Gamefound 👥 1‑5 players ⏱️ 150 min. Area Control	💰🔥🌱
Rove	A cooperative campaign experience for 1-4 adventurers set in a fantasy world on the brink of being consumed by nature.	1728	$257,808.00 (645%) in 6 days	2024-06-07	💸 Kickstarter 👥 1‑4 players 👶 14+ ⏱️ 60-120 min.	🎉💰🔥🌱	BGG
Masters of the Universe: Battleground	Masters of the Universe: Battleground is a skirmish miniature game for two to four players, where forces of good and evil clash in epic combat. This glorious battle will shake the earth and change the fate of Eternia!	1605	$422,043.41 (1407%) in 6 days	2024-05-29	💸 Gamefound 👥 2‑4 players ⏱️ 90 min. Wargame	💰🔥🌳
Wonders of The First CCG	Battle across 7 realms as a Stoneseeker. Just Relaunched - Get Kickstarter Exclusive Packages and Pricing!	1451	$902,420.00 (3610%) in 6 days	2024-05-31	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2‑4 players 👶 13+ ⏱️ 20-45 min.	💰🔥	BGG
Hunted: Mining Colony 415 (2nd Edition) [Solo Game of the Month]	Become an 80s action hero who overcomes impossible odds to escape deadly aliens in the 2nd edition of this solo game!	1161	$24,565.46 (491%) in 6 days	2024-05-31	💸 Gamefound 👥 1‑2 players ⏱️ 20 min. Card Game	💰🌳
Hannibal & Hamilcar + Metal Minis	Hannibal: Classic Edition by one of the most acclaimed game designers in the world, Mark Simonitch.	972	€102,134.25 (340%) in 6 days	2024-05-24	💸 Gamefound 👥 2 players ⏱️ 120 min. Card Game Wargame Dice Game Area Control	💰🌳
Oshi Push! The VTuber Trading Card Game	A TCG featuring actual VTubers, from the makers of Tanto Cuore and Game Designer, Justin Gary! www.OshiPush.com	828	$146,263.00 (293%) in 5 days	2024-06-05	💸 Kickstarter	🎉💰🌳
The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast is Outta Control in 2024	The Cabal Founders are crashing into 2024 with more weekly tabletop gaming podcasts and other irreverent nonsense!	827	$51,447.00 (129%) in 5 days	2024-06-07	💸 Kickstarter	💰🌳
BERSERKERS : Chaos Extension by Alone Editions	Berserkers is Back !	628	€16,523.00 (254%) in 4 days	2024-06-09	💸 Kickstarter	💰🌳
Hex Effects: A Spellbinding Card Game	Hex Effects is a “take that” card game that involves beautiful artwork and easy-to-pick-up gameplay. From the makers of Side Effects!	604	$22,937.00 (191%) in 4 days	2024-06-14	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2‑8 players 👶 10+ ⏱️ 20-40 min.	🎉💰	BGG
Everbloom	A unique blend of area control, resource management, and set collection, taking place in a magical world of flora & fauna.	560	$37,685.00 (188%) in 6 days	2024-06-08	💸 Kickstarter 👥 1‑4 players 👶 13+ ⏱️ 60-90 min.	🎉💰🌱	BGG
Good Dog, Bad Zombie: A Cooperative Board Game (2nd Edition)	Bark, sniff, and lick your way through the apocalypse to save the humans you love! New art, new playable dogs, & upgraded components!	554	$45,349.00 (336%) in 6 days	2024-06-07	💸 Kickstarter	💰🌳
The Big Bad Wolf	Based on The 3 Little Pigs! Secretly pass the "Big Bad Wolf" then Entice & Persuade players into flipping it, to Blow Down their house!	440	$8,704.00 (249%) in 6 days	2024-06-13	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2‑4 players 👶 10+ ⏱️ 15-35 min.	💰🌱	BGG
Catstronauts: The Board Game	The cooperative boardgame based on the hit graphic novels!	361	$23,289.00 (466%) in 6 days	2024-06-14	💸 Kickstarter 👥 1‑4 players 👶 8+ ⏱️ 30 min.	💰🌳	BGG
World of Kilforth: The Fantasy Quest Games	Return to the stunning oceans of Kilforth! Missed the Kickstarter? Heed the call, and explore the beautiful southern seas to defend Kilforth from the deadly Ancients...	261	£27,836.80 (557%) in 6 days	2024-05-31	💸 Gamefound 👥 1‑4 players Card Game Dice Game	💰
Amsterdam Board Game Design - season 1	Three fun card games by different members of ABGD: Bable, Grachtenpand, & TimeZoo. May this be the first season of many!	258	€7,569.00 (252%) in 6 days	2024-06-13	💸 Kickstarter	💰🌱
Around the World in 10 to 15 Minutes	Travel the world, explore cities, and collect souvenirs in this 2-6 player print at home game	256	$2,429.00 (2429%) in 6 days	2024-05-31	💸 Kickstarter	💰
Guns of the Old West	Players compete as a team with over 100 campaign paths. Each playthrough is a unique cinematic experience offering endless replayability. Players make strategic decisions and interact with each other to achieve their group and secret individual objectives, some of which involve betrayal, making for …	203	£36,141.95 (72%) in 6 days	2024-06-11	💸 Gamefound 👥 2‑8 players 👶 14+ ⏱️ 45-90 min. Card Game Wargame Dice Game Cooperative	🌱	BGG
The Thinning Veil Cormac Mac Airt on the Other Side of Midnight	A solo dungeon crawl now featuring a 2 player mode set in the world of The Thinning Veil, and featuring Cormac Mac Airt, High King of Inis Fael! This game is the first in the Thinning Veil line and the Cormac series.	182	£24,123.56 (1206%) in 6 days	2024-06-11	💸 Gamefound 👥 1‑2 players ⏱️ 90 min. Dice Game	💰
The 7 Seas: A New Start	Embark on a thrilling adventure in the world of The 7 Seas. Explore, trade, and fight to become a legend!	145	€12,654.80 (127%) in 3 days	2024-06-09	💸 Gamefound 👥 1‑5 players 👶 10+ ⏱️ 30-90 min.	💰	BGG
Freak War: A Card Game	A fun and simple pick-up-and-play card game—with unhinged rules and a hidden layer of intense strategy.	142	$11,158.00 (112%) in 6 days	2024-06-13	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2‑4 players 👶 6+ ⏱️ 15-60 min.	🎉💰	BGG
EXPENDABLE EMPLOYEES	A Miniature Skirmish Game Inspired by Lethal Company, Content Warning & Helldivers 2!	126	CA$3,136.00 (125%) in 3 days	2024-06-15	💸 Kickstarter	💰🌳
Bouquet	A game of bees, blossoms, and bluffing, Bouquet is a strategic area control game where competition blooms into beauty!	105	$7,152.00 (72%) in 6 days	2024-06-03	💸 Kickstarter 👥 3‑5 players 👶 14+ ⏱️ 15-20 min.		BGG
Le Vent Rouge: a Game of French Thieves & Dice	A Competitive "Roll & Spend" Strategy Game For 2-4 Players	98	$7,838.00 (52%) in 4 days	2024-06-07	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2‑4 players 👶 12+ ⏱️ 60-120 min.	🌳	BGG
PLACES-Bid	Outwit opponents for the most valuable portfolio of buildings, projects, and tokens through strategic bidding, collecting, and assembling.	75	$2,847.61 (28%) in 5 days	2024-06-01	💸 Gamefound 👥 3‑6 players ⏱️ 20 min. Card Game	🌱
Grassroots	The party game to change the world	74	£3,444.00 (57%) in 5 days	2024-06-19	💸 Kickstarter	🎉🌱
Simplicity Lenormand	Unlock the Mysteries of Divination with Ease	67	$7,073.00 (47%) in 4 days	2024-06-15	💸 Kickstarter
Hockey Hardware	A fun, new tabletop game for hockey fans, gamers, fantasy hockey GMs, and players who like to win.	67	CA$15,331.00 (38%) in 4 days	2024-07-15	💸 Kickstarter 👥 2‑4 players ⏱️ 45-120 min.		BGG
CyberQuest. The Game of Cyberpunk Adventures	You are in the year 2081. The Black Chip agency, formed by members who participated in the Second Corporate Conflict on both sides, try to avoid a third conflict between Nakaware and Biosync.Max, an employee at Nakaware, discovers a confidential file that could spark a war. He contacts his sister R…	25	€2,223.51 (12%) in 5 days	2024-06-28	💸 Gamefound 👥 1‑5 players 👶 14+ ⏱️ 45-90 min. Cooperative	🌱	BGG

Notable filtered projects (5)

Name	Description	Backers	Pledged	Ends	Information	Tags
Richard Kane Ferguson's Playmat Collection	Extremely limited edition RKF extended artwork: Tutors, Force of Will and other classic and new Magic: the Gathering playmats & prints!	2698	$274,228.00 (2217%) in 28 days	2024-05-22	💸 Kickstarter	🎉💰🌱
Modular Filament Storage System	3D Printable Modular Filament Storage System	1792	$105,407.00 (2108%) in 27 days	2024-05-23	💸 Kickstarter	💰
Kimera Velvet - Concentrated Acrylic Inks and Pure Pigments	A new line of paints for miniatures, new pure pigments set, new brushes and 150mm academic busts for painting from Kimera Kolors.	1731	€235,046.00 (783%) in 6 days	2024-05-30	💸 Kickstarter	💰🔥
The Savage World of Solomon Kane RPG	Dive deep in the world of Solomon Kane with this revised version of the RPG based upon the incredible works of Robert E. Howard!	1098	€99,363.00 (248%) in 5 days	2024-05-23	💸 Kickstarter	🎉💰🔥🌳
Loot The Monster! - A Project that Grows with Every Backer	A DnD Treasure Trove of Unique Loot for Every Monster. Dungeons and Dragons 5E	1035	€17,424.00 (3872%) in 25 days	2024-05-25	💸 Kickstarter	💰🌱

Been a long time fan of HS. Quit for a while, got back when Whizbang released cuz it was the nostalgia set.
Only paid for the cheaper bundle + expansion pass. I play on average 2-3 hours a day (university student).
Managed to get a "full" collection just from the winnings of Arena; I have all Epics + Rares, and missed out only on some legendaries.
Arena was fun for me, there are many strategies you get to try that do not work in Standard. From deckarchtypes like Elemental Shaman (broken) to Tempo Rogue (surprisingly good), to having the chance to play with lower-power cards like Card Grader (good tech card to tutor), Arena is a nice break from Standard.
I average 6-3, since I have highs of 9-3 and lows of 3-3. IMO 3-3 is "free" - you get a pack, and usually 50G, so you break even. Any additional wins are just bonus benefits.
To improve, here are some tips:

1. Shaman is seriously broken. Does everything from board clear, to aggro, to lifesteal for stabilizing, to removal like Hex.
   
2. Draft synergy over tier ratings. Sometimes a card has a lower tier rating based on HearthArena, but might be insanely synergistic with your deck.
   
3. Know your deck archtype - are you playing Control, Midrange, or Aggro? Draft cards that fit your playstyle.
   
4. Silence should be considered soft removal.
   
5. Not a universal rule, but in the early game you should prioritize board control. Once you have board control, you can push for lethal to create a tempo advantage. Ideally, you should always be threatening a 2-turn lethal in the mid to late game, and force your opponent to trade while you constantly go face.
   
6. Its better to NOT play around board clears - apart from Shaman, very few classes have true board clears that can wipe big bodies. And even if they use a board clear, its still a free turn for you.
   
7. With the number of cards that generate value, you should always try to win by point 5. Gone are the days where you can outgrind your opponent. The goal is to close the game fast, before your opponents make swing turns or drop their legendaries.
   
8. Know your matchups. Against Deathknight for instance, save Lightning Storm (as Shaman) for the Boneguard Commander and their army of 1/3 taunts. Against Hunter, save Hex (as Shaman) for big Deathrattile minions etc.
   
9. Consider the value of tech cards and how they function in your deck. Stuff like Card Grader don't normally see play in Standard, but can be a huge boost to your deck in Arena as one-offs. Helps you tutor for the removal or card you need most / sets up your game plan. Even a "useless" card like Northern Navigation is a good card in Death Knight if you chose Headless Horsemen as your Legendary - tutoring for his head wins you the grind game automatically. The first tech card should be highly priortized, even a card like Wish Upon a Star in Shaman represents Plan B, and should be treated as a second pseudo-legendary since it wins you grind games automatically.
   
10. Don't take losses personally to prevent tilt. Since 3-3 is already "even", you should consider all additional wins a bonus. Understand that 12-2 is impossible, since RNG and Discover pool can really screw your game plan up.
    

Please share your other tips!

My grandfather was a colonel in the army reserves. As a person, he was a smart and reserved man, who wouldn’t worry his wife and children by telling them about the kind of stuff he was doing for the military. He was almost deployed during the war late into its progression. When in the end he wasn’t, he told his family it because he was deemed “too old.” For context he was a high ranking officer, whos age ranged between 30-40 depending on what year of the Vietnam war it was. Any ideas if this is the truth? I’m just a bit skeptical. If anyone has any idea how to find what unit he commanded or even what he did in the army, let me know. He just always kept it to himself.
Extra: What little I do know is that he was offered a promotion to one star general on the condition that he become a teacher and instructor at the naval war college. I also have all of his medals and uniform badges framed. Hopefully either of those details might help.

My grandfather was a colonel in the army reserves. As a person, he was a smart and reserved man, who wouldn’t worry his wife and children by telling them about the kind of stuff he was doing for the military. He was almost deployed during the war late into its progression. When in the end he wasn’t, he told his family it because he was deemed “too old.” For context he was a high ranking officer, whos age ranged between 30-40 depending on what year of the Vietnam war it was. Any ideas if this is the truth? I’m just a bit skeptical. If anyone has any idea how to find what unit he commanded or even what he did in the army, let me know. He just always kept it to himself.
Extra: What little I do know is that he was offered a promotion to one star general on the condition that he become a teacher and instructor at the naval war college. I also have all of his medals and uniform badges framed. Hopefully either of those details might help.

So I've been throwing around this idea for a bit. It's a dirt cheap deck where I was thinking that if you made a deck where you packed in as many token creature creators as you can and in red blue and green there's quite a bit maybe not so much in blue but definitely a lot in red and green.
Maybe we could use blue as the card draw engine or whatever but I was thinking if you built this deck around just popping down creatures that aren't very threatening and then you mutate in your commander, And the only permanent in your deck is Day of dragons and then you use like I don't know a 1 cc removal like pyroblast Red elemental blast, and other things that just destroyed enchantment for one mana you could possibly do maybe some kind of a win out of nowhere with an army of dragons.
The problem in my brewing though is that it's obviously predictable after the second attempt and it would have difficulty fending off multiple people to get set up it's easy to protect yourself against like board wipes you can get counter spells for that and whatever.
But using tokens can be fragile.
The good thing about it is because the crux of the deck has so many cheap little token creators The deck can be made pretty much for nothing which may allow us to have more money to put towards better protection.

Hi, guys! I'm back. I've just finished reading Starset's new novel, A Brief History of the Future, and i really needed to share it.
Some of you may know me from my previous posts on the Starset lore:

• In "The Starset lore Part I: Transmissions", I covered the events told in The Prox Transmissions (Starset's first novel) and linked them to the album Transmissions.
• In "The Starset lore Part II: DivisionsThe Starset lore Part II: Divisions", I tried to gather the information we had on the new storyline, mainly based on Divisions content (Horizons hadn't released yet by then) and I shared my speculations about its meaning.

Now that I've read this book, I want to sum up what we have now. Keep in mind that, for obvious reasons, this post is all spoiler content. If you plan to read the book(s) I encourage you to do so, because I'm unveiling some of the main "plot-twists" in the second book. I won't be writing a literal summary of the book's plot (I will focus on the content more than in the "drama"), but key elements of it will appear. Also, I'm taking for granted you are already familiar with the contents in The Prox Transmissions -if not, I recommend you reading my post or just dropping this post altogether and go read the book!
If you have already read the books, don't plan to read them or don't care about the spoilers, stay with me along this long post because you will discover much about Divisions, Horizons... and what's coming next!!
Let's go then!
In a unknown year the novel starts in a world dominated by a state called the New East. it's not explicit in the book, but we have reasons to identify the New East with China: it is a current superpower and the powerful people in control have Chinese names. This state is governed by a Governing Committee, composed by Ministers that stay in charge for 5 years, with an exception: the Minister of Security, also known as MinSec. He is the head of the New East's secret police and he is to remain in charge for life.
Prior to 2024, Aston Wise (remember he was one of the protagonists of the previous novel!) is locked up by the US Government. They force him to create the BMI and its Architecture. In 2024, as I have said, the New East manages to obtain it and the big war starts. This part of the story is also explained deeper in a video (called "Initial Debriefing", available in Starset's YouTube channel since September 9th, 2021), with some minor incongruencies:

In the year 2010, the US Defense Advance Research Projects Agency -or DARPA- began work on a neural link system known as the "Brain Machine Interface" developed under the highest levels of secrecy. This technology was to be used in covert espionage campaigns with the goal of giving the US a major advantage in the ever-growing cyber warfare battlefield. The intention was to use the "BMI" on unsuspecting foreign agents, giving US Intelligence a remote line into their minds. Launched in 2020 to great success, the BMI provided a window into the intentions and secrets of numerous potential adversaries. Then, in 2021, a botched operation allowed this technology to fall into the hands of an undisclosed state who would then use it agains the US itself for over a decade. This state -which came to be known as the New East- used this technology to syphon intellectual property and assert control over the US, allowing it to rise swiftly as a global superpower. In the early 2030s, the crippled US launched an attack to the New East. This was quickly thwarted. However, as the New East was fully aware and prepared, in the end, the US and its allies capitulated and became known simply as the New West. Citizens of the New West, now mostly impoverished laborers, were offered BMI implantation -sold on the wonders of its amazing benefits. Eventually though, all were made to comply. Only then did the true goals of the New East become apparent.

The New West is a de facto and de iure protectorate. The New West has its own local police -that dealt with murder and robbery-, but the military and, most important, the Civil Authorities (CA), are controlled by MinSec -focused on thought crime.
Soon after the end of the war, some people were drafted for the reclamation in Virginia by the New East army. This was a forced-labor suicide mission because it was a fallout zone. The goal was the recovery of documents from the US, such as blueprints for advanced weapons and intel. Those who survived, developed NeuroTIDS (neural tissue interface degeneration syndrome) because of the radiation.
Once in control of the US (now New West), the New East implanted into all citizens the BMI. Now, people deal with three layers of reality: unaltered reality (UR), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Considering the BMI, there are three states:

• BMI glowing white (normal state: people are in UR with elements of AR).
• BMI glowing blue (also called frosting: people are in VR having some pleasant experience, while looking absent and apathetic in the outside). See an example of person frosting in the Diving Bell music video.
• BMI glowing red (also called supplication).

(There also exists the Everything Machine in this storyline. Indeed, people ate only printed food, as real food as reserved for the New East).
On top of this, there’s an intelligent algorythm or artificial intelligence in the Architecture, called the Overseer. It is capable of detecting thought crimes by accessing a person's sensory input and also altering their perceptions (for example, blurring texts from banned books). When a thought crime is detected, CAs intervene and turn the perpetrator into a supplicant. Supplicants are stuck in VR prisons while their bodies wander in the streets or are collected and put into "corrals". See an example of a supplication facility in Where the Skies Ends music video.
The protectorate of the New East upon the New West is mantained thanks to the Quantum Comunicator, which keeps both connected and also connected to the Architecture
On the other hand, there's a rebel network still in function. They manage to meet and develop their plans by modding their BMIs, so that they become undetectable under the eyes of the Overseer. Their plan is to trap the MinSec and use their credentials to get access to the Architecture and destroy it from the inside.
(In Manifest music video you can see examples of people frosting, people supplicated, the modding minor surgery, the rebels, the CAs using their "freezing" weapons and supplicating civilians and a bigwig from the New East, maybe the MinSec himself).
Also, it is said that the New East didn't manage to conquer all the Old West (US) territories. There's rumours about the socalled Western Territories, free land where some former rebels already live, though its real existence it's in never confirmed in book. In The Breach music video we can see how a family leaving in the New West takes the opportunity of escaping into the Western Territories during some sort of shutdown.
The New West capital is established in Philadelphia, where the events in A Brief History of the Future are set. Here's the Quantum Communication Center and the New West Center for Advanced Innovation (CAI), where the most brilliant programming students are sent to develop their skills and work for the New West/East. One of this students is one of the protagonists of this book, Thomas Bell (again, someone whose name we are already familiar...), who quickly proves to be the best one and gets to be chosen as the Director's assistant. Eventually we get to discover the Director is Aston Wise and later on we find out he is the Architect himself.
A feature or app of the BMI that will reveal crucial to the plot is the Shadowcast: one can frost but, instead of being conscious in a VR, "enters" inside a celebrity's mind for an hour and experiences all they are experiencing live (the user is passive and can only perceive, but not intervene or influence the shadowcast celebrity into doing anything). You can see an example of this in Symbiotic music video, where the user is finally able to successfully Occupy the body of the celebrity. In the book, when this happens, the person occupied has their BMI turned purple.
In the book, Occupation will be a tool used by Bell and Wise, but also by the government, in an attempt of using the supplicated bodies to their own purposes. The original project launched by the New East and commissioned to the Director of the CAI (Aston Wise), was called by Wise himself 'Project X'. New East wanted to present it to the citizens as a way of emancipating from work: while working, you can let yourself be occupied by the Overseer, who wil perform your job while you can be having fun in VR. In Icarus music video you can see an ad made by the New East to promote the "benefits" of this technology (called Werk here); the other ads are based on previous BMI technology (AR, VR and Shadowcast). (Fun fact: have you noticed that the actor in 3:12 is the same from the Ricochet music video?).
As I said in the beginning, it is not my goal to sum up the book's plot and even though I have already spoiled you much info and some plot-twists, I'm not telling you here how the story of the protagonists develops and how it ends. However, I can't refrain from telling you this: the last page of the book has a QR that redirects to a video that has me really excited.
In the video, we see a man. He tells us it is 2048. In spring 2026, the New East took over the US. But... guess who's back! Oh, yes, the Order! Or rather they were there all along. In fact, the man who's talking to us is Stephen Browning! On July 4th of 2026, after the New East invasion, the Order tried to launch a spacerocket to get to "a lonely planet" (Prox!), but it was intercepted by the New East and then the army destroyed their base, so they lost all hope in a future on another planet. However, they managed to hide a "time mechanism" (I guess the same they had in The Prox Transmissions) and, finally, sent a message to 2024, warning us about this future that awaits us. Then he sais:

Dear Order friends, the time has finally arrived. We're headed to space. We're going go Prox.

This announcement matches Starset's video from six months ago ("It begins. And it ends. Now."), where we see images of astronauts and spacerockets, evoking space travel. Wow! Did you miss that "space-y" aesthetic, plots and sound from Transmissions and Vessels? Because it sounds like we're getting them back! Note that at the end of this video, the three dots of the BMI are occupied by three symbols:

• The bottom one is the symbol of the Order, appears at the beginning of each chapter in The Prox Transmissions.
• The middle one is the symbol of Divisions album, I'd say it's a symbol of the rebels.
• The top one is... unknown? It is quite similar to me to the symbol in Faultline, but I guess it represents the "following chapter"? Who knows.

It also matches the music video for Starset's last single, Brave New Word! And there's more news: the end of the video linked in A Brief History Of the Future ends with a "to be continued in Spring 2025".
So... Again, there are some questions left unanswered (and I love that!): How are both books linked? Are they the same Aston Wise and Thomas Bell, but in an alternative timeline? From where will the story continue? (The Order in 2048 colonising Prox?). I'm soooo excited to learn what's coming next and to listen Starset's next album (I love Brave New World).
Let me know about your impressions, opinions, theories... feel free to add any info I could have missed, to correct any piece I could be mistaken about, etc. Thank you so much for your attention (I literally created this account only to write these Starset lore posts I feel very invested to and English isn't even my first or second language), I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful!!

I've been working on my game for around 2-3 years. There were times when I was anxious about negative feedback and the lack of wishlists. But 2 days ago, I launched my game. Here's what I'm feeling right now.
Firstly, I feel relaxed and calm. I'm also missing the sense of "I have work to do", which was a huge part of my life every day for the last few years. All that tension is gone. I feel empty, but in a good way. I'm still getting used to the feeling of having nothing to do.
Yesterday, a few hours after launch, I went out and met some friends and had a good time. I didn't think about my game at all (which was weird to be honest). Today, I cleared out some old junk in my "studio". I also wiped clean the white board I used to write my daily to-do lists. It's blank for the first time in many years. That's exactly how I am feeling.
I know there's still work to do with regard to promotions and fixing game issues as and when they come up. But I know for a fact that the actual mountain of gamedev work has been conquered. This feeling of knowing I've reached my goal is incredible. Guys, I'm not saying it's a high, but it's a high. Not an intense high. But a high nonetheless.
IMO completing my game and releasing it is the conclusion of my game dev journey, or at least the first of many journeys. Although, the sales have been so-so thus far (don't ask about it), it does feel immensely rewarding to just know that my creation is out there, and that people are playing it!
Regardless of what happens, I know my future self will look back on these post-launch moments fondly. I think whatever I'm feeling makes the struggle worth it. I also know that if there existed a club for indie devs who have completed and published a game, I'm officially in it.
Anyway, if you're a new solo indie game developer reading this, trust me when I say that completing an indie game and publishing it is an awesome feeling. In fact, it's a huge achievement in and of itself.

Notmine, but some very creative people have come up with a campaign to get the word out and let the people know that SOMETHING needs to be changed/worked out BEFORE deciding that closing Library branches is the correct option.
Here is the info from the Facebook post (link at the end): The title is "The 'Seeing Red' Campaign."
Libraries are an indispensable resource to our community. They provide a safe place for our children to grow and learn. They offer services found nowhere else in our county. They are cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and welcoming to anyone. Our hardworking librarians have always done their best to give back to the community, but now we must come together in their defense.
On Friday, May 17th, the St. Charles County community was blindsided by a proposal to close three library branches – Deer Run, Kisker Road, and McClay. These closures may occur as soon as June 30th.
This proposal has us all Seeing Red. Due to community backlash, the final vote was postponed for 30 days, but we are still at risk of branches being closed. If this vote goes through, we will lose some of our most important community spaces, as well as the programs and services they offer. Library employees in these branches will lose their jobs and the livelihoods of those who worked to uplift our community will be put at risk.
It is time to come out and support your local libraries.
The primary goal of this campaign is to increase traffic to Deer Run, Kisker, and McClay over the next 30 days. We encourage all members of our community to check out books, attend programs, get to know staff, and take in what we are at risk of losing.
We also want to spread the word of what’s happening. If able, please take some time to inform others around you by reaching out to your friends, family, and acquaintances in the area, or by joining in peaceful protests outside of branches and spreading information to other branch visitors.
During this period of 30 days, as a symbol of our united frustration, outrage, and discontent with the library board’s actions, we request that you show up to any and all of our libraries while Wearing Red, but especially those most at risk. By standing together, we can show the board exactly how we feel about their choices.
Show up to our at-risk branches, wear red, write to the board, and make your voice heard. Together, we can make a difference. All of us must step up as members of our community and do our part to show support for our libraries. Show up nice and early to board meetings. Grab a comment card (they no longer allow patrons to pre-print them) and jump in line to speak your mind.
For those who wish to write directly to the library board to voice your concern, emails may be addressed to board@stchlibrary.org STCH Library Board Email: board@stchlibrary.org Steve Ehlmann email: sehlmann@services.state.mo.us Dan Borgmeyer email: dan.borgmeyer@stcharlescitymo.gov
If you know of businesses or organizations that are willing to promote red, we would love to involve the entire community in this. For example a cookie shop might sell Red Velvet Cookies at a discounted price to people who mention #SeeingRed.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/JTdfwtQRqvjqaZrq/?mibextid=oFDknk

I enjoyed Dunki, but it wasn't as great as a RKH film with SRK as the lead that talks about illegal immigration should have been. I am not a better writer than RKH, Abhijaat Joshi or Kanika Dhillon. This is just for fun. Here we go:
ACT 1:
We open the film with a large group of people protesting in front of the UK embassy in India. Cops show up to remove the crowd. The protestors start running away and chaos ensues. We see an old man, running, clutching his chest, sweating. He regains his composure and the man is revealed to be SRK. He gets arrested by the cops and we cut to him sitting in an interrogation chamber. A woman enters, adresses SRK as Mr. Dhillon and introduces herself as Priya Varma. She says she has been appointed by the Indian government and the UK embassy to talk to him. They share some fun banter and then, Mr. Dhillon starts explaining his story.
Back in 1995, in the small village of Laltu, Punjab, lived Hardayal Singh Dhillon aka Hardy. In a short funny sequence, we learn that- He was an outsider in the village. He was in the army, but due to his cowardice causing 7 other soldiers to get gravely injured, he was expelled. Without any money, he showed up to the village of Laltu, a place where there is great respect for the army. He paints himself as a war hero in front of the villagers, and as a result, he is treated like a celebrity. Free food, free lodging, you name it. Eventually, he got exposed by some villagers. To stop matters from getting worse, Hardy sweeps this matter under the rug by using the obsession of the villagers to get to foreign countries to his advantage. He tells them that he will start an IELTS coaching centre in the village and help everyone get visas.
After this sequence ends, we cut to the characters of Manu, Sukhi, Buggu and Balli. We see their everyday struggles and how they desperately want to get to London. We also establish how they dislike their country and living in it. We see them join the IELTS classes, where Hardy and his assistant, Geetu, teach English to students. Some comedic sequences will take place here and it will get established that Hardy and Geetu just want to earn money and don't actually care about the students. Also, we see that Hardy hates living in India and wants to go abroad too. He capitalises on his students' hate towards their country by making them appear for IELTS to get a visa.
Eventually, the day of the exam comes and like the movie, we see a sequence here that is both comedic and emotional. The results come and just like the film, Balli passes whereas the others fail. As Balli is departing, Hardy and Geetu arrive to shoot a promotional video. Here, they get confronted by Sukhi, Buggu and Manu, who tell them that they don't care about the students and just started this as a hustle to earn money and save Hardy's reputation in the village. The sequence ends with Sukhi slapping Hardy, causing the latter to leave, dejected.
Manu and the other two decide that they will take the Dunki route to get to London, because they cannot die in this stupid village. Hardy arrives and decides to help them by not only giving them the necessary money, but also deciding to accompany them. The gang is skeptical, but agree to accept his help.
The next day, they go to meet an agent who will send them on the journey. Here, we get a comedic sequence where the agent tries to paint the whole journey as some kind of tourist activity and also tries to sell them packages. Hardy sees through all of this and tells the others that as a former crook himself, he understands the agent's tactics. However, left without any choice, they decide to go ahead, as none of them want to "rot in India."
END OF ACT 1

Hello all you DG people! After scrolling and reading, I have decided to make my own post.
To all you new hires: I wish you good luck, there are good stores(still pretty shitty though) and there are terrible stores. I say hold the job till you find something better, but don’t forget to document all that goes on in your store when it comes to your higher ups.
To the customers who are a part of this sub Reddit: hi there! As you can see, there’s a dark side to the store that tries to promote being there for the community. I hope you don’t take this to heart as we employees are trying our best to help and get things done to make the store look better
Onto the main event: I’ve been an SM for 3 months(May not seem like much but it has felt like 6) and I completely skipped the ASM position to be put into this one, as I’ve been with DG a little less than a year. As I’ve finally been in this position of authority, it’s also broadened my perspective of the company. I work with a good team, and our store does pretty well for itself. I see that most people quit, for fair reasonings, and even I’m looking at different opportunities because of the way they set their priorities. I was never taught how salary works, but after realizing what it’s like, I now see why people don’t like salary unless they’re in a better position with better pay. Their training program for the SM position was pretty much a two day CBL nightmare, and barely any hands on training. I basically taught myself on everything besides what the CBL’s highlighted and I believe I’m doing it right(I have no idea and I haven’t been chewed out by higher ups yet) but we will see. One thing I must add, is that if you’re sick, or ill, go home. They’ll try to have you stay and work even if you’re sick to “save face” and look good in front of others, but there’s only so much one can take when they’re sicker than a dog. I only know this because my significant other had gotten me sick, and I tried pushing myself to work, but I nearly didn’t make it to close with the fever I had(102 something degrees) and they still didn’t care. I had to use vacation hours to get an extra day off for recovery, but they wanted me to try and make up the hours two days before payroll was supposed to be done, which was never explained to me until the week after. This company wants to work you like no tomorrow, and not really pay you. If you complain or whine or moan, they’ll give you a bunch of empty promises to keep you on board. The more “childish”you act(mainly looking out for yourself), there’s two ways it can go either 1: you get special treatment because either the SM or the DM believes you’re valuable or 2: you get shitcanned because they don’t see you as someone they want to keep. So my DG people, I give you this hint of advice. Two weeks is “customary” but not required if you’re looking to never return, so for those At Will employment state workers, you can terminate yourself and you don’t have to give them a reason(but I bet you knew that already) BUT your employer could do the same thing to you and that’s usually what’s highlighted when you look it up. My best advice on if you should stay or go? Stay if you’re beginning to see improvement within the workplace. Go if you know that it isn’t worth staying. You’re only human, and there’s only so much you can do on any particular day or even week. Get out while you still can, and don’t hesitate to go over an SM’s head when it comes to internal conflicts. Remember to document it all, keep your clock in/out sheets, and take screenshots of your schedule changes especially if they’re way too late. I wish you all luck, even if you decide to stay, but there’s always going to be a better opportunity for you guys if you take the step towards it, mainly that step is out the door of a DG, to never return, and be happy for once.