Looks like… one of the Number islands from FireRed? I like the scale we get of the normally unreachable highland area.

Cute! Though I am a bit sad to see them separate mice from rats.

Also, I’m wondering what the theme is for adventures this time, since they don’t seem to have the same plot type structure as the previous set.

Lots of great tips here, but one that works pretty well for my group, is to think of myself less as an actor playing a character, and more like a narrator. Which is to say, I’ll often describe the actions and/or thought process of my character before saying what I think they’ll say (in my normal voice).

This is easiest for mages since cantrips like Prestidigitation become powerful roleplaying tools, but even something like holding a Fire Bolt in the air over the person you’re trying to intimidate can have an interesting affect on the mood of the scene.

Don’t listen to the haters here, you make a fine point. First, we stop criminalizing it. Let the hatred and the worship fade a bit. Then we can focus on objectively determining it’s uses, it’s dangers, and it’s place in society.

Up to now, you’ve been following the track your society has laid out for you, growing and building yourself into a useful and civilized adult. Unfortunately, this where the tracks end.

No one will blame you if you fall into the perpetual cycles of materialism and let the world grind you up in exchange for occasional pleasure of increasingly empty quality.

The only escape I have encountered is to find something that calls to you, and to treat it as more important than yourself. The hard part about that is that other people, your friends and family and strangers online, who do not themselves worship the same, will criticize your choice. And you’ll have to decide which you can afford to do without.