I am 40 years old. Wife is 34. Married with 5 kids (ages 10-1). I have been saving pretty diligently my entire life and live a frugal lifestyle. We spend around $4,500 a month on living expenses such as our mortgage, car payments, utilities, food, etc. We save roughly $8,000 a month today after paying bills most of which goes into retirement or taxable brokerage accounts. The only debt we have is two new cars for a total of about $35,000 at 3-5% aprs and then our mortgage. House is valued at $600,000 and we owe $240,000 with a 2.75% 30 year mortgage.
My income: $130,000 Total household income: $240,000
Investments: Roth IRAs combined: $70,000 401ks combined: $200,000 Taxable brokerage accounts combined: $325,000 529s for kids combined: $60,000 Cash/EF: $30,000
Edit: Forgot to state all of the above is invested in general overall market index funds such as VTI or target date funds in the case of the 401ks.
My question is - if we were to both lose our jobs tomorrow and have to take new jobs at significantly less pay that results in us being unable to put another dollar into saving for retirement would we still be able to retire? I am very conservative with my calculations and using 6% expected return it looks like we'd have around $1,500,000 - $1,700,000 in 20-22 years if we never added any more money. From that we could safely take out around $60,000 a year.
Just looking for confirmation this is accurate and also any tips you have.
I am an oversaver and constantly live in a state of fear and anxiety that we will lose our jobs and be unable to find equivalent work.
Thanks for any help or advice.

So this is an interesting dilemma I'm in. My current PC is old, about 8 years I think. It is a mini-pc I built myself with a Skylake i3 6100 (2 cores plus hyperthreading) By tweaking game settings, I've even been able to play something like Skyrim with horrible potato graphics.
I'm starting to run into issue as drivers are no longer supported and hardware is slowly failing. WiFi card just died the other day and the fans are making bad noises.
I can keep it running a little longer, but I've made it almost a decade on an iGPU. I need to plan to replace it within the next year and hopefully have something that will get me 8 years.
My build is below. I'm less concerned about the size (mATX case with itx board) than I am with a good budget build. I'm playing games less and less and something stable and reliable is more important. I don't do video editing or heavy CAD, but I do those things occasionally. I'm not needing super fast modeling or editing. A few extra seconds/minutes/hours when I push the limits is fine.
The goal with this build is to be able to upgrade if I determine it is important for a new hobby or I find time to game. CPU can be swapped to a newer i7 if needed. GPU is absent, but I can watch for deals. I'm thinking of playing with machine learning a little and all I know so far is that more vram is better.
Please suggest alternatives and share your feedback. I'm open to an AM5 build, but I've always built with intel and have no experience with driver support etc.
[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RTVQbL)
TypeItemPrice
:----:----:----
**CPU** [Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/BB4Ycf/intel-core-i5-12600k-37-ghz-6-core-processor-bx8071512600k) $175.00 @ Amazon
**CPU Cooler** [Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO 69 CFM CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/BRMMnQ/thermalright-phantom-spirit-evo-69-cfm-cpu-cooler-phantom-spirit-120-evo) $49.90 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** [Asus ROG STRIX Z690-I GAMING WIFI Mini ITX LGA1700 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/yzWzK8/asus-rog-strix-z690-i-gaming-wifi-mini-itx-lga1700-motherboard-rog-strix-z690-i-gaming-wifi) $189.99 @ Newegg
**Memory** [TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/p9CZxteamgroup-t-create-expert-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr5-6400-cl32-memory-ctced532g6400hc32adc01) $94.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** [Crucial P3 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/yGZ9TW/crucial-p3-plus-2-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-ct2000p3pssd8) $117.99 @ Amazon
**Case** [G.Skill LT1 MicroATX Mini Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/34H7YJ/gskill-lt1-microatx-mini-tower-case-gc-tkgw1-lt1) $69.98 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** [SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dCs8TW/seasonic-focus-plus-platinum-750w-80-platinum-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-750px) $118.00 @ B&H
*Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts*
**Total** **$815.85**
Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2024-05-18 20:55 EDT-0400

Line Score - Game Over

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E	LOB
MIN	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	4	10	1	6
CLE	2	0	2	1	2	0	4	0		11	16	2	7

Box Score

CLE		AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA
CF	Freeman, T	4	3	4	3	1	0	.221
2B	Gimenez	5	1	3	2	0	0	.276
2B	Arias, G	0	0	0	0	0	0	.216
3B	Ramírez, Jo	5	1	3	3	0	0	.258
LF	Florial	0	0	0	0	0	0	.189
1B	Naylor, J	4	0	1	1	0	0	.256
P	Avila	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
3B	Fry	2	2	0	0	2	1	.325
RF	Brennan	5	1	1	1	0	2	.231
1B	Manzardo	4	0	1	1	0	0	.161
C	Naylor, B	3	1	1	0	1	1	.175
SS	Rocchio	4	2	2	0	0	1	.218

CLE	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	P-S	ERA
Allen, L.T.	6.0	5	0	0	1	7	89-59	4.91
Sandlin	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	14-10	2.45
Hentges	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	8-6	0.00
Avila	1.0	4	4	3	0	2	40-25	6.97

MIN		AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA
DH	Jeffers	4	0	1	0	0	3	.274
LF	Kirilloff	1	0	0	0	0	1	.205
SS	Correa	2	0	1	0	1	0	.268
2B	Julien	1	0	0	0	0	0	.216
P	Castro, W	4	1	1	0	0	1	.260
3B	Miranda	4	1	1	0	0	0	.274
CF	Buxton	4	1	1	1	0	1	.250
RF	Margot	4	0	3	0	0	1	.195
1B	Santana	4	1	1	0	0	1	.204
SS	Farmer, K	4	0	1	2	0	2	.160
C	Vázquez	4	0	0	0	0	0	.163

MIN	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	P-S	ERA
Ober	4.0	8	5	5	1	4	91-63	4.40
Funderburk	2.0	4	2	2	2	0	38-20	4.98
Jackson, J	1.0	4	4	4	1	1	34-20	7.25
Castro, W	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	9-6	0.00

Scoring Plays

Inning	Event	Score
B1	José Ramírez homers (11) on a fly ball to right field. Tyler Freeman scores.	2-0
B3	José Ramírez doubles (7) on a sharp line drive to right fielder Manuel Margot. Tyler Freeman scores. Andrés Giménez to 3rd.	3-0
B3	Josh Naylor out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Manuel Margot. Andrés Giménez scores. José Ramírez to 3rd.	4-0
B4	Tyler Freeman doubles (7) on a fly ball to left fielder Willi Castro. Brayan Rocchio scores.	5-0
B5	Will Brennan singles on a line drive to center fielder Byron Buxton. David Fry scores.	6-0
B5	Kyle Manzardo doubles (2) on a line drive to left fielder Willi Castro. Will Brennan scores.	7-0
B7	Tyler Freeman singles on a ground ball to left fielder Willi Castro. David Fry scores. Bo Naylor scores. Brayan Rocchio to 3rd. Tyler Freeman to 2nd. Fielding error by left fielder Willi Castro.	9-0
B7	Andrés Giménez singles on a fly ball to center fielder Byron Buxton. Brayan Rocchio scores. Tyler Freeman scores.	11-0
T9	Byron Buxton singles on a sharp line drive to right fielder Will Brennan. Willi Castro scores. Jose Miranda to 2nd.	11-1
T9	Carlos Santana singles on a ground ball to right fielder Will Brennan. Jose Miranda scores. Byron Buxton to 3rd. Carlos Santana to 2nd. Fielding error by right fielder Will Brennan.	11-2
T9	Kyle Farmer doubles (7) on a line drive to left fielder Estevan Florial. Byron Buxton scores. Carlos Santana scores.	11-4

Highlights

Description	Length
Bailey Ober against the Guardians	0:09
Logan Allen against the Twins	0:09
Bullpen availability for Cleveland, May 18 vs Twins	0:07
Bullpen availability for Minnesota, May 18 vs Guardians	0:07
Bench availability for Minnesota, May 18 vs Guardians	0:07
Fielding alignment for Minnesota, May 18 vs Guardians	0:11
Fielding alignment for Cleveland, May 18 vs Twins	0:11
Starting lineups for Twins at Guardians - May 18, 2024	0:09
Measuring the stats on José Ramírez's home run	0:12
José Ramírez's home run through bat tracking data	0:11
Breaking down Bailey Ober's pitches	0:04
Logan Allen's outing against the Twins	0:23
Breaking down Logan Allen's pitches	0:04
José Ramírez's two-run home run (11)	0:29
Josh Naylor's sac fly	0:21
José Ramírez's RBI double	0:24
Carlos Santana starts run-saving double play	0:24
Tyler Freeman's RBI double	0:24
Will Brennan's RBI single	0:19
Kyle Manzardo's first career RBI	0:26
Bailey Ober strikes out Brayan Rocchio to end the 2nd	0:08
Logan Allen picks up his seventh and final strikeout	0:07
Logan Allen's terrific outing	1:00
Tyler Freeman's two-run single	0:29
Andrés Giménez's two-run single	0:19
Brayan Rocchio singles after review in the 7th	0:24
Byron Buxton's RBI single	0:22
Carlos Santana's RBI single	0:23
Kyle Farmer's RBI double	0:17
Pedro Avila secures the Guardians win	0:07

Decisions

Winning Pitcher	Losing Pitcher	Save
Allen, L.T. (5-2, 4.91 ERA)	Ober (4-2, 4.40 ERA)

Game ended at 7:57 PM.

I swear all of these updates are making it so annoying to organize anything. Like selecting multiple songs to sell takes like 2 seconds to register each tap. Now with the new quests thing it my library is so full to complete them that it’s super annoying to go through and organize. I don’t understand how there’s so much latency on this game when it’s nothing compared to many other high graphics games. Opening drops sometimes takes like a full 10 seconds even with the animation disabled.
Another side note of something else I noticed but the album covers for some songs are just wrong sometimes. I guess technically they can be right if it’s that specific version of the song on Spotify, like for example all of the songs on pink tape by lil Uzi have like deluxe alternate cover bullshit that sometimes I get and I wish it would just follow the album art from the album it’s from. Also like why are we getting the commentary version of DS2 by future? Who wants that shit why are there so many of these slowed and sped up versions, I obviously don’t speak for everyone but like cmon no one listens to that shit.

Abstract
The following derived as the formula for the Egyptian cosmos:

• 𓊖 = Ⓣ^C / (𓅃⋅𓃀)

Verified by the value of the earth’s 🌍 circumference reported to Aristotle (2280A), by “mathematicians“, a science Aristotle says was invented in Egypt; experimentally calculated by Eratosthenes (2210A); decoded as 360 x 1,111 stades by Warren (42A); EAN decoded as omicron (ομικρον) [360] x iota (ιωτα) [1111] by Thims (7 Feb A68); and HieroTypes reduced as: ◯^W ⋅ X = ⨂ » 𓊖 by Thims (18 May A69).
Overview
The following is:

#	Circumference 🌍	Person
1.	τετταράκοντα [40] μυριάδας [10,000]	Aristotle (2280A)
2.	40 x 10,000
3.	M x 𓂭
4.	Δ x 𓆐
	Y x 𓆼
5.	400,000 stadia
6.	400,000 🏟️
7.	400,000 [600 👣]
8.	400,000 [600 𓃀]
9.	400,000 [X𓃀]
10.	252,000 stades	Eratosthenes (2210A)
11.	360 x 1,111 stades	Warren (42A)
12.	399,960 stades	Warren (42A)
13.	[ομικρον] x [ιωτα]	Thims (7 Feb A68)
14.	OW x IW x [X𓃀]
15.	◯W x 𓅃W x [X𓃀]
16.	◯W⋅𓅃W⋅[X𓃀]
17.	𓊖⋅𓅃⋅𓃀	Thims (18 May A69)
18.	239,976,000 feet	Egyptians (Aristotle)
19.	151,200,000 feet	Eratosthenes
20.	131,482,560 feet	Modern value

Whence, we have:

• Ⓣ^C = 𓊖⋅𓅃⋅𓃀

Dividing through, we get:

• 𓊖 = Ⓣ^C / (𓅃⋅𓃀)

A ΕΑΝ formula for the Egyptian cosmos (κοσμος) [600]!
Circle-X symbol 𓊖 [O49]?
In step #17, I have merged omicron (ομικρον) [360] symbol ◯ with the chi (X) = 600 symbol, to make the circle-X (⨂) symbol 𓊖 [O49], which is in the names of many Egyptian city or nome names, e.g. Heliopolis, as follows:

• ◯^W ⋅ X = ⨂ » 𓊖
• 360 ⋅ 600 = ⨂ » 𓊖
• 216,000 = ⨂ » 𓊖

In other words, I am conjecturing that the chi X is merged into or inside of the ◯ circle, to form, similar to what Plato speaks about, the Egyptian circle-X or cosmos birth symbol 𓊖 [O49].
We also note:

• 216,000 = ⨂ » 𓊖
• 216,000 = 216 ⋅ 1,000
• 216,000 = 216 ⋅ 𓆼
• 216,000 = {επιμιχια} ⋅ 1,000

Where epimixia {επιμιχια} [216] meaning: “intercourse“ (Barry, A44) or “admixture”, which seems to make sense, meaning that the phoenix 🐦‍🔥 egg 🥚, formed by Ptah, had to have been made or seeded by “intercourse”, meaning the new cosmos was born from an admixture of sexual genomes 🧬, or something along these lines.
Keys

• Ⓣ^C = circumference of earth 🌍 on an Egypto-Greek T-O map.
• W (superscript) means “word value”, e.g. ◯^W = 360, the word value of omicron (ομικρον), or 𓅃^{W =} 1111, the word value of iota (ιωτα).
• Stadion (ΣΤΑΔΙΟΝ) {neutral} or stadia (ΣΤΑΔΙΑ) {genitive} = 600 feet 👣, the length of one Greek stadium.
• 🏟️ = stadium emoji; used as icon for the Greek stadia.
• 𓆼 = 1,000 in Egyptian numerals.
• 𓂭 = 10,000 in Egyptian numerals.
• 𓆐 = 100,000 in Egyptian numerals.
• Δ = 4 in Greek numerals.
• M = 40 in Greek numerals.
• Y = 400 in Greek numerals.
• X = Chi, 24th letter, letter value: 600.
• x = multiplication symbol.
• (dot) ⋅ = alternative multiplication symbol.
• 𓃀 [D58] = one foot 🦶or 16 digits on the Cubit.
• 𓅃 [G5] = Horus falcon, 10th unit on most Cubit rules, and letter-number 10 (𐤉) on the Phoenician alphabet; used as pre-Iota (I) LunarScript symbol, i.e. 10th Greek letter.

Quotes

“Mathematicians who calculate the size of the earth's 🌍 circumference Ⓣ arrive at the figure 400,000 stades.”
— Aristotle (2280A/-325), On the Heavens (Περί Ουρανού) (translator: J.L. Stocks) (§2.14:298a15)

Posts

• 111 ordering of the alphabet
• Omicron [360] ◯ x iota [1111] = T-O map Ⓣ circumference [400,000]!
• Type (etymology): the “form” of a letter
• Stadium 🏟️, from Greek stadion (σταδιον) [635], secret name: sthenaros (σθεναρος), meaning: strong, mighty; robust; intense violent. Length: 600 Greek feet, based on chi (χ), value: 600, secret name: cosmos (κοσμος). Earth 🌎 circumference = 400,000 stadiums 🏟️ (Aristotle, 435A/22870A)

References

• Aristotle (2280A/-325). On the Heavens (Περί Ουρανού) (translator: J.L. Stocks) (§2.14:298a15). Publisher.
• Warren, Charles. (42A/1913), The Early Weights and Measures of Mankind (pgs. 48-49). Publisher.

I am 32 weeks pregnant and I have been having a hard time getting family (both mine but more so the in laws) to respect the boundaries I am trying to put in place around labor and delivery and after baby boy arrives.
I am thinking I would like for us to just let my in laws know that baby is safe and ready for visitors when that time comes rather than letting them know we are in labor. My mother in law told my husband today that she did not care how I felt about it or what I said, they would be in the waiting room expecting updates if she can’t be in the delivery room. She also had a lot to say when she found out I was planning on getting an epidural.
I have been a part of the family for over 15 years and my husband and I have been married for 10. We have always had a complicated relationship as she is extremely passive aggressive and will only tell her complaints about me to everyone else (a big issue that has been and is being worked on with my husband) and then I find out much later and there is no tactful way to bring the issue back up.
During my pregnancy she has done/said several things that have made me uncomfortable and just pushed me further in the direction of wanting to extremely limit my contact with her and by extension, our future son’s as well. She has made comments about my body changing (boobs getting bigger) to her other son in front of me, her thoughts on how my breastfeeding should go (must wear a cover as to not upset anyone), asking what baby’s name will be and after getting an answer suggesting alternatives of family member’s names (multiple times), saying I shouldn’t get an epidural, having a fit when she found out we weren’t planning on having a changing table (seriously?!), many other small off-hand comments, and now saying that she doesn’t care how I feel about it- she’ll be in the waiting room…
I’m trying to be kind and tactful but I’m pretty much to the end of my patience with this woman and I’m going to explode.
How do I deal with putting boundaries in place with both her and my family regarding baby? I am hoping for a good outcome for everyone but my stress levels are through the roof and I have a lot of resentment that I’m already feeling this way and being put in these positions before little man even arrives.
Thank you!

Revenge of the sith overload next year every set must have a clone. No sequel sets at all, forever. 212th battlepack. 187th battlepack phase 1 battlepack. Phase 1 41st battlepack. ANOTHER GUNSHIP ONLY CLONES 6 PLAIN 2 SHOCK 2 PILOTS 2008 model with 2013 level of quality. Turbo tank. Barc trooper sets. MTT. Full scale tri droid. Droid gunship/bomber can’t remember name. Droid battlepack. At te AGAIN WITH BLY AND HIS BATTALION THEN THEY HAVE A BATTLEPACK. and then a rogue one model storm trooper battlepack and rebel trooper battlepack. Still appreciate them too ❤️ DROP SHIP WITH ANOTHER AT TE 10 PLAIN CLONES 4 SHOCK 1 PILOT 1 GUNNER AND JEDI Jim. A wolf pack set in PHASE 2. A DROID TANK. ARC AND ARF TROOPERS TOO DONT FORGET BOMBSQUAD!
Also bring back official alternate builds in the instructions.

My newest character is a Drow Durge who is going to be a College of Swords Bard mixed with Paladin for the flourish + smite combo, I heard it was really strong. Only issue is im having issues figuring out feats.
My starting stats were
8 STR 17 DEX 14 CON 8 INT 10 WIS 16 CHA
I was planning on doing Hags hair for 18 DEX, then using an ASI at level 4 to get CHA to 18, then using an ASI or Mirror of Loss to get CHA to 20, as ive heard that high CHA is important for this build. But here's where I'm stuck
If I use a second ASI for my CHA, I can get CHA to 20, with another +2 from Birthright, and then use Mirror of Loss to get DEX to 20. But then I dont get Savage Attacker, which ive heard is quite strong on this build.
Alternatively I could take Savage Attacker, and then use Mirror of Loss to get DEX to 20 and use Birthright to get CHA to 20.
Or if I really want I could leave DEX at 18, take Savage Attacker feat, and use mirror of loss and birthright to get my CHA to 22.
What is the optimal build here? Is it important I get my DEX to 20 or is 18 sufficient so i can make CHA insanely high? For reference, I can't get a third feat/ASI because I've heard the best split in Swords Bard/Paladin is 10 Bard, 2 Paladin. Or is 8 Bard and 4 Paladin better so I can get my third Feat/ASI?

My newest character is a Drow Durge who is going to be a College of Swords Bard mixed with Paladin for the flourish + smite combo, I heard it was really strong. Only issue is im having issues figuring out feats.
My starting stats were
8 STR 17 DEX 14 CON 8 INT 10 WIS 16 CHA
I was planning on doing Hags hair for 18 DEX, then using an ASI at level 4 to get CHA to 18, then using an ASI or Mirror of Loss to get CHA to 20, as ive heard that high CHA is important for this build. But here's where I'm stuck
If I use a second ASI for my CHA, I can get CHA to 20, with another +2 from Birthright, and then use Mirror of Loss to get DEX to 20. But then I dont get Savage Attacker, which ive heard is quite strong on this build.
Alternatively I could take Savage Attacker, and then use Mirror of Loss to get DEX to 20 and use Birthright to get CHA to 20.
Or if I really want I could leave DEX at 18, take Savage Attacker feat, and use mirror of loss and birthright to get my CHA to 22.
What is the optimal build here? Is it important I get my DEX to 20 or is 18 sufficient so i can make CHA insanely high? For reference, I can't get a third feat/ASI because I've heard the best split in Swords Bard/Paladin is 10 Bard, 2 Paladin. Or is 8 Bard and 4 Paladin better so I can get my third Feat/ASI?

My newest character is a Drow Durge who is going to be a College of Swords Bard mixed with Paladin for the flourish + smite combo, I heard it was really strong. Only issue is im having issues figuring out feats.
My starting stats were
8 STR 17 DEX 14 CON 8 INT 10 WIS 16 CHA
I was planning on doing Hags hair for 18 DEX, then using an ASI at level 4 to get CHA to 18, then using an ASI or Mirror of Loss to get CHA to 20, as ive heard that high CHA is important for this build. But here's where I'm stuck
If I use a second ASI for my CHA, I can get CHA to 20, with another +2 from Birthright, and then use Mirror of Loss to get DEX to 20. But then I dont get Savage Attacker, which ive heard is quite strong on this build.
Alternatively I could take Savage Attacker, and then use Mirror of Loss to get DEX to 20 and use Birthright to get CHA to 20.
Or if I really want I could leave DEX at 18, take Savage Attacker feat, and use mirror of loss and birthright to get my CHA to 22.
What is the optimal build here? Is it important I get my DEX to 20 or is 18 sufficient so i can make CHA insanely high? For reference, I can't get a third feat/ASI because I've heard the best split in Swords Bard/Paladin is 10 Bard, 2 Paladin. Or is 8 Bard and 4 Paladin better so I can get my third Feat/ASI?

I am 32 weeks pregnant and I have been having a hard time getting family (both mine but more so the in laws) to respect the boundaries I am trying to put in place around labor and delivery and after baby boy arrives.
I am thinking I would like for us to just let my in laws know that baby is safe and ready for visitors when that time comes rather than letting them know we are in labor. My mother in law told my husband today that she did not care how I felt about it or what I said, they would be in the waiting room expecting updates if she can’t be in the delivery room. She also had a lot to say when she found out I was planning on getting an epidural.
I have been a part of the family for over 15 years and my husband and I have been married for 10. We have always had a complicated relationship as she is extremely passive aggressive and will only tell her complaints about me to everyone else (a big issue that has been and is being worked on with my husband) and then I find out much later and there is no tactful way to bring the issue back up.
During my pregnancy she has done/said several things that have made me uncomfortable and just pushed me further in the direction of wanting to extremely limit my contact with her and by extension, our future son’s as well. She has made comments about my body changing (boobs getting bigger) to her other son in front of me, her thoughts on how my breastfeeding should go (must wear a cover as to not upset anyone), asking what baby’s name will be and after getting an answer suggesting alternatives of family member’s names (multiple times), saying I shouldn’t get an epidural, having a fit when she found out we weren’t planning on having a changing table (seriously?!), many other small off-hand comments, and now saying that she doesn’t care how I feel about it- she’ll be in the waiting room…
I’m trying to be kind and tactful but I’m pretty much to the end of my patience with this woman and I’m going to explode.
How do I deal with putting boundaries in place with both her and my family regarding baby? I am hoping for a good outcome for everyone but my stress levels are through the roof and I have a lot of resentment that I’m already feeling this way and being put in these positions before little man even arrives.
Thank you!

I am 32 weeks pregnant and I have been having a hard time getting family (both mine but more so the in laws) to respect the boundaries I am trying to put in place around labor and delivery and after baby boy arrives.
I am thinking I would like for us to just let my in laws know that baby is safe and ready for visitors when that time comes rather than letting them know we are in labor. My mother in law told my husband today that she did not care how I felt about it or what I said, they would be in the waiting room expecting updates if she can’t be in the delivery room. She also had a lot to say when she found out I was planning on getting an epidural.
I have been a part of the family for over 15 years and my husband and I have been married for 10. We have always had a complicated relationship as she is extremely passive aggressive and will only tell her complaints about me to everyone else (a big issue that has been and is being worked on with my husband) and then I find out much later and there is no tactful way to bring the issue back up.
During my pregnancy she has done/said several things that have made me uncomfortable and just pushed me further in the direction of wanting to extremely limit my contact with her and by extension, our future son’s as well. She has made comments about my body changing (boobs getting bigger) to her other son in front of me, her thoughts on how my breastfeeding should go (must wear a cover as to not upset anyone), asking what baby’s name will be and after getting an answer suggesting alternatives of family member’s names (multiple times), saying I shouldn’t get an epidural, having a fit when she found out we weren’t planning on having a changing table (seriously?!), many other small off-hand comments, and now saying that she doesn’t care how I feel about it- she’ll be in the waiting room…
I’m trying to be kind and tactful but I’m pretty much to the end of my patience with this woman and I’m going to explode.
How do I deal with putting boundaries in place with both her and my family regarding baby? I am hoping for a good outcome for everyone but my stress levels are through the roof and I have a lot of resentment that I’m already feeling this way and being put in these positions before little man even arrives.
Thank you!

I am 32 weeks pregnant and I have been having a hard time getting family (both mine but more so the in laws) to respect the boundaries I am trying to put in place around labor and delivery and after baby boy arrives.
I am thinking I would like for us to just let my in laws know that baby is safe and ready for visitors when that time comes rather than letting them know we are in labor. My mother in law told my husband today that she did not care how I felt about it or what I said, they would be in the waiting room expecting updates if she can’t be in the delivery room. She also had a lot to say when she found out I was planning on getting an epidural.
I have been a part of the family for over 15 years and my husband and I have been married for 10. We have always had a complicated relationship as she is extremely passive aggressive and will only tell her complaints about me to everyone else (a big issue that has been and is being worked on with my husband) and then I find out much later and there is no tactful way to bring the issue back up.
During my pregnancy she has done/said several things that have made me uncomfortable and just pushed me further in the direction of wanting to extremely limit my contact with her and by extension, our future son’s as well. She has made comments about my body changing (boobs getting bigger) to her other son in front of me, her thoughts on how my breastfeeding should go (must wear a cover as to not upset anyone), asking what baby’s name will be and after getting an answer suggesting alternatives of family member’s names (multiple times), saying I shouldn’t get an epidural, having a fit when she found out we weren’t planning on having a changing table (seriously?!), many other small off-hand comments, and now saying that she doesn’t care how I feel about it- she’ll be in the waiting room…
I’m trying to be kind and tactful but I’m pretty much to the end of my patience with this woman and I’m going to explode.
How do I deal with putting boundaries in place with both her and my family regarding baby? I am hoping for a good outcome for everyone but my stress levels are through the roof and I have a lot of resentment that I’m already feeling this way and being put in these positions before little man even arrives.
Thank you!

I’m pregnant for the first time at 42. In addition to age, I have some health issues and medications that put me in a higher risk category. My husband and I tried for over a year with a reproductive endocrinologist, but that ended after several not great experiences and bad communication (and the closest alternative is at least a 2 hour drive away). This was over a year ago, and we had mostly reconciled ourselves to not having children. And now we found out I’m pregnant.
My cycle is regular, only 24 days, and ovulation happens ~day 10/11. 2 days after my period was due (16DPO), my at home pregnancy test was negative. 2 days later (18DPO), they performed another urine test in a clinic which was also negative. But I had a lot of symptoms. And my period is never late.
At 6 days past my expected period (20DPO), I asked my PCP to order a serum test and my hCG was 354.
Does it seem odd that the urine test was negative just 2 days before my serum level was 354? And isn’t a urine test almost completely accurate nearly a week after a missed period??
I’m now presumably 4w5d along. When I called my OB early this week, they scheduled a scan at 8-10 weeks where they would “confirm I’m pregnant” (which is a longer wait than I expected for my first appointment, especially considering risk factors).
In the meantime, my PCP is helping me monitor since she knows we’ve been trying for so long. At 22DPO, my hCG was up to 920 (from the 354 at 20DPO).
I wasn’t worried about these numbers until coming to this subreddit. My numbers seem to be more than doubling, which I thought was good, but they also seem much lower than others at the same stage who are worried their numbers are “too low”? It seems the normal range is so vast.
Can someone help me make sense of this? I’m nervous, and since it sounds like I won’t be able to see an OB for at least another month, is there anything else my PCP can do in the meantime? Is a first scan at 8-10 weeks standard, even for higher risk pregnancies?
Thanks!

I am 32 weeks pregnant and I have been having a hard time getting family (both mine but more so the in laws) to respect the boundaries I am trying to put in place around labor and delivery and after baby boy arrives.
I am thinking I would like for us to just let my in laws know that baby is safe and ready for visitors when that time comes rather than letting them know we are in labor. My mother in law told my husband today that she did not care how I felt about it or what I said, they would be in the waiting room expecting updates if she can’t be in the delivery room. She also had a lot to say when she found out I was planning on getting an epidural.
I have been a part of the family for over 15 years and my husband and I have been married for 10. We have always had a complicated relationship as she is extremely passive aggressive and will only tell her complaints about me to everyone else (a big issue that has been and is being worked on with my husband) and then I find out much later and there is no tactful way to bring the issue back up.
During my pregnancy she has done/said several things that have made me uncomfortable and just pushed me further in the direction of wanting to extremely limit my contact with her and by extension, our future son’s as well. She has made comments about my body changing (boobs getting bigger) to her other son in front of me, her thoughts on how my breastfeeding should go (must wear a cover as to not upset anyone), asking what baby’s name will be and after getting an answer suggesting alternatives of family member’s names (multiple times), saying I shouldn’t get an epidural, having a fit when she found out we weren’t planning on having a changing table (seriously?!), many other small off-hand comments, and now saying that she doesn’t care how I feel about it- she’ll be in the waiting room…
I’m trying to be kind and tactful but I’m pretty much to the end of my patience with this woman and I’m going to explode.
How do I deal with putting boundaries in place with both her and my family regarding baby? I am hoping for a good outcome for everyone but my stress levels are through the roof and I have a lot of resentment that I’m already feeling this way and being put in these positions before little man even arrives.
Thank you!

There is a huge loan repayment problem happening in the US right now, and many different ideas for how to fix it. I have spent time researching and debating the best way to ensure that college is both affordable and accessible. I came across a well structured post that details the optimal way to structure repayment, and why it is superior to other proposals, such as free college or loan forgiveness. I will be using their collected data for my post as well.
First, we need to understand who is suffering under the current system. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t graduates with high debt who are the most at risk of default, but rather those with low balances who are college dropouts, or only hold an associates degree. This makes sense once we remember that the benefits of being a college dropout or having an associates degree are not much better than just being a highschool graduate, except that they still have loans to pay.
IDR Scheme
This brings me to my solution for the problem, Auto-Enrollment in a broad Income-Driven Repayment Scheme. For simplicity, this IDR scheme functions as an insurance against bad labor market outcomes caused by college, and the repayment that comes with it. This means it will be designed in a way that doesn’t require any repayment if their salary is below a certain point, or if they drop out of college. Here are the specifics of the program:

• College Dropouts are fully forgiven
• An exemption level equal to the median income of an associate holder (48.6k as of 2023)
• The repayment period would last around 20 years
• Payments are otherwise set based on income
• The entire program is self-funding through payments, no tax funds needed.

(The repayment period is set for 20 years, that way those who didn’t substantially benefit from college over their life will be forgiven after a set period of time.)
Moral Hazards

• Won’t graduates wait out the 20 years before getting any high paying jobs?

Palacios (2014) points out that wages have significant path dependency, meaning that in order to obtain high paying jobs, you have to first make your way through a variety of different jobs that have different wages. This is why job pages will often have a requirement like “X years of increasingly responsible work experience”.

• Won’t students with low effort/ expectations go to college knowing they can dropout?

There are costs stemming from this, as the author of the cited post notes. The author notes that the welfare benefits of forgiving dropouts vastly outweighs the potential costs.
Why not free college?
This is likely a question that most will ask or cite as a better alternative, so I believe it deserves its own section so I can go in depth why it isn’t optimal.

• Free college isn’t as progressive

Even with extremely progressive taxation, free college is at best mildly progressive. An IDR scheme is easily much more progressive, and doesn’t involve wealth transfers to graduates with high average earnings.

• Free college consists of mostly private benefits

Many will justify free college by its public benefits for society. While there are some public benefits with increased education, the author notes that the vast majority of the benefit is private. Free college is inherently wasteful because of this private benefit, and doesn’t promise that education attainment will increase (see next point).

• Free college will become a public expense, subject to politics.

Many will say that free college will have high quality education if it is funded properly, but that exposes a huge problem with free college, it becomes an entire budget that will be subject to constant change when politics change. The proposed IDR scheme is self-funding and financially solvent, and can be adjusted to remain financially solvent. The reason free college in SA is often low quality, requires highly competitive tests, and often consists of crammed lecture halls is because of politics and financing.
Conclusion
This post will undoubtedly create confusion as well as criticism for not adhering to what most social democrats believe in, but I am more than welcome to clarify specific points and why I think social democrats should start supporting this system instead. I recommend that you check out the post linked in the introduction to clear up any confusion about the actual data.

Beginner here, so if more info is needed please let me know.
Win 10 Pro. Screen Snip doesn’t launch from the icon or hitting Win+Shift+S. If I right click on the icon and hit “Open Screensnip” nothing happens. I can run snippingtool.exe and select New and it works, but not from the icon in the Action Center.
"Settings" > "Apps" > "Apps & features," find the Snipping Tool in the list, click on it, and select "Advanced options." Then click on "Repair." Nothing.
"Settings" > "Apps" > "Apps & features," find the Snipping Tool in the list, click on it, and select "Advanced options." Then click on "Reset." Nothing.
My Admin account doesn’t have permission to access the WindowsApps folder to run IGCCTray.exe. Is that a related (bigger) problem?
I tried running sfc /scannow (sfc.exe) and the window flickers then nothing runs.
In the WindowsApp security tab, I don’t see my every day user profile, just the Admin Account. Under Users(myusername), “Access control entry is corrupt. Delete it and create a new one.” Will that delete my main user folder?
No updates done before it happened. I’ll reboot now. If it’s not resolved, I checked Windows update and got an error:

There were problems downloading some updates, but we'll try again later. If you keep seeing this, try searching the web or contacting support for help. This error code might help: (0x80092010) Intel System driver.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowserveforum/all/snipping-tool-issues-in-latest-updates-server-2022/0cde01fc-8a55-4e96-920d-db78bdfe3319 suggests uninstalling KB5032198 and KB5033118, but I’m not seeing either update.
If it’s related, I also have Snip and Sketch installed and runs ok. If I use the Print Screen shortcut to run from Func+Prt Scrn, but Filter Keys won’t start after holding the right Shift key for 8 seconds.
As alternates, I scanned LightShot from Microsoft and MWB quarantined it, and I’m not going to pay to try Fireshot.
One Note isn’t installed.
Thanks for any hints.

TLDR; I conducted a lot of tests based on community feedback after my first batch of test results (and recommendations) were perceived as controversial. I ran additional simulations and used chi square analysis to see if any equipment stood out.

• The polearm was observed to be the best except in very niche circumstances, where it still does well in general
• Assassin's Rags appears to be the best general armor in the game for melee
• Heavy Armor consistently loses to White Plate & Assassin's Rags
• In field battles you're probably better off not using ranged weapons at all
• For top tier characters KLR limbs remove the need to prioritize a shirt with high coverage; reducing damage to the chest & stomach may be more important even if limbs are less unprotected
• Crossbows don't appear to do very well in field battles

Introduction
Assertions about the best equipment in Kenshi are innumerable, but few of them are driven by data. A previous post based on repeated combat simulations and statistical analysis indicated that the Polearm outperformed other community favorites, sometimes by a remarkable margin.
Additionally, the recommendation to use crab armor was challenged and members pointed that other armor types not included in that round of tests would do better.
Other criticism of that group of tests included:

• The tests were only done with level 100 characters which doesn't reflect practical squad composition for normal players
• Very few enemies in Kenshi actually use heavy armor, let alone masterwork armor and it would make more sense to do weapon tests against more representative armor sets
• White Plate and Assassin's rags weren't considered and believed to outperform heavy armor
• The Shek were deemed the most effective race, but it wasn't clear if this was due to a bug in Forgotten Construction Construction set
• Sabres weren't considered at all, in particular for indoor combat
• Robotic limbs were not tested when determining the recommended equipment loadout or how that would affect how a character should be armored

These points were explored in additional testing. Also considered was how squads that were partially composed of crossbows and melee troops performed against pure melee squads.
Materials and Methods
The Forgotten Construction Set (FCS) is the defacto modding tool for Kenshi. Two squads were created and made to compete against each other many times to see if they differed in any significant way. Squads competed until all the members of one squad were knocked out, at which point the winner and loser were recorded. Fischer's Exact Test was then used to see if the results were significant.
Squads
Squads were composed entirely of Greenlander humans (except when explicitly testing other races). The rational for this was Greenlanders have no combat buffs or debuffs and that this would avoid potentially problematic discrepancies in stats that could be attributed to either a defect in FCS or stats so high that they would be utterly impractical to attain.
The stats of each member of the squad were identical in all simulations, with tests being done on squads all at either level 100 or level 50 depending on the test.
When robotic limbs were being considered all members had masterwork KLR arms and legs.
One squad was created as a starter squad which placed all members directly under the players control. The other squad was created in a modded town on the unamed island named "Chi Town", which was composed of a single building. In each new game, the squad in Chi Town would spawn in its building and begin patrolling the area.
Chi Town was set as a hostile faction to the player controlled squad. On a new game the player controlled squad would spawn in Chi Town adjacent to the hostile squad. Despite having hostile faction relations, Chi Town never initiated combat against the player controlled squad, allowing the player squad to have its members positioned in a variety of ways to ensure an even match up. Combat was then initiated by the player after setup.
Squad Size
To avoid a known problem with the AI in which knocked out members would revive mid combat and begin patrolling the town rather than continue fighting, the squad size was limited to 5 on each side for melee tests.
A squad size of 10 was used for each size when crossbows were being tested.
Initiating Combat
Squads were either loaded by a new game or quick load. After this members of the player controlled squad were positioned in such a way that when combat was initiated all opposing squad members would participate in combat at about the same time.
During combat soldiers were knocked unconscious, but frequently regained consciousness mid combat and rejoined the fight. Combat continued until all members of one squad were knocked unconscious.
When testing indoor combat the members of the opposing squad were spawned in a stationhouse. The player controlled squad then entered the building and initiated combat. If at any time battle caused a member to navigate outside the building the test was discarded and a new iteration conducted.
When testing combined arms a purely melee group was compared against a squad with both crossbows and melee members. The purely melee squad was positioned at maximum distance before initiating attack. This enabled the opposing crossbows to fire off multiple volleys in an attempt to give them maximum utility.
Each squad had 10 members. In the case of the combined arms group 5 had melee weapons and 5 had crossbows.
The crossbows used in the experiments were the Eagle's Cross and Junkbow. The rational for this is that the Eagle's Cross has a very high Damage Per Second when used by a level 100 user. However the humble Junkbow was also considered as some assert that it is superior, despite it's comparably weak damage.
When a player is hit by a crossbow bolt they stagger regardless of the amount of damage. Some postulate that the faster rate of fire with the Junkbow causes opponents to stagger enough that a comparatively smaller group of melee fighters can land more attacks. In other words the expectation is that the weak Junkbow would cause victory by stun-locking opponents.
Regular Soldier Testing
When testing combatants at level 50 mid level quality was used for weapons and armor (Catun No. 3). Additionally the armor set used was the standard kit used by Holy Nation Paladins.
It was speculated that more common, representative armor like this might yield different results for weapon testing. In particular, the abysmal performance of the falling sun in previous testing was attributed to it being used against very heavy armor which would prevent it from severing limbs.
Given that Kenshi's combat mechanics focus more on disabling an opponent, the ability to cause amputation may be more important than being able to do more damage. The Holy Nation kit was arbitrarily selected among the 3 major factions, but deemed suitable because the coverage of the Holy Chest plate is low enough to allow for testing amputation while still being high enough to represent what a player would likely encounter during a base raid.
Fischer's Exact Test
Chi-Squared analysis was done using an online calculator located here using a simple 2x2 contingency table. For all tests the default parameters of a two sided tail, 1:1 odds and a 95% confidence interval were used.
Version
Tests were performed on Kenshi 1.0.68

Animal Care Compliance

No bonedogs were harmed over the course of this research.

Data

Elite Soldier Tests
The following equipment was used in each test unless explicitly stated otherwise:

Factor Type	Factor Used
Helmet	Crab Helmet
Pants	Samurai Legplates
Shirt	Dark Leather Shirt
Footwear	Wooden Sandals
Robotic Limbs	Masterwork KLR arms & legs
Weapon	Polearm
Level	100
Race	Greenlander

Test	Group 1 Loadout	Group 2 Loadout	Group 1 Win:Loss Ratio
Crab Armor - Dark Leather shirt vs Chainmail	Dark Leather Shirt	Blackened Chainmail	24:6
Crab Armor vs Samurai Plate w/ Polearms	Crab	Samurai	9:21
Crab Armor vs Samurai Plate w/ Nodachi	Crab + Nodachi	Samurai + Nodachi	3:13
Crab vs White Plate Jacket	Crab	White Plate Jacket	0:30
Crab vs White Plate w/ Nodachi	Crab + Nodachi	White Plate + Nodachi	9:21
Crab vs Assassin's rags	Crab + Blackened Chainmail	Assassin's Rags + Dark Leather Shirt	3:27
White Plate Jacket vs Assassin's rags	White Plate	Assassin's Rags	7:23
White Plate Jacket vs Samurai	White Plate	Samurai	27:3
White Plate Jacket shirtless vs shirt	White Plate [no shirt]	White Plate [Dark Leather Shirt]	14:16
White Plate Armor, Skeleton vs Human	White Plate Skeleton	White Plate Human	25:5

Combined Arms Tests
The following equipment was used in each test unless explicitly stated otherwise:

Factor Type	Factor Used
Helmet	Crab Helmet
Pants	Samurai Legplates
Armor	Assassin's Rags
Shirt	Dark Leather Shirt
Footwear	Wooden Sandals
Robotic Limbs	Masterwork KLR arms & legs
Weapon	Polearm
Level	100
Race	Greenlander

Crossbows used a longsword as a sidearm in all cases.

Test	Group 1 Loadout	Group 2 Loadout	Group 1 Win:Loss Ratio
Polearms vs Polearms + Eagle's Cross	Polearms	Polearm + Eagle's Cross	17:3
Polearms vs Polearms + Junkbow	Polearms	Polearm + Junkbow	20:0

Regular Soldier (L50) Tests
The following equipment was used in each test unless explicitly stated otherwise:

Factor Type	Factor Used
Helmet	Bucket Zukin
Pants	Stout Hessian Uniform
Armor	Holy Chest Plate
Shirt	Cloth Shirt
Footwear	Plated Longboots
Robotic Limbs	None
Weapon	Polearm
Level	50
Race	Greenlander

Test	Group 1 Loadout	Group 2 Loadout	Group 1 Win:Loss Ratio
Polearm vs Falling Sun	Polearms	Falling Sun	26:4
Indoors 5v5- Polearm vs Desert Sabers	Polearms	Desert Sabers	13:17
Indoors 1v1- Polearm vs Desert Sabers	Polearm	Desert Saber	10:20

Results

All heavy armor tested lost substantially to both White Plate & Assassin's Rags. The polearm continued to outperform the falling sun. Desert Sabres either matched the Polearm in performance or outperformed it when micromanaging.
Additionally, the dark leather shirt outperformed blackened chainmail. This bolsters claims that when robotic limbs are used that limb coverage is less important than total damage reduced to the torso and stomach.
The Assassin's Rags were undefeated in any category. It seems that the stat malus of heavy armor is indeed quite significant and likely responsible for consistent losses. But even when put against medium White Plate armor which has very little stat malus the Assassin's Rags continue to dominate; this is likely due to the bonuses to dexterity, combat speed and melee attack that they provide.
When pitted against identically sized squads, combined arm crossbows squads were utterly defeated by monolithic squads armed with Polearms.
Level 100 Tests

Test	P-Value	Statistically Significant?	Better Equipment
Crab Armor - Dark Leather shirt vs Chainmail	0.0000114	Yes	Dark Leather Shirt

Level 50 Tests

Test	P-Value	Statistically Significant?	Better Equipment
Polearm vs Falling Sun	< 0.0001	Yes	Polearm
Indoors- 5v5 Polearm vs Desert Sabres	0.4389	No	Neither
Indoors- 1v1 Polearm vs Desert Sabres	0.0194	Yes	Desert Sabre

Combined Arms Tests

Test	P-Value	Statistically Significant?	Better Equipment
Polearms vs Polearms + Eagle's Cross	< 0.0001	Yes	Pure Polearm Squad
Polearms vs Polearms + Junkbow	N/A	Yes	Pure Polearm Squad

Discussion

Kenshi has a wide variety of equipment and a great deal of complex calculations behind it. Despite that, there exist god-tier equipment that appears to provide little choice or strategy for a player looking to outfit a squad to be competitive.
Using robotic limbs changed the ideal composition for armor. Previous testing with crab armor indicated that Blackened Chain Mail had an edge over the Leather Turtleneck. This was attributed to crab armor only providing 90% coverage which meant that stronger protection for the arms could change the tide of lengthy battles; A disabled arm was an extreme liability.
However the massive HP boost provided by KLR arms seems to be significant enough that additional coverage at the cost of dexterity penalties is a bigger hindrance than help. After HP becomes substantially greater than the heath of the stomach or torso it makes more sense to forgo that protection if it means you can hit faster.
Players are unlikely in the early game to outfit their squad with masterwork KLR arms. During this phase one could speculate over whether to use chainmail or a leather turtleneck over the dark leather shirt. Previous testing indicated that chainmail was better for crab armor users fighting other crab armor users with leather turtlenecks, but that experimentation never considered light or medium armor which was shown here to be more effective regardless.
This challenges the wisdom of using chain armor at all. The use of a shirt can be forgone entirely if the player chooses to use White Plate Jackets. This armor provides 100% coverage for the torso, stomach and arms making a shirt redundant. Given White Plate Jackets outperformed Crab and Samurai armor and is more accessible and affordable it is difficult to justify the decision to use heavy armor at all, let alone chainmail in combination with it. This refutes the conclusion to use Crab armor in previous testing.
Given the outsized impact Assassin's Rags had (presumably due to the status boons) it is probably inadvisable to use chainmail and its debuffs alongside it. The Assassin's Rags provide relatively poor coverage, so a shirt of some kind is likely useful. What the ideal shirt for an Assassin's Rags user without KLR arms would be is unanswered in this study.
The Assassin's Rags provided adequate protection when dealing with ranged opponents. One plausible weakness would be the scant protection they provide against harpoons, which was not tested. Even if they are unparalleled in melee further research should be done to see if a single shot from a harpoon could kill a character using them. If that turns out to be the case then White Plate Jackets would apparently be preferable to any heavy armor.
White Plate Jackets outperformed both Crab and Samurai armor when using Nodachis which deal purely cut damage and have a penalty against armor. This is perplexing because heavy armor appears to have been intended to be the best choice for mitigating cut damage, but the stat malus associated with it causes light armor to be a better choice (at least against the weapons tested in this study).
The Falling Sun continued to yield mediocre results compared to the Polearm. Oddly, the Falling Sun was noticed to cause amputation semi-regularly in the tests against Polearms. Despite this knocking out the Polearm user, the remaining Polearms managed to win most fights anyway and bandage their crippled comrade post victory. While limb loss after battle is fairly devastating, this has limited utility from the players perspective; there isn't a strong need to amputate an enemies limbs because it doesn't matter how you disable your opponent as long as they are disabled. It probably makes more sense to just use the Polearm because it wins way more often.
The Polearm appears unbeatable with very few exceptions. Previous testing indicated the only weapon observed to outperform the Polearm was the Paladin's Cross and that was contingent on using it against skeletons. This research indicates that the Desert Sabre can be more effective than the Polearm indoors, but only if the Sabre user is not subject to the Polearms area of effect damage; i.e., the Sabre has to fight the Polearm one on one which requires micromanagement.
A particular surprise was how the Polearm performed by level 50 users indoors against Desert Sabre users in squads. Here Polearms have a very strong malus and the Sabers have a strong boon. Despite this there wasn't a statistically significant difference between them.
The Polearm did lose against Sabres frequently when forced to fight one on one indoors. From the players perspective this means that defending indoors with Sabres is a viable strategy early to mid game, although attacking grouped NPC Sabres indoors with Polearms is also surprisingly viable.
Enemies that use polearms are typically the most high level squads in the game (e.g., the skeletal legion and southern hive). But these late game squads almost exclusively use polearms themselves. This means a player's late game Polearm squad would not have any disadvantage indoors as both squads would have the same penalty. Furthermore, by the time a player is encountering late game squads like this they've likely leveled up enough to avoid the need to micromanage regardless.
Whether such a niche use case justifies sinking experience into building up the Sabre skill when they could be leveling up the Polearm is a matter for players to decide. It's difficult to pronounce Sabre's categorically superior, particularly when they appear to break even with Polearms when forced to fight in groups indoors.
Crossbows/Polearm hybrid squads turned out to be unviable against pure Polearm squads. Every crossbow simulation ended with unfavorable results when the competing squad invested in a Polearm instead. Crossbows probably would perform better during sieges where they had a benefit of a wall, but a turret would likely be a better option at that point. The Junkbows ability to stunlock evenly sized forces was insufficient. This strategy is probably only viable when many weak characters are fighting a single strong character, assuming it works at all.
The lack of some rock-paper-scissors mechanics in Kenshi limits how the player can think strategically about squad composition. Modding could plausibly create more interesting, balanced relationships between equipment. For example, increasing the damage of weapons like Katanas while simultaneously increasing the penalty against heavy armor could make them a viable alternative to Polearms in many common situations.
The interplay of armor penetration and raw damage could create a better defined role for light, medium and heavy builds. Additionally, crossbows might be enhanced to have a viable role in the field as they do not appear to excel there or behind allied walls where they could use a turret instead.
Overall if a players goal is to outfit a squad for the highest combat potential, the data indicates the choice is mostly linear- outfit the entire squad the same way, preferring Assassin's Rags or White Plate Jackets along with a Polearm or Paladin's Cross (both weapons can be available via a backpack).
As far as choice of character goes, Skeletons were shown to significantly outperform humans despite having no head protection. No comparison was done between the Shek and Skeletons as it currently unsettled whether a Shek can actually achieve a strength of 120 in vanilla Kenshi or if that is a bug in FCS. Regardless, in Vanilla Kenshi it is impractical to obtain very many skeletons at all without modding. The higher health pool of the Shek would likely make them the most accessible, competitive recruits when trying to build a strong military squad. If creating a squad of 30 soldiers it would be unsurprising if the majority of them needed to be Shek.