MadBeardMan
@madbeardman.bsky.social
Sheffield (England)-based, proud Civil Servant. Heavily experienced coder focusing on TTRPG's, Rulesets, Adventurers, Campaigns, Mods. Also dabbling in RPG writing, mapmaking, drinking beer, and father to an Angel and a Devil, and lover of good tea.
Can't say I'm surprised we've outsourced our Civil Service Pension scheme administration.
Capita were useless when I was contracting to the DWP, would I trust them with pensions? Nope.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Capita were useless when I was contracting to the DWP, would I trust them with pensions? Nope.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Capita-run civil service pension scheme leaves retirees in limbo
Civil service pension scheme failed to pay some pensions and lump sums after transferring to a new administrator.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 23, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Can't say I'm surprised we've outsourced our Civil Service Pension scheme administration.
Capita were useless when I was contracting to the DWP, would I trust them with pensions? Nope.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Capita were useless when I was contracting to the DWP, would I trust them with pensions? Nope.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reform has leafleted our street.
My better half picked up the leaflet, put on her shoes and went outside, couldn't see anyone, so recycled it.
30 seconds later she heard voices, went outside 'Excuse me are you Reform?', 'Yes Madam can we...'
'No, you can have this page of lies back'.
Perfect!
My better half picked up the leaflet, put on her shoes and went outside, couldn't see anyone, so recycled it.
30 seconds later she heard voices, went outside 'Excuse me are you Reform?', 'Yes Madam can we...'
'No, you can have this page of lies back'.
Perfect!
January 23, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Reform has leafleted our street.
My better half picked up the leaflet, put on her shoes and went outside, couldn't see anyone, so recycled it.
30 seconds later she heard voices, went outside 'Excuse me are you Reform?', 'Yes Madam can we...'
'No, you can have this page of lies back'.
Perfect!
My better half picked up the leaflet, put on her shoes and went outside, couldn't see anyone, so recycled it.
30 seconds later she heard voices, went outside 'Excuse me are you Reform?', 'Yes Madam can we...'
'No, you can have this page of lies back'.
Perfect!
It's that time of the year where I'll soon be a whole orbit older, and so for this year, I'm going to re-watch BSG (the remake) again, been a while, and whilst I know a lot of what's going to happen, it's just solid tv.
January 21, 2026 at 7:52 PM
It's that time of the year where I'll soon be a whole orbit older, and so for this year, I'm going to re-watch BSG (the remake) again, been a while, and whilst I know a lot of what's going to happen, it's just solid tv.
@breakintoprogram.co.uk This is the building I was thinking off, similar age, but different from the one you took a pic of a few days back.
January 21, 2026 at 7:25 PM
@breakintoprogram.co.uk This is the building I was thinking off, similar age, but different from the one you took a pic of a few days back.
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've been to:
Raging Speedhorn
Crowbar
Strapping Young Lad
Napalm Death
Bjork
Many many many many more.
Raging Speedhorn
Crowbar
Strapping Young Lad
Napalm Death
Bjork
Many many many many more.
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've been to:
Metallica
Tool
Darkest Hour
Hans Zimmer
Ludovico Einaudi
Metallica
Tool
Darkest Hour
Hans Zimmer
Ludovico Einaudi
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've been to:
Jean Micheal Jarre
Laurie Anderson
Crash Test Dummies
REM
Chanticleer
This is a weird list.
Jean Micheal Jarre
Laurie Anderson
Crash Test Dummies
REM
Chanticleer
This is a weird list.
January 20, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've been to:
Raging Speedhorn
Crowbar
Strapping Young Lad
Napalm Death
Bjork
Many many many many more.
Raging Speedhorn
Crowbar
Strapping Young Lad
Napalm Death
Bjork
Many many many many more.
It's too early! But up to give my youngest a lift. The school have a trip to the Lords today.
I wonder what they're debating and how many will turn up.
But still a good thing for someone 18 to see, as hopefully she'll have questions about how our Government functions.
I wonder what they're debating and how many will turn up.
But still a good thing for someone 18 to see, as hopefully she'll have questions about how our Government functions.
January 20, 2026 at 5:22 AM
It's too early! But up to give my youngest a lift. The school have a trip to the Lords today.
I wonder what they're debating and how many will turn up.
But still a good thing for someone 18 to see, as hopefully she'll have questions about how our Government functions.
I wonder what they're debating and how many will turn up.
But still a good thing for someone 18 to see, as hopefully she'll have questions about how our Government functions.
Small world.... the person I met for lunch, talking about Green Party activities in my local area, is one of the people behind the RPG's:
Spire, Strata, Heart etc.
rowanrookanddecard.com/spire-rpg/?v...
Spire, Strata, Heart etc.
rowanrookanddecard.com/spire-rpg/?v...
Spire RPG - Rowan, Rook and Decard
You can buy the Spire RPG from our shop by clicking here. If you’d like to learn more, read on! Spire is a roleplaying game about desperate revolutionary dark elves caught up in a secret war against t...
rowanrookanddecard.com
January 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Small world.... the person I met for lunch, talking about Green Party activities in my local area, is one of the people behind the RPG's:
Spire, Strata, Heart etc.
rowanrookanddecard.com/spire-rpg/?v...
Spire, Strata, Heart etc.
rowanrookanddecard.com/spire-rpg/?v...
More of my favourite TV shows iploaded to my NAS and are watchable on my Plex.
Should finish uploading the rest tomorrow, depending on time and stuff.
Should finish uploading the rest tomorrow, depending on time and stuff.
January 18, 2026 at 12:44 AM
More of my favourite TV shows iploaded to my NAS and are watchable on my Plex.
Should finish uploading the rest tomorrow, depending on time and stuff.
Should finish uploading the rest tomorrow, depending on time and stuff.
Got a meeting at lunch tomorrow with a prospective Green Party councillor candidate.
For some reason they want to talk to me as I've been quite vocal over the mess our council have been making over the last decade (and more), especially around SEN care for both my kids.
For some reason they want to talk to me as I've been quite vocal over the mess our council have been making over the last decade (and more), especially around SEN care for both my kids.
January 17, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Got a meeting at lunch tomorrow with a prospective Green Party councillor candidate.
For some reason they want to talk to me as I've been quite vocal over the mess our council have been making over the last decade (and more), especially around SEN care for both my kids.
For some reason they want to talk to me as I've been quite vocal over the mess our council have been making over the last decade (and more), especially around SEN care for both my kids.
Due to madness like this, I'll be not attending any US con until the madness ends.
As I don't know how many more orbits around the Sun I'll have this might come back and bite me, but I must take a stand.
As I don't know how many more orbits around the Sun I'll have this might come back and bite me, but I must take a stand.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c1...
Time to boycott the US. Obviously some exceptions for RPG companies but otherwise nothing
Time to boycott the US. Obviously some exceptions for RPG companies but otherwise nothing
Trump tariffs: US president announces plan to hit UK, Denmark and other European countries with tariffs over Greenland
The US president says the countries will be charged a
www.bbc.co.uk
January 17, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Due to madness like this, I'll be not attending any US con until the madness ends.
As I don't know how many more orbits around the Sun I'll have this might come back and bite me, but I must take a stand.
As I don't know how many more orbits around the Sun I'll have this might come back and bite me, but I must take a stand.
I've updated the RAM on my NAS, and I'm running a memory test, which brought back floods of memories.
Memtest86+ is being run, wrapped in a Synology wrapper (running in a Linux container).
Wow, used to run that a lot when building PCs back in the 90s.
Memtest86+ is being run, wrapped in a Synology wrapper (running in a Linux container).
Wow, used to run that a lot when building PCs back in the 90s.
January 17, 2026 at 1:19 PM
I've updated the RAM on my NAS, and I'm running a memory test, which brought back floods of memories.
Memtest86+ is being run, wrapped in a Synology wrapper (running in a Linux container).
Wow, used to run that a lot when building PCs back in the 90s.
Memtest86+ is being run, wrapped in a Synology wrapper (running in a Linux container).
Wow, used to run that a lot when building PCs back in the 90s.
And a busy few hours post-Hospital - I've added Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex - Season 1 to my Plex account, so now I don't have to swap discs and can re-watch.
January 16, 2026 at 8:19 PM
And a busy few hours post-Hospital - I've added Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex - Season 1 to my Plex account, so now I don't have to swap discs and can re-watch.
Darn my brain.
Last night I had Chippy Chips + Battered Sausage (very battered, I demanded it was beaten to near death), due to the anxiety about the Hospital Appointment today.
And tonight, it's said 'You didn't appreciate the chips last night, have them again as a treat for coming off the meds'.
Last night I had Chippy Chips + Battered Sausage (very battered, I demanded it was beaten to near death), due to the anxiety about the Hospital Appointment today.
And tonight, it's said 'You didn't appreciate the chips last night, have them again as a treat for coming off the meds'.
January 16, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Darn my brain.
Last night I had Chippy Chips + Battered Sausage (very battered, I demanded it was beaten to near death), due to the anxiety about the Hospital Appointment today.
And tonight, it's said 'You didn't appreciate the chips last night, have them again as a treat for coming off the meds'.
Last night I had Chippy Chips + Battered Sausage (very battered, I demanded it was beaten to near death), due to the anxiety about the Hospital Appointment today.
And tonight, it's said 'You didn't appreciate the chips last night, have them again as a treat for coming off the meds'.
Right, waiting now for my Hospital Appointment regarding my Blood Clot on my right lower leg.
I've got some dice ready to make the roll.
I'm hoping for: No signs, stop taking the meds, carry on.
I suspect: Looks good, let's carry on the meds another 3 months and bring you back in.
Gulp.
I've got some dice ready to make the roll.
I'm hoping for: No signs, stop taking the meds, carry on.
I suspect: Looks good, let's carry on the meds another 3 months and bring you back in.
Gulp.
January 16, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Right, waiting now for my Hospital Appointment regarding my Blood Clot on my right lower leg.
I've got some dice ready to make the roll.
I'm hoping for: No signs, stop taking the meds, carry on.
I suspect: Looks good, let's carry on the meds another 3 months and bring you back in.
Gulp.
I've got some dice ready to make the roll.
I'm hoping for: No signs, stop taking the meds, carry on.
I suspect: Looks good, let's carry on the meds another 3 months and bring you back in.
Gulp.
Love this film, but time to sleep.
January 16, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Love this film, but time to sleep.
I am wounded again. Doing some prep work in the house, stretching really high (to pull down curtains) and I woke up with a sharp burning pain under my arm, so now when I move it hurts.
But in better news, back in Hospital tomorrow, hoping for the all clear on my leg.
But in better news, back in Hospital tomorrow, hoping for the all clear on my leg.
January 15, 2026 at 12:30 PM
I am wounded again. Doing some prep work in the house, stretching really high (to pull down curtains) and I woke up with a sharp burning pain under my arm, so now when I move it hurts.
But in better news, back in Hospital tomorrow, hoping for the all clear on my leg.
But in better news, back in Hospital tomorrow, hoping for the all clear on my leg.
Everyone in the house bar me is in bed, waiting on the eldest to ring when she gets home from work.
Time for some Firefly, it's just such a lovely series - and maybe I savour it because it's not a long series.
Next up, my favourite episode, Jaynestown.
Time for some Firefly, it's just such a lovely series - and maybe I savour it because it's not a long series.
Next up, my favourite episode, Jaynestown.
January 13, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Everyone in the house bar me is in bed, waiting on the eldest to ring when she gets home from work.
Time for some Firefly, it's just such a lovely series - and maybe I savour it because it's not a long series.
Next up, my favourite episode, Jaynestown.
Time for some Firefly, it's just such a lovely series - and maybe I savour it because it's not a long series.
Next up, my favourite episode, Jaynestown.
It's a shame I can only fix the BBC News website locally.
January 11, 2026 at 2:36 PM
It's a shame I can only fix the BBC News website locally.
Remember in these dark times. There's a safe haven in our house for anyone.
January 11, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Remember in these dark times. There's a safe haven in our house for anyone.
@rpgkitchen.bsky.social Hit me up if you want help with that Campaign thing. I was building one in summer but life happened.
January 11, 2026 at 12:18 PM
@rpgkitchen.bsky.social Hit me up if you want help with that Campaign thing. I was building one in summer but life happened.
Reposted by MadBeardMan
You're a GM based in Europe, you identify as a woman or femme, and you have an AP you'd love to run.
We're looking for stories to tell this March - stories just like yours.
It's a perfect match. Come and tell us all about it! tally.so/r/ODQxG7
We're looking for stories to tell this March - stories just like yours.
It's a perfect match. Come and tell us all about it! tally.so/r/ODQxG7
January 11, 2026 at 10:33 AM
You're a GM based in Europe, you identify as a woman or femme, and you have an AP you'd love to run.
We're looking for stories to tell this March - stories just like yours.
It's a perfect match. Come and tell us all about it! tally.so/r/ODQxG7
We're looking for stories to tell this March - stories just like yours.
It's a perfect match. Come and tell us all about it! tally.so/r/ODQxG7
Please help Chad see below!
Can anyone with a copy of Assassin's Creed Shadows please send me a screenshot of someone speaking with the emotion subtitles turned on please? Need it for my talk, will credit you!
January 10, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Please help Chad see below!
A day of Tool music here as I'm knackered doing stuff being used as Human Tool.
January 10, 2026 at 1:47 PM
A day of Tool music here as I'm knackered doing stuff being used as Human Tool.