It looks like this is the first game made by Weta. That gives me a lot of confidence they will get the right tone for the game. Hopefully this will be like a chill Animal Crossing in Middle Earth.
When I read “the wife”, I read it as this. It feels impersonal, like you are intentionally distancing yourself from your spouse. Like, why would you do that unless you are literally Al Bundy?
For me it was GoT, I just thought the miniature landscapes looked way too cool. Also I am watching Kimmy Unbreakable which has a theme song that I think is pretty catchy.
Starting a career has increasingly felt like a right of passage for Gen Z and Millennial workers struggling to adapt to the working week and stand out to their new bosses....
Well, according to whatever panel was judging this competition, she had all of those things. But you weren’t talking about that. You said she isn’t “physically or genetically” Japanese, and that that was what “pagents are about”.
The alt-text panel hints at this, but the problem with making up a fake group everyone can hate is that racists and bigots will stretch the definition to include whatever they want.
We’ve seen it with “antisemitism” being redefined to include any criticism of Israel, and before that “pedophilia” being redefined to include drag queens and parents supporting their trans children. For that reason, hatred like this should not be encouraged, even if it’s imaginary.
Do you have any examples of this? Because my experience is the opposite. It’s the perception that your group is normal, the “default”, and tearing down all of these other groups using phrases exactly like the ones in the comic.
You’re right of course about this being satire. My fear is that things like this can fall out of the author’s control very quickly, much like Pepe the Frog, and I really don’t want gratch to be a catchall dog whistle.
I have had a tendency since my earliest days on social media where I will get halfway or more through a response, and end up just cancelling it. Sometimes I feel like I’m just being to over the top with snark or otherwise don’t want to be that kind of person, but a lot of the time I’ll decide I just really don’t care...
Why does the whole adventure hinge on this one conversation? It’s helpful if you don’t think of the story as a chain of events from A to B to C, but instead start by asking, “What happens if the party does nothing?”. Did the cult resurrect their leader? Does the baron usurp the throne? Does an innocent person go to prison?
Whatever the “bad thing” that might happen is, your encounters each bring the players one step closer to it coming true unless they step in and stop it. The secret of course, is that the “bad thing” can be delayed as much as you need it to, and you can invent as many consequences along the way as you need.
When it comes to starting conversations with NPCs, this is where the backstories your players give you are useful. PC backstories are basically a set of plot hooks your players have already opted into. You can even go as far as requiring backstories to answer questions like, “Who does this character care deeply about?” “Who does this character never want to see again?” “What would they do if they had 1000 gold?”
If the PC’s background talks about loving painting, or collecting artwork, then your example with the goblin missing their paintbrushes would be an excellent hook.
At the end of each session, it’s also helpful to ask the players what they plan to do next. That way, you can be reasonably certain about what they will do and plan around that. You can start your sessions more “on rails” because the players have already chosen the rails they want to be on. As the session goes on, things get less and less certain, and it doesn’t make sense to have detailed encounters planned out. Just improvise to the best of your ability, and when you run out of steam say, “Great session folks! What are you planning to do next?”
Wow, yeah it sounds like your group has very different expectations from the ones I’ve played with, which is fine, but it feels really foreign to me. Clearly your players are comfortable with walking past obvious hooks, so maybe the story needs to come to them. In your examples, maybe the odd couple approaches the party and asks them a question first, or the goblin offers to paint a portrait of the party if they help find the missing paintbrushes.
Also, remember that you know your players better than the adventure author. If some vital information gets skipped, you now know that you need to twist the next encounter to somehow include it, or invent a new encounter. Prewritten adventures are there to make your life as a DM easier, not harder. If part of it isn’t working for you, you can drop it and your players will be none the wiser. Focus on what you find fun about DMing and let the adventure fill in the bits you don’t like. If the whole thing really doesn’t work without these strict events happening in a certain order, the adventure might just be… not good. In which case, you really aren’t losing much by rewriting it to your liking.
Recently I’ve been having feelings about moving away from Fusion 360. The combination of cloud app / filesystem and their demonstrated willingness to remove features and add arbitrary limitations (eg. 10 editable model limit) makes me feel uneasy about using it. To be clear I’m grateful that AutoDesk provide a free license...
Thank you for posting this. My introduction to CAD was trying out FreeCAD when I reached the limits of Adobe Illustrator’s accuracy. The interface was so obtuse and difficult to work with I just gave up and assumed all CAD programs were like that. I’ll give Link Branch a shot!
What type of Chromecast do you use? I recently bought a Chromecast Ultra for a new TV after being happy with a secondhand one for years (3rd gen, I think). The difference in UI was such a disappointing step down. I don’t want a home screen with apps and ads, I just want something I can stream to from my phone! And I can’t say for certain, but it also feels like I get more ads on YouTube compared to using the older Chromecast.
Aha, thank you for clarifying. It’s easy to overlook the difference between “Chromecast” and “Chromecast with Google TV”. Unfortunately, it looks like if you want 4k you are stuck with the Google TV interface. :/[Edit: I was wrong, see below]
I’ve had great results with the cast iron Dutch oven method. Looking at your previous thread, I don’t think you should be trying to match your steam oven methods 1:1 with the Dutch oven. Instead, focus on dialing in what works for each method. However, I haven’t used a stream oven myself though, so I can’t really compare.
My experience has been that sourdough has a lot of different steps you don’t necessarily need to do, but each one helps make the end result better and better. The biggest leaps for me were using a tall cambro container to accurately judge rising times, and putting the dough in a banneton in the fridge overnight prior to baking to form a better crust.
The Castle Ravenloft boardgame comes with a few “wound” markers. Which are cardboard tokens that have a 1, and a semi-circular cutout at the bottom that let’s it easily sit next to miniature bases. I use these as reminders for any status effect going on for a creature, and stack them for effects that count down every turn.
The beginner box has been my first first into Pathfinder and it’s been really helpful for learning how to GM. Some things I noted while running it:
You will probably be surprised at how little content the players get through in a session.
I know others have noted how challenging combat can be for the players, but I’ve seen the opposite in my group, and it’s only a party of 3. This may have to do with the party’s composition, and it may have to do with me not playing the monsters super effectively. I dunno. But an easy fight is a lot more fun than a TPK.
For lvl1 characters, when in doubt it’s a DC 14
Your should encourage your players to not use all three actions attacking. I printed a “menu” of common actions like aid and demoralize to encourage more teamwork.
Similarly, have a few examples of Exploration and Downtime activities to suggest if your players aren’t sure what they want to do.
Look up how Treat Wounds works. If your group is coming from D&D, they might expect short rests to just happen, but in Pathfinder you need to plan a bit. If nobody is trained in medicine, your group may be stuck with long rests.
If any of your group uses a shield, you should recommend the Crafting skill so they can repair it
Be sure to use the stat blocks in the BB Gamemaster’s Guide. Some monsters with the same name can be found in other books, but are much tougher there (Xulgaths)
The trap master kobold barely has any time to actually set traps in combat. I recommend picking a few spots on the map where they have already been set, and having the kobolds conspicuously walk around them while approaching the party.
The fountain trap is both too tough and too easy to simply walk past. I recommend reducing the hardness of the corner devices and inventing some way to trap the players in the room.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to redesign some of the encounters to play into your party’s backstory. Some parts of the dungeon layout are pretty nonsensical, so just change them to something that will engage your players. Good luck!!
Hello everyone! I’m about to become a parent in a few months and I was wondering what books would you recommend reading to get myself prepared. Is there a new parents bible or something like It? The baby won’t come with instructions. Thanks!
Like you, OP, I’m going to be a parent in a few months. So far I’ve enjoyed “The Expectant Father” and “The New Father”. Both of those take a month by month approach and focus on the emotions the father, mother and baby are going through, their relationships to each other, and some practical advice like what to pack in your hospital bag.
I also really enjoyed "Bringing Up Bebe", which follows an American expat learning about French parenting. The advice is mostly sound, but more importantly, it exposes you to a completely different philosophy on parenting (unless of course, you happen to be French, OP). This lets you to reexamine your own assumptions about parenting that you may have learned from your family or tv, and you can decide for yourself what kind of parent you want to be.
Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game - Official Announcement Trailer (www.youtube.com)
Good clock! (lemmy.world)
Which TV series intros do you not skip by choice?
For me it was GoT, I just thought the miniature landscapes looked way too cool. Also I am watching Kimmy Unbreakable which has a theme song that I think is pretty catchy.
Gen Z and millennial productivity is being crushed by bosses who don’t understand them, top university research says (fortune.com)
Starting a career has increasingly felt like a right of passage for Gen Z and Millennial workers struggling to adapt to the working week and stand out to their new bosses....
Ukrainian-born model winning Miss Japan re-ignites identity debate (www.bbc.com)
“There have been racial barriers, and it has been challenging to be accepted as Japanese.”...
Unity | SMBC (www.smbc-comics.com)
Source: www.smbc-comics.com/comic/unity-3
How often to you bail on a half-written post or response?
I have had a tendency since my earliest days on social media where I will get halfway or more through a response, and end up just cancelling it. Sometimes I feel like I’m just being to over the top with snark or otherwise don’t want to be that kind of person, but a lot of the time I’ll decide I just really don’t care...
Tips presenting plot points in a way that doesn't feel railroady.
I might not be using the right terms exactly, but hopefully this makes sense....
PSA: Try FreeCAD Link Branch (it's a big improvement!) (lemmy.world)
Recently I’ve been having feelings about moving away from Fusion 360. The combination of cloud app / filesystem and their demonstrated willingness to remove features and add arbitrary limitations (eg. 10 editable model limit) makes me feel uneasy about using it. To be clear I’m grateful that AutoDesk provide a free license...
McConnell warns Democrat majority to back off subpoenas that attempt to prove corruption in the supreme Court. (thehill.com)
Palpatine thinks he is relevant to this.
Television (lemmy.world)
Best method to bake a single Sourdough loaf? (lemmy.world)
Following up to my previous post, I’m really curious what your go-to method is for baking a single sourdough loaf....
When you GM how do you keep track of conditions and other ongoing effects?
Just what the title says.
Any tips for running the Beginner Box?
Me (DM) and my friends will be trying out the beginner box this weekend. There are 2 players and myself as the DM....
Essential reads for new parents?
Hello everyone! I’m about to become a parent in a few months and I was wondering what books would you recommend reading to get myself prepared. Is there a new parents bible or something like It? The baby won’t come with instructions. Thanks!