overview for sirblastalot

There's a time and a place by sirblastalot in c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 18 points 1 month ago

Addl wisdom: some people make jokes when they're uncomfortable, as a defense mechanism. If you have a player or players constantly trying to lighten the mood, consider that the atmosphere you're trying to create may not be a good fit for your party, and/or parts of your party may not be a good fit for your game.

Hi, Daryl by sirblastalot in c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 27 points 2 months ago

What's his deal?

57

It's not Critical Role, it's Podcasting Itself (ttrpg.network)

submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by sirblastalot@ttrpg.network to c/rpg@ttrpg.network

16 comments fedilink

I recently started a new campaign. Two players (one who has played in my games before and their SO, who has been begging me for a spot for years) unexpectedly dropped out, moments before our first session. Their reason was somewhat baffling; they said they didn't want to spend "all day" on this, despite the game only going from noon to 3PM. They seemed to think this was a totally unreasonable expectation on my part, despite them previously having stated they were available during that time. This puzzled me.

I've been musing on this, and the strange paradox of people that say they want to play D&D but don't actually want to play D&D, and I've had an epiphany.

A lot of people blame Critical Role or other popular D&D shows for giving prospective players misplaced perceptions, often related to things like your DM's voice acting ability or prop budget, but I don't think that's what's going on here. My realization is that, encoded in the medium of podcasts and play videos, is another expectation: New players unconsciously expect to receive D&D the way they receive D&D shows: on-demand, at their house, able to be paused and restarted at their whim, and possibly on a second-screen while they focus on something else!

I don't know as this suggests anything we as DMs could do differently to set expectations, but it did go a long ways to helping me understand my friends, and I thought it might help someone here to share.

Failed a spot check by sirblastalot in c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 40 points 5 months ago

Starbucks is a real coffee chain that exists in the real world. Moondeer and sunfawn follow the same naming scheme, but the players didn't realize that was what the DM was building to until the big reveal. It's...pun-adjacent.

Why did they put eyeliner on evil Kirk 😳 by sirblastalot in c/risa@startrek.website

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 30 points 8 months ago

Queercoding villains to make them seem dangerous and deviant to the people of the time (and those that are still stuck in that time). Admittedly, the people making that decision probably weren't conscious of that being why they thought eyeliner made him look villainous.

Forbidden Magic by sirblastalot in c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 42 points 9 months ago

Peckromancer

Searching for a pet by sirblastalot in c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 19 points 9 months ago

What DM would deliberately sabotage their own game like that? No one actually wants to spend a session waiting for someone to examine an endless supply of rocks.

The future is now, old woman. by sirblastalot in c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 44 points 10 months ago

You select the level of abstraction for different things based on what is and isn't the most fun to delve into. If your group enjoys poking every surface with a 10 foot pole, it's not wrong to play with that level of granularity. It's just that all the interesting things you can do with a 10 foot pole are pretty mined-out after 50 years so we tend to direct our attention elsewhere.

Themes by sirblastalot in c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 16 points 10 months ago

"I liked rage against the machine before they got all political"

You don't get between a barbarian and their drink by sirblastalot in c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 32 points 11 months ago

In 3.5 at least, if you're in a space that isn't big enough for you to change size, RAW you just...don't.

You don't get between a barbarian and their drink by sirblastalot in c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 57 points 11 months ago

I just feel bad for the loincloth mimic.

Which studio do we bully to get this made? by sirblastalot in c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 18 points 11 months ago

Not with that attitude

Student Loans, Warlock Patron by sirblastalot in c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network

[-] sirblastalot@ttrpg.network 18 points 1 year ago

Wait, you guys' pacts end in death?

6

I need 1 more thing an evil necromancer dictator would have in his garden (ttrpg.network)

submitted 2 years ago by sirblastalot@ttrpg.network to c/rpg@ttrpg.network

9 comments fedilink

I've got an unholy-water fountain, a human chessboard, and an evil hedge maze. I need 1 more thing to put in the last corner of the square courtyard/garden thing. Any suggestions?