UnderpreparedDM

Everyone thinks mazes/labyrinths are almost impossible to run in online #ttrpg games unless you wanna spend hours setting up hundreds of fog boxes or dynamic lighting. Here's how I did it Theater of the Mind in a #dnd5e session I ran and my players loved it 🧵👇

@DiceCompanyPod The friends we made along the way.

@SurenaXMarie Mayonnaise is a colloidal emulsion. It's a trick in the rules as written. "You can name one LIQUID from the table below." Most players don't know you're not allowed to pick Mayonnaise.

@RobNecronomicon I can't say I understand if this is satire or serious but I can say I really enjoyed it.

No D&D character should ever have horns.

@RRollplaying I've had a TON of fun playing the one a buddy of mine and I wrote specifically for our table. So my vote is that. And my recommendation is to write one for your next system! It's a fun undertaking

If you had to pick one TTRPG to play for the rest of your life, which one would it be? (totally not using this data to look for my next system 👀)

@yum_dm A lot of dnd purists don't like it because they don't follow the rules super tight but the Adventure Zone taught me how fun TotM could be

One misunderstanding with Theatre of the Mind play style for #DnD I have noticed is that you need to make every description perfectly detailed - that's a myth. Tell the PCs the basics and answer any follow-up questions. It's easier than people think.

Carry the 3...

@Blackmoor_Film Very cool! Thanks for taking the time to help. I'll have to check that out and see if 2 people who never actually played old school dnd actually captured that old-school "vibe" they were going for hahaha

If you are being specific to D&D, that Holmes PDF is free and worth printing out and reading. It falls in a place somewhere between the 3LBBs and the addition of supplements. I think the original Empire of the Petal Throne is also worth a look. It is OD&D applied to a really different setting. It keeps some of the rules they removed from OD&D as published and adds some other strange things too. Old school play is an entirely different beast as far as the methods used to run a game. 3e and on are not what I would even call D&D anymore due to the huge difference in play. That is not a valuation of A is better than B, it's just a fact. sometimes you want one style and other times you want the other, well we have both ways now. My goal in writing Tonisborg was to preserve the old mstyle of play. It contains everything you need in terms of both free form referee'ing and rules. I see it as the must have handbook for old school play methodology. tfott.com/the-lost-dunge…

I am like the poster child that promotes original version D&D because it is simple and fast playing. If you are feeling abandoned in your D&D hobby my advice is to try a couple different versions of D&D. Start with something free. Most of us kids in the mid 1970's started with the Holmes Basic D&D set. It comes complete with rules, spells lists, treasures, monsters, and even a little starter dungeon adventure. All you have to do is hit Google and cut and paste: Holmes Basic D&D PDF You should find the American Roads hosted version. It's just been sitting out there on the web for years. All 45 pages of it in its full glory. Get 2-4 friends and have everyone roll up two characters which takes no time at all. It is both simple/primitive and fun as heck to play through. It is also very easy to homebrew the game to your own liking. I will be running a session of this very dungeon at Arnecon 2. tfott.com/arnecon #wotc #dnd5e #DnD #dungeonsanddragons

I use the potion of Dragon's Radiance. Oh right .. just like I planned. #dnd #ttrpg

@Blackmoor_Film Are there any particular old rule sets you'd recommend perusing? To be honest I haven't read any of them word for word, just seen clips or segments or rule philosophies

It really depends on a lot of things. I also get really philosophical and theoretical about how these newer clones work. My sense is that of a rewrite is not done within the context of really clear understanding for how the original works, and why, then they will likely get it wrong. I see a lot of mechanization now because people are reading the rules as if it was computer code. I was playing Path Finder when I decided to go back to more simple systems. It eventually led me straight back to original D&D. A key element most designers miss is the need for simplicity in the design. There are a lot of missing or broken elements in original D&D which every DM would rule in their own way. If a clone has a rule which loses the flavor of that era I tend to find it suspect. I generally do not read clones because there is so much older writing to draw on anyway.

@Blackmoor_Film That makes perfect sense. Thanks for the well thought out reply. When a buddy and I set out to write a ruleset for use with our group of friends our design philosophy was "make the rules as simple as possible. The players who don't like the flexibility can play crunchier games"

@archon I find that what happens often with players is that their lives look radically different sometimes only months after they first thought they could commit. New parenthood, new jobs, etc. That's life. I adjust accordingly and am happy to have had them as long as I did.

It saddens me that so many groups don't get past 6 sessions. My group consider a short campaign to be 4-8 months (20-30 sessions) and a normal campaign 18 - 24 (50-100 sessions) and that's true whether it's me running it or any of the other GMs in the group.

@sherlock_hulmes This is a very spicy correct take.

Eberron > Forgotten Realms Just saying. 🤷

@ZoranTheBear If you aren't having fun around your table you should find a new table or find a new hobby.

What TTRPG opinion would get you in this position?

And so, that's why his sister, the one who placed the bounty, got involved with the smugglers who had all the missing mining equipment...

@DnDBones This is my secret. Prepare nothing.

@UnderpreparedDM It's just hard to be a player that knows nothing and a dm that knows everything. The secret is to just improv ALL of it. Lol

DM Question: Have y'all ever tried DMing and running a PC at the same time? I did it last night and it's fun, but sort of clunky. #dnd #trrpg

Anybody ever pressed "end" on a keyboard? Never tried it. Sorta scared to

@the_homebakery It's basically ready for print (with the exception of a bit of mathy balance edits from our play testing) Besides just the polish, there's the effort to getting the word out to give it a real chance at seeing traction

Hot take for the #ttrpgcommunity: Over reliance on great art during the game makes DMs worse, not better