90% of D&D discourse is BS

This is some top shelf Jaded Gamer worthy stuff right here. Two thumbs up. 

5 backstory bad habits that drive your DM nuts

That Blog, Over There - These Old Games

 

It's that time of the week again. Where I try to point your attention over to another blog that out there on the net which I think deserves some attention. I mean, I prefer blogs over videos, guess I'm just old fashioned. 

This time it's the blog These Old Games which is ran by Phil Viverito. Lot's of old school material here to dig through. Plenty of descriptions, pictures, and all that good stuff. Some really quality material here. So please go check it out and let em know Peter Amthor sent you. 

As usual, if you know of any blogs I should check out please drop a link in the comments. 

That Blog Over There - Psionic Cyclops

 

It's Tuesday once again. So that means it's time for me to point you over towards another blog or site that is worth checking out. The time it's Psionic Cyclops.

Once again this is a very old school style focus of games. But this is also a new blog. With some in depth world building articles, various musing on new zines, play reports. It looks like a blog that is really off to a good start. Hoping the person behind it can keep things going as we need more good blogs like this around. 

See who else I've made a Tuesday Promo post about trying to give them a bit of notice.

Know of another blog or site that you think could use a little promotion? Drop a message and a link in the comment section. Sometimes we can only find out about new places if someone points them out.

That Blog Over There - The Other Side

 

That time of the week again, time to shine a light onto another blog out there that is plugging away. 

This time it's the work of  Timothy S. Brannen and his blog The Other Side. This one is heavy into the Old School style of gaming with plenty of detailed articles to dig through. Along with a list of regular features to help make finding things a bit easier. 

Take a look at what he has to offer and let him know you're checking out his stuff.

Know of any blogs I should check out or add to the blog roll at the bottom of my page here? Well the one that's visible to desktop users, not so much to phone folks. Drop me a link in my comments and I'll give them a gander. 

Six Pack - Magic Anvils

 

How about a six pack of magical anvils that you could slip into your fantasy games? Sound good? Well here are six quick descriptions for you to look over. 

1 – Memories of Masters. While using the anvil you are filled with the skills of those who have used the anvil before. Giving you a hefty bonus to any roll for crafting objects on it.

2 – Heat Saver. When objects are being hammered on this anvil they don’t cool as fast as normal, giving you more time to shape and bend them.

3 – Thick Skin. Those who work on this anvil on a semi regular basis find their skin becoming tougher and harder to hurt. Giving it a low level armor rating and resistance to burns.

4 – Patron of Protection. Armor crafted on this anvil have an increased level of protection. Supposedly from being blessed by a Saint at some point in it’s life.

5 – Chains of Binding. This anvil is specially made and constructed for the making of chains. Those made on it are nearly impossible to break, or to escape from if bound by them.

6 – Hammering Passion. While using this anvil those who see you crafting become attracted to you. A feeling which can last for days.

DungeonTube is Dying. Here's why.

The 3 Waves of the RPG Moral Panic - RPG History

If I were to do a fantasy heartbreaker

 

Was talking with a couple of folks I used to game with a great deal back in the day. Of course at some point we got around to systems we used to play. What we liked or disliked about them. Why we walked away from some and all that.

Of course we got onto the subject of older Dungeons and Dragons editions before the 3rd one. The one game we all walked away from for at some point or the other. What rules really just irked us and didn't set right in our heads. Two big ones were hit points that just keep going up to where you can take more damage than massive monsters out there and how armor made you harder to hit. 

Now I've seen the things about how hit points were supposed to represent your ability to dodge attacks and move so damage is minimalized and the armor roll was showing the hits that went through and did damage not just all hits. But still just doesn't work for us. Mainly because it means an endless flow of bad guys with bigger armor and bigger hit points with weapons that do more and more damage with no real end in sight.

So I suggested how I would fix that if I were to ever make a fantasy heartbreaker type of system. All of which has most likely been done in multiple ways and variations that there is no way to keep count. 

First very little hit point increase. At the most one point per level. This way you could scale the power creep of bigger and badder monsters and weapons down a whole lot. You don't end up with characters that have more hit points than a heavy damn warhorse by level four or five. 

Second armor would just reduce the amount of damage taken. Either a static amount or maybe even another die roll for those who want to use their clicky clack math dice even more (I know sometimes I do). It would not factor in to your ability to be hit except as a negative for big heavy suits as they slow you down making your PC much easier to hit.

Finally the target number for something to hit you would be based on class and attribute bonuses. This number would get a boost as you level up. So you would have a base 'to be hit' number. Then you would add any attribute or other enhancement (magic, items, etc) bonus. Finally subtract your negatives for the armor you are wearing if there are any. 

Now this is just me spilling out onto my blog the stuff that went through my head today. The chance of me doing any sort of fantasy heartbreaker is pretty slim to none. But sometimes I just need to spit out ideas here to make my brain shut up.

Jaded Gamer Diary - Wizkids the Cheapening

Well at work it's become very noticeable that Wizkids is really going cheap on the packaging for their miniatures now. I noticed, the customers have noticed, it's very jarring it really does look pretty crappy. We first saw it on their absolutely abysmally shitty DnD 50th anniversary figures. But now it's on the regular lines. Here's a shot of one of the old packaged miniatures next to one of the new ones. Front and back. 

First off we'll start with the contents. The miniature is still in there but there is zero attempt at assembly now. They also got rid of the extra little clear base you could mount the figure on. Plus with no back blister bubble it all just rattles around in there package and you can't even get a good view of what the figure looks like. Hell at least back in the day when we had lead mini's in multiple pieces they put a piece of foam in there to hold it all in place. This just looks like a pile of shit in a plastic bubble.

Second is the backing board. The textured blue is gone. The while line at the top so they can make bulk cardboard prints and then add the item name, code and UPC on when they need to. Also the back is completely devoid of any color. You can really tell they are bulk printed now since there is no longer a picture of the painted figure and name on the back. They are all the same now. 

Now the kicker is they did all this to reduce the cost of the production of said miniature. They cut back A LOT on costs with this. The almost complete elimination of color on the cardboard probably saved them a pretty penny. So what does the customer get in return? They raised the prices as well. 

Now I know the prices are going up because of tariffs and there isn't a whole lot they can do about it. But damn. For all the corners they cut you could think they would be able to keep them the same price as before. Ah well. I will say one thing, this cheap ass packaging is hurting sales more than anything. Even more than the price hike. Folks are looking at the jumbled mess and just choosing not to buy it. 

So it's backfired on them in a few ways. 

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New Stranger Things/DnD tie in content on Roll20

 

Well over on DrivethruRPG they have a preorder for a new tie in between Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons. Building on the Hellfire Club from last season they are giving us Eddie Munsun's lost adventure. You can preorder for Roll20 over on Drivethru here: "Welcome to the Hellfire Club". It will also be getting a physical release as a boxed set (hell yes, love boxed sets) and you can preorder over on Amazon or talk to you FLGS about getting a copy when the time comes. 

Now I'm not a DnD fan or a user of VTT's (I've tried, I really have) but I do love Stranger Things so I'm always happy to point out cool stuff for that IP. 

DnD Starter Set not an RPG

Well according to the WPN page over on the Wizards site the Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set is no longer an introductory set to the roleplaying game. In that short little description they refer to it as a board game twice. Even calling it the "ultimate Dungeons and Dragons-inspired board game". 

This really says all you need to know about the direction that Hasbro is wanting the game to go. But I guess they don't know that Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying went this direction for a while as well. All pieces and parts with the least amount of roleplay as possible. That version was ultimately scrapped and they went back to a standard ttrpg design.

So with this being the new Starter Set and it not being a RPG I'm not sure what to recommend to folks who want to dip their toes into the DnD hobby. Guess some other starter for another game line. 

Jaded Gamer Diary - Paradigm Shift

 

The term "paradigm shift" has found uses in other contexts, representing the notion of a major change in a certain thought pattern—a radical change in personal beliefs, complex systems or organizations, replacing the former way of thinking or organizing with a radically different way of thinking or organizing.

That major change of thought pattern happened for me in regards to gaming. Not in gameplay, narrative designs, or anything else. But a complete readjustment in how I thought roleplaying games were perceived by the market at large. That sudden realization that things had truly changed.

I gamed through part of the Satanic Panic era. It actually lasted longer here in the rural backwater rural hells of Missouri than it did in some other places. I had to put up with people acting like I was some sort of devil worshipper if they found out I was playing those "evil games". So we hid it most of the time. Didn't break out the books in front of others (until near the end when some of us finally stopped giving a damn) and only played in our friends basements and anyplace else where people couldn't see us. Church leaders said it was bad, teachers said it was bad, hell my useless ass excuse of a step mother even gave me a few lame "warnings" about it. 

So I always figured it would be that way. The ostracized gaming community that everybody else shuns. Sure we had a few big break outs in popularity like Vampire the Masquerade but that quickly got shot to hell by a few idiots who were barely connected to the community did stupid violent things. Even with online popularity building rapidly it still felt like we were just the outsiders.

Then the shift happened for me. I was at Wal-Mart in Desloge Missouri. When I walked through the book section and saw the 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook on the shelf. It stunned me for a moment to see that sitting there, like three copies of it. At a local Wal-Mart. Like it was normal. 

Because it had become normal and more mainstream but I hadn't noticed. 

That right there was when I realized things had changed. Changed a lot since the days of my youth when I was rolling dice with my little group of friends in high school. Soon they were selling dice (called campaign dice) there as well, the DnD Starter Set was on the game shelf in the toy section. They even sell a dice tower there now. And I'll admit I bought the little box with three dice sets in it just for the sheer humor of buying them from fucking Wal-Mart. 

Now we even have a Time Magazine Special about Dungeons and Dragons and how it changed the gaming world. And it's a positive thing. 

Still I'm not sure why I didn't notice how mainstream it was going before that. Manga was going mainstream, anime as well, should have seen it coming. But I didn't and I'm kind of glad about that. Because I got that wonderful shock to the system when I did finally notice.

Is there a point to all this rambling? No, not this time. Just me thinking about how much things have changed and feeling like typing it all out.

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Jaded Gamer Diary - The edition nobody wanted until they did.

 

The edition everybody said they weren't going to buy.

It started quite some time ago. Here locally every little leak about the new edition of DnD (DnD One, 5.5, 6th already, etc) people were bitching about. The usual bullshit, some saying it's going "Woke", or the usual grognard saying now ADnD was better like they always do, many saying it's just a cash grab. Whatever. But everybody was bound and damned determined to tell everyone, especially those working at game shops, that they weren't going to be laying down any cash for the new version.

Already we had seen a huge drop in sales for new DnD material. Ever since Wizards went full moron with the OGL debacle we have a hard time selling their product for the line. So we got stuck with extra copies we really don't want.

So, my employer and FLGS, didn't order that many copies. A lot less hobby covers and only a few regular covers. Now he also had to preorder ahead for all three corebooks. So raising the number you wanted to get was damned near impossible.

Then guess what happened? C'mon guess. You know what the answer is. 

Everybody bought the damn thing they said they weren't going to buy.

So our hobby covers sold out really damned fast and we couldn't get anymore. Had a few folks accuse us of having a bunch stashed back to sell later at a higher price. Others doing the usual pouty fit. Some even saying they knew they should have ordered it online from some other shop that "actually stocks it". The fuckers who said they weren't going to buy it at all ever are suddenly mad that we didn't have it for them to buy.

It's times like this that I feel DnD has more jackasses in it's community than any other game. Then I remember to how I've seen Vampire: The Masquerade fans act many years ago and they still hold that number one spot. 

Jōvan Sex Appeal - The Power (1978, USA)

They just made better commercials back in the day. 

Fantasy Six Pack - Magical Fair Foods

 

In a fantasy world it's always fun to have some passive magic that really isn't anything more than a cantrip. In this case it's a six pack of some slightly magical foods that are sold at larger fairs and events. 

Slightly magical fantasy fair foods

1 – Smokin’ Speakin’ Chick’n Wings. A small pack of four smoked and sauced chicken wings. Once eaten you’re every fourth word spoken comes out as a chicken squawk. Lasts for 2D6 minutes.

2 – Rose Hard Candies. A small pack of three rose colored hard candies. Whenever you have one in your mouth everything in your field of visions has a rose pink tint to it. Makes natural firelight look really pretty. Each candy lasts about five minutes.

3 – Tongue Pleasing Frog Legs. Two frog legs, batter dipped and deep fried on a stick. Slightly spice and makes you salivate quite a bit. Once consumed your tongue will increase in length to twice it’s size and you can pop it in and out of your mouth like a frog. Lasts for 2D6 minutes.

4 – Happy Sticks. Three six inch long crisp bread sticks filled with a sugar and browned butter mixture. Served in a brown paper wrapper shaped like a cone. For each one you eat you spend six minutes thinking everything is blissfully fine and dandy.

5 – Cold Fruit Cocktail. A mix of fruit juices, sugar, and a bit of alcohol kept as cold as possible. Served in small cups or poured into whatever the fair goer has. While you are drinking this you feel a slight chill and can see your breath as if your in a very cold climate.

6 – Lightening Candy. Crystallized hard candy on a stick that comes in a variety of colors. The flavor is pretty much just sugary sweet. However whenever a person who has been eating one gets close to somebody else who is it creates harmless bursts of colored electricity to go back and forth between them. Lasts for about fifteen minutes.

RPGaDAY 2024 - Day Twelve

 

RPG with well supported campaigns. 

Drawing a blank card on this one. Most people I know, or who frequent the shop, don't play in pre-written campaigns. Most are homebrew games, various adventures strung along with no real planning. We also don't sell many full on campaign settings. I guess ole' Dungeons and Dragons would be the only one that comes to mind since everything they published seems to be more campaign than sourcebook nowadays. 

“Yes, and” isn’t the great D&D advice you think it is

RPGaDAY 2024 - Day Six

 

RPG that is easy to use. 

Going to catch hell for this one. But here we go. Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition. 

I know, I know, but hear me out. It's easy to use because it's insanely easy to find people who will show you how to play. You can find groups, in person or online, much easier than any other game out there. You can hop on youtube and see videos on how the game works, twitch streams, podcasts, everything. So much 'how to' content that it could fill your entire local library if printed out. 

It's easy to use because it's easy to find instructions on how to use it.

Jaded Gamer Diary - The bad folks

 

Having now worked in a game shop for a few years I have a whole new understanding of the dynamic of the people who go there to play. Not all of it good. Most of it is, lots of great people, some enjoyable folks and plenty of opinions on the games but then there are those who make me shake my head.

The GM that nobody wants to play under. Got a couple of these. They are the ones who think they are gods gift to the gaming world. The experts, the know it all, the wanna be elite. Not to mention abusive and a bully most of the time. Always bragging about how epic their games and never leaving the counter as they vomit forth this self congratulatory monologue. 

Of course their groups consist of another type of gamer.

The Players that nobody wants in their group. Several of these as well. These are the ultra creeps who leer at every woman who walks into the place, the hygiene challenged, also some abusive bullies who focus on tormenting their fellow players. Oh and the fucking experts when it comes to how to play the game. The guys you don't call chuds because that would be insulting to the chuds. You may also find a few GM's that nobody wants looking to play in some games as well. But, to no surprise, they are also Players that nobody wants.

Also lets now forget about the Self Injectors. They see a group playing a game and they immediately walk up and start talking. Usually telling them how to do it better while interrupting the group nonstop. Almost always leads to them asking if they can have a seat at the table to play. Acts insulted when you tell them to fuck off because you're playing a damn game.

I've experienced these in the past. But damn I get a front row seat now.