@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

cynical13

@cynical13@vivaldi.net

I'm a hazardous materials technician for a university. I enjoy teaching (when I have the chance), reading, role playing games #ttrpg, listening to music, and drinking copious amounts of coffee. Married to a wonderful woman, proud pet parent (one dog, two cats). #ADHD Try my best to be an ally.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

Narayoni , to bookstodon group
@Narayoni@mastodon.social avatar

Yup, no one messes with Granny! 🤣🤣
[Headology!]

@bookstodon

"The man raised his sword. Lightning speared down again and split a stone a few yards away, filling the air with smoke and the stink of burnt silicon. 'Missed,' he said smugly, and Granny saw his muscles tense as he prepared to bring the sword down. A look of extreme puzzlement crossed his face. He tilted his head sideways and opened his mouth, as if trying to come to terms with a new idea. His sword dropped out of his hand and landed point downwards in the peat. Then he gave a sigh and folded up, very gently, collapsing in a heap at Granny's feet. She gave him a gentle prod with her toe. 'Perhaps you weren't aware of what I was aiming at,' she whispered. 'Mother of the night, indeed!' The soldier who had tried to restrain the man stared in horror at the bloody dagger in his hand, and backed away. 'I-I-I couldn't let. He shouldn't of. It's – it's not right to,' he stuttered."--from Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett.

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@Narayoni @bookstodon

Easily one of my favorite characters.

slyflourish , to random
@slyflourish@chirp.enworld.org avatar

WOTC saying the quiet part out loud. This definitely doesn’t sell me on your new game.

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@slyflourish I got burned out not only on 5e but on Hasbro's shenanigans. Other companies are doing D&D as good or better than WOTC and are more deserving of my money.

Tim_Eagon , to random
@Tim_Eagon@dice.camp avatar

I don't know about #TheAcolyte. Episodes 3 and 4 have displayed stilted dialogue, somnambulist acting, indifferent plotting, and a complete lack of dynamism in terms of visual direction. I'm not sure it can pull it all together in the last four episodes based on these trends.

#StarWars

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@Tim_Eagon I'm actually really enjoying it. We didn't get into Andor. It was an extremely slow start that didn't compel us to continue.

Boba Fett had some interesting ideas but felt more like a half season of Mandalorian.

Obi Wan was okay and had some good ideas. I liked Ahsoka and the Mandalorian.

But not every show is for everyone, and that's fine.

zozo , to random
@zozo@dice.camp avatar

mad that all the talk about rpg.net's conspiracy nut new owner is happening on a part of the board you gotta be logged in to see. like as a 15+ year no account lurker my ass is NOT making an account just to watch the mess

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@Tim_Eagon @zozo first I've heard of this!

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@Tim_Eagon @zozo Also love that I can just blast into a conversation like this and you fill me in on the sweet deets. Thanks.

Tim_Eagon , to random
@Tim_Eagon@dice.camp avatar

This morning, as I was laying on the couch watching my son draw, I was reading a review of an adventure by Bryce Lynch. While criticizing florid prose, he wrote "Adventure writing is technical writing and has a different set of rules for how to present information." I'm inclined to agree with this statement, even though I've never really thought about it in those terms. Thoughts?

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@Tim_Eagon I immediately thought about the difference between running Pathfinder 1e's Rise of the Runelords vs. the 13th Age intro adventure or the few AD&D 2e modules I have used.

PF has information scattered about not just in the module but across multiple books (or the SRD). It's a real pain, at times, to run the campaign. It's also designed for a party of 4. Add an extra player or take one away, and the delicate balance falls apart.

The others I listed included relavent stats as blocks when needed in the module. In some cases, they described how to vary encounters for different sizes of PC parties.

The thought that went into designing a module that is technically more sound is way easier for me to use. They thought out what people needed and provided the bare basics right there at hand rather than pointing the GM away from the module.

I also like it when flavor is included, but there are also implicit reminders for the GM to make the campaign their own instead of feeling like the material, as provided, is sacrosanct and immutable.

deinol , to random
@deinol@dice.camp avatar

I’m reading a book on Thebes, and in the chapter on religion I was struck by how weird d&d is. It treats a polytheistic world in a monotheistic way.

And while it’s true that high priests of a specific cult would be focused on one god, for most people you would sacrifice or worship different gods at different times, depending on your needs at the time.

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@deinol I guess you write what you know and I'm guessing most of the writers of D&D aren't polytheistic. But that is a great detail.

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@deinol That would be pretty awesome.

In a weird way, it reminds me of the half giants on Athas, from Dark Sun, where part of their alignment changes every day.

rbreich , to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

In his speech to the NRA, Trump yet again suggested he might serve more than two terms.

The 22nd Amendment bars that, but if the 14th Amendment didn't apply to him, why should any others?

If Trump wins, do you believe he will leave office at the end of a second term?

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@rbreich Looking at reports of his health and seeing his issues with speech, I'm not sure if he'll live to see the end of a second term, but if he does, I'm not sure that he'll leave willingly.

Taskerland , to random
@Taskerland@dice.camp avatar

I think the decline of the GURPS toolkit book is tied to RPGs drifting away from fiction and back towards tabletop games.

Someone raised on boardgames and 5e isn't going to respond well to the idea that a book (that looks like shit) for a game they don't play is going to be mire useful and inspiring than a branded plug-and-play supplement.

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@zozo @deinol @Taskerland It felt like Steve Jackson just decided it wasn't a priority and worked on other games.

For a period when I thought about getting into 4e GURPS, the books were really hard to get and way too expensive.

They also never did a good job of providing examples of play in the books, so it was largely up to players to do it ALL themselves.

GURPS was never a particularly fun ready, but it really didn't help that 4e was written with all the charm and enjoyment of a physics textbook. And the art was dull too.

At least 3e had Dan Smith's whimsical art that made it feel like you COULD really do anything you wanted with the game. 4e felt plain and uninspired.

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@deinol @Taskerland @zozo If I remember correctly, they were promising to put out like a big book a month but they couldn't keep up with the goal they had set for themselves. Eventually it was smaller digital releases before they started picking up more here recently.

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@deinol @Taskerland @zozo I wish they would provide some more guidance on running GURPS or rewrite the book to make it friendlier and easier for new folks to use. It's like Linux; you have to really want to get into it or be forced to use it to get into it. And it's hard to convince others to give it a fair shot.

Tim_Eagon , to random
@Tim_Eagon@dice.camp avatar

As far as YouTubers go, I regularly watch @dmtales, Questing Beast, and Lexi from the Gaming Table. What others should I check out? Those engaging in clickbait and/or controversy for controversy sake need not apply.

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@Tim_Eagon @dmtales Seth Skorkowsky is fun. He has some stories from the table, system reviews, and reviews of modules with suggestions for running them at your table.

thoughtpunks , to random
@thoughtpunks@dice.camp avatar

What's the worst or other game you played that you still love and would maybe even play again? What's so bad about it? Why do you love it anyway? We all have our broken favorites. Tell us all about yours!

cynical13 ,
@cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

@thoughtpunks I think either or .

Feng Shui combat math can drive me nuts, but I have so much fun playing or running a session. Last time, I ran for almost a dozen people.

AD&D 2e is full of weird, inconsistent rules, but it was the first I ever played and I still get excited reading the books or thinking about THAC0 and the weird rules on races and classes.

BeAware , to random
@BeAware@social.beaware.live avatar

The most useful medication always has the worst side effects...🤦‍♂️😩

A meme that features two images from a comedy sketch with text overlay that humorously illustrates a self-contradictory situation. The top image has text that says “MAINTAINING SLEEP SCHEDULE” with the character looking confident while he pretends to shoot himself in the head with a finger gun, representing an attempt to adhere to a regular sleep pattern. The bottom image captions the same character looking confused and distressed with the text “TAKING TWO ADDERALL JUST TO BE ABLE REPLY TO TWO EMAILS,” implying that this action is counterproductive to his sleep schedule. The final statement at the bottom reads “WHY DO I HAVE INSOMNIA,” poking fun at the character’s own actions that are causing his sleeplessness.
ALT
  • Reply
  • Expand (1)
  • Collapse (1)
    • cynical13 ,
    @cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

    @BeAware I've used lower dose Ritalin to get to sleep because it slowed my mind down enough to let me finally fall asleep.

    darjr , to random
    @darjr@chirp.enworld.org avatar

    Wizards of the Coast has a new D&D survey as part of the 50th anniversary celebration.

    As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of D&D we want to know what you think about the game with a quick survey!

    ✍️ Click the following link to access the survey! (estimated time: 2-5 minutes): http://spr.ly/6181k8FA9

    cynical13 ,
    @cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

    @croyle @Tim_Eagon @LeviKornelsen @slyflourish @Alphastream @darjr

    I wasn't particularly kind in my response. They've burned quite a few bridges.

    cynical13 ,
    @cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

    @LeviKornelsen @slyflourish @Alphastream @croyle @Tim_Eagon @darjr

    cynical13 ,
    @cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

    @Tim_Eagon @LeviKornelsen @Alphastream @JunkyardTornado @slyflourish @croyle @darjr

    Hasbro has also made it clear that they intend to maximize profits on players too, so finding a way to get cheaper art for the products that are the biggest moneymakers for them does seem on brand.

    SJohnRoss , to random
    @SJohnRoss@dice.camp avatar

    [briefly perks up at chatter about a new Discworld RPG]

    [notices it's Modiphius]

    [sighs]

    [perks right the fuck back down]

    cynical13 ,
    @cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

    @SJohnRoss First I'd heard about a new game coming out. Glad I kept my 3e books.

    lowqualityfacts , to random
    @lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar

    Got called a fascist by a Biden supporter for..... saying I support Biden?

    Lesson of the day: Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath, put your phone down, and remind yourself that you simply cannot win on social media.

    Me: That is exactly the problem I am trying to point out here though. It has become impossible to make the smallest criticism about one party without people instantly accusing you of supporting the opposing party. I support Biden, I am going to vote with Biden, and I think it is very problematic when people become afraid to criticize parts of a thing that they generally support. Someone replying to my above comment: Okay fascist, get the fuck off my timeline
    ALT
  • Reply
  • Expand (52)
  • Collapse (52)
    • + lowqualityfacts
    cynical13 ,
    @cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

    @lowqualityfacts Classy of you to try and hide their identity, at least. Good on you.

    deinol , to random
    @deinol@dice.camp avatar

    [Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

    •
    cynical13 ,
    @cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

    @deinol

    Grick One-eye
    Four Finger Frink
    Skek the Bold
    Handsome Grell
    Willug the Widowmaker
    Gregg

    thoughtpunks , to random
    @thoughtpunks@dice.camp avatar

    Hey , GURPS, Rifts, Shadowrun, Star Wars, and other non-D&D friendos:
    ✋ Raise your hand if you entered the hobby with not D&D.
    🎲 What was your first experience? How did you get into the hobby?

    🎁 Bonus: Which of you got into LARP before tabletop?

    cynical13 ,
    @cynical13@vivaldi.net avatar

    @thoughtpunks My first time playing was AD&D 2e BUT my first exposure to RP was when I traded a friend some comics for some TMNT graphic novels and a copy of TMNT and Other Strangeness from Palladium games. After that, I picked up Ninjas & Superspies and Heroes Unlimited and read them cover-to-cover multiple times way before I ever played any D&D.

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • random
  • test
  • worldmews
  • mews
  • All magazines
    •