tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post5555456700565012718..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: Messing UpAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-68288417555088079912018-06-26T20:05:12.421-06:002018-06-26T20:05:12.421-06:00Like Silberman, I remember reading this stretch of...Like Silberman, I remember reading this stretch of the campaign thinking to myself thinking, “what the flip”? <br /><br />I am glad to see you revisit it and examine where it when wrong. It would be nice if I had a record of my own campaign to see where I screwed the pooch, to hopefully avoid it in the future. <br /><br />Enlightening post, Alexis.Tardigradehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13284435141098973560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-76028700825928128642018-06-25T17:28:38.257-06:002018-06-25T17:28:38.257-06:00Mercer can't risk being seen as an authoritari...Mercer can't risk being seen as an authoritarian figure, since that would not look good for the company image. And ultimately, he doesn't have to deal with any of the fall-out that would normally accrue from the bad behaviour in an authentic D&D game, as his players are paid actors and will ultimately put any grudges aside for the sake of the camera and the pay cheque.<br /><br />In a common campaign, of course, the stupid behaviour will soon produce an insolvable crisis for a DM, usually ending the campaign or driving out the non-toxic players as those like Josef are encouraged ...Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-44599275385222142522018-06-25T16:57:35.330-06:002018-06-25T16:57:35.330-06:00I'm working my way through Critical Role ~ an ...I'm working my way through Critical Role ~ an honest, good faith effort to understand it before I dump on it ~ and I can't help but notice how many of these bad behaviors show up. And how the players react, as though they know they're bad behaviors but they can't do anything because it's between two players and they're supposed to be part of a team. And the DM doesn't do anything! Which is easily the worst because he's effectively saying it's okay for players to do these things to each other!<br /><br />Loving the deconstruction, it helps keep things in focus.Ozymandiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01065642299277380465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-27835703630544006112018-06-25T16:20:48.845-06:002018-06-25T16:20:48.845-06:00Silberman,
I'll write such a post as soon as ...Silberman,<br /><br />I'll write such a post as soon as I figure out how to run this kind of thing effectively.<br /><br />On the whole, I think players are trained to think this way ~ it goes back to this thinking that every scene must be a traditional part of a traditional adventure. As will be seen from the fallout of the scene described in the post, I do use the farmhouse as a "twist" ... yet keeping the actual fact that these ARE "regular folks," caught in a plot just as much as the players.<br /><br />For me, these are the best expositional turns. In any case, I had meant to write about this on the official master class post, which I'll have in place before the end of June (the above is a bonus).Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-52651327687820290112018-06-25T10:49:14.629-06:002018-06-25T10:49:14.629-06:00Oh man, I remember reading this episode when it fi...Oh man, I remember reading this episode when it first happened and thinking to myself, with actual relief, when Josef suddenly caved in the NPC's head, "Well, at least this should get that clown out of the campaign one way or another!"<br /><br />When playing a character, I find this general scenario--the party approaching a seemingly innocuous place where they suspect trouble is brewing below the surface, and having to interact with the "regular folks" there just doing their jobs--to be one of the most stressful situations available in the game. I'm not surprised that it lends itself to extra rounds of indecision, vague actions, deferring to other players and then regretting it, and finally, someone just breaking the tension with senseless violence. <br /><br />I'd love to see an article from you on techniques for running this kind of thing effectively. It seems like players feel limited to silly bluffs, hoping to spot something out of place, bold accusations, or kicking down the door and lopping off heads.Silbermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03634048670337733047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-45757851472332553912018-06-24T23:52:45.980-06:002018-06-24T23:52:45.980-06:00Hahaha, what even HAPPENED here? Madness.
I never...Hahaha, what even HAPPENED here? Madness.<br /><br />I never read through Senex. I think I perused much later, at the Lighthouse Crab with Senex 2.0, and dropped it when I finally got my shot in Juvenis.<br /><br />The MasterClass material has been great so far, and I'll be looking forward to all of it, even Senex madness.Pandredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03917809464727878157noreply@blogger.com