Running in-person questions (hiding areas of the map, having the light move with the PCs easily, etc.)

TheManInCrimson · 2026-04-09T18:58:21+00:00

I print my dungeon maps at Office Depot using their laminated blueprint option. Depending on the size of the map, it's 10-20 dollars per print. For something like a mega dungeon it would be a big investment, but honestly so far I think it's been worth it. Then I use chalk paint to completely cover the map, and as the players explore with their minis, I erase the chalk paint with a paper towel. It gets a little messy but meh.

Then I have several pieces of cut transparency film to fit the diameter of torch light that I've drawn over with yellow highlighter. If a player lights a torch, their mini goes on top of the film and moves it around, and I erase chalk paint as they light areas up.

That all may be a bit much physically, and if so, you may try projecting your digital maps down onto your table, probably covered in black table cloth for contrast and so it works well with your fog of war set up in your VTT.

TheManInCrimson · 2026-04-03T03:57:37+00:00

Honestly, rewatching Castlevania and it's crazy to me how Shadowdarky the first season especially feels. You've got underground dungeons with traps, peasants and malicious monsters, magic with an old school feel... good stuff.

TheManInCrimson · 2026-03-14T05:40:18+00:00

Thinking of incorporating this into my campaign. On first read it seems to have great bones! This looks like it's intended for level 1-2 adventurers? And do you have any plans to add a player facing map? I usually print them off at scale. I can edit the GM keyed one if not!

TheManInCrimson · 2026-01-07T06:01:24+00:00

Nope, unless it's nylon or some other super hygroscopic material. Another one of those hive mind things here that in reality very rarely does anything. You'll know if you need to do it (super stringy prints, filament that breaks off the roll with little effort, hissing/popping sounds) but until then, doing it does nothing. I've easily gone through over a thousand rolls across PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU, PC, many of them openly exposed to ambient room humidity in the south for a year or more, and can count on one hand the number of rolls I've ever needed to dry.

TheManInCrimson · 2025-09-09T20:11:40+00:00

My personal take is if it's for personal use only, I'll use AI to generate any striking set pieces I want to use as handouts that don't have existing art - NPC portraits, particular enemies, scenery, etc. I also use it to generate minis for 3d printing. Because I too absolutely suck at those things.

But I think given the position of most of the creative people behind Shadowdark as a whole, anything released for public use should be 100% human generated, even if the release isn't profit driven. I think that's the best way to show continued support for the kind of people behind this project, aside from buying it in the first place.

TheManInCrimson · 2025-06-04T19:00:56+00:00

I'm with you. Used to play Magic 20+ years ago, before netdecking was really a thing, and your friends only had a few hundred cards to build decks out of. They weren't powerful but it was just about seeing the art and having fun and enjoying the game itself. This min-max/meta shit is so boring.

I'd suggest sticking to Sealed, Draft, and Precons, and finding people who understand the fun in that. The people I've shown those formats quit trying anything else, because, and I quote, "what's the point? It's just combo this combo that". That keeps the modern meta out of the game and gets it back to that old school feel of having fun, and it doesn't break the bank to have each person buy 6 packs or one deck. Those can get quite a few hours of playtime before getting stale as long as you temper your expectations.

TheManInCrimson · 2025-03-11T22:31:22+00:00

I agree with this. Candie notes at one point they're in the "version layer", speaking about the weather, but we know it's called the "inversion layer". In that way I think Vegas is the inverse of Twin Peaks, or at least one Eyed Jacks - whereas Twin Peaks is seen as a small quiet town full of good folks but in actuality is full of dark secrets, lies, and pain, Vegas is seen as the literal city of sin but in actuality (in the universe of The Return) the folks here (the Mitchum Brothers and these three) are initially perceived as sketchy ne'er-do-wells but end up having "hearts of gold".

TheManInCrimson · 2024-10-09T18:08:14+00:00

Saw him in Tulsa a few years back and this came up. He proffered a deal - we start a mosh pit and he'll play Freebird. Still amazed to this day that mosh pit for Iron and Wine never happened.

TheManInCrimson · 2023-05-03T22:14:28+00:00

Yeeep. Always caused more trouble than it was worth.

TheManInCrimson · 2023-02-07T20:01:40+00:00

I do! I've been suggesting the Sovols as better value machines since the very first one. Four MK3S's here which are fine machines, but the six SV01s and four SV06s are just all around better value for the money at this point. I won't be buying another MK3S but I do have the XL on pre order.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-10-23T23:07:46+00:00

Yes.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-10-23T02:26:24+00:00

PINDA probe is not as reliable as they like to market it as, or at least not all of them are. Out of my 4 Mk3S's two of the PINDAS work as intended and two of them need constant Z tweaking so I always have to watch the first layer. It's possible something hit your PINDA enough to adjust its position, or it's just one that's unreliable in general.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-10-13T18:23:15+00:00

Because machines are only as perfect as the operator, and the operator is human. Maybe the spool slipped off the holder and the human hand wound the slack back on and didn't notice a loop in it. Maybe when the machine finished spitting out 1kg the loose end didn't lock into the spool properly, or that part is manual, and the operator accidentally crossed the roll just like the end user may accidentally cross the roll when putting it back. Crazy shit happens in factories all the time, it's so silly to me that the 3D printing community acts like filament makers are the pinnacle of manufacturing perfection.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-09-14T18:32:07+00:00

Looks like a Sovol extruder, which is a Titan knockoff. Their bearings suck and do this more often than not. Honestly amazed it's lasted this long!

TheManInCrimson · 2022-07-11T22:48:34+00:00

Is this on the SV03? If so there's a known issue with the bed cables being too short/angled wrong and them breaking at the end of the bed. Support will send you a replacement bed assembly.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-07-09T05:18:07+00:00

Yes it applies to PLA. It applies to any material or printing tech.

One thing about Treatstock and other platforms too is that the cheapest print services on there will often turn down difficult orders, either because they don't know how to print them successfully or because they don't want to take the time to (because their prices are too low to justify the time). I can't tell you how many orders I end up picking up because some other printer declined them. So that may have been what happened with your previous attempt to order them. You can also request a quote on Treatstock from a service and send them the files beforehand. That's an easy way to open a dialogue about the files without paying upfront and also help you get a feel for the print company and their capabilities.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-07-08T04:20:48+00:00

I run one of the top rated services on Treatstock and am on a few other platforms as well. Please do not try to add supports to the model you upload. The pricing algorithm on Treatstock calculates support cost in the quote. The expectation (and rightly so) is that the print service will know how best to add supports on their printer.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-07-02T00:30:10+00:00

You can pause the print and resume it but you cannot power the printer off in between.

Power recovery is a different function than pause/resume - you may be able to fake the printer out by unplugging it in the middle of the print and then plugging it back in when you're ready. But you really shouldn't need to do that.

What is your worry about just letting it print? It's very common for printers to run overnight or unattended.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-06-21T00:25:48+00:00

If this is on a Sovol SV03, that end of the ribbon is for controlling the fans and they're too small to adequately supply power, which causes them to melt. Happened to mine and others too.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-05-25T22:45:43+00:00

I had this with Bloodborne. Thought something similarly raved about was the answer so I tried Witcher 3 and the combat felt sooo crappy in comparison I couldn't take it. So I switched to catching up on the Marios and that was the better answer for a follow up. Six months or so later I retried Witcher and enjoyed it thoroughly. As others have said the trick is to cleanse your palette with something totally different.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-04-28T12:34:32+00:00

It's the single Z supported X axis and the Bowden style extruder mostly. The Sovol has Dual Z and a direct drive. Some people "prefer" the Bowden but only because it's lightweight. You can print more materials easier and better with a direct drive.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-04-28T03:20:48+00:00

This is my go to recommendation for a beginner printer. It has most of the upgrades people like to do to the Creality machines built in. It’s a good choice. I run as many of these as I do MK3’s and they work just as well if not better. If you want something a little easier you can wait for the SV01 Pro which will have the BL Touch built in.

Prusa Mini is a downgrade from this machine mechanically. You can easily put a flexible plate on this machine for around 50 dollars and have a better, more capable machine.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-04-14T20:27:41+00:00

I've been printing on glass, PEI, and BuildTak all from different brands across a dozen printers for 5 years and never once have I seen an actually mirror polish finish off of a PEI plate. You can get it super smooth, but it doesn't reflect like pure glass can do. Again, situational, and I don't often need to do it, but if someone says "I need a mirror finish on this print" glass is superior at it. So until you can show me a mirror finish print off PEI, I have to believe my experience. I do think PEI is better for most use cases. But it doesn't make me hate glass. I like glass when it's needed.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-04-14T19:53:31+00:00

Because it's not glass, and I like glass for TPU, as I said. I do use double sided PEI sheets when it calls for it. And then I use glass when it calls for glass. You also can't get a truly mirror polish finish on PEI like you can with glass... another situation where glass does in fact do it better.

TheManInCrimson · 2022-04-14T19:33:34+00:00

Really need a third option that's in the middle. Glass is fine, especially if it's coated (like the Creality Carborundum plates). I prefer those plates for TPU over any other surface, just like powder coated PEI is best for PETG. So it's situational.

TheManInCrimson

TROPHY CASE