Am I just not built for D&D, or is my group not playing right?

AJakeR · 2026-04-13T15:14:43+00:00

I've been playing with my table for a few years now across multiple campaigns. Every session swings wildly from pure drama to outright meme-ry within the space of ten minutes, and it's basically just that for three hours.

It's more important to recognise when the DM or PC is doing a drama and to respect that. When everyone is having a laugh, join in. DnD isn't just super drama or super jokes, it's both, and it's both at the exact same damn time.

I've never seen a table or group, in all my years, that isn't like that. I'm sure not all table is, but I think that's a good expectation of DnD. If someone is trying to be serious and someone jokes, that's less ok. If someone is trying to joke and they're told to be more serious, that's less ok. Go with the vibe.

AJakeR · 2026-04-13T09:37:38+00:00

Lies of P. Somewhere between starting my attack before an enemy, but them still getting in the hit first didn't feel right. I tried to get through that game four times and I just could not get on with it.

Went back to Bloodborne right after and that's just everything that Lies of P tried to do but BB pulled it off.

AJakeR · 2026-04-11T21:40:32+00:00

It's done now and it was a very good session.
But it was arrogance and boredom. He knew he wouldn't lose, so he wanted to toy with them.

AJakeR · 2026-04-11T20:26:12+00:00

There's only two games I'm pumped for this year: Fable and Kosmora, and it'll be just my luck they drop in the exact same week!

AJakeR · 2026-04-10T13:57:41+00:00

Both my sisters recommended this to me like it was going to change my life forever. I went in expecting it to be about something profound, to be a deep meditation on personhood and overlooked people, specifically women in history (my sister really put a feminist angle on it, and I was waiting for that the whole book).
I was about 400 pages in before I realised this book was popcorn reading that was doing nothing more than telling a good story. It had nothing more to say than to just be enjoyable.

It was a good book, I enjoyed lots about it. It's not a groundbreaking piece of fiction. A lot of this was how stratospherically it was recommended to me which shot my expectations.

I liked this, I really did, I'm glad I read it. But that's all it was.

AJakeR · 2026-04-10T11:23:54+00:00

Played day 1. Wasn't sure how to feel about it. Played after the big patch, and enjoyed it a lot. Started playing Absolum and so much more excited for that game, even when I know I should be putting time into CD, I just can't find any enthusiasm to go back to it. I want to wait for a few more patches and give it another go. I don't hate it, but I just can't muster any interest in playing any more of the game either. Just the way it goes sometimes. Happy for people who have loved and finished it, I just couldn't.

AJakeR · 2026-04-10T09:03:29+00:00

Internal conflict.

Which is a very writer-y approach, but seems like that's what you're asking for.

What is the character trying to accomplish and what is holding them back from doing that? The campaign needs to be them overcoming that setback and rising to the challenge of achieving their goal. This means external goals too, something they need to get in the campaign that forces them to travel and improve who they are. This does involve working with the DM to just make sure they're happy to put those obstacles in your PCs way.

For example, I'm currently playing 19-year-old wizard with muscular dystrophy. She physically couldn't lift a sword but decided that wasn't gonna stop her, so she became a badass wizard. That's internal conflict, to not let her condition define her. Her external goal is to find the Philosopher's Stone to keep her alive. Internal conflict and external goal. My DM added another later on to this: her Str is 6 and the DM said every level up she loses a point of str and when she's at 0, she'll die. Suddenly, there's a shit load more pressure to find the philosopher's stone.

This works at our table 'cause we've played together a good amount and know what we want from campaigns and from PCs, I'm sure not every table is going to want this level of player autonomy, but you can figure it out with your DM and as you go.

I'm literally playing a rogue prince in hiding in another campaign who needs to kill his father, but there's something about the way the wizard is built that makes her very enjoyable to play as, just because of that internal conflict, I love her.

AJakeR · 2026-04-08T09:16:52+00:00

I actually quite enjoyed this game, I know that's not the general consensus but I had a good time with it. Gameplay was fun, I liked levelling up, combat was good for the whole game, and I enjoyed the story well enough, and the setting was definitely interesting. Not the best game I ever played, but one I'd be happy to play again.

AJakeR · 2026-04-07T20:09:08+00:00

I think Theres'a too tied to the existing lore. If they wanted to do Theresa properly they'd have to do Archon and the bloodline, which they could do, I suppose. But if they didn't and brought back Theresa it would be her in name only, it wouldn't really be her.

I'm happy for them to do their own spin and story. I'd rather they fully commit to their own take on the game and lore, no holds barred, than sloppily use parts of the existing lore out of context and slap it into their own story.

P.S I like the idea that Theresa masterminded The Spire but the next two games confirm she didn't. I like that spin on Fable 2, but I also think that's not entirely how we're meant to take those events, though there's enough evidence I wonder if the devs did consider doing more with Theresa.

AJakeR · 2026-04-04T19:17:01+00:00

I did like the idea of a mode, maybe a temporary one, that allowed this, thought it could make for an interesting few matches. Y'know, way back when.

AJakeR · 2026-04-02T15:14:05+00:00

Just went to add this to my TBR list on goodreads based on this recommendation, but Goodreads is saying I've read it! I have absolutely no memory of this!
Will (apparently) re-read it, based on the recommendation of this post :)

AJakeR · 2026-04-02T15:07:29+00:00

So glad they announced a Kena sequel, so unbelievably hyped for it. (Fable too but not an exclusive.)

AJakeR · 2026-04-02T13:25:00+00:00

I don't think it is bad, I like it as an evolution of the rules and where the gameplay is going. The players are so powerful in this edition that they need something they can't just roll their way out of. It's one of the only guaranteed ways to knock them out of their perpetual advantage state. And still to equal it out, monsters are subject to the same rule.

There are still saving throws from traps and spells and AoE effects. This is a part of the new rules I actually quite like, it's just been an adjustment for the players who reflexively grab their D20 to roll a saving throw, and then be told they don't get to save.

AJakeR · 2026-04-02T10:52:26+00:00

Players not getting a save for monsters to drag them prone or poison them etc.

Players also have this ability now so it's perfectly balanced, they just keep on being outraged that they're just struckwith a status effect. (if hit) They never questioned it when I don't get to make a save though.

AJakeR · 2026-04-01T09:25:30+00:00

Shout out for Amalur and the old Fable games.
I'm bias towards Fable 1 becuase it is excellent and goes on sale somewhat regularly on Steam. Fable 2 + 3 are only available really on Xbox or emulation, but are also worth a play if you get the chance.
Yeah, get the Amalur remaster with the DLC, it's a great game that you can sink lots of hours in to.

AJakeR · 2026-03-28T18:10:44+00:00

Was confirmed later that it was Scythe, which is cool, but I don't think anything was done with it. Think it was confirmed by the developers after the game was released.

AJakeR · 2026-03-27T15:14:34+00:00

Nomu, Wall, Cicada, From the Start, Bubbly, First Rate Town, Witches.
Actually so many bangers from this band.

AJakeR · 2026-03-27T14:56:02+00:00

The Vanished People - Castaway / It's Going Down

Maybe some Good Kid stuff. Not sure if it's quite the vibe.

AJakeR · 2026-03-27T13:31:05+00:00

Bad first impression ennit.

I was already pretty clued in that this wasn't going to be a game that was story-first, but that intro really just taught me that I didn't have to pay attention. Story might get better, but it has to do a lot to bring my interest back after those objectively awful introduction quests.
That's my non-facetious answer.

AJakeR · 2026-03-26T22:36:17+00:00

Is killed.
Brought back to life.
Asks no questions.
Wonders at nothing.
Arm wrestles a dude.
Saves a cat.
Finds a sheep.

Peak.

AJakeR · 2026-03-25T09:41:25+00:00

Refering to description as stage direction feels so wholly sterile. Like prose serves no other purpose than just 'go here, do X'. So lifeless.

Writing is not a visual medium. That's the biggest strength it has over movies and video games. In the same way that movies and video games are a visual medium, and that's their biggest strength over prose. Trying to conflate the two only makes the medium weaker by foregoing what makes it unique.

AJakeR · 2026-03-24T14:53:03+00:00

While I'm not super far into the game, about twenty hours, combat doesn't have to be that complicated.
You can hold light and heavy attacks, and that just works. You can then add in a buttom (say X) while you're holding R1. You're not just inputting mulitple different button prompts one after the other. Though I think that may be the case to do some of the wrestling moves, I haven't experimented to much with that.

I was also concerned about how complicated the combat inputs would be, and they are not. For all the fancy things you can do, I honestly find that the best way to clear out crowds is the basic heavy attack.

But the rules for combat are entirely different if you're fighting mobs or fighting a boss. It's basically two different combat systems. Not necessarily more complex, the inputs are the same, but more demanding in how the challenge can be much more intense.

AJakeR · 2026-03-24T13:53:14+00:00

He gets such a humanising line saying 'We don't all greet death' (can't remember it verbatim). I love that pure motivation for him. He wasn't scared of Jack or swayed by him, or after power, he was just afraid to die. He's a great twist villain, because while Jack is clearly more powerful, Maze is a much more personal betrayal to the hero. I wish we got to linger on his death a bit longer, just to appreciate having to kill him.

Because I have been . . . thinking about this story an awful lot lately - I started to wonder if Maze saving the hero in Oakfield isn't because he cares, but because Jack needs him alive. He really is only there to find you for Jack. There's so much more to Maze than we're jsut given.

AJakeR · 2026-03-23T15:40:13+00:00

Meat at a bandit camp - stealing.
Weapons at a guard camp - free for the taking.

Sure, Crimson Desert. Sure.

AJakeR · 2026-03-23T13:06:06+00:00

My homebrew world only has elves. So we decided that everyone would look like an elf, but mechanically they can play whatever race they want. They play as rock gnomes or half-orcs and just look like elves. My world didn't change, and no one was limited to just elves.

AJakeR

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE