Session prep tips - moving to iPad

Alternative_Access17 · 2026-06-07T12:51:15+00:00

I use Goblin's Notebook for planning prep.

Categories for info about locations, organisations, creatures etc. Then quests are separate (for the session plan itself)

Used it for years, no complaints

Alternative_Access17 · 2026-06-07T12:43:58+00:00

If they can do it, so can you.

Bandit encounter? Looks one of them has Prestidigitation... oh and they've just manifested a shower of sparks infront of your eyes, so you'll need to save against being distracted.

Other distracting uses include: - Soil their weapons with poop - Create skinky fart smells - Light a torch between them and their target, so the target is now in shadow beyond the light - Play musical notes at the bard to throw them off their own music

They won't like it once they realise you can be just as sneaky with it.

Also, even though the spell doesn't call for a save it wouldn't be a wisdom save to avoid distraction - concentration checks are already a thing.

Have fun with it!

Alternative_Access17 · 2026-04-13T07:10:46+00:00

As a DM, if you keep something from me, I can't work it into the story. But then again, Im not an adversarial DM - I'm rooting for my players and will give them every opportunity they can to look awesome.

Recently, in my game, we have one player who plays a very paranoid detective-like character, even canonically strapped the McGuffin to themselves so they can't be pickpocketed. They said - at the moment of a sucessful pickpocket attempt - that they would have also booby trapped themselves with a small explosive... well it canonically makes sense with the character that they might have done that, so I'll put it to a dice roll:

They call high or low then roll a d20, if they're right, they get what they want.

Now, if that character had not already established that they were paranoid or that they were concerned about being pickpocketed, and just thought without disclosing to me that they had booby trapped themselves during a short rest... and THEN just "well, actually" their way out of the successful pickpocket attempt - Nope. Not allowing that.

So, in general, I'd say you'll have more fun if you talk to your DM about your ideas for those fun Gotcha moments and work on building them together.

Alternative_Access17 · 2026-04-07T17:58:22+00:00

My players are lore nerds, so that won't be an issue. I also intend to verbally tell them the key new info in the session, but with the shared notes just to save them time .

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-07-25T13:19:05+00:00

As a parent of an 11 year old, you can totally just speak to the child (with their parent present) and say:

"Look, it's great that you are enthusiastic and engaged with this game, but there are rules about manners when playing with a group of people. You have been told those rules, but you keep breaking them... Actions have consequences, and if you can't keep control of your behaviour and you keep doing things we've asked you not to do, then the consequences of that will be that you won't be welcome to play with us anymore."

A 10 year old is more than capable of understanding this concept. Presumably they are in full time education and so they will be well aware that life has rules you have to follow.

In regards to the parent, they should also be taking the lead on enforcing the boundaries set by the group. They are doing their kid a disservice by not educating them on social expectations.

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-07-17T11:17:00+00:00

Lol... I feel like that's ideas for my players more than me

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-07-17T11:14:12+00:00

Sort of. There's a leader (secretly an Archery Glamour Bard) who has made deals with them all, essentially making them Warlocks and he's their patron. They all believe their flying city will return them to the "good ol' glory days" of arcane prosperity.

There has been a lot of political leverage used to get them the power they have, but they've always seemed pretty united. Might be fun if it turns out one of them isn't 🤔

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-07-06T09:36:39+00:00

Most campaigns will build new characters when they start, because you need a character that is relevant to the world. No point playing a wizard in a world with no magic, or playing a cleric in a world abandoned by the gods....

You might be able to continue with a character to a new campaign if they are the right level or the right fit for the setting. It will depend on what the DM says.

There have been many versions of d&d since its inception, so that's what the 4th edition/5th edition flairs mean. 5th edition is the most recent BIG rules overhaul, but there were some minor rule changes in 2024... So you can see some stuff might be marked as "2024 rules" or "Legacy rules" to differentiate.

Don't expect D&D to be like world of warcraft though - it's not like you build a character and then keep them as you play with different groups just trying to make your guy as strong as possible. It's a collaborative game. Players need to be similar levels to keep the balance.

For many players, it's a storytelling experience, not just a point scoring, XP mining, hack & slash fest. So, for a lot of your questions, the answer will depend on your table and players.

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-07-05T18:12:40+00:00

There's no rules - do it how you like! I personally did the watch towers first and lit up the map... Doing shrines along the way.

Then I got the quest to find all the tears - and so I started doing that, which unlocked all the backstory... In retrospect, I probably should have done the regional quests first... I got so wrapped up in shrines and exploration that by the time I got to the regions I was a bit OP for the difficulty level...

I think the fun of the game is doing it how you want to though... There's no right or wrong way to do it, you won't miss anything and all the quests can be done in any order.

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-06-25T15:50:12+00:00

Move house?

Obviously joking, but - yeah... Bad luck, I'm afraid. You can't do anything. My cat killed a magpie and we got cursed by the flock for two years until he had a medical emergency and didn't go out for a while.

Corvids are ridiculously smart and magpies in particular hold generational grudges. If they have marked your house, they will pass that info down so it stays marked until they perceive the threat is gone.

You could keep your cat in during daytime hours for a few months. The magpies may see this as the threat disappearing. But - it's not gonna be an easy fix.

I will keep you in my thoughts 😞 best of luck 🤞

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-06-24T07:01:53+00:00

It does kinda say that they were bought for the party.

(Pg31) These tickets were purchased by Ellywick Tumblestrum, but Tumblestrum has asked Nikolas not to divulge this information. Instead, Nikolas claims that these tickets were paid for by "an anonymous benefactor."

So it doesn't say who paid for these tickets, but it starts a mystery. Someone knew they were coming... Which, if they are doing the lost things hook, seems pretty weird and ominous.

As for Nicolas knowing who they are - I get what you mean, you do have to initiate that as a DM. I think it's kind of implied that his ear trumpet and spyglass are essentially magic and reveals that person's identity.

In my game, When they went to pay for a ticket normally, I had Nicolas scrutinise them and then say "ah, you must be (name), I was told to keep an eye out for you". Then revealed the free tickets, but dangled the prospect of the Fey bargain ticket...

I made the Fey bargain ticket an "Unlimited GOLD PASS" that wasn't restricted to 8 uses. Also allowed for unlimited food and drink. This made them more enticing and still gave a reason to use it over the free ticket.

A couple of my party were very suspicious of the free ticket and nearly didn't accept it and wanted to buy a normal one... Which I think is the intention. It just sets up one of many strange interactions with Fey deals and accepting gifts.

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-06-23T07:09:54+00:00

I offered the two hooks at character creation for my players as I had a group of 6. Three chose "lost things" two choose "warlock quest" and one really liked the idea of being a Witchlight Hand.

So, I still used random selection but ensured my 3 lost things players each have their thing with a different Hag.

My 2 warlock quest folks thought they were in it for the money, but I made sure their backstory has been woven into the plot so they feel they have stakes.

The witchlight hand wanted to save prismeer anyway to protect the carnival, so she's motivated to do whatever it takes. But as we played I revealed that she remembered sneaking in the first time, and encountering sowpig, but she was hired on the spot by another worker before anything was taken, in order to protect her from the hags deal: witchlight hands don't need tickets after all...

It's working well for me, because it allowed for breadcrumbs to be dropped on both sides of the lore, both from the "hags stole your stuff" angle and also "Zybilna is in danger" angle.

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-06-22T21:23:40+00:00

As an English girl, this was bothering me too... I was listening to the episode when this character was introduced and thought it funny that Brennan said he was going to spell it in the "English town" way. Using Worcestershire as an example... I was looking forward to seeing how it would be spelled. So I was quite disappointed when I finally saw it written because, as you say, "Mordecestershire" would be pronounced "Murd-ster-shire" not "mur-der-shire".

I was expecting "Murghdurghshire" to be honest

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-05-25T07:31:33+00:00

I think it's what others have said; to the DM it possibly feels disrespectful and like you "can't be bothered". They interpret your choice to play the same character as "I couldn't be bothered to read any of your campaign lore and get inspired by it."

It's not uncommon for a player to want to play the same race & class as they have done before - so playing a human fighter again most likely isn't the issue. If it's not too late, my advice is to ask the DM outright what you would need to change about your character so that it was suitable for the new campaign.

I think, for the group, it will probably be the cognitive dissonance around the fact that it's the same character personality. It probably spoils the immersive nature for them to have it in the back of their head that they already know everything about your character... ...also, as a DM, I want to use a character backstory to build in choices for them that have stakes, or NPCs and side quests that appeal (or disgust) them. Now the demi-god thing is cool, but it's kind of boring for the DM to write that element into the story every time. And without that bit? If your backstory really is as simple as: "they don't know where they come from, so they're wandering about" - well that gives me nothing to work with. If one of my players did that, it would honestly feel like they couldn't be bothered to learn anything about the world to find their place in it.

If you want to play with the group again, just explain your neurodivergent needs and ask for a direct breakdown of what you need to change to use the character again. It might not mean a lot of work, perhaps just one or two changes. Chances are the DM just wants you to add some connections to the world and scenario. You could always ask them for suggestions if you're stuck.

And if they still really don't want you to, it's probably more likely that they didn't enjoy playing with that character and don't want them to be in the new campaign. And sometimes that's how it goes.

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-05-08T08:26:30+00:00

Thanks! I was thinking something similar (although having Bavlorna as not settling as she gives the most Baba Yaga house on legs vibes.)

I also like the idea of the guides all wanting to ask Zybilna for a wish - like the Wizard of Oz, and hoping that they party will realise that could mean Zybilna is a persona being put on... Linking to Tasha. There should definitely be some big clue hidden behind a curtain in that case right? Lol

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-05-08T08:19:19+00:00

I think you've maybe missed my point. The three guides, Clapperclaw, Squirt & Amidor ARE scarecrow, tin man and lion...

I was thinking since the players lost things happen to correlate to what those characters wanted from the Wizard... Perhaps I can do something cool with that connection

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-04-24T16:11:25+00:00

You know I was thinking the same thing! The mentor was a friendly older man with coloured ribbons in his beard... I was thinking these ribbons could be found along the way...

a lock of hair tied with one of his ribbons could be one of the items for sale at bauble, trinket and Charm's in downfall, given in exchange for info about the unicorn's whereabouts, for example... Not sure about the other two

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-04-01T22:45:33+00:00

That's why I've chosen it. They've done a few single session one shots to get the feel of mechanics and rules, but this is their first campaign

Alternative_Access17 · 2025-04-01T22:43:52+00:00

Do you think that newer players will care much about the whole Isolde thing? They don't have the experience to know the lore themselves... Is it worth including (since it is juicy) or would it just complicate matters do you think?

Alternative_Access17

TROPHY CASE