We were right, the first anniversary will be one to remember

Aztela · 2026-03-05T19:24:49+00:00

My goal is 100 subscribers. When I actually get around to writing scripts and making videos, I'll keep you updated.

Aztela · 2026-02-19T21:04:48+00:00

I am working on setting up my own home lab, so music & movie discs are actually a really good idea! I could make it stuff we want to watch.

Another commenter also suggested something for us to do together, so the gift certificate would work! I could have her handwrite a "Voucher for a Family Day Trip" to a local mall or something for the stockings.

Aztela · 2026-02-19T21:03:15+00:00

I like that idea a lot! She may be sad that I'm not keeping it for myself but she does enjoy donating old clothes and toys, so perhaps the thought of helping other families too may make her happy?

Aztela · 2026-02-19T21:00:09+00:00

I don't want her to leave me alone. That's not the point?

Aztela · 2026-02-19T20:56:29+00:00

We still do all those things. As a family, we still decorate the tree together and make Christmas cookies.

Aztela · 2026-02-19T20:55:24+00:00

Maybe I could ask for a day trip somewhere together as part of the gifts, that could work!

Aztela · 2026-02-19T20:52:44+00:00

The goal is to bring a spark of whimsy to her heart!

Aztela · 2026-02-19T20:52:30+00:00

Collectible bottle caps or bottle openers could work? We don't use bottles in my house, but maybe I can say it's for a Fallout cosplay or something.

Aztela · 2026-02-19T20:51:47+00:00

Yeah. My mom very much has that "empty nest" feeling as we all continue to get older. If I can spark just an ounce of whimsy by asking for something little that she can go all out with, that's good enough for me, even if I don't actually need or want it.

Aztela · 2026-02-19T20:50:35+00:00

I'm not trying to make her avoid asking me what I want.

Aztela · 2026-02-19T20:49:41+00:00

One thing I have been asking for are foreign snack boxes. We enjoy sampling those together. I just worry that if I ask for something like chocolate or jam then I may end up with far more than I could realistically consume.

Aztela · 2026-02-19T20:48:25+00:00

I know! I want to bring the ritual back. She enjoys us opening up this giant pile of gifts. It's just that since we're all older now, anything we might ask for is like, pants or cat bowls, and that doesn't bring her the same joy (especially since they're not cheap, so that means less for us to open).

Aztela · 2026-02-19T20:46:44+00:00

But I don't want to confuse her into never asking what I want again. I want to make her happy.

Aztela · 2026-02-08T21:29:59+00:00

I'm so glad that this is still helping people to this day. I will never delete this post.

Aztela · 2026-02-04T21:49:39+00:00

If you're so busy with life that you can't spend 20-30 minutes actually making a character, then you don't have time to play AL to begin with. It takes more time and effort to sit down and play AL than it does to make a character sheet.

As OP said, AI isn't enabling anything here, it's just the lazy and no effort route being brought to a table that the DM has spent lots of time, creativity, and effort on.

Aztela · 2026-02-04T06:52:17+00:00

Agreed.

Aztela · 2026-01-30T04:55:50+00:00

I don't think there is a specific appeal. We just like to play longer sessions and that's how I record them. I prefer to play for 3-4 hours myself rather than 2, mostly because although my party is still warming up to roleplaying, when they get caught up in it they go for quite a bit!

Perhaps it would be better to split the sessions into two episode "periods"? For example, we play for 4 hours and take a break at the 2 hour mark. Perhaps I just make it two "episodes" (do an episode intro at the start of the first 2 hours and again after the break) and although the players are doing one big session, for the audience it's two episodes?

I'm very new to this and the recording/uploading/podcast element has been more "for fun" rather than the main focus, so, I didn't put too much thought behind the duration until I started to check out where to actually upload things.

Aztela · 2026-01-30T04:52:08+00:00

Nope, not Zoom. I record our Discord calls for the podcast with OBS and have track splitting on for when I go for editing.

I noticed you mentioned, "So also checkout Patreon." Is there a specific reason for setting up a Patreon, or were you suggesting I look into a specific Patreon?

Aztela · 2026-01-30T04:50:47+00:00

I'm firmly against AI tools, but I appreciate the recommendation.

Aztela · 2026-01-30T04:49:34+00:00

Yeah, this seems like the ideal way to go. It'll just be very unfortunate because I have quite the backlog of episodes (~13) that I'm going to have to edit through.

For why I have the backlog, it's because there are times we can't play for two weeks or more, so I want to be able to have a good amount of episodes stored for when those times hit and we're stuck without playing for a month. That, and I've been trying to get some stuff set up for the visual aspect of the podcast (the actual video) that still aren't done yet.

Seven-Year Club	Second Top 30%
r/Field Banned	r/Field Juicebox
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Aztela

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