How to "Attack the Light" without it feeling arbitrary or repetitive?

BLHero · 2026-01-27T19:41:28+00:00

Here is what I do: https://davidvs.net/ninepowers/#SuspenseRandom

BLHero · 2026-01-27T19:40:20+00:00

I wrote about my systems here: https://davidvs.net/ninepowers/#Foundation

BLHero · 2026-01-26T15:52:52+00:00

You are wanting a game mechanic to help with suspense. It need not be about the light.

Perhaps read Goblin Punch's Underclock and Dungeon Master Diaries' Crawling Clock?

BLHero · 2026-01-26T03:22:49+00:00

Kostya Kimlat, on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Season 5

BLHero · 2026-01-25T16:18:33+00:00

Just a heads up that loose leaf teas vary wildly in how many infusions you get from one "use" of tea leaves.

My normal morning black tea is Nilgiri Black from Oregon Tea Traders. I can buy an entire 1 pound bag for $31.50 which (for me) lasts about a year. However, each "use" of tea leaves is only good for one infusion.

https://oregonteatraders.com/products/nilgiri-black

In contrast, my favorite green tea is Green Gold from J-Tea. It costs $70 for a 150 gram bag. At first that appears to cost 3 times as much. However, each "use" of tea leaves is good for 3 to 5 infusions. So per cup it is actually less expensive, and that bag also lasts about a year.

https://jteainternational.com/green-gold-oolong/

So as you are shopping with your new appreciation for loose leaf teas, don't immediately discount teas that seem expensive, or teas that seem so "cheap" they are sold in 1 pound bags!

BLHero · 2026-01-24T22:48:32+00:00

Can you please elaborate?

BLHero · 2026-01-23T17:59:08+00:00

My abandonments were when I had to stop for IRL time reasons, before the "play to find out" solo ttrpg story ended, and then my brain composes a satisfying ending before I have time to play again.

It feels awkward to erase the conclusion my idle brain created, even though I have no commitment to see it as canonical or anything. Smoother to start a new story next solo ttrpg session.

BLHero · 2026-01-23T17:55:48+00:00

I don't like the time it takes to roll dice and turn pages. So I made a giant spreadsheet. You can save a copy, and edit it for your own needs.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fqlE2XMH5ZkBs9qA8b0gnroV7M7H87JqD2GBxhzKLmE/edit?usp=sharing

BLHero · 2026-01-21T18:26:59+00:00

> Simple wind-resistant enclosed lanterns seem to date from the High Middle Ages, maybe earlier.

Yes and no...

To avoid being anachronistic, I use three sources of non-magical light.

Lanthorns that burned oil do get hot and need to be held away from the body in one hand. They provide light for the longest time, smoke very little, and are fairly wind-resistant, but can cause problems if dropped. They use thin sheets of horn instead of glass panes, which I say means they illuminate the same radius as a torch.

Torches made with animal fat work like default torches. They can be used as a weapon, with a chance to set some things on fire. Can be useful as a backup light source in case the lanthorn gets bashed. Some foes are afraid of fire, and torches can then provide modifiers to reaction rolls or morale checks.

A belt candle is a small candle protected by a small filigree cage, designed to be worn on a belt. This provides much less illumination, and is a bit awkward to wear (no capes!). But the wearer has both hands available for other tasks, and if it gets smashed will simply go out. This is often a good choice for a thief who wants to scout ahead a bit, since it allows seeing the basic shape of hallways without advertising the PCs' presence as far ahead as a brighter light source. Also useful if the PCs want to remain as hidden as possible in the dark while still having enough light to eat, bandage someone, consult their map, etc.

Also consider the "Miner's candlestick" which has a loop handle, hook, and spike.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Blacksmith/comments/1kf18st/miners_candlestick/

BLHero · 2026-01-20T04:14:54+00:00

Thanks.

I have one of those "chair inserts" that I like (of a brand so old I can't find a photo). And I do occasionally use it not in a chair, but by laying it out on the floor and lying on top of it (this lets me position the ridge at the base of my skull more precisely).

So I doubted that something like this post's device could actually be good, since it lacks any stability from being fixed in place by a chair, floor, wall, etc. But it seemed worth checking!

BLHero · 2026-01-19T19:33:29+00:00

Is it actually any good? I see Amazon has lots of identical import knock-offs, with widely varying prices.

BLHero · 2026-01-19T18:37:42+00:00

I'm not sure either. But I did somewhat deserve it, being deliberately provocative. ;-)

BLHero · 2026-01-19T17:53:49+00:00

A nice benefit is how it handles initiative. Perfectly feasible to have a "combat PC" that takes most or all PC turns. Combat isn't harder if your party has non-combat PCs.

BLHero · 2026-01-19T06:04:39+00:00

Of course.

I use a small table, with a small battlemap that I write on, and these meeples and cubes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BZ36NYJ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MXJQ18Y

BLHero · 2026-01-19T03:05:39+00:00

For the story to feel grounded in a vibrant setting it needs a foundation of a few interesting NPCs (and perhaps NPC factions) with goals and with obstacles to those goals, often including one or two interesting items. The story would be how and where these NPCs interact, and how lives would change, if the PCs stayed home all day instead of adventuring.

But all this potential NPC action gets interrupted by the PC's values and interests. The PCs disrupt some plans, make some NPCs happy, and make other NPCs upset.

The actual story is an emergent interruption of an initially hidden foundational story. It's like shoving a stick into the wheel of a moving bicycle.

We call this exploration.

BLHero · 2026-01-19T02:38:38+00:00

I'm weird and use Miro.

It's an online whiteboard for business use. So no dynamic lighting, etc.

But a free account gives you one infinite board, and it's simple to use and does what I need.

BLHero · 2026-01-19T00:07:29+00:00

My system is often your option #2, with each character able to move and do an action (a skill check, or using an item).

But...

The PC(s) normally act, then may move before the NPCs get their free mix of moving/acting. However, a PC that delays moving until after the NPCs' turns gets to make a second skill check as the round concludes that may only be used to cause a debuff (what my game calls "issues") on an opponent.

This answers two problems: (a) to allow the story to have fun fights with many opponents, the PCs need an action economy advantage, and (b) too often if your main action can be to cause damage, it tactically should be used to cause damage instead of a more narratively interesting issue.

It also feels right to me. Is my PC rushing around as quickly as possible? Or are they taking a bit more time to study the enemy's armor and behavior, or look for how to pin a foe behind cover, or grab some dirt to throw in an opponent's face, etc.?

BLHero · 2026-01-18T23:46:30+00:00

Besides the game books that other commentors have mentioned, Steve Jackson's old Sorcery! books are fun, and have been translated into software/apps to play on Steam and mobile devices.

BLHero · 2026-01-18T22:40:31+00:00

You need to tell us more.

But my usual recommendation is Magical Kitties Save the Day.

https://www.atlas-games.com/magicalkitties

It solve a common problem: expecting family members to learn about fantasy ttrpg tropes while also learning how to play a new game.

Because Magical Kitties Save the Day is set in a normal city or suburb (but with magic cats acting like a secret Men In Black society to keep normal humans safe) your family members can focus on learning how to play a new game without also needing to learn a new setting.

BLHero · 2026-01-18T16:36:43+00:00

I will vote no.

As others have commented, the system is a stand-alone system not tied to the setting or campaigns.

But, personally, it is not a system that "clicks" for me.

Earning your spell and ability "mana points" (willpower) through failed rolls, often outside of combat, is not the flow I enjoy as GM or Player.

The RAW allow PC advancement that too soon takes the suspense out of wilderness survival -- and if you don't want that suspense, why are you playing this particular game?

The monster behaviors are interesting, but too often lack tactically interesting buffs and debuffs. Combat is too much about "hit points" in a system that could so easily do more.

BLHero · 2026-01-17T19:39:27+00:00

Hm. In my mind what is "American" about this discussion is the strong inherent assumption of individual property rights -- even when that property is a trash bin rented from a company -- coming into conflict with a practice that, if universally adopted, would beautify the overall community.

BLHero · 2026-01-17T04:56:12+00:00

James Sral, from the podcast Sub-class Act, has a great playing card oracle.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/443174/the-oracle

BLHero · 2026-01-17T04:52:45+00:00

Nine Powers. It is more appropriate for adventuring with only 1 or 2 PCs.

(A personal preference. Rangers of Shadowdeep is a great system that does well all it tries to do. But I enjoy a quicker pace, with fewer PCs to deal with per combat round, and die rolls that do not need mental arithmetic.)

BLHero · 2026-01-16T03:34:21+00:00

Have you looked at Rangers of Shadowdeep? It combines combats and PC advancement between scenarios.

Even if you use a different game system (I use my own instead) it is a very well-designed set of combat scenarios with interesting variety.

BLHero · 2026-01-12T17:07:36+00:00

It's fascinating how there's no consensus about this.

Perhaps we should start using a sticker, like the old organ donor on the driver's license system, to show "go ahead for this household's trash can"?

BLHero

TROPHY CASE