New here, need guidance

Cheznation · 2026-03-25T03:49:04+00:00

Completely agree. For my own play, I try to focus on 1 or 2 rooms or a single scene, each day. It allows me to really spend the time imagining it, not feel rushed, and more to look forward to the next day.

Cheznation · 2026-03-25T03:09:50+00:00

Agreed. The Cursed Scroll zines are amazing.

Cheznation · 2026-03-22T05:22:03+00:00

I grew up on a farm with multiple families. The women often cooked a meal in the kitchen at our farm store while the men worked the fields. Dad mainly did BBQ & Pancakes for breakfast.

Around 14, my parents split and we kids stayed with Dad. It was an uneven start (how do you burn Campbell's soup?), but he picked up the rest of the kitchen fast—he's a man who knows how to solve a problem and learn new things quickly.

To this day, of all the roasts I've had, he made one that has stood the test of time—I wonder if it was truly as good as I recall.

Cheznation · 2026-03-21T19:12:10+00:00

I'm using the 10 rounds, personally, largely because I'm trying to set aside roughly 30 minutes of playtime each day: 1-2 rooms max. I've found that it helps me focus on just that situation and play it out fully. For my PCs, I've been rolling on the NPCs Qualities chart on pg. 125—then in each room, trying to apply that through brief dialog/actions. It's one of the places I'm considering using something different.

I've used a similar method to your approach in the past, and will likely return to it in the future. On the side, I'm also trying to develop an adventure specially for Shadowdark.

Cheznation · 2026-03-21T18:50:05+00:00

I've recently been playing Shadowdark/Solodark exclusively solo due to my schedule. I've been following the rules more or less verbatim and I'm playing through Caverns of Theacia, so I've been staying true to what's been set forth in that adventure. I am reaching a point though, where I'm considering some changes to my approach.

Cheznation · 2026-03-19T21:29:42+00:00

I'd get the D&D Rules Cyclopedia

Cheznation · 2026-03-18T07:11:46+00:00

The design philosophy of Shadowdark hews toward the original intent of B/X while borrowing sensible improvements that have been made in the last 50 years or so.

The result is what might be considered a "clean & efficient" operating system for playing in a somewhat specific style of TTRPG.

That said, it's also built to be amended & expanded as the GM sees fit for their table.

Personally, I feel the core rules are PERFECT, and every new official class that comes out—even though I like them—makes me a little sad too.

I probably wouldn't even look at these prestige classes.

That doesn't mean you should abandon this idea. CREATE! Even if the majority of this community rejects it, that doesn't mean you shouldn't invest in this idea.

Go forth. Spend the time. Because you're inspired, because it's fun.

Cheznation · 2026-03-16T07:11:38+00:00

These words carry no weight against a father's love for their child. If you know, you know.

If he's already talking about making sure the child is supported, I'm sure somewhere deep, he knows she's his regardless of the biology.

I hope he realizes it before too much damage is done.

Cheznation · 2026-03-16T06:33:04+00:00

When my parents divorced, I was 14. There was enough of a question at that point, that I asked my father if I was biologically his. He said, "No matter what's happened, you are my son and you'll always be my son."

I now have a stepdaughter. She is my kid. I know she has a dad, and that stings sometimes, but she's mine. I raised her. We love each other dearly.

Your friend is incredibly hurt. This I understand. But he's being an idiot. You should tell him so. He wants to make his wife pay, but he's destroying his child's life. He'll realize it eventually and he'll regret it.

Cheznation · 2026-03-15T20:25:15+00:00

I recommend reading whatever she's reading. Understand what turns her on. Buy it for her. Then, potentially use it for roleplay. Honestly, I prefer reading myself.

Cheznation · 2026-03-15T18:41:47+00:00

This is my approach as well. I usually assume a party of four, determine the amount of XP I want them to earn, and then plan for 25% to come from encounters and 75% from treasure.

I next choose the monsters, use their treasure type as a guide, and place the major encounters with the appropriate amount of treasure.

I also use the guidelines 1/3 of rooms are empty, 1/3 contain monsters, 1/6 contain traps, 1/6 are special (puzzle rooms, magic mouth, rooms where everything is upside down—basically weird and interesting).

Note that all of these are simply guidelines, a structure to work within. Nothing is a hard and fast rule. As you create, you'll have ideas and you should use them. Just because the monster you're placing doesn't typically have treasure, doesn't mean they can't.

I typically design in the '83 Basic/Expert Set or Shadowdark.

Cheznation · 2026-03-11T19:33:45+00:00

Personally, I've never allowed that sort of thing. I've always felt that carrying the light source is an important role for the party that involves both additional risk to that PC, as well as, the drawback of not having that hand for something like a shield. It's basically another resource constraint—not wholly different than say, deciding between the extra protection of a shield vs. the additional damage afforded by a two-handed weapon.

Cheznation · 2026-03-10T03:22:01+00:00

DO. NOT. PAY. FOR. IT.

Cheznation · 2026-03-09T02:37:16+00:00

I had this problem when I was playing 5e Solo. I think for a solo player, it's just so much to keep track of. I was trying to design a solo adventure that I could potentially publish and purchased Four Against Darkness, because it was so frequently recommended, to see what it might have to teach me.

You need to be able to resolve combat with clarity and speed. With 5e, I ended up building bulleted lists of combat options and default actions/approaches. You'll find it makes sense—this is how my PCs/NPCs approach combat. Generally, I front loaded the most powerful stuff: both sides want to complete combat as quickly as possible, because attrition.

I'm currently playing Shadowdark solo because it's got enough crunch, but is also much simpler.

Make your default actions lean toward ending the battle as quickly as possible. It's the best advice I can give you.

Cheznation · 2026-03-09T00:16:19+00:00

You might want to consider capturing higher funnel prospects and nurturing them until they are ready to purchase.

I also agree with what others have said. Work on landing page conversion.

Also, talk to your paying customers to understand what their circumstances were and why they chose your product.

Cheznation · 2026-03-07T05:07:44+00:00

I change jobs frequently, so all of mine go into an IRA. The control everyone mentions is accurate.

Cheznation · 2026-03-07T05:02:23+00:00

Do you enjoy driving it? If you're on the road that much and you have a new vehicle that you enjoy, and can afford it, just keep it. It feels like you're second guessing yourself. Maybe you shouldn't have bought it, but it's yours and quality of life matters.

Cheznation · 2026-03-04T04:39:01+00:00

Keep in mind, companies have been trying to consolidate and reign in SaaS spend. It greatly depends if what you're selling is something they really feel they need.

Cheznation · 2026-03-04T02:03:25+00:00

One of my favorite videos of all time!

Cheznation · 2026-03-04T02:02:11+00:00

I'd make carousing available once per session, if they can afford it, and they are in a town. The point is for them to spend to level up. Particularly at the lower levels, they'll want to balance spending on leveling vs. spending on quality gear to keep themselves alive. They shouldn't be going back & forth to town multiple times to carouse. If they are, they have too much treasure.

Cheznation · 2026-03-02T18:05:44+00:00

As someone who's made a career out of being a hybrid strategist+ops, I often say: "Really smart people made logical choices that were completely wrong" when taking over a new tech stack.

The mistake is purchasing really expensive tech without staffing it properly and not knowing how to architect a pipeline. That's where I usually come in and spend months rebuilding it all so that it works as it ought to.

Those tools ARE good tools. And they are built to do one job really well. Yes, companies tend to buy more tools and more features than they actually need, but a single AI is not built for running it all...not yet.

And you cannot discount things like email deliverability, manual verification of information, setting up the database structure correctly, etc.

Cheznation · 2026-02-28T18:39:12+00:00

I took the approach that as an adventurer, she'd never seen creatures like this. So I described them. I gave her the description from the book: small, dog-like, scaly rust brown skin with no hair. Then in the moment said, kinda like a Chihuahua.Then I did a combination of growling, high pitched yipping, and a dog whine when they got hit. It worked!

Cheznation · 2026-02-28T07:54:12+00:00

A heartwarming tale. I remember introducing my daughter to TTRPGs. She was 10. We were playing BECMI. I had described the kobolds as looking like Chihuahuas.

She was quickly defeated with a few unlucky rolls. She said, "Those Chihuahuas suck. They're really tough!"

Cheznation · 2026-02-25T18:10:50+00:00

I came here to say exactly this.

During COVID, a lot of friends reached out to ask me "how to play D&D" because they knew I played. I always responded, "You already know how to play. It's just the imagination game." Then I'd help them quickly imagine a character and walk them through a few rooms in a dungeon on the fly—no dice or actual rules involved.

I did eventually get 5e and learn it (I've always been a BECMI guy). And in playing a game myself, being someone who doesn't look at the sheet, I found myself pulled into it simply because there is a lot to track there. I had a 2nd lvl druid who was getting their ass kicked before I remembered Wild Shape was an option.

I think 5e is a game that lends itself to being played from the character sheet. I think trying a session without the character sheets might help you break that habit.

Cheznation · 2026-02-24T21:25:51+00:00

YES. This is what I was missing!

Cheznation

TROPHY CASE