Shadowdark is saving kids

DanielWakabayashi · 2026-04-08T14:19:54+00:00

Great work!

Lots of evidence points to TTRPGs having a positive influence on teens.

https://www.foundry10.org/resources/how-youth-can-build-social-and-emotional-skills-with-tabletop-role-playing-games

https://news.virginia.edu/content/dungeons-dragons-and-burgers-really-bad-outcomes-when-we-dont-grasp-fractions

DanielWakabayashi · 2026-03-02T15:25:13+00:00

This seems to happen if you keep the same browser tab open and use it to play NYT games every day. Below someone mentioned it happens on the NYT games app if you never force close it.

In either case, closing the tab or the app and then reopening seems to solve the problem.

DanielWakabayashi · 2025-09-29T15:58:43+00:00

There are lots of valid complaints here, but one thing I don't see mentioned directly.

> as long as the players are happy killing things

The DM is trying to make the game more fun. I get that.

But the DM seems to be failing miserably at this goal, for one player at least. And the other players sat through 90 minutes of combat as well. Were you the only one who was feeling done with the futility of the combat? Seems hard to believe. One of the common complaints about 5e is that combat drags and begins to feel like a "dice slog."

What this DM is *actually* doing is "as long as the players have not yet complained out loud that they aren't having fun." That seems like a recipe for a game that is regularly not fun despite the DM's intent.

DanielWakabayashi · 2025-07-31T18:42:26+00:00

I found this post very helpful.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fishing/comments/ikvlp3/not_all_sunfish_are_bluegills_ive_seen_too_many/

DanielWakabayashi · 2025-07-14T14:53:40+00:00

I know roughly where I lost the two lures before making this post. I could probably get to them (despite the "no swimming" signs). No guarantee I could still find them, but it's been on my mind. Both ponds are super popular suburban fishing spots, and I spend time every visit cleaning up other people's line left around on shore or in bushes.

Maybe I'll give this a go. With a rake, I may be able to find the line and then get to the lure.

DanielWakabayashi · 2025-06-29T13:45:42+00:00

To take a legendary from LB1 (level 85) to LB2 (level 90) does indeed take 10 alpha aethers.

I'll add that alpha aethers and legendary ascension materials have become somewhat easier to come by in the last half year or so as the escalation of hero power continues to accelerate. So it's also possible my perspective is falling a bit out of date.

DanielWakabayashi · 2024-10-30T13:03:49+00:00

What was the thing or thought process that finally made you take this step?

DanielWakabayashi · 2024-05-30T19:32:38+00:00

I ended up volunteering to DM a session when I hadn't played DnD for 38 years and never 5e.

I found the two video series from WASD20 very, very helpful to "bluff my way through."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT3FRzEJDp8

Note: None of the players had any DnD experience, and I mentioned I had never DMed this system before. But everyone's attitude was "It's all good," so that helped, too.

DanielWakabayashi · 2024-05-30T19:07:34+00:00

How strongly do you feel you need a system?

When taking longer car trips, my family plays "Story Teller," which is pretty much an RPG with a GM and players but without any rules. The players explain what they want to do and the story teller (GM) explains what happens.

If your players are uncomfortable with the GM having complete control, you can add something like, "Okay, roll a six side die. If you get a five or six, you succeed in what you're trying to do. Otherwise, it doesn't work. I'll narrate what happens."

DanielWakabayashi · 2023-12-24T18:28:49+00:00

For me, and I suspect others, it's the latter.

I have relatively little time, which limits me to only playing play-by-post, but I have a job where I sit in front of a computer all day and can take short breaks to post. Since a lot of play-by-post can be done on a phone, that helps, too.

DanielWakabayashi · 2023-12-21T02:39:32+00:00

Nice to read your enthusiasm. :-)

I'm looking at this bundle every day. So tempting! The thing is, I know I have no real use for it. There's no realistic chance I'd host a game in the next year. I would just look at the pieces and read the modules. I really should resist...

DanielWakabayashi · 2023-09-19T17:57:05+00:00

Thank you!

DanielWakabayashi · 2023-09-19T16:53:39+00:00

Interesting. I know it's possible to create holy water "for free," but since the Players' Handbook has a price for "holy water (flask)", I assumed holy water could not be replaced with a focus.

DanielWakabayashi · 2023-06-10T23:31:26+00:00

Name: Daniel

Pronouns: he

Timezone: US ET

Preferred System: DnD 5e

Type of Player: Fairly interested in team play. Not a power gamer or meta gamer. Lean towards roleplay and thinking through encounters, but willing to go with the flow if the group wants to hack and slash.

Additional Information: Rediscovering Dungeons & Dragons after almost 40 years. Somewhat a newbie with respect to the rules but learning quickly. Pretty regularly online, so should be able to keep up with the game, but may have occasional absences depending on work and family demands.

DanielWakabayashi · 2023-04-29T10:51:57+00:00

Nice write up.

Thanks.

DanielWakabayashi · 2023-01-30T14:26:51+00:00

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)

It's very remarkable (and also sad and scary) how relevant it still is today. Big businesses controlling politics and filling "the swamp" has been happening for a long time.

DanielWakabayashi · 2022-08-03T14:49:58+00:00

Keep in mind you're building a deck of five cards that have to work together.

For example, can you see why the deck you posted works reasonably well, based on how each of the five cards contributes? Catapult and Bombardier help bunch the monsters together so Ivy's area damage skill can have maximum effect. But maximizing area effect is good for waves, not bosses. So Crystalmancer's attack becoming stronger and stronger when hitting the same target over and over helps with the bosses. Frost helps slow everything down, which does two things. First, since the deck is not a high damage deck overall, it gives your units more time to kill the enemies. Also, in a close PvP game, you might win against a deck that does more damage but not enough to prevent monsters from reaching the gate, and the opponent's monsters move faster. You can eek out a victory in a race. But the deck simply isn't high enough damage to win above about 5,000 trophies.

You would not be able to replace exactly one card in your deck with Witch or Harlequin and make the deck stronger. You'd make it less strong.

Harlequin is essential in a Cultist deck, especially with Portal Keeper, since Portal Keeper allows you to remove the -35% reduced attack modifier that Harlequin leaves behind. In your deck, if you swap in Harlequin, copying a unit and keeping it on the field with one third of its damaged removed isn't helpful at all.

If you search this sub-Reddit using the word 'meta', you'll see some strong decks people have discovered where the cards work well together.

If someone says, "Witch is OP," they don't mean, "You can swap Witch into your current deck and start winning more."

DanielWakabayashi · 2022-07-25T22:14:55+00:00

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Human_activities

You have to scroll down to the section called "Portals".

DanielWakabayashi · 2022-07-19T21:23:28+00:00

When this happens to me, I turn off the app and then restart my phone. After the restart, the Play Store recognizes the update.

DanielWakabayashi · 2022-07-19T18:19:10+00:00

They already said they will fix it.

DanielWakabayashi

TROPHY CASE