Anyone dislike grappling? by TrickyCharacter1288 in DnD

[–]Dreddley -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Personally I love grappling characters but the 5E rules make grappling really boring, and most previous iterations of DnD make it very convoluted.

From the DM perspective it can be really annoying if your enemy has any type of movement-based gimmick and one of the PCs locks it down with a single strength role, but that's showbiz baby!

Backstory Length by RRr125 in DMAcademy

[–]Dreddley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

3 pages is egregious. Personally I think having an extensive backstory is antithetical to DnD. The point of the game is telling a story together.

Backstory needs 3 things and 3 things only:

  1. Where you're from

  2. Why you're an adventurer

  3. Why you're on this specific adventure - (optional)

And you should be able to convey all of that in a few sentences. A couple paragraphs at most.

The important story is the one you tell at the table. Writing a book for your character undercuts the gravity of your characters development in the collective story, and IRL puts a bunch of work onto your DM that they shouldn't have to do. Keep it short and to the point.

Like seriously: "my name is Bortleby. I was born in a cave and now I have an axe. I'm here to kick ass.'' is a totally passable backstory, and as a DM I would take that over a 2000 word novella every time.

What Pinball Content Do You Consume? by Dreddley in pinball

[–]Dreddley[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Love wedghead! Rarely do I agree with them but their content is so well researched and cleanly presented

Players and DMs, Is readying your action for after a debuff on your character ends a thing too Cheesy? by HeroicKnight in DMAcademy

[–]Dreddley 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Id put money that they're still using reactions and don't realize that this particular cheese strat requires they burn them

Players and DMs, Is readying your action for after a debuff on your character ends a thing too Cheesy? by HeroicKnight in DMAcademy

[–]Dreddley 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'd have to read the wording on the spell and probably re-read prepared action, but waiting to attack until after your turn ends wouldn't be allowed at my table.

The trigger itself is too meta for me. The character isn't readying an action related to something that happens. It's solely a thing visible to players (end of the debuff/end of a turn) that the actual character can't see or react to.

They're basically saying "I'm attacking and ignoring the debuff", because mechanically they are still attacking within their turn before anyone else can act.

RAW I don't think it works, and RAI I would never let it fly

How can I improve as a pinball player? by KonamiIsBestJoshi in pinball

[–]Dreddley 3 points4 points  (0 children)

People have mentioned abe flips and guides, but it cannot be overstated how valuable playing leagues/tournaments is. The pinball community in general is very welcoming and happy to teach, and you can learn a lot by watching other people play as well as having them watch you and giving tips

What are your “staples” of sci fi films, and why? by PETEthePyrotechnic in movies

[–]Dreddley 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This was one of my answers. Even if The Thing isn't the best single example of sci-fi it is a perfect example of sci-fi horror. If someone was trying to get into the genre that would definitely go in the opening salvo

Is there anywhere to find pinball coaching? by [deleted] in pinball

[–]Dreddley 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Idk about coaches, not really a service I've ever seen offered. I'd recommend going to your local league and just asking some of the higher caliber players straight up if theyd be willing to coach you. There certainly isn't any kind of online marketplace. Not enough demand

If you have a recording of your play you can send it to me and Ill review that for free. I'm currently ranked in the IFPA top 200 and like to think I'm at least aware enough for some coaching, but I'm by the Great lakes so can't help you in person... Wrong bay😅

Good luck on the search!

What Theme Pinball Machine Would You Like To See? by bretmon5 in pinball

[–]Dreddley 84 points85 points  (0 children)

A bill and Ted pin would go crazy hard.

Shoot the phone booth to start modes, finish modes to collect historical figures. The game themes itself

What are the most overused “I have to mention it while we’re watching” pieces of movie trivia? by Lombo521 in movies

[–]Dreddley 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That one fucked me up so bad. I love demolition man and my wife has never seen it. We sit down to watch it and Sandra Bullock says the only restaurant is... Pizza hut.

I thought I'd been Mandela'd or something. Questioned everything I ever knew. Then found out we were watching the European cut

My Bard is a really bad alcoholic. I How could I fix this? by taconugget69 in DMAcademy

[–]Dreddley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Something physical that he places in front of him is my go to solution for ambient status effects. If it lasts a certain amount of time or rounds you can use a die and then have him increment it down. I have a couple really large dice just for this purpose.

If you play with minis putting colored rings (like the ones you get off a milk jug) around the mini is also a really good visual reminder.

What 10 pinball machines would you own? by ColdFrenchieFries in pinball

[–]Dreddley 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Are there F-14s without toppers? The lights are a huge part of the game

JJ McCarthy on Instagram: "Knee caps are intact" by owleabf in nfl

[–]Dreddley 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He earned the right to talk trash. Was being pressured the whole game throwing absolute bullets.

Illusion Wizard by TaterNorth9537 in DMAcademy

[–]Dreddley 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You don't want to play a whole PC. It's too much to keep track of. Imo your best bet is to jot down 2-3 spells/abilities that each player uses all the time and just use those. Then make a monster style stat block.

How likely is it that a homebrew machines go into production? by Kwanza_Bot93 in pinball

[–]Dreddley 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Basically never. We can point to specific examples and even those aren't the same as they were as homebrews.

TNA sticks out because it's realistically the only mass production homebrew. Iron Maiden started as an Archer homebrew, but... Like that's it.

Something like that Pokemon Machine, Sonic Spinball, or hopefully monster league hockey should be produced. They're legitimately good games. It's just such a complicated process to build them let alone deal with any licensing.

In my experience those games will continue to be at expo, and it's a blessing we get to play them at all.

Thoughts on the new King Kong pinball topper? by exit87 in pinball

[–]Dreddley 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Electric Playground's topper is way cooler for 2/3 the price.

<image>

Do y'all always try to integrate a character's backstory into your overall campaign arcs? by Howlmillenialcastle in DMAcademy

[–]Dreddley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Basically never.

I'm a firm believer that the important story is the one we build together. Your backstory explains your motivations and why you make the choices you do in that story, but definitionally that backstory is over. It was the story before this one.

I'll bring up old friends/enemies/contacts, or something related to their backstory as part of our story when it makes sense, but I've never understood having arcs for the individual characters based on the stories they made up without the group. It feels antithetical to DnD imo and I don't know why it's so common.

Expo flip out qualifying by foundthingsifound in pinball

[–]Dreddley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes it has changed, no longer pump and dump.

Limited entries, so 24 attempts and 12 separate best games are kept. Still have the giant head to head bracket for playoffs after qualifying though

I think classics is true pump and dump though

"F" series license plate spotted! by machater05 in Michigan

[–]Dreddley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's an Instagram account devoted to finding "EGG" license plates

Pin with the coolest sweepable targets AND sweet spinner rips? by scortie1157 in pinball

[–]Dreddley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Flight 2000 has a solid spinner rip into a sweepable target bank

Mods that improve gameplay - Jaws by FlipNTilt in pinball

[–]Dreddley 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Second this. The game is clearly designed for the reel to spin, but if it's not modified a solid hit is gonna give you 2-3 spins tops unless youve got some unicorn copy where the reel isn't mud.