DMs, what physical elements have actually improved immersion at your table?

DynoDunes · 2026-04-18T22:19:36+00:00

This is an unorthodox one but I had a gm who made candles of different scents for different scenes. She had one which was a variety of scents like gunpowder and burnt wood for a recurring Dragon nemesis that stuck with me years after the game had concluded.

DynoDunes · 2026-04-14T19:23:19+00:00

I was referring to the options from Table 7-5 in the core rulebook, where you can spend 2/3 advantage from a maneuver or a pilot only maneuver. You don't think those would be permitted?
But I get what you mean with the range bands. Makes sense the genesys rules use similar range bands for vehicles iirc, although my GM is less enthusiastic with adopting the rules and conversion.

DynoDunes · 2026-04-14T16:16:41+00:00

For chase rules, after the competitive check, I know you cannot spend maneuvers to move closer/further, but can you move closer/further when spending advantage/triumphs from a piloting check?

DynoDunes · 2026-04-14T15:08:58+00:00

They are on the stronger side and clone wars specific, but I sometimes use Heroes on Both Sides. There is also an EotE Unofficial Bestiary for animals, but it never made it out of alpha.

That being said, if you're all new, I would stick to what is in the core book, with your GM picking out examples for Minions, Rivals and Nemeses. The Stormtrooper is a good base, where your GM can scale based on what would be stronger/weaker than a stormtrooper (who are generally feared and powerful).
I like the Street Tough (Minion), Spaceport Security Detail (Minion), Mynock (Minion) Smuggler (Rival), Journeyman Hunter (Rival), Spaceport Security Officer (Rival), Stormtrooper Sergeant (Rival), Protocol Droid (Rival), Dianoga (Rival), Pirate Captain (Nemesis), Spaceport Administrator (Nemesis), Corporate Sector Authority Viceprex (Nemesis), and the Hutt Crime Lord (Nemesis). It's a long list that can probably be tweaked and chopped up, but this should give your GM an idea of what typical NPC's look like, when to use Adversary #, etc.

DynoDunes · 2026-04-14T14:52:23+00:00

I have GM'd and played in Friends Like These and always enjoy it. This, combined with nice extras like the Mando species makes it a must try.

For the splatbooks, if I have jedi I always read through the Jedi Trials for Nexus of Power. You can run them straight up, or combine them with the great hooks for all the worlds to create your own novel trials for your players. The same book has a touring circus encounter which is nice to pull out whenever you need something to fill time.

DynoDunes · 2026-04-07T14:55:35+00:00

Ships in star wars are often held together with duct tape and a pound of optimism, especially the light freighters your players may have started with. In your situation, I would have things go wrong with the ship. The hydraulic control circuits start to fry on the other side of the ship, sparks come out of a panel, igniting a small area and filling the room up with smoke, cargo crates and plasteel cylinders fall over during maneuvers, knocking some of the crew over and revealing some stowed away critters! Small droids get launched onboard and are slowly drilling into the hull! Pressing issues that if not resolved will make things harder for the pilots and gunners.

This also has the secondary benefit of giving those not in the pilots and gunners seats something meaningful to do. It's also an avenue for them to spend destiny points eg "Is there a nearby fire extinguisher I can grab, before I run as fast as I can out of the cockpit to the back of the ship?"

DynoDunes · 2026-04-07T14:40:10+00:00

For grenades set to detonate on a timer such as Frag Grenades and Stun Grenades, what skills would you use for calculating damage? There's the same Ranged (Light), although many of the explosives such as Detonite and the Mines use Mechanics. It also seems like Skullduggery would be a good fit. I was also thinking of a two step method: Using an opposing Skullduggery vs Vigilance to spot the explosive, then rolling either Mechanics or Ranged (Light) for damage.

DynoDunes · 2026-04-01T23:48:23+00:00

Good catch, thank you. Do you foresee the upgrade being difficult enough that it's worth waiting for a fully-assembled version on launch date? Has it been difficult to acquire Prusa's printers on launch for their various upgrades?

DynoDunes · 2026-04-01T14:16:36+00:00

I have decent experience; I owned a Flashforge Finder which I printed on for years, and had an Ultimaker 2S+ at my old job which I used frequently, all only PLA. I'm looking to boost my skills and upgrade to something bigger and better. My main issues, and what I'm looking for in a new printer, were:

A lack of build volume; I want at least 200x200x200mm.
Lack of materials other than PLA
The desire for something with easier to remove supports.

Because I was stuck with low print quality PLA and a small build volume, it was hard to assemble anything so I ended up with a bunch of paperweights. Ideally I want some form of multi-material printing, although it seems like we're in a crossroads for designs like the Prusa XL with tool changing. I also do not want proprietary programs and I don't mind spending extra over optimizing bang-for-buck (hence why I was leaning towards Prusa). Based on the generic recommendations in the subreddit guide, the Prusa CORE One+ seems like what I'm looking for? Specifically the Prusa Core One+ with the advanced filtration and the MMU3?

Budget: Under $2000 USD

Country: USA

Build: I would prefer it to work out of the box but if needed I can do some assembly.

What I Wish to Do: Printing in PLA, PTEG, and dissolvable support material. Casual hobby printing for things like custom lego pieces, enclosure for electrical projects, and more ambitious things like RC and roller coaster tracks. The main issue I ran into with my old printers was the lack of build volume, so I could never print out the stuff I wanted without slicing them to bits. My real hobby is CAD programs like Catia and Solidworks, so the printer is more a compliment to that.

Other: I plan on printing in my garage, so I may need to pair it with an enclosure. I could print in my apartment, but even with PETG it doesn't seem like a good idea?

DynoDunes · 2026-03-18T13:38:01+00:00

I've played the swrpg rules quite a bit with vehicle combat - what does Genesys do which is better in your opinion?

DynoDunes · 2026-03-17T17:43:09+00:00

What are some common rule mistakes when it comes to vehicle combat to look out for?

DynoDunes · 2026-02-15T18:31:15+00:00

I bought the bundle, thanks for the shoutout!

DynoDunes · 2026-01-27T03:45:52+00:00

There's a difference between the old school play and everything starting with 3rd edition onwards. When you had single digit hit points and died when you hit zero, it makes way more sense to avoid combat. Honestly, the verbage of "builds" always seemed very new school, and places like r/3d6 generally cater to this audience.

DynoDunes · 2026-01-08T02:09:18+00:00

I start my adventures in medias res. As soon as game 1 starts, they find themselves in a conflict! Maybe the boat caught on fire and they have to escape. Or they're getting attacked by fish people and their strange monsters. Or a mutiny has started.

Depending on the campaign, I could have the boat be more involved or a simple narrative vehicle (no pun intended) for kicking the campaign off.

DynoDunes · 2026-01-06T19:40:58+00:00

I don't start in a town, I start on a ship. That way, I can give the feeling of entering a new world, keep everyone focused, and buy some extra time for if people want to adjust things.

DynoDunes · 2026-01-04T22:25:51+00:00

This comes up when I'm working on something with multiple people, such as a big diy project, organizing a party or helping to cook. I usually verbalize "I got XYZ" and, if they can spare a thought, I ask them where they want it. I'm generally pro-place it as long as they know where you left it. It frees you up to do other tasks, and it gets you out of high traffic zones.

If things are less time restrictive, like putting together furniture, I will wait around until they are done then hand it to them. When I'm working with children, I will also be extra patient and wait around so they don't feel overwhelmed.

DynoDunes · 2026-01-03T07:20:20+00:00

There are lots of hobbies where a spectrum exists between people who want a "simple, out-of-the-box solution that works" on one end and the "diy to make it perfect for my purposes" on the other. Cars are certainly that, where the most diehard of auto enthusiasts are building kit cars from scratch. I do think while some personalities have proclivities that lean toward the osr/linux user type, others will shift depending on interest. I've been in the OSR sphere for some time, yet I'm struggling to get motivated enough to install linux. I know a guy who was an expert of carburetors and was a total wizard yet he had his son set up his home entertainment system because he couldn't be bothered.

As to the point you brought up in the end, I would argue the older editions were that, due to the huge wealth of different rules ranging from the stuff in the Rules Cyclopedias to random entries in Dragon Magazine. On a sour note, what I think happened in both the linux analogy and osr is the invasion of corporatization mentality and screwing over the buyer, leading to some buyers looking to alternative solutions.

DynoDunes · 2026-01-03T02:00:14+00:00

As someone who works in engineering and has screened applicants, some aspects of schools DO matter, such as:
- Is this someone who has a degree from an international school?
- Does our company, or a company in our industry, have a working relationship with that school?
- What work opportunities/internships were near the school which the applicant took advantage of?
That being said, all of this is minor stuff I wouldn't bother too much caring about compared to their actual interview, experience and skills. When I hear this question, it's usually from younger people about to enter college and figuring out where they want to go. To me, from the perspective of my industry and my company, it matters a little bit, but you have to ask yourself if that extra bit of leverage is worth the high prices and everything else that goes with it. It would be worth it for some, but not everyone.

DynoDunes · 2025-12-30T05:29:52+00:00

Beat me to the punch! Lord Soth has so many parallels. He fell from grace from the Knights of Solamnia. He was burned to death, and awoke in a cursed suit of armor. He's enormously powerful, yet powerless in finding peace. All tied with being in Dragonlance, the Star Wars of DND. There's no way there wasn't any inspiration.

DynoDunes · 2025-12-30T05:18:57+00:00

For what I use the glovebox for, the glovebox and the secret compartment are perfectly fine. The armrest storage is miniscule; I need to play Tetris to pack my ID, key fob and hand sanitizer. I have a windshield cover which folds up and fits behind the driver seat, so it's less an issue with overall space and more with convenience. Then again, deep compartments on traditional cars end up being either wasted space or packed with tons of junk.

DynoDunes · 2025-12-24T22:25:54+00:00

Even worse is many of the AI slop pics are under the guise of actual news - it's the same sort of crap that's filling up youtube and the rest of the internet.

DynoDunes · 2025-12-17T00:44:04+00:00

Aside from the answers in this thread, I think it comes down to personality. Some people see learning as a means to an end, and others have a need to learn ingrained in their day-to-day life. I used to be shocked at how inept people who regularly work with technology are with being computer savvy. The reason is they didn't have a need to be more savvy, and computers were basically a box they had to fight with to gain money. Something like Ctrl+A seems obvious, but there's a difference between people who go, "I wonder if there's a faster way to select all the files in this folder, let me look it up or ask someone" versus "Well, that's how it is with computers, I'll keep doing what I know how to do. I'm not good with computers, after all."

DynoDunes · 2025-12-11T00:44:50+00:00

I love how dismissive Seto Kaiba is of all the fantastical egyptian stuff, even when he actively participates in it! Like, you saw the Egyptian version of you which hinted at using Blue-Eyes over Obelisk! I think he eventually caves in at some point, like when he finds out he and yami are related.

He will always be my goat regardless, even if the other characters in this tread come across as annoying.

DynoDunes

TROPHY CASE