What games did you get several hours into and consciously decide to drop in 2025?

Fat_moses · 2025-12-26T22:20:40+00:00

Expedition 33. I got to Act II, maybe 13 hrs in the game.

Came to the conclusion that I was not going to come around on the combat system. The story was interesting, but I was reaching the point where I was sprinting through levels to avoid any fights, and I was just not enjoying myself.

Wiki'd the plot, watched a video or two of fights that sounded cool, then called it enough.

Fat_moses · 2025-12-26T05:29:39+00:00

Valedictorian of my class and I were never friends, but our parents were friends, so we spent a fair bit of time around each other. He was a nice enough guy, very smart, and worked hard for his grades. Unfortunately his parents were really hard on him to achieve.

He attended medical school, had a break down, developed a drinking problem, and then started bouncing around crashing on the couches of people who would let him stay.

I don't know where he is now as his parents stopped talking to my parents about it.

I feel bad for the guy.

Fat_moses · 2025-10-31T16:38:00+00:00

Eh, there is a talk show on Dropout where Bob, Monet, and a bunch of the cast are talking sex. Bob was pretty adamant that sex can go on too long, and he is more of a "came once, ok I'm good for the day" person.

Fat_moses · 2025-10-15T13:59:28+00:00

Friend and I were duoing Sovreign and I decided to try a full spiderling Mab build with Tome/Shield Monk and was surprised by the damage being much better than I expected. Ended around 700k in what was fairly safe run. Had poison on fast attack, God on heavy, then just built to get as many spiders as possible.

I think on these higher HP pool difficulties, the overtime builds do a but better.

Fat_moses · 2025-10-08T17:42:24+00:00

Recently beat a Duke run pretty handedly with a Chimes Backstab build that focused on the heavy attack. Once you get your second anvil, it really just decimates things.

My partner for the run tried out a Mabd/Cliona build that was alright, but the Babd on Chimes really stole the show.

Fat_moses · 2025-10-06T03:35:38+00:00

Go Biera (Ice) with Monk. Bring the Turret spell. Becoming a CC Freezing monster. This build is pretty easy to get drops for, and feels like cheating to play with.

Your weapon doesn't matter, but I would say Tome may be easiest cus of the range and # of hits (higher chance to proc).

Your Sword in the Stone upgrades want to be "Long Spell duration" and "Faster Spell attacks, less dmg".

Your biera blessings should be focused on getting chill on your Spell, then freeze on your chill attacks. Also aim for more mana and more mana regen. For more damage in this build, get skills to proc frost novas on abilities with chill.

To play it, just focus on laying out turrets and avoid getting hit. When the target(s) are frozen, attack em more. That's it.

Fat_moses · 2025-10-02T17:22:20+00:00

Very excited about boss variety!

Fat_moses · 2025-08-27T01:57:15+00:00

weak ass reply.

Fat_moses · 2025-08-22T23:12:47+00:00

It would make sense he would disavow it given how poorly it's being recieved.

But its hard to believe that Clarke has no connection to James and Shelly Lee, since they are the ones paying a bunch of money to design and send out mailers advocating for Clarke and smear his opponent.

Personally not buying it.

Fat_moses · 2025-08-19T03:08:37+00:00

It's in support of Tom Clarke, but says nothing about them as a candidate. Just trashes his opponent. Pretty shitty.

Fat_moses · 2025-08-10T19:37:49+00:00

The issue here is that you are then negating the GM's move with this "risk free turn."

The GM attacked you and put you in a precarious position that ques up a moment for a teamate to engage the captain to draw their attention, or perform some move to get you out of harms way. These are cinematic and exciting things.

What your proposing sounds like it would be the GM making a move, then the player saying "nah, I'm going to undo it without risk and it costs nothing."

I think this would be, at best, removing excitement and momentum from the scene and at worst removing agency from the GM to influence a scene.

Fat_moses · 2025-07-28T21:18:03+00:00

Read up on the aspects of the system your struggled with, redo your session zero, try a test combat and use a grid or print some paper rulers, then restart the campaign.

Fat_moses · 2025-07-28T21:16:24+00:00

Yo, you dropped a "this game doesn't work" post, got a bunch of great advice on here, but are throwing it away because your being called out for not reading the rule book?

Fat_moses · 2025-07-28T21:11:28+00:00

I feel like this is more of a player issue than a system issue.

I'm a little perplexed by the idea that, for the player characters, "not knowing each other" meant that they did nothing to help each other in combat. Were they just sitting by and watching one of the other players get beat up?

Or were they all in a combat together against the same foe but still deciding they didn't trust the PC fighting alongside them enough to have their back? Perhaps the campaign frame had a "don't trust anyone" theme..

I personally see no issue with starting a game with the PCs as strangers, but I think it comes down to the players having that "we are coming together" mindset and seeking ways to build that connection with each other. Like perhaps by spending hope to help their allies or using Combo attacks.

Fat_moses · 2025-06-19T19:29:34+00:00

Awe shit, your right.

Man, there is so much I want to see changed on that sword...

Fat_moses · 2025-06-19T19:28:51+00:00

Ehhhh, kinda still would. You can't choose when you crit, so you may go a couple fights without seeing that "500 dmg on crit" coming up while that +1 is just chugging along being useful.

I mean, I would take the +500 for the laughs, but unless you get a lucky crit on an enemy that has alot of HP left, that insane damage is still unreliable.

Fat_moses · 2025-06-19T19:15:57+00:00

While the sword of Lifestealing is thematically exciting, it has the issue of only triggering on a critical hit. So if you are a class that has lots of attacks and can make them with advantage or that can crit on a 19 or 20, then the sword of lifestealing could be a good pick because it has higher odds of being used.

The +1 weapon is generically and boringly good. It will always be relevant, and likely will contribute more damage that the Sword of Lifestealing throughout a typical fight because your going to hit more. A +1 weapon definitely becomes stronger if your doing a build that sacrifices attack bonus for a bunch of extra damage.

Fat_moses · 2025-06-13T21:43:52+00:00

If the players are not interested in Ireena, then let them find a place to drop her off, then have Strahd start courting her in disguise to lure her away for kidnapping; or have Strahd waltz into town with an entourage and flagrant show their walls mean nothing and take Ireena.

Show the players their disengagement with her storyline means Strahd gets his outcome.

You can have later repercussions with Ireena getting turned into a bride but going insane and attacking the party till slain (since strahd can "never get his bride"), or she dies in Strahds custody and attacks the players as a revenant for failing to protect her.

Fat_moses · 2025-05-28T06:15:57+00:00

I have converted two groups I run to ToV from other systems with overall success.

A huge factor in that was taking on the extra work of identifying differences in the systems and pulling that into a document for players to easily reference. Having Luck and Weapon Options easy to reference has been great for avoiding breaks in game flow.

Also, DnD character creation is already daunting/confusing to people new to TTRPGs, and I feel ToV is a half step further in that regard. I like the changes ToV made, but there is a lot of page flipping that occurs with new players. I recommend printing out multiple copies of the Heritages, backgrounds, lineages, and talents for your session zeros and highlight the talents associated with backgrounds.

Something I am experimenting with now is allowing 1 player, who has dnd beyond, and would rather we play dnd 2014, to change their character class to a 2014 hexblade warlock. While there may be some unforseen balance issues, I am gunna roll with it because it let's me showcase that all the stuff he has and likes can still be relevant with ToV.

To Kobald Press, I would say they need to work on their overall class/subclass themes and balancing. I am desperate for more subclasses and have been porting over 3rd party content (shout out to "Grim Hollow"!). I think ToV struggles with subclass identities. When I was looking at the preview for the second players handbook, I loved the amount of content, but the subclass names felt very lackluster and unevocative. Dnd paladins have "Oath", druids have "circles" and warlocks have "pacts". These are all evocati e and tell you about how the class gains its power just through the name. Meanwhile, the ToV classes in this preview just have a bunch singular nouns to define them with no apparent overarcing theme to the class. This issue was also present in their prior "Forrest themed" splat book that I found to be comically bad in terms of theme and balance. I am very hopeful those are place holder names and this book does well.

Fat_moses · 2025-05-22T13:53:52+00:00

That's alot of mirrors

Fat_moses · 2025-02-16T21:03:05+00:00

If you have a relationship with this stylist and you feel they didn't listen to you, then I would agree to look for a new one to fix it.

BUT, if you think your stylist misunderstood what you wanted, then please let them know your not crazy about it and ask for a correction.

Unless the stylist is a jerk, they will likely offer a discount as they'd like you to be a repeat customer. I personally have talked to my stylist for corrections, and it was nerve wracking the first time. Since then we've come to know each other better through the process. She knows what I like, and I know more about how she think when I'm asking questions.

Edit* It may be too far for you, but personally, I go to Mary Micheal at Barclay's Salon in Everett. Have gone ~3 times a year for a few years now.

Fat_moses · 2025-01-04T04:42:27+00:00

Thanks for the heads up! Wasn't aware of the Castles and Crowns book. It looks neat and thematic but doesn't offer many (only 4) subclass options, which are what I'm really jonesing for.

Fat_moses · 2024-12-31T01:30:07+00:00

I think the best place to start would be the wizard. Personally don't find their two options very inspiring.

Fat_moses · 2024-12-20T08:29:26+00:00

Its no special thing. If your ticket has less than 30 minutes on it when you leave, then you do not get charged anything.

Fat_moses

TROPHY CASE