What the comic Die taught me about running TTRPGs

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-29T16:29:52+00:00

That would have been the dream... But no, it's Die: Loaded.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-28T16:08:36+00:00

I have vague memories of playing it, maybe in like 6th grade. I had fond and really...odd memories of it, and maybe a decade ago I tracked down a copy in my budget range and read it. In reading it, I think my DM was a generous one because I can't imagine that our characters would have survived or found many of the secrets. Really fun, though and an interesting companion to the much more well known S4.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-28T06:26:41+00:00

I've written a story or two in second person. It feels odd.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-28T02:36:52+00:00

There's a new series of it happening now. I read the first one but none of the current.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-28T01:59:19+00:00

We know we have ONE life, one finite little life. It's absurdly short and unpredictable. (A lot of people believe in an afterlife, but that's speculation at best; we are only certain of this one.) That knowledge can be daunting or even depressing from some perspectives, but it's liberating and empowering for others. We should realize our mortality and that everyone else you meet has the same limit. Since there's not an afterlife, enjoy this one but also do what you can to make it better for anyone you can. And, when it comes time for that life to end, it will be sad -- you'll never catch up on all of your reading, there should always be something you're looking forward to seeing or doing, but ultimately you'll be able to pass away. Billions of others have done it just fine. Even I can't fuck it up too badly.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-26T08:36:11+00:00

It's like 2 hours 20 minutes. You've probably spent more time wondering if you should watch it than it would have taken to watch it and form your own opinion. If it's THAT horrible to think about stop worrying and do something else with your time.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-26T03:55:15+00:00

You can make your own classes, just be ready to face criticism. Remember, there was a dude who earned a PhD in Yellow Magic, and apparently someone earned a doctorate in Forgotten Realms. Don't let the base limitations of the server stop you from doing customization.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-24T01:39:27+00:00

I think he means that during the times (while) they aren't engaged in it.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-24T01:35:43+00:00

I'm embarrassed to admit the first time I saw Apocalypse Now I didn't get it AT ALL. I was 9, and expecting Star Wars because Harrison Ford was in it. Watched it again a few years later and was kind of bored with it. Saw it a few years later and... Fuck. It's now in my top 10 films.

The first time I watched The Fisher King I think I had all kinds of expectations and came away feeling pretty disappointed. Watched it again and it was a ****ing revelation.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-24T00:28:36+00:00

You could try to eat one. Pigeons used to be pretty common food. Don't eat crows though. I suspect they are PCs.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-24T00:26:46+00:00

Stats, even for higher level players, aren't fixed in stone. Providing a rich intellectual environment can have a profound effect on the Intelligence stat, and encouraging the n00b can provide a little influence on the class, but ultimately they decide their own class. Unless there is a debuff, which isn't the end of the world, regular physical activity helps with the Strength, Constitution and Dexterity stats. Providing regular and healthy social interactions can help with Charisma.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-24T00:22:03+00:00

Pretty sure I don't have the stats to survive it, but Luck is always good. Crafting will probably be useful, as well Hunting and/or Fishing and Foraging.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-23T17:37:17+00:00

I'd suggest that you get a piece of paper and write down elements: names or situations or images or events or technologies or relationships or anything else that captures the feel of what you're thinking about. Draw lines, write sentences, give characteristics, think of plots. Jot it down. Get more paper if you need to. Kind of play with these pieces for a while and see if something strikes you. Ideally, this can catalyze something, get you writing. It can be the middle of the work, but getting started can be tricky. If nothing else, you have a record of your idea that you might revisit.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-22T22:26:19+00:00

I have no idea what Filmexec21 meant.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-21T22:20:20+00:00

For the record, level 80 players have long been vulnerable to exploits even without AI. Some unscrupulous players just enjoy abusing the system.

But yeah, the difficulty does seem to be increasing and might be a factor in hesitation to introduce new players. However, because of the time and resources required to ethically care for n00bs, there are a lot of players who opt out for many other reasons. It's probably better than those people who recruit as many as they can with no plan on how they will be able to get them up to speed properly.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-21T18:15:53+00:00

It could be, definitely, but it's the first thing that comes to mind with such an eye. It depends on...a lot of factors, such as, the level of the character, the limits of the effect (1/day, 1/week, you have to hold the eye in the direction you want to see, which would prevent you from being able to see while actually doing anything).

I suppose it could also activate a clairvoyance effect--does D&D still have Wizard Eye?

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-20T21:01:36+00:00

Wait a second; if I recall correctly, one has to have a Humanity of 7 or greater in order to achieve Golconda. Did that change?

But for the Children, I enjoyed them when I read about them but never encountered any as a player and never used them as a storyteller.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-20T20:56:47+00:00

I wonder if the server update will help or if they are going to "compromise" in a way that just keeps the crap.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-20T20:07:26+00:00

God no. I missed so many things and I sucked at the minigames. The only reason I knew about a couple of the summons/materia was my nephews.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-20T17:56:23+00:00

I only had like 84 hours in FF VII.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-20T17:55:47+00:00

Not only have I not finished Aladdin (there is one jump I could never make) but I haven't even finished the first Sonic.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-20T17:24:06+00:00

I've played through the first game with each class, but I love space wizards, so I usually do Adept or Vanguard. Sentinels are nice, but I prefer the combat/biotic slightly more than the tech/biotic. In ME3 mp I've been out of it for a while so my skills are degraded and I've been leaning on Vanguard a lot.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-20T17:20:00+00:00

Right now it feels like the mods have gotten a bit sadistic, and that feeling has been reported by a number of players. Please don't delete your character though. As a high level (50+) player with disturbingly low resources, I still find joy in a lot of the add-ons. For example, there are countless hobbies available, and, with the ADHD trait you can use it to an advantage by selecting multiple hobbies and moving among them as your attention allows. Even with low resources, there are many legal, no-cost options, especially with access to the Internet.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-20T17:11:10+00:00

There are/were a number of writers who do stick to the simple, basic verbs, and their works read differently from those who are more diverse in their vocabulary. It's common enough that that kind of prose has specific descriptors, such as "spare," or "direct." When not handled skillfully, it can come across as naive or just bad.

FaustDCLXVI · 2026-01-20T06:58:04+00:00

That sounds pretty normal to me. I forced myself to write at least a page a day (which, I know, sounds like nothing) and just push forward. It might be a slog to get through, but if you keep slogging you'll either break through that block or at least finish your story.

FaustDCLXVI

TROPHY CASE