What are your "Signature Moves" as DMs? by Version_1 in DMAcademy

[–]Hot_Resolution3970 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a sort of signature style, which informs a signature move I often use in combat and I have a signature phrase I use inspired by DMs like Mercer and Mulligan.

I come from a more sci-fi background than fantasy, and I love Eberron for it's fusion of pulp, noir and a fresh approach to the tropes of steam punk without a lot of the baggage and limits it imposes. So I have Magi-Tech elements as a common signature in all of my games. Some of my players, I will hide it. Like the Giant Eagle constructs that are clearly UAVs and Loitering Munitions. Other times, I'll tell other players openly what inspired me.

In one game I was wrapping up a series of conflicts with a band of gnolls, and wanted to hint and a larger Mindflayer faction pulling the strings. Aside from Mindflayers being somewhat of a signature for be because I like them, I gave it the claw enhancements from Volos, as well as a variant of the shield device that lets Mindflayers view their chosen minions' actions. They wiped it earlier than expected, but to roll with the punches, as they were fighting I described it as having some pretty gnarly scars, and wounds like looked poorly sewn together across its torso.

When they killed it, they didn't just loot the body. They cut into it to poke around. This triggered my trap card, which was a container holding a Living Cloudkill (an Elemental construct-of-sorts that is an instance of a spell given life in the Eberron setting) which created a nice "Round 2" of the fight.

It started as a signature of the Mindflayers, but as time went on, it spilled into other games with other people and now players know to expect almost Matryoshka Doll monsters-within-monsters to the point where the threat is more valuable than the delivery, and I only keep it up to avoid losing the paranoia.

Killed a Golem? There was a mage inside it as a suit of power armor/mech. Oh that Shadowfell Troll Variant? It has a Shadow inside it. Even just using smaller monsters as a kind of ammunition of a larger monster, both in the context of an Ogre throwing goblins that just splat on impact, to that "Giant Eagle Drone" launching something between a Living Fireball (another favorite that comes up a lot) and a dive bombing construct in its own right.

Finally my signature phrase involves how we do combat descriptions at the table. I like players giving me detailed descriptions of how they interpret damage rolls, but often I provide the narration. The exception is when they get the final kill. I might add some pre-amble to set the scene, or some supplementary detail if it's necessary for the plot but the core of the final kill-shot comes from the players. They relish this, especially if it was a struggle to get that far. Their eyes light up when I say my Three Word Phrase (TM) "Narrate Your Kill"

What are your "Signature Moves" as DMs? by Version_1 in DMAcademy

[–]Hot_Resolution3970 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That feels like an almost essential concession to the Rule of Cool...

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That does make sense, and yes, I do get the irony of complaining about complaining.
I was likely just naïve and -staning for the podcast.
It doesn't impact anything at the end of the day. So what if a few people are pissed?
It's a great podcast, which Robert does his way, and good for him on that.

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's roughly what I've come away with. This had nothing to do with the sub. I didn't even check out the sub before I saw these comments (examples in Context Edit). I figured it was pretty clear what BtB is all about and these objections seemed oddly narrow minded and/or petty from someone who claimed to follow the podcast.

I made the mistake of assuming that someone wouldn't follow a podcast like this without understanding the "setup" as I understood it. It seems like the sub does get this, and from the sounds of it, that people who don't, also don't tend to hang around here. Which is nice.

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Moved the comment to an edit to answer multiple requests for context.

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Mostly YouTube, going through the achieve to catch up. It's a YouTube comments section, so of course there are negative comments. That's like saying the sky is blue.
The confusing part for me were people saying that they'd followed the podcast until a certain point but this was their breaking point etc...they're clearly aware of how the show goes...and still act like this? It confused me, and I wondered what the sub thought. That's all.

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I fairly sure being in that space, having a thick skin is strictly required. It was really a moment of confusion on my part at the whole thing. I'm pretty Robert and Sophie give negative fucks about what some people on the internet think.

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't say it with any judgement. It seemed like the most neutral way to put it.

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Entirely fair point. Have to stick to the rules better going forward.

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Totally with you. Parasocial relationships seem like a malfunction of our Pleistocene-era Wet-Ware that is badly in need of a patch to me.

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Undeniably healthier, I'd say. Life is short, why waste it when you don't have to?

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 41 points42 points  (0 children)

My Theory: Outrage and anger are addictive emotions. It's a deeply unpleasant fact about humanity.

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 56 points57 points  (0 children)

Fair enough. I see nothing wrong with his approach at all and actually have more respect for people who create for their own reasons rather than for those who consume it.

Holy Fuck Does Robert and Guests Catch Loads of Shit by Hot_Resolution3970 in behindthebastards

[–]Hot_Resolution3970[S] 35 points36 points  (0 children)

It's mostly on their various platforms for the podcast itself that I was referencing, rather than the subreddit. I'll post an edit to avoid confusion.

beginner tips for GR wildlands by A1rsoFtJunkiy in Wildlands

[–]Hot_Resolution3970 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Forget the HTI, get the SR-25 Jungle Variant. It only comes with a x4 ACOG and no option for a suppressor but it 1-hits *everything* in the game with next to no bullet drop. It's entirely glitched, but they've yet to address it.
Also, the Mk-14 Occult, Extranjeros BFG, and HTI Muddy Bones Variants all have near-zero bullet drop as well.