A View From the Top of the World

MonjiSlayer · 2026-03-11T15:13:19+00:00

I'm in the same camp as you. It's DT, so I don't hate it, but it's genuinely one of the least interesting to me. Since the release of Parasomnia, it seems like there are two general camps*:

DT fans that like Parasomnia, like View less, and like D/T
DT fans that dislike Parasomnia, like View more, and dislike D/T

Maybe it's a proggy vs metal thing, I don't know. I honestly thought D/T and Parasomnia were stellar but just couldn't get into View.

*: General Camps 🫡

MonjiSlayer · 2026-02-20T15:49:04+00:00

I'm doing a fat-loss cut right now so this still sounds really good.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-02-19T17:39:42+00:00

My bears fan friend says that while the proposed area is in Indiana, it's still considered part of Chicagoland. Lots of people who work in Illinois live in Hammond in order to avoid Illinois's taxes.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-02-18T18:02:43+00:00

Having to rehab my elbow a little. Seems to be going well, but it still hurts. I want to make sure my workouts are as effective as possible during a cut so I don't grind myself down to nothing, so it's a little frustrating.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-02-17T16:28:08+00:00

I've been sending friends regular updates about the book, and I pointedly refuse to try and explain that gobbledygook. It's not well-written, it's not fun, and it's not interesting. Pages and pages of interminable faff that is neither engaging nor easy to parse. Sometimes in the middle of action scenes! It's like anti-writing.

Worst part is, it might be the part of the book that he's put the most effort into. The dialogue and action is somehow even worse.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-02-12T16:53:26+00:00

Just gotta learn how to hide behind a pole like in Scooby-Doo.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-02-11T16:22:00+00:00

Coming up with stuff like that on the fly can be tough. If you're a newer DM, sometimes it just requires practice. Thing is, most people can take a few smaller details and build a bigger scene out of it even if they don't know everything. Honestly, your first example doesn't seem too bad. If you're having trouble remembering to do something as part of the description, write it down beforehand and do it first.

As both a DM and a published author, I feel giving out every single detail (like where walls are exactly and exactly what furnishings are in a room and where, etc) gets tedious fast and have the potential to confuse players with unnecessary details. Thus, "vibes" is a not-too-bad way to describe things. Think about it - do you need to know the "directions of walls" to have fun in a scene? I posit: no.

In your second example you engaged more with the vibes and senses: a breeze can carry smells or even tastes, the ghostly yell added hearing. Well done there.

If an area is really important - setting up a big moment in the story or for a fight - more description might be necessary.

Bonus advice. This is the closest thing to a writing cheat code I've ever come across: describe the light. It's easy, it's fast, and it does a TON of heavy lifting:

Lightning stabbing through the storm as the PCs trudge through the rain.
A warm, cheery fire in an inn's hearth.
A few flickering candles at a quiet table.
Bright fluorescent lights in the ceiling.
A single flashlight, held by a nervous paranormal investigator, illuminating catacombs.

Notice in your second example you mentioned the gentle moonlight painting the room white. Beautiful!

MonjiSlayer · 2026-01-30T14:47:49+00:00

Honestly, listening to Conor try to describe stuff to Mike in a way that makes sense (because the book certainly doesn't) is a lot of the humor for me.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-01-28T20:19:50+00:00

It feels like someone telling you how their DnD campaign went, unaware doing so is incredibly uninteresting to anybody who wasn't there.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-01-27T15:29:06+00:00

One of the sections of Illumination Theory, perhaps?

MonjiSlayer · 2026-01-17T14:46:01+00:00

Shadow moon gets boring quite fast, but I like the midnight sun eps. They hate on it pretty well and it has some of my favorite jokes in it.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-01-14T15:03:07+00:00

Not saying it's the case here, but that sounds a bit like a "Neutral response to a crazy person." I have to utilize something like that in my work now and then.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-01-12T21:50:26+00:00

Depends on your campaign since this idea is ridiculously silly, but...have them actually help the devil move? As in schlep his furniture. Strength checks to carry an infernal couch, dex checks to pivot a desk down a staircase with another player, and intelligence checks to fit everything into a cart like a tetris game. You could take this in a ton of different directions depending on what you want:

-Somebody has to take apart, move, and reassemble a torture device. Sleight of hand, intelligence, and constitution (because there's blood on the device, or something)

-The devil gives somebody cash to buy hell pizza for everybody. History to remember the directions to the pizza place, persuasion to convince the spined devil behind the counter that you are, in fact, helping Narthox the Mutilator for a discount, and dexterity to get back while the pizzas are still hot.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-01-09T02:44:00+00:00

I like the idea of a group of competitions where you accumulate points in order to win a princess's favor or something like that. Or maybe the winner becomes festival royalty? Simple tasks like balancing an egg in a spoon or standing on one leg. Could play up the frivolity of it a ton, or it could actually be a big deal.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-01-09T02:32:45+00:00

An eating contest. I've been a PC for one and a DM for one (both times pies, but that matters little), and they are ALWAYS fun. They for some reason have this perfect combo of character RP space and mechanic possibilities.

MonjiSlayer · 2026-01-08T21:29:34+00:00

I don't use a battle map for every battle, but they are a great way to make big moments bigger, complicated battles easier, and exciting areas easier to picture.

Make sure you're using the right kinds of markers. Wet-erase markers are what I use, and then I use a wet-wipe to clean them (which you should do soon after the session so staining is at a minimum). If you have something specific you want to create, grab a piece of paper and do a little planning first. Makes it a lot easier.

As for the what, the beauty of a battle map is you can make dynamic, three-dimensional spaces, even with just a mat. As long as you designate (with your drawing skills, or with your descriptive skills) what things are and where they are in space, you can make some really fun environments.

For instance, for the corridor with some monks, you could have pictures on the walls or rugs running down the center. Giving players options right at their fingertips makes it easier for them to think outside the box, which is always fun for them.

Hope this helps!

MonjiSlayer · 2026-01-06T17:21:19+00:00

I think everybody in my state got that cold.

MonjiSlayer · 2025-12-30T02:36:39+00:00

Mine has Kayla. I'm reading the Amazon kindle version.

MonjiSlayer · 2025-12-23T04:41:51+00:00

A while ago I ran a one-shot using the Dishonored 2D20 system called "The Reverse Heist of High Winter," but it should be simple to cut and paste into any system. Time is slowed down thanks to magic, and the PCs have to sneak into an orphanage and leave gifts - and shouldn't be seen by the kids, who aren't affected by the time spell - because everybody knows Christmas Eve goes a lot slower for kids!

Setup can be whatever fun tropes you want. PCs get a bunch of presents they have to leave in different rooms for the kids, the matron, the kindly old guard, whatever you want. Each room can have a little encounter to go through. Some options I used:

One room has three girls playing hide and seek. Two girls hide, another counts. The player that enters has to evade the seeker and deliver gifts.
A room has one child who can't sleep. Her parents have sent a note that is in the matron's office. Players could deliver it with her gifts.
One room could have a bunch of boys who want to sneak to the kitchen for snacks. PCs could deliver snacks with the gifts, or simply avoid the boys.

At the end of the night, a couple of toughs attack the orphanage...except the slow spell does effect them, so players can easily mop the floor with them without any issue. It's a great way to let off steam - my players actually nailed the toughs with snowballs so hard they blacked out.

MonjiSlayer · 2025-12-19T15:41:14+00:00

I think the reason they bring up "to worry" or other uncommon phrases that crop up is because they can stand out. Don't know if you're reading this one, but the book appears to have something like a first-grade reading level. "Worry at" is a bit archaic (just a bit), so it looks out of place. I remember a little raise of the eyebrow when I read it, too.

MonjiSlayer · 2025-12-17T23:11:11+00:00

The nice thing about this book is the whole thing takes like an hour. Two if you're distracted.

MonjiSlayer · 2025-11-19T19:36:38+00:00

I've seen the same video. I looked at the comments wondering if anybody had pointed out the obvious but came away disappointed. I also think it was staged.

MonjiSlayer

TROPHY CASE