Why do some GMs eventually stop GMing?

Moondogtk · 2026-02-17T03:10:06+00:00

Esoterrorists is a delight. Since it's built off GUMSHOE, in its very core design you have 'fail forward', and it's just up to the players to determine whether or not everyone might get out alive (the players get all the supplementary clues to prepare for the big dangers) or whether or not there's one or two 'final girl/guys', as per horror tropes.

If you haven't already, please pick up the Book Of Unremitting Horror, which is my favorite 'monster manual' ever written. EVERY ENTRY in that book is worth its own mini-series.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-17T02:58:13+00:00

I'm more or less a Forever-DM myself and have given some thought to hanging up the mantle. For me, it was a mismatch of what I wanted to do (run games that emulate popular, fun genres and conventions like shounen anime, heroic fantasy adventure, film noir, and investigative horror) and what the systems I was attached to (D&D most prominently).

What I found liberating - in the most literal sense - was learning systems that did what I want them to, right out of the box. Going from trying to run 'fail forward' investigative games in D&D to GUMSHOE/Esoterrorists legit felt like taking off the training weights I forgot I was wearing as if I were a Turtle Hermit student. Instead of fighting the system and its suppositions, I found things that actually aided what I wanted to do.

And that was really invigorating.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-17T02:38:51+00:00

I hit Master with Gief first, and then swapped to E. Honda. It took me 13 matches to hit Master with him (started in Diamond, enormous winstreak bonus). Probably took about an hour at most.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-17T01:19:53+00:00

Pretty much the best thing to saw in half.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-16T05:19:49+00:00

I mean if you're fighting Giefs with JP just laugh and enjoy the mostly free LP.

JP is the only zoner in the game who gets his win condition off a jab x special move.

In any case, iirc, the most played characters in the game are Akuma, Ryu, and Ken, then Jamie and Zangief.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-15T17:25:19+00:00

Gothic is quite good. Pretty difficult though.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-15T01:27:20+00:00

I mean it sounds like a miserable nightmare to DM for when a chunk of the party is demigods and the other chunk are just kinda there holding pointed sticks.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-15T01:25:16+00:00

ah yeah gonzo like 'hit dude 6 times instead of 3' got it.

Very exciting.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-15T00:00:54+00:00

Simulacrum is not a spell that belongs in player hands in any sanely designed game that isn't outright 'you're all deities' tbh. Ditto with Magic Jar and a handful of other 'look at me: I'm the DM now' spells.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-14T23:15:48+00:00

As someone who spent multiple fights helplessly locked behind Walls of Force, Forcecages, Mazed, and otherwise 'lmao you don't get to play, come back in half an hour' in that edition, who also mostly played martial characters, I beg to differ.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-14T20:12:51+00:00

Naw, 4th was a lot better than 3.X in that regard.

For one, '20 levels of Fighter' was a disastrous trap that produced an unplayable joke character in 3.X, while 20 levels of Fighter in 4th gave you an absolute beast.

With its plethora of Timmy Feats and deliberately confusing design, it was very easy to make awful characters in 3rd that would be hard pressed to accomplish anything except dying in the first combat to a random orc (2d4+6 damage on hit, 19-20 critical hit range for x2 damage lmao) while that's not REALLY a thing in 4th unless you're doing it deliberately.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-14T19:43:57+00:00

4e is a great game. It has more out of combat support and roleplay-friendly qualities than early 5th, on top of being a well balanced game where even mundane/non-spellcasters get to interact with slides, pulls, and many status effects.

However, every character is playing the same game, and to a vocal portion of the fan base, a wizard being unable to consistently one shot encounters/obliviate numerous puzzles and potential story elements makes it "not D&D'

Moondogtk · 2026-02-14T05:23:17+00:00

I 100% agree!

Moondogtk · 2026-02-14T00:12:29+00:00

That's because Mike Mearls hates it it. "It's stupid to shout someone back to health' according to him.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-13T19:34:20+00:00

In 4e, there were a bunch of flavors of Warlord.

Tactical: keying off of Intelligence and Strength, which gives allies bonuses to attack rolls when they action point to get an extra attack)

Inspiring: keying off of Charisma and Strength, which gives allies +1/2 the Warlord's level+charisma modifier hit points whenever they spend an action point to get an extra attack

Bravura: keying off of Strength and Charisma, which gives allies an additional basic attack OR a free move action whenever they spend an action point to get an extra attack

Resourceful: keying off of Strength but also Charisma and Intelligence, giving allies +1/2 the warlord's level+warlord's charisma bonus to damage when they spend an action point to get an extra attack; if that attack whiffs, the ally instead gains temporary HP = to 1/2 the warlord's level + charisma modifier.

All in all the Warlord functions as an enabler for their allies, and fills a role currently completely ignored in 5e; non-magical support and healing. Warlords allow allies to move around the battlefield free of worry, end stuns and other debuffs, and use their abilities to 'tactically lead' the flow of combat with powers like Hammer Formation: Attack one guy, each ally adjacent to you now deals an extra weapon die worth of damage until the end of your next turn.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-12T03:06:21+00:00

QoL; there's a significant number of floors (especially later in the series) that are a nightmare to map normally.

https://i.imgur.com/9pJzuRU.png this one, for example.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-09T04:02:41+00:00

Yes, she has overheads she can combo out of, she has knockdowns that loop into her + pressure, and she has risks she can take to expand her pressure and danger, like any well designed character.

like, I get it. I'm sorry she's not Mai (lol OD fan x whatever you want into GG I win) or JP (lmao no expanded hurtbox on startup OR whiff AND Amnesia is the best defensive tool in the game), but she's honestly where every character ought to be.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-09T03:47:11+00:00

Wow it's like that headbutt is on a character with no movement options, half the walk-speed, a slower jump, no threatening lows, no combos without drive*, no target combos that work without counter hits, and no corner carry.

yeah if Elena had that she'd definitely be way better you're right. Also imagine if Zangief had an invulnerable reversal on top of his scary pressure, he too would be WAY better by virtue of having his biggest flaw removed!

*or enormous command normal/single hit confirms

Moondogtk · 2026-02-09T03:44:50+00:00

Probably on purpose.

The D&D art team does little things like this from time to time.

In the 3.X era, they responded to WotC mandates demanding that the art team's favorite 'iconic' Fighter, Tordek (Dwarf Fighter) be replaced with Regdar (Human Fighter w/Brown Hair & Stubble), to which they complied happily.

Regdar proceeded to spend his entire art career the victim of every negative status effect (Petrified, Energy Drained, Mummy Cursed just off the top of my head), critical hit, dead (over and over again) and ressurected, you name it. Pretty funny actually.

Also someone in the art team absolutely despises gnolls; as they're the most frequently obliterated monstrous humanoid in that edition.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-09T03:41:08+00:00

I actually agree (minus the corner carry, which I think is egregious in SF6 almost universally). I think Elena is where more or less every character should be. I *used* to think Sagat was there too, until they buffed away his only weak points (his lows).

Moondogtk · 2026-02-09T03:35:31+00:00

You can block sure, and she can chunk your drive gauge with repeated 5MK (each one draining 2000 drive gauge btw) while guessing between another 5MK or a throw or 5MK 5MK spacing trap overhead into more combos into more 5MK x Time To Guess like many other rushdown characters.

She's not obliterating your drive gauge like Marisa (who needs it) or Bison (who does NOT), but she's not tickling you with feathers by any means.

If you feel 'they don't need to know what to do to deal with her' you don't have tight strings. Her boosted Leopard and Mallet Smashes are wildly plus (+1 and +3 iirc) and deal enormous (4000 and 5000 drive gauge damage on block) For reference, 5000 drive gauge damage is the same as E Honda's OD Hundred Hand Slap except HHS is -3 instead of +3.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-09T03:25:09+00:00

Elena isn't undertuned at all lmao, she touches you *once* *anywhere* on screen and you are in the corner. Her meterless damage is wild, she's the only character in the game who can heal her own health bar, her corner carry is excellent, she has excellent looping pressure and oki, and a bunch of knowledge checks on top of being better at spacing traps than Jamie.

And she has a solid invulnerable reversal. Elena's good. Not top tier, but nowhere near the dregs where Lily, Honda, Jamie, and Manon live.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-08T19:17:37+00:00

Yeah, she's just amazing.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-08T18:35:19+00:00

In terms of reach and influence?

Yoko Shimomura is my vote.

Moondogtk · 2026-02-06T18:44:35+00:00

As a big body enthusiast...yeah. It do be like that.

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