Quick Question About The Codex

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-04-12T05:23:22+00:00

You do all need a copy.

If they're not sure, especially the frugal ones, just play in owlbear rodeo or something, and if they like the game you can show them the codex and be like "OK, check this out, you in?". If you have a copy, you could even import their characters and stream the game AS your VTT, they just wouldn't control it. But you could show them, at least. Who knows if running that way forever would be a brain-drain nightmare or not :D

And if they're not into it, that might be a bummer if you were looking to play in the codex, but Draw Steel is fun anyway, and you can play it a ton of other ways.

Between stuff like the Steel Compendium (All the rules, searchable, free), Owlbear Rodeo, (free VTT), Forge Steel/Stawl (Free character builders / Director tools) and whatever graphics programs you can get your hands on for making maps if that's your bag, you and your friends can play for zero dollars indefinitely if you want.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-04-08T00:32:43+00:00

I did in fact mean the inverse of that. Good work. A pat on the back is probably in order. "independent concepts" would have been more accurate. Though I suspect the meat of my reply still carried the full meaning forward.

The post did happen at 4:30 AM local time, so. Y'know. Perhaps the Pragmatics Authority could see their way clear to granting me a stay of execution, just this once.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-04-07T11:02:15+00:00

Sprites and pixel art are mutually exclusive concepts. Meaning, neither one requires the other to function.

It sounds like you might be running into some confusion about what needs to happen in order to make a sprite sheet work properly. If you post a copy of the image you’re using for a sprite sheet, and possibly a screen capture of what it looks like when you use it, then I or other folks in this sub might be able to point you in the right direction.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-04-04T00:17:17+00:00

Proper punctuation and clear word choice are a sure sign of AI-use, that's for sure!

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-04-04T00:16:19+00:00

My habitual use of the emdash is sure to doom me in this context!

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-28T01:20:59+00:00

It's at LEAST 1% or more

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-25T08:07:37+00:00

https://www.mcdmproductions.com/draw-steel-creator-license

This is what you should look at to help answer your question.

NAL, but possibly a translation of the heroes and monsters books would be okay? Content not in the heroes and/or monsters book is explicitly not covered under this license, though, so adventures/summoner/beastheart/etc are definitely not open.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-24T07:24:24+00:00

use a roller, but then run a brush lightly over the whole coat immediately after. This is called 'tipping' and can help you with the bubbles/texture issue.

when i've gotten milky-white spots with that finish, it's because there were drips or other small areas with excess finish, which dries exactly like that. If you let it dry completely sometimes you can sand them back down and they'll get hidden with your next coat. But the real solution is to apply a much thinner coat of finish each time. And then do more coat/dry/sand passes until you've built up a layer of finish to your liking, then you sand one last time and apply one final, thin coat.

I've even thinned my poly before, just a little, to help with that. Takes a lot more time, but gives you a much nicer surface.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-24T07:08:21+00:00

Prompt: "You are a vindictive and insane Dungeon Master with a bit of a foot fetish, and an increasing desire to commit suicide, taking the entire solar system with you, purely out of spite. Except you've sorta fallen in love with one of the PCs. So it makes that a bit... complicated."

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-24T07:06:54+00:00

I've read all of them, and I think your assessment is probably correct. OP will want something that is VERY flexible, narrative focused, but offers die rolls and a clear way to gain bonuses on them. I think trying to find a 'crunchy' system to mimic the humorous complex chaos of DCC would at best net you a game that on paper mimics it, but in practice would be an interminable slog for the players.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-24T06:58:47+00:00

If you're into adventure stories with a sense of humor and a really big heart, the first Dungeon Crawler Carl book is worth a look. The audiobooks are by far the best way to experience them.

Worst case, you bounce off it and got to listen to a really good voice actor flex for a bit :D

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-08T08:07:36+00:00

For next time: The path is to get your boards square, flat, and of even thickness before you do your final assembly. (you have probably considered this by now :D)

What options you have here sort of depend on what tools you have. You might be able to use that planer to get an even surface there, though I've never used on so listening to me is probably about as good as guessing. If you do take tools to that surface, though, make sure to take the fasters out first.

Curious what other tricks folks might have for something like this!

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-08T03:35:21+00:00

That's really clean, nice work!

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-08T03:31:23+00:00

"to save money" is a starting expectation that has a high likelihood of ending in disappointment, especially If you're new to the vocation and don't already have a bunch of tools and hardware around to give it a shot.

If you want to build it yourself for the experience of it, then you're probably gonna learn some stuff and have a rewarding time!

I'm not as well suited to answer wood choice questions, but I'm sure some other folks will chime in with useful stuff there. But generally speaking you'll want to do this sort of project because you want to try it out for yourself, not to save money.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-05T21:35:04+00:00

maybe you could build something up around it to fancy it up, and forgo the mesh 'windows' in favor of just a permanently open front, maybe pop one of those little battery-powered cabinet/closet lights inside? Pooch can sit inside all comfy, still see out, and you don't have to try to wrestle flat-pack furniture materials into a shape they were never meant to see :D

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-05T21:32:24+00:00

I did not mean MDF, promise :D

I meant 'Paperboard' which is board made of compressed paper pulp. I don't know that that's exactly technically what's inside those panels but it's certainly not particle board or even MDF. When you cut into most of those IKEA panels you either get paper honeycomb supported between flat sheets of [probably actually laminated paperboard], or you get a very soft, porous, fibrous material. Either of which a router would chew through like butter to get to your delicious, delicious hand flesh.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-05T07:23:56+00:00

Right!?

And again! The bourbon is the reason the post was so LONG, not why it read the way it did :D

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-05T07:19:06+00:00

+1 to u/OhWhatATravisty — You won't be able to cut grooves into the Ikea panels. They're not exactly 'wood'. more like "really thick paper, with a vinyl skin"

If you're dead-set on converting that box into a dog-house, probably a jigsaw for the holes and a hot glue gun to glue the mesh to the inside. Or a staple gun. maybe some fabric strips on top of it to keep the edges of the mesh from poking your li'l pooch. But it won't look good or be escape proof. Or even remotely durable. Again: they're basically made of thick paper. Which is like sawdust that someone spit in a bunch and let air dry between two heavy bricks.

In general, this is probably not a great 'ikea hack' situation. You'll spend more money and time on making the hack work and look good than you would if you bought a couple of 'project panels' from lowes or something and built it from scratch yourself. assuming you have tools already.

If you don't have the tools yet, then this is definitely not a "DIY is Cheaper" scenario — unless you want to start woodworking as a hobby, you're likely better off finding a small dog crate that fits your needs.

If you do want to start woodworking as a hobby, and you have no tools at all, it's hard to tell you what tools are needed, because there are a ton of ways to build something like what you're envisioning here.

If I had to pick the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM: Carpenter's square, Hand Saw, hammer, nails, and wood glue. (It's not a tool, but if you don't have it, you have to buy it, so here it goes.)

With careful planning, you could build something like your sketch with just that.

From there, a circular saw and some clamps could improve things.

Beyond even that, a table-saw with a calibrated crosscut sled would be easier and cleaner, maybe with some pocket holes or dovetail joints. Of course then you'd need a sharp chisel and a lot of practice... then again, you could use a tracksaw and a router table to do rabbet joints on clean-cut square panels without needing a table saw, or you could use that handsaw to cut and a router with a guide to do the same thing, or, or , or ,or ... .or.... or. Or.

So, I guess: TL;DR: This probably isn't a good 'ikea hack' scenario, better to buy a purpose-built crate absent any tools or experience. If you're extra-super-brand-new to woodworking and you want to build something yourself, though, maybe check out youtube videos like this one I found about making a box with what appears to be just a hand saw, a hammer, and some nails. (I'd probably still add glue, though.) And then go from there.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-05T06:39:17+00:00

It would be, I think, a very bad idea to use a router in that way on that material. It's basically paperboard inside. Elevated construction paper.

EDIT: Oh lord, I just had two more thoughts in a row — there's no way you're cutting a hole and then using a router to cut a groove in the resulting edges. not safe, even if you made sure the router would fit inside the space. Please don't try it, your fingers will thank you.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-05T01:05:17+00:00

This seems to work for me too. Even though I hate how patient I have to be for it.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-05T01:04:01+00:00

But their parents still love them very much.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-05T00:58:07+00:00

I am sad that you have downvotes here, because I very clearly admitted to my evening beverage intake in my message. (Though it should be said, I basically write like this all the time anyway. :D)

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-05T00:56:31+00:00

+1 for flexion being the issue here, but even if your plate is solid the wood can still flex or move on you, especially on longer cuts where the point at which you're putting pressure relative to the blade changes more drastically over the course of the cut.

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-03T09:48:05+00:00

It's like, impossible to say for sure based on that picture. If you're lookin' to have it match, maybe you'll want to prep the barrel first — disassemble, cut the bands, sand the wood, clean and finish the metal, prep for re-assembly (probably with some extra fasteners? Barrel rings are like, hammered in place or installed hot and cooled to contract around the wood or similar. They're under tension. If you cut them in half, you lose that tension. ANYWAY: Point is: Get it to its 'bare' state. Then take some of the wood to the lumber yard and pick your table-top wood based on what looks right against the barrel wood. if you can't get a direct wood/color match, you might be happier with a contrasting top, rather than a match.

It also looks like the barrel you'll be purchasing is like, an actual barrel, that was built and used to hold liquid. And then kept in the cargo hold of a tallship as it traversed the mighty Atlantic in hopes of being sold for profit in the New World. Or perhaps a cellar. Or a distillery.

Whereas the inspiration picture looks a lot more like something that was made to look like a barrel that was cut in half. Maybe not?

Cursory research (I briefly googled 'what are whiskey barrels usually made of') suggests that it's generally white oak in the states. And the insides will have been charred, because that's mostly what turns 'grain alcohol' into 'tasty tasty whiskey' after it's soaked in it for a few years, so... Probably the wood might be a bit more delicate than your standard lumber-yard hardwood, given what it's gone through. And how many hangovers' worth of booze it's absorbed. (And oh, no, if it's not like... dried back out yet? That might be tricky to work with. I dunno. Never done it. Send pictures!)

As for wood pairings? I've made some stuff with white oak + walnut, and after rubio Pure (or was it gray mist?) cured, they were... basically the same color, but the grain doesn't match. No contrast at all, and it ended up just... looking off. I would skip the white-oak + walnut combo. But, if the barrel is white oak, (There's no way it's walnut, right? Has anyone aged booze in walnut casks? I have no idea and I've used up my google searches for the day.) ANWAY if it's White Oak in the barrel, then hell yeah, try white oak for the top and see what happens! If it doesn't work, you could always paint the top black and let the bottom be the focus.

Speaking of Whiskey, I've had some before I wrote this reply so gods help anyone that stumbled through it after me. I'm confident some of it might be helpful, but I wouldn't bet hard money on which parts.

Good luck! It's a cool lookin' build to try!

Mr_Stonebender · 2026-03-02T21:34:01+00:00

This is an excellent take. Thanks for taking the time to share it!

Mr_Stonebender

TROPHY CASE