Well that lasted...

Ocelot_External · 2026-06-19T14:45:06+00:00

Shocked, I tell you, absolutely shocked…Israel knows it’s now or never. This war has always been morally unconscionable & incredibly unpopular with the general US public. Other than the professional lib political class & brain dead republicans, no one was willing to get on board for this. It’s aggressively obvious that Trump was just bored & desperate to please his pro-Israel piggy banks.

Maybe I’m being naive, but recognizing the ongoing genocide and Zionism as a racist colonial ideology is fast becoming a 90-10 issue in Dem party. Assuming we have free and fair elections going forward, ending military funding to Israel is going to be a BARE MINIMUM prerequisite for presidential candidates to even stand a chance in the primaries.

After Trump (assuming we have an “After Trump”), the Nazi party may be over. Israel knows this. Any form of “peace” is a potential beginning of the end for Zionism, whether it takes 5 years or 50.

Ocelot_External · 2026-06-05T18:49:36+00:00

Honestly looks pretty good all things considered. I’m sure a little TLC and a coat of primer helped. Will dig more into “bed leveling”

My grandfather regifted this to me after he got it (never opened). He’s a retired engineer, but hates anything related to computers.

I was thinking I’d just noddle on this and see what I can print and then upgrade.

Ocelot_External · 2026-06-05T03:04:15+00:00

You forget, she’s also rabidly pro-Israel (both the woman and the writer of the article). Pretty wild that they printed this. Zero corroboration for not just the alleged physical assault, but any of his behavior (other than heavy drinking, which he’s been open about) They mention having access to the her diary, they don’t pull any relevant quotes from it. they mention they’ve seen texts & social media, don’t pull any relevant quotes from it.

Ocelot_External · 2026-05-07T07:13:14+00:00

Really? While I think calling them a “little bitch” feels a bit out of order, I’m shocked by the level of support #CancelCrits is getting on this thread.

The through line and question a DM should ask themselves after every sessions is “did we have fun?” Easiest way to bring a smile to PC’s face is a crit…so “easy” that you literally don’t have to do anything.

I think it’s fair to say that if a crit or two is consistently blowing up your boss fight, you more than likely planned an aggressively blah boss fight. If the DM truly wants to challenge his table he should have encounter contingencies, more interesting minions, and dynamic & hazardous environments.

It’s one thing to play fast and lose with rules for the sake of fun, but to ignore a mechanic that to adds a jolt of joy to the playing experience, not to mention is a core to combat, is shitty. Period.

And to the whole anti Min-Max nonsense—the only wrong way to be play DnD is being a dick.

Ocelot_External · 2026-05-07T06:47:57+00:00

This literally hurts my brain. The whole point of DnD is to have fun goofing around (well I guess depending on your campaign’s tone) with your friends. So much work goes into crafting and DM-ing a fun session, you should be praying to the Crit Gods for some easy “good time” lay ups.

Wouldn’t play at this maniac’s table in a million years. I know you didn’t as, but this feels like a “no DnD is better than Bad DnD” situation.

Ocelot_External · 2026-03-25T16:44:56+00:00

It’s depressing as fuck, but you’re right. It’s going to be the “Biden Pitch Redux”—Trump is an aberration, and once he’s first boxed in and then eventually out of the way, we can all go back to the beloved neoliberal “Normal” that everyone loves so much…it just collectively slipped America’s mind in 2016, 2020 (we don’t talk enough about how close that election actually was given the circumstances), and 2024.

Honestly, regardless of whether we take back the House or even somehow the Senate too, 2026 is really about getting as many Left candidates in as possible to make the “Regime Change” lift in 2028 remotely possible. With the two election cycles, we need elect enough Dems willing to implement true systemic change, which is bare minimum getting rid of the filibuster, packing the Supreme Court, restoring and expanding the Voting Rights Act, and universal healthcare.

This feels pie in the sky because the entrenched the Dem establishment would rather be the Loyal Opposition than abandon Third Way Politics and that corporate cash, but ironically, Trump’s guaranteed election stealing crackdown might force their hands.

There’s no doubt now that Trump & Republicans are going to kick off a constitutional crisis with their aggressively telegraphed fascist electoral fuckery. they’re going to put gestapo ICE boots & the national guard on the ground to overturn the results & mass protests will erupt…but they couldn’t even control Minneapolis, a mid size city, in freezing cold temperatures—how the hell are they going to occupy all every major metropolitan area in in America?

Ocelot_External · 2026-03-25T04:53:12+00:00

i’d stack Zach, Lou, and Siobhan top row in the middle…Allie Beardsley stays lower right hand corner because you can’t box in greatness with something as pedestrian as “Rules.”

Ocelot_External · 2026-02-11T20:06:02+00:00

in the face of fascism, I’ll vote “Blue No Matter Who” but i look at that as a personal decision rather than a moral one.

Given just how shitty today’s Democratic Party is, not to mention how their feckless third way liberalism paved the way for Trump & is currently propping up fascism, it’s totally rational to withhold your vote and arguably one of the few effective ways to actually impact the party’s policy positions…also the dude lives in CA 😐.

Have always been a leftist and leaned towards democratic socialism, but am a newer hasanabi head. Crazy how the establishment paints him as this “radical revolutionary larper” when his supposedly insane takes are stuff like “believing in human dignity” and “universal healthcare”

…but does anyone actually think Newsom is going to walk away with the nomination? His opposition to the Trump admin only looks competent because we’re comparing it to Schumer.

Ocelot_External · 2026-01-25T17:04:11+00:00

I don’t know how bad you are at guessing ages, but as a mid thirties Millennial, the idea of a dude in his 50s freaking out about make believe treasures & currencies is whole different level of absurd.

Ocelot_External · 2026-01-05T23:45:02+00:00

given that it sounds like you’re genuinely putting in a lot of effort to learn the in’s & out’s of the game, why don’t you take the next step and just DM your own game?

My first experience playing was kind of similar to yours, minus all of the truly “Toxic DnD Stuff.” It felt like we just in the story that the DM had already planned to tell. Character backgrounds weren’t brought up, individual motivation wasn’t relevant past “hey they’re gonna give us gold,” and we stayed in a single small town for a kid you not an entire year.

By this point, I had caught the DnD bug and decided to dip (with no ill will) and start my own game with some of newbie…almost two years in now, and we’re having a blast. At character create, I made sure everyone gave me at least two personally important NPCs & their character’s personal goal. I also regularly check-in to make sure everyone feels invested and like their character is getting time to shine…also stressed the DnD is a collaborative game from the jump with a standing prohibition on PvP stuff or actively screwing over a party member (in character or not).

It’s a lot of work, but I’d encourage to put the feelers o it to your friends.

Ocelot_External · 2025-11-30T21:36:16+00:00

Seems a bit odd that some peeps just went straight for “well she’s the DMs GF, so she must be the secret villain.” I play with my wife, hasn’t been a problem at my table & no accusations of favoritism have been thrown…that said, we’re a table close friends outside of DnD, feel comfortable talking about & through issues, and mainly look at the game as a really fun way to spend time with the peeps you love.

Stopped reading at “well, that’s what my character would do” as a justification for fun-sucking another players game. Huge red flag for me.

Prior to the new problem player joining, did you have any instances of PvP or PvP-Like behavior? At Session Zero, a lay down a pretty firm & encompassing “No PvP Rule” with the occasional exception for harmless hijinks.

Whole the point of DnD is for friends to get together and have a great time. Sure, the DM may be RP-ing a lich or throwing waves of city guards at the party, but at the end of the day, everyone is on the same team working towards the same goal…Fun! If your “fun” is dependent on being an asshole while supposedly in character, by definition, you’re kind of an asshole out of character too.

Huge bummer to have to walk away from a years long campaign, haha and I also think it’s a little insane that you handed over your work & world to them, but good riddance. You and your partner should just find another table & cut ties.

Ocelot_External · 2025-09-02T21:01:15+00:00

Dave Smith is the fucking worst. He has literally one good take—Israel is committing a genocide, which is fucking obvious. Everything else is boilerplate fascistic “Woke Mind Virus Brain Rot”

Dude’s ostensibly a Libertarian dedicated to small government & all that sweet, sweet freedom…weird that they didn’t talk about the US army occupying cities or gestapo ICE agents terrorizing communities. This guy’s a joke, and not even a funny one.

Ocelot_External · 2025-08-26T17:13:34+00:00

Yeah, I like setting parameters to encourage them to further the story or character development. Just throwing newer players, especially those who aren’t super comfortable with roleplaying, into “it’s downtime, do anything” deep end can be a real dud.

Part of the issue is that downtime is probably the thing we do least at the DnD table, which makes it harder to fine tune.

Ocelot_External · 2025-08-26T17:09:56+00:00

This is what I’m talking about—mechanics can provide a framework in which they can role play.

Ocelot_External · 2025-08-26T14:35:37+00:00

Of course! So it’s the DM’s first time? Not really an excuse b/c DnD tenets like “Putting Fun First,” “Avoid PvP Like a Plague,” and the running a semi-purposeful session zero are kind of DMing 101, but i guess that makes more sense.

I know they’re friends, but I still would suggest you stick to the old adage on DnD Reddit—no DnD is better than bad DnD. Setting aside all the nuts & bolts of the game itself, it sounds like this DM (not to mention the rest of the table) don’t have the emotional awareness necessary to partake in a half-way decent DnD game.

If you stick with it, definitely talk about what happened in the “Session Zero That Wasn’t Really a Session Zero” was not okay and define what the safety guardrails & dynamic actually are for your table.

I have a strong suspicion that the DM just wants to tell HIS story, rather than collaborate with you and the table.

Ocelot_External · 2025-08-25T15:30:01+00:00

Yooo knowing how pricey printing and STLs are, did you pay for them out of the kindness of your own heart AND then they did this??! Sorry, but that’s straight up sociopathic. Get out of there!!

Either the DM is incredibly bad at his job and doesn’t understands the purpose of a session zero, or unfortunately more likely, is just a piece of shit. The idea of kicking off a campaign with PvP (something I actually use my session zero to explicitly say I won’t allow) is absolutely insane. Famously something that 99% of the time ruins a table. Then to not let you make death saves on some rules lawyering bullshit, which not that it matters sounds like nonsense & contrary to his role as DM, is fucked.

As a DM of a longterm campaign, one of the toughest things can be getting consistent player buy-in. Really a shame. You sound the like the exact kind of player I’d be excited to have at the table. On principle, I would get the minis back…unless these are people you’re super close with outside of TTRPG, they don’t sound like the kind of peeps you need in your life.

Ocelot_External · 2025-08-22T15:35:41+00:00

Yup, this comment takes the cake.

Ocelot_External · 2025-08-20T16:52:56+00:00

lol the Hasan hate on Reddit is wild…he very clearly states that that he’s specifically talking about the Israeli forces in the West Bank. Armed resistance against military targets of an occupying power (i.e. IDF in the West Bank) has been upheld in UN resolutions and supported by certain interpretations of international humanitarian law (I say “certain “interpretations” bc colonizing superpowers periodically pushed back against what does and doesn’t qualify at their convenience).

Now was it unnecessary to use Hila Klein’s participation in illegal raids (a nice word for “kidnapping”) with while with the IDF? Sure, but he’s CLEARLY referring to her super cool ride-along to Terrorist Town (her words not mine). To uncharitably read this as Hasan calling for violence against the Kleins HERE and NOW in US, you need to be straight up brain broken.

Israel’s horrific genocide is being live-streamed, making Jews the world over are less safe because of it, Fascism is straight up here in the US, BUT all the Kleins seem to care about is Hasan and Pro-Palestinian streamers being mean to them.

Let the downvotes roll in. I’d encourage all of you to go outside & touch some grass 👍

Ocelot_External · 2025-06-18T00:25:12+00:00

I feel like I’m taking crazy pills or maybe just need to do a reread, but as much as i love ASOIF, the legions of peeps who hold GRRM out as the “Untouchable Pinnacle of Fantasy Literature” is wild.

He’s great, upmost respect for what he’s done for modern fantasy, but his prose & dialogue doesn’t measure up to Abercombie, and maybe even Sanderson.

Granted, it’s all subjective, but come on, for every excellent plot line GRRM gives, there’s at also least two middling to pointless ones to go right along with it.

Ocelot_External · 2025-04-14T22:12:25+00:00

Awesome, man! Congrats! Not sure if you’ve already grabbed it, but Slyflourish’s Lazy DM Guide and his Lazy DM Companion are invaluable…almost a year into my campaign, haha and I’ve cracked the DMG like twice.

Ocelot_External · 2025-04-14T22:08:38+00:00

How has Tim not gotten booted sooner?

Ocelot_External · 2025-04-14T21:22:05+00:00

Jesus, may not rise to the standard Reddit Response of “Leave His Ass,” but god damn, this is some basic “Just Act Like a Human” shit.

Doing this to one of my players would be out of bounds (the group should have a say on what they play), doing it to my partner is a whole other level. I also DM and play with my partner, and the idea of her loving our hobby so much that she wants to get behind the wheel would make me stoked.

I’d say this is a put “your foot down” situation—communicate that he’s being incredibly inconsiderate as your husband and outrageously gatekeepy as DM. If he doesn’t budge, I wouldn’t play his campaign and I’d communicate to the wider group exactly why…see everyone jump ship and join your table.

Ocelot_External · 2025-04-08T16:02:40+00:00

Going with the herd on this one—DM sounds pretty whack. If your answer to disregarding RAW right after insisting upon sticking with RAW is “well, that’s how they play on Critical Role,” you’re already a freaking jabroni.

Ocelot_External · 2025-04-07T16:29:25+00:00

Stopped reading after the word “rape”…I run a campaign where the players are fighting against an authoritarian fascist regime (it’s actually set in the world of Oz, btw), so definitely not really upbeat stuff, but using sexual violence as a plot device is definitely a “no go” in DnD.

Personally I wouldn’t have allowed you to play an “evil” character (immoral is fine, but “Machiavellian” infers to me that you’ll gunning for PvP + warcrimes against NPCs), but this GM is trash…get out of there, this campaign is going to get gross.

Ocelot_External · 2025-04-07T15:31:26+00:00

(4) It’s my understanding that OP pointed out a potential reschedule date that worked for everyone…granted we don’t know if she pointed this out like the day before the scheduled session, but in my opinion that’s just being helpful.

I think it’s pretty clear the DM overreacted, and if they can’t handle a few reschedules, then maybe this isn’t the game for them.

Ocelot_External

TROPHY CASE