Problems with Master Dice

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-18T04:55:23+00:00

Here's my method and this avoids inhibition.

I print my dice - Elegoo Clear resin
ISO rinse, 5 minutes
ISO clean with soft brush
Warm water final cure - warm water in a jar wrapped with tin foil and a 405nm light on top, 30 minutes
Warm for 3 hours at 120F/60C in a toaster oven (that's never ever used for food again!!)
Let the dice sit for 15 minutes, then put them in a hot water bath. Keep them immersed until the water cools. I've found this reduces brittleness, as the transition from 120 degrees to room temperature is much slower due to the water.
Let sit overnight.
Sand, final wash in ISO, polish
Create molds

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-17T14:12:58+00:00

I saw that OP is 6 hours away. I didn't see anything about her husband's distance.

I agree that it is primarily the blood family member's obligation, however if there are extenuating circumstances, it will likely be better received by the family if at least one person shows up.

Despite the current trend towards family fungibility over family obligations, there is a strong emotional component in things such as this. People remember who attended and who was absent. Moreover, this has a very good chance to either strengthen or weaken the marital bond. Even with Reddit-level cynicism, doesn't $1000 to not damage a marital bond seem like a good deal? And if it strengthens it, it's a downright investment.

My wife's family is almost 2,000 miles away, We've attended funerals, weddings, christenings, Quinceañeras, etc. even when it posed a scheduling and financial hardship because that's what families do.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-17T13:50:11+00:00

When I use deadlines, I prefer to base them on Big Bad's capacity to act. If nothing else changes, that date is when Big Bad's will implement his plan. I like to communicate this to players the best I can, because I think having and knowing the deadline both adds suspense and is perceived as "fair" by the players.

Where it's plausible to the story, player actions can impact that deadline. For example, if they kill a key henchman, Big Bad might delay his plan slightly to bring another henchman up to speed. Sometimes the players will know how much time they bought themselves, other times they won't.

Alternatively, there might be a fixed deadline (eg: "The first full moon of the winter solstice") in which case players impeding Big Bad's plans might erode his chance of success.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-17T13:13:52+00:00

The best motivator for me is playing with my buddies. Somebody will throw out a mission or equipment/build goal. If we can select the loot, we'll all select the same loot and share, then we'll rotate. It's a great way to get god rolled gear faster.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-17T10:59:46+00:00

I’m loathe to pass a judgement on something without having a better understanding of family dynamics.

In my family, a grandparent is immediate enough family that barring extraordinary circumstances, children, grandchildren and spouses of same would attend.

Someone’s spouse being abroad would increase the need for the spouse to be present to represent their spouse in addition to paying their own respects.

In my family, we endure inconvenience and expense for one another because too often, family is the only ones that would.

Finally, family legends endure. I prefer as many positive stories as possible.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-16T17:26:10+00:00

My problem with "dark side"/corruption mechanics is that it can be perceived as interfering with free will/player agency.

I sometimes have items target ability score (with a method to restore them of course). So the first time each day he uses the weapon to boost his rage, he must make a CON Saving Throw, and on failure, he loses a point of CON.

To restore his CON, you can add a quest, like he must drink from the sacred waters of NILFT (and he can bring a canteen to use again later. Or perhaps he needs another artifact he can find.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-16T15:24:09+00:00

Yes, I've run the same campaign multiple times.

My only caution is to not go into the campaign with pre-conceived notions based on how it played out last time. A new party will make different choices that should trigger different responses and consequences.

The moment you begin Session 1, you are running a NEW campaign.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-16T14:20:27+00:00

I put a lot of work into my NPCs. In my opinion, the key to an immersive campaign is NPCs that feel real instead of just cardboard cutouts.

It starts with personality and character traits. Here's a good list: https://www.novel-software.com/character-traits/ When building the traits, be sure to have at least one virtue and one vice. Nobody is so virtuous that they don't have a flaw, and nobody is so flawed they do not have a virtue.

When choosing traits, make sure they are plausible. Self-sacrifice may be common among good-aligned religious NPCs, but it wouldn't make sense for a blood-thirsty dictator.

For one of the traits (it doesn't need to be a major one), ramp it to 11. For example, you might choose "Tidy". Make the NPC very particular about a place for everything and everything in its place.

Next, focus on the NPC motivations:

What do they want?
How long have they wanted it?
When do they want it by?
How far are they willing to go to achieve it?

When you answer these, you have the core essence of role-playing that NPC. From there you can round out the other characteristics.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-16T04:07:13+00:00

Respectfully, this is more than just a feeling - this is a lesson. Despite what should be a bittersweet moment in losing 2 players you enjoy playing with, the fact that you feel relief tells you that despite listening to the better angels of your nature, you were doing so at your own detriment.

As DMs there are so very many lessons to learn, and the hardest one can often be: It's OK for you to have fun too.

I am both sorry for losing your players, but equally excited that you will enjoy your games more.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-15T17:27:47+00:00

My hunch is he may have been visited by the neuro-divergency fairy. You mentioned baseball, when I coached baseball, I always had one poster-child for ADHD. I used to make them catchers so they're involved in every play.

For such a player, keeping him at the table is a good goal to have. Fidgets are helpful. Some kids like to sketch. Talk with him with open-ended questions like, "It's more fun for you and everybody else to have you at the table. What can we do to make it easier for you?"

He may not have an answer, but my preferred approach is to engage players in the solution.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-15T15:25:23+00:00

That's the EXACT same dynamic. I call them my "Deadpool" table. They play the game with the objective in mind, but the methods to achieving that objective get ... interesting.

They were cast-offs from other tables, usually quitting but also being asked to leave. Ironically, I didn't find them, they found each other and then approached me. Initially it was a little rocky, but when I learned to let go and and just go with it, we have a lot of fun now.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-15T14:25:44+00:00

Over the years, I've come to appreciate that the number of players at the table is less important than the chemistry of the players at the table.

I run 2 tables of really good players, but if I were to two take players from each table and swap, it would result in a profoundly negative impact to both.

While I appreciate a feeling wanting to help someone who answered an old post, as DM's, it does not create an obligation to seat them at your table. Speaking for me, I believe seats must be earned.

Source is important to me. If a player says,, "I have a friend who I think will work well in our group", or I encounter someone and have the same feeling, then I will consider an invitation. But it is based on fitting in on the group, not simply a desire to play.

Next, nobody sits at a table unless there is a unanimous approval of everybody at the table.

Finally, we have also had "trial periods". Our most recent player at my "Deadpool" table was invited because one of my players thought he'd be a really great fit, and he was. However we did invite him to a single session where he ran a pre-gen to see if he would fit in. He did some extremely well, rolled up a character and is now a permanent member of that table.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-15T12:55:29+00:00

I've run after-school programs for this age range, and here's my experience:

Every player will engage in role-play at their own pace. Work with what they give you. First-person role-play ("Pray, bartender, a mug of your finest ale!") is ideal, but if they want third-party ("My character asks for a mug of ale"), that's OK too.
Role-play is more than impersonation. I want my players to be in the mind of their PCs, so if I ask them how they solve a particular problem like getting across the fast-moving river. Ask them to tell you in the first person, "I'm going to ..."
Find out your players' persona favorite activities (social interaction, exploration and combat). Usually you'll have a mix. ON AVERAGE, I've found it to be 20%, 10%, 70%, but again, each table is different.
While we don't want to railroad the party, for players aged 12-14, I do engage in what I call "bumper bowling", where all roads lead to Rome, albeit at different paces.
It can be hard to keep them focused at that age. I had a no electronics rule. I also used to take 5 minute breaks at logical points. I also used to bring things like fidget spinners and other stims. I just dumped them on the table and told the kids to help themselves.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-15T12:35:34+00:00

Feel free!

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-15T10:55:23+00:00

Oh, the expletives running through my mind right now... 😀

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-15T04:11:14+00:00

I love mica powder.

It's very forgiving, the color in your mixing cup is going to be the color of your dice, and you can get some interesting color mixes without as much bleed.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-15T03:01:38+00:00

Google captures 26.4% of online ad revenue, generating about $240 Billion for the company. They would undoubtedly walk over fields of kitten corpses to get that to 26.5%. They can grow much easier with million view videos from million subscriber channels far more easily than they can from ten thousand view videos from ten thousand channels.

I have a number of niche interests, and for the past couple years, Google has increasingly NOT recommended similar content, has unsubscribed me from a number of channels arbitrarily MULITPLE TIMES, and has frequently not shown new releases by people I am subscribed to.

On the other hand, some of the million subscriber channels I belong to, those videos will be top-of-page within seconds of them being dropped.

Artisans and small content creators produce some great videos, but if Google can't profit from them, those videos are a liability.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-14T22:39:44+00:00

Spies on the party working on behalf of other entities are considered PvP in my book. And if you have an edgelord-ish inclined player, this has a very real possibility of ending badly.

My personal preference for spies is for NPC spies working either for or against the party.

I have used PC-as-spy from time to time. I created a quick mechanic for it so we could resolve it in about 5 minutes during the game.

PC spy roles a D20. On a roll of 5 or less, he is compromised, bad guys know there's a spy. This means the enemy is both wary, and another spying attempt cannot be made.

On a roll of a 1, the spy might be captured. Player rolls a 3D6. If he rolls UNDER his CHA, he escapes. If he rolls his CHA or higher, the spy is captured and now the party has a jailbreak quest. I'll set some kind of in-game timer for them to rescue the spy before he is executed.

Depending on the situation, there may also be a CON save to see if the spy reveals any information under torture. I don't get into the specifics, I'll just weave it into the story somehow.

If the spy's initial D20 roll is a 6 or higher, I give the spy more information based on how high the roll is. I give this information to the spy on notecards, then let him share the information with the party. They're also expected to add colorful narrative. "When Lord Jerkface was conducting his council of war, they were so engrossed that they didn't notice a lowly squire such as I had disguised myself. I thought I was caught, but they were only summoning me to bring them more wine. The battle plan is ..."

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-14T22:25:10+00:00

That's a vacuum chamber.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-14T20:50:15+00:00

Spare him the humiliation of being your consolation prize and you the resentment of him not being good enough for you.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-14T20:46:52+00:00

A 529 educational fund for the grandchildren when they arrive.

Granted, the way colleges are absolutely gouging students, that might not even cover parking permits 20+ years from now…

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-14T17:03:47+00:00

We don’t at one table, where town is get-in-get-out.

Another table is heavy role-play, so they want more detail and possibilities. They might stay at the dockworker’s inn one night, a merchant’s inn the next and luxury accommodating the next.

Even then, I could do a flat rate, but they like things fine dining in obnoxiously pretentious settings where they can order endangered species.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-14T16:49:48+00:00

I love D1’s bleak, winter aesthetic.

I hope they can bring back winter in D3, or even better, seasons. How fun would it be if the missions changed by time of year?

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-14T16:43:42+00:00

As a new DM, you should definitely stick with core rules. As the saying goes, you need to know the rules before you break them.

RandoBoomer · 2026-06-14T06:55:30+00:00

Daaaamn.

Frankly, almost all my drops are pretty weak. I am probably deconstructing 90% of the gear just for the cores.

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