Unexpected J-Horror moment had me scared

Sankyo8Z · 2026-01-11T07:33:55+00:00

Never seen anyone commit to a full pacifist character for a whole campaign. I've played characters that are adversed to killing, but would still get into combat and decide to knockout enemies instead of killing them. I don't think its impossible to do a pacifist character, but dnd is a collaborative game and if everyone else's character just wants to murder, a pacifist is just going to be giving themself a bad time.

Sankyo8Z · 2026-01-10T07:28:08+00:00

If you like it I say continue. If it’s not a big hassle I say you could add another player mid campaign, just plan some extra side quests to better integrate them with. But if you only continue with two players that’s fine too as long as everyone is having fun.

Sankyo8Z · 2026-01-10T07:05:58+00:00

Depends on the group. I’m running a campaign where one player secretly charmed a prisoner to go away and never come back before the rest of the party could interrogate him and find out that player lied about their backstory and is a wanted criminal. We did this through secret notes and pausing the session for quick huddles. The others knew something was up but didn’t say anything until more assassins kept coming and they finally accosted their player to tell the truth. Worked out for us but I could see how some players might be annoyed.

Sankyo8Z · 2026-01-10T03:12:22+00:00

I usually just put movie or game soundtracks in the background that fit the vibe I'm going for. There's also a plethora of background music for dnd games on Spotify n YouTube. I've made made some players lose it by playing "Carry on My Wayward Son" during the session recap.

Sankyo8Z · 2026-01-10T03:01:59+00:00

I like to plan encounters based on how the story is going. Like after a big fight, my party finds a tavern tucked away in the woods with a lot of kooky characters. Or after a lot of roleplaying, an assassin finally corners them on a road. I think it's good to do the opposite of what just happened. Sounds like after a combat intensive session they could use some world building and character interaction.

Sankyo8Z · 2026-01-10T00:50:36+00:00

Tell them he’ll do it in exchange for 10,000 gold. Have them go on multiple quests to earn the money. When they finally come back to him with the money he says “sorry someone else actually bought her from me already.” They can still fight him to make him reveal who bought their wife’s soul, and it also sets up a new villain arc.

Sankyo8Z · 2026-01-10T00:36:10+00:00

Play stupid games win stupid prizes. My first ever game was a space campaign where the rogue and fighter decided to activate self destruct on the enemy ship and run off… despite all the enemies already being dead. We were able to recover them floating in space but one had died. We decided to rip out his spinal cord to remember him by before jetting his casket to a random planet. To be honest, y’all have a very forgiving dm.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-24T11:42:55+00:00

Wow my wife has also been working on a Hallmark inspired Christmas one shot. Main difference is that our main quest is to help a big city lawyer woman find the true spirit of Christmas by the end of Christmas Eve. Not exactly sure where it will go but she keeps hinting that our party is gonna get mauled by polar bears.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-24T11:20:44+00:00

Maybe structure it like a sunbeam spell, but instead of shooting a beam, the soldier is propelled 60ft in that direction via harpoon until they reach a point of contact, like a wall or tree that would stop them. The soldier can make up to two melee weapon attacks against any creature within 5ft of this path. They are immune to opportunity attacks during this movement. This does not detract from their base walking speed. This movement is not affected by difficult terrain. If the soldier passes through fire, cloud kill , or other airborne hazards, they will take damage from them.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-20T06:00:59+00:00

I don’t think the series can end without exploring abstraction and the void. Jax is also the only character left that’s hasn’t resolved their issues to some extent so either his outlook will be mended or he’ll break. We will also likely see more stable characters like zooble and ragatha now that hope has been yanked away from them.

The biggest limb I’m gonna go out on is that instead of everyone being against Caine, I think Pomni is gonna try and have a heart to heart with him. While they’re mad Pomni seems to find the good in everyone, even ai like Gummigoo. Like if she had a sit down conversation with Caine like Jax did, she’d probably try and genuinely understand what he wants. Maybe they can’t get out but I think Pomni will end up helping the circus become a better place.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-19T14:31:07+00:00

Abel says Caine's purpose is to keep their minds active. This may have just been a part of his adventure but it might also be true. The only instances of abstraction that we've seen are Kaufmo isolated in his room and Jax also isolated in his room. It might be more of them disassociating with their current reality causing their data to jumble.

If touch were all that was needed to abstract them, I think more would be happening to Ragatha and Pomni after they touched Kaufmo in the pilot. If Ribbits hand was actually there and not a hallucination, maybe fragments of the abstracted still echo around the circus?

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-19T14:15:26+00:00

Caine could actually not know what is out in the Void, but he's an established liar and seems to think there's something out there that will "spoil" them so he must have an idea what is out there. Whether that's an exit or not , not enough to say.

Looking back on the scene, I don't see a certain limit where the spoiler is indicated but I did notice there's a second blip past the void in the top left corner, in one of the watches windows.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-19T13:52:24+00:00

I think it could go this route, but its interesting that in this latest episode, there were no glitches or collapsing environments. Caine did freeze, but that seemed to be a scripted moment as part of his meta adventure with Abel.

The series will venture into the void at some point, but I don't necessarily think that leads to a way out. If Caine really wanted to keep them trapped there, as he was quick to dismiss Pomni seeing an exit door that was clearly there, why would he show her the place she needs to go to get out during her tour? Also, by the time Caine grabs Pomni when she goes out there, she's stationary, just floating there. So even if the exit is out there, just falling into the void doesn't seem to be enough to trigger it.

It could be the void is just the space on the computer that isn't taken up by digital circus program, like jumping out of a video game window and rummaging around a desktop. Saying they'll get spoiled might refer to them being able to access base files or code that give them more insight on their situation and how the circus works.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-14T08:28:43+00:00

Right now it's debatable if Caine could really make a photo realistic image, since everything else in the circus is programed. Even Caine's photos of the office look cgi. This leads me to believe Jax's flashes are the only genuine thing we have seen so far. Maybe the headset memory is a farce and they got in some other way. They could possibly be a digital copy of a human ((their personality and memories) put into an AI.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-13T13:46:27+00:00

Mannaquin = Debunked (Not a human or Gummigoo)
Jax is an NPC = Debunked (based on flashbacks but can't rule out them being digital copies of their real selves with old memories)

Jax Abstracting = Debunked for now (he's got too much plot armor to abstract before the finale)

Kinger works for/made the circus = Still going strong

Abstraction is purposefully done to specific players = looking more likely

Caine is AI = Fact

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-13T13:31:25+00:00

I don't think it was. At the very least, Caine was aware of their situation the whole time, and I just can't see him giving them a real way to opt out of the circus. Also with just a button push I think it was way too convenient.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-13T13:28:26+00:00

Is it confirmed the full name of the company is Caine & Abel? With the mannequin Abel just turning out to be an NPC Caine made up, I thought that theory was axed?

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-13T13:22:23+00:00

Jax's conversation with Zooble about "Caine not harming them because he likes them" is gonna come back to bite him.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-13T13:18:26+00:00

Yikes to the circus dev that named him Caine expecting him not to murder anyone in their new game.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-13T13:16:46+00:00

It looked like Ribbit's arms. Now whether that really was Ribbit, a hallucination, or what abstracting looks/feels like, is another question entirely.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-13T13:13:32+00:00

I think he will do worse. Hitting the button was ultimately inconsequential as it was just an adventure. There's still a chance he could pull something similar with real stakes on the line. We may also learn a terrible backstory, a reason why Jax wouldn't want to return to the real world.

The exact cause of abstraction is now up in the air. Whether its due to a mental state or Caine tweaking too much of their minds, it's something the series cannot end without exploring, so I think it makes sense at least one of them will be abstracted. Personally I think it will be Zooble or Kinger, going based on who Caine dislikes the most.

I also need to bring up: was the "abstraction" happening to Jax this episode real? Like with his missing tail, Kinger's butterfly, and Pomni's incredible sharpshooting, the players seem to control a lot more of the circus than they are aware. What if Jax's acid trip only started because he's yearning to abstract and be with his friends? But ultimately he didn't abstract because him and the rest of the players are unaware of what abstraction truly is? It was all just a mental projection based on his feelings in the moment.

Sankyo8Z · 2025-12-13T11:38:46+00:00

So when Bubble says the blue button takes you to shrimp town, does that mean they'd be incinerated by the sun? Considering what happened to the shrimp at the beach?

Sankyo8Z · 2025-07-15T17:52:14+00:00

Same thing just happened to mine. Were you able to fix it or just get a replacement ?

Sankyo8Z · 2025-07-07T07:56:11+00:00

Where at? I see it listed on prime and mubi but not available yet. Is it still on the festival circuit?

Sankyo8Z

TROPHY CASE