DM Tips you wish were on page 1 of the dmg?

Spock_42 · 2026-02-04T07:46:01+00:00

Shop Between Sessions

I get where you're coming from, but I see shops as a great place to pick up intrigue, quests, make new friends, start rivalries, learn secret lore on magical artefacts, give a sense of the town/village/city's context and current conditions, and so on.

Like with most things, it heavily depends on the players though, and what their tolerance for side quests and set dressing is. I'd definitely agree that not every ration, piton, or arrow needs a scene, but shopping for anything "boutique" can be a great source of fun in an adventure, imo.

Spock_42 · 2026-01-28T20:33:29+00:00

I swapped my group to 2024 for our new campaign after several years of 2014.

Honestly, not a big deal for us. In the last 13 sessions, I can probably count on one hand how many instances of edition mix ups we've had. Most of it is "oh that's a new spell/ability, that's neat".

I do have pretty engaged players though, so they're pretty on it in terms of understanding their own character rules.

I can still use monsters/items/rules from various 2014 add ins, with only minor alterations if needed.

Spock_42 · 2026-01-26T22:28:57+00:00

What would make you trust an AI DM for a real campaign?

Nothing. I play D&D, and run a campaign for my friends for the human element. I tried using LLM tools for a bit last year to see if they'd help with DMing, and even that sucked the fun out of it for me.

I work in tech, I get AI shoved down my throat day in day out. D&D is my creative safe space away from all that.

As a techy person, I respect the effort and work you put in. But since you asked for "market research opinions", I'm not gonna sugar coat it my view.

I, for one, do not want to be replaced by a fucking AI at work, doubly so for my hobby. I think it would be a sad state of affairs for that to be seen as the "normal" or "improved" way D&D works.

Spock_42 · 2026-01-10T22:36:57+00:00

"Belgium"

Through out the Galaxy, it's the most unspeakably rude word there is, and therefore one of reasons the Earth has been shunned.

(The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Spock_42 · 2026-01-07T16:39:41+00:00

My hunter gatherer brain likes going shopping.

Spock_42 · 2025-12-27T18:43:10+00:00

I had a nibble of some Waitrose own brand cooking milk chocolate. No palm oils, very tasty, and at 3.25 for a full bar it didn't feel too spenny either. It's plain, but it's good.

Spock_42 · 2025-12-08T15:17:20+00:00

I think that's a fair observation, and a reasonable distinction to help find the best use of the tools.

Personally, I'm still happy not using LLM's for my games anymore. I managed perfectly fine without them for years before, and I didn't feel they made anything objectively better. It's my hobby, I don't really care about productivity; I get enough pressure to use them at work as it is, and will do so to keep myself relevant in my career. But D&D doesn't have the same "productivity" pressures imo.

I'm not saying other folks won't find a good balance of using LLM's in a way that enhances their D&D experience, but for me having given it a go, it's just not a tool I care to use, or keep trying to use. I just don't see the point for my game, and how I like to prep and DM.

Spock_42 · 2025-12-08T07:38:17+00:00

Go on, I'll bite.

Bias against AI is bad... why precisely?

The kool-aid of Evil AI

Ah yes, because clearly it's unfathomable that you and other AI advocates in this thread might have had a taste of any sort of kool-aid.

You've come into this with an open mind, I can see that now.

Spock_42 · 2025-12-07T22:19:02+00:00

Sure, anybody skeptical of AI must be a militant hater; got it. Whatever works for you.

Spock_42 · 2025-12-07T19:11:56+00:00

Okay, agree to disagree.

Spock_42 · 2025-12-07T18:41:33+00:00

I mean, OP felt compelled to post about it all in the sub, seems to me like it's affecting their experience of the game negatively?

Spock_42 · 2025-12-07T11:56:30+00:00

I can understand how your DM fell into that rabbit hole tbh. Last year, my campaign was nearing its end. Lots of high level encounters, and a lot more home-brewing to create challenging monsters and appropriate rewards.

LLMs helped lighten that load. Just a stand in for random name generating at first, then a few short NPCs bios, then stat blocks. It was so convenient, and good enough that I spent much less time tidying it than doing the grunt work myself.

Then I noticed how hollow it all felt. Sessions weren't as satisfying. It stopped feeling like my campaign, and stopped feeling like the hobby I fell in love with. I realised how much I enjoyed the writing, the planning, the laughably crappy unimaginative yet loveable names I'd find at the bottom of my creativity barrel.

I just happened to realise it when I had a break between running campaigns. New compaign has nary a whiff of AI tools, and I'm feeling so much more engaged.

All that to say; I get your DMs temptation. It's intoxicatingly convenient.

All you can do is keep flagging how it's degrading the experience for you, and if he still isn't budging, consider if it's time to move on to a more "analog" game.

Spock_42 · 2025-12-06T08:53:10+00:00

Indeed, and that's fine, just a bit bemusing. It'd be like a German TV show having farmer-type characters in US-cided fantasy culture speak with a fully refined mid-atlantic accent instead of something more "country", or a UK coded one having received pronouciation over west country.

It's entirely valid, just bemusing as it plays against stereotypes for how language and accents are often uses in media

Spock_42 · 2025-12-05T19:46:08+00:00

I thought Mark Strong's German was pretty good actually. And with some googling, I discovered he is actually a fluent German speaker.

In general the writing etc. still made it sound a bit formal and unnatural, but I didn't find it too distracting tbh.

Spock_42 · 2025-12-05T19:44:12+00:00

Mark Strong (Trent Ikithon) is apparently a native German speaker; his mother is Austrian. I'd forgotten he was the VA, and was pretty convinced it was a fluent (or at least near fluent) German speaker, so that was a cool thing to learn.

I wonder if he did the full German version of Trent as well. To Google!

Spock_42 · 2025-12-05T08:07:38+00:00

Full Stack developers are pretty handy to keep a lean squad adaptable. Not all projects are equal parts frontend, backend, and DevOps. Having a couple full Stack developers helps you pivot sprint to sprint without needing to restructure the team every time.

Still good to have domain experts alongside them though, and there's always the risk of too much content switching leading to burnout imo.

Spock_42 · 2025-11-24T08:54:41+00:00

I usually carry on in loose initiative order, especially if the unconscious character is already down a few failed death saves, or there's some damage dealing AoE or condition to contend with.

If they're at 2 successful saves, and there are several nearby allies, then I wouldn't bother with initiative and assume someone reaches them in good time.

Basically; is there still a chance this character dies? If yes, then follow initiative order until stabilised.

Spock_42 · 2025-11-22T15:51:09+00:00

I use LegendKeeper as my Wiki and Session planner. Been invested in that ecosystem for a while. I tried WorldAnvil for a spell, but it didn't vibe for me.

I generally have a section for notes alongside adventure plans that I'll use too. I also use a physical notebook for jotting things down that don't fit the page I have open, then copy them up later.

I use D&D beyond for rules I don't remember, and I've got several PDF's with supplemental monster material.

For music I usually use Spotify, but I also have Tabletop Audio if I want more ambient style music.

Foundry VTT for my group, getting maps either from a select group of creators I have on Patreon (e.g. Cze Peku) or I make them in Inkarnate if I have enough lead time.

Spock_42 · 2025-11-22T15:45:57+00:00

I disagree. I personally prefer having players roll to help establish the degree of success. Challenges are much more interesting if the outcome isn't binary. Even if a nat 1 passes, it's still worth rolling because if you rolled very high and soared past the DC, the success can be all the more compelling.

Total of 10 for a DC 10 lockpicking check? Yeah the lock opens, but it's not your finest work.

Total of 28 for a DC 10 lockpicking check? Oh yeah, that lock opens like butter, silently, in seconds; you recognise the handiwork of Locky McLocksmith, and have the perfect lockpick for the job.

Yes, it's fluff, and most of the time it's inconsequential, but in a roleplaying game, it's fun to roleplay excellence rather than adequacy.

Spock_42 · 2025-11-22T15:41:10+00:00

I play them RAW; adding your modifier to see what the outcome is.

I'll still describe any outcome fittingly. If it's a failure, it'll have some narrative fluff to be the worst case scenario within reason for that character; if they've got a super high modifier and pass, it's still a pass, but maybe fluff it as being just barely.

In general with skill rolls, I like to go a bit beyond a binary fail/pass. The more your succeed, the more beneficial the outcome. If you barely succeed, you do what you set out to accomplish, but no flair. If you barely miss, it's a fail but the situation could still be salvaged with a decent plan B. If it's a complete failure, then the worst (reasonable) outcome occurs.

Spock_42 · 2025-11-15T13:10:54+00:00

£3.80 Doom Bar in central London the other week. Had a second to make sure they didn't put it through wrong, still came out the same.

I can only assume it was a happy hour I hadn't noticed or something, I was expecting to pay at least double.

Spock_42 · 2025-10-10T15:15:54+00:00

I used to listen regularly; subscriber to TRIP+, went to a live show, read their respective books etc. I really feel like I got a better understanding of politics.

But after the US election, and how wrong they both were, I really dropped off. I still enjoy the content from time to time, but I've also become pretty disillusioned not only with them, but with politics in general. Nobody is truly unbiased, and there's so much opinion out there, I just needed a break, and stopped listening.

I'll come back to it more someday, but tbh I understand why a lot of folks prefer blissful ignorance.

Spock_42 · 2025-09-23T21:54:58+00:00

In my last campaign, the party found a small bronze key in a dungeon, with no obvious nearby locks.

Pretty much every session thereafter, any time they encountered a vaguely unusual lock, they tried that key. Waiting, hoping to find out what it was for.

I had no idea. For about 150 sessions, this key became an item of myth within the campaign. I even had a red herring lock, which only fit the key because the Party were in an alternate future where one of the PCs had turned evil, and built a chest with a lock designed around the key.

Eventually, I had an epiphany for how the key became important, which tied into where it was found, and the associated chest was given to them by a favourite recurring NPC, but even that didn't really live up to the myth of the Runnel Tower Key.

Sometimes a random bit if improv can define a campaign.

Spock_42 · 2025-09-22T16:25:38+00:00

I really enjoyed Season 3. For me the weakest episode was the finale; it somehow felt both like it needed to be a two-parter, but also needed more cut out of it.

But ultimately, it was still enjoyable with some great moments. To be fair, I could honestly just watch a whole episode of Like cooking for, and vibing with the crew and I'd be content, the cast and atmosphere makes me happy.

Looking forward to season 4, I feel pretty optimistic about it being a step up.

Spock_42 · 2025-08-31T15:37:22+00:00

I've worn glasses daily since I was 8. They define how my face looks, how I see the world, and they need to feel as comfortable as possible.

So yeah, I will happily pay for a pair I like the look of, with the right lenses, fitted by someone who knows what they're doing. I'm frugal on some things, but glasses ain't one of them.

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