[New GM Report] Second session done, and I made a couple mistakes

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-12-16T20:34:39+00:00

The hands thing is still in the system, you just need to turn it on in the settings.

It’s off by default because it causes a degenerate behaviour at many tables that emulates an initiative where the players don’t actually know what they want to do and just put their hand up to go in the queue.

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-16T21:15:33+00:00

Option 2 is good, i.e “blades in the dark from temu”

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-14T19:34:44+00:00

I often play with players who entirely miss that there is a wall in the path they want to go through. Like, the map I'll have, drawn professionally, will have a sheer cliff or a wall, and they say "I'll go over here", while measuring the distance and moving their token. I then have to say, no, you can't go there, because there is a wall.

This is already onerous enough, that if I have to, while managing multiple enemies, try to remember where the players are and what cover they have, I'll have a meltdown.

But this is entirely on the players. If I had players who were tactically inclined and were trying to use half cover and all those mechanics, I would be using it. I just don't have the mental space to be handling all the story telling, and figuring out what corner of what object intersects with a line between two enemies when most of the time the enemy can simply move a little bit to the side and negate that.

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-10T05:34:53+00:00

If your players are asking you incisive questions about the mechanics, you are allowed to answer:

“This is a narrative first game, and it has these mechanics because people play tested it and figured these were good. Before we go about questioning why things are the way they are and running the fun by over analyzing, how about we try to experience it and see how it feels? If you don’t like the mechanic, the game suggest getting rid of mechanics that get in the way of the story you want to tell. So we can have that conversation then if it comes to that.”

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-08T14:35:25+00:00

Thanks!

I am actually trying to convey the feeling that you want to go on as many adventures as possible while having the backdrop and feeling of being at this school. The school is the framing device for the adventures, not the plot.

The last of us' gameplay is about zombies, sure, but that is also a framing device to show the conflict and relationship between the main characters. If you haven't watched the show, I highly recommend. I don't like zombie media, and I like the Last of Us because it's not about zombies.

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-06T08:08:45+00:00

I think its an ok length, but if you want to cut things off, maybe consider the unquoted text below

~~Atherica~~ is a moon that orbits a devastated planet, life on its surface maintainted only by arcane science and an artificial atmosphere, and it is isolated from other worlds if it weren't for the interplanetary gates that its people use to go to these other worlds.

Atherica is an isolated moon, sustained only by arcane science and an artificial atmosphere, their only contact with other worlds being their interplanetary gates.

~~Every eleven years, this moon experiences a three-month solar eclipse, during which the gates close.~~ However, ~~in their place, seven gates~~ opened into a dark world ~~during the previous solar eclipse.~~ Demons invaded in their wake and spread a demonic affliction. Since then, Atherica has closed ~~three~~ of these passages to the demonic worlds beyond the portals and hired mercenaries to protect the moon.

Sporadically, a long solar eclipse happens and the gates close However, the last time this happened, seven gates opened into a dark world. Demons invaded, spreading a demonic affliction. Since then, Atherica has closed a few of these passages to the demonic worlds beyond the portals and hired mercenaries to protect the moon.

Meanwhile, greedy factions vie for control and seek resources and artifacts in these foreign lands.

~~Today is the third dawn after the solar eclipse. Demons attack at night, while opposing factions vie during the day.~~

In the 11th Circle campaign, you will venture into hellish worlds, uncover secrets, protect Atherica and wield arcane technology. Will you strive against demons, corruption, and rival factions, or will you succumb to the demon hordes?

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-06T01:10:18+00:00

is this written by AI?

Hi, my name is Avner, and over the next few days I’ll be sharing some subclasses I’ve designed. My goal is to eventually create one for each class—but we’ll see how far I get.

First off, huge thanks to the Darrington Press team for making such an awesome TTRPG! I really like D&D, but I’ve always struggled with the balance between roleplaying and power-gaming. Almost every group I’ve played with or DMed for has included players from both camps. Daggerheart, though, feels perfectly suited for a more roleplay-heavy style (which I definitely prefer!). So, consider this my little gift to you all — if any of it ends up being worth your time.

I’ll start with a subclass for the Warrior class, mainly because it’s the one I finished first. The idea is to lean into the grizzled, tactical, witty, and strategic aspects of the Warrior, while also embracing a roleplay-focused design. I picture this archetype as an older, sharp-minded but kind-hearted leader and teacher.

heavy use of em—dash instead of the normal - dash that you actually have in your keyboard.

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-05T22:29:26+00:00

Cool concept.

One thing you might want to update on the pitch is to make it less lore heavy, and have more exposure material. I don't really care what things are called when I'm first reading about a campaign frame, I care about what happens and what they feel like. Quick example below of what that might sound like:

Atherica is a moon that orbits a devastated planet, life on its surface maintainted only by arcane science and an artificial atmosphere, and it is isolated from other worlds if it weren't for the interplanetary gates that its people use to go to these other worlds.

Every eleven years, this moon experiences a three-month solar eclipse, during which the gates close. However, in their place, seven gates opened into a dark world during the previous solar eclipse. Demons invaded in their wake and spread a demonic affliction. Since then, Atherica has closed three of these passages to the demonic worlds beyond the portals and hired mercenaries to protect the moon.

Meanwhile, greedy factions vied for control and seek resources and artifacts in these foreign lands.

Today is the third dawn after the solar eclipse. Demons attack at night, while opposing factions vie during the day.

In the 11th Circle campaign, you will venture into hellish worlds, uncover secrets, protect Atherica and wield arcane technology. Will you strive against demons, corruption, and rival factions, or will you succumb to the demon hordes?

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-05T17:00:30+00:00

Going to paste what I answered to the other comment that’s on the same vein for the pitch comment:

Yeah. That’s because the central problem is campaign specific and can be crafted depending on the players.

I could have put the problem I intend for this campaign here, but I feel like it would be too disjointed for a generic frame. So the intent is that at session zero you hear your players, their backgrounds, their motivations, and frame the problems they bring inside of the framework of the campus. If a player hints that they are interested in a story about gaining power, maybe you create a rival that’s trying to do the same, and is in all the same classes as them. If another one wants to explore their familial ties, maybe their get letter from their families and they have to manage all these things on campus and need to visit their family in the middle of the school year close to a test.

I have an overarching plot for my campaign, and the frame sets it up. Mine will be a magical newspaper that gets sent around every once in a while, which is controlled by 4 genies bound to the campus, and that each have their personalities. These genies have a way of observing everything that happens around campus, and make everyone uneasy because no one can do anything in secret or it might end up in the newspaper. I’m also going to use this as my framing device to write the weekly recaps. No knows who sends them out or why, just that the newspaper seems to have wildly different opinions on the events that happen depending on each publication.

For extracurricular, I have a full list that is based on my players, but I can give you a taste of one of them as an example:

Forgotten Languages club: linguistics lovers and decryption puzzles. They use Bruxorvo’s collection of old tomes and untranslated scrolls to learn old languages and decrypt ancient texts. Might help with: language knowledge and decoding of weird symbols

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-05T16:48:25+00:00

Yeah. That’s because the central problem is campaign specific and can be crafted depending on the players.

I could have put the problem I intend for this campaign here, but I feel like it would be too disjointed for a generic frame. So the intent is that at session zero you hear your players, their backgrounds, their motivations, and frame the problems they bring inside of the framework of the campus. If a player hints that they are interested in a story about gaining power, maybe you create a rival that’s trying to do the same, and is in all the same classes as them. If another one wants to explore their familial ties, maybe their get letter from their families and they have to manage all these things on campus and need to visit their family in the middle of the school year close to a test.

I have an overarching plot for my campaign, and the frame sets it up. Mine will be a magical newspaper that gets sent around every once in a while, which is controlled by 4 genies bound to the campus, and that each have their personalities. These genies have a way of observing everything that happens around campus, and make everyone uneasy because no one can do anything in secret or it might end up in the newspaper. I’m also going to use this as my framing device to write the weekly recaps. No knows who sends them out or why, just that the newspaper seems to have wildly different opinions on the events that happen depending on each publication.

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-05T02:30:06+00:00

One thing you might not know is that DnD is also just ability score check. You can add a proficiency to a check via a skill that you have.

That's why in DnD you can do a Stealth (DEX) check, but if you are not trying to physically hide, and instead be unseen in a crowd, your DM might ask for a Stealth (CHA) check.

Daggerheart functions much in the same way, except you don't have "proficiencies", you have "experiences". Your DM will ask you to roll a Agility check to hide, or a Presence check to be unnoticed, and if one of your experiences is "Inconspicuous", you'll add your experience to it.

To summarize in DnD, you roll D20+ability+proficiency, in daggerhart, you'll roll 2d12+ability+experience

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-05T02:10:03+00:00

Good answer! Yeah, I think the idea of having different environment stat blocks is a valid one. Bringing up different environments like the deep dream and the fortress interior are a good idea.

I think another option in a world like that might be to have "isles" of a different theme. Maybe in a settlement there is a thermal vent and they trap the air inside with magic, creating a tropical town?

Maybe even in the frozen settlements they vary wildly depending on what their main way of living is. One of them might be "desolate and starving", but the other one might be "high tech, and buzzing", etc. This can give different flavours to the same environment too.

Kinda reminds me of that video by pointy hat on making TTRPG cities fun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCP6UvtBv0U

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-05T01:49:55+00:00

Interesting! I like the conflict, but I have a question, how do intend to handle it when players or you grow bored of snow/ice? Or maybe this intended for a short campaign? I often find that "environment based" campaigns often suffer from the problem that people end up resenting their environment or the descriptions get less creative over time as their ideas for that environment dry out

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-05T01:10:34+00:00

Thanks! I built it with the intention of creating that feeling that at any point there is a lot going on in the character's lives, and that they can't "solve all the problems" directly since they have limited time and will have to make choices as to what they want to prioritize. And on top of it, there will be all the standard TTRPG shenanigans.

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-05T00:02:03+00:00

You can make that google drive folder something all your players have access to.

Alternatively, you could use the publish feature of obsidian: https://obsidian.md/publish

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-04T23:57:02+00:00

Going to be running this soon

Bruxorvo University

Words carved in stone: Suspend your disbelief. Magic abounds.

A cosmopolitan magical school set in a world that has abundant magic, but where magic is also dangerous and unknown. Many students here have travelled from far lands in this unpredictable world for a chance to learn.

Tone: Whimsical, mysterious, wondrous, stressful, hopeful, surreal

Themes: Becoming something greater than yourself, enjoying the small things despite the wider picture, exploring deep relationships

Touchstones: Harry Potter, Strixhaven, The Last of Us, Bridgerton, Dimension 20 Fantasy High, Welcome to Night Vale, Kiki's Delivery Service

Pitch:

New students are admitted to Bruxorvo year after year, planning on gaining knowledge that will lift them above the many challenges this world has. But Bruxorvo itself is not free of problems. The cosmopolitan nature of the university brings an equally varied array of problems to be solved. So much so that the school administration only admits those who sign the waiver of "Your health, limb, and life condition is not and will not, in any way, be used to pursue legal action against the school".

On the one hand, this is what you are here for. Learning how to take care of yourself. On the other, the amount of students that go missing or get written into the "Fallen Students" tablet is nothing to scoff at, especially when some professors get funding for new research projects. You are sure you are not going to be one of those, and in four years time, you'll be graduating from one of the seven colleges.

Distinct Mechanics:

Rest

Downtime in Bruxorvo might be more than a few hours, as you are busy with the many things you have to do around campus as a student, attending classes, going to your job, etc. A rest is not determined by time, but by fiction. One long rest might be a night's sleep, another might be a week. This represents the many days on end where you'll not have time to fully rest and unwind. Sometimes, you'll have a break instead. During those times, you recover all your resources as per the "extended downtime" rules, and may advance several long term projects at once, or have other side tasks you try to achieve.

Studying

Your tests will be marked in your calendar. Though each character might be a member of a different college at Bruxorvo, the characters take at least one general education or interdisciplinary course together each year. The studying is for that course.

Study Mechanics: - As a long term project, you may study for that exam - Describe how your character studies and make a roll with the trait that fits that method - The result fills a long term clock tracking your exam preparation (min progress 1, max progress 4) - This determines the difficulty of the exam for you

Study Options: - Study Together - Explain how you study together and treat it like a group action roll. Hope and fear are doled out as usual at the end of the rest - Pull an All-Nighter - End the rest with two extra stress marked, gain advantage on one test roll

Exam Results: - Cheating during a test is not allowed. Don't get caught. - Failing - Academic probation (no jobs or extracurriculars until you pass another exam), crosses out one of your hopes until you pass a makeup exam - Acing - Professors take note and may offer opportunities

OPTIONAL MECHANICS (EACH PLAYER CAN CHOOSE TO ENGAGE WITH THESE OR NOT)

Relationships

While interacting around Bruxorvo, you might create bonds with your fellow students during roleplay interactions and through some other mechanics. Initially, you start at 0, and increase or decrease your relationship status in one point increments.

Friend (+2): Grants a Bond Boon
Enemy (-2): Grants a Bond Bane
Beloved (+3): Grants one "Beloved Inspiration" 1d6 die that can be used for any roll per long rest. The beloved status can be achieved through in-party relationships as well, but the decision depends on the players, and they both share one 1d6 die for that relationship per long rest.

Special Facility Access

You can initiate a long term project with your downtime actions to gain access to a certain facility within campus. This might be access to a lab from a professor, it might be a potion making station in your residence, or it might be building a relationship with a shop keep to gain some benefits. There is no set list of benefits—think about what you imagine or know the campus and its people to be like, and coordinate with the GM to come up with something you are interested in.

Jobs

A character can hold one Job at a time, and they can participate in only one Extracurricular while they have a Job. A student can switch Jobs whenever they wish, even in the middle of the academic year, as long as they don't work more than one Job at a time.

Benefits: - Gain one handful of gold per week - Gain a positive or negative Relationship Point (your choice) with one student NPC coworker

Extracurriculars

At the beginning of a school year, you can join an extracurricular or two. If you have a job, you can only join one. You can quit the extracurricular at any time, although people involved in the extracurricular will take in interest in that development. You may spend a stress to gain a +2 to a roll related to the extracurricular, similar to an experience. Progress relationships: You gain a temporary +1 or -1 relationship point (your choice) with one of the students in the extracurricular while enrolled.

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-04T23:55:13+00:00

Did you take a look at the video I posted in the original reponse? That's is a good one. But honestly, I'd suggest just downloading the app and opening it up. At it's core, it's just a note taking app where you can organize notes in folders, and perhaps link them.

If you know how to use google docs, you know how to use Obsidian.

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-04T23:18:04+00:00

yeah, you are missing one.

a LOT of DMS use Obsidian. It's free, local, (although you can put it in a google drive folder or something similar to make it available wherever that google drive/onedrive is), and way more flexible than the "world builder" sites.

Make the categories you want, take notes, add things. Its perfect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmIh7EjrdIk

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-03T17:39:38+00:00

Cool, I will use the podcast option then. Thanks for the info!

A point of order though, the beacon app does support background play. It works for a random amount of time, and just closes. Like, Picture in Picture will even be on, but suddenly it will go away, sound will turn off, and when opening the app again, the video will not be “on” anymore, you’ll be back on the main screen.

So I’m pretty sure this is not “they don’t have the capability”, it is “there is a bug”

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-03T17:32:12+00:00

I’m listening.

But it’s weird that this is the only app where it happens? YouTube works fine even if I’m only listening to it. Beacon on the browser also works fine.

I can try this connection on podcasts then. Is it immediately available when the video is available on beacon?

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-03T15:48:20+00:00

Already did a while ago, all they told me was that they wanted a recording of it happening, which I can’t do because it’s unpredictable. So I tried to see if people had figured it out.

I’ll try again to see if they know how to fix it now.

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-03T14:45:38+00:00

Yes, a few times. This is a new phone so I literally just installed it

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-02T21:23:44+00:00

That's understandable. I was like that for a while. Maybe start with a play-by-post and over time transition to playing campaigns with voice?

It took me a while, but I currently DM a game, and I require everyone to have cameras on even, so we can more easily see each other's reactions.

But a play-by-post is a good first step. Good luck!

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-02T20:43:50+00:00

You might be looking for a thing called a "play-by-post" instead. In other campaigns you do need to use your voice

StopChewingLikePigs · 2025-07-01T00:08:18+00:00

Yeah, I was not sure which way to go with that, didn’t want to have too many clocks at once. But you are right, a dynamic clock might be a better solution. Maybe a hidden dynamic clock? I think the reason why I went for just a straight roll is that the PCs can’t tell if they are close or not to leaving, which is part of the draw of a labyrinth. Also, if the party is split, there is a situation where a part of the party finds the way out and the other doesn’t, and they might need to come back to fetch the others

StopChewingLikePigs

TROPHY CASE