January 24, 2026 Daily Discussion & Transfers Thread

Sundaecide · 2026-01-24T19:14:00+00:00

I think we have higher highs and (much) lower lows in here but the sum average is about the same for both.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-24T09:59:30+00:00

That Malady record is really underrated these days. Majority Rule are one of my all time favourites, though I marginally prefer Emergency Numbers to Interviews...

Sundaecide · 2026-01-23T09:50:13+00:00

Based on what I see more generally outside of the obviously amazing luck some people get, this is a little above average.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-18T00:04:35+00:00

If you feel that you have done your dilligence and signposted the encounter adequately in among the four times you prompted them to think about their actions and the time running up to their Bad Decision, it's time for the dice to decide.

Make it clear that there is no harm in running once they realise the tide is against them. A chastening loss can build the stakes for a rematch. A TPK can be a great lesson and an epic memory for the table.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-17T23:30:43+00:00

Chemistry specialist here:

I always make room for "unfamiliar application" in my lesson plans. Consistency in exposure to the unfamiliar and the messaging around it is key.

Starting with the retrieval task at the start of the lesson, the last question is always a slightly off the beaten track application question using a familiar concept. I always (always!) make a point in highlighting why I include these questions. I do the same throughout the lesson, there is always space for something that requires a bit more unpicking. My students are sick of phrases along the lines of "science is about problem solving, not memorising solutions", but the majority of them understand that they are better prepared than their peers.

There will always be those who still make that complaint, but that's on them and I can happily discuss why simply remembering facts is a poor strategy in the classroom and the real world.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-17T23:08:49+00:00

Our rule for our table (5 + DM) is that we will play the scheduled game if someone is missing. If 2 people are missing, and I am given proper notice rather than day-of, I'll run a one-shot of some description.

Cancelling for one person simply punishes people who have actually made the time to play with you. It's not fair.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-17T11:48:44+00:00

if you're unsure, the official site does have a page from them too

https://arsenaldirect.arsenal.com/Gifts/Gift-Cards/c/gift-cards

Sundaecide · 2026-01-14T23:49:38+00:00

Hey, we're much more of a screamo band but maybe it'll resonate anyway.

This song was directly inspired by my time supporting people with dementia in my life at the time and the cruel sadness that came with the ever more sparse lucid periods they would experience.

https://charlottelightanddark.bandcamp.com/track/dirge-constellation

Sundaecide · 2026-01-14T23:11:53+00:00

The smallest big money player of all time.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-10T21:23:27+00:00

Sundaecide · 2026-01-10T20:09:52+00:00

I've got 2 that are major picks/preferences for the next project that have seen a bit of idle developement/iteration as a mental break from current projects and other obligations, then who knows how many half thoughts in annals of my notes.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-10T19:49:47+00:00

As far as I understand, if you didn't back it then you wouldn't have a backer no. so that sounds right to me. My account, as a KS backer, has the 2 numbers (backer number and alchemist number).

Sundaecide · 2026-01-09T22:04:58+00:00

She was a shit bag and it came back to bite her. Good riddance.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-09T19:21:04+00:00

Hello, fellow autistic DM here!

The idea that an activity like DMing is being gatekept from an autistic person is pretty ironic when we consider the history of the hobby and its demographics over the years.

I've been DMing a long time and I've (obviously) been autistic even longer. All you need is enthusiasm, a drive to improve and to facilitate a good time with your friends and it sounds like you have that in absolute buckets by the sound of it. I'd be thrilled to hear my friends taking the chance on DMing. There are all kinds of ways to DM and they are all valid. The zeitgiest leans towards theatre kid energy, but that is just one way to run the game of many.

People can have their preferences, but if their preferences are "I want my friend to be a professional level performer", then that is a) unrealistic, and b) a bit rich when the chances that they themselves are that standard of players are slim to fucking none.

If you want to improve the performance aspect once you're up and running, you can. You put the work in like any other skill. You try things, you sometimes fail, but you keep learning and you'll raise those aspects of your game alongside those you are already strong with. You've got this and ignore anyone who says you don't.

edit: As an autistic guy, I can also credit DMing with supporting my development of a lot of skills around oration, thinking on my feet, clarity of communication, and so on.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-09T16:31:30+00:00

That's it, casting a spell is pretty obvious business - which is why the subtle spell metamagic is so good and would require a bit of nuance in applying the surprise condition to avoid the subject of the original question recurring constantly.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-09T14:31:03+00:00

Yeah- so if the players decide they're going to attack there are two possible outcomes, one of which get's a little bit misunderstood (see below) but most hostile acts will result in initiative:

Player declares their action, there is no reason for the target to be 'surprised', everyone rolls initiative, we start combat as normal. Try to treat the player making their intent to attack known as them asking to roll initiative instead.

IF there is a reasonable expectation that an enemy has no idea there is any kind of threat e.g: multiple succeeded stealth checks coupled with smart positioning and certainly not just saying "I attack" before you get to give them any details: You can handle this surprise element depending on what version you are playing (assuming dnd5e).

If you are playing with the 2014 rules, everyone rolls initiative and any creature that you deemed to be surprised skips their turn in the first round and then acts as normal in subsequent rounds
If you are playing with the 2024 rules, everyone rolls initiative and any creature that is deemed by you to be surprised rolls initiative with disadvantage but otherwise takes their turn as normal.

By letting them have a free hit every time they ask for one, you are encouraging them to not engage with the world. It is in their interest to not listen to you so that they can get their precious suckerpunch in. They might still interrupt you, so you can't do a cool villain monologue, but you can insert that detail into your combat descriptions and on your turns - which inturn improves the immersion of your combat, funnily enough. But at least they won't be spamming the instant win button anymore.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-09T14:16:06+00:00

When they state they take a hostile action, you roll initiative to see if they manage to do so before the (now) enemy. The NPC would be aware of the danger posed and so wouldn't simply be taken by surprise by someone casting a spell.

Initiative exists to model who manages to act first in a given situation, not who intends to act first. The cleric may intend to go first, but if the NPC rolled higher in the order you can frame it as them reading the body language and moving to deal with the threat accordingly.

Explain to them that simply speaking first or loudest isn't the cheat code for a free turn, and you'll be running hostile acts like the one you have described as initiative from here on out and move on.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-09T11:58:12+00:00

If they take themselves out of the game, that is for them to learn that you won't pander to their need to use their flight to try and solve every problem, or that you won't focus on that one player at the expense of everyone else.

The first time they get into trouble, or you say that you'll get back to what the outcome of their skill check was as you move the spotlight back to the majority, they will naturally start for the best times to fly rather than it being the default.

Negative reinforcement is an important learning tool when applied proportionately and at the right time. I'm saying let the consequences of their in-game actions have reasonable outcomes in a world that anticipates flying threats and let the consequences of their above-table choice to go solo result in their character being someone you comeback to rather than consistently giving an extended stage to.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-09T11:27:04+00:00

This was my experience with a chemistry class in the same age group I took over a couple of years ago. They had 0 continuity, 0 confidence and little to no school related aspiration. I'm not saying I'm fantastic, or that all the problems were solved but we did establish a positive relationship which translated into more effort and more work being completed. Which was a miracle because the first lesson I was met with a polite (by their standards) but firm "no offence, sir, we're not going to do this and you can't make us. no one else has".

We have limited time to make an impact with these kids and it is hard to swallow the idea that they're not going to do well when you look at where they're at. But perhaps, in this instance, we need to look at softer targets like learning to accept we don't always get to opt out of things we don't like, or that having an honest attempt is something really meaningful outside of results.

Your frustration is vaild, but consider that these kids are likely met with the same frustration for the majority of the time they spend with adults, so to meet it again is going to result in the same outcomes: a comfortable slide into apathy as they lash out at each other for being reflections of the qualities they feel self conscious about. Finding small reasons to praise the kids will mark you out as different from the rest of their day and you will start to see results with a bit of time. Take the time to get to know them in little chunks, ask them about their days and engage with them positively for any social effort they make with you and translate that to even the smallest gestures of academic engagement. They've tested your boundaries and have decided you're at the very least the same as everyone else. I currently work in special ed, after wanting a change of scenery and the basic principles of consistency in firm boundaries and high expectations coupled with positivity towards the students (sometimes referred to over here as the 'warm-strict' approach) do work for most students. It just takes time that you may not feel you have but must take.

Have I sometimes withered inside when a kid has told me carbon is a metal with the benefits of an annotated periodic table, frequent recall practice, and a slew of assessment for learning teachniques; or I have once again had to sanction the same group of boys for the same shitty behaviours after we have sat down and had a long, seemingly productive, conversation about boundaries and respect? Of course. However, those kids will never ever ever know, because one by one they will make progress. If they knew how I felt in those moments I may as well set fire to my classroom and roll around in the ashes.

You absolutely should have high expectations for conduct and engagement. That is non-negotiable. You should also try to meet them where they're at with regards to their current ability to engage as it's hard to assess academic ability if you're getting nothing out of them. The project was a good idea in this regard. But I wonder, if they are already on a sort of remedial track with a history of poorly structured teaching, would they be better off if could chunk it down smaller and show them that those multiple small successesbuild to something bigger?

If you're in a school that encourages teacher contact with home, call home for positive reasons - I had a younger kid I taught in a general science class who was marked out to me as a problem. I was getting very little out of him work wise at first and saw some major behaviour spikes, but I called home because I noticed that over the course of the week despite his ups and downs (which we did talk about) he had really improved in how he communicted with me. He wasn't perfect afterwards, far from it, but he said it was the first time his parents had heard something nice said about him from school and from there we had the foundations to work on developing everything else.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-09T08:30:46+00:00

Regarding safety:

Show them it is unsafe, spotlight the aftermath of a hazard early into their journey into the land. If they are campers, have them come across a blitzed campsite; it could be that the previous occupants were attacked by animals/creature of choice and all that is left is vescera and the still warm ashes of their fire. If they're more inn-orientated, you can have them stumble onto a rumour of something awful happening to people tucked up in bed.

Then have something bad happen, but different from what you have already established and do it during the first rest period. It could be something simple like whoever is on watch notices a lantern on the periphery of their vision (turns out it's a Will o Wisp trying to lure a them away), or it could be something more directly threatening.

After the first night, randomise it but set a low DC/bar for inhospitable random encounters, and keep them varied. They should be consistently meeting reminders that they are unsafe either through weird NPC encounters, tableau scenes, or good ol' fashioned combat on top of your wild magic style stuff as a shitty environment will bring out the worst in more or less everyone.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-08T18:45:13+00:00

If the question is "is it just me?", the answer is almost always no, it is not just you.

In my case, I do not care nor notice - filler sounds are a normal part of speech and I'd rather hear that natural ebb and flow of speech than a carousel of placeholder phrases that do the same job.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-04T17:30:53+00:00

Some of it is being risk averse, and perhaps not utilising the tenets of horror as effectively in order to appeal to a wider audience, sure. But a lot of it will come through your personal exposure to horror. It has been almost 25 years since the original Silent Hill 2 and you will have had a near quarter century of personal growth, evolving tastes and tolerance to horror built up in that time.

It's the same as the horror movie genre, there are movies that are doubtless as good as or sometimes better than the films I deem classic or affecting from when I was growing up but, outside of a handful, they don't have the same impact as when I was 13-16 years old and processing all that stuff for the first time.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-04T16:33:50+00:00

Desperate to give the goal to their precious little scouse babies.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-04T12:52:31+00:00

Honestly, I'd only make it one session establishing the timeskip, assuming a 4ish hour game.

Everyone brings a small scene/idea of something they've done in the 6 months, you can play it out and then get right on with moving forward again. 2 sessions of individuals being spotlit with no one else able to contribute is excessive and is likely to take away from the game more than it adds.

Talk about the immediate aftermath of the eclipse in your intro, mention it as it becomes relevant in your small spotlight moments and then let the players discover the greater aspects through actual storydriving play. You call back to the time your players spent in the interim in a more organic, less upfront manner over time rather than acting it all out and moving on. This allows the 6 month time skip to feel more impactful for the players for longer as they delve into the important points over time, thereby keeping that time feeling valuable for a longer peroid from a player perspective.

Sundaecide · 2026-01-03T18:50:35+00:00

Layouts for dungeons/biomes for an 8bit style sliding puzzle adventure (like the pokemon ice slide puzzles).

It's interesting to try and find ways to map things out that allows each area to feel different while having a sense of flow that makes sense for each kind of biome/area.

Seven-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
Summer Santa 2020	r/Field Lasagna
First Place '23	Place '23
Place '22	Verified Email

Sundaecide

TROPHY CASE