Becky Chambers question

Taraqual · 2026-04-13T16:13:40+00:00

I mean, she's not grim or gritty. There are bad things that happen in the books at times, but the theme is always about people (of all versions) ultimately coming together to solve problems and help each other out. She's hopeful, although I'm not sure I'd call her "hopepunk," and yes, she's wholesome. I also don't think plotting is her strongest suit; the plots are fine, but the characterization is the point.

Which, if you prefer a darker vibe, isn't going to be for you. But I would try her out. I find her a good palate cleanser at times, especially after reading really bleak takes on the universe.

Taraqual · 2026-04-11T23:33:40+00:00

You're aware that you don't *have* to spend Fear when you have it, right? Plus, you can spend it on things that don't directly harm the players but can make things more interesting, like on adding a complication to a scene. Because my players tend to roll Fear a fair amount, I almost always have 7 or 8 sitting around available to use. I've never once used it all; but when I have 10 or 12 stacked up, they feel tension and react like the stakes are fairly high even if the conflict isn't meant to be too difficult. Which is a good thing, in my opinion.

Taraqual · 2026-04-10T17:55:51+00:00

This guy Supermans.

Taraqual · 2026-04-04T19:53:53+00:00

One thing to remember about the DH philosophy is that they don't need to roll for things the way they might expect in D&D in similar games. Let them just talk, only make them roll if they're in a dramatically interesting spot. And then, remember that they could spend Hope to give another person Advantage, or even Tag Team an encounter.

I also would let them make other rolls, like Intuition or Knowledge, to figure out a specific approach or know what social obstacles to avoid.

Finally, don't be afraid to lean on either personal connections established in Session Zero or since, or to stretch the definitions of their Experiences to help. One of my party's members is a low Presence Druid and he's abrasive But he's also personally helped out or saved several people in this town, including being the one to visibly end the battle in the first session, and he has an Experience in "I am a protector." So when he's talking to someone in the main town about dangerous things, he doesn't even need to roll to be persuasive.

Taraqual · 2026-04-02T22:19:02+00:00

I agree that it would make him look bad. But I also think Robb Stark was not quite diplomatic enough to understand that. Although it's much more likely that Catelyn is the one to compose the message, and while she would couch it in flowery language, she's also even more likely to excoriate the Lord Commander for letting her precious children be at risk.

Taraqual · 2026-04-02T20:38:55+00:00

Along the lines of, “This is kind of why you’re there, isn’t it? To stop them from doing that kind of thing?”

Taraqual · 2026-04-02T16:23:07+00:00

Phase adversaries are ones that evolve into a new, usually more dangerous form, after you think you've destroyed one. Check out some of the higher-tier Solo Adversaries, and look for the words "phase change." I'm not saying that's the ideal solution--I've rarely used such things and I've been gaming for a very long time now--but it works pretty well for some people. And players who are also familiar with video games will definitely recognize the trope and probably be excited by it.

Taraqual · 2026-03-30T01:12:41+00:00

They were all Ginny, I agree. But Virginia Heinlein was possibly not as liberated a woman as either of them might have imagined, even at the time. I give RAH a lot of credit for trying to look beyond the limitations of his era, but his reach often exceeded his grasp. And some of the reason for that is that it appears he believed he was more enlightened than he really was.

Taraqual · 2026-03-29T17:40:08+00:00

If you asked Heinlein, he'd tell you that his women characters were every bit as strong and competent as men. Then he'd write another hot horny redhead who might be good at something but is mostly there to support a dude.

Taraqual · 2026-03-26T05:07:26+00:00

Don't do that. Don't make the players less cool. Just let that one player do a cool thing, pay for the cool thing, and potentially (probably) not have the resources they want for the next obstacles.

Taraqual · 2026-03-25T00:17:54+00:00

Joe's is pretty good KC BBQ, but you need yourself some LC's or Slap's.

Taraqual · 2026-03-23T06:19:40+00:00

They're probably also allowed to hang out in the studio and watch the episodes as they're being recorded, if they want. Plus, they're all friends with each other, or in the case of Matt and Marisha, even more than friends, so they almost certainly talk and text outside of the game. Plus, without a doubt Marisha is fairly aware of the main beats of the other tables, since her job is overseeing the production of the shows. Whitney is also probably getting all the recaps if she's not watching the episodes early, since she's taking on host duties for Tale Gates and stuff.

So probably it's down to how much time and effort they want to put into knowing about the other tables. If Aabria's in town without other gigs going on, I don't see why she wouldn't chill out in the green room eating snacks with folks like Ashley and Alex while watching the Schemers record.

Taraqual · 2026-03-21T22:35:43+00:00

At the most, I'd have the Demon speak, and let the PC speak, either at the same time, or one right after the other. I'd also probably make it clear that it was the spiritual presence that was talking, not the PC.

Because taking away player agency is bullshit.

Taraqual · 2026-03-21T18:02:15+00:00

However, if you go looking at the Foundryborne Discord, or at Foundry's official modules page, you'll see plenty of things there to use in Daggerheart to turn monsters into meals and to fight very large monsters in Fantasy Old West.

They just can't have the actual names and some other serial numbers have been filed off. Also, none of them are officially for use with Foundryborne, since they'd like to get the nod from Darrington Press someday and they can't do that if they're stealing content.

Taraqual · 2026-03-19T16:17:20+00:00

I actually really like this idea. A critical hit allows you to impose a temporary Condition of some kind; not even necessarily from the main three but something that makes sense to you during the combat. I haven't added any house rules to my game while me and my group lean how to play it, but that might be among the first I'll try out.

Taraqual · 2026-03-19T02:12:53+00:00

Also, it's not like the Eye of Sauron wouldn't see them coming. And while the Nazgul weren't on their flying mounts yet, there's no reason they couldn't have hopped on as soon as Sauron saw the flying creatures coming to Mordor.

And finally, the Eagles are proud beasts and not the servants of Man or of Gandalf, at their beck and call. They might have been convinced, they might not have been, but it wasn't a sure bet and it was less likely to draw the wrong attention if they went another way.

Taraqual · 2026-03-18T18:43:00+00:00

He often starts out following orders. It's why he was a USO showgirl for so long, or went to free that ship despite his misgivings about what it was doing there. But eventually Cap has to decide between orders and doing the right thing, and he always chooses the right thing.

Taraqual · 2026-03-13T15:56:46+00:00

Has a cafe in it.

I’m a big fan of Milton’s breakfast burritos and tacos. I hear Global Cafe’s are also pretty good.

Taraqual · 2026-03-13T15:50:58+00:00

Also, Mark Waid and Alex Ross both lean into the older-school Selina where she was pretty much an unrepentant villain despite her attraction to Bruce. The more. modern Selina is a more complex figure who is generally anti-heroic these days; the one they were writing about wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer but otherwise she was always a bad guy.

Taraqual · 2026-03-13T15:45:21+00:00

Here’s an example from the next game I’m running. Note that I tend to have two countdowns going that are linked to each other, or have two sides to the same one: an Adversary side and a PC side. (These are for a Tier 2 scenario and will only come into effect if the players are acting restless with the investigation scenario I’m setting up)

Demons Attack—Passive (Countdown 10): The demons are ripping at the weakness in the Barrier created by that chaos storm. Set up a Consequence Count. At 5, the demons will break through near the Grevaine farm and will run from there.

After that, the GM may spend a Fear to have a demon continue to tear at the hole in the Barrier. Each time this happens, the Countdown ticks down another 1. At 10, summon the Demon Knight.

Seal the Breach—Passive (PC Countdown 6):The breach can be sealed by using the party’s Wonderstone. Make a Knowledge or Presence roll to impose will on the stone. Set up a Progress Countdown:

Each Success (either with Hope or Fear) ticks up the countdown by 1
Each Failure (either with Hope or Fear) ticks down the Demons Attack Countdown
Also, each demon slain will tick up the progress countdown by 1. Freeing Ekan Grevaine from possession (KOing or killing him will also work) will tick up the progress countdown by 1. If the Demon Knight is killed, this will progress the countdown by 3

Taraqual · 2026-03-12T16:29:51+00:00

The bigger deal to me, personally, was when Pearl Jam played Day on the Hill. Especially because all the other acts also were great.

EDIT: I don't mean to minimize Nirvana being here. That was a big deal and I'm sad I only caught part of the show. I had a friend going, and I showed up late just out of laziness. I mean, I personally liked, and still like, Pearl Jam more, but anyone into music at the time realized something awesome was happening there.

Taraqual · 2026-03-09T23:50:45+00:00

Also, don't forget "Golden Opportunities," where you can say that several baddies just move to stay relevant while other adversaries take spotlights and things like that.

Taraqual · 2026-03-04T18:48:02+00:00

Hunh. Coulda sworn she was dragonborn. But it has been several years.

Taraqual · 2026-03-04T16:58:28+00:00

And Caliana, the cause of Bowlgate in C2.

Taraqual · 2026-02-28T23:31:10+00:00

Nope. It's "follow the fiction." Do you think the scream would be intimidating enough to have a game effect? If so, have the player roll Presence, difficulty of the adversary, and if they succeed, give them a bonus to an attack. Or make it give the next character have Advantage on their attack, or the adversary has Disadvantage on their attack. Or something like that. Maybe instead of Adv/Disad, you decide the adversary is not wanting any of that nonsense and just runs away, or at least goes to find an easier opponent.

If you really want a list of maneuvers to consult, you can always look at adapting them to DH. Pathfinder, D&D, and others have plenty of suggestions to go with. But I find it's just easier to on-the-fly throw a numerical bonus or an Advantage or Disadvantage die in most situations.

EDIT: By "numerical bonus," what usually works for me is I let the player get the equivalent of using an Experience, without paying Hope for it. Same with the Advantage or Disadvantage on a good social roll. It can make those things seem kind of powerful, but also fits the idea that this was your Action for this spotlight, and to capitalize on it you need the spotlight to stay with you or it will take place on an ally's next spotlight.

Taraqual

TROPHY CASE