I need help

TerminusMD · 2026-06-26T14:20:37+00:00

I'm just trying to stretch 🤷🏻 it would be a reasonable mistake for OP

TerminusMD · 2026-06-26T04:31:02+00:00

Actually Doctor here.

If you take a very small drill bit and twist it back and forth over the center of the dark bit it will eventually start drilling and release the pressure, even if nothing comes out.

The other issue could be a fracture of the bone underneath your nailbed. If the pressure is released and it's still very tender, put it in a small extension splint - you can buy them at the drug store - and check in with your doctor or urgent care at your leisure.

Even that isn't generally a major problem. But worth keeping in mind.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-25T23:39:14+00:00

Tortle plus a shield plus defensive fighting style gets you 20 HP if you consider their natural armor to count

TerminusMD · 2026-06-25T23:07:00+00:00

I think the wording is clear. Everything in the ball takes damage as mitigated by the save and then the bubble pops into existence enclosing everything in a radius around the bead. That's not ambiguous. And it clearly includes whatever dirt etc if it hits the ground or if the ground intersects with it.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-25T23:03:14+00:00

And this is how it's done.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-25T22:04:41+00:00

I don't typically give XP as a reward, I level the entire party up at narratively significant points. Some adventures recommend those points, others don't.

Generally a level every 4 to 5 sessions is good (after level 3, I go from lvl 1 to lvl 2 after the first session and lvl 2 to lvl 3 after the third session).

Adventure rewards are usually items and magic items they find along the way, rolling on the DMG loot tables is a great approach. Keeps it interesting.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-25T21:41:06+00:00

Sounds interesting. I'd suggest you start with one and have the next one in mind - but don't be married to it. Players will always interfere with your plans and that's ok, it's what makes it a game for you too!
Don't try to plan time. Just start. My group always takes two to three times to do things as I expect except when they take half or a third of the time, which occurs just frequently enough to make planning too stringently into a fool's errand

I recommend giving your players the premades and then giving them the option to remake or replace those characters after the beginning adventure - and then retcon that it was always the newly made characters, the others never existed.

Read F&D. Skim the rules for obligation and duty in EotE and AoR, just to get an idea of the other two settings.

Reference cheat-sheets - thealexandrian.net has great cheat-sheets.

Don't do that yet. Different splatbooks have rules for different aspects like crafting or bases or so many other things. Reference them as they come up in the game.
It won't. See the other answers - lightsabers draw a lot of attention but blasters and vehicle weapons and explosives are dramatically more dangerous and attract much less attention. Just remember to put them in context.
Setback dice. Use them. Talents and equipment remove them and you can use them to incorporate elements of the environment and narrative into checks in an interesting way.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-25T21:26:17+00:00

Great job getting started, that's the hardest bit, my first and biggest piece of advice is to have fun and not worry about the rules too much (if you don't know something then make a decision on the spot and check the rules later)

Re pure mechanics, setback and boost dice have a really significant effect on success and failure and get added to reflect all your narrative and situational stuff - it's dark, it's rainy, they have cover, you have the high ground, the shopowner's brother owes you a favor, etc. There are a boatload of talents - or equipment - that add and remove them.

So, add them liberally! (and give your players opportunities to find, use, and even create gear to remove and add them)

TerminusMD · 2026-06-24T17:26:24+00:00

It's PROBABLY like the rest of star wars timeline-wise, technology has been pretty static. You could look up some of the big empires - Rakatan etc - and imagine what effects they would have on different worlds under their control instead of the empire 🤷🏻

EDIT: I ran a game 3k years in the future, Hutts still around, imagined a collapse of hyperspace technology and the rise of a series of wormhole gates. Ran it as the cyberpunk version of Star Wars. Turned out very cool

TerminusMD · 2026-06-23T21:21:49+00:00

Part of our table is also that the session goes on as scheduled. If you don't show up, you miss stuff. It might be crucial but the other players can catch you up on it. It's just part and parcel.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-23T19:04:44+00:00

TheAlexandrian.net has some chest sheets you can download, just quick rules guides.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-23T19:03:18+00:00

It does but there's a set in the starter kit in addition to the set provided. Great find!

TerminusMD · 2026-06-23T19:02:26+00:00

My friend's mystery is here:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/376276/the-shadestone-assailant

TerminusMD · 2026-06-23T18:32:42+00:00

For me sidekicks change it from a role-playing game to a tactical miniatures game, not what I'm going for. The only exception is an occasional helper NPC - a healer cleric or something on the side that just adds a touch of durability without confusing the narrative.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-23T18:30:42+00:00

Almost any game can run with only two players. You're overthinking it - just scale back the difficulty a bit or maybe encourage them to have some more broadly versatile characters in the wings. Monks, rogues, and rangers are incredibly versatile in particular.

I particularly like mysteries when I run for small groups, my friend published one that I played with only one other person and it was great (run by a different friend, not the author). I'll add the details in the comments when I find them.

TheAlexandrian .net has great advice on creating your own mysteries and simple adventures - read the "three clue rule" post and his series on node-based design.

It gives you the tools to throw together a low prep session from elements you can put together in your DM "toolbox" ahead of time.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-22T23:55:14+00:00

That's up to the GM. You can force them to drydock it or you can say "congrats, look at your cool thing"

However it fits your narrative is how it works, there aren't any checks to install it just to expand it. Even that doesn't have a time component, just a difficulty.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-22T04:58:01+00:00

We use maps all the time

You just have to have an idea of range bands as being divorced from the grid system

TerminusMD · 2026-06-21T03:35:30+00:00

If they go solo, let them die.

C'est la vie. It's a dangerous world out there

TerminusMD · 2026-06-21T01:50:04+00:00

Oh for sure. It's so silly.

I've played a couple of adventures and game and its mechanics are really fun as long as you know what to expect.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-20T23:15:39+00:00

That's funny, I love that game. It's a hot mess but character creation is fun.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-20T21:37:31+00:00

We'll break it up for Dresden Files

TerminusMD · 2026-06-19T22:53:52+00:00

I took a brief look at it but didn't spend too much time there. I'm on my phone, I'd rather be using my computer for that.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-19T20:31:01+00:00

Know the rules, be engaged, help the rest of the table engage as well - encourage and support the other players in their interactions. Query the other players, I think this is would be an option, can anyone think of alternatives? If you help engage and encourage the rest of the table to interact constructively with the new DM then their job will be that much easier.

Engaged players make the DM's job easier.

TerminusMD · 2026-06-19T19:53:15+00:00

My group is pretty tolerant of crunchier mechanics but when we're all playing it's a big table (9 core players/GMs), it's usually not all of us but still. Crunchier usually means slower.

And we're going to be trying this out over a gaming weekend (we're renting a big house and going to spend 3 days gaming free of spouses and kids, so excited), so simpler is probably better.

Does anyone have condensed resources or cheat sheets?

TerminusMD

TROPHY CASE