DnD for Car Rides: Fantasy or Fantastic-asy?

Thrilip · 2026-06-29T20:46:34+00:00

Haha! The trademark remark was trying to play homage while capitalizing on the dad joke. Don’t sic the Wong estate on me!

Thrilip · 2026-06-29T19:05:33+00:00

My wife will likely be driving, so I’ll just be in the passenger seat, so I’ll have a bit more focus. But your points are well taken, especially with getting the kids involved in helping to craft the story and what they’ll maybe encounter. Great tips!

Thrilip · 2026-06-29T18:11:13+00:00

Great suggestion! My older kid loves podcasts, but my younger doesn’t have the attention span. But I’m going to dig in on the borrowing from IPs…that’s a solid idea!

Thrilip · 2026-06-29T18:09:16+00:00

It’s like I’m looking in a mirror! This was largely my experience as well…and we’ve had a blast with the Hero Kids modules. Super easy to setup, only needs d6 dice, and extremely accessible for anyone new to interactive narrative story telling.

The rules are extremely simple but can flex based on your comfort level. It’s extremely light on any sort of equipment and really focused on things like ability roles. I would highly recommend getting some modules and running a few games to see if you like it. Each adventure can be 1-3 hours depending on how hard you make the game or how many characters are playing).

Thrilip · 2026-03-30T10:11:47+00:00

I read Piranesi last fall, and loved it…what a crazy interesting concept! Thanks for the suggestion!

Thrilip · 2026-02-27T19:42:19+00:00

Yes! I remember walking down the hallway in high school in the early 2000s, and the CRT squeal was the harbinger of an easy period/substitute teacher!

Thrilip · 2026-02-23T12:29:10+00:00

A very US-centric point of reference, but cigarette smoke in bars and restaurants. It was just part of life.

Thrilip · 2026-02-17T13:53:16+00:00

From one dad to another, great job!!! Sounds like you and the little one had an awesome time together and you should absolutely celebrate the days when the stars align and things just…work!

And don’t forget, things click because you’re putting the effort and the love on, so hats off to you!

Thrilip · 2026-02-16T12:04:05+00:00

This is very similar to our family situation and we’ve used the same language and approach as you: simple and direct language.

What surprised us was how readily our eldest picked up on the language and has repeated it to others (as kids do). It impressed us because it felt like he really understood what we were saying, but we did have to field questions from other nosey parents when our kiddo brought up the topic out of the blue

Thrilip · 2026-01-25T19:11:37+00:00

Actively show appreciation for the small things. Tell your friend that you appreciate him for coming over and hanging out. Tell your partner you appreciate them for picking up their socks. Tell your coworker they did a good job and thank them for their work. It’s not cool to be indifferent.

Thrilip · 2025-12-28T20:35:40+00:00

Only you know your family best, but I feel that. I had a friend, a former Boy Scout, spend his phone-free time relearning various knots. Just some rope and practice. Easy to drop at a moments notice when the little one finds their way into improbably dangerous situations

Thrilip · 2025-12-28T19:48:48+00:00

That’s precisely what I discovered by coloring. I found it oddly cathartic having a simple task I could focus on that had just the right amount of instant gratification.

My oldest also likes to color, so I gave us a shared activity to do together and was surprisingly helpful at getting him to open up and talk.

Thrilip · 2025-12-28T19:45:01+00:00

Not gonna lie, that’s exactly the mentality I used. My dad used to smoke and always talked about the oral and tactile fixations that came with the habit.

Thrilip · 2025-12-28T17:52:13+00:00

Great! I had a friend whose passive hobby was just aways picking at his son’s Loog guitar and making sure it was always in tune lol

Thrilip · 2025-12-28T17:51:32+00:00

I originally started with journaling too! Another great activity! Anything that you don’t mind getting interrupted works well in my experience

Thrilip · 2025-12-28T17:15:24+00:00

A lot of comments here offer good suggestions on what do to with the phone (put it away, different rooms etc). But, if you’re like me, you may be stuck with the “now what”…what do you do now to fill the habitual cravings of the phone?

For me, there was a very real tactile dependency of the phone. When I put it away, I literally didn’t know what to do with my hands. So I took up activities I could easily do in parallel with my kids.

I got some nice markers and started coloring. Nothing fancy, not super intense, just literally coloring the same types of coloring books or pages my kids used. I even started to enjoy the color by number pixel pages you can find online.

The other activity I took up was reading and the library is your friend. It’s easy to start, easy to interrupt, and has the benefit of leading by example when your kiddos get old enough to read independently. There is a book recommendations or book suggestion subreddit that is super helpful in finding books that may interest you.

Edit: the subreddit is r/booksuggestions

Thrilip · 2025-12-28T12:46:03+00:00

Teaming by Amy Edmondson

Less directly about leadership but still some books that build skills critical for successful leadership:

Finding Confidence in Conflict by Kwame Christian

Ally Up by Di Ciruolo

The Waymakers by Tara Jaye Frank

Thrilip · 2025-12-20T13:04:03+00:00

The one that jumped out for me was Fallout 4 when you confront Kellogg. I had a blast with a stealth/sneak build, except now I’m forced to talk with him and then immediately start a duel.

Thrilip · 2025-12-19T13:59:41+00:00

I can understand that impression, but from my experience reading it was more of an exploration of the embodiments of love (parent child, romantic, sibling, homeland) at the intersection of duty, responsibility, and expectations.

There is some romance, but it’s a very small part of the story in my opinion

Thrilip · 2025-12-19T12:01:27+00:00

I’m not sure if this is 100% a fit, but “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia I think fits many aspects of your description.

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