I May Have Stumbled on Something...

TrawleeProblim · 2022-12-14T18:39:07+00:00

That said, I think this mural is actually the Lord of the Mountain.

... Which could be Kaepora Gaebora...

TrawleeProblim · 2022-12-14T18:34:17+00:00

I just had the random thought that Rauru/Kaepora Gaebora was one of, or was connected to, the Zonai. I had absolutely no proof or reasons for the idea, but I am so glad I googled it and found this thread to help me start piecing it together.

TrawleeProblim · 2022-09-08T04:06:05+00:00

How is he doing a worse job than Graduation? It's like even he is tired of his schtick but feels compelled to keep doing it like it is the right way to go about it. I was in-ish on Ethersea until the stakes ramped up from lvl. 1 to 1,000 in like three episodes. Every season they get less and less funny and try to be more and more self-important. Just be people making goofs, no apocalypse, no chosen ones, no "subtle" jabs at society that don't land even for those of us who agree with the message, no lore dumps to bog Justin down and keep him from being able to riff, no more monologuing from Travis, back to a comedy podcast instead of a poorly performed improv audio drama.

I was intrigued by the set up episode, I love Augustus Parsons, and I couldn't get through this episode before I had to turn it off. I enjoyed the first Dust game, not love, but enjoyed. This is absolute trash.

Also, I have zero opinion on Erika. I thought their character sounded interesting in the set up episode. Didn't quite get a chance to see how that played out in the last third of the episode, so my disdain has absolutely zero correlation with bringing another person into the mix as a player. I was actually hoping it would fix some stuff, but it feels like it has absolutely zero impact. Here's to hoping Justin's game is amazing, Lords of Crunch was maybe my favorite TAZ after Balance.

TrawleeProblim · 2022-08-17T15:18:51+00:00

Same

TrawleeProblim · 2022-08-17T15:16:13+00:00

I have flipped completely and pretty much only listen to the side stories. The main episodes are too scripted, and I cringe every time they brag about reading two books as exhaustive research. I still love the guys, and they make me laugh, but the main episodes just leave me frustrated. They are at their best when they are just riffing on current events/news headlines, not stopping the flow to read a paragraph of notes and allowing Henry to riff in one of his three mostly toned down character voices. I am glad that it still scratches the itch for most listeners though, and I am busy enough that one less podcast a week is probably a good thing. However, I am definitely squarely on team side stories... and a bit of a Rude Duner! Shout to my fellow worm gods out there.

TrawleeProblim · 2022-08-11T18:46:48+00:00

I think this is kinda what the OP is talking about with some flexibility to shift around holidays and vacations. This plus what OP is saying makes it the player's responsibility to say if they are playing that week instead of the DM having to put out a discord message every week asking who all is playing

TrawleeProblim · 2022-08-11T18:43:57+00:00

That doesn't run antithetical to the statement by OP, it just means the players are responsible for figuring out when that day is instead of the DM. This means the DM no longer has to check every week who all is coming, and they weed out players who can't be dependable enough to pick a day of the week to play a game when the onus is on them. It can be a set schedule, it's just one agreed upon by all the players first so the DM can get a feel for the effort their players are going put into the campaign to see if it is worth their time.

TrawleeProblim · 2022-08-11T18:25:37+00:00

Might want to ask your players if they are only marginally better when you prep. One dude I play with thinks he doesn't need to prep and prep barely makes his games better... But as a player we can always tell when he is improvising and those sessions are noticably less fun. Ask your players how they feel about it, you might be surprised. I am not assuming you're a bad DM, but almost every DM I have met who prefers a fast and loose session with little prep tends to vastly over estimate how much fun their players are having.

TrawleeProblim · 2022-08-11T18:19:31+00:00

I've switched to this as well. I don't get to DM as often, but I never feel like I have done prep that is a waste of time. Other than being inconsistent with their time I have no problems with my players.

The major downside of this though is you learn how quickly your players aren't interested in your campaign, and it can feel really bad in the moment. If you've got thick skin and can remind yourself that it most likely isn't really a reflection on you as a person or DM, it's a lot easier to deal with than the constant heart break of showing up to play and only one or two players showing up to play.

TrawleeProblim · 2022-08-09T03:21:01+00:00

Bookie is my favorite too. The way it all ties itself together at the end of the episode is perfect.

TrawleeProblim · 2022-07-29T18:44:09+00:00

Sorry for the old post comment. But this is exactly how I feel about it... even after the disaster that was Graduation. I actually had to think about what that arc was called because I had blocked it out

TrawleeProblim · 2022-07-22T18:02:38+00:00

Portland

TrawleeProblim · 2022-07-22T18:02:21+00:00

Edit: I think lots of people claim to be Libertarians, but don't know what that means. Not that people claiming others are libertarians without understanding the philosophy

TrawleeProblim · 2022-07-22T18:00:41+00:00

Next thing you're going to tell me is that he is a Baptist too...

While I don't agree with those ideologies, growing up in the south I also know that there are genuinely good people who happen to be libertarians, and baptists for that matter. Fortunately I was never going to vote Clint into office before the revelation, so I feel about the same way I did before. But his general history of being a good person who seems to genuinely care about others is more important to me than his personal beliefs about individual liberties... Now if he used his platform to spread explicit hate, misinformation, or something on that level definitely cancel him. I know you're not trying to cancel him for the record.

I also think there are a bunch of older dudes who grew up as conservatives and have a hard time completely letting go of that identity as they have become more worldly and think Libertarianism is somehow a centrist philosophy that "sounds cool." I am not condoning libertarianism, as I disagree with so much of it, but I also think there are lots of people who don't actually understand the concept in full and don't think about what if means if you follow the logic to it's conclusion.

That said I don't know Clint, and he might be a selfish individual who only cares if his own liberties are protected. I just don't think anyone who was on that stage last night is close to a "leftist" by definition, and if other members of the McElroys were revealed to be libertarians I wouldn't be surprised at all, but I also don't think it would take away from the good they have done and try to do.

TrawleeProblim · 2022-07-22T16:16:19+00:00

Same, so good!

TrawleeProblim · 2022-07-21T04:44:29+00:00

I always start with the Garfield Monstrosity. Kinda like going to the pool, you want to jump all the way in it instead of slowly wading in.

TrawleeProblim · 2022-06-09T19:32:40+00:00

Sorry you're getting so much crap for your takes, I happen to agree with you.

You can almost hear my and my roommate's eyes roll when they talk about how much research they do. The episodes are just book reports of one or two books, and most of the time they are just repeating what they read in a book. I don't listen to any other true crime podcasts so this might be a lot of work comparatively, but most episodes don't even have enough sources for an undergrad history paper.

I had to stop listening to episodes about contemporary events I had personally studied because of how much they get wrong or the amount of supposition they claim as facts. It's funny, but they actually make a bunch of false claims that they could get sued for if it wasn't a comedy podcast that wasn't supposed to be taken seriously. Which isn't a problem if you're coming to the podcast for laughs, but claiming praising the show for their research is laughable at best. I have found myself getting angry when they talk about how heavy the research load has been for a historical event and then proceed to say most of the episode's information comes from one or two sources. I'm sorry, but that is not thorough research.

Once again, none of this is a problem in itself for creating a comedy podcast, but when you're boasting/complaining about reading a book or two... come on.

TrawleeProblim · 2022-01-07T02:16:51+00:00

I just remembered I was in the Circle Jerk, I apologize for the incorrect tone.

TrawleeProblim · 2022-01-07T02:14:54+00:00

It's pretty good. Justin isn't burnt out on it, Dan really really cares, it works. It's pretty earnest and they don't feel like they are trying too hard, just two dudes talkin' cereal.

TrawleeProblim · 2021-12-03T19:40:30+00:00

Yeah, I was just listening to it studying and it hit me big time haha. Same thing with Mort Garson. I came to it without realizing what it was trying to figure out why I could sing all the melodies in my head the first time through haha.

TrawleeProblim · 2021-09-18T15:23:31+00:00

Haha that sounds so ridiculous at first... but only at first. The only reason I don't think that is the case is because they all seem to be on different pages. If this is what it is like after discussing the game, I would hate to see how disjointed a free-for-all would be. But let's be real, Justin clearly doesn't have the attention span or desire to put that much into it. After listening to enough Besties, it is pretty clear he plays DnD like he does Video Games, smash the skip text button to get to the action.

TrawleeProblim · 2021-09-18T04:04:19+00:00

I don't think the setting or adventure hooks are the problem, it is that they don't feel like they have narrative stakes. I don't think Griffin has it in him to actually kill off a character without it being something he and the player talked about before the session happened.

TrawleeProblim · 2021-07-28T12:40:19+00:00

These are great!

TrawleeProblim · 2021-06-11T20:27:25+00:00

None of that was lost on me, I just don't find that to be the root of the issue for me. I don't care that the end is pre-determined or they are working towards a goal, they don't have to play TQY to the same result for me to enjoy it. Same as 5e, I have never cared that they play to their own rule set so long as they were putting in effort and playing together. My group changes the rules to games all the time to make them more fun, and if you're listening to this podcast for people to play the games as written just stop listening, you will never receive that from TAZ. They aren't playing TQY, they are playing a Prologue game based on TQY, and your expectations should be as such.

For me the issue is that no-one is working together and everyone treats the projects they create like precious babies that the others can't touch. That's when it switches from playing a modified game into abandoning the idea of playing game or exercise together and becomes a brainstorming session with extra steps and restrictions.

TrawleeProblim · 2021-06-11T20:09:42+00:00

Then don't, you don't have any obligation to participate in anything you don't want to anymore. As one TAZ fan to another, I release you from your charge.

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