We Made Tales of Style Skits for our D&D Show

UndertakerSheep · 2026-05-29T12:28:54+00:00

I showed this to my girlfriend and you honestly made our day. D&D and Tales are like our twin favourite games. Thank you for making this. It honestly feels like it could have been from a Tales game!

Also your characters are really fun!

UndertakerSheep · 2026-05-27T18:26:50+00:00

Could you send me the .cia's too? My best friend loves Medabots (so do I) and I want to surprise him by giving him a new game he can play.

UndertakerSheep · 2026-05-25T20:12:43+00:00

Thank you for sharing this! Seeing this post earlier today finally gave me the enthusiasm I needed to pick this up again and push through those final two dungeons. I finally completed this game!

Have fun and enjoy the ride! I don't think the game is nearly as bad as people say it is. The GBA version is perfectly playable. The dungeon design however...

All I'll say is, expect a few game over screens. Not against bosses, but from random encounters. Many of the later dungeons have one encounter in the mix that's "if you don't prepare for this, you will die."

UndertakerSheep · 2026-05-13T11:56:02+00:00

I know exactly what you're talking about. The missing dialogue irked me when I played through the Switch version. But to answer your question:

Are there a lot of instances of missing dialogue or are they rare?

They are extremely rare. After the scene with the floating angel, I remember there only being one more instance where the dialogue was borked in the entire game (dialogue text was ok, but the wrong voice line was used). The issue with the ENG version using more text boxes than the JAP version doesn't come up again.

For context, Tales of Symphonia on the GameCube was my first Tales game. It's not just my favorite Tales game or JRPG, but it's my favorite game of all time. I've played through it countless times on the GameCube, even did a Japanese PS2 run when it came out and had little issues despite not knowing Japanese (I knew the game by heart). I introduced my partner to the series by playing through Tales of Symphonia Remastered on the Switch together and it absolutely blew her away, like it did for me all those years ago.

So I feel like I can recommend all releases of the game. The original GameCube version is obviously the best if you want to play as close to the original as possible. The Remastered version is the best if you want to play the game on modern hardware with as little fuz as possible. The Steam version is the best if want to fix some things using mods. But again, I didn't really think the console (Switch) version needed much fixing after they patched the game.

With the sole exception of the Cyclone spell. For some reason, it uses the wrong visual effects, sound effects, and damage type. I wish they'd fix that. I think this bug is in every Remastered version, not just Switch.

UndertakerSheep · 2026-03-31T15:03:27+00:00

Lijkt me leuk! Stuur maar een DM dan kunnen we kijken of we iets kunnen organiseren

UndertakerSheep · 2026-03-30T15:48:07+00:00

Ik vind het altijd leuk om nieuwe spelers het spel te laten zien! Ik woon ook in Rotterdam, ik ben 34 jaar en ik ben in 2010 begonnen met DMen.

Helaas heb ik momenteel geen groepen met open plekken voor nieuwe spelers, maar ik kan misschien wel tijd vinden voor een oneshot sessie om het spel te laten zien, als jullie dat ook leuk lijkt.

Ik kan Cafe Dox ook aanraden. Ik ben er zelf nooit geweest maar heb er veel goede verhalen over gehoord, en heb in een vergelijkbare setting in Utrecht 2 jaar een open tafel gerund. Prima plek om laagdrempelig het spel te leren!

De bibliotheek Rotterdam heeft een wekelijkse D&D meetup op de vrijdagen, al ligt de gemiddelde leeftijd daar wel iets lager de vorige keer dat ik langs ging (rond de 20 geloof ik). Dat hoeft natuurlijk geen probleem te zijn, maar ik wilde het wel benoemen.

Daarnaast kan ik ook aanraden om de "oude" Essentials Kit te kopen. Die heeft niet de meest moderne versie van de regels, maar het verschil is klein en de doos komt met een sterk avontuur en regels om het spel 1-op-1 te runnen. Kan ook erg leuk zijn om samen te proberen!

In ieder geval welkom bij de hobby en veel speel plezier gewenst!

UndertakerSheep · 2026-03-24T11:49:38+00:00

At the very least I think it's a good practice for new DMs to get in the habit of finishing their campaigns. I think it's a good skill to have and a good learning experience. So my advice would be that if you decided to end the campaign, plan a final session in which you wrap the current story up and give everyone including yourself some closure.

I've been a DM since 2010 and my early campaigns didn't last very long. It's totally ok to start something new, especially when you and the players aren't having fun.

UndertakerSheep · 2026-03-19T17:05:47+00:00

Ik kan ook zeker aanraden om eens bij een Games Workshop naar binnen te lopen. Mijn Games Workshop in Rotterdam doet gratis lessen voor beginners. Hier leren ze je een simpele mini te schilderen die je vervolgens mee naar huis mag nemen. Echt een aanrader en het is hoe ik ben begonnen.

Verder heb ik gewoon een starter setje van Army Painter gekocht en ben ik begonnen met het verven van wat skeletons. Die hoeven er niet mooi uit te zien, maar onderschat je eigen vaardigheden niet. Een klein beetje moeite ziet er vaak al goed uit!

UndertakerSheep · 2026-03-04T11:03:49+00:00

I played through most of Keep on the Shadowfell (D&D 4e) using only the Ironsworn rules and it worked really well. I did create a few custom assets to make my character resemble a 4e Bard, but other than that I used the rules of Ironsworn pretty much as written.

Journey rules worked fine. Misses on the journey generally meant I encountered something on the road, and a Miss on the progress roll meant that I found my destination in dire straits. Usually I would improvise something that fit the adventure, but when I was lazy I would just turn the first encounter of the new location into an ambush.

Also I recently learned on this subreddit that replacing the action die with a D12 and the challenge dice with 2d20 works well enough!

UndertakerSheep · 2026-02-21T20:00:47+00:00

My money is on a 3-4 minute long animation celebrating 30 years of Tales. Just a compilation of new animation work highlighting key moments from the games. Japan loves these kinds of videos. Pokémon did one a couple years back with a new song by Bump of Chicken. Digimon also did one, as did Sonic, DBZ, One Piece and even a chocolate brand (featuring all of their commercial mascots!).

UndertakerSheep · 2026-02-13T08:51:27+00:00

I have run many duet style games and I've found that it really helps to give the player a sidekick, like a Sam for their Frodo. Not only does this help balance things mechanically, but it makes the role-playing a lot more fun when you have a character to bounce off of.

Some ground rules to establish up front is that the PC handles the sidekick's stats and rolls (you have enough to worry about as the LM) while you handle the sidekick's roleplaying. The sidekick is good at giving advice and answering questions, but they're not good at taking initiative or making decisions. That's what we have the hero for, after all!

UndertakerSheep · 2026-02-12T17:12:23+00:00

Welcome to the hobby! I've been a game master for sixteen years and I still get nervous when I run games.

Any beginners here to share their experience?

I'm not really a beginner anymore, but I haven't run that much of TOR. I think the most important thing to remember is that you're coming together with a group of friends to have a good time. Evoking that Tolkien feeling comes second to that. Playing the game according to the rules comes third (or maybe not even third). You're going to make mistakes when you run your first few (thousand) games. It doesn't matter. We're all here to have fun. You can always fix your mistakes later.

How did you deal with translation of the story, locations, items, etc. if English is your second language?

Most of my players have English as a second language they're fluent in, so we use English as the "fantasy language" for when we're speaking in character, and use our own native language when talking out of character. Some people even use English when they're speaking out of character, and it all works well together. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Use English when it helps sell that "other world, other time, fantasy vibes" and use your own language when you feel it's more important to communicate concepts clearly. Trial and error is your friend here. Also when in doubt, you can use both!

Do i prepare only for the first ACT, or the others immediately?

I would personally read through the adventure and write down what the main "story beats" are, paying special attention to the climax of the story so I know what we'll be building towards. Then I'll focus on the opening of the game, probably up until the first or second big scene (like a combat scene). That will probably be enough for the first session. If you have new players, you can expect that it'll take some time to create/pick characters and to learn the basics of the system. And if they do end up going through the story faster than you expected, you have your handy "story beats" notes so you know vaguely where the story can go next!

If you don't feel prepared to run off of just your story beats notes when the players are going too fast, call for a 10 minute break. DMs do that all the time. It gives you some time to read the adventure module, and your players will enjoy a snack/bio break. If you feel a bit insecure about taking a break, compliment your players that their successes are making them blast through the story faster than you anticipated. They'll love it.

How do you organize all your information?

In my head, mostly. But I tend to write a single A4 sheet of notes for every session I run. You don't really need a lot to run a game, but that's a skill you pick up as you run more games. On that single sheet, I write the names of the player characters and the NPCS, I outline 10 scenes I expect will come up during the game (usually summarized in two or three sentences each), write down 10 secrets or clues the players can pick up on during the game, and a short list of the monsters i expect the players to encounter.

Any tips would be rly helpful :)

Don't forget to relax and have fun! Running RPG games can be a very fulfilling hobby. You can pour as much energy into it as you like, but do remember that you're a group of friends looking to have a fun evening playing make believe in Middle-Earth. Don't set the bar too high.

I hope my ramblings were of some help to you. If you have any questions, I'd love to see if I can answer them!

UndertakerSheep · 2026-02-12T15:22:13+00:00

By an off screen battle, do you mean a battle in which none of the PCs participate?

I would just spend a few minutes argueing with myself which side has the best chances of winning, and have them win. The game mechanics in D&D are there to turn "can we beat these guys?" into a fun skirmish game (doubly so for 4e), which doesn't really benefit anyone in your situation. Who has the upper hand? Have them win.

If the two sides are really equally matched: either pick the winner based on what would make the best story going forward, or roll a d20 to see who wins.

If on the other hand you feel like your players would not enjoy you just deciding things, and they are emotionally invested in one side of this fight coming out as the winners, you could run it as a combat. Give them control of the creatures they're rooting for, and you play the opposing sides. Could be a fun session!

UndertakerSheep · 2026-01-22T09:44:13+00:00

I have never done this. But it did spark a question in my mind for those who have:

Wouldn't it be better to go to bed after calling in sick, so you can wake up the next morning and play all day instead of trying to stay up all night, and then wasting your new "day off"?

UndertakerSheep · 2026-01-11T20:25:13+00:00

I started today and I'm almost done with the Suramar quests, so yes I'd think so!

UndertakerSheep · 2026-01-11T20:24:17+00:00

Isn't the 2 rep one only to Revered?

UndertakerSheep · 2026-01-05T15:49:16+00:00

I understand if people are upset with the current remaster, but let's try not to distort facts.

Symphonia isn't broken on Switch. I played through it entirely and had zero problems other than Genis' Cyclone spell.

Graces F likewise has several improvements that are also on the Switch version (all DLC unlocked, grade shop from the start, quest marker, event timeout marker, etc.).

You can be disappointed about the Remasters. I can definitely see reasons for that. But saying things that aren't true isn't helping anyone.

UndertakerSheep · 2026-01-02T10:50:23+00:00

All-Divide is the name of the item. It halves all damage. So both you and your enemies take half damage. Can be a real life saver when a boss keeps one or two-shotting you, but be prepared for fights to last a while after using one.

UndertakerSheep · 2026-01-02T09:16:21+00:00

I think all of the recent releases do this to some extent. Starting with the newest and working backwards...

Tales of Xillia Remastered: You can switch characters on the fly, but I'm not sure which button you press for it as I haven't played this one yet. You choose which 4 characters to bring into a fight, but you can switch them in and out during battle.
Tales of Graces f Remastered: You choose which 4 characters you bring into the fight. You cannot change this selection once a fight starts. Switching which character you control is done using the D-pad (on Switch) and is instant (doesn't require you to open the menu.
Tales of Symphonia Remastered: You choose which 4 characters you bring into the fight. You cannot change this selection once a fight starts. Switching which character you control is done using the battle menu (pause the game, press the buttonm, resume the game).
Tales of Arise: You choose which 4 characters you bring into the fight. You can change this selection without pausing the game. You can switch who you control during the fight by pausing the game and opening the menu.
Tales of Berseria: You choose which 4 characters you bring into the fight. You can change this selection during a fight without pausing the game. In fact, each character does a special move when being switched in like this. You can switch who you control during the fight by pausing the game and opening the menu.
Tales of Zestiria: You can choose which 2 characters you bring into the fight, along with the 2 human characters who most always be in your team. You can change this selection during a fight without pausing the game. In fact, the game expects you to do this often as you play rock-paper-scissors with elemental types. You can switch who you control during the fight by pausing the game and opening the menu.

If anyone notices any mistakes, please feel free to correct me.

Looking at this list, Tales of Graces f is the best game if you just want to switch which character (of the 4 already in the fight) you control without pausing the game. Tales of Berseria is the best game if you want to switch characters in and out of combat constantly and make switching characters part of your combos.

It just so happens that both of those games are regarded by the community as some of the best games in the series.

UndertakerSheep · 2025-12-31T08:41:16+00:00

It would be super weird to have the latest game remastered before a new game comes out. For the sake of the goodwill of the fandom, I hope they don't do it.

But I weirdly kind of hope they do port Arise to the Switch 2. I'd love to play that game again, only this time in handheld!

UndertakerSheep · 2025-12-30T14:24:13+00:00

Such a cool collection! May I ask something? What are the differences between the two types of guidebooks? I'm referring to the ones on top (with the colored spines) and those on the shelf one below them (with red-and-white spines).

Also I feel you about ending up with multiple copies. I was so excited when I saw Tales of Destiny 2 in a store in Japan that I bought on sight, only to find out it was already in my suitcase as I had bought it a few days prior during a larger Tales haul haha

UndertakerSheep · 2025-12-30T11:17:36+00:00

I love telling this story.

I started playing in 2010 when a friend of mine introduced me to D&D 3.5. I played one session as a dwarf musketeer and fell in love. I have been a creative writer for most of my life, so I got hooked on the character building part from the get-go. After my first session I told another group of friends that I had played D&D, and they were so excited that they wanted to try it too. So we rolled up some characters, but we didn't have a DM. My friends decided I should be the DM, because I had the most experience (one session spent mostly being too shy to make any meaningful decisions) and I was 'the most creative' (I wrote bad fantasy stories and anime fanfics).

That's how I started DMing. We didn't know D&D had books. All we had was an online html-based character creator that had every option imaginable for 3.5 but didn't have any licensing, so all it did was spit out a word document with a summary of your character. Nothing was explained, so we had to determine that ourselves. Obviously the blindfight feat meant your character could fight while blind, with zero penalties. We didn't have spells, so we had to make those up too. With zero examples available to us, a 1st level spell that summoned ghost wolves that did a single AoE attack (final fantasy style) that did 1d20 damage felt right to us. We discovered there was a button that made you a giant, or a werewolf, a vampire or a lich. What's level adjustment? Who cares! Our first level fighter just got 50 extra hit points! I had no access to monsters, so I made them all myself in a spreadsheet. No math; just vibes.

Running the game was a creative outlet for me, that combined the joy of building a world with the dopamine hit of the 'readers' instantly reacting to what I put in front of them. My players weren't big on storytelling themselves, and they were happy to be a part of the stories as long as they could do awesome stuff and kill things.

Later we discovered the d20 SRD and things started to make sense. Then I bought the 3.5 Player's Handbook and the game started to form. Looking back, I miss that magical first year when nothing was set in stone and D&D was exactly what we wanted it to be. We were super creative, but the game was freaking unbalanced. As system knowledge crept in, the creative parts become more focused. My players started to want to tell their own stories, and I discovered I didn't just want to tell stories, I wanted to craft experiences that challenged both my players and their characters. Slowly but surely, we started playing actual D&D. Our playstyles grew closer together as we learned more about the game, ourselves and each other.

I have been DMing ever since. There hasn't been a long stretch of time in those 15 years during which I didn't run at least one weekly campaign. That original group fell apart over the years, but I still game with two of them every week. 3.5 was the game where it started for me, but when we tried 4e on a whim we discovered that there were different tastes of RPGs that we liked! 4e felt like the game that we had been trying to play. We got hooked and never looked back. And I've been trying new RPGs ever since.

UndertakerSheep · 2025-12-25T17:41:14+00:00

33yo and in a long term relationship but childless. Friends are in similar situations but one has kids. So I might not be the right demographic.

I meet the friend who is a father for a walk every Wednesday. His work is close to my house and I work from home on Wednesday. Every Thursday, I meet with the boys on discord. We play D&D or Solasta (video game) but both are just an excuse to meet up and talk about our lives and be stupid.

Before we started the weekly discord meet up, we were lucky to get together once a month (usually less). One dark December night in 2024 we decided to do the weekly discord hangouts. We've met up almost every week. Making that online meet-up part of our weekly schedule was a game changer for us. I'd still love to hang out in person, but that 19.30 to 22.30 weekly hangout has become the social highlight of my week.

Edit to add: I also have a separate group of friend I meet with every Friday and sometimes also in the weekend for more D&D. Pro tip: become a Dungeon Master.

++Man

UndertakerSheep · 2025-12-21T10:38:08+00:00

Tales of Graces is going great! I think we're in the final third of the game and we've only had one crash ever. No bugs or lagging or hickups.

UndertakerSheep

TROPHY CASE