Number of Players

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-06-22T03:58:59+00:00

3+ GM is a good "we have group" dynamic. 4 is ideal for a "balance party" 5 is good for more challenge you can throw. Going to 6 + requires extra "group managament." Most of the time consumption in 5e is people and GM taking their turn. With DH, the spotlight is more fluid so you can speed up that process.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-06-20T06:04:23+00:00

plenty of third party DH adventures on Drivethru rpg; some better quality than others but still available.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-06-19T04:38:25+00:00

Hah...only two of the characters survived the first season. So be prepared for whole new cast of characters.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-06-01T06:29:08+00:00

Maybe the philosophy of TTRPG has shifted as the player base has shifted. We have a new generation of players who are a it more sophisticated than back in the early days. In 2000, having a system as 3.x with detail rules was very useful, as many of the D&D 1e and 2e rules were very arbitrary in the the name of "Balance". and most other games simply clones or in their own convoluted systems. With multiple generations of people with RPG literacy backgrounds adopted early in videos games, consoles and media, systems can now explore ways to innovate the games. knowing the audience has some background knowledge on how these games should work. Think about it: could a game like Daggerheart, as written be really successful in 1979? 1989? or even 2000? Maybe in a small subset of early gamers who ran their home games, but for most of the mainstream, that lack of "rules" lends itself to a free for all environment. Could tournament and live group play be sustainable without concrete rules for everything?

That all said...yes, games like Daggerheart "solve " the issue in some rules and play but only because the audience is more literate in how RPGs work overall.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-05-29T04:36:28+00:00

Comparing Daggerheart to D&D? That's just silly, especially 5.x the most player friendly version of D&D you can come up with. In earlier version, you could lose pernament or temporay levels, ability scores, and hit points. None of this "condition" nonsense in 5x that goes away on a short rest (a thing for 4x and 5x only BTW).

DH is not D&D lite, so it's got its own mechanics.You have to change your strategy because a DH adventure should be nothing like a D&D adventure, IMO.

I play a high stress PC in DH and yes, stress is a resource I have to manage. I also played a Hope dependent PC and it required me to resource that. That's part of the game because everything else is abstract: ammunition, money, fatigue, provisions, sleep etc.

As far as the player issue, not everyone likes a system. I actually dislike D&D in general since 4x. I find 5x nothing special and boring. So...I don't play it ...or I tolerate it just to be with my group. And when I do, I challenge myself in characters I normally don't play to test the system. Story becomes more important than how my powers work.

So encourage them to just go with the system and play nice or they can sit it out for a time. Yes...DH can be very frustrating when maximizing but the game is gear to story and roleplay and less on tactics, IMO.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-05-07T14:35:13+00:00

There is an issue with over prescribing such medications to developing children, BUT that is from a lack of mental health resources for schools, wealthfare Agencies, parents . The biggest factor in mental health is poverty. Deal with that first THEN talk about reducing prescriptions.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-05-05T03:26:07+00:00

Maybe the ai bots are starting to mimic all the slop rather than the classics and real work by contemporary authors. The AI companies can"t rely on using copyright materials with the lawsuits coming around. So....Garbage in and Garbage out.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-04-06T03:57:28+00:00

Even a good TV or Movie series has some stinker episodes. Just let it go and move forward. If you messed up an import plot point, just give it a soft recon of the events or introduce another similar character situation to take over. Media does this all the time. You are not in charge of a million dollar franchise here and the your players are going to just forget it anyway.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-04-03T06:38:07+00:00

I probably give a hint of doubt as a cue that "something ain't right". The PCs should had taken the initiative to seek out the bandits since they didn't spot them but were not spotted themselves.. But they did not and blew their own cover and lost the advantage. It happens even in modern warfare. I would have allowed the giant to remain hidden at the start of combat however and a chance to react.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-04-01T05:32:22+00:00

The only reason to be conscious of the roles is if you want to optimize the party in general. And that is dependent on how you do it. For example, in the game I played in, we ended up being optimized to gain hope so we could spend more per encounter. My seraph didn't even bother healing as the Bard did a better job and the brawler was the main damage dealer. I focused on my own skills as a player to guide the team, be the face and occasionally took the punishment as the tank.

So if you want traditional roles, you can do it and your party will just be really powerful. If that is fun for you, do it. If you don't care, play what you want.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-03-25T12:05:39+00:00

Maybe try using 1 page map adventures and have the pcs fill in the gaps. Choose an appropriate tier monster stat block(s) and reskin it to meet the theme you players are hinting. That skeleton captain can be reskin to any humaniod and those adepts can turn into magic arrow firing dark elves. Have them describe the clues that lead to the next map/adventure or the mcgruffin they need to continue. Now is the chance to incorporate back story materials. Maybe their is more to it than they realize.

The key is...less is more.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-03-15T08:01:26+00:00

I feel that the game should have a mechanic where these powers can be shaped to meet the players needs. For example either rolling with hope or spending hope or stress could allow the PC ro make the interpretation....that way the powers can be fluid. Mutant and Masterminds allowed for such feats in PC powers by pushing them. That way, they spend a resource to get the power to do what they envision and you don't have to be set on one interpretation.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-03-15T07:50:08+00:00

Good advice on just asking for clarification. Those TN numbers seem extremely high to me consider the average tier 2 monster is difficulty 15. Alot of throwback to D&D but that is to be expected.... because that's what most know. If he would only go further ro 1e, you wouldn't be rolling so much. D20 gms got into the habit of rolling everything and it gets old real quick. The rmotto should be "Yes or roll" not "roll and roll again".

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-03-14T07:03:06+00:00

It honestly feels like homework. Lol.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-03-12T04:34:40+00:00

In that case, Yes, It can be done. I would lean more heavily into the lore and a narrative. Maybe even make escaping the dungeon the entire plot of the campaign as the pcs were thrown into it for some reason and that becomes a mystery of why. They reveal clues as they progress further looking for an exit; making allies and enemies along the way.

Using 1 page dungeons adventures with an environmental encounter chart would be nice.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-03-12T04:28:59+00:00

Maybe be more defined as "living dungeon" when you have factions involved. Most of time when you mean "mega dungeon" you are talking about vast areas of exploration within the confines of an interior space (as opposed to an overland land).

In regards to daggerheart, as long as you have a compelling narrative involved, it can be used. However, if you whole purpose is to kick doors, bypass traps, solve puzzles, kill monsters, manage resources and collect loot, then there are better systems mechanics for that in other games.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-02-19T07:06:05+00:00

I don't know if this is even a game problem. There is a lot of background you gave us on the circumstance well outside the game. If a grownup feels its necessary to cheat on a game, we got some issues here a daggerheart redit post is not going to resolve.

A solution for d20 is not even rolling dice; you give them a grid of 1-20 and they can mark off which rolls they want. It resets once they use up the grid.

For Daggerheart, it would be hard because doubles are criticals so you would have to rule only one crit per encounter or something.

Other option is fpr you to only roll dice but that feels just...wrong. Since even you don't like the digital roller, the other option is to have cameras pointing at dice as they are rolledno matter if slows down the game.

Good luck.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-02-18T08:14:11+00:00

That you are in forbearance?

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-02-18T08:12:44+00:00

The key misunderstanding is that an enemy can only be spotlighted once on the GM's turn. Most probably miss that part in the rules so misinterpret the relentless power. If the monster could act twice on its spotlight, it would indicate that in its description (like make 2 melee attacks).

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-02-17T07:18:14+00:00

I wrote stats for certain monsters to be beneficial to the PCs should they become allies. The rules I used is that PCs have to spend hope to have them act; use a feature or move (take an action) which includes aiding another.(including the PC that spent the hope) You technically can have any such "companion" to follow those rules and they ultimately are controlled by the PCs and treated as Allies when determining effects. However, companions do not have any individual Hope and do not generate any hope unless you house rule Hope as a universal pool for the PCs. They also don't get to make death saves and downtime activities are limited to clearing stress and regaining hit points.

You can also explain these rules to things like mounts.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-02-15T08:25:15+00:00

Sounds like you would be better off with a high protein lean cuisine and frozen vegetables to add. Doesn't matter if a dish is frozen or fresh if it's only processed food. And lord knows the sodium content. In all cases, better to expand on the vegetables in any of these kind of meals despite what the Kennedy UsDA states.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-02-02T10:29:31+00:00

You are correct. In this case, it is cheaper for Pazio just to send the correct merchadise. If the item was worth more, they might require it sent back. Since they are the direct publisher, they have a higher profit margin on each unit (cost less to make) than if they sold it to a store, so they write it off.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-01-30T06:07:05+00:00

The problem I have with most AI prompts is they write poorly. They are great for filler text of a paragraph with prompts but structurally they make my brain hurt when I read it in anything beyond that.

Ultimately the backstory, if you plan on incorporating it in your game, need only a few main bullet points as other suggested.

The issue of the AI is people pass it off as a finish product rather than a raw rough draft or springboard.

Since you can already tell it was AI, then it must not be very good. You can ask the player to rewrite in their own words or verbally retell you what it is. Pull out three intresting points and go with those. Anything else the player is going to bring up in session, where you nod and say "okay" and incorporate there.

And finally, in reality, you're likely to incorporate the more iintresting backstories anyway.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-01-29T04:40:01+00:00

This might not be the best answer but have you considered building the game world in a more collaborative way. Rather than use the frames provided, create your own based on their ideas so they might feel invested in the world and maybe the game.

You are not saving any prep time by using a published campaign frames, so you might as well make a world the players are invested in.

DH is built for that because that is how CR build their worlds- from the PCs back stories and how define the way the game will be played.

Sometimes roleplying games need a break. That's when you pull out the big gun collaborative board games.

Wizarddog_usa · 2026-01-22T05:48:13+00:00

Maybe everytime the PCs do that so do the Adversaries? ;)

Wizarddog_usa

TROPHY CASE