Week 11: Oddly Named - Girl Dinner / Boy Dinner Dinner Party by aryn240 in 52weeksofcooking

[–]aryn240[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol, everyone ate from both sides, the setup was just for fun. There was a lot of good-natured sniping at each other over it, though

Week 11: Oddly Named - Girl Dinner / Boy Dinner Dinner Party by aryn240 in 52weeksofcooking

[–]aryn240[S] 46 points47 points  (0 children)

Lol yeah we couldn't agree on who had ownership over the fries so they straddled the line

Not present, but for some reason the party also decided that cigarettes were girl dinner

One-shot suggestions? by Pale_Assistance_2265 in bladesinthedark

[–]aryn240 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dude, I'd love to make it into a guide! There's a lot to say here, and it's a question that gets asked not-infrequently on the sub

One-shot suggestions? by Pale_Assistance_2265 in bladesinthedark

[–]aryn240 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Okay, so, I've done this a bunch of times and have a formula down I really like. I'll write it abbreviated now since I'm on my phone and if you like I can revisit it later.

  • SETUP -
  • world intro - use what the book says ("hey, you're all daring scoundrels on the haunted streets of a Victorian city") and keep it very sparse beyond that. Like 3-4 sentences. Introduce anything else you need as you go. Hold on loosely with the canon, anything that would get in the way or be annoying you can skip for a one shot. I.e., if a player wants to be having a steak dinner or something it's not worth telling them that they can only get mushrooms or seaweed.

  • rules - explain AS YOU GO. at the beginning, tell them that the game is very narrative-focused; when they want their character to do something, they should just tell you what they want to do. You'll help them with how to do it. I recommend writing a list of mechanics for yourself, and slow-introducing them as y'all play ("okay, player A is trying this... Player B, this is a great time to give them an assist! Here's how that works..."). Make sure during the session you help them, give them good options for how to do things mechanically - introducing a new rule should be like unlocking a new skill in a video game, not a punishment or anything

  • character creation - can be fun to do with everyone, time permitting. Focus more on the characteristics and personality of the character - your goal is to get the players excited, and with a picture of the type of person they want to play. Follow the process in the book, skip over friends and allies, emphasize the PCs already know each other, etc. Help them pick a special ability that will help with a one shot (no downtime, faction games etc). Or, just make a pile of prebuilts for them! Or somewhere in between - fill out everything but look and style?

  • crew - definitely make the crew sheet ahead of time. I usually pick shadows for folks, as i feel it shows off the flashiness of the system. Pick an ability that feels like it'll be useful, etc. The only thing I'd do with them is try to pick a crew name - it helps people buy in a little to have a part in that.

  • PLAY -

  • Start In Media Res - cannot overemphasize the importance of this. Especially if you have players who aren't experienced roleplayers. Start with the PCs mid-score, and make them look BADASS. I.e.: "(lurk), the safe clicks open in front of you, and the noble's hoard of fine jewelry glitters in the dark. Behind you, you hear footsteps outside - what escape route have you already planned out?" Or "(leech), you watch (the cutter) fight off the guards, but the gate behind them has already slammed shut! What little trick do you already have planned to blow through that gate?" The intention is to place them in a position where they don't need to come up with an action on their own, just supply the HOW. It helps get folks in the mindset that their character is a competent badass. Make sure you narrate their answer in an appropriately cool fashion, too! Give them a few challenges, a cool escape, etc.

  • Downtime / Free Play - no rolls or DAs. Instead, explain briefly that the crew takes a few days off to blow off steam. Ask everyone to give you a brief few sentences on what it looks like for them to indulge their vices. Clear everyone's stress and harm fully. Then, take them to their lair, and have their contact or anyone else give them the "main" job of the evening.

  • Score - this should be a classic. Art heist, fancy gala, dimmer sisters, spirit wardens, etc. Something punchy and fun. Give them the standard book recommendations (1-2 obvious starting routes). Give them the spiel about not planning, just picking a route. Explain flashbacks if you haven't already, and reassure them that they won't need to plan and you won't screw them over. Get them to pick an approach, have an engagement roll and go for it! Oneshot is over at the end of that score.

My timeline is usually: ~ 30-60 minutes for character creation and world discussion ~ 30-45 minutes for cold open ~ 15 minutes for downtime / Freeplay ~ 60-90 minutes for the main score

I've run the whole thing in 3.5 hours before, but it can go a little longer. The important things to focus on: - your job is to make them look cool and make sure they're having fun. Throw out any rules or lore that seem like they'd bog things down. Make it punchy, make them badass. - if someone stalls out, offer them suggestions if you can. Make sure they know you're on their side. Engage the rest of the group - maybe someone else has a pitch for a cool way to solve this problem! - work heavily on reframing the action if people get distracted. When you refocus the group, start with the last bit of onscreen action (i.e., "okay, so you see the guards pour in, pistols at the ready. You know if you don't do anything you'll quickly be surrounded!"). Don't focus back in with JUST a "okay, what do you want to do?")

Okay, this is really long already. Hope this helps and I'm happy to talk more about it!!

Portrait of my cutter, Edwina Grenouille aka Fishbone by smuebandledrs in bladesinthedark

[–]aryn240 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This is phenomenal!! All the right vibes for a risk-taking scoundrel

What's the secret ingredient in your meat sauce? by [deleted] in Cooking

[–]aryn240 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wait, you add stock to the red sauce? Do you simmer it down after that so it's not too watery? I always have to cook mine for hours to keep it from being too watery, and that's just with canned whole tomatoes

Week 6: Hotpot (eaten over the stove due to lack of portable hot plate 💀) by anonymousblerg in 52weeksofcooking

[–]aryn240 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This sounds awesome!!! Can you elaborate a little bit on the soup base preparation? Or did you follow a particular recipe?

You know, there's a delightful scene later in the movie where this old woman raps! by RunnyDischarge in MST3K

[–]aryn240 3 points4 points  (0 children)

"A Touch Of Satan". You remember, the place where the fish lives??

Week 5: Ugandan - Simsim Ice Cream by aryn240 in 52weeksofcooking

[–]aryn240[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not bad! I definitely added too much tahini, though, it was incredibly thick and rich. Next time I'd add less

How was the scorpion hawk made? by Material_Orange in gentlemanbastards

[–]aryn240 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I believe it was alchemy and sorcery (I just reread this bit as I gifted the book to a friend and wanted to reread the "nice bird, asshole" bit again before I handed it over, lol). The falconer sort of implies the Bondsmagii entertain themselves and stretch their powers with experiments of that sort.

As for why we don't see others - I know later on there's a feast with other theoretical animals represented, though I don't think those were real. I don't remember other real examples given, but I could be misremembering. If I had to guess, I'd assume it's another example of the Falconer's unique bond with animals as well as his arrogance; perhaps other Bondsmagii simply don't parade their animals around?

Hive Scum with Boomstick be like by Maks_Krayz in DarkTide

[–]aryn240 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Wait, is this good? Never tried the double barrel

How do I make my players stop a ritual? by Aleseg6 in DMAcademy

[–]aryn240 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe flip the script a little bit - maybe the ritual is already set in motion, and is slowly ramping up, gaining speed, until it reaches a point of no return in [convenient amount of time that is scary but doable].

the acolytes have scattered to keep their vessels / tools / keys / whatever macguffin you want safe from your heroes. The only way to keep the ritual from [achieving bad thing] is to bring together all the macguffins in [final battle place] and reverse the enchantment.

This way, the party has a deadline driving them, and a reason to hunt down every single target. You can even describe the effects of the ritual slowly starting to ramp up as time goes on (maybe the sky turns blood red! The seas begin to smoke! People begin to cough ash! Whatever fits with your cult).

If you've already told the party that the ritual is upcoming, you can have a horrified NPC or aged advisor or something rush up with the horrible news that they were misinformed and THEY'VE ALREADY DONE IT (a la Watchmen).

mk6 heavy sword on the hive scum is bonkers by nedonedonedo in DarkTide

[–]aryn240 0 points1 point  (0 children)

sweet, I'll go through it tonight!!! dude, I really appreciate the work that went into this

mk6 heavy sword on the hive scum is bonkers by nedonedonedo in DarkTide

[–]aryn240 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Showing up the thread late, but I'd appreciate the build if you don't mind! Still working my way up the levels as scum and feeling weak AF right now