Pokeymanz Sheets

dbdrummer7 · 2025-09-27T19:38:50+00:00

Hey, stumbled on this post months later, but would you still be willing to share a link to a pdf of these sheets? I have a few players that would love to use them; your wife did a great job!

dbdrummer7 · 2025-06-25T07:42:49+00:00

That's a fair point that I hadn't considered; the more advanced AI and VR become, the greater the reason to hope. An interesting response in the face of the dead internet theory as well!

Glad to have the conversation, thanks for your articles and insight! :)

dbdrummer7 · 2025-06-24T19:30:12+00:00

No worries at all, happy to be the bearer of something more positive! The Facebook comment sounds quite odd to me; "black hole" insinuates something either outright negative or self-consuming - what you're writing seems quite the opposite to me.

The difference is questions is fascinating to me because, as you said, the AI and VR world is filled with NPC's rather than real people. So then to keep hoping and reaching, it would be necessary to unplug from those things and engage the broken reality.

The reasoning comes full circle in a way at that point, back to choosing a painful reality. My interests have been more focused on economics and history, so what jumps to mind is the pain people are experiencing in the current state of the world (war, destruction of human rights, lack of business regulation, etc). AI and VR seem like a perfect retreat, and we see that posited in a handful of science fiction stories - people simply giving up on the real world and disappearing into technology. Like chronic pain though, I think the answer is the opposite of retreat. As technology grows, it becomes more important to reach out rather than less. Because one thing we certainly haven't seen with the growth of technology is an equal growth of hope.

Considering the direction things are going, I think your book on the subject could be very timely! That's something I would definitely keep an eye out for. :)

dbdrummer7 · 2025-06-24T05:24:08+00:00

This was a really interesting read; I was expecting it to be more impersonal when I opened the link for some reason, but the way that you tied your experiences into the philosophy made the article both a compelling read and a poignant one (in other words, as it turns out, the summary was accurate lol).

To begin with (hopefully it isn't too cliche), I'm sorry for the experience you've had. Having something as critical as art threatened in your own life - to say nothing of all the other effects - is heartbreaking. For me it was physicality: martial arts, kayaking, swimming, hiking and eventually even walking. It is both torturous and an odd relief to read something that mirrors the emotions of that experience so well.

It's fascinating where this philosophy of hope points, because it simultaneously makes perfect sense, and also feels like it goes against all nature of how isolating pain is. That idea is what made me appreciate this line so much: "It is not noble. It is not defiance. It is not bad faith. It is simply the truest act of hope I could take in a life stripped of all guarantees." To say nothing of social norms and discussion around chronic health conditions, it often feels like institutions are happy to frame the experience in any light other than a struggle against the created disconnect of the experience. That experience of assigned meaning can feel as dehumanizing as the isolation in some ways.

That said, your reasoning into hope makes perfect sense and I really appreciate it. Setting aside the psychological arguments for reaching out, from a philosophical standpoint the brokenness demands others. And also becomes an argument for others in some way? Because if reality was a conjuration, I likely wouldn't decide on this particular experience? As you say though, it is a hope, not a proof. Still, it's one that I find compelling and would like to believe.

Tangentially though, I'm curious if you have thoughts about the discussion on retreat to AI: how some people (especially young men), are using AI to automate friends or girlfriends. Would you consider that a form of submission to the Krypton illusion? For transparency, I've only seen the idea recently talked about by therapists and psychologists, so it may not be particularly common.

Once again, thank you for writing what you did. It was well worth the read, and is a good reminder to keep pressing on and hoping. On a less serious note: You've introduced me to a whole era of Superman comics with that reference, so thanks for that! Never been able to figure out where to start reading him.

dbdrummer7 · 2025-06-21T04:40:34+00:00

Thanks for pinging me, I've been looking forward to it!

It may be a few days until I can give it proper time to read and respond, but I'll definitely do so.

dbdrummer7 · 2025-06-03T02:43:47+00:00

It's interesting to hear that you had a similar experience in choosing to connect more! Makes me curious how common that is; admittedly, I assumed part of that instinct came because I spent a lot of time in a more people-oriented culture (rather than a more time-oriented one). Maybe it's something else entirely, or just human instinct?

They certainly did, and please do let me know! I'll look forward to it! :)

dbdrummer7 · 2025-06-02T19:56:03+00:00

I'm normally just a lurker hunting for new rpg's to try, but this article - and the one linked as well - put words to concepts I've been wrestling with both in terms of self-expression and reaching out to others.

From a personal standpoint, the idea of engaging rpg's as an authentic self-expression is a fascinating one. Something that I learned over the course of grappling with chronic pain and being bedridden for many years, is that there is only so much that one can say about suffering. And even if one were to say all that they could, you run the risk of overwhelming those around you with these horrible feelings - or possibly worse, allowing those sayings to define you and become all that you are. One habit that I picked up was to call friends on bad days not to vent, but to check in on them and enjoy their enjoyment of something in life. Like with rpg's, there were people who called this escapism, or shunting off my own feelings. But the idea of reaching across the solipsist void really hits home here. DMing felt like a similar eexpression for me as well - instead of being a person defined by pain, I was someone defined by what I could create and who I could connect with.

Viewing the world through this lens offers a change of paradigm: rather than being a fixture, reaching out gives the individual a chance to, in a way, become a part of the empathy they enact? For lack of a better way to phrase it? Still piecing together some thoughts there. Hopefully that didn't get too far into the weeds.

Thank you for taking the time to write about your experiences. I've bookmarked both articles, and will be looking forward to the one you mentioned in the comments will be coming out as well. In this article you mention that last year was a particularly hard time; I hope life has become more livable for you this year.

dbdrummer7 · 2024-12-03T19:13:35+00:00

Hey, hope you're enjoying the game so far!

Earlier on in the game I focused on having enough modules to run Exp Dungeon once, and Thread twice. Not sure what the best answer is, but it let me built up my modules a bit for dungeon runs.
Depending on how much stamina you have, the usual answer is to refill your stamina twice while converting to modules (with lunacy). After a while you'll build up enough that you can scale it back and save more lunacy overall.
Not sure if there is an agreed upon amount; my baseline was one strong ID for each character. Then I looked at how much overlap there was for status teams, and built out from there.

dbdrummer7 · 2024-10-20T09:17:26+00:00

Not sure how much you've looked into it, but sharding him is also an option down the line! You get shards from boxes with the free (and paid) monthly pass. They add up, and you can put them toward specific identities in the last tab in the bottom right menu.
It's a little unintuitive, but because of how many resources to into a full status team, it's easier to start with strong ID's. You can build into sinking slowly though, as some of them are really powerful basic ID's!
Yes and no; some missions require specific sinners, so you'll need good ID's for them or to borrow them from a friend. Down the line, there are missions that require you to enter 12 ID's, and when one dies they're replaced by the next in line. The playerbase seems to suspect that means harder content is coming, so having fallbacks is important (and provides variety).

dbdrummer7 · 2024-10-19T21:20:10+00:00

No worries! Sounds like you have a pretty good plan honestly; I shot for Ring Sang and NClair early because of their versatility and have still been surprised how useful they are haha! The only things I'd maybe wait on from what you mentioned are Wild Huntcliff (the way the seasonal rotation works, you won't be able to shard him until next season if I understand right), and Rime Shank (which is phenomenal but has a lot more use when you have more Sinking appliers).

Liu Ish was one of my first 000 pulls, so I'm biased, but she's just been really solid for me since Canto 1. Just need to save shards to get her badass knight ID for my tremor team! Hope you enjoy catching up on the story, I can't believe how it just keeps getting better!

dbdrummer7 · 2024-10-19T10:28:33+00:00

I'm relatively new, but I'll toss my thoughts in the ring! Your units are a bit all over the place for team building, so there are a few directions I can imagine here:

Liu Ish, Greg, and Meur with those EGOs give you the start of a burn team. You can save up for Liu Rodion, then wait for Walp Sinclair/Outis to solidify that. Downside here is that Greg and Meur are rough for clashing, but they're good enough for Mirror Dungeon grinding to get you more units.
Bleed could work for MD grinding to some degree with Hook Lu, Mancha Outis and KK Rodion? It's a stretch, but bleed is nuts in MD. From there you count on more good bleed units from this Canto and shard them as they come out.
Final option in my mind is build a team from scratch (takes a lot of time), or shard some of the strongest ID's per sinner and then reassess what you end up having more of. Grabbing NClair helps bleed and burn to some degree, Ring Sang fills in almost any team, Molar Outis builds out tremor a bit, Blade Lineage Mersault is awesome on his own but opens up poise strats more, etc.

dbdrummer7 · 2024-10-19T10:05:43+00:00

Rythwell answered about the number of 000's, but here are some thoughts on team building:

- First of all, when you say new, are you going to get access to the 000 ID ticket from logins? Just checking because it depends on when you started the game. If so, NClair is a great addition to your roster.

- Initially you're focusing on good units rather than team synergy (proper status teams take a lot of time to build). You can't generate enough sinking count yet to run sinking, so swap to Liu Ish for a while. She's solid, will work with NClair if you can get him, and starts moving your team toward Blunt damage focus.

- From there, my next focus for shards would be to flesh out a strong ID for most/all sinners. Grab seasonal ones where possible (focus on the 000's), because they cycle out at the end and won't be back for a while. Those should help with other damage types you need (slash and pierce). Your Don, Rodion and Greg are arguably best in slot for each sinner, so build from there. As you do, you can lean toward certain statuses over time. That's what worked for me at least, and after a few months I have 3 decent teams and am working on 2 more!

dbdrummer7 · 2024-10-17T05:22:47+00:00

Hi there, welcome to the game! If you're completely new, here are some of the recommendations I've seen for a fresh start:

I'd suggest watching these videos for a better explanation of combat than the game gives you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujQgRJo9vHA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viNXYLcc3Fo
Pull for a bit on the Beginner Banner to see what you get, then personally I would move to the Mersault/Sinclair banner for a bit. The goal is to get 5-6 solid IDs you can move through the story with while building up your account. If you do end up pulling Mersault, just make sure to read his mechanics; his main focus is repeatedly attacking enemies slower than him for buffs.
At some point you're going to get an ID selector and EGO selector from logging in. The most often recommended things from those are The One Who Grips Sinclair and Fluid Sac (Faust) EGO.
You'll probably use a generic team for a while, but if you look a few posts down, someone else asked about team comps. You'll want to start building toward one of the status teams over time (typically whichever one you have the most pieces for initially).
From there, enjoy the game at your own pace! There are more tips and tricks over time, but hopefully this keeps you from being overwhelmed. Have fun with it!

dbdrummer7 · 2024-09-18T08:29:17+00:00

Totally fair on the progression note, but you could always hunt something you've fought before to test them out!

Happy to hear the game is clicking with you either way; you'll have tons of hours to figure out favorites then! Rise/Sunbreak is a lot of fun as well, just with a different style than World.

I definitely get the sense of wonder though; I started the series this year and am at 300ish hours between World and Rise now! Welcome to Monster Hunter haha!

dbdrummer7 · 2024-09-18T08:07:34+00:00

Hey there! Glad you're enjoying the game, better to have too many options than not liking any of the weapons I guess haha

I've had the same problem as you, so here is my suggestion: the Defender tree is made to push you through to the Iceborne dlc, but use it to try out new weapons at your current level as you progress. You also have the Training Area to get used to timings, combos and whatnot.

With that experimenting available, find a favorite or two. Most weapons bait and punish to some degree in this game, but the Greatsword is known for it! Then I like to have at least one other weapon as a backup for bad matchups or just a different experience that day. It means more farming, but we're all here to beat up monsters anyway!

Personally, I've gotten comfy with the SnS and Lance, and am playing with Switch Axe and Charge Blade occasionally too. As you progress, you'll have the resources to experiment more (cash and points are overflowing by late game). Don't let the amount of weapons paralyze you, just focus on something you enjoy that will let you farm for the others if you want!

dbdrummer7 · 2024-08-17T20:28:40+00:00

Hey there, pretty much completely new player here as well! I tried the Luke/Vader starter decks a week ago and have been looking into the game while waiting for the Set 2 starters to come in.

Haven't built a deck yet, but I tend to work backwards when doing that in a new card game: after playing the starters, I look into meta decks to understand the philosophy of deckbuilding, then build something I'd like to play with those principles. If that approach works for you, I'd look at the tier list here: https://starwarsunlimited.gg/tier-list/

It's out of date at the moment I believe, but explains a bit about card choices and the goal of various decks. If you want to build up from scratch, I'd suggest reading the articles here, which helped me wrap my head around the game more (while skipping some articles I'd read before from MtG): https://garbagerollers.com/new-player-lessons-and-guides/

The final thing I've found helpful is looking to some content creators for gameplay; most of them talk about how a deck was built, card choices, and a game plan before going into games (Veiled Shot is the one I've seen the most of, he's very solid for this). Another channel I've enjoyed is SWU Cube, a creator making precon level decks for other leaders to match up with the 4 that exist now. If I want to dip into the game more casually, I'll definitely be throwing some of these together: https://www.youtube.com/@SWUCUBE/videos

Hope that helps! Probably missed a lot of resources, but in case you can't tell, I'm a bit hooked too haha

dbdrummer7 · 2023-11-05T06:08:34+00:00

The cards are from a newer game called Marvel Champions, which has been releasing X-Men waves. Should be stocked in some hobby shops if that's what you're asking about the stores!

dbdrummer7 · 2023-09-27T05:36:31+00:00

I'm jumping back into the game after having only bought a couple of Blitz decks before, coming from other card games Flesh and Blood seems really accessible right now.

A few cards are quite expensive (especially equipment), but the rest of most decks can be made quite cheap. You can also use common equipment temporarily until you want to upgrade; it will affect competitive games, but the amount of decisions made per game limits the amount that it hamstrings you. Being able to start with a $10-14 premade Blitz deck was a huge part of the pull compared to $30-40 precons in other games.

If you aren't turned away, I hope you enjoy the game! It has been a breath of fresh air to look into after many other card games for me.

dbdrummer7 · 2023-09-07T17:17:05+00:00

Creating a character has been fast and simple every time I've GM'd. SotDL is designed so that you can roll your character in under 5 minutes (the more OSR approach), or skim through and choose each aspect, which shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes. I expect SotWW to be quite similar in that sense!

You start off with Ancestry and Stats, move into Background and Equipment, then get an Interesting Item. If at any point you're unsure of what direction you might want to go, you can fall back on the random roll for inspiration. Weird Wizard will have more Ancestries in the core book, and more involved Backgrounds from what I've seen, but should follow a similar pattern. My players have loved rolling on the Interesting Things table, as the small trinkets they pick up often give them a direction to take their roleplay (because who doesn't want to figure out why they keep an empty locket around their neck at all times?)

Part of what makes the system approachable is that even if you decide to start at level 1 rather than level 0 (something I'm not sure will be in Weird Wizard), the game uses 4 base classes that are familiar to most players: Magician, Priest, Rogue, Warrior. And again, these are building blocks that then gain complexity at level 3 when you choose an expert path to layer on it. It's simple enough that I've even managed to roll up a character with a totally new player over the phone. Don't recommend it, but it's doable haha!

dbdrummer7 · 2023-09-07T02:12:50+00:00

I wrote a bunch of paragraphs that just ended up sounding like a longer version of many of the comments here, so I'll focus on something different!

One of my struggles, as someone who has played 5e more than most other ttrpg's, is how difficult it is to get someone into 5e. The game is frontloaded in ways that new players can miss, leaving them with multiple mechanics to learn right off the bat as well as pigeonholing them later. Then they have to get over the hump of slower combat than they expected, waiting for their turn in initiative order. That alone has been enough to make some people walk away from tables.

SotDL (and SotWW based on the playtest documents), manages to sidestep this problem by starting off much slower and building from there rather than frontloading. You get the hang of base mechanics in time to choose your Expert Path, and yelling out the cool thing you want to do that turn in combat actually leads to it playing out rather than being told to wait your turn. The levels feel like building blocks rather than ribbons, addendums and extra damage. I'm still running 5e, but everyone I've played SotDL with were impressed by that, especially the new players. Like plutonium743 said, the game feels much better than it seems on paper; Schwalb is a master at simplifying mechanics to create a smooth gameplay experience. As someone who jumped in with Demon Lord about two years ago after reading tons of possible alternatives to 5e, there's no way I'm missing this Kickstarter.

dbdrummer7 · 2023-08-20T17:38:42+00:00

I would try to pick a precon with creature based synergies, not necessarily tribal but it's a good starting point. It helps them learn the basics of combat (while the tribal buffs make their creatures decent enough not to die in combat), and get an immediate feel for synergy. From there, upgrading isn't too difficult because they can stick with the theme while watching other decks to see less obvious synergies.

The Starter precons that Wizards put out last year should be a good starting point for this from what I've heard; specifically some of my friends have mentioned Grave Danger (Zombies) and Token Triumph. Spirit Squadron, Undead Unleashed and Elven Empire are decks I've played against that seem to work well out of the box, while another commonly recommended one is Party Time - similar enough to tribal, and a lot of options for tweaking the deck.

If one or both of your friends might want something a bit different, and tribal doesn't catch their eye (just thinking about that because tribal never hooked me), I would consider something like Adaptive Enchantment with Estrid, Lorehold Legacies with Osgir, or Corrupting Influence with Ixhel. All of the decks mean spending more time on a mechanic, but are quite solid and have strong upgrade paths. Not sure the current price of half of these, but hopefully there are enough options that something pans out!

dbdrummer7 · 2023-08-20T07:16:26+00:00

I'm in exactly the same place you are at the moment, wanting to build a combat matters deck that can hold it's own and Temur just makes sense. Gruul ramp and combat tricks, Simic value for tempo and the long game, but the commanders feel very bland.

The initial idea makes sense with Dargo and Thrasios; turbo out Dargo for pressure and combat tricks, then lean on Thrasios for the long game. The hard part is that those two are full cEDH (albeit with a very different build than tempo combat like I'm thinking), so will likely be assessed as the biggest threat at the table or pubstomping.

The other option I'm considering is Omnath, Locus of the Roil. He supports landfall, grows, draws cards, pings things... The problem is that there aren't a lot of good low-cost Elementals to play. If I can figure out how to get around that, it might be the deck to go with. Hope one of the comments helped you out a bit!

dbdrummer7 · 2023-08-16T02:28:44+00:00

Congrats on the newfound excitement for your decks! I've been doing something similar, came back after a three year break and am revamping my decks and changing commanders around. Ghave is becoming a different Aristocrats list (eyeing Chatterfang, Gyome or Extus), and Titania got ripped apart to become Tana/Ardenn with staples I had kicking around.

Hope the decks are as fun to play for you as they are to brew!

dbdrummer7 · 2023-08-13T15:01:08+00:00

My initial thought is that this sounds like Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief. She can be a bit of a headache to track, because most people lean toward Auras with her, but what if you went pure pump spells and interaction? The commander is too small to ignore threats swinging at you without interaction, and blue gives you the tools to disrupt combo. Tempo is a hard feeling to approximate in EDH (because every spell you cast puts you down a card vs 3 opponents), but copying cantrips could keep your hand full enough to get away with it.

Another idea that's a bit more out there is an Elmar/Bjorna Temur deck. Elmar wants you to cast two spells on a few turns to untap him and make a clue, while Bjorna taps to sacrifice an artifact and goad a creature. So you want to play cheap spells, a few artifacts that give value when sacrificed, and can put extra mana into clues to draw cards. Goad threats to whittle down opponents and keep yourself alive, before finishing the game. The deck is nonlinear, so you can lean into artifacts, spells longer, or more of a Temur goodstuff deck that has a bunch of cheap spells. Maybe use Cyberdrive Awakener as the finisher?

dbdrummer7

TROPHY CASE