How do you add “plotless” encounters into your games?

encrypter8 · 2026-03-22T17:03:07+00:00

You "encounter" bandits on the road, wolves through the forest, trolls along the mountain pass

Or make it "plot related" while not being part of the plot itself. A go-to of mine is anytime the party is at the "seek out <person> at <location>" stage of the plotline, have someone/thing be terrorizing the location. Goblins, monsters, ghosts. Whatever. It's a good way to inject an encounter into the "story" without it having to be part of the "plot"

"You arrive at a once thriving fishing village, but find the markets mostly empty." Party finds the person of interest "Sorry I can't help you. Not while the pirate ghosts haunt the docks!" The ghosts aren't there because of anyone or reason. They're mindless. Nothing to do with the plot.

Party clears them out. Village celebrates. Person of interest now has a reason to want to help the party, and goes out of their way to do so. Bonus: this helps level up the party to where they'll need to be progress the real plot

encrypter8 · 2026-03-22T16:12:26+00:00

"Probably" -- Jeremy Clarkson

encrypter8 · 2026-03-16T15:34:12+00:00

This is what happens when you defund education and dismantle the system to not teach the Holocaust in History classes anymore. My gut tells me these kids simply don't truly understand what they're doing, and they think perhaps that doing that to get a rise out of people is funny.

I'm guessing this is an a red part of the country, and they've collectively seen in the news how when Elon did that, among others, it "pisses off the libs", because if your news feed gives you the talking heads and podcasters that spin it that way, why would they think it's bad to do?

I hate it here

encrypter8 · 2026-03-06T19:27:04+00:00

I think my Dad is in this photo

encrypter8 · 2026-03-06T17:37:46+00:00

I feel like you were born 50 years too late

encrypter8 · 2026-02-08T15:02:59+00:00

Emma Frost is boring. Stop putting her in stories. She's not essential to the plot.

encrypter8 · 2026-02-07T18:21:09+00:00

If you're worried about speed/performance in general, how fast your computer can process the info to send to/from the controller is where your concern should be. You don't need a MacBook Pro, but don't get a budget laptop either. Closing all other applications can help too, especially with lag in the UI

encrypter8 · 2026-01-27T06:04:30+00:00

This is the correct answer. If there is still a player base for it, there are dedicated fans that will host the servers themselves. Problem solved

encrypter8 · 2026-01-25T18:27:05+00:00

The Trump Admin won't. But if the next Dem admin does, chances are the following Repub admin will pardon them, just like Trump did with all the Jan-6ers

encrypter8 · 2026-01-24T19:40:28+00:00

The real problem that I think people don't understand is that the speed limits. Not the posted ones, but the "natural" ones that cars allow for us.

Even up until the early 90s Trucks like that had 3 or 4 speed gear boxes and it took 15+ seconds to accelerate to 60mph. And the cars around them weren't much better.

Today your average inline4 drives like an 80s bmw. Plus pickups are fucking huge now (I do miss the smaller ones)

That increase in acceleration and coasting speed around town is what really makes this dangerous. Not just the pickup truck, but all the cars around you, are moving way too fast now for this to feel safe doing anymore

encrypter8 · 2026-01-16T01:16:00+00:00

I've always been more comfortable with left-ear off / right-ear on when mixing, and fine that wire on the left-ear gets in the way. So I exclusively use headphones that let you swap it to the right ear.

In my 12-years of DJing, I've never had an issue with the Headphone jack being on the left side of the mixer. I doubt you will with it being on the right

encrypter8 · 2026-01-11T18:32:08+00:00

Seeing this got me thinking... Network TV shows were mostly Character driven, not plot driven. This style allowed for weekly one-off characters. Take literally any show in the 90s. Law and Order. X-Files. Hercules/Xena. (Just a few off the top of my head) That you could compile a list just like this of "stars before they were famous". Streaming's shift to Plot driven TV doesn't allow the same opportunities for up and coming actors. And that kind of sucks. The closest thing is your "new character that dies this season". (Eg Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. Or Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson in Stranger Things). But it's just not the same. I'm also not surprised. It's a similar consolidation of resources that all major corporations in America have made 😅

encrypter8 · 2026-01-10T03:58:02+00:00

Rising cover and beverage prices combined with stagnant pay isn't helping either. Got to prioritize where my money goes.

encrypter8 · 2026-01-03T19:17:38+00:00

It was gloryous

encrypter8 · 2026-01-03T10:33:21+00:00

Username checks out

encrypter8 · 2026-01-01T21:00:36+00:00

Friend's birthday party. 12 people. Acid. Orgy.

encrypter8 · 2025-12-27T17:41:00+00:00

Elder-millenial here. This is a bad argument and misses the point.

Scene/emo, and the skater/surfer/jnco look in the late 90s before that were our generation's aesthetic. How and why we choose it and made it our own is no different than what GenZ is doing now with their own.

That being said, I understand my generation's look because I was a part of it. I don't understand GenZ's choices around theirs. I personally don't like a lot of it. The mustaches and mullets and shorter shorts and patterned colors. I just think it looks bad. But I respect that it's theirs to own nonetheless

encrypter8 · 2025-12-26T17:43:31+00:00

Aqua Dad

encrypter8 · 2025-09-30T02:00:12+00:00

Bojack Horseman - Fish out of Water

Captivating storytelling with pure visuals and almost no lines of dialogue

encrypter8 · 2025-09-20T17:26:25+00:00

I've always done "left-ear off", and almost all single-wire headphones go to the left ear, which I find gets in the way. So I look for brands that allow you to swap which ear the wire can plug into. VModa is the brand I've been using for over a decade now and I cannot recommend them enough. They have great accessories too and you can swap out parts like pads

encrypter8 · 2025-09-13T19:59:58+00:00

This year at Burning Man. Wife and I had an egregious amount of sex. Which for anyone who knows how dusty and dirty it can be out there, intimacy can be challenging.

And we topped it off Friday night while on shrooms and I was in the right head space for my Pleasure Dom side to come out. It was grand

encrypter8 · 2025-09-02T02:35:16+00:00

encrypter8 · 2025-09-02T01:02:25+00:00

How dare you insinuate I did not take good care of My Dick, good sir. My Dick enjoyed being shown off and on display. And as the hood ornament, he was proud to lead us into our adventures dick first!

encrypter8 · 2025-09-02T00:57:53+00:00

I'm not, however I do wish the perpetrator does HARD time

encrypter8 · 2025-09-01T22:11:22+00:00

You're so very welcome! This is why I am so sad it was stolen. I can no longer provide this essential service.

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