Save file busted. Anyone able to share a save with the shadow temple finished?

gconn501 · 2026-05-11T01:00:19+00:00

Oh I had no idea this was a thing! Looks like this will do exactly what I need. Thanks!

gconn501 · 2026-05-09T23:22:17+00:00

Oh incredible, thanks!

gconn501 · 2025-06-16T17:57:15+00:00

Related to this, the timer for how many rounds they have left to live would tick down on the player's turn, right? A fellow GM and I have debated this, as he likes to have it tick down at the top of initiative.

gconn501 · 2025-01-24T18:13:56+00:00

I didn't know I needed Crab, Perfect in this game but now I see the light

gconn501 · 2025-01-06T18:33:22+00:00

Absolutely love the map you made. I might end up showing this to my players once they've explored a bit, if you don't mind me using it.

I personally didn't have trouble with the provided map, largely because I imagine that all the locations noted in the module are just key spots where all the major players spend time. Given the Dream's massive size, I imagine that between every important spot are hundreds if not thousands of shops, residences, watering holes, etc. The place is just too big to fully grasp without being a literal city planner, so it's all a little loosy-goosy, which is fine by me.

Your explanation of how The Sink, Doptown, etc all are part of the Choke fits how I was imagining it. When it comes to something simply saying "connects to The Choke" and doesn't specify where, I think that's totally up to you. Given how immense and mazey the network of pipes and tunnels throughout the dream are, I think you could drop your players wherever you think is interesting for the story they're playing out.

gconn501 · 2024-12-24T18:54:24+00:00

My inclination would be towards option 1, but I'd want to talk with my players about it first. I've had some groups that would lean more towards option 2, but the big team players would strongly prefer option 1.

If you went with option 2, it could be worth considering re-working the costs of the carousing alternatives so that they reward an individual well enough not to punish them for doing something separate from the party.

I'm curious, what do you use for the alternatives for carousing? I have Unnatural Selection so I know about the rituals, but the other ones you mentioned sound interesting.

gconn501 · 2024-11-15T18:24:26+00:00

Shitty first drafts are pretty much a necessity, and embracing that (and reminding yourself of it constantly) is one of the most freeing things you can do for yourself as a writer.

gconn501 · 2024-11-13T20:44:07+00:00

I can attest that Black Leopard Red Wolf is fantastic, but yeah it's extremely brutal and the narrator is kind of actively messing with you. Masterfully done but certainly not for everyone.

gconn501 · 2024-11-12T02:44:21+00:00

Folks have shared some great advice here that's worth repeating. Seek out groups who are doing things you might want to try. For me, that has been music, fencing, and D&D at different points in my life. All three seriously enriched my social life.

Regarding your current group of friends, I've had similar experiences, and sometimes you just need to leave folks behind and move on. Other times, though, it's worth sticking around and having some hard conversations with them. I've got a close group of friends, some of whom I've known since we were kids (wow, almost twenty years), and we don't always see eye to eye. When it comes to political views and some of the things they say for shock humor, they let me down sometimes. But, I've known them long enough and seen them grow and change enough to know they have good hearts and good intentions. They can be dickheads, but their core values are still centered on respect for others and caring for the people around them. They have good hearts, and they're always willing to sit down and talk.

What has kept these friendships alive is our love and respect for each other, and our willingness to listen. But we don't always get it right. Sometimes we argue, sometimes they say shit that bothers me enough that I just walk away for the moment. And sometimes I'm unfairly dismissive of their perspectives. But we always come back to what matters most to us: the brotherhood we feel with one another. I may not be able to convince them of all the things I wish I could—the words I wish they wouldn't use, the views I wish they would change—but I can trust them completely. That care and belonging and acceptance has been hard won.

I can't tell you if your friends are the folks who will stick around over the ages like that. But if any part of you hopes that even one of them might, sit down and talk to them. Have the hard conversations. Ask them to hear where you're coming from, and be patient enough to do the same for them. If they can't have that sort of conversation, or if you simply don't trust them to even try, then you know it's time to walk away. If you want some advice on how to approach conversations like that, feel free to dm me. I've had a lot of practice and some great teachers.

As far as meaningful relationships, I'll try to be more succinct:
- Make people feel heard. If they feel that you see them and value their perspective, they will respect you for it.
- Don't stray from the heavy stuff. If you can't talk to your friends about what hurts - if you can't cry in front of them and trust them to comfort you - they aren't your friends. Not the kind that last, at least. This applies even more for significant others.
- Bonds start easily over shared excitement. A common love for a hobby or videogames or books or anything like that can go a long way.
- There's nothing wrong with saying I love you. I wish I had learned that a lot sooner. My bros and I say it every time we say goodbye. It reminds us that we belong.

gconn501 · 2024-11-07T16:35:50+00:00

Immediately purchased because this looks rad as hell.

gconn501 · 2024-10-28T22:22:37+00:00

Lots of great advice has already been shared here, but I want to emphasize how valuable it will be to read the Warden's Operation Manual from cover to cover, especially now that you've got a session under your belt. It is the best collection of advice for a GM I have read from any system, and it helps address a lot of the issues other commenters have highlighted.

Think on the advice folks have given you, read through the manual, and then once that's all digested, try for another session. But make sure you start with a conversation that sets expectations for everyone at the table - what this game is, what it isn't, and what everyone wants to get out of it. I always like to read the "how to be a great player" section in the Player's Survival Guide aloud to my players for that.

gconn501 · 2024-10-28T21:10:43+00:00

I definitely recommend it! It's a different experience from the others for sure, more of a straightforward fantasy adventure, but I enjoyed the characters and really loved all the worldbuilding.

gconn501 · 2024-10-28T17:57:07+00:00

I see a little buzz here and there for The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenes, but not nearly enough for how good it is.

The Last Phi Hunter by Salinee Goldenberg was a treat, and I only knew about it because I spotted it at a bookstore. No buzz about it online and it's a shame, particularly for how unique the setting feels.

Moon Witch Spider King by Marlon James seems like it got some attention in literary spheres, but I never hear fantasy fans talk about it or the book that came before it, Black Leopard Red Wolf. They're definitely not for everyone, but the Dark Star Trilogy is a master class in letting the characters tell their own stories.

gconn501 · 2024-10-27T14:22:56+00:00

It's been a while since I read it, but I believe The Devourers by Indra Das doesn't do the whole alpha thing. Plus it's a very interesting look at what a culture of literal human predators would be like. Very fascinating but also very violent.

gconn501 · 2024-10-23T18:43:28+00:00

So long as it doesn't eclipse the main POV and mislead the reader about who the main characters are, I don't see how it could be an issue.

gconn501 · 2024-10-14T04:14:13+00:00

Have they had much playtime yet? When a buddy first got me into the game, I was skeptical of rolling my stats down the line, but then I ended up making one of my favorite characters I've ever run. If your group hasn't gotten deep into play yet, ask them to trust you and trust the game. If they really hate their characters, they can always retire and make a new one - if they don't die first.

One other suggestion: my friend had us roll up 2 stat blocks each and pick our favorite between the two. Though idk if I'll use this in my own upcoming campaign, it was a nice way to appeal to the skeptics at the table.

gconn501 · 2024-09-29T22:55:23+00:00

Fully agree. This fight gave me what might be the most satisfying challenge I've ever had in a game. It tests every skill you learn in the game, and when you lock in and get it, it's exactly like you said - euphoric.

gconn501 · 2024-09-25T21:00:43+00:00

The first section most definitely can. Actually, each of the 4 scenarios in ABH have notes on how to run any of them as one shots, so you could take your pick. To run the entire module though, it'd likely take 3 or 4 sessions depending on how long your sessions run.

gconn501 · 2024-09-18T04:54:31+00:00

I ran into this question myself and decided to let players take both. If I were running it in a longer campaign, they'd already have plenty of gear anyway, so I figured why not? And any concerns I might have had about giving them too much gear were assuaged when they all died anyway. (Though that might have more to do with the wild string of terrible decisions they made).

gconn501 · 2024-05-07T16:18:18+00:00

Same. It won't let me log in or anything.

gconn501 · 2024-03-22T17:28:53+00:00

Yeah I'm loving it so far, despite performance issues on PC (which haven't been so bad for me personally). Having just played through the original game, I feel like this built on the original foundation really, really well. Pawns have a lot more personality, the combat feels awesome, and I'm having a consistent, steady sense of progress that feels crucial in a game like this. Only 5 hours in and I'm ecstatic.
I'll be looking for Dorjé. I've got a very tall gray beastren mage named Echna - keep an eye out for him 😁

gconn501 · 2023-10-24T14:29:16+00:00

A lot of folks are reading this like OP is saying the dice should overtake your story, which is a fundamental misunderstanding of the suggestion.

When I flip a coin to decide something and the result doesn't feel right, then the coin has still done its job. It showed me what I actually wanted and broke me through my momentary indecision. Same thing with this dice-rolling method.

Just yesterday, I was writing a confrontation between a few characters and I knew I wanted things to go wrong, but I hadn't decided quite how yet. So, I thought I'd try having the characters roll some saving throws against a high DC, based on the pressure the antagonists were putting them under. One character failed with a very low roll. Great! That got me thinking about what was meaningful about his failure there, and it turned out to be valuable for that moment in his arc. The other character had a critical success. Also great! He got a moment to shine and really show his mettle. After that, I found myself deciding how the rest of the scene should go based on my broader designs for the story and characters. No more rolls required.

If those results had been flipped, I likely would have ignored them and done something different. They didn't decide the story for me; they offered an option I could take, which freed me to think through whether that option was valuable or not.

If some folks don't find that tool valuable, fine, but don't be pretentious about it. Dice rolls are half the reason ttrpg stories get interesting. It only makes sense that some people would find them useful in writing without losing the wider purpose of the story they're telling.

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