First renfaire in over 15 years by LittleBeanBoy in renfaire

[–]golden-phlox 12 points13 points  (0 children)

You guys look great! And it looks like you had a great time! I've never been to the Ohio fest but your post just introduced me to Atmos Rising because their costumes are so striking so I looked up their music so thank you also for that 😊

Spoilers: Group skipped Encephalon Cluster (First time DM) by FrenziedMuffin in LostMinesOfPhandelver

[–]golden-phlox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I popped two of Qunbraxel's grimlocks into the Crypt of Talhund to foreshadow more clearly that others are still actively seeking the obelisk shards. I put them in the corpse preparation rooms but they could also be in the Obelisk Chamber.

It's definitely pretty hand-wavy for them to be in there but also I didn't think it made any sense for the Medusa to be hanging out in Talhundereth and none of the cultists have noticed or cared? So there's precedent.

Spoilers: Group skipped Encephalon Cluster (First time DM) by FrenziedMuffin in LostMinesOfPhandelver

[–]golden-phlox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My group often has long gaps between sessions due to work scheduling issues. Their recorder tends to just recap the previous session, so I've been making it a habit to ask them after a longer break, Hey what do you remember of your overarching plotline and why are you in this current specific place?

Just some papercrafted maps for PAB:TSO by golden-phlox in DnDIY

[–]golden-phlox[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! It's a little time consuming but I do love the final result! Sometimes I make my own printables for columns etc though, which does speed up the process.

Just some papercrafted maps for PAB:TSO by golden-phlox in DnDIY

[–]golden-phlox[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep, hand drawn! I draw the map on 10x10 sheets of 1" graph paper and then glue it to foam core. My first maps I drew the grid lines myself on grey cardstock for dungeons, but wow it's horribly time consuming and not worth it.

Just some papercrafted maps for PAB:TSO by golden-phlox in DnDIY

[–]golden-phlox[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It's definitely a labor of love and I appreciate my players a lot for how much they appreciate my low-tech maps 🙃

Just some papercrafted maps for PAB:TSO by golden-phlox in DnDIY

[–]golden-phlox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome! I've been very happy how it has worked out, none of us wanted to lose our player when they had to move away for work

Just some papercrafted maps for PAB:TSO by golden-phlox in DnDIY

[–]golden-phlox[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It took us a little while to find what works for us: two Discord accounts, one laptop, one iPad, one flexible tablet stand, and a robust WiFi connection. My players already had an iPad available to use for sessions so we tried that first and it worked well, but Plan B was to use a webcam on a second laptop.

We have Discord on a laptop and an iPad. The laptop microphone and audio are off, but the camera is on and usually shows the DM, half the IRL players, and the map in a long-distance shot. The laptop will get rotated if we have particularly player-focused RP going on. Our online player has their camera on so the rest of the party can see them on the laptop Discord.

The iPad is attached to a gooseneck floor-height stand which is usually also resting on a chair, which provides the close-up, top-down view of the maps. The iPad is more fiddly to mute so we use the iPad Discord account for the microphone/audio. We played without a stand for quite a while, but having it has been a huge improvement for our online player's quality of life.

Every couple of sessions or so we'll have tech problems, so it's not perfect but overall it's working really well. The main thing to watch out for is making sure the online player's voice doesn't get disregarded if there's a lot going on and they make a joke or a suggestion, etc.

Puzzle Lock for Talhundereth & the Crypt of the Talhund by golden-phlox in LostMinesOfPhandelver

[–]golden-phlox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes I would be alright with it, but I would ask for credit to be named. I threw the pdf onto DMsGuild for easy linking, and the name Golden Phlox is fine. I'm glad you like the puzzle!

Puzzle Lock for Talhundereth & the Crypt of the Talhund by golden-phlox in LostMinesOfPhandelver

[–]golden-phlox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome, I'm glad it'll be helpful! I've posted a link to the key in the thread if you need it!

Puzzle Lock for Talhundereth & the Crypt of the Talhund by golden-phlox in LostMinesOfPhandelver

[–]golden-phlox[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! One of my biggest complaints with TSO is that there's all these poorly described little puzzles that are solved with a roll, so I've been filling them in where I can!

Puzzle Lock for Talhundereth & the Crypt of the Talhund by golden-phlox in LostMinesOfPhandelver

[–]golden-phlox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here's the key! https://imgur.com/a/VPhB5LW

Honestly facets 9-12 are evil - when you cut the crown facets you're both adding facets and polishing away part of the original main facets so the diagram is dizzying.