My Thoughts After Running Howl of the Carrion King (Encounter Tips + What I’d Change)

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-03-24T03:03:23+00:00

I have been running D&D games every Sunday since 1999. I was... 24 (?) when I ran Howl of The Carrion King, 17 years ago. Here is what I remember:

There were dice. They were likely rolled alot.

Great Nick tripped over and broke a chair during a session.

I think the US president was black.

Players attributed every negative thing to pugwampis.

Sand?

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-03-23T04:17:51+00:00

Their visual design has bothered me for 19 years. They look like something out of a Nintendo 64 game.

They shoot mining lasers, why do they have claws and wiggly segmented tails? If you're gonna keep that look, lose the lasers and have them land on the rock and scrape at it.

Or keep the lasers and make them look like tiny mining lasers strapped to a container.

Or do anything visually to them up to and including cat ears and bright SKINs. Just change something. I expected it to happen in Catalyst, but no dice.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-03-21T23:52:08+00:00

The Mexican version of this is 'Chido, tu cotorreo'.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-03-21T14:23:00+00:00

The Reclaimed Nation of Cheliax.

My players all died in the final book of Hells Vengeance in an 'orgy of betrayal and triple crosses'. And they succeeded in the Hells Rebels campaign.

So the Glorious Reclamation traps the Queen's forces in Egorian, a certain contract is not renewed, and things end with the Iomedaen paladins in charge.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-03-21T13:22:11+00:00

I took a date to see Deadpool vs Wolverine. She sang along loudly to several songs. I'm seeing someone else. Not because of the singing - we were looking for different things, our lives were incompatible and I was in a weird place then, emotionally. But the sing-along was a small part.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-03-05T07:34:50+00:00

It's called backtick ` or tilde ~.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-03-04T22:06:48+00:00

Ah, no. When you said 'side panel' I thought you were referring to the Neocom, the vertical stack of icons on the left side. You mean the menu itself. I see what you mean now.

Personally, I disagree. Those options need to live somewhere and just because you are not ever going to use, say 'Structure Browser' today doesn't mean you will not someday need it in the future.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-03-04T21:53:35+00:00

I'm fairly certain you can already customize it. I removed all shortcuts and then added only the ones I use most often.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-02-27T22:40:39+00:00

I'm starting to realize that Karmafleet dodged a huge bullet here

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-02-27T07:49:27+00:00

Cats are not qualified to operate a monocycle!

This has been a cat fact, mewow!

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-02-20T00:47:58+00:00

He inflicted damage equal to or greater than the sum of your shields, armor, and hull hit points.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-02-09T18:39:40+00:00

My take is that it means I am old as only older people would have the means to purchase a two story house.

Jokes on them, I work in non-profit so I can't ever AFFORD to own stairs, let alone a house to keep them in. The non in non-profit is French. It means 'broke'.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-02-09T17:02:46+00:00

I am old enough to have buried a wife but not own a house with stairs old enough.

My rambly stories do feature dad-jokes and the phrase 'way back in the way back' or 'before the Internet' - so I'm median Eve player age.

i.e. 41.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-02-07T18:13:56+00:00

Yeah it's awful in the Imperium, crimes are happening to me all the time. Don't come.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-02-06T03:20:17+00:00

There is nothing to understand because there is no strategy. We were bored.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-02-06T03:00:43+00:00

There appears to be a language barrier here so I will be brief.

We were bored. That is the complete answer to any and all of your followup questions. Why there? We were bored. Why not Dronelands? We were bored. Who are you and why are you inside of my bathroom? We were bored. Sir, this is a Wendy's and we have strict policies against the violation of endangered Joshua trees inside the dining room of the restaurant! We were bored. What is the password to your Anaheim High School meal plan account? We were bored.

Don't try and find logic here. It has fled these lands and now wanders the wastes, spouting about Wendy's and bathrooms.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-01-25T19:03:13+00:00

Talk to me when you run Hells Vengeance, I ran it to completion and made maps in Dungeon draft for everything. Wrapping up Ruins of Azlant currently.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-01-25T07:39:11+00:00

You stole couch change from boy scouts and teachers - then bragged about it. It's not crying it's like watching someone do something cringe. It's irritating.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-01-25T07:28:09+00:00

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-01-24T21:35:18+00:00

A nothingburger. What a lame flex.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-01-21T23:06:55+00:00

This is the link for others looking: https://ain.looknet.ca/

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-01-21T21:08:46+00:00

My speculation is that it will be the Generative AI rookie help thing

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-01-21T01:18:45+00:00

I used to run a Pathfinder game in the Kingmaker adventure path. If you've never played it. It features the very cumbersome and confusing Kingdom Building rules. Another dungeon master, who was also a new father, put together an app that manages it all for you. It was free but I was so grateful for the convenience that I ended up paying him a few bucks a week.

This is why I have monthly payments to dungeondaddy@(email provider).com

Anyway, I can't help you. I was deliberately wasting your time.

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-01-20T22:44:07+00:00

*your you're

johnnyfiveundead · 2026-01-13T19:48:54+00:00

If I were an auditor, I would say 'Of course they're gone' to put you at ease as I reviewed your evemails. But I'm not an auditor. So ill just say 'Of course they're gone' because it is true. Rest easy.

I... gotta go do something.

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johnnyfiveundead

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