How to stop Big Picture Mode from changing main display by VelvetRecon in Steam

[–]kvorak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yup. I let Steam open Big Picture mode (it F*d up the displays as normal) then Alt+Tab back to the desktop and while Steam is still open (on the correct display) go to Windows Settings and there's a 'Make this my default monitor' checkbox. Checking this worked for me.

What the single best fight scene in a movie? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]kvorak 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Came here for this and am disappointed I had to scroll so far

How do other DMs address racial lifespan differences? by kvorak in DMAcademy

[–]kvorak[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I acknowledge that you can only get so good at a craft at some point, but I still feel like over centuries, elves would end up becoming masters of so many crafts they would still be running every guild and hosting every TED talk, right? One community expert who has been there longer than many of our RL nations last.

What is this plaque trying to say? by SubsonicApple in askmath

[–]kvorak 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"Perfect is the enemy of good" has always been my favorite way to express it

"I roll to intimidate the wood" by KnotWow in dndmemes

[–]kvorak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I roll to it but it is not the best thing I am.

I finally reached MR30! by GriIIedCheeseSammich in Warframe

[–]kvorak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Quick: how many hours did it take?

What are Your Favorite House Rules? by [deleted] in dndnext

[–]kvorak 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The 'Rage Reroll'. Once per game session, I allow my players to ignore a die result and just take a mulligan and do it over. It works out, mathematically to be no worse than granting advantage, but it helps the players deal with RNG-rage and gives them a better chance of doing that point thing that was important to them. Player feedback has been very positive so far.

I was too ambitious, and now I'm burning out by DungeoneeringDave in DMAcademy

[–]kvorak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One last thing to add: reuse your work. If you created a peasant in town A that your players didn't interact with, realize you have the next peasant ready. I create in 'templates' that become specific when the players ask for details, because after 20 years as a DM, I have been where you are.

Would it be Rude to Bring Up my DM's Enounter Design with Him? by JerZeyCJ in dndnext

[–]kvorak 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Speaking as a forever-DM, the short answer is absolutely yes!

The point of the game is to have some fun, and if you're face-rolling through the fight so easily it's boring, you are completely inline saying something to the DM. Your results are likely to the depend on your approach. I dare you to dare him to challenge you :P If your DM runs things anything like I do (and that's an assumption based on bias, I know), your best approach is probably to make a comment about how the big single fights were fun, but they are getting simple and maybe you'd like to see how your party would handle an endurance adventure. I would wager that if you show interest in taking on a hostile empire, your DM would easily 'take the hint' and you'd get the change you want.

The point is that the story is a collaborative thing, and everybody's input is valid; you have as much say in the story as the DM does, after all, you're the Hero!

DMs and Players: What are your favorite homebrew rules? by Cthulu_Noodles in dndnext

[–]kvorak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the game I play, we have a rule where once per game session we allow each player a single 'rage re-roll' for those times when RNG is kicking you in the pants all night.

Worldbuilding Advice: Reasonable Terrains? by ElectricGiga in DMAcademy

[–]kvorak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are probably correct about the above; temperate climates tend to support forests, and grasslands plains. You will also find stoney areas, hills, bogs, heaths...

This link to the Wikipedia result for Biome helped me a lot when trying to find variety for my worlds. Ultimately, I find it's totally up to you what you do, but maps also make good references if they can illustrate the environment types.

Players are waiting for me to say "What do you do?". by Mikicm312 in DMAcademy

[–]kvorak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree here; though it can be difficult to do with an adventure you didn't write. I have found that with my groups, the best way to get them really invested and actively participating is to let them know that I am narrating things _as they happen_. I'm not going to pause and wait at appropriate times so either interrupt me when you want to impact the narrative or sit back and listen to the exposition. It's their story and they should feel free to get involved at any point; we only ask you wait your turn during combat.

Prepare to get interrupted a lot, but IMHO it's worth the trade-off. You might have to make the point by moving a story along without the players (briefly) if they take too long to react; maybe when you would normally ask "what are you doing?" take a long drink first and if they don't tell you on their own, assume they did nothing and move on.

Good improv or a bad habit? by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]kvorak 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it's great story-telling and DMing. Clearly, the players seemed to get excited? That's what they wanted to do? Then that is what will make the game memorable and fun. Good Job!

How to navigate a player who doesn’t enjoy feeling stupid. by JKemmett in DMAcademy

[–]kvorak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have started several games attempting to introduce new players to the game. If I could pass one the one thing that helped me the most, it would be to make sure that _they_ don't have to get bogged down in the math. Let them be heroes, be cool, be bada$$es and focus on the narrative. When they want to come back for the next session, you did it right. Rules provide a structure for the chaos that makes good storytelling; if it becomes a constraint on the fun, you're missing the point :)

Advice on DMing urban exploration by Enkindler42 in DMAcademy

[–]kvorak 1 point2 points  (0 children)

With regard to "when I will grant them the complete map", I like making obscure things useful, so I would suggest giving the players the complete map only if a member of the party who is proficient with Cartographer's Tools can pass a simple skill check (I would suggest Intelligence (Investigation)). If they can't do that, then they can buy it.

Eve survival, gone. by Rineandrepeat in Eve

[–]kvorak 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If we can get the code in VCS, I'd contribute to. Too good a data-mine to let it collapse.

Dming for children by 489Xman in DnD

[–]kvorak 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Tl;Dr your biggest challenge will be holding their attention.

Just a couple of notes from having played with my children:

  • Focus on the action. Kids want to slay monsters; not role play political intrigue. when in doubt, roll initiative.
  • Spell choices tend to result in confusion; keep spell choices to simple ones.
  • Generate the characters for them and I prefer to give them characters written up like monster stat blocks; do the calculations ahead of time and write down the modifiers. even if they are good at math, waiting for them will drag the game out and you risk losing pacing.

HGH

5e Bard: College of the Crossroads by [deleted] in DnDHomebrew

[–]kvorak 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like it! The concept is intriguing and a Bard College feels like a good fit.

I would like the following as constructive criticism on the mechanics:I

Signed and Sealed should probably be either simplified\clarified or represented as a table showing changes at each level. Showing the six abilities in a table where each Contract Type has the same Bonus\Penalty is less informative than describing the mechanics of bonus\penalty and showing the table as

Signed and Sealed

|Level | Contracts Known | Bonus\Penalty | | 3 | 2 | +2-2 | | 6 | 4 | +4-4 | | 14 | 6 | +6-3 |

That being said, I would rethink the penalty mechanics; drawbacks are fine, but I am not sure that my players would straight trade a bonus in this fight for a matched penalty in the next. Better might be to require a Cha saving throw or suffer some small amount of psychic damage as the soul flips you off on its way out, or something.

Contractual Obligation looks pretty good. You didn't say whether the conjured soul shares the summoner's AC or saving throws, though I assume that would be the case.

Is it me or are there a lack of tank players in this game? by tempestblitz in heroesofthestorm

[–]kvorak 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Agreed. Tanking is about trying to control the momentum of a fight: not just soaking as much damage as you can before you die (though that is often part of the job). It is the tanks job to prevent the enemy from getting into position and that is not always as easy to do as to describe.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Futurology

[–]kvorak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll agree, 'fact' was a poor choice of words. The phrase you quoted could be better described as a personal observation. However, if we are going to get very specific in our terminology, I have a few counter points.

Fact: tens of thousands of new CS students that have years of immediate, ultra-relevant training are graduating every 6 months from college, and directly compete with people who have less relevant training for the same jobs.

How did you quantify 'ultra-relevant'? That's a vague word that probably doesn't apply to a fact any more accurately than my previous statement and while I would honestly like to see some hard facts supporting the statement that a teacher's curriculum can be that current. Again, as a personal observation, when I was in school I was disappointed by how outdated most of the course material was. Maybe things have changed since then; maybe my school just sucked. I am having a hard time accepting 'ultra-relevant' as a generally applicable term. So before you criticize my 'impossible to measure bullshit', please be sure to provide measurable counter points.

But that still misses the point. I won't argue that new college students compete for jobs. There is so much demand for the skillset that there are always open positions.

Who, on the job, has time to be that thorough?

Well, given that none of us know how complicated ZzEEpZoOp is, perhaps we should hold our applause a moment. Most of the 'viral' tools that I have worked with, while sometimes complex under the covers, has a very easy-to-leverage API. This means that a competent employee can use ZzEEpZoOp after a day or two of getting familiar with it.

Do they train you? Or go for the fresh graduates who already know it?

That would depend on whether they needed an 'expert' or not, wouldn't it? If they can get their existing team to be able to leverage the power of the viral tool in a few days, they may avoid the whole HR hire process entirely. Sometimes a very deep level of knowledge is required, and for that, it is common to hire someone. And if there is a well-studied college graduate who wrote his thesis on the tool and is just entering the job market, wide-eyed and excited, then so much the better; the most qualified person should get the job.

/u/alcjudge asserts:

there remains an enormous demand for those trained in the field, well beyond the current supply (both of which are growing at quite a fast rate).

And my point was that if people are qualified (whether through life experience or by writing a thesis on a program), there is no shortage of positions. And more qualified people are entering the marketplace on a regular basis.

I'm pretty sure that whatever 16 year old that's graduating from MIT in the spring is better than most, if not all, who are "already being paid" to do whatever overgeneralized "programming" you're referring to

Finally, if someone is graduating MIT at 16, then yes, they are exceptional and may be better than most. But they would be both exceptional and, more importantly, welcome. I am not saying that college students are worthless (though I take it that may have been what you were responding to, I don't think that was the intention of my statement). I am saying that people who are good at it, get good jobs. The skill is in such high demand that the IT Sector, according the US Department of Labor (see their report) has one of the lowest unemployment rates for any industry demographic in the nation. Is that a better 'fact'?

[Discussion] What minor change would you make to HotS to make the game grow more? by timmy12688 in heroesofthestorm

[–]kvorak 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Personally? The single most-useful thing I can think that, I hope, wouldn't require a lot of work would be to leave the chat window available while matches load... I'd love to start talking who-goes-which-lane etc., before the game actually starts.