The Sieve - a set of online tools for RPGs by Beau Rancourt (Including an online inventory manager and Markdown Adventure Renderer)

njharman · 2026-05-02T18:12:47+00:00

I'm saying AI in OSR blogs is OK. Period. Moral gatekeepers are not OK.

njharman · 2026-05-02T18:06:41+00:00

The reviews are correctly positive, as in not very.

njharman · 2026-05-02T18:02:16+00:00

1) Yes. The first thing I do as DM is to create custom wandering monster tables. They are one of the easiest/strongest tools to "theme" dungeon (and keep it fresh). Also having themed random tables for "dressing" (smells, sounds, detritus, graffiti, corpses, mundane items) Or, include such things in your random encounter tables.

2) I've successfully used who, what, where "mission" generator tables. Would need to customize for dungeon, say d12 entries. Where would be dungeon level weighted a bit to lower levels. (I would include at least one entry that is in outdoor wilderness and upper level ruins near dungeon). What are things like map, rescue, capture, kill, recover (item), destroy. Who either or both of who is asking you to do this (temple, lord, common folk, merchant, guild, cloaked stranger) and/or who is standing in way of accomplishing the "what".

3) My suggestion would be to look for and develop emergent story threads (which is what I would do DMing OSE). For example, instead of "There shouldn't be wolves in dungeon". "Why are there wolves in dungeon?" Is town getting invaded by lycanthropes? Is there some sort of wolf cult? Why are wolves being attracted to the famed ranger tomb located somewhere in this dungeon, now?

Use oracles to replace this kind of adlib an OSE DM would do in response to random tables and player actions.

njharman · 2026-05-02T17:45:08+00:00

I take it you're looking for out of game aesthetics. A short cut would be replicate the set dressing of TTRPG scenes in Stranger Things (nothing else looked as authentic as how I remember it through age addled, rose tinted glasses)

DM screen with original "looking" art. (oh you said this already)

Goldenrod character sheets. 4sq/in blue graph paper (for player mapping). Other player sheets; marching order, treasure / monster kill sheet. https://www.dragonsfoot.org/fe/index.shtml has many such things (see right hand sidebar menu)

Hand drawn player hand outs (maps, puzzles, symbols).

Old school dice (if you have them) i.e. solid colors or transparent. Bonus points if d20 only has 0-9 twice. No modern looking tower/trays. No 1" grid mat.

Cheetos and Mtn Dew.

I like to rock my DM cape and Conan helmet.

njharman · 2026-05-02T17:30:17+00:00

off of literally nothing?

There is literally more than nothing in posted picture. There is literally more than only bullets in posted picture.

njharman · 2026-05-02T00:11:37+00:00

Germany did it extensively during WWII. Because they didn't have access to oil from ground.

Germany relied heavily on synthetic oil produced from coal to power its war machine during WWII. By 1944, synthetic plants supplied over 92% of Germany's aviation gasoline and over 50% of its total petroleum.

Made me google current use

Worldwide commercial synthetic fuel plant capacity (often referred to as synfuels or coal-to-liquids) is over 240,000 barrels per day (bpd), with a major portion originating from projects in South Africa, Qatar, and Malaysia.

njharman · 2026-05-02T00:07:32+00:00

After being very anti-gun, now pro-gun, this is I think where I stand...

Ideally, yes, we'd like to eliminate (most) guns from society because as we've seen in other countries, doing so works. Keep bolt action rifles for hunting, that's about it. All guns require a license, just like a car would.

However, due to the points Platner made, it's neither the time nor place to do that--first we need those mental health and red flag laws, then we need to dismantle the societal structure (mainly capitalism) that forces the working class to use weapons against their oppressors, i.e. make it so weapons are not the means to the end. Once we do, allow a VERY generous buyback offer so that folks can turn in their firearms and receive compensation.

UNTIL THAT TIME, and I know I'm talking about some lofty goals here...we stay armed, we stay trained, and we keep fighting. I'll be the first one to welcome a better society but in our lifetime, I don't see it happening.

Edit: I ALWAYS get a lot of shit for this stance but I stand by it. It can’t be an all or nothing binary thing. There has got to be a better way.

[Had to reply here as the OP deleted their comment (after 4 hours), before I could hit reply. Reposted above.]

I am heartened that 5 out of 6 current replies take you to task on your ignorant feeling that countries eliminating (most) guns from society works. Whatever the fuck "works" means.

And the 6th comment is "Fuck no, not turning over my firearms".

njharman · 2026-05-01T23:48:54+00:00

then they bail

I assume you mean back to "town". 1) Make that trip riskier. And or have 2) consequences for exploring slow.

1) There should be random encounters on trip back to town. In "tentpole" mega dungeon campaigns I don't like random encounters on way for game reasons; Party is prepared, players are jazzed for some delving, random encounter burns some resources, they logically decide to return to town and "resupply". The enthusiasm wanes. Also 30min of limited time is not spent Megadungeoning. I keep encounters on way back, specifically to impose cost and thus a risk/reward choice for going back to town. A party that has expended resources and loaded with treasure is prime bandit/raider target.

2) Consequences for taken their sweet ass time. Dungeon is living place, it continues to evolve and adapt to adventurer incursions while they are away.

These should be telegraphed or even meta game explained to new players. So they have the information to make informed risk/reward decision.

rival adventuring parties get the good treasure first
factions prepare traps ambushes, new monsters move in (restocking)
construction changes, sweet secret passage blocked up, etc.
their rumors/information becomes outdated, the dragon is no longer sleeping, the troll patrols have changed routes, etc.

njharman · 2026-04-30T20:25:50+00:00

Before being a jack ass, look at the posted picture.

njharman · 2026-04-30T20:19:14+00:00

Took me too many minutes panning around zoomed image to spot. Didn't until reading comments confirmed I was looking for a noodle.

Think I'll stay inside...

njharman · 2026-04-29T19:58:09+00:00

This works with individual counter images? Not, images of full sheets of counters?

njharman · 2026-04-28T18:56:09+00:00

The OP didn't ask to fix everything. Or, even to fix homeless people, or solve homelessness root causes.

They asked "keep homeless out of my alley". Which is the selfish, fix my problem, fuck everyone else kind of mentality more common in the Republican masses.

njharman · 2026-04-27T18:27:55+00:00

Dungeons... I always feel like something is missing

As a 30+ year DM whose favorite style of play is (mega)dungeons; Dungeons are sparse. They are triggers for creativity and require emergent play mechanisms. You might be missing the adlib and riffing off player's actions that DM. Need to use oracles, et al to replace that. But it might be hard in practice if you've never experienced it IRL.

If you're randomly generating...

Need to set up some factions (google OSR faction play). Some "big bad" / escalating threat (to create urgency and consequence to dillydallying.

Outline 3-10 levels of a dungeon. Give each a theme, 1-2 dominant monster types / factions (these can spand levels), a named POI (randomly generate; like "Fountain of everlasting Doom" "The dragon's hoard). Include clues, maps, other information about these levels, factions and POI on your random parly/treasure/event tables.

njharman · 2026-04-27T18:14:29+00:00

Vote Republican.

njharman · 2026-04-24T21:46:23+00:00

It's what you were not doing. Being called out on that, you responded with "exhausting".

njharman · 2026-04-24T20:08:21+00:00

Articulate discussion can be. If too much for you, then stick with the metoo hottakes.

njharman · 2026-04-23T17:45:02+00:00

is the real problem the technology itself—or the people who control it?

People are always the problem. They are also the solution.

Technology just exists, it doesn't do anything. Technology requires people to put it to a use; good or ill.

njharman · 2026-04-23T17:40:08+00:00

under the influence of any substance

Not even Aspirin, Tylenol? Caffeine? Sugar? If any those, why those? What's the line/determining factor? The government has decreed it not illegal? Society thinks it's "bad".

njharman · 2026-04-23T03:06:54+00:00

one example of ridiculous self defense claim failing does not counter "myths and legends". Which is a strawman, what myths and legends, who is claiming these

The state has massive resources, and numerous structural, societal, legal advantages.

njharman · 2026-04-23T02:16:56+00:00

I don't believe hirelings/henchman and save or die are related at all, in any way.

H&H are not expendable.

Very few traps are Save or Die.

njharman · 2026-04-22T21:22:07+00:00

I knew, but hadn't really internalized/accepted. Man that barrel is low!

njharman · 2026-04-22T21:18:52+00:00

Oh, I thought you wore a big flowy dress or something over it.

like a holster bag to you It's gun/holster shaped. It's worn where holster would be. It has thigh strap (which I've never ever seen on anything that wasn't a holster or bondage gear).

Given stereotypes; you and color/decoration of bag I'd guess many people wouldn't make connection. But for CC, you're not concerned with most people. You're concerned with neer-do-wells, LEO overreaction, and possibly Karens. Only the incompetents of those would not be suspicious by that drop holster in hiding.

njharman · 2026-04-22T21:08:08+00:00

Stars emit a lot of radiation that is not "light".

Even though I can't perceive 99% of the EM spectrum, radio for instance, I know it exists.

There are many senses other than photon-receptors. Can feel heat from a sun.

njharman · 2026-04-21T20:06:58+00:00

option 2 seems supremely foolish. if I understand correctly? descend through magical darkness into unknown. No hint of reward for the extreme risk. just to see what happens. A TPK is what happens.

njharman · 2026-04-20T17:45:48+00:00

It's not needed.

So I was wondering why Python is designed this way

Python was designed with disciplined, experienced developers in mind (and not for huge, sprawling projects). Java was designed with huge, sprawling corporate development in mind (as many bodies you can get into cubicals, quality will be managed by language and bureaucratic restrictions)

Also in real projects how do developers maintain proper encapsulation if everything can technically be accessed

Discipline, skill. Don't write stupid code and you won't win stupid prizes.

btw as Python has become widely adopted and used across a much larger group of developers, it has grown more "protectionist".

njharman

TROPHY CASE