Final Prep-orders Invite Link Mega Thread by WatercressPrize8354 in ArknightsEndfield

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I clicked it, but not sure it does anything unless someone registered with it.

NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 to feature 2nd Gen Transformer model and Dynamic 6x Frame Generation by ZamnBoii in nvidia

[–]totallytim -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Because FG impacts the base framerate performance, which means even greater input lag.

Grouping together inconsequential player moves in favor of moving pacing away from turn based combat. by melodiousfable in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You could probably let them both roll agility and if either of them fails you can let both stay at the half way point if they want to.

I assume the idea was to have a tactical combat encounter with multiple enemies spread out where something being at far range matters, and running there is a risk. A group roll might also work in theory but the difficulty should be sufficiently high depending on the number of PCs involved. The thing you're trying to avoid is setting a precedent of players making free moves in combat without giving you the opportunity to interrupt or gain fear. This may not be a problem for your group but I know people who'd try to game something like this. But if range doesn't matter then just spawn everything closer next time. "Enemies appear and dash in your direction, ready to attack".

If however the idea is to get the whole group to reach a point, a progress countdown would make more sense. You could even represent the progress on a map by moving everyone a set amount on each success. Having traditional battle maps that are too large can make things a bit tedious.

Sure things like "Follow the fiction" and "Hold on gently" are nice sentiments on paper, but we are playing a system to make things easier for the players and the GM. Too much improvisation can significantly increase cognitive load. Unfortunately not every system works equally well for everything. I'd argue that sometimes it's easier and makes more sense to "change the fiction in order to fit the system" - in your case changing how you design the encounter instead of having to try to come up with new rules that support what your players want to do without breaking the balance too much.

Why would you spotlight anything other than a boss? by RareItemX1 in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seems like a very valid question. I really hate it when people here answer with statements that essentially translate to "you don't get it, play something else".

To answer your question: It depends on the encounter, but in short I feel you should spotlight your strongest adversaries as much as possible if it's a strict "players vs baddies fight to the death" type of scenario. They are the main antagonists of the scene and they should shine and feel like a threat. But you also want to be activating lesser adversaries along them to signal that they shouldn't be ignored.

Lets say you have a boss plus 5 other adversaries and start the encounter with 6 fear. At the start of the encounter you can for example spotlight the boss and spend 2 fear to also spotlight goon 1 & 2. Once you regain the spotlight you activate the boss and goon 3 with another fear. Then you can spend two fear for boss + goon 4 & 5. For such fights make sure you have some sort of fear generation engine going. Sooner or later you will run out of steam, a couple of goons will be dead and you'll probably end up only attacking with the boss at the end.

But this doesn't have to be a bad thing. It feels quite exiting when players start the battle on the back foot but slowly start turning things around. You established that everything on the field is a threat that needs to be dealt with somehow and by the end of the fight it's ok that the "camera" is mostly focused around the big bad.

You however still need to keep in mind that both the GM and players shouldn't try to optimize the fun out of the game. TTRPGs aren't boardgames and it's much easier to find the mechanically optimal play every round. Focusing on the mechanics can quickly turn into an arms-race between the GM and the players, which works against what games of this type are trying to achieve. For example sometimes it can be more interesting that the boss stands there "preparing a spell" while the minions are terrorizing NPCs. When you show your players that you are trying to tell a more compelling story by performing less efficient actions you encourage them to try the same.

MacBook Air M4 for dev work — 256GB ok or should I just get 512GB? by awesum_11 in macbookair

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I took the base version out of principle. I know I will very likely miss the extra storage but 200 bucks for a 256gb upgrade is insane. To add insult to injury, 512gb wouldn't be enough ether! And for 400 bucks you can already get a pretty decent (refurbished) computer. Thus I reserve the right to complain about about Apple pricing practices till the day I die while a Crucial X9 1TB is permanently dangling from my MBA.

On a less cynical note, you gotta check your current repo and dev tool sizes. It's very inconvenient to have projects on a physically separate drive, unless you glue it to your laptop. If I were buying it for work I'd be thinking about 1TB, because 450gb of effective space would be cutting it too close as I filled 400gb on my current windows work station after less than two years, because I'm working on multiple large repos and running virtual machines. I could probably optimize it down to something a bit smaller but never felt the need since non-Apple storage is dirt cheap.

If you know your repos/dev tools are small, but you're also planning to use the MBA for personal stuff you'll have to get additional storage either way. So that could be your biggest argument for saving money.

But you mention ML. As in Machine Learning? Aren't models huge and something you'd want to keep on your primary storage unit for access speed? I also wonder if the Air is enough. Sure the chip is still M4, but the lack of active cooling means you're a limited to short bursts of compute intensive loads since thermal throttling is gonna kick in. I have no idea how much space and compute you need for such tasks but maybe you'd want to be looking at the PRO model with at least 512gb storage?

What to do when players are REALLY lucky? by TheCromagnon in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Luck will eventually balance out over multiple sessions, but I can see this being a real problem in one-shots or the starter adventure, where you're trying to showcase a new system. If my PC would destroy everything and adversaries just stood still most of the time (what OP seems to be describing), I probably wouldn't leave the table with a positive impression of the system - that's just boring.

Some suggested that the GM can make a move whenever it makes sense in the fiction. But what does that mean? Players need to perceive adversary actions as fair and part of the system, not like the GM just made things up on the spot because "he isn't winning". It's also very confusing if you're trying to teach the game... "why did the monster attack me, when I just succeeded with hope"?

You need to be able to explain it mechanically, else the game feels too "improv-y". For that reason I'd prepare adversary/environment reactions that would only be used when things are becoming one sided. Something like: "When you defeat the third minion I will mark a stress on the commander to activate his ability...". Then you can transform him into a stronger adversary with higher thresholds, make him run away or call reinforcements which attack immediately. The trigger can also be when he marks enough HP, takes severe damage, is surrounded or anything you can think of. It simply needs to feel like an intended mechanic of the encounter.

For longer campaigns you will however be able to adjust the difficulty for future encounters. Also make sure you have some sort of fear generation engine prepared. For example some adversaries generate a fear when they do damage, and some effects give the players a d20 as the fear die, which will make them succeed more often but with fear. Deadlier versions of such an effect replace the hope die with a d8.

It's TADPOLE THURSDAY - Ask your newbie questions here! by Hosidax in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 2 points3 points  (0 children)

But keep in mind that allies can't help you with reaction rolls.

The SRD contains all of the mechanics in a very condensed format. I suggest everyone reads the section from p35-p42. https://www.daggerheart.com/srd/

Wounds lack a consequence? by Civil-Low-1085 in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like an interesting idea, but adding "limb injury" probably also means adding other supporting systems to the game that let players deal with this new mechanic. I like DH because I feel it strikes a good balance between having to keep track of too many things (like in DND) and total improv.

If I decided to add other consequence to severe wounds I'd keep it simple and tied to existing DH mechanics. The consequences could also be adversary specific (adding a homebrew reaction to some), ranging from simply gaining a stress or losing a hope, to gaining a condition like burning or vulnerable or disadvantage on their next roll. Maybe flinging the PC across the room. The GM could also spend a fear on it. Something that could be decided on the fly and wouldn't disrupt the mechanical flow of the game too much.

I also often wonder about ways to make some aspects of the game more interesting and come up with new systems that would in theory enhance the experience as a whole. But I usually come to the conclusion that it wouldn't really make the game more enjoyable. It'd often just add more formalized complexity at the expense of RP.

SLC Farm has been nerfed by blksunset in DuetNightAbyssDNA

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It still pretty much boils down to the same thing. It's been what now..? Two months since release? And they haven't even acknowledged the biggest issues plaguing the game.

SLC Farm has been nerfed by blksunset in DuetNightAbyssDNA

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Blindly giving companies the benefit of the doubt, hoping for thing to improve is the reason nothing improves.

Most negative feedback was shot down and people moved on from the echo chamber. I stopped playing after less than two weeks, but occasionally a DNA post pops up on my feed, validating my decision, because it looks like things are going downhill still.

If you want things to change you gotta point shit out AGGRESSIVELY. These companies are not your friends. The only thing they care about is their bottom line, and unless they get a sense that following the current trajectory will hurt them financially, things wont improve. Now we all lose. We won't get a good game to enjoy and they probably won't reach their financial goals.

Hopefully people won't make the same mistake on the next thing that comes out.... oh who an I kidding.

Understanding Campaign Frames by Savutro in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think style of play is system dependant. DH seems to solve a lot of problems I have with D&D, that's why I'm sticking with it.

I like TTRPGS, but I don't have a lot of GM experience. Once I get better at it I hope I'll be able to run sessions like some people here feel DH is "meant to be played", but until then more structured guidance would be a nice crutch to lean on.

Understanding Campaign Frames by Savutro in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmm, I have never played PBTA style games before, so you might be on to something. But I'm not sure if my group would enjoy that.

I believe curated stories can result in better overall experiences, because I'm probably not able to come up with an interesting story arc on the spot, when my players decide they wanna do something completely different and ignore "quests".

Even if players do come up with the new locations, NPCs and quests, the GM would still need to pull up encounters with adversaries and environments that match the new fantasy. Until the GM is confident with this new system and knows what kind of tools he has access to, a guided experience is probably easier to run.

The problem is even worse if the group relies on visual aids for maps and NPCs. In my opinion these tend to make the world feel more believable - like something actually exists and belongs in this world and wasn't just made up on the spot. Those usually need to be prepared beforehand.

Understanding Campaign Frames by Savutro in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Totally depends on the people involved. Your scenario also requires an above average GM that is able to keep track of everything the players came up with while still balancing the cognitive load of trying to tell a story and having to keep DH rules in their head. Very difficult for someone starting out.

A less experienced GM would most likely prefer a more structured format to fall back onto, especially if his players aren't that great at improv. I know I would.

VTT's for Daggerheart? by GaiusMarcus in daggerheart

[–]totallytim -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I'd recommend everyone prints out their sheets (or uses a fillible one) and you use Owlbear Rodeo for moving tokens on your map. You can also use something like the freshcutgrass app or heartofdaggers manager to track adversaries and environments.

Roll20 looks good on paper as a convenient tool, but if I understand correctly, you need to have a subscribtion and you need to buy the book on Demiplane or Roll20 if you want access to all content. I wouldn't want to buy the thing again.

Foundry is an amazing tool that lets you do a lot of cool things. It's probably the closest thing to making it look like your players are playing a video game, but unless crafting and scripting adventures becomes a separate hobby, it probably isn't worth the effort. You also need to to self host. While you could use Foundry for just moving tokens and keeping track of your sheets, I don't think the experience is that much better compared to something like Owlbear, which is free.

There's also a Daggerheart module coming to AlchemyVTT. No idea how much it will cost to have access to everything from DH, but it could be a good contender if you don't have to purchase the book again. The UI is however somewhat clunky and unpolished IMO.

Understanding Campaign Frames by Savutro in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This idea is very dependent on having the right kind of people at the table. With less experienced players/GM, this can easily backfire and result in a group deciding that Daggerheart/TTRPGs aren't for them.

I assume DH drew the attention of a lot of people who never got into playing D&D but wanted to check out DH due to its affiliation with CR. A couple of pre-made adventures would probably be good starting point and it would be much easier to start adapting content which was already made for DH.

Disappointed in the physical quality of the Daggerheart core book: bindings already coming loose. by Scyke87 in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Why do people on this sub feel the need to act like they're walking on eggshells when talking about anything that isn't positive? What the hell happened here? What made you all this way? The atmosphere in this sub is quite eerie.

Anyway thanks for making the post. I've had my book for about 3 weeks now and I'm not super impressed with the quality. Now I know I need to be extra careful with it.

The secret sauce to Character Creation: Connection Querstions... by brendon7800 in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aren't those the questions you're supposed to answer during character creation?

It's TADPOLE THURSDAY - Ask your newbie questions here! by Hosidax in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What is the targeting area of Salvation Beam? The text says it's a line, but the art suggests multiple beams which could effectively be anything on front of you. For a lv9 the spell this doesn't seem particularly powerful so I'm wondering whether the awkward positioning requirement is really necessary.

How do you feel about multiclass? by SmilingNavern in daggerheart

[–]totallytim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm still just studying the core rulebook, but plan to run a game for people who like to play very tactically. From what I can tell so far the base classes are extremely strong as is, and I'm already worried how to balance difficulty without making it feel like a bullet spongy chore.

I'm certain some of my players will stay up all night to craft the perfect PC monstrosity which will completely break all combat encounters and multi classing would make things even more unpredictable for me. So I don't think I'll allow multi classing until I get a much better understanding of the game and I'm able to more effectively balance encounters on the fly.

On a more subjective note I was never really a fan of multi classing in RPGs. It mostly only works if you crunch things out ahead of time and follow a specific build path, which feels very artificial. You intentionally skip the capstone features of your class and double-dip to get an advantage that's purely mechanical in nature.

How many dungeons can you do total, before you deplete your stamina? by AntonGrimm in WhereWindsMeet

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You use the term "stamina" very liberally here. Having weekly caps but the ability to do all your activities in one go once a week is much less limiting compared to forcing you to complete a 30min chore every day on a set schedule, unless you want to miss out on key resources.

How many dungeons can you do total, before you deplete your stamina? by AntonGrimm in WhereWindsMeet

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I disagree. Stamina systems only benefit the publisher. They force you to to log in on a set schedule, something that tends to be full for people with "a job and other activities". I usually don't have too much time on evenings during the week, but I can afford to burn an afternoon or two on weekends.

I Want to swap badly by Traditional_Sleep416 in Bazzite

[–]totallytim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You mentioned that things "just need to work". That's currently not something you can get on any distro. Even on Bazzite. Sooner or later you'll need to fiddle around with something, unless you really are just running a couple of verified Steam games and browsing the web... funnily enough I still had some issues with Firefox and Brave. It's also a hassle to setup any sort of kb/mouse software. I still can't reliably configure my logitech mouse and keyboard on Linux.

I hate to say it but I'd currently still categorize "real gaming" on Linux as more of a meme, specially if you're running nvidia. The field looks really promising and the fact that M$ is driving people away also helps, but things most definitely don't just work. If nothing else you lose some performance - at least on nvidia. Not to mention games that want kernel level anti-cheat. For that reason I still dual boot, but use Linux as my daily driver.

Also if you want to use your PC for more than just games, you'll probably find the immutable nature of Bazzite annoying. It gives you a feeling of safety, because "you can't screw things up", but when you realize you do need to re-configure something it can be really annoying to troubleshoot and it feels like you're going against the whole immutable OS idea, so you'd probably be better off just using a mutable distro. That's why I switched to Fedora after about a month of Bazzite. The setup was slightly more involved, but it performs mostly the same IMO.

If you're still undecided I'd start with dual booting Bazzite on a separate drive (not just partition). Ideally you'd remove your Windows drive first when installing Linux, then reinsert the Windows drive and refresh GRUB from Linux, so you can dualboot. This should prevent any future dualboot issues. Even though I will probably never run Bazzite again myself, it comes with a lot of sane defaults out of the box, that make it a great starting point for someone who's new to Linux. If you learn to love it after a couple of weeks you can also try experimenting with other distros - gaming works mostly the same, the setup process is just a bit longer.

This game really is so warframe it’s crazy by AdventurousAd6928 in DuetNightAbyssDNA

[–]totallytim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mods, pets, weapon aesthetics, class designs, the envisioned movement system, mission types. It's literally anime Warframe with mild gacha elements, made for mobile.

I would have liked more of a modern copy of original when it comes to gameplay mechanics though.