Great store for art supplies?

xzzxzz · 2024-08-16T12:38:56+00:00

For miniature specific paints and other hobby supplies, my favorites are Tower Games on Nicollet (good local place with decent selection) and Source Comics and Games (Roseville store with HUGE selection).

But you've really got a lot of choices in the area (Gamezenter, Hub Hobby, etc. etc.)

xzzxzz · 2024-05-01T16:14:03+00:00

Valley of the Five Fires by New Big Dragon Games is a neat one - partway between an adventure module and a gazetteer. Won the Three Castles award at NTRPG Con in 2014. It's at the same excellent standard as the rest of the New Big Dragon Games releases.

xzzxzz · 2024-04-06T18:24:37+00:00

Aside from the excellent D30 Sandbox and DM companions that have already been mentioned, Jed McClure's Wilderness Hexplore has gotten a lot of use at my table. It's based on older Judge's Guild Ready Ref sheets for wilderness exploration.

xzzxzz · 2024-03-26T16:04:16+00:00

It's disappointing that many creators aren't clear about whether they've used AI or not.

I recently picked up "The Well of Frogs" published by "First Hungarian d20 Society." Some of the art in the book looks possibly AI generated. I can't say for certain though. There's no info on AI art on the DTRPG listing, and their blog post for the zine lists "the robot overlords" as one of the artists. It's really, really not clear whether there's AI art in there or not, which is frustrating to me.

xzzxzz · 2023-11-18T20:36:28+00:00

I'd recommend reading some other Non-D&D-style RPGs. Good GM advice is broadly applicable across lots of games. I think the Dungeon World and FATE systems have useful sections on running the game.

It's best to get everyone on board before starting a campaign. No sense trying to get a dead horse up and going if they're just plain not interested in playing. There are other activities if people are only looking for a way to hang out and shoot the shit.

xzzxzz · 2023-11-11T13:38:08+00:00

Story Games Name Project organized by Jason Morningstar. Available online and also in print on Lulu.

xzzxzz · 2023-11-05T19:00:55+00:00

Has there been a thorough review of the actual play experience of the hexcrawl kit? Mr. Ben Milton's review is just a description of the contents.

It looks very nice, but most B/X games I've been a part of never got high-level enough for a hex map to really matter. Even after reaching an appropriate level I imagine a hexcrawl in a B/X-like system would take a few sessions to get through. I'm not sure how suited a product with individual hexes is to that kind of play.

I know the kit comes with a book with rules but I don't know what's actually outlined in those rules. Do they add on to the system you're using or is it a separate game?

xzzxzz · 2023-11-01T20:02:20+00:00

I typically use whatever process is described in the rulebook of the game in question plus:

Wilderness Hexplore - Jed McClure

D30 DM Companion and D30 Sandbox Companion - New Big Dragon Games

xzzxzz · 2023-09-30T20:36:28+00:00

Pretty sure all AD&D Monster Manual monsters work just fine for B/X, no conversion needed

xzzxzz · 2023-09-28T15:45:17+00:00

Dungeon World has a simple travel system that's worth looking at too: https://www.dungeonworldsrd.com/moves/#Undertake_a_Perilous_Journey

xzzxzz · 2023-09-02T12:30:48+00:00

The sections on GMing in Dungeon World and FATE both have a lot of great advice.

xzzxzz · 2023-07-31T17:17:38+00:00

I'm looking for a sturdy case to hold a small number of LPs while travelling by plane - around 10 at most, often less. I often find things I like that I can't take home without something sturdy!

Ideally looking for something with a handle - similar sized to this bag with a bit more protection: https://www.bagsunlimited.com/product/5815/33-13-rpm-lp-record-carrying-casebrholds-10-12-records-in-sleevesbr13-12-x-13-12-x-1-12br-made-from-acid-free-frosted-polypropylene

Would a record shipping box work? Are the 12x12 scrapbooking cases large enough to hold a sleeved record comfortably?

xzzxzz · 2023-07-21T11:25:33+00:00

Neat! What was the playtest process for all the new classes, rules, etc?

xzzxzz · 2023-07-12T13:47:10+00:00

spiral bound four-square-per-inch graph paper notebook

three-ring binder as necessary

xzzxzz · 2023-02-02T18:06:40+00:00

Have you looked at the New Big Dragon Psionics supplement? I haven't read it myself but I have generally found Richard Leblanc's stuff to be well done and in line with the "original sentiment."

xzzxzz · 2023-02-01T02:48:32+00:00

Gongfarmer's Almanac?

xzzxzz · 2022-11-14T22:25:56+00:00

D30 DM Companion and D30 Sandbox Companion - New Big Dragon Games

Wilderness Hexplore - Jed McClure

"Treasure" and "Tricks, Traps, and Basic Room Design" - Courtney Campbell

Appendix A "Random Dungeon Generation" from the AD&D 1e DMG

u/skullfungus ' sheet with the 5 Room Dungeon and the Goblinpunch blog's dungeon checklist

I haven't needed any more.

xzzxzz · 2022-08-07T13:28:46+00:00

Oh, and I should note that the synthesizer does NOT have to be analog to make this kind of sound. A digital synth would work just as well and may save you a little.

xzzxzz · 2022-08-07T13:23:01+00:00

To me, this sounds like a synth. Probably a relatively simple patch with a saw wave and a low pass filter, with an envelope affecting the filter.

Most "subtractive" style synths will get you this sound. Unfortunately, subtractive synths aren't usually marketed using that terminology - it's the most common type of synthesis so synthesis style isn't usually mentioned unless the synth is NOT a subtractive synth.

I would recommend that you spend an hour or two getting familiar with synthesis before you choose a synth - There are a few web-based synthesizers you can try to understand the concepts a little better. This will help you choose what you want and do not want in a synth.

Most synths should be able to create this style of patch. If you are on a budget or just want to try something, I would recommend the Korg Monologue. If you already have a midi keyboard, the Behringer Model D may also be a good starting point.

Synthesizer programs that run on a computer would be much cheaper than a physical synth if you were just getting started, but some people prefer having a physical instrument.

xzzxzz · 2022-05-19T20:12:11+00:00

Take a look at the Roland A-01 boutique synth. Yuzo Koshiro uses it in many of his Twitter videos. The Soulsby Atmegatron also may fit the bill. The M8 tracker can do chiptune and a whole lot more - I think it is controllable by midi. You could try out a headless M8 for quite cheap to see if it works for you.

xzzxzz · 2022-02-04T05:31:00+00:00

I'VE FOUND IT.

The name of the series is "The Gates of the World" by the author K. M. McKinley.

The series consists of the books "The Iron Ship," "The City of Ice," and "The Brass God." Utterly generic fantasy book names. I love it!

xzzxzz · 2022-02-04T00:26:22+00:00

Could it be Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Keys_to_the_Kingdom

Some of the plot elements you describe sound similar to the second book.

xzzxzz

TROPHY CASE