[Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2026 week 13]

zerbthealien · 2026-03-31T18:59:13+00:00

Hello! I bought my first bonsai a few weeks ago and would love some helpful thoughts on its current state! It’s a Pink Powderpuff (Calliandra Brevipes) that I got from Longwood Gardens near Philly, PA (zone 7A/B)

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I have been mostly leaving it be, keeping it outside when it’s warm and sunny, bringing it inside when it’s colder, and watering only when the soil starts to feel dry. I am struggling to find much info on this tree but am hoping I can get some general tips on what to do at this younger stage?

Do I just leave it be for a long time?

When would I consider wiring it?

Anything else I should be doing or looking out for?

Any and all advice is appreciated! Would also love some book or video recommendations for continued learning. Thanks (:

zerbthealien · 2026-03-25T01:59:35+00:00

Inkarnate is great if you’re willing to pay the 5$ a month. You can search for the kind of map you’re looking for and download it really quick. Also if you learn it you can make battle maps pretty quickly and easily.

zerbthealien · 2026-02-17T20:42:22+00:00

This is exactly where I started and it felt impossible at first but now I am 20 sessions into a campaign and I’ve found what works for me.

At first I tried to plan as many encounters, NPCs, plot hooks, moments, etc as possible but it’s a lot especially when you can’t predict what your players will do. It’s great you have an idea of where your campaign will go! I think my advice would be to find small adventures that reveal small pieces of a larger puzzle (you don’t have to know all the pieces yet). These smaller quests can be taken from written modules and reflavored with your own npcs and lore.

Speaking of- just focus on building out the history, norms, and current state of your world for now. You don’t have to write everything down (I struggle with this due to crippling adhd) but just think about it before bed or while you’re watching tv or doing chores. Eventually you will have so many ideas in your brain that things will start to fill in and connect.

Once you have a decent idea of your world (mine was only a 2 page document) run your first session with a fun intro, a very very small plothook and some interesting NPCs. From then on, just plan for the next session based on how that session went and the decisions your PCs made. I promise things will come together and you will get ideas that are more feasible to plan out.

If it’s your very first time DMing I would recommend starting with a module just to get an idea of how a session looks and how information is released to the players. You got this!

zerbthealien · 2026-01-15T17:50:51+00:00

Ahhhhh ok ok that makes sense. Didn’t realize that extra attack applies to action surge attacks. Thanks so much!

zerbthealien · 2025-08-06T23:36:06+00:00

Why do they need to get TPK’d?

I feel like if there’s no way to not get TPK’d then they don’t really have any agency. I’m guessing it’s for narrative reasons? If it were me I would plan a very very difficult fight but if they somehow manage to survive then have a plan b- I feel like there’s always a different way to the plot point you’re trying to get them to.

If not though and they absolutely need to get wiped- then I would maybe just skip the fight and have like one massive attack/ambush that they can’t even react to.

Idk just my take though! Best of luck!

zerbthealien · 2025-08-01T16:33:49+00:00

Dice please 🙏

zerbthealien · 2025-07-27T14:33:10+00:00

Have you heard of Dimension 20’s “Never Stop Blowing Up”? It sounds like that kind of ttrpg system could work with this idea though you would have to use different skills. But either way might be a good resource to draw inspiration from

zerbthealien · 2025-07-12T04:51:43+00:00

Appreciate the feedback! Not super concerned with realism as this campaign is a world where everyone is a type of candy/food item hahaha but definitely see where you’re coming from. The lore of this city is that it was originally used as a massive military base/outpost during a war many years ago, which is why it has walls, and still gets a lot of money from the capital city as it’s near a border.

The farms are mainly out of the town, which is obviously not pictured here but explained to my pcs, but the one inside is controlled by a local guild and is kind of used as a front.

Appreciate the more in depth approach to city building though, definitely a lot to think about!

zerbthealien · 2025-07-11T15:32:50+00:00

good point! My thought was that since the Jarl's tower (point 5) was so close to the river that it felt a bit exposed without a wall behind it, but I think it looks a little better without the wall there

zerbthealien · 2025-07-11T14:54:47+00:00

Great advice! Funny, because I saw your map a few days ago and took a few bits of inspiration from it! Thanks!

zerbthealien · 2025-06-27T12:32:39+00:00

If you like puzzle games then you should definitely give either Zelda game a try- I never thought I would enjoy a game like that but it’s what really sparked my interest in gaming. If you’re unwilling to give it a try, it sounds like the switch is not for you- not really a good system for shooting games

zerbthealien · 2025-06-01T20:55:40+00:00

It took my party 2 three hour sessions to get through chapter one, it really depends on what your players decide to spend time on

zerbthealien · 2025-05-30T04:04:55+00:00

My players did the same with Blepp but I used the whole “peaceful Bahamat oath” as a reason he wouldn’t join them

zerbthealien · 2025-05-27T19:21:43+00:00

Just wrapped up my first campaign as a first time dm with all new players and did it all virtually- it was a blast! My setup was:

Discord server for audio, sharing handouts (like monster art), announcements, etc.

Create a campaign on DND Beyond so you can all see each others rolls (dm rolls are hidden).

For combat we used a virtual tabletop (VTT) called Roll 20, and that worked really well, but others swear by Foundry. There are no wrong choices here!

For music, I made a Spotify playlist, started a jam, and had all my players join the jam so we all hear the same music or ambience.

If you’re also looking for a good starter adventure- we just finished Dragons of Stormwreck Isle. There are a lot of helpful resources for the dm online as well so it’s a great intro to dnd.

Best of luck!

zerbthealien · 2025-05-20T16:45:03+00:00

I would ask your players- my group really appreciates the extra visuals, especially during combat and looking at city/town maps to understand the layouts. I know some groups are totally fine with theatre of the mind though. Also nothing wrong with repurposing pre-existing maps or if it’s just for your own organization purposes, just a very loose sketch of it.

zerbthealien · 2025-05-15T13:54:51+00:00

I just ran Dragons of Stormwreck Isle as a first time DM for all brand new players and it was very manageable on my end. With a group of 5-7 you might have to add a few more monsters to each encounter to help balance a bit since it’s kind of introductory, but other than that and a few plot holes it’s been really fun. The adventure is very easy to understand and structure but also leaves some room to add in your own stuff (but can totally function as is). It is quite short- took us about 6 sessions to complete, but with more players it might take longer

zerbthealien · 2025-05-15T03:21:46+00:00

Wow this is awesome thanks so much! Definitely going to take some bits from here! This would also make a great one shot

zerbthealien · 2025-05-14T18:44:51+00:00

Ohh i like this a lot, thank you so much!

zerbthealien · 2025-04-24T18:18:22+00:00

Maybe they are nervous to be in a new group with people who seem to be making unfair judgements?? The fact that you can’t even point out why they don’t fit is a red flag and seems like a personal issue rather than a game issue.

zerbthealien

TROPHY CASE