#ttrpg wank

[lamortwrites]

Was talking to a coworker about ttrpgs and like...they're only a few years younger than me but their view on things is so. So sad. They've played for a couple of years and they're just getting into gming and they've decided they're not going to start their campaign until they've made all of these beautifully detailed maps which they complain about having to make every time we talk about it. And like. I would never tell someone how to run their campaign but it's so, so genuinely upsetting to think that people who want to gm are being put off by the amount of perceived effort that is entirely unnecessary! I promise you you do not need to make maps in order to run a tabletop campaign. You certainly don't need pretty ones! If you really do need battle maps for combat (if you're even running a system that needs combat, which you do not need to if you don't want to) I promise a page torn out of the back of your maths book that you scribble vague shapes on is functionality identical to an intricately drawn, beautifully rendered battle map that would be seen on [insert your favourite ttrpg show here]. I promise it's fine. The barrier to entry is on the floor and if you feel pressured to spend so much time on things that will not functionality affect your campaign at all then, bluntly, get better players.

[ne0ncowb0y]

The more I poke around the cyberpunk2077 fandom the more I find that yeah, I'm right. It's very clique-y. If you don't know the right people, if you don't have a certain amount of followers, you can't mod, you don't get any kind of positive interaction with the fandom. You don't deserve an in, you don't deserve eyes on your art and/or fics, you don't get anything because you're just no one, even if you've got fucking substance.

Anyway did y'all play the game? Did you understand the motifs and themes, not of V's story specifically, but about the world they live in? Just wondering

[seeyouinthesoup]

“Dropout is a company too”

Dropout/Game Changer is submitting for an Emmy and instead of spending money on a campaign for the Emmy (which they know they likely won’t win but might bring in tons of new people), they are donating it to the striking writer.

don’t think you can do that under Bezos

[amplexadversary]

Oh yes.

AUs that make large setting changes are going to necessitate details from all parts of this board due to how much they affect. But you still have that specific base you're starting from.

it came to my realization that 99% of my fandom related headaches would be cured if everyone understood this

[owlbear33]

why do so many fantasy RPGs have Elves and Dwarves and the like (I know why), like, I like a good Elf or Dwarf, I like funky fantasy people. Morphological variety is great!

but IDK, in the fiction I've read, outside of like tLotR, Stuff based on Warhammer Fantasy, stuff based on that notable Dungeon RPG, or stuff derivative of those three, (or stuff that's derivative of stuff that's derivative of those 3, and so on - a sub-genre in it's own right maybe) it's mostly just humans, maybe the odd very setting-specific non-human people

but so many fantasy RPGs are like well here's your standard fantasy RPG it's got elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins, and wizards

I know there're exceptions, probably plenty, but they are exceptions to the rule

[olderthannetfic]

If we're going to endlessly rehash the harry potter wank, can I put in a plug for an indie rpg that shamelessly rips off HP while being legally completely unconnected to it? I don't actually think all that many OTNF regulars are super into HP, but for those of you who care about this sort of thing, Magic School Mystery is a ttrpg (made by a trans woman!) that (imo) captures what people actually like/liked about HP's ~vibes~ more than 90% of the replacement recs people are constantly throwing out. The players and GM build a mystery together in a Hogwarts-esque magic school, and solve the mystery throughout the school year. Continual play allows you to keep going and build a longer myth arc over multiple 'years' of in-universe play, and because you build the setting, it can adhere as closely to or veer as far away from HP's actual setting as you like. Basically, a soft-rules, cottage-core/cozy mystery roleplaying game that gives you all the nostalgia of harry potter while not supporting jkr in any way and also supporting a real live trans woman. I found it on kickstarter several years ago when it first came out, and I've played three ongoing games and enjoyed it each time. If you really want to have your 'support indie creators' cake and eat your 'harry potter nostalgia' cake too, I'd check it out!

magicschoolmystery (.) com

--

The vibes totally were what I liked about the early HP books.

[faejilly]

I have decided to be a gremlin again and cheat by using multiple emojis, so🍓🍄🌸

💜

You're not a gremlin IF I ASKED, silly (and even if you were, I like gremlins) 🥰

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction?

Dragon Age & Mass Effect

Slightly more specifically, I was on the old BioWare Message Boards 15 or so years ago, and ended up beta-ing for some Mass Effect people, and then also got into a Homebrew TTRPG set in Thedas before Dragon Age: Origins came out (well before there was an actual ruleset out there) in which I wrote backstory for my character

and then I just kept going?

Mostly to prompts and on the kinkmeme tbh

I am sad that kinkmemes are no longer an active part of fandom architecture. A lot of fic on there wasn't actually explicit or kink related, but it was anonymous and to someone else's prompt which made a lot of people comfortable with posting in a way I think they wouldn't have been with their own stuff in their own name. There was also enough bonkers kink and dark and crack fic prompts that it helped slow down the purity wank, because it was abundantly clear that moralizing anywhere near the kinkmeme was Bad Form and would only get you less fic and less fandom and some serious side-eye from the other users. I'll admit I got very tired of evil!Sebastian Vael prompts when da2 was active, but! I just didn't read those! Amazing how well that worked.

anyway! more questions

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

ohnojustone?!? uh. since it's you I should probably do Malec? I have so many headcanons, what haven't I talked about, hmmmmmm

Alec is a perfectly serviceable dancer. He doesn't dance with flair because that's not very him, but he can hold his own in a formal/ballroom equivalent (at Clave Parties Mostly) and he quite likes turning off his brain and falling into the beat at a club, though in that case he's usually very anti-social about it, mostly ignoring the crowd

dancing with Magnus specifically in any style is probably always foreplay and always will be, so that's always a little different

🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them

I HAVE FIVE let's see how many pics I can find without thinking about it too hard because I'm lazy

here are Tilly and Dizzy ensuring I didn't make the bed

and then Gizmo and Jade the other day, determined to make extra sure I didn't get up

which I guess means Tom is the only one who gets a good picture because he's the only one left and I had to go hunting for one rather than just grabbing the first thing I saw

[skye-high-multiverse]

Failed Poke-DnD Trauma

So to give context. The first ever DnD I ever did was over Discord with a few new friends. The format was different, and more simplistic than regular DnD, but it could still be ran.

It was Pokemon themed, with us being skilled trainers from across the globe being put to the test on a new league with Fakemon and traditonal Pokemon.

The only issues with it was that the story felt hella against the players, the DM/Game Master couldnt keep shit together and would always lean more on the side of "Lets cause chaos for the sake of chaos." Giving characters Boons that would end up jeopardizing others, letting temp/co-DM/Game Masters add in Non-Pokemon related things, wanking PokeFusions and Hybrids, twisting lore, the list goes on.

And not to mention that every version of the game he'd make, only a few players stood out. Me and a few others who actually knew what the Pokemon World was about, or were skilled in TTRPGs. Most of the others just either did nothing, flirted in character and contributed nothing, or just caused drama.

So yeah, thats my few experiences with DnD

[pregnantshroog]

In this house, we believe...

...all the different seasons of TAZ are equal in my heart, except for Ethersea which is very special to me.

...armchair psychoanalysis of the McElroys OOC is creepy and weird, please don't do that. I am not interested in parasocial discussions of the McElroys.

...ship and let ship, make whatever freaknasty shit you want, no purity wank here, etc etc. I'm proship, if you prefer that terminology (I don't, but it's the best shorthand in this particular context.) I tag for triggers and like when others do too.

...all of the PC triads are in poly relationships with each other, but especially the nasty Steeplechase boys.

...Orlean and Devo are exes, and you're just gonna have to deal with that.

...you should assume any ship I'm making content for is Nasty in some way.

...Dungeons & Dragons is an okay game, but I like other TTRPGs better.

Favorites and Shipping

For you to make moral judgements about and/or decide if this blog is right for you!

Amnesty: I love Ned the mostest, big fan of Ned/Duck/Aubrey as a poly ship.

Balance: Klaako truther, Johnchurch enjoyer, believer in Taako's Wrongs. I hate Taak.itz, sorry. No judgement to those that like it, it's just not for me.

Commitment: N/A, gotta relisten.

Dust: same as above.

Ethersea: Love all the characters, love Coriolis Triad as a ship, love Devo/Amber, LOVE Devo/Orlean, LOVE Finneas/Hermine and Finneas/Hermine/Ampersand 5, love Amber/Kodira and Amber/Shret, think Cambria is hot and should do weird wormy sex crimes.

Graduation: need to relisten, but love Thundermen LLC triad as a ship, love Grey/Fitzroy, love Argo/The Admiral.

Steeplechase: LOVE the crew as a poly triad, also LOVE all three 1x1 ships involving the PCs.

[FREAKNASTY TAZ DISCORD SERVER LINK WILL BE HERE WHEN I OPEN THE DANG THING]

Hope you enjoy your stay! Remember that you can find my main blog @porchtart. 🥰

[direquail]

wild idea: most queer people thought they were cis/straight before they realized they were gay and if we’d never been allowed to explore queerness with no judgment regardless of whether or not we turned out to be “really trans” or “really gay” 99% of us would never have come out. bc that excludes literally everyone who didn’t know they were queer by the time they were like. six.

now can we please stop assuming from behind our screens that we know everything about these actors including their sexual orientation and gender identity and whether or not they are questioning. PLEASE.

[lamortwrites]

SICK of people referring to fully professionally filmed ttrpg shows as podcasts. Taking the audio from a video episode and uploading it as a separate file is NOT the same as producing a podcast and we all know it!

[seeyouinthesoup]

why the fuck is C/R doing a Christmas album??

[pearwaldorf]

Some thoughts on the Amazon/Tales of Vox Machina deal

(This is not an attempt to forestall wank, although I’m sure there will be, because fandom gonna fandom.)

I think it’s reasonable to assume that the Critical Role brand/enterprise/whatever you want to call it is capable of sustaining itself with its current content strategy. They’ve been growing slow and steady in a reasonable way, with some licensing agreements that bring in extra cash. 

In this current political and economic climate, I don’t think it’s useful to accuse anybody of selling out or being a corporate shill because no ethical consumption under capitalism and all that. You gotta keep the lights on in the studio, pay your people (which is more than just the cast/Brian), and buy bird food and diapers for your dependents. 

I think they’re doing it for the chance to reach outside of their normal audience. We know they’re popular (the live show numbers certainly show that), but outside of certain circles, there’s a very good chance nobody has a clue who they are. 

Imagine you’re a random person scrolling through what’s available on Amazon Prime. You might be vaguely familiar with D&D or TTRPGs, you might not. Maybe you’re just bored and need something to watch. Maybe you’re having a shit time of it for whatever reason (depression, family problems, illness; all things I’ve known people have watched CR to deal with). And this show about these weirdo fuck-up disasters figuring their stuff out and becoming a found family comes into your life. 

It could be a small, needed reprieve from thinking about the bad stuff you have to deal with. It could be a thing that worms its way into your heart, and leads you to new hobbies and friends. It could be the thing you hang on to so you don’t kill yourself. 

Maybe you tell this to the cast, maybe you don’t. They get so many messages like this. But knowing someone, somewhere out there has been touched by a thing you made with your friends, put love and work into? As a creator, I can’t think of a more satisfying reward than that.

[pagesofkenna]

apparently theres a bunch of wank in the critdice fandom right now, with shippers being mad that their ship isnt canon/which ships ARE canon, etc, and im very pleased by the fact that ive only personally seen one (1) person on my dash making one (1) teeny little disgruntled post

but ive been thinking a lot since thursday about how characters played in a TTRPG made to be performed for an audience really cannot be divorced from their players. you dont have to like everything a character does (and you shouldn’t) but if you ignore player intent/situation then you’re only ever looking at half of the picture. these aren’t scripted shows - these are real people interacting with their loved ones

i’m baffled that anyone would be mad that the married couple’s characters are in love with each other, but even moreso that anyone would be mad that the one person who was most uncomfortable faking romance in this group has now decided he’s willing to try it out, with probably the only other person he feels comfortable trying this out with. its adorable, and imo moreso because of the player situation than because of the character situation

it also makes me think about how the biggest fan ship in TAZ right now is between the dad’s character and his baby son’s character. i would be shocked if Clint ever roleplayed a romance story with his sons, or if the idea would have ever occurred to him without the fandom. in fact, the only player romances that have ever occurred in TAZ have been with the DM (who’s playing many characters, so it feels less heavy), and have never been more emotionally heavy than ‘OK you kiss, and you’re in love, moving on-’. because its weird to roleplay romance with your brother!! fanworks are fine but anyone who started trying to push this on the players, or get mad that their ship wasn’t going canon, would be really gross!!

i think legitimately most fans get this, and also even getting this everyone still has their own opinions of things - I personally am not big on shipping, which colors a lot of how i relate to fandoms

[who-is-page]

Misc Thoughts

Author: Page Type: Misc Words: 611 Summary: Random thoughts on post-November plans and our alterhumanity.

[Part of the Sol System's Alterhuman Writing Project for NaNoWriMo 2021. If you don't want to see these posts, block the tag #inkedpaws]

Sometimes it’s nice to just take a break from wider parts of the community. A lot of the discourses and community wank get tiring after a while and it’s good for me to step back and get some perspective often—though that does end up in situations where sometimes after a few months and people have forgotten about me, I’ll stumble out of the bushes, throw projects at a bunch of unsuspecting passerbys, and then proceed to vanish like I was never there. Hashtag cryptid 4 lyfe.

After this big National Novel Writing Month writing project is done, I think we’d like to sit back, relax, and just spend some time chilling. While we want to go through and edit everything that will have been written during November to see what is salvageable to be put on our website (which, realistically, will probably be less than half of everything we’ve published so far), we also don’t want to burn ourselves out.

We create because we love making things, and because we love getting to share things that we hope people will enjoy in some capacity or another. But man, writing potentially over 50,000 words on a single topic—even if the topic is pretty expansive and is directly important to us—in a single month takes something out of us.I think we’d like to get back to immersing ourselves in art, fiction writing, and ttrpgs, at least for a little while. We have a Sealed Library playthrough we’d love to share on our website if we re-read it and found it up to snuff, and have been nervously avoiding making eye contact with a half-finished multi-chapter series on our AO3 for the last month or so, too.Sometimes ignoring our alterhumanity and just letting it do its own thing in how it appears in our life is the best way to realize new, interesting things about it—and it’d be so much fun to get just focus on ourselves and our friend groups for a bit, away from the larger community. I think Dash in particular might benefit from it, given how he’s been puzzling over his potential “source” as a basilisk and some relations his species (and himself) have toward phoenixes. It might give him the space to look more at that and figure out some answers he’s happy on, and then inevitably write a bunch of essays on it, as he’s prone to doing. If only we could all have Dash’s writing capabilities.And beyond that? We still need to finish the Inky Paws zine, make more Shenani-kins, update our website further, finish up our alterhuman ttrpg project…there’s all that and more to get done on the agenda. But it’d be nice to clear up our schedule a bit, especially with the holidays coming up. After all, we don’t want to be busy all the time, especially with the holidays and our seven-year anniversary with our non-alterhuman partner coming up.I don’t have anything particularly poignant to really say tonight. It’s one of those evenings I just want to take a stout, sit on my porch, and watch the lizards chase ants on the sidewalk while the sun sets. I don’t want to talk about being an animal, I simply want to enjoy being an animal. Or, alternatively, we’ve used all our good words on the past few essays and now our brains have just run out of things to comment on for the night, hah! It happens, believe it or not. Catch me scrambling and scrabbling around in a trunk, muttering “there’s gotta be more words I can find…” some days so far this challenge.

[seeyouinthesoup]

can the cast try to get F.R.I.D.A’s pronouns right