Grand DM

Big ideas. Gaming outside the box. Walnut and Steel. Past and Present. Distinguished Ruffian. Plus Ultra.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

How to spot a Dragon using an illusion spell. #dnd #rpg #tabletop

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@CorpseKings Cranking up the Wizard's metal album vinyl.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

Nah, I ran 5E for years, and it became clear it was being designed from a player mindset, not a DM one.

Players are given a huge number of tools to bypass obstacles, recover quickly, and control outcomes. Monsters and exploration often don’t create enough pressure on their own to counterbalance that. So the DM ends up redesigning or adding constraints just to restore uncertainty.

Eventually I realized I was spending more time compensating for the system than running it.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@GrampsToolshed Until Valhalla. Sorry brother.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@GrampsToolshed My current game. 2E Shadowrun.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@BlarfinAround I have not seen that system.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

“Common sense” for encumbrance always sounds weird to me. I get that some systems make it tedious, but I don’t really agree with handwaving it away entirely.

What’s next, common sense hit points? Common sense armor class?

At some point, you either have rules or you’re vibing scene to scene. YMMV.

[Nobleshield @Nobleshield]

@TheEclecticGoat No, see that's balancing. I've always just used common sense with encumbrance, not tracking minor details 🤷‍♂️

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@KainYusanagi @ChubbyFunsterGC My best example is that running your own adventure notes is like cooking from memory, while publishing an adventure is like writing a cookbook for strangers.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@ScythianB @newbiedm At least you're consistent.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@FirearmFury It's still around 38,000 years later in Warhammer 40k.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@Marky_X_ Smelling like a biohazard is not acceptable.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

Things that felt completely self evident in my head because I wrote it.

A product is very different from GM notes, but a surprising amount of published material still relies on the GM to bridge critical gaps at the table under the umbrella of “make it your own” or GM fiat. But hey, YMMV.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

My early con games had multiple GMs walk over mid session asking questions about things I had mentally filled in but never actually put on the page. It was eye opening.

That’s when I realized there’s a huge difference between writing something you can run and writing something other people can run consistently.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

Modern Dungeons & Dragons art: a diverse group of persons enjoying artisanal soup in a well lit tavern after overcoming the tragedy of burning the cookies they were baking.

[SciFi Art @retroscifiart]

Early Dungeons & Dragons

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@d20play @ScythianB International Federation of Recreational Polyhedral Gladiators.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@GrampsToolshed He seems to often be on the offensive toward anything done in a perceived “older style” and frequently tosses around “grognard” as a pejorative for it.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@the_frog_mage This is going to be the new Mr. Johnson in my Shadowrun 2E campaign, the Orb Rider.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@AutoMagArchive The pictures look like they were taken in 1984 also...

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

@DanielDnDYT Sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that subs normalize endless spending while ownership slowly disappears.

[Grand DM @Grand_DM]

I think books are absolutely going to become prestige items. Expensive enough that $5-10 a month starts to feel like the smarter deal. Then a couple years pass, you’ve spent far more than the books ever cost, and FOMO’d yourself into buying a mountain of digital assets you don’t actually own.

[dungeoncraft @dungeoncraft]

D&D is becoming a subscription service. WoTC rejects union. https://t.co/B0WClzUuBw via @YouTube