David Boyle

Graphic Artist and Freelance Illustrator in New York City.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@Blue92Lukas @goblin_formula You want to cast Fireball on those goblins? Roll Intelligence first to see if it's a good decision. Sorry, you rolled a Nat 1. You actually think the goblins are here to help you against the rest of the party that is about to betray you, so you Fireball them instead.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@Blue92Lukas @goblin_formula Why let a player decide if they should trust someone? Or which path to take at a crossroads? Or what spells to prepare or tactics to take in battle? Just roll some dice and the DM will tell you what you decide!

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@chippel @goblin_formula Yep. Sometimes a GM might give that person a chance to wriggle out of it by letting them make a Persuasion or Deception roll after, but it's not required. Sometimes someone says something that just can't be taken back.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@goblin_formula @Obsolete137 Or they continue to play D&D and make judgment calls to handle the less stringently defined situations as they see fit. Asking for rolls 99 times out of 100 and then letting one person succeed when they roleplay really well doesn't mean they'd be better off in a narrative RPG.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@goblin_formula You missed a step in there: The player declares what they want to do, the DM decides if a roll is called for, and if a roll is needed then the player rolls and plays the result. There's no requirement for any type of action to always necessitate a roll.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@theswoderman @neontaster Does it count as roleplay if a smart player solves a puzzle while running a low INT character? Or susses out the lies an NPC is saying with a low WIS character? Unless you demand a roll for everything a character does a player's mental skills will have an effect.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@movieguyjon In the previous Critical Role session a character lied to the same NPC described in that tweet, got a 1, and was told that the player realizes they are now 'being hunted' by her. Just because Brennan sometimes doesn't ask for rolls doesn't mean rolls never matter.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@AndrewPMayer @DoigSwift @Nobleshield If you just want to play a game go grab a board game or a video game where every interaction has concrete rules and no wiggle room. Nearly every tabletop RPG allows the GM to adjudicate when a roll is needed. It's storytelling enhanced by game mechanics, not limited to them.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@JamieCharlesEl1 @RPhalamy If a DM can decide to drop a DC to 5 why can't they drop it to 0? A player doesn't need to make a Persuasion roll every time they tell their trusted NPC friend to do something, even at a DC 2. The DM decides when a roll is needed or not in every situation. That's RAW.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@OriginalDrBongo @RPhalamy @DoigSwift Should smart players playing low INT characters be told not to try and help solve in-game puzzles without rolling first? There are countless situations where players use their own mental skills instead of their character's stats, and it's fine if people want to play that way.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@stonemangiant @DoigSwift Which is something he does a lot, just not exclusively. There are countless examples in Dimension 20 where someone makes a social roll, gets something really low, and Brennan asks, "What does a 3 Deception sound like in this situation?" He just doesn't make that a firm rule.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@RangerManSam @DoigSwift @TheQuesomodo Smart players with low INT characters can still solve puzzles without rolling. Players with low WIS characters can still see through an NPC's lies. A player's mental skills are always going to have some effect on overcoming challenges.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@RootBootToo1 @egoraptor It depends on what you're talking about. It's young for someone that's early in a career of rising popularity in a fast-changing media landscape. The 20s are where most figure a lot out about operating in the world, and he was doing it in a field with little prior guidance.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@scottjohnson I'm 43 and I do this, and it's not because my hearing is going. Modern sound-mixing can be pretty awful, and dialog can often be easy to miss during scenes with loud action or music.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@BryonCodes @TychoBrahe @rhartman Nope. I haven't seen a YouTube ad in years, and I watch hours of YouTube a day, typically in the background while working.

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@TychoBrahe @CobaltCoreGame It's so good! The characters are so charming and the mechanics are really compelling. My first win came from a real tank of a ship that stunned the big hits, soaked the rest with copious shields, and stacked corrosion to whittle the boss down. So fun!

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@abshiki You're welcome!

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@abshiki Your profile says Kansas as a location. I'm the USA it is illegal for a company to fire or otherwise punish an employee from telling another employee their salary under the NLRA. https://t.co/TRIXns96td

[David Boyle @QuantumFeline]

@MattMcMuscles @CoinboxTees I had it, too, but was so glad I was able to upgrade to the Planet Gunsmoke Vash figure from Japan via ebay! Also got the Meryl and Wolfwood figures from that line, both amazing!