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bajatmerc's blog listings. Feed Zend_Feed_Writer 1.10.8 (http://framework.zend.com) http://community.wizards.com/bajatmerc I don't have much to say these days.
I was reading and came across this quote in an article regarding D&D:

"...brand full of toxic fans and endless bickering about products that won’t get sold."

I kind of thought maybe I could write up how to deal with toxic people or how people who are toxic could benefit from just trying to be more concise about their desires or thinking about what outcomes they desire when they do talk to people.

Really that is all I am compelled to say though.

edit:
Well I have more to say on it. Sometimes they will shut up if you just throw them a bone. Like I was getting ragged on for a build that worked fine. But they wouldn't stop nagging about it. So finally I am just like whatever. "oh you're right the build doesn't work the polearm gamble doesn't work without weapon attacks." Which that is technically right. But I had weapon attacks that it did work with that I didn't mention so they would shut up.

The reality is that if people want to be toxic they will be. So it can be helpful to look at conflict resolution methods and just pick one. For toxic people the best is to just tell them whatever they do or say is right.

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]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 03:04:39 -0500 http://community.wizards.com/bajatmerc/blog/2013/05/16/i_dont_have_much_to_say_these_days. http://community.wizards.com/bajatmerc/blog/2013/05/16/i_dont_have_much_to_say_these_days.
I was reading and came across this quote in an article regarding D&D:

"...brand full of toxic fans and endless bickering about products that won’t get sold."

I kind of thought maybe I could write up how to deal with toxic people or how people who are toxic could benefit from just trying to be more concise about their desires or thinking about what outcomes they desire when they do talk to people.

Really that is all I am compelled to say though.

edit:
Well I have more to say on it. Sometimes they will shut up if you just throw them a bone. Like I was getting ragged on for a build that worked fine. But they wouldn't stop nagging about it. So finally I am just like whatever. "oh you're right the build doesn't work the polearm gamble doesn't work without weapon attacks." Which that is technically right. But I had weapon attacks that it did work with that I didn't mention so they would shut up.

The reality is that if people want to be toxic they will be. So it can be helpful to look at conflict resolution methods and just pick one. For toxic people the best is to just tell them whatever they do or say is right.

1 Comments - Leave a Comment

]]> 0 DMing ideas
I have been reading articles like:
www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/3-things-...

As a result, skill challenges, preparation, having fun at the gaming table, and meaning for combats are topics that have been on my mind. So I figured I would write this up to see what it is I would come up with. It is mostly for personal reflection. Maybe some others will like this though.

  Skill Challenges
Regarding skill challenges, I don't like the x successes before x failures as a concept that seems really numerical rather than rp oriented.

I do like the skill challenge racing. Example here, players have to pick between two tents to stop from burning by using their skill checks. With each check the fire improves, worsens, or remains the same.
Another example would be a player trying to buy an item another person is interested in buying. Trying to work yourself a better deal without the other person buying the thing would be tough.

The core of the skill challenge is that the player either wants two things simultaneously, the thing they want is closer or farther from failure/success each turn, or they are hurrying/racing to do something.

It can be pretty close to the x successes concept. There are subtle differences though in even the closest cases. The players must roll against the challenge, not against the number of times. There is a feedback from the challenge. Also players constantly making choices. I really like the choices.

Preparation
In preparation for each session I like to prepare the treasure, two random encounters in case the players go a direction I am not ready for, and some plot hooks.
Eating up time at the table can be bad. In past editions players would roll for treasure sometimes. And that can be pretty fun, like opening presents. This leads into the having fun part:

  Fun in the game
Consistently players I game with like traps and puzzles. They also like to go after items or specific enemies. They really have a limit for how far they'll go for that though. They only want to travel so much to go after something. So I like to wrap up a segment of the task every level or two.

  Meaningful combats
Combat is meaningful when it steps toward a goal or delivers a plot twist. I skip some combats to avoid the slogs. And I think I need to skip some in my play by post currently. I have a bunch of NPCs slaying demons on a demon island. And I gotta find ways to make the combats meaningful. I designate generals that they kill, and some combatants I have just flea when they show up to avoid the long slog. The fights are tough and brutal.