Hey Mike, I hope you read this. I want to let you know some of us care about the licence talk/drama. Part of why I watch your channel is to be updated on these topics. Don't stop talking about it.
I would agree. A succinct explanation and opinion from Mike is always valuable. It doesn't need to be a huge chunk of the show, just that, and maybe some more detailed places to go read for those who want to dig deeper. But I like that industry news and the health of TTRPGs is covered here.
I appreciate hearing from a content creator, who is also well connected to other content creators as most of us, whether GM or player, are downstream from the (dis)incentives of various game platforms.
There is one more element that is super important to a heist/infiltration. It's a concept that a lot of people call "the dragon". The idea is that there is an undesirable consequence if the infiltration fails. This might be overwhelming force, or it might be a hit to reputation or negatively impact a valued NPC. But it should be something the players REALLY want to avoid. That keeps players dialed in very strongly and sells the fantasy of the style.
@@Keovar You're thinking about what I said in a negative light, not a neutral one. It's not about the GM imposing heavy handed consequences that come about no matter what. It's about the danger of those consequences and what the party does to mitigate them. In Oceans Eleven, the threat was they would all be caught and go to jail for the rest of their lives. If they had, there certainly could have been a breakout scene. But they really didn't want to be caught, and really wanted to screw over the main bad guy. Without that tension, the movie falls flat. Same thing with the adventure.
May I suggest another adventure type which requires quite a different style of prep: the Town Festival/Carnival. Minigames, prizes, make friends and foes with the NPCs/villagers.
For magic, or even campaign-specific mundane items, I like attaching Dark Souls-style item descriptions peppered with vague references to factions or gods. These descriptions, and a small bit of XP (maybe half an easy encounter's worth) are kept behind knowledge checks that trained characters can make when they first find the item, or again when they increase their bonus somehow. A fun benefit to this is that even players who are more into the power fantasy will start checking rooms for items just for the XP bonus they provide, getting them on the same page as players who just want to learn about the setting. It's an easy avenue for secrets and clues, too.
I can see it being useful to define the type of adventure from the outset in planning. I can’t help but notice that the two “harder to run” types of adventures, being dungeon crawls and travel, tend to put more emphasis on the players choices creating as opposed to simply directing the narrative. Traveling and crawling seem like simple verbs, something that you do, whereas, the others imply more specific goals (to be preidentified and accounted for by the DM).
Listening to this, it seems there are a short list of binary criteria attached to each. NPC focused or Map focused? Are PCs reacting or planning? Is the story segmented or in a more continuous flow?
One of the pitfalls of dungeon crawls is how to run out-of-combat turns. Do you maintain a turn order? Do characters advance through the dungeon based on their speed, or do they move to the next room (or point of interest) once they're ready? Do players state what their characters are doing during exploration--e.g., hiding, searching for traps or secret doors, casting nonstop ritual magic such as detect magic, scouting ahead to avoid surprise attacks?
Would you consider survival a type of adventure? I'm thinking of a party surviving through a natural disaster, magical cataclysm, or a plague. Often I've seen these as a backdrop to another adventure but wondering if it there might be instances these could be the adventure. I'm thinking the Day After Tomorrow or The Walking Dead. In these, the event drives survival to an extreme and potentially turns otherwise friendly folk into deadly competitors.
17:30 The Black Flag Cult Fanatic seems to be more of a sort of controller/commander type than the other variants. Can stay behind cover at a distance using 2x Unholy Bolt (assuming that's the same an Dark Bolt) per round whilst locking opponents down with Command, Hold Person, and Unholy Brand whilst the regular Cultist do a pile on. I don't think I'd have them join melee to use Inflict Wounds or Sacrifical Dagger attacks until their entourage had been taken out.
“OK, guys, welcome to Session Zero of our new campaign. In front of each of you is a packet of legal documents you’ll have to sign before we can begin, Mr. Stevens here is a registered Notary, and we have 12 lawyers from the firm of Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe, who will review your legal options for play once you’ve signed. . .everyone brought three pieces of ID and their birth certificates, right?”
13:30 Multiattack says Dark Bolt, but action is called Unholy bolt 19:50 I think 2d4 works better than 1d10 - has much more predictable damage distribution curve, even if on average it's 1 less damage than a d10.
I don't know if I missed it but where do I get the updated star block for the cult fanatic, I used the cult fanatic straight from the 2014 book and I thought it was a little powerful, where do we get the updated version
Apparently my links keep getting deleted. You can just do an internet search for A5E tools and then look under the rules/ monsters section for one of them. For the other, just do a search for project black flag packet 3.
I want to run the original Ravenloft module for Halloween using Shadowdark. Assuming I start at the castle, roughly how long do you expect it would take to run?
When give out homebrew items i always say before hand that homebrew items and spells etc can be nerfed or buffed. And if it happens italk with theplayer and tell them what its wrong with it
Oh damn! The success of the Shadowdark kickstart is one thing.. but to be used for Mike's annual Ravenloft game, is next level. I tip my hat to fellow shadowdarklings
Love the monster comparison. I'm a bit addicted to monster books and have a shelf with about a dozen. Picked up Monstrous Menagerie recently and the info it presents for each monster in terms of usability is way ahead of any other monster book I've seen. The monster design is very "even" and hits a precise bench mark in terms of survivability and damage, Paul Hughes (the author's) blog is really interesting on this. But my gripe with it is it kind of cleans up the rough edges a bit too much, you kind of want monsters to be a bit spikey. Sometimes they should be ahead or behind the curve on damage or survivability. And they should have abilities which make them a bit too efficient, like Spirit Weapon. I'm really looking forward to TOV as being another alternative for Monster Manual and I really like that the version in this document are spikey. Cult Fanatic is definitely too spicy though. The power level of Kobold Press material in general has been significantly higher, not just monsters but character options. With that said my eyeballing of some other monsters in the document, Cult Fanatic is a bit of an outlier, the others I looked at mostly had a bit more damage out put but I think would be manageable. I haven't been through all of them though and hadn't noticed Cult Fanatic. Their damage is too high, and that 60HP is just nuts. For all my gripes with Monstrous Menagerie, in most cases when I've put monsters side by side if I had to pick a version to run exactly by the book it would be that version, no contest.
Hi, I'm a new DM and I love listening to this podcast. I really like these definitions of adventure types and I would love it if you could give an example of each type of adventure so I (and probably other new DMs) could study the way they are built and run. Thank you SO much for everything you do, I was completely overwhelmed with prep before I read The return of the lazy dungeon master but now I feel like I understand at least a little bit of what I'm doing 😂
Explaining the licenses is insightful and helpful. As a GM that spends money I like knowing about the freedom creators are given. Didn’t realize ORC had that strange restriction.
12:43 I’m going to MCDM fanboy a bit here, and say that the death cult acolyte is a lot of fun as a CR 2 minion, which means you get 5 of them for the cost of a traditional cultist, but can have the satisfaction of an entire cult gathering to worship something evil, and have your players mow through them, but still have a decent threat if enough of them father around to group attack you. Totally different method from the other 3 you mentioned, but a lot of fun. Also the CR 4 death cultist, while not the same CR 2 as traditional cultist, is probably more true to power of what that original cultist or black flag cultist is trying to be… but it’s really hard not to get excited about the flavor and the abilities encouraging a GM to use it a certain way, from the get go, rather than having to deep-dive figure out the synergies of the original.
In all of their products ive found that kobald press is terrible at balancing things. They tend to swing way too high and it really puts me off of them
Another fun way to build on weapons (or shields) is to give them a Maneuver from the Battle Master Fighter list, with a once-per-rest Superiority Die. It's a mundane-ish effect that is both limited and memorable.
I love the Kobold Press monsters precisely because they hit really hard and make players worry. After winning, there is a tremendous sense of relief and accomplishment.
So you’re either a DM who doesn’t make any effort towards understanding how to make a game work, or you’re a selfish player who has no idea of the work that goes in to make a game function for you, or both.
I acknowledge that grasping this concept might be challenging to you, but I am a seasoned Dungeon Master well-versed in the intricacies of what both my players and I seek in an RPG experience. I understand the essence of Shadowdark, and it's clear to me that it doesn't align with the preferences of my gaming group. I don't harbor any illusions that the effort invested in creating a game should obligate me to enjoy it. I have a deep understanding of my preferences, and Shadowdark simply doesn't resonate with my style. However, I respect that every gamer has their own tastes and inclinations. It's essential not to hastily judge someone based on a single sentence that might not mean what you think it does. Taking a moment to understand different perspectives can save us unnecessary misunderstandings and disagreements.
Hey Mike, I hope you read this. I want to let you know some of us care about the licence talk/drama. Part of why I watch your channel is to be updated on these topics. Don't stop talking about it.
Agreed
I would agree. A succinct explanation and opinion from Mike is always valuable. It doesn't need to be a huge chunk of the show, just that, and maybe some more detailed places to go read for those who want to dig deeper. But I like that industry news and the health of TTRPGs is covered here.
Yes exactly! I wanted to hear more about it tbh.
I appreciate hearing from a content creator, who is also well connected to other content creators as most of us, whether GM or player, are downstream from the (dis)incentives of various game platforms.
Maybe make a video all about it? I'm working on a project right now that will require knowledge of this subject.
There is one more element that is super important to a heist/infiltration. It's a concept that a lot of people call "the dragon". The idea is that there is an undesirable consequence if the infiltration fails. This might be overwhelming force, or it might be a hit to reputation or negatively impact a valued NPC. But it should be something the players REALLY want to avoid. That keeps players dialed in very strongly and sells the fantasy of the style.
@@Keovar You're thinking about what I said in a negative light, not a neutral one. It's not about the GM imposing heavy handed consequences that come about no matter what. It's about the danger of those consequences and what the party does to mitigate them. In Oceans Eleven, the threat was they would all be caught and go to jail for the rest of their lives. If they had, there certainly could have been a breakout scene. But they really didn't want to be caught, and really wanted to screw over the main bad guy. Without that tension, the movie falls flat. Same thing with the adventure.
Ur7
May I suggest another adventure type which requires quite a different style of prep: the Town Festival/Carnival. Minigames, prizes, make friends and foes with the NPCs/villagers.
I've joined your newsletter and Patreon. Awesome content!
Thank you!
For magic, or even campaign-specific mundane items, I like attaching Dark Souls-style item descriptions peppered with vague references to factions or gods. These descriptions, and a small bit of XP (maybe half an easy encounter's worth) are kept behind knowledge checks that trained characters can make when they first find the item, or again when they increase their bonus somehow.
A fun benefit to this is that even players who are more into the power fantasy will start checking rooms for items just for the XP bonus they provide, getting them on the same page as players who just want to learn about the setting. It's an easy avenue for secrets and clues, too.
Great section on magic items!
I love attaching cantrips to magic items IN ADDITION to one time spell casts so the magic item still feels useful, regardless.
Looking forward to seeing some kind of refined list/article related to these adventure types.
Can't wait to hear how the Ravenloft Shadowdark game goes!
I can see it being useful to define the type of adventure from the outset in planning. I can’t help but notice that the two “harder to run” types of adventures, being dungeon crawls and travel, tend to put more emphasis on the players choices creating as opposed to simply directing the narrative. Traveling and crawling seem like simple verbs, something that you do, whereas, the others imply more specific goals (to be preidentified and accounted for by the DM).
Listening to this, it seems there are a short list of binary criteria attached to each.
NPC focused or Map focused?
Are PCs reacting or planning?
Is the story segmented or in a more continuous flow?
Great stuff about topical adventures
One of the pitfalls of dungeon crawls is how to run out-of-combat turns. Do you maintain a turn order? Do characters advance through the dungeon based on their speed, or do they move to the next room (or point of interest) once they're ready? Do players state what their characters are doing during exploration--e.g., hiding, searching for traps or secret doors, casting nonstop ritual magic such as detect magic, scouting ahead to avoid surprise attacks?
Would you consider survival a type of adventure? I'm thinking of a party surviving through a natural disaster, magical cataclysm, or a plague. Often I've seen these as a backdrop to another adventure but wondering if it there might be instances these could be the adventure. I'm thinking the Day After Tomorrow or The Walking Dead. In these, the event drives survival to an extreme and potentially turns otherwise friendly folk into deadly competitors.
17:30 The Black Flag Cult Fanatic seems to be more of a sort of controller/commander type than the other variants. Can stay behind cover at a distance using 2x Unholy Bolt (assuming that's the same an Dark Bolt) per round whilst locking opponents down with Command, Hold Person, and Unholy Brand whilst the regular Cultist do a pile on. I don't think I'd have them join melee to use Inflict Wounds or Sacrifical Dagger attacks until their entourage had been taken out.
“OK, guys, welcome to Session Zero of our new campaign. In front of each of you is a packet of legal documents you’ll have to sign before we can begin, Mr. Stevens here is a registered Notary, and we have 12 lawyers from the firm of Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe, who will review your legal options for play once you’ve signed. . .everyone brought three pieces of ID and their birth certificates, right?”
13:30 Multiattack says Dark Bolt, but action is called Unholy bolt
19:50 I think 2d4 works better than 1d10 - has much more predictable damage distribution curve, even if on average it's 1 less damage than a d10.
I don't know if I missed it but where do I get the updated star block for the cult fanatic, I used the cult fanatic straight from the 2014 book and I thought it was a little powerful, where do we get the updated version
Apparently my links keep getting deleted. You can just do an internet search for A5E tools and then look under the rules/ monsters section for one of them. For the other, just do a search for project black flag packet 3.
I want to run the original Ravenloft module for Halloween using Shadowdark. Assuming I start at the castle, roughly how long do you expect it would take to run?
This answers your question!
slyflourish.com/running_ravenloft.html
love the breakdown of adventure types and the compare/contrast of system enemies. new subber, lookin forward to more of your work.
the Robin Law book was seemingly forgotten.
When give out homebrew items i always say before hand that homebrew items and spells etc can be nerfed or buffed. And if it happens italk with theplayer and tell them what its wrong with it
I guess with black flag rhe heroes are meant to be stronger too so will be interesting to see how they feel with totv characters
I think exploration and prison breaks are two more minor adventure types, maybe.
Inflict wounds is strong, +3 spell attack is not.
Great show as always Mike, keep up the awesome work!
Oh damn! The success of the Shadowdark kickstart is one thing.. but to be used for Mike's annual Ravenloft game, is next level.
I tip my hat to fellow shadowdarklings
I assume the black flag cultist is stronger to address the snowballing power creep
Love the monster comparison. I'm a bit addicted to monster books and have a shelf with about a dozen. Picked up Monstrous Menagerie recently and the info it presents for each monster in terms of usability is way ahead of any other monster book I've seen. The monster design is very "even" and hits a precise bench mark in terms of survivability and damage, Paul Hughes (the author's) blog is really interesting on this. But my gripe with it is it kind of cleans up the rough edges a bit too much, you kind of want monsters to be a bit spikey. Sometimes they should be ahead or behind the curve on damage or survivability. And they should have abilities which make them a bit too efficient, like Spirit Weapon.
I'm really looking forward to TOV as being another alternative for Monster Manual and I really like that the version in this document are spikey. Cult Fanatic is definitely too spicy though. The power level of Kobold Press material in general has been significantly higher, not just monsters but character options. With that said my eyeballing of some other monsters in the document, Cult Fanatic is a bit of an outlier, the others I looked at mostly had a bit more damage out put but I think would be manageable. I haven't been through all of them though and hadn't noticed Cult Fanatic. Their damage is too high, and that 60HP is just nuts.
For all my gripes with Monstrous Menagerie, in most cases when I've put monsters side by side if I had to pick a version to run exactly by the book it would be that version, no contest.
Hi, I'm a new DM and I love listening to this podcast. I really like these definitions of adventure types and I would love it if you could give an example of each type of adventure so I (and probably other new DMs) could study the way they are built and run. Thank you SO much for everything you do, I was completely overwhelmed with prep before I read The return of the lazy dungeon master but now I feel like I understand at least a little bit of what I'm doing 😂
Explaining the licenses is insightful and helpful. As a GM that spends money I like knowing about the freedom creators are given. Didn’t realize ORC had that strange restriction.
12:43 I’m going to MCDM fanboy a bit here, and say that the death cult acolyte is a lot of fun as a CR 2 minion, which means you get 5 of them for the cost of a traditional cultist, but can have the satisfaction of an entire cult gathering to worship something evil, and have your players mow through them, but still have a decent threat if enough of them father around to group attack you. Totally different method from the other 3 you mentioned, but a lot of fun. Also the CR 4 death cultist, while not the same CR 2 as traditional cultist, is probably more true to power of what that original cultist or black flag cultist is trying to be… but it’s really hard not to get excited about the flavor and the abilities encouraging a GM to use it a certain way, from the get go, rather than having to deep-dive figure out the synergies of the original.
In all of their products ive found that kobald press is terrible at balancing things. They tend to swing way too high and it really puts me off of them
Which one of the situations do you think would be best for a one shot?
I'm not seeing the link for The Adventure Crucible in the show notes
Added! Thanks!
Another fun way to build on weapons (or shields) is to give them a Maneuver from the Battle Master Fighter list, with a once-per-rest Superiority Die. It's a mundane-ish effect that is both limited and memorable.
0:37 Mike turns into a dubstep soundboard for a second
I love the Kobold Press monsters precisely because they hit really hard and make players worry. After winning, there is a tremendous sense of relief and accomplishment.
Everything showing more than 75k in damages, the lawyers who wrote any different, simply refuse to read FL-108 by Congress.
Yeah that's why I play RPGs.... dungeon delving logistics. So fun.
Some people like crunchy peanut butter, some people like creamy.
@@pwykersotz I like both!
So you’re either a DM who doesn’t make any effort towards understanding how to make a game work, or you’re a selfish player who has no idea of the work that goes in to make a game function for you, or both.
I acknowledge that grasping this concept might be challenging to you, but I am a seasoned Dungeon Master well-versed in the intricacies of what both my players and I seek in an RPG experience. I understand the essence of Shadowdark, and it's clear to me that it doesn't align with the preferences of my gaming group. I don't harbor any illusions that the effort invested in creating a game should obligate me to enjoy it. I have a deep understanding of my preferences, and Shadowdark simply doesn't resonate with my style.
However, I respect that every gamer has their own tastes and inclinations. It's essential not to hastily judge someone based on a single sentence that might not mean what you think it does. Taking a moment to understand different perspectives can save us unnecessary misunderstandings and disagreements.