I was watching Ginny D YouTube where she was talking about D&D using Theatre of the Mind vs Mini’s and Maps. I reckon there’s a third option, and it’s the way I played when I started back in 1988. I want to call it something catchy, but haven’t come up with anything. Let’s call it…. Pen and Paper. Or Grids and Graphite…
It’s mostly like using Mini’s, but instead of full size maps etc, we started with maps sketched in the back of our Maths exercise books. Very similar to the way maps are presented in the books to be honest.
As a player, I would use grid paper, (usually 5mm, simply because that’s what I was using in class). As the adventure progressed, I would create a map as we went along. I still do this in my notebooks when I am a player, along with notes and such as things happen. I just don’t worry so much about scale anymore.
As a DM, I would not map all the rooms, but if there was a fight, or the room was complicated or some other reason, I would sketch out the location on a page, using the squares as guides (yes, exactly the same way that you might roll out a dry erase 1 inch map mat and set up a room with minis). Drawing people on their locations etc. Sometimes this meant I would redraw it, if the maze of where people had moved to became too confusing.
At the time of playing, none of my group knew about mini’s, though I think I had seen someone doing “old fashioned” wargames. Or miniature railways. The following year I did pick up the BattleTech box set, but that had standies. Then I discovered minis for BattleTech and picked up some metal Ral Partha BattleMechs.
But I still didn’t think of using them for D&D.
Then over my long break from the game, I saw that many used minis for their game. I now do use minis in face to face, and online (it’s basically the same). Though to keep equipment down, I used a whiteboard for the game I ran at work, and just drew on that, instead of bringing a whole map and minis etc.
Anyway, so if Theatre isn’t your thing, and you don’t want to use minis (or they are expensive for you), then just grab some paper (I think with a grid is better), or a whiteboard and away you go.
It’s been several months now since I have been a DM, sort of. Mostly at the moment I am a player in two online games and a play by email one. These are all with the same (pretty much) group of people.
The PBEM was firstly the newer “Dragon of Icespire Peak”. I found that ok, mostly as I had never DM’d more than about the last half (I used the last bit of that to link my old Phandelver campaign into the Dragon sequels). Currently though, one of the DMs is taking us through the Rick and Morty dungeon. Which has proved very entertaining, even though I’ve barely watched any of the show. Most recently we have had a long, confusing and confronting experience with the Mr Meeseeks.
Tyranny of Dragons is one of the online campaigns. Now this DM is brand new. She is improving, but it is a bit more plodding than the rest of us, and she does have a habit of telling / reading out more than she probably should. But she is learning. I have to admit, I’m a little distracted in that campaign, but I’ve also missed more of that one than any other, so I’m also a little disconnected from the plot.
The last online game is Shattered Obelisk. While this was a bit of a drag initially, more recently the DM has worked hard at brining challenging combats to our group, now level 7. Even with a stack of experience in the players, we are finding the combat challenging and interesting. Take our last one, against a creature we still really don’t know what it was. We had party members getting hit all over, people incapacitated and grappled. Hit points dropping. It was overcome, but took some really serious efforts on our behalf. My own Circle of the Spore Druid got banged up and grappled, before Gaseous Form away. Then pissed, he dropped a Blight and then a Tidal Wave on it, and was grappled again!
A fun fight.
These games are all going well. I’m playing a variety of characters. All dwarves, of course. One is a Circle of the Spore Druid (ToD), one is a War Wizard (Shattered Obelisk) and one is a Grave Cleric (R&M). I’ve decided I really like the clerics, not really the druids, and am undecided about wizards.
I’m in the middle of a campaign through Dungeon of the Mad Mage. I’m playing a duregar paladin who has been ostracised (and hunted down) by the others as he follows the dwarven goddess Haela Brightaxe. This makes him something of an oddity.
Anyway, I was interested in playing yet another dwarf, but who wasn’t a dwarf. I’m not an extreme min-maxer by any stretch, but I do like to create characters that will work well in the adventure. So as duregar, Dalgal gets particular abilities, such as better dark vision, and as an Oath of Vengeance Paladin, certain more. He’s a few levels up, so picks up invisibility, but also took Blind Fighting and gains Vow of Enmity. I often create these characters and then never end up using most of their abilities. Like my Gloomstalker, who are invisible to other creatures who use dark vision, but only when there is no other light around. And then he adventures with a party that is half full of people who need lanterns in the dark….
Anywho. So the party is a few levels down this dungeon and they open a door to find a zone of darkness. I can’t remember if there was an attempt by another member, but for whatever reason we suspected that there was actually some creatures in there attacking us. Forgive me, this tale starts during the previous session, so it was close to six weeks ago. Dal stepped up, turned invisible and crept through the darkness.
He found it contained a couple of Drow and a Drider.
Before he could sneak back, some of the other party came in and were attacked. Combat ensued, which included one of our party dispelling the darkness, only for another to recast it. The party fought on with area attacks (that sometimes hit Dal, who was still in the darkness) and people getting poisoned all over the place.
BUT, Dal has advantage against poison… another tick for my build! And resistance, but it didn’t get that far.
I swore my Vow at the Drider, giving me advantage. Even in the darkness, I didn’t suffer disadvantage because I could see within 10′ of me. So swing away I did.
Dal did suffer some wounds in return, but then Lay on Hands helped that.
And the Drider fell and quickly the party recovered and then Drow fell as well, at least two fell to Dal’s Knock (what’s Knock? See below). It was so much fun having all these abilities, that I had picked in order to make Dal a tough opponent in the darkness of the dungeon, come together so well.
Oh, and his magic Warhammer has been named Knock because initially we didn’t have anyone who was good at locks. But Dal would step up and simply bash the door with his Warhammer. And so it become “Knock”. I’ve even edited it in Roll20, so when I attack with it, Roll20 says Knock and not Warhammer +1.
It’s been a long and fascinating campaign as my party has wandered through Borovia trying to defeat Strahd and find a way home.
Initially Tilm (an investigative rogue) was my character, but I got a bit bored with him, so the DM and I concocted a plan for him to be kidnapped by Strahd and for the party to meet his cousin, Sister Fredis Braunforge, a War Priest of Moradin. The party also really needed some holiness and some healing.
This adventure went well and great fun was had by all as we explored across the land deciphering our Tarokka readings (the DM was using them as our milestones, so we were keen to level up before Strahd).
It had been expected that it would finish in the session 2 weeks ago. Tension had been building (and the DM was adding to it) as we explored through his castle, looking for the last item. We were nervous about bringing what we assumed was a castle full of minions down upon us, so kept away from our usual explore every room and clear every room to just slip quietly through for our item.
We faced him in his brothers tomb and with the weapons and knowledge we had gathered helped as we battled him and minions. With some injuries, but nothing that we couldn’t handle, we got him to the point that he dissolved into mist and fled.
Initially there was some discussion about hunting him, then exploring the castle, before we remembered that if we didn’t find him son, he would recover. Guessing that since we were in his brothers crypt, there was a good chance Strahd’s crypt should be nearby.
We headed back out into the maze of smaller crypts. We found his parents and had a small run in with a couple of giant spiders before one of our party disappeared. He was replaced with a wight.
We quickly dispatched the creature and our friend returned. Our rogue stepped forward. Only to disappear as well, and another wight appeared. We pushed this one back into the space and snap, it disappeared.
We had uncovered some kind of teleport trap. We thought we must be close.
Sister Fredis cast a dispel magic and it seemed to temporarily clear the trap. The group hurried forwards to find our way blocked by a portcullis.
The lizardfolk fighter gave a stretched and simply lifted it manually! The group hurried in, but to get the fighter through we wedged Fredis spare warhammer (she had found a better one in the adventure). It lasted long enough for the lizardfolk to get through before snapping. The haft clattering to the floor near her feet.
Inside we found a coffin. The plan was that the fighter would open the coffin, then Fredis (as the cleric) would strike with the haft of the warhammer. We had doused it with holy water.
Strahd, inside, had heard us clatter and bang our way into the crypt so was ready when the coffin opened. He let out a blast of necromancy at the fighter as Fredis struck. She called on Moradin to guide her strike (take a +10 bonus) and pinned Strahd to his coffin with a stake through his heart.
At this point the fight was over. He was paralysed and as long as the stake wasn’t removed (or damaged) we could simply hit him until he died.
So we did.
And then destroyed his coffin.
We had won and defeated the evil of Strahd.
Took us over 14 months at 2 hours, once every two weeks. It was a fun game, and story. Even though I have the book myself, I haven’t read it so had no spoilers for myself.
Next up, a Spelljammer campaign and I break from tradition and play something other than a dwarf.
MOTOGP! Finally. And the ride there and back was great, and the racing was excellent. I stayed in budget (very important this year). I camped, I had adventures… yup, read the two stories here and here. Was worth the wait. The only thing that didn’t work out was Jack Miller getting taken out by Alec Marquez at the new “Miller Corner”. I do think I will stick to my two year cycle and aim for 2024 for my next ride down. It’s at an awkward time of the year, work wise.
2022 Philip Island -Australian MotoGP
I hit most of the roads I had planned, changed a few over, mostly due to the bad weather.
My first night motocamping.
Otherwise the bike was a garage queen at least by comparison to how it (and my other bikes) have lived. It was lucky if it got a ride to the shops once a week. As the year finishes off, I think I’m in the market for a new battery. Even commuting is off the menu at the moment, as work is only 10mins away and I drop my two kids at school on the way.
I got a new bike… sort of. It was fun to build at any rate.
LEGO’s M1000RR
No bicycle riding to speak of really. Some fitness rides on the commuter.
Enjoying the sunshine and open space…. in the middle of the suburbs?
About Babes
Two girls in high school. Both doing well. One won a State Championship for her gymnastics so really well done there. Next year will be interesting as the other one can start learning to drive!
About Bytes
Nothing hugely dramatic here. My Surface is finally getting used a lot, I use as my school device and it’s been great. Except for a dead TypeCover. Replaced, but I am suspicious of the durability of this part.
I upgraded my iPad Pro 9.7 (v1) to the Pro M1 11”. It has been excellent, really nice jump in performance from my last one. They did eventually release an M2 version as I suspected, but it didn’t get the mini-LED display, so I don’t feel like I missed anything. Its keyboard cover has also deteriorated (common theme this year), there are some places where the soft covering material has worn through. It is still working, but has been put away and hasn’t been replaced.
The new PC has been working fabulously, though I really should step up the graphics card. Otherwise it’s been fast and reliable. I’ve since spent many hours using it for gaming, completing the last 3 Tomb Raiders and spending over 100hours in the Baldur’s Gate 3 pre release.
And I can play BG3 on the Mac too
The iMac also has been going well. It has also recently received a new keyboard, a Logitech MX Keys (not the specific Mac one). I’m really happy with this keyboard too.
Having all these devices has meant all my work is available everywhere. The school mostly uses Google’s environment so that was something to get used to. But with it all in the cloud (along with my OneNote) it’s easy to work anywhere. I also switched over to iCloud Photos and this has been working well too.
D&D has been fun all year. Wild Beyond the Witchlight finished up just a few weeks ago. That was a fun campaign for all. It’s been replaced by a journey in the Dungeon of the Mad Mage, which I am not DM, so currently I am a player in 3 campaigns (Dungeon, Strahd and a face to face home-brew) and not a DM anywhere. It’s so relaxed! Strahd is likely to finish up soon and the DM wants to put us in Spelljammer (D&D in space). I have never played in that environment, so I’m a little unsure. I’m writing my own home-brew adventure for when I get a DM slot again.
About Me.
My offical career change occurred in mid-April (not Christmas as planned), I stayed in order to finalise a couple of medical issues with work. Even though that was the offical date, I was on holidays from that work from Christmas until April and actually working as a teacher full time.
I am enjoying my teaching. My school has a really nice community working environment. There are some challenges, partly due to the children and partly due to my limited experience. However, the school has always been supportive.
The pay is a significant cut from my old pay, at least in these first couple of years. Once I complete my proficiency after two years it will jump up and be a lot closer. I don’t think it will ever surpass it.
To help make up for this, I have secured some part time work in my old career for the school holidays and that will be a nice bonus for me. It’s also a way to stay relevant and connected to that old career in case I am needed.
Next year will see me having my own class, and it looks like it will be a Year 5/6 one. Equally excited and nervous, but everyone at work assures me I will do a great job. That makes me feel very supported, but then also nervous that I don’t want to let them down!
My dwarf fighter carries on with the crew as I was able to attend the following face to face session. I might even be able to make it a regular thing, fingers crossed. With a few less people, the dynamic was a little different in the group, more playing, less chit chat.
We killed off the mad priest with a few solid blows from my fighter and a minotaur barbarian that joined the fight. The rest of the party finished off the surrounding undead as well without too much more trouble.
It was already night, so we camped out close by and healed up (we also levelled up – now level 4). But our sleep was disturbed when a really big skeleton dragon with a rider appeared from a nearby waterfall and passed into the night. He spotted us as we went past (the person on watch took a shot at him).
So we decided that the best idea was to poke about in its lair while it was gone. It turned out that there was a large cave opening behind the waterfall, so we headed in.
The main discovery was a sarcophagus. My dwarf stood guard as one of the others opened it. A gust of wind passed out as he did and my dwarf struck, you know, just in case.
He chipped a little of the stone and it seems that meant the spirits were a bit grumpy. A group of spectres attacked the party. My dwarf wasn’t initially engaged and ran about the room finishing them off as the others kept them busy.
Inside the sarcophagus was a passageway leading away into the dark…..
One of my regular players is also my DM that I’m playing through Curse of Strand in. He’s also DM for a face to face game that I’ve got a standing invite but never had a chance.
It’s a game based around Dragonlance, though I know very little about Dragonlance and about this actual game. However things aligned over the weekend and I was able to spend Sunday joining in with the game.
The party is level 4 and helping out a town with a dragon problem, something to do with a dragon cult and currently off chasing some mad priest. I joined in as the party left town and headed into the nearby forest to find this mad priest.
Deciding on something simple, and something that, if I was there it would help, but wouldn’t be missed, I rolled a dwarf (of course) fighter. Another Braunforge was born. Level 3, and I decided to have him run 2 handed weapons, so picked Defence style for the extra +1 AC. I was tempted by the dark dwarf build, but didn’t know how it would fit into the Braunforges. (I’ve just thought of two ways, but never mind).
It’s a big party and there are 10 players including me. They even have 3 black panthers as companions (I have no idea how). So rounds take a while…. we started combat with the mad priest with about 2hours to go and only got through 3 rounds.
Gwain (my fighter) avoided all the minions (who were engaged with the other party members) and charged the priest. His dwarves constitution saved him from being overwhelmed by the sheer force of the desecration of the area. Out of melee range, Gwain threw a hammer from his belt, stopping the priest’s ritual. Then when the priest turned his gaze on Gwain, it saved him again as he fought for control of his own body.
Individual battles raged around as the party fought undead that sprang from the ground. But Gwain stayed true and closed with the priest, swinging with his axe. He struck again, but this time was unable to stop the priest as he gazed upon him and was compelled to strike himself.
And that’s pretty much all we got through. I really hope to make it in a fortnight – I’m planning to try shoving the priest to the ground, but not sure what to do about the stare. Maybe look away except when I go to strike?
It was fun to be in a face to face game. I almost didn’t know anyone at the table, except one of the other players (who is in my Witchlight campaign) and the DM of course. So there was a bit of in jokes that I didn’t get etc, pretty normal when joining a new group, no matter the situation. It seems I might be one of the more knowledgable players there and some are clearly pretty new (first few sessions I think). I did get a little annoyed that often one end of the table was having a conversation (off-topic) while the DM was trying to pass story and such along. But overall it was fun and I hope to be back.
Thought I might put some thoughts here about some of the D&D classes. I haven’t played them all yet, but here’s some thoughts.
Cleric
A strong mix of hitting and spells. With flexibility of changing spells each rest. I do wish there were more bonus actions that she could use. It seems to be mostly Spiritual Weapon, which is nice, but other things would mix it up a bit. This particular cleric is a War Domain one, so likes to mix it up in the fights.
Sorcerer
My first pure spell caster and I kind of cheated. Using a mountain dwarf, the character still had a lot of regular melee abilities. But his spells are fun and has been twinning has been handy. So he bashes heads when he doesn’t feel like risking the Wild Magic.
Ranger
I tried a Gloom Stalker. He hit hard, and I kept improving him, and he picked up some nice magic items. He was just as effective melee or ranged. I only wish he travelled with a party that didn’t need light as that took away some of his advantages. Anyway, dealt some serious damage and I enjoyed him.
Rogue
I found this one a mixed bag. I really wanted to use his investigation and other skills like sleight of hand. But in Borovia, there wasn’t much opportunity, so it was sneak in, stab until dead. Not really much fun in this campaign. It might be better in another one, or a rogue with more of an assassin bent for example.
I’m not sure what I might pick next time, I’m leaning towards paladin or fighter. Perhaps a warlock? Anyway, that’s a quick run down on my impressions of the various classes.
Since the rant a few weeks back, where I was all about how boring being a player is, I have had a change in heart, mostly.
The previous game, under that particular DM, has fallen apart. Or at least, I’ve left, but I have heard it has fallen apart. And the main reason is that the DM can no longer make the Friday evening slot, but myself and several of the other players, can’t make the Saturday afternoon he suggested. So I think it sort of died.
As this change to date was sort of happening, sort of not, before it was certain that the Friday slot wasn’t going to work, there were a few Fridays were a bunch turned up, but no DM. So one of the other players, who is a very experienced DM, volunteered to run a plain old dungeon crawl. Simply this would be a bunch of characters, smashing through some dungeon with no real purpose except it was there, but an adventure that we could pick up / put down whenever we liked. And, as it turned out, it was well set up for new characters to join in or leave, or different players to substitute in and play existing characters.
I really enjoyed this game. The DM kept things interesting, with different creatures, some traps and a couple of small puzzles. There was not much RP, but it was a Dungeon Crawl.
Hilfander, my dwarf, got some sweet loot, and become a pretty cool dwarven ranger (Think Legolas, but a respectable dwarf, rather than a flighty bothersome elf).
In the end, it’s clear that the group makes the game. The DM is a big part of this, not just in the way he creates the environment, but it can be as simple as how consistently the game runs. So while combat, for example, has periods where you’re waiting your turn, you’re still engaged in what’s happening and busy coming up with schemes for your turn.
Sure, having more powerful characters was fun too – being able hit most of the time and doing good damage. Kill-stealing from the barbarian…
Wait, again that’s about the groups interaction.
So that’s why it’s not boring. It’s the group. Face to face would be nice, but as the group gels over the adventure, the fun picks up. And this can happen over the internet as well. Maybe just takes more time? There were a lot of fun little moments, pretty much didn’t matter which collection of players turned up. One of the finest moments was when the barbarian went to smash open the pit trap with his hammer, DMs says, easy, just don’t roll a nat 1.
So of course a nat 1 was rolled. In the end, the barbarian almost fell into the trap but a nat 20 saved him, and at the same time uncovered the second, more dastardly part of the trap. An invisible wall. It was a fun moment.
So the DM can have a big influence, though it’s not all up to him. But if he drags things out, spends a lot of time looking up stuff and isn’t prepared, it definitely falls down. Players can have the same effect too, but I think it can be tempered by the rest of the group.
So being a player isn’t boring, but sometimes some groups don’t fit together well.
The DM for the Dungeon of the Mad Mage has been unavailable for a couple of sessions, so some of us have been smashing our way through a simple dungeon crawl.
Hilfander, my Dwarven Legolas, has been right in the action. And he’s been scoring some loot. I picked up the Quiver of Ehlona, which will help him carry his bow (and let him stock right up with arrows).
He also picked up Bracers of Archery. This along with his crossbow and other skills has him at about +9 to hit and damage. That means his chances of hitting every shot have gone up.
Then, the group found a dwarven tomb that had been looted. They resanctified it and closed it back up. This uncovered a secret compartment inside. After a bit of messing about, they pulled something out of it.
And boy, did Hilfander’s eyes light up. A beautiful Dwarven Battleaxe. Intricate runes decorated the head, with a dark hardwood haft.
And then the best bit. Roll percentile… and I rolled a nat 100!
Perhaps something like this 🙂
A +3 Vicious Battleaxe. Vicious will give me an extra 2d6 every time I roll a critical. Now Hilfander is as lethal up close as he is from range. I’d love to run him in a more serious campaign now…
Actually I’d like to run him solo in something where he can do some sneaking with his Gloom Stalker talents.
bikesbabesbytes 
