Compared to the events on the Asperity where things were happening without the players having any control, here the situation was at a standstill, and it was the stillness that caused the tension. I particularly like the Trade story arc as I think it has all the good elements of a good gothic horror story.
Read MoreLand at last! Nothing I could throw, not even a gulag, could dampen the relief and optimism of the players. I was quite happy at Hunter’s quick catch when I was slowly revealing the true nature of Vatyr. Indeed, no one goes to work in a salt mine at the end of the world of their own volition. One goes to the salt mine because they were forced to.
Read MoreAs I mention in the episode, we play in “Hard mode.” What I mean is we are in a Gritty Realism setting. There are a couple of rules and mechanics that are added to the game for a more realistic and, let’s be honest, hard feel. The result is also a less high-fantasy world and more like a survival game. Resource management, be it spells and ability as well as food rations and ammunition become more important than a regular D&D game.
Read MoreOn different forums and other podcasts, I’ve often heard that the medicine check is the most useless skill of all, and it is often shunned by players. I had never realized it was so and it came as a big surprise. One of the reasons I believe people think the medicine skill is useless is because they do not see how it can be used in-game. The Player’s Handbook is not very inspiring, telling us that a successful check can stabilize a dying creature and diagnose an illness. Xanathar’s Guide to Everything’s added a couple of ideas for checks but the skill remained a bit bland, in my opinion, so I get the unpopularity.
Read MoreThere are two reasons why players can become frustrated when it comes to a GM’s narration, I think. Either the GM is being too vague, and the players do not understand where they should go, or the GM is doing too much railroading. I’ll focus on vagueness today. This is a big subject and there is no way that I can cover it in a few paragraphs.
Read MoreAfter a brutal fight, we finally have a description of our protagonists! What did you think? Are they close to what you pictured? Any big surprises? I am super excited to reveal the official portraits of our quartet. They look positively badass.
Read MoreThe log is there to give you information about the setting we are glossing over. The players already know a few things about Ravenloft but you might not. As we progress, I’ll fill you in about the particularities of this world.
If this isn’t the first actual play podcast you’ve listened to, you know each GM likes to do things their own way. We play with our own share of homebrew rules. Some are quite simple but others, like the sanity rules, are more complex. When a house rule has been used during an episode, I’ll explain them to you in the log. Perhaps you’ll want to give them a try at your own table.
And finally, I want to share with you some of my finds like maps, illustrations and other resources. Anything I find and I think is pertinent I will share here with you.
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