Loonies

If you couldn't guess from my handle of all the four player archetypes (being Real Man, Real Roleplayer, Loonie, and Munchkin), I identify most with the Loonie.  They're just here to have fun.  And talk to giant possibly friendly mushrooms.  After all, every group needs its comic relief.  If everyone happens to be the comic relief, all the better!  I find the overall cheerfulness of the Loonie playstyle more attractive than the other ones.

Art from here
LooneyDM out

Real Roleplayer

I hadn't meant to make this a series, but it's flowing so well.  Katara did actually say this quote which is a perfect "real roleplayer" quote.  Of course it was followed up by something less real roleplayerish but she has the spirit.  She does things because they're in her character to do.  For those not getting the reference you simply need to read this.  It's not going in order because I came up with the munchkin one first.  Expect more in the coming days.  I'm sure the other ones will be obvious.

Art from here
LooneyDM out

Munchkin

If Avatar is a RP game then Toph is the clear munchkin of the group.  In addition to everything mentioned her mastery of earth bending means she's functionally not blind at all.  Sure there are a few situations where it causes her problems but never in any dangerous encounters.  For those who haven't seen Avatar, the magic is all elemental control based.  Water benders control water, air benders control air, earth benders control earth, and fire benders control fire.  Fire benders have the one exception in that they create their element as well as control it.  Toph is a blind girl who has mastered earth bending well enough to be the top bender in her city, as seen by the bending fights she gets into.  Before the end of the Avatar series she invents metal bending, which is a big deal as earth benders can't affect metal.  Except her of course.  Total munchkin.  I'll see about doing the rest of the crew later on.

Art from here
LooneyDM out

DM Props

It's items like these that make me want to start DMing in real life again.  Of course I don't need another money sink between what I have for D&D already and video games.  But ragged books and a human skull sitting near an old fashioned compass (I don't care if they don't have them in D&D) is just too cool.  And no explaining needed.  Players will know.  They will know so very much.  And their envy will no know bounds.  As soon as they get over how dead their characters are.

LooneyDM out

Drow

I have to say I'm not a fan of drow or their culture.  The best description I heard was that Lolth is a psycho cheerleader goth emo who insists that all her children be as bat shit loco as she is.  This is a fair approximation of why their society doesn't work on any level and why they should be avoided.  Of course I don't mind them in Eberron, but that's because Eberron makes everything better.

Art from Wizards Art Archive
LooneyDM out

Edition Wars (Again)

I have decided that I have some ground rules for this new edition and all things pertaining to it.
1) Be positive
2) It's okay for other people to like different styles of play
3) Getting mad about discussions on the internet is a waste of energy
4) Don't feed the trolls.
5) Stay Classy
 All in all I feel this is a good list.  Now I just need to force it on everyone else out there and the edition wars will be over!  Muwahaha!  (note to self, villain laugh needs work)
Art from here
LooneyDM out

Down Time

Down time used to be a thing.  Moreso in older editions of the vaunted D&D where it could take weeks to heal up regardless of whether or not you had a cleric available.  Even without the healing rules there was an implication of time space between adventures for the characters to do other things.  Like training and getting into other sorts of trouble.  Also item crafting in certain editions.  Which does create a slightly more sensible leveling curve.  Rather than zero to hero in a few weeks or months it takes longer.  Also makes more sense in the story related portion of things as to why adventurers don't drop dead from adrenaline poisoning.  Is that a thing?  Adrenaline poisoning?  I don't know enough about biology to know if that is possible but it seems like something that would happen if adventurers lived the lives they have "on screen" all the time.
LooneyDM out

Mind Screws

You know you've arrived as a DM when you can freak your players out over the most innocent of things.  It's all a matter of presentation.  Like today's motivator.  I even went so far as to draw lines on the picture to assure myself there weren't any overlaps.  It helps, but if you don't have lines to guide you, it can mess with your eyes significantly.  With players in this medium you need to mess with their imaginations more than their eyes.

LooneyDM out

Total Party Kill

Sometimes the dragon wins.  Or Balrog, or whatever it is you're fighting this week.  Last weekend my saturday group had a different experience.  They had to run away from a group of well positioned enemies who used the terrain to their advantage.  Well it was more than that.  The enemies were defending a fortress.  The group was also short a tank.  This compounded the problem of not having enough people to soak up the damage the enemies were doing to them.  In the end they fled and looked for another way into the fortress.  Retreating isn't something they do frequently.  The last time involved a horde of khyberspawn.  An interesting session all around.  Though not a TPK.

LooneyDM out

Critical fumble tables

I am not a fan of critical fumble tables.  Not at all.  A wise man once said this about critical fumble tables.
"Take ten 1st level warriors, in melee with 10 straw dummies (medium inanimate objects, AC5).
The warriors make their 1 attack per round, for 2 minutes (20 rounds); the dummies make no attacks during this time. If, after 2 minutes of battering straw dummies, any of the warriors are dead or dying then the GM must butter his fumble rules and eat them."  This wise man was not me.  It was a poster on the Order of the Stick forums

Quotes from my saturday evening game:

Pliny: (( I am totally being carried. Why walk when I can ride? ))

Iki: (( can I take the queen's head? ))
LooneyGM: (( if you want ))
Iki: (( woo! ))
Iki: (( I will show it to the people when we return. ))
Haruhi: (( that's our bloodthirsty iki ))
Iki: (( and then hang it over the dining room table. ))
Iki: (( I think there's space over the mantel still... ))
Pliny: (( You only get to do that if you contact a taxidermist! Or the magical equivalent ))
Pliny: (( I'm putting my hoof down on this, I don't want bug dripping on the table! ))

LooneyGM: (( everything is sandwiches with haruhi, isn't it? ))
Haruhi: (( yes. yes it is. ))

I'kishaeila: "...I'm torn on whether i want them having fun killing monsters without us."
I'kishaeila: "And if something... AWFUL... should befall Tellas... I want to be there to laugh."

I'kishaeila: I GAVE YOU LIFE, AND I MEANT FOR YOU TO BE A CAKE.
* I'kishaeila smacks the cake with the spoon as hard as s he can.
Pliny: (( The cake says: You're not my REAL Mom! ))

Pliny: "I really want to know what to blue robed man is up to."
Haruhi: (( Turns out he's Gilderoy Lockhart ))

Boddywynn: (( lol, what did she put in it? ))
Pliny: (( Catnip, and apparently lightning ))

Pliny: (( Damage resist in the hoooouse ))
Pliny: (( Yeah that was awful. I won't say that again. ))

Haruhi: (( all I did was kill your buddy, why all this hostility? ))

Pliny: (( Best friends forever damage! ))

Iki: (( ... he SNEEZED on me? ))
LooneyGM: (( no, it comes out of his arm ))
Iki: (( who sneezes out of their ARM? ))

Haruhi: "I don't know if I want to fly through yellow fog"
Haruhi: "best case scenario it smells awful. Worst case scenario we die."

Haruhi: "I want healzors."
* Haruhi stares at Pliny until he gives healzors
Haruhi: O_O

*Pliny inquires if anyone would like traveling music
*Pliny starts singing traveling music before anyone can object

Haruhi: (( lol massive cleavage ))
Haruhi: (( you really BUST 'em up with that ))

* I'kishaeila punches the DM.
I'kishaeila: 1 more xp!
LooneyDM: (( no, no xp for punching the DM ))
I'kishaeila: (( he has XPs ))
LooneyDM: (( I am not an xp pinata ))

* I'kishaeila CHOPS OFF THE TOP.
I'kishaeila: (( it has a short stack now! ))

Boddiwyn: (( as long as we dont get lost, tally ho! ))

Iki: (( if I find out I've gelded the tower... ))
Iki: (( I will feel awkward. yes. Definitely awkward. ))

Pliny: (( Ha ha, we left them with instructions to keep things tidy. We're gonna come back and find a rug in the middle of the room, draped over a huge pile of junk that they tried to sweep under it ))

Rush: "Is I'kishaelia alright?"
Boddiwyn: "She hasnt started screaming yet, so I assume so."

LooneyDM out

Base Construction

Believe it or not this is a real building and looks like this.  No photoshop here.  It is a ballet performing arts theater.  It isn't quite so, scatalogical, from other angles but this is the most prominent one.  It's the kauffman center for the performing arts in Kansas City, MO.  Only the breast, I mean best for the center of the nation.  You know your players would design something like this given the chance.

Art from GIS for kauffman center
LooneyDM out

RPGs (Wasted Time)

The culture I live in has an odd view of what constitutes "wasting time".  In a few cases it means "doing something I don't think you should be doing" or "doing something I wouldn't have any fun doing" but most of the time it means "doing something unproductive" for a given value of productive.  Usually not doing a chore, or paid work, or an activity that isn't socially proscribed as being for the betterment of yourself or others falls into the "unproductive" category.  And you know what?  I call bullshit on all of it.  Yes all of it.  I found out about this great John Lennon quote today for the first time and I agree.  If you're enjoying yourself and not hurting anyone, who are they to judge you or try to force you into a specific set of behaviors that you don't enjoy?  So don't be ashamed to play RPGs, or video games, or whatever it is you do for fun.  And don't be ashamed that you're having fun rather than doing something else that someone else thinks you should be doing.

Art from here
LooneyDM out

Illusion

Illusion.  While conjuration is the best school from a mechanical stand point I would argue that Illusion is the best school from a fun stand point.  For many obvious reasons.  And a few not so obvious ones as well.

LooneyDM out