Session 6 taught me that my players do not like mind readers. Wow. It really taught me that. Also, I am really glad that I am embracing an idea I got from a friend on Twitter (@SILO_DnD): enjoying what players do with what I've prepared. They liked the first part, the town time. They didn't like interacting with the military and being expected to deliver truth under magical enforcement. Their previous session ended with a really weak dialog with the mid-level officer they debriefed with, but the higher-ups demanded to know what was going on. They had a really bad reaction to that. Jail time and further interaction just made them more upset.
I think all of the players really stuck to their characters' core values and roles, which was great. I was prepared for this to happen and think it made a lot of sense plot-wise. As a person, I'm not thrilled with making the players upset, but I think that they were reacting to the story and staying in role more than personally offended.
We've been developing the ideas of tabaxi culture a lot more, trying to draw from the thumbnail in Volo's Guide to Monsters but add our own homebrew twist. That's been a lot of fun and will continue. I want to do the same with the other players' races and origins. A lot has gone on behind the scenes but there's more to come.
It was totally weird moving the stream date for this week. I anticipated there being a little bit more on my plate this week but it ended up being totally crazy. Additionally, I had ideas for a few new terrain projects I started on without a lot of planning. Result: this was a busy week.
I also had trouble with my 3d printer. They are a lot of fun when they work properly but I don't have time to monitor every print, so a setback can really cost me a lot of print opportunity. Result: I am very happy I know someone I can borrow minis from. Even though I didn't use them, if I had needed them, I am so glad I didn't have to worry about it. Now the same scenario is true for this next week, where I'm really busy, but I have the minis. And, of course, I've also fixed the 3d printer and have printed the minis I want. But, there's assembly and paint time. We'll see.
Lastly, this week is also super busy, much more so than last week. Additionally, I'm out of town thru Wednesday. I'll likely have to work with what I did last week in terms of physical prep, but luckily the story is developed and ready. Result: I know Thursday I'm going to do a mess of painting and stress out but Friday will be great. Also, super excited about work and this short 'vacation' to Redwood City. Really, the family gets to go explore and I got a 45-minute tourist walk in this morning, ending in coffee.
I think all of the players really stuck to their characters' core values and roles, which was great. I was prepared for this to happen and think it made a lot of sense plot-wise. As a person, I'm not thrilled with making the players upset, but I think that they were reacting to the story and staying in role more than personally offended.
We've been developing the ideas of tabaxi culture a lot more, trying to draw from the thumbnail in Volo's Guide to Monsters but add our own homebrew twist. That's been a lot of fun and will continue. I want to do the same with the other players' races and origins. A lot has gone on behind the scenes but there's more to come.
It was totally weird moving the stream date for this week. I anticipated there being a little bit more on my plate this week but it ended up being totally crazy. Additionally, I had ideas for a few new terrain projects I started on without a lot of planning. Result: this was a busy week.
I also had trouble with my 3d printer. They are a lot of fun when they work properly but I don't have time to monitor every print, so a setback can really cost me a lot of print opportunity. Result: I am very happy I know someone I can borrow minis from. Even though I didn't use them, if I had needed them, I am so glad I didn't have to worry about it. Now the same scenario is true for this next week, where I'm really busy, but I have the minis. And, of course, I've also fixed the 3d printer and have printed the minis I want. But, there's assembly and paint time. We'll see.
Lastly, this week is also super busy, much more so than last week. Additionally, I'm out of town thru Wednesday. I'll likely have to work with what I did last week in terms of physical prep, but luckily the story is developed and ready. Result: I know Thursday I'm going to do a mess of painting and stress out but Friday will be great. Also, super excited about work and this short 'vacation' to Redwood City. Really, the family gets to go explore and I got a 45-minute tourist walk in this morning, ending in coffee.
I've just recently started reading about what you're doing, and I really dig these retrospectives. I'm going to try to binge listen to more of your play sessions in the next week or so!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I feel like there's a lot to say from the DM side of the table. I'll keep this up and appreciate the input.
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