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Clay Sheldon

@claysheldon.bsky.social

2.9K followers 140 following 5.7K posts

Writer, DM, Storyteller and a fan of all things fiction. Represented by the Rights Factory http://claysheldon.com/ Check out this fantasy murder mystery party game! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/402695/mysteries-of-the-flying-haddock-a-trilogy

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · Aug 22

Do you like fantasy? How about murder mystery party games? Good news! The Flying Haddock is open for business! Solve three unique mysteries with friends, before the killer gets you!

And if you're feeling generous, I would greatly appreciate a like and a repost!

www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/4...

Mysteries of The Flying Haddock - a trilogy - Enigmatic Events Collective Inc. | DriveThruRPG

Mysteries of the Flying Haddock are a set of threeshort murder mystery roleplaying games inspired by Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition and the Forgotten Realms. It is, however, not a 5th edition adv...

www.drivethrurpg.com

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 48m

Writing Tip:
If you're just writing to pander to an audience, your audience is going to notice. Trying to appeal to everyone means you're appealing to no one. Make your works special, rather than bland and predictable. Even if that means it's not everyone's cup of tea.
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 3h

Writing Tip:
Sometimes the best thing you can do for a stuck scene is for a character to flip the table. That is, for someone to break the rules and mess things up. Sometimes they do this intentionally. Other times it's a horrible unintentional mistake. Both are fun.
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 6h

Writing Tip:
It is most likely going to be a mental challenge to do your edits. Almost everyone struggles with the idea of returning to their work and taking a hatchet to it. It can feel horrible... but once you actually start, it often doesn't end up being that bad.
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 9h

Writing Tip:
As a certain Disney movie once said: Not everyone will become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It doesn't matter your background, there is always the potential for you to write something utterly captivating.
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 12h

Writing Tip:
It can be helpful to have one of those 'do not disturb' signs you can hang on your door to prevent distraction while writing. You can use alternatives, of course, but some options are better than others. A sock on the door, for example...
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 13h

Writing Tip:
When it comes to editing in a word doc, the search function will be your best friend. You can spend hours scrolling to find the specific edit you need to fix, or you can just slip it into the search function and find it immediately. Amazing time saver.
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 14h

Writing Tip:
Sometimes there is benefit in retracing your steps. Did you introduce a new idea into your story that you really like? Go back into earlier bits of the story and add some foreshadowing in there if you can. Writing need not be completely linear.
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 15h

Writing Tip:
Eventually you're going to find that idea for a story you want, as long as you're actively looking for it. You might feel like the well has run dry. That you're never going to get another good idea as long as you live. But keep at it. You'll find it.
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 16h

If a player at your table does something awesome and you want to reward them, consider rewarding the entire party. Instead of looking like you're playing favorites, rewarding everyone for a player's actions encourages other players to get involved too! Because then, everyone benefits!
#D&D #TTRPG

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 16h

I can't be the only one that thinks the Witcher series (games and show) are at their best when Geralt is just hunting monsters, right? Never cared much about the global politics plots or the 'will-they/won't-they' romantic relationships. I just want to see a monster hunter actually hunting monsters.

Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 19h

Kingdom Come Deliverance is designed for fun tactical 1v1 medieval combat. That means you're kinda screwed with more than one enemy... which happens a lot. It's realistic, but also extremely frustrating. You're not gunna be rocking through bandit camps like in Skyrim.
🎮 #gaming #RPG #KingdomCome

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 21h

Writing Tip:
As a writing exercise, try making up your own fictional term. It can be anything from your fictional world (noun, verb, etc). Then, try to use it in a couple of sentences as a trial run. See if it actually sounds right, or if it just sounds like nonsense.
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 1d

There's no rule saying you can't create your own feats. It can actually be a really awesome way to help your players customize their PCs. Just be careful not to give your players broken superpowers. Give them fun flavor and utility, not unchecked power. That can completely break a game.
#D&D #TTRPG

Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 1d

I can understand the logic there, and I agree that I've come across said 'shot into space' pieces. But I'd still say that even those can be repaired. However, it's more like diminishing returns. The time and effort necessary might not be worth investing in to get to a workable state, you know?

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 1d

One of the neat little quirks of playing hardcore mode in Kingdom Come is that you don't show up on the overworld map. Which means you get really good at reading maps and navigating. Combine that with the flaw of sleepwalking at night and you're gunna have a fun time.
🎮 #gaming #RPG #KingdomCome

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 1d

Writing Tip:
There's no such thing as writing that is so bad that it cannot be salvaged. Think about it. Any string of words and be shuffled around, edited and modified. By that logic, even the worst of the worst can be polished into something great with enough time.
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 1d

One of the biggest missteps of Kingdom Come Deliverance is the early game. It doesn't introduce a lot of the skills and mechanics you can dive into. And it's not good at teaching players the skill system, which is actually really fun when you understand how it works.
🎮 #gaming #RPG #KingdomCome

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 1d

Just like in improv acting, a GM should try to 'yes and' every situation within reason. That is, add and collaborate with what your players are doing. Try not to shut down a player if they do something you didn't expect. Improvise. Adapt. Cooperate and have fun!
#D&D #TTRPG

Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 1d

Writing Tip:
Choosing when a character enters a scene can be one of the most important decisions you'll make in a story. After all, stories are about timing and pacing. Poorly-timed entrances can tarnish an otherwise good scene. Perfect timing does the opposite.
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 1d

Look, I get the idea of a Skyrim door so that players don't have to backtrack, but it feels like an extreme security hazard in-game. Like, bandits are just ignoring the obvious secret passage that leads from the entrance straight to their boss and treasure horde?
🎮 #gaming #RPG #Skyrim

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 1d

GM-ing isn't easy. If it looks easy, it's because your GM is putting 110% into their performance. A kind word or compliment for a hard-working GM can really go a long way. Oh, and cookies. Cookies are great too. Just saying.
#D&D #TTRPG

Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 1d

The one thing I always mod in Elder Scrolls games is the ability to skip the tutorial section. With morrowind, you fill out some paperwork and you're out in the world. With later titles, you have 1+ hours of identical dungeon every time you start a new character. Eugh...
🎮 #gaming #RPG #Skyrim

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 2d

The best piece of advice I have for new GMs is to establish phone rules as early as you can. Whether you allow players to check their phones at the table will change things dramatically. Obviously checking the time is one thing but if they're stuck on their screens, they're not engaging.
#D&D #TTRPG

Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 2d

Writing Tip:
Plan ahead in your writing, but expect to throw out all those plans at the drop of a hat. That's good! Being flexible means you can write an even better story if creativity strikes. And your ending might end up in a completely different place. Let it!
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

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Clay Sheldon @claysheldon.bsky.social · 2d

Writing Tip:
As a writing exercise, open up a word document, clear your mind, and just write top-of-mind for 60 seconds. Literally anything that pops into your head. It can be harder than it sounds. When you hit 60 seconds, see if there was anything interesting.
#writing #writingtips #Booksky

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