Mike Bolam
@mbolam.bsky.social
board games, rpgs, miniatures, bikes, camping, pro-wrestling, cooking, baking, punk, metal, grind
Most of the way through episode three and really enjoying the discussions so far!
April 9, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Most of the way through episode three and really enjoying the discussions so far!
Yeah, so serious FOMO on Gary Con! But i kind of decided last year that it was becoming a bit too much trouble. Gamehole was both bigger and felt more chill. Missed having everyone in the same building at night, but otherwise I preferred it
March 23, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Yeah, so serious FOMO on Gary Con! But i kind of decided last year that it was becoming a bit too much trouble. Gamehole was both bigger and felt more chill. Missed having everyone in the same building at night, but otherwise I preferred it
No worries and no need to apologize! Everything you said made a lot of sense and will be totally helpful next time I run the game!
March 23, 2025 at 3:22 PM
No worries and no need to apologize! Everything you said made a lot of sense and will be totally helpful next time I run the game!
I did a batch from scratch a few weeks later that were even better!
March 23, 2025 at 2:57 AM
I did a batch from scratch a few weeks later that were even better!
I don't want to just drop things like the initiative system. I am comfortable with "rulings over rules" and house ruling, but the initiative system is distinctive to Shadowdark. At that point, I'd just run B/X, which I am much more comfortable with. I'm trying my best to learn another new game here.
March 22, 2025 at 2:25 PM
I don't want to just drop things like the initiative system. I am comfortable with "rulings over rules" and house ruling, but the initiative system is distinctive to Shadowdark. At that point, I'd just run B/X, which I am much more comfortable with. I'm trying my best to learn another new game here.
I really think I just need some more practice. I also think having such a disjointed table. I am used to running for strangers at conventions and game stores, but in this case, a lot of the people showing up have very little experience with playing RPGs...
March 22, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I really think I just need some more practice. I also think having such a disjointed table. I am used to running for strangers at conventions and game stores, but in this case, a lot of the people showing up have very little experience with playing RPGs...
Statistically unlikely but not impossible. I started rolling every round at one point. But it is always a 17% chance of getting that "1" and I never saw it pop up. Hah
March 22, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Statistically unlikely but not impossible. I started rolling every round at one point. But it is always a 17% chance of getting that "1" and I never saw it pop up. Hah
Thanks for all of this. Great content. For context, I don't run or play modern D&D. I've played a lot of 3.5, ran a lot of 4e (ended up hating it), and a little 5e (not for me). I primarily run B/X (via OSE, but also Labyrinth Lord in the past) and DCC. I also like Year 0 and PbtA games.
March 22, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Thanks for all of this. Great content. For context, I don't run or play modern D&D. I've played a lot of 3.5, ran a lot of 4e (ended up hating it), and a little 5e (not for me). I primarily run B/X (via OSE, but also Labyrinth Lord in the past) and DCC. I also like Year 0 and PbtA games.
I used to go to NTRPG con... But decided the flights and stuff weren't really worth it. We always drive to Wisconsin. NT was great for the size. Totally focused on gaming.
March 21, 2025 at 8:58 PM
I used to go to NTRPG con... But decided the flights and stuff weren't really worth it. We always drive to Wisconsin. NT was great for the size. Totally focused on gaming.
I'm doing Adepticon next week and Gamehole in the Fall. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh doesn't really have a good table-top focused Con. Missing the people I like to see in Lake Geneva, but I'll probably see many of them at the significantly less stressful Gamehole Con in October...
March 21, 2025 at 6:42 PM
I'm doing Adepticon next week and Gamehole in the Fall. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh doesn't really have a good table-top focused Con. Missing the people I like to see in Lake Geneva, but I'll probably see many of them at the significantly less stressful Gamehole Con in October...
From my perspective, it all worked okay, but I was really expecting a smoother experience. Six felt like too many players, tbh. In game 1, the players were having a hard time visualizing so I ended up using a battle mat and minis for game 2, but that only went so far...
March 21, 2025 at 6:32 PM
From my perspective, it all worked okay, but I was really expecting a smoother experience. Six felt like too many players, tbh. In game 1, the players were having a hard time visualizing so I ended up using a battle mat and minis for game 2, but that only went so far...
The adventures I looked at felt pretty "empty" - I ran the minotaur adventure in the free starter set. Relying on the random encounter table is cool, but over the course of 3 hours, I never triggered a random event - eventually a fudged the dice just to have something interesting happen...
March 21, 2025 at 6:30 PM
The adventures I looked at felt pretty "empty" - I ran the minotaur adventure in the free starter set. Relying on the random encounter table is cool, but over the course of 3 hours, I never triggered a random event - eventually a fudged the dice just to have something interesting happen...
Combat feels slow... I think the monsters have too many HP. Foes like skeletons having double digit HP makes a classic old school encounter take like 3 or 4 rounds (players 2-6ish pts of dmg per round.)
March 21, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Combat feels slow... I think the monsters have too many HP. Foes like skeletons having double digit HP makes a classic old school encounter take like 3 or 4 rounds (players 2-6ish pts of dmg per round.)
I've been running these as one-shots, so I haven't worried about it, but I'm struggling a little with the XP distribution. I assume I am supposed to fall back on the DCC vibe of "how many XP does this feel like" which is fine, but tying it to treasure rather sort of makes me question that.
March 21, 2025 at 6:20 PM
I've been running these as one-shots, so I haven't worried about it, but I'm struggling a little with the XP distribution. I assume I am supposed to fall back on the DCC vibe of "how many XP does this feel like" which is fine, but tying it to treasure rather sort of makes me question that.
The always on initiative system felt really fiddly and almost deterred cooperation and it felt likeit slowed the game down as players tried to navigate the turn order. It feels a like a solution to a problem (particularly that I've noticed in online play) of ensuring players are engage
March 21, 2025 at 6:17 PM
The always on initiative system felt really fiddly and almost deterred cooperation and it felt likeit slowed the game down as players tried to navigate the turn order. It feels a like a solution to a problem (particularly that I've noticed in online play) of ensuring players are engage
I have run it twice with a really random table at a local coffee shop. Mostly people that are D&D curious, but have no experience playing. It has been a table of 6 each time. I was running first-level published adventures (one from Kelsey and one from Runes zine) with pre-gen characters,
March 21, 2025 at 6:14 PM
I have run it twice with a really random table at a local coffee shop. Mostly people that are D&D curious, but have no experience playing. It has been a table of 6 each time. I was running first-level published adventures (one from Kelsey and one from Runes zine) with pre-gen characters,
It is just promoted as D&D night, but I don't want to run 5e. In my posts on their FB group, I said it was Shadowdark and explained it was a simpler version of D&D. The shop owner didn't care either way. The players were all new to RPGs and didn't seem to mind either.
March 20, 2025 at 7:51 PM
It is just promoted as D&D night, but I don't want to run 5e. In my posts on their FB group, I said it was Shadowdark and explained it was a simpler version of D&D. The shop owner didn't care either way. The players were all new to RPGs and didn't seem to mind either.
The idea is that any trip to the dungeon is real-time bound. So by 8:45 PM, you need to be heading back to town. Worst case we make a couple rolls to see if anything weird happens. It is an artificiality for sure, but it would be a campaign more focused on exploring than character development.
March 20, 2025 at 7:48 PM
The idea is that any trip to the dungeon is real-time bound. So by 8:45 PM, you need to be heading back to town. Worst case we make a couple rolls to see if anything weird happens. It is an artificiality for sure, but it would be a campaign more focused on exploring than character development.
I drew up a map and started populating it with sites, dungeons, rumors, etc... and I started writing a nearby dungeon to explore. Still allow drop ins, but provide a larger arc for the regulars.
Probably use the "West Marches" concept that puts them back in the village by the end of every session.
Probably use the "West Marches" concept that puts them back in the village by the end of every session.
March 20, 2025 at 4:42 PM
I drew up a map and started populating it with sites, dungeons, rumors, etc... and I started writing a nearby dungeon to explore. Still allow drop ins, but provide a larger arc for the regulars.
Probably use the "West Marches" concept that puts them back in the village by the end of every session.
Probably use the "West Marches" concept that puts them back in the village by the end of every session.
I think the coffee shop is trying to get people to come in to play in various campaigns (take your home game to the shop, basically), but I'm there to handle folks that don't have a game. I was the only table last time, though.
March 20, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I think the coffee shop is trying to get people to come in to play in various campaigns (take your home game to the shop, basically), but I'm there to handle folks that don't have a game. I was the only table last time, though.
This will be the second game. For these first two, I am running them like a convention games - they have been one-shot adventures. I provided some pregens and basically just run them through a dungeon in the time slot.
I had 6 players last month - we'll see how it goes tonight.
I had 6 players last month - we'll see how it goes tonight.
March 20, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This will be the second game. For these first two, I am running them like a convention games - they have been one-shot adventures. I provided some pregens and basically just run them through a dungeon in the time slot.
I had 6 players last month - we'll see how it goes tonight.
I had 6 players last month - we'll see how it goes tonight.
Planning on adding one myself. Speaking of time records, running a sandbox troupe style also requires more than I'm accustomed to. The players keep thinking their other crews are on down time, and I have to keep reminding them we're leaving back and forth in time.
March 3, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Planning on adding one myself. Speaking of time records, running a sandbox troupe style also requires more than I'm accustomed to. The players keep thinking their other crews are on down time, and I have to keep reminding them we're leaving back and forth in time.