Simons Mith
@simons-mith.bsky.social
I may not be as colourful as my avatar, but I do have better posture.
I'm intending to post a mixture of daily lies, and whatever other stuff - serious or nonsense - comes to my attention. Obviously, my real-world name is a closely-guarded secret.
I'm intending to post a mixture of daily lies, and whatever other stuff - serious or nonsense - comes to my attention. Obviously, my real-world name is a closely-guarded secret.
be used, but the intention is still intimidation and destruction rather than slaughter. If killing happens, that's going to attract the attention of the authorities, which even at this level is not the desired outcome.
"No holds barred" This is a fight which may leave bodies at the end.
#ttrpg 7/7
"No holds barred" This is a fight which may leave bodies at the end.
#ttrpg 7/7
November 22, 2025 at 3:30 PM
be used, but the intention is still intimidation and destruction rather than slaughter. If killing happens, that's going to attract the attention of the authorities, which even at this level is not the desired outcome.
"No holds barred" This is a fight which may leave bodies at the end.
#ttrpg 7/7
"No holds barred" This is a fight which may leave bodies at the end.
#ttrpg 7/7
things got too serious cooler heads on both sides should intervene.
"Teaching a lesson" This is generally a premeditated attack. The crime boss sends his goons to rough up the patrons of a rival establishment, or the bad guys come round and shoot up the bar to make a point. Weapons may
#ttrpg 6/7
"Teaching a lesson" This is generally a premeditated attack. The crime boss sends his goons to rough up the patrons of a rival establishment, or the bad guys come round and shoot up the bar to make a point. Weapons may
#ttrpg 6/7
November 22, 2025 at 3:29 PM
things got too serious cooler heads on both sides should intervene.
"Teaching a lesson" This is generally a premeditated attack. The crime boss sends his goons to rough up the patrons of a rival establishment, or the bad guys come round and shoot up the bar to make a point. Weapons may
#ttrpg 6/7
"Teaching a lesson" This is generally a premeditated attack. The crime boss sends his goons to rough up the patrons of a rival establishment, or the bad guys come round and shoot up the bar to make a point. Weapons may
#ttrpg 6/7
may unite against them, if only temporarily.
"Real beef" This is the first level at which the sides mean each other actual harm. Even then, the object isn't killing, it's beating up. The odd broken bone or lost tooth is not unlikely. This may escalate to impromptu weapons, but again if
#ttrpg 5/7
"Real beef" This is the first level at which the sides mean each other actual harm. Even then, the object isn't killing, it's beating up. The odd broken bone or lost tooth is not unlikely. This may escalate to impromptu weapons, but again if
#ttrpg 5/7
November 22, 2025 at 3:28 PM
may unite against them, if only temporarily.
"Real beef" This is the first level at which the sides mean each other actual harm. Even then, the object isn't killing, it's beating up. The odd broken bone or lost tooth is not unlikely. This may escalate to impromptu weapons, but again if
#ttrpg 5/7
"Real beef" This is the first level at which the sides mean each other actual harm. Even then, the object isn't killing, it's beating up. The odd broken bone or lost tooth is not unlikely. This may escalate to impromptu weapons, but again if
#ttrpg 5/7
scuffle is team pride, but while it's more serious than a free-for-all, no-one will escalate things too much because they risk getting in trouble from their own side. If someone takes things too seriously, they'll be restrained by their own side, or if they're a third party, both sides
#ttrpg 4/7
#ttrpg 4/7
November 22, 2025 at 3:27 PM
scuffle is team pride, but while it's more serious than a free-for-all, no-one will escalate things too much because they risk getting in trouble from their own side. If someone takes things too seriously, they'll be restrained by their own side, or if they're a third party, both sides
#ttrpg 4/7
#ttrpg 4/7
fighters in the fracas are likely to gang up on the miscreant and remove them, bodily if necessary, basically to stop them spoiling the fun.
"Rivals" Whether it's pirates vs Navy, one ship crew, or regiment, or street gang vs another, there's sides. The motivation for this type of
#ttrpg 3/7
"Rivals" Whether it's pirates vs Navy, one ship crew, or regiment, or street gang vs another, there's sides. The motivation for this type of
#ttrpg 3/7
November 22, 2025 at 3:27 PM
fighters in the fracas are likely to gang up on the miscreant and remove them, bodily if necessary, basically to stop them spoiling the fun.
"Rivals" Whether it's pirates vs Navy, one ship crew, or regiment, or street gang vs another, there's sides. The motivation for this type of
#ttrpg 3/7
"Rivals" Whether it's pirates vs Navy, one ship crew, or regiment, or street gang vs another, there's sides. The motivation for this type of
#ttrpg 3/7
"Letting off steam" This is more along the lines of a friendly scuffle. Fighting for the fun of it. There's no particular sides; anyone who shows up can join in. Worst you're likely to get is a thick lip or a black eye. If someone does start taking things too seriously, other experienced
#ttrpg 2/7
#ttrpg 2/7
November 22, 2025 at 3:26 PM
"Letting off steam" This is more along the lines of a friendly scuffle. Fighting for the fun of it. There's no particular sides; anyone who shows up can join in. Worst you're likely to get is a thick lip or a black eye. If someone does start taking things too seriously, other experienced
#ttrpg 2/7
#ttrpg 2/7
I don't even really know what small talk is. I just talk. No real clue which bits are what size. I assume 'the weather' is small talk, but beyond that, I'm guessing
November 22, 2025 at 1:57 PM
I don't even really know what small talk is. I just talk. No real clue which bits are what size. I assume 'the weather' is small talk, but beyond that, I'm guessing
In fairness, if cost of entry is cheaper than travel costs to the venue, they probably can bump the price up a bit. Under a tenner is a real shoestring price.
November 22, 2025 at 12:38 PM
In fairness, if cost of entry is cheaper than travel costs to the venue, they probably can bump the price up a bit. Under a tenner is a real shoestring price.
Yes, indeed.
But I go to beer festivals. £20 ish entry fee per day. May or may not include glass hire and a programme. Beer and food - and merch, if you want it - extra, at London prices. So between £50 and £100 per day.
Dragonmeet is perhaps too cheap!
But I go to beer festivals. £20 ish entry fee per day. May or may not include glass hire and a programme. Beer and food - and merch, if you want it - extra, at London prices. So between £50 and £100 per day.
Dragonmeet is perhaps too cheap!
November 22, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Yes, indeed.
But I go to beer festivals. £20 ish entry fee per day. May or may not include glass hire and a programme. Beer and food - and merch, if you want it - extra, at London prices. So between £50 and £100 per day.
Dragonmeet is perhaps too cheap!
But I go to beer festivals. £20 ish entry fee per day. May or may not include glass hire and a programme. Beer and food - and merch, if you want it - extra, at London prices. So between £50 and £100 per day.
Dragonmeet is perhaps too cheap!
Oh, play 4'33" at full blast; ring a clapperless bell; clap with one hand, etc.
But here's your next question; in an adventure, your GM sets a cool riddle. /You've/ solved it, but there's no way your character would. What do you do? Would you eventually break character to advance the story?
But here's your next question; in an adventure, your GM sets a cool riddle. /You've/ solved it, but there's no way your character would. What do you do? Would you eventually break character to advance the story?
November 22, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Oh, play 4'33" at full blast; ring a clapperless bell; clap with one hand, etc.
But here's your next question; in an adventure, your GM sets a cool riddle. /You've/ solved it, but there's no way your character would. What do you do? Would you eventually break character to advance the story?
But here's your next question; in an adventure, your GM sets a cool riddle. /You've/ solved it, but there's no way your character would. What do you do? Would you eventually break character to advance the story?
going to make a great fortune by this route :-)
November 22, 2025 at 12:15 PM
going to make a great fortune by this route :-)
quality expectations that people paying you entails. And perhaps there's some level of vetting, and the ticket price for the con might need to be adjusted, if players are expected to pay more after they're in.
But even £10 a seat for six people for a couple of hours is only £30 an hour. You're not
But even £10 a seat for six people for a couple of hours is only £30 an hour. You're not
November 22, 2025 at 12:15 PM
quality expectations that people paying you entails. And perhaps there's some level of vetting, and the ticket price for the con might need to be adjusted, if players are expected to pay more after they're in.
But even £10 a seat for six people for a couple of hours is only £30 an hour. You're not
But even £10 a seat for six people for a couple of hours is only £30 an hour. You're not
probably have to try it to see how it distorts the dynamic.
Or perhaps, if you join the con and offer to GM for free, you get a free ticket - same as now, or you can sign up and charge your players £5 per seat, £10 per seat and then you're advertised as a pay-to-play game, with the increased
Or perhaps, if you join the con and offer to GM for free, you get a free ticket - same as now, or you can sign up and charge your players £5 per seat, £10 per seat and then you're advertised as a pay-to-play game, with the increased
November 22, 2025 at 12:12 PM
probably have to try it to see how it distorts the dynamic.
Or perhaps, if you join the con and offer to GM for free, you get a free ticket - same as now, or you can sign up and charge your players £5 per seat, £10 per seat and then you're advertised as a pay-to-play game, with the increased
Or perhaps, if you join the con and offer to GM for free, you get a free ticket - same as now, or you can sign up and charge your players £5 per seat, £10 per seat and then you're advertised as a pay-to-play game, with the increased
Perhaps referees should be rewarded for /running/ games at conventions, rather than just for offering them. I think the current 'free entry' is pitched about right because while it is abused, most people seem to cooperate. Actually paying GMs would distort things. That /might/ be bad? Dunno, you'd
November 22, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Perhaps referees should be rewarded for /running/ games at conventions, rather than just for offering them. I think the current 'free entry' is pitched about right because while it is abused, most people seem to cooperate. Actually paying GMs would distort things. That /might/ be bad? Dunno, you'd
opted out of. The time to ditch Google entirely was years ago. If you stay, even if you turn all these features off, you're still going to end up leaking your information. Or the people you correspond with who are even less security-conscious than you - you're on /Google/ FFS - will leak it for you.
November 22, 2025 at 11:59 AM
opted out of. The time to ditch Google entirely was years ago. If you stay, even if you turn all these features off, you're still going to end up leaking your information. Or the people you correspond with who are even less security-conscious than you - you're on /Google/ FFS - will leak it for you.
Merely trying to opt out is simply not safe practice. When your house is on fire there's no point just extinguishing the flames in one half of the room you're in. They're going to /keep/ introducing new settings that you /keep/ having to opt out of. Eventually they'll put features in that cannot be
November 22, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Merely trying to opt out is simply not safe practice. When your house is on fire there's no point just extinguishing the flames in one half of the room you're in. They're going to /keep/ introducing new settings that you /keep/ having to opt out of. Eventually they'll put features in that cannot be
valuable to GMs. And the GMing advice book should probably include how to make a new custom setting. And 'optional rules' that the basic book has no space for, e.g. naval combat on the high seas, goes into the Pirates setting book, where it's really not optional, and then you can cross-refer to it.
November 22, 2025 at 2:58 AM
valuable to GMs. And the GMing advice book should probably include how to make a new custom setting. And 'optional rules' that the basic book has no space for, e.g. naval combat on the high seas, goes into the Pirates setting book, where it's really not optional, and then you can cross-refer to it.
It is tricky, because a generic rulebook (or GM advice book) with all the flavour extracted tends to be a dull read. I'd rather have one setting mixed in, perhaps with occasional mentions of how e.g. magic works completely differently in setting #2. then you get the flavour of the game, which is
November 22, 2025 at 2:54 AM
It is tricky, because a generic rulebook (or GM advice book) with all the flavour extracted tends to be a dull read. I'd rather have one setting mixed in, perhaps with occasional mentions of how e.g. magic works completely differently in setting #2. then you get the flavour of the game, which is
My hunch is that core rules + one or more setting books might work okay.
November 22, 2025 at 2:51 AM
My hunch is that core rules + one or more setting books might work okay.
The parts of The Fantasy Trip I saw were both magazine-sized - Advanced Melee and Advanced Magic. I presume the other books followed the same format but I could be wrong.
November 22, 2025 at 2:50 AM
The parts of The Fantasy Trip I saw were both magazine-sized - Advanced Melee and Advanced Magic. I presume the other books followed the same format but I could be wrong.
from home. I think it may be worth considering the possibilities of mixed media. A physical core rulebook plus electronic supplements, or vice versa. I like electronic rulebooks for their searchability. Physical supplements can be workable if you only have to carry one or two rather than all of 'em.
November 22, 2025 at 2:47 AM
from home. I think it may be worth considering the possibilities of mixed media. A physical core rulebook plus electronic supplements, or vice versa. I like electronic rulebooks for their searchability. Physical supplements can be workable if you only have to carry one or two rather than all of 'em.
The Dragon Warriors RPG was split into some number of paperback books. The way they did it seemed to work okay. And the Maelstrom RPG juust about squeezed itself into one paperback. These days a thumb drive lets you carry everything in a gadget so small it's easy to lose. I use that when GMing away
November 22, 2025 at 2:45 AM
The Dragon Warriors RPG was split into some number of paperback books. The way they did it seemed to work okay. And the Maelstrom RPG juust about squeezed itself into one paperback. These days a thumb drive lets you carry everything in a gadget so small it's easy to lose. I use that when GMing away