Vidar Edland
@vidaredland.bsky.social
Writer, mummy wrangler, tourist herder, worldbuilder, occasional lecturer, and wannabe rockstar.
Most players tend to just shrug stuff off and reset their character behavior back to "factory settings" without any development. This makes it very difficult to do true horror, relationships, and any kind of debt of story.
Players, let yourself (i.e., your PC) get scared, corrupted, angry, moved!
Players, let yourself (i.e., your PC) get scared, corrupted, angry, moved!
December 27, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Most players tend to just shrug stuff off and reset their character behavior back to "factory settings" without any development. This makes it very difficult to do true horror, relationships, and any kind of debt of story.
Players, let yourself (i.e., your PC) get scared, corrupted, angry, moved!
Players, let yourself (i.e., your PC) get scared, corrupted, angry, moved!
I wish players were better at developing their character behaviors in response to things that occur in the game, in particular in response to trauma (i.e., when a PC almost was killed by ninja, nearly got eaten by owl-bear, saw their best friend die in battle, got mind-controlled by Dark Lord etc.)
December 27, 2025 at 1:41 PM
I wish players were better at developing their character behaviors in response to things that occur in the game, in particular in response to trauma (i.e., when a PC almost was killed by ninja, nearly got eaten by owl-bear, saw their best friend die in battle, got mind-controlled by Dark Lord etc.)
Jeg synes Nissens regler er litt drøye: du er hittebarn og har ikke foreldre, så du står ikke på gavelisten? Så bare de vellykkede og heldige kommer på nissens liste, altså... Snakk om dobble-whammy!
December 24, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Jeg synes Nissens regler er litt drøye: du er hittebarn og har ikke foreldre, så du står ikke på gavelisten? Så bare de vellykkede og heldige kommer på nissens liste, altså... Snakk om dobble-whammy!
Prepping a session of their favorite I-never-get-to-play-this game and booking a surprise game night with the group behind their back?
December 24, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Prepping a session of their favorite I-never-get-to-play-this game and booking a surprise game night with the group behind their back?
Players who can't make character decisions themselves, but rather want to roll dice for everything. If all a player brings to a game is rolling dice, then I could be playing the scenario by myself and just roll dice for everything.
Players ought to play their characters, not react to dice.
Players ought to play their characters, not react to dice.
December 17, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Players who can't make character decisions themselves, but rather want to roll dice for everything. If all a player brings to a game is rolling dice, then I could be playing the scenario by myself and just roll dice for everything.
Players ought to play their characters, not react to dice.
Players ought to play their characters, not react to dice.
I am of the conviction that it is as much the players' responsibility as the GMs to make sure the game & session is fun for all. Players who selfishly sabotages a session is not pulling their weight. If there are logical reasons for a PC's reluctance, then players & GM find a way to make it work.
December 11, 2025 at 11:10 AM
I am of the conviction that it is as much the players' responsibility as the GMs to make sure the game & session is fun for all. Players who selfishly sabotages a session is not pulling their weight. If there are logical reasons for a PC's reluctance, then players & GM find a way to make it work.
I can't remember any of my own moments, but recently my buddy told how he GMed for his 12yo daughter & her two friends, when one of their characters face death. It all came down to a single save throw with poor odds... which came up a natural 20! The room exploded with joy, and now I'm tearing up.
December 6, 2025 at 3:54 PM
I can't remember any of my own moments, but recently my buddy told how he GMed for his 12yo daughter & her two friends, when one of their characters face death. It all came down to a single save throw with poor odds... which came up a natural 20! The room exploded with joy, and now I'm tearing up.
🤣
Hvis jeg dør nå så er det din skyld, Maja!
😆
Hvis jeg dør nå så er det din skyld, Maja!
😆
December 5, 2025 at 4:59 PM
🤣
Hvis jeg dør nå så er det din skyld, Maja!
😆
Hvis jeg dør nå så er det din skyld, Maja!
😆
I think I ran a 9-player game at some point, perhaps a hundred years ago.
Nowaday, 5 players is a hard max for me but I prefer 2-3 tbh.
Nowaday, 5 players is a hard max for me but I prefer 2-3 tbh.
December 3, 2025 at 2:25 PM
I think I ran a 9-player game at some point, perhaps a hundred years ago.
Nowaday, 5 players is a hard max for me but I prefer 2-3 tbh.
Nowaday, 5 players is a hard max for me but I prefer 2-3 tbh.
Currently, our campaign (L5R) revolves around a bunch of escalating story treads in a single, quite trouble city (Ryoko Owari Toshi - The City of Lies; if you know you know).
The previous campaign (also L5R) was more or a travel adventure, visiting many places, with some downtime at home.
The previous campaign (also L5R) was more or a travel adventure, visiting many places, with some downtime at home.
December 2, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Currently, our campaign (L5R) revolves around a bunch of escalating story treads in a single, quite trouble city (Ryoko Owari Toshi - The City of Lies; if you know you know).
The previous campaign (also L5R) was more or a travel adventure, visiting many places, with some downtime at home.
The previous campaign (also L5R) was more or a travel adventure, visiting many places, with some downtime at home.
Basically, I'd be f***ed.
Sometimes, I have notes and story beats plotted out in a paper notebook, but 9 times out of 10 I simply couldn't have run the session.
(I should also mention that my memory is crap, so its simply impossible for me to GM without notes. I wouldn't remember a single thing!)
Sometimes, I have notes and story beats plotted out in a paper notebook, but 9 times out of 10 I simply couldn't have run the session.
(I should also mention that my memory is crap, so its simply impossible for me to GM without notes. I wouldn't remember a single thing!)
November 25, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Basically, I'd be f***ed.
Sometimes, I have notes and story beats plotted out in a paper notebook, but 9 times out of 10 I simply couldn't have run the session.
(I should also mention that my memory is crap, so its simply impossible for me to GM without notes. I wouldn't remember a single thing!)
Sometimes, I have notes and story beats plotted out in a paper notebook, but 9 times out of 10 I simply couldn't have run the session.
(I should also mention that my memory is crap, so its simply impossible for me to GM without notes. I wouldn't remember a single thing!)
It is very difficult to calculate; some periods, we play multiple online (ca. 4 hours) sessions per week, or even several longer in-person (ca. 7 hours) sessions in a week, while in other periods we don't play for a month or so. But if I was to guess, I'd say we on average play about 6 hours a week.
November 24, 2025 at 8:46 PM
It is very difficult to calculate; some periods, we play multiple online (ca. 4 hours) sessions per week, or even several longer in-person (ca. 7 hours) sessions in a week, while in other periods we don't play for a month or so. But if I was to guess, I'd say we on average play about 6 hours a week.
I'm willing to bet that cocaine was involved... 😏
November 23, 2025 at 9:13 PM
I'm willing to bet that cocaine was involved... 😏
More like: "Your eyes look tasty, man-child."
November 8, 2025 at 10:28 PM
More like: "Your eyes look tasty, man-child."
Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
Where flap the tatters of the King,
Must die unheard in
Dim Carcosa.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead;
Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
Shall dry and die in
Lost Carcosa.
-The King in Yellow
Where flap the tatters of the King,
Must die unheard in
Dim Carcosa.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead;
Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
Shall dry and die in
Lost Carcosa.
-The King in Yellow
November 8, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
Where flap the tatters of the King,
Must die unheard in
Dim Carcosa.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead;
Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
Shall dry and die in
Lost Carcosa.
-The King in Yellow
Where flap the tatters of the King,
Must die unheard in
Dim Carcosa.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead;
Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
Shall dry and die in
Lost Carcosa.
-The King in Yellow
CASSILDA'S SONG
Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink behind* the lake,
The shadows lengthen
In Carcosa.
Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies
But stranger still is
Lost Carcosa.
Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink behind* the lake,
The shadows lengthen
In Carcosa.
Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies
But stranger still is
Lost Carcosa.
November 8, 2025 at 2:06 PM
CASSILDA'S SONG
Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink behind* the lake,
The shadows lengthen
In Carcosa.
Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies
But stranger still is
Lost Carcosa.
Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink behind* the lake,
The shadows lengthen
In Carcosa.
Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies
But stranger still is
Lost Carcosa.
Lost Carcosa, man...
November 8, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Lost Carcosa, man...
Without TTRPGs, I would've been a very sad and grumpy boy.
November 7, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Without TTRPGs, I would've been a very sad and grumpy boy.
In our groups, the GM tend to pre-gen characters to fit the stories, conflicts, & milieus. So, it is largely the demands and opportunities of the setting and plots that determine what kinds of PCs & NPCs partake. As a GM, I try to find story avenues and setting slots where PCs will snugly fit.
October 31, 2025 at 8:58 AM
In our groups, the GM tend to pre-gen characters to fit the stories, conflicts, & milieus. So, it is largely the demands and opportunities of the setting and plots that determine what kinds of PCs & NPCs partake. As a GM, I try to find story avenues and setting slots where PCs will snugly fit.
Almost invariably, the PCs start out as nobodies but gets noticed quickly by more and more people and power factions. By the end of a campaign, the PCs are sometimes very much high players themselves.
October 25, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Almost invariably, the PCs start out as nobodies but gets noticed quickly by more and more people and power factions. By the end of a campaign, the PCs are sometimes very much high players themselves.
Thus far, IIRC, our campaigns tend to end with the bad guy being defeated and I don't think we've ever had a big-bad seeing the light and laying down their arms (although a few have been imprisoned). This is party because when we reach the end, the players are very dialed in to killing the baddie.
October 24, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Thus far, IIRC, our campaigns tend to end with the bad guy being defeated and I don't think we've ever had a big-bad seeing the light and laying down their arms (although a few have been imprisoned). This is party because when we reach the end, the players are very dialed in to killing the baddie.
Since I find combat excruciatingly boring (as a GM), a single big-bad fight is what I prefer. But we do what we must as GMs 😊
(As a player, combats are cool whatever we're fighting 😎 )
(As a player, combats are cool whatever we're fighting 😎 )
October 24, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Since I find combat excruciatingly boring (as a GM), a single big-bad fight is what I prefer. But we do what we must as GMs 😊
(As a player, combats are cool whatever we're fighting 😎 )
(As a player, combats are cool whatever we're fighting 😎 )