I was having writers block and so I took a break and soon enough it was 3 in the morning and I had impulsively sewn together a tiny mouse you’re welcome
I see people reblogging this with “to buy” but this pattern is free??? Someone even asked me “why don’t you charge money for it, it took you forever to put the document together” and I said “Not a lot of people have money and if they have some fabric scraps and a couple of buttons lying around they can make themselves a little mouse friend for free and that might make them happy and that makes me happier than receiving money???” Make yourself a liddol creacher! Heals the Soul!
A little background here: Like is so often true, I spent a few hours today browsing the internet’s many treasures (and dire swamps), not exactly looking for something but letting my attention drift and flow wherever it may. It ended up taking me on a whitewater rafting escapade through youtube videos of various Dungeon Masters leading their own respective groups through whatever adventure they’d planned for that session.
As I was watching, and getting a little something I could learn from or use in (honestly) every video, I found my mind drawn to one item in particular. Let me give you a few DM quotes that will quickly reveal my train of thought:
You’re stuck in an average dungeon…
You’re sitting in an average tavern…
Your room in the inn looks about what you’d expect: average furnishings, the usual wash basin and straw bed…
The man behind the counter is your average innkeeper…
You’re on your way through the forest again…
I think a lot of you already see where this is going. Those DMs, and their players, are “stuck in an average”. What does that mean?
There are no readily apparent surprises here
Nothing draws/captures attention
The setting is immediately populated by the unvaried marks of repetitive things that are “always there”
What does that do to the players (including the DM)?
Player energy begins to fall as their attention lacks an immediate anchor
Creativity flounders as players fill the area with the mundane, populate a space with what’s expected, copy-paste “the usual” surroundings onto the current setting
Those “always there” or “average” surroundings, in terms of gameplay, pretty much may as well be nothing for the effect it has on player imagination and their drive to explore and ask questions
Now there will be inevitably be someone who speaks up for the usefulness of the “average” - and that’s because they’re right: there are benefits to this approach. Some of them are:
DMs put on the spot have a turn-to that they can deliver quickly and easily and yet players will be able to populate that space with “the usuals” without the DM having to set the same again, repeatedly over and over
In low (rest) periods, the players feel as though they’ve entered a place of refuge; a safe “average” place where their minds can rest and they can let the stress of impending character death slip away and take care of the nitty gritty (for example, splitting treasures in relative safety)
Like the above, except the “average” place is just an illusion/deception. Something horrible is really going to happen and it’s easier to do that if the players aren’t expecting it.
But that only works best if it’s the exception and not the norm. The DM should usually want to give their environments more “life” - flavored surroundings that invoke awe and draw your players in with excitement and a need to learn more. Those low times can still be interesting, and a rich description can still be unique and captivate your audience without putting them on edge. And tricking your players with deceptively safe areas too often will simply lead to players never feeling safe: they’ll check every wall and floor for traps, they’ll have servants testing their food, they’ll stab their own bedrolls before laying down for the night just to be safe it’s not going to eat them as they nod off.
But I hear you, can we bring this discussion back to recognizing that potential for weak description and talk about possible solutions? Yes we can. But I mean to START the discussion, drop a few ideas, some resources that could help, and then see what others contribute.
Pinterest: Characters for D&D (Show a quick interesting pic if you’re pressed for time, it’s just as
fast as going the “average” descriptor route, and this is just one of
many blogs like it)
GameMastery Face Cards: Urban NPCs. I recently started researching/making decks for several reasons that directly apply to this topic: (1) Cards are a fast way to give a player quick information that feels tangible and even a little personal which feels exciting; (2) I can make a whole deck when creativity strikes (or select one if you want to use premade) and then weed through the decks before play for those that I’m fine with using should an unplanned need arise; (3) Cards are a neat way of making sure you keep your creations to the point, emphasizing what’s unique, and updating details based on the occurrences specific to your game. I actually recommend getting the PDFs instead of printed versions if you want to be able to keep them updated as you play (and not worry about handing them to players who tend to be a little less careful with physical property than you’d prefer). This specific deck seems to currently only available with a subscription, but a lot more I’ll include below aren’t, and they’re still worth looking into.
Pinterest: D&D Locales (As above, show a quick interesting pic if you’re pressed for time…)
‘‘The Cozy Hearth Inn’
From The Forge Studios or similar products (Keep pre-made locations like this handy, or use them as templates to
prep areas, for quick use if you need to drop one in or just want to
pull inspiration from a single entry in it)
Think of an area you’ve been to and describe it in a way befitting your campaign setting. A pub in your area becomes a tavern easily enough if you focus only on what translates well
Call on a character, item, creature or location you’ve watched in a movie, read about in a book, or seen in art, and describe it to others. Sometimes you can even say “His mannerisms remind you of Jack Sparrow as he crosses the boat to get to you, but he’s definitely more orc than human, and closer in size to an overfed cow than a spindly Johnny Depp.” That’s especially useful if combined with the below…
Involve your players. Just imagine these scenarios, told from the point of view of a DM that was caught off guard:
“The smarmy bard lazily drags a hand over the lute’s string as he eyes you, and though he wears a common tabard and his voice is nothing spectacular, something about him stands out above all else. *Points to a player* You, tell me what it is. *Player offers their own quirk, which may well become a permanent part of that character*
“You open the doorto the richly decorated guildhalland a smell hits you. It takes awhile for you to recognize it, but when you do, you seem certain that the smell is… *Points to a player*… You, tell me what the smell is… *Player does, DM rolls with it*… That’s definitely it. It’s thick in the air, filling your nostrils until it hangs on every breath you take. But that barely registers when you’re face to face with something that lays claim to your attention… *Points at a different player*… What is it that claims your attention?… *Player provides it, game moves on*… And so maybe you find yourself staring at it. But that’s fine. Because at least it takes your attention away from something far less enjoyable, letting you almost ignore it’s there entirely… *Points at another player*… And that is, what?
These are just examples to demonstrate the exercise. The second example especially is just to showcase the different “gaps” that players can fill in. You may not want to leave quite that many gaps… or… maybe you do. Depends on your players and how often you do it, and to each their own.
So that’s a start. When I began writing I thought this would be much longer, have an introduction, a body (where I’d even list games that use some of what I’ve written to good effect), and a conclusion to bring it to a close. But I always prefer dialogue over monologue.
So what do you think? Reblog with your thoughts, comment with your suggestions, provide feedback and I’ll keep an eye on this to see what develops.
Another good way to avoid the average is random generators, they keep things interesting and many provide a description to go with it. My personal favorite is Donjon, it offers a wide array of different generators for free, and each feel as if it was generated just for you.
Aries: A knight in armor made of glittering emerald chitin. Blades wielded in reverse, fighting with an alien grace.
Taurus: Towering knights decked in the hides of long-dead beasts. Colossal greatbows hewn from ancient oak trees heft arrows that could split a man in two.
Gemini: Proud knights, gilded chains worked into their helmets to resemble a lions mane. Their stature a demonstration of the wealth and power of their empress.
Cancer: A holy knight (of sorts). Their ceremonial hammer cocooned in spines, their armor blackened with soot.
Leo: A bodyguard. A legendary elite, now forgotten to the march of time. They wander the halls of the palace, now frozen and abandoned, searching for their young lord.
Virgo: Knights veiled in silk, every inch of their skin is covered. Their armor host to a hive of stinging insects. Long, thin, swords for piercing maille, the tip soaked in poison with intoxicating effects.
Libra: Sorcerer knights of a far western land. Pointed scarlet helmets and long barbed torches that function as halberd and a conduit for spells. Their armor jingles with medals and pendants covered in arcane scribbles.
Scorpio: A lonely knight in a thick cloak, illuminated only by the lantern they carry, light glinting off the silver spade in their other hand. They patrol the field of corpses, scanning for signs of movement.
Ophiuchus: Zealots of a forbidden faith. Slaves to their fervor, masks made from shed skin. Young, feeble wings stitched to their shoulder blades.
Sagittarius: Knights from an age of powder and shot. Sloped armor deflecting rounds as if they were blades. A shield on one arm, a revolver on the other.
Capricorn: A knight with heavily reinforced gauntlets. Forgoing weapons and shields for simply bashing opponents with their fists.
Aquarius: Trailblazers and pathfinders. Bows and axes double as weapons and survival tools. Old, dog eared books of spells, hand drawn maps folded into the pages. Searching for their lost brethren.
Pisces: Dancing knights. Flexible pikes used to vault over bulwarks. Bags and straps full of daggers and firebombs. Colorful domino masks a nod to their origins.
You know how canaries were historically brought into coal mines, because if the mine was full of carbon monoxide the canary would die first and the miners would be able to escape before they died too?
I just found the greatest thing.
This is a canary resuscitator.
When the miners notice the canary getting sick with carbon monoxide poisoning, they can close that circular hatch so no more gas gets into the canary cage, and open the valve on that oxygen tank to keep the canary breathing. In other words, they made a spacesuit for birds.
By immediately giving the canary access to clean air, the miners can save it from the poison. The bird lives. To be clear, this is not for economic purposes, this was specifically created because the miners felt bad and wanted to save the bird.
Isn’t that just the perfect demonstration of what humans are like? We started sacrificing small creatures to save ourselves, and then felt bad and spent our valuable resources on saving the critters too. Because yeah the canary was the only way to test for CO, but it’s a living creature too, dammit!
empathy without boundaries is self destruction = really explains why i had my absolute worst sense of identity when i had no boundaries with people and constantly asked people who i was but was never satisfied with the answer because i couldnt act their version of me out all the time because it would contradict the way everyone else preferred me to be so i was just this broken fragmented person who only expressed negative emotions when the broken mask slipped
if this sounds anything like you youre either a teenager with an adult figure in your life who doesnt allow you to express your genuine self or your an adult who needs to realize you arent anyone else’s person but your own now and living a life like a groveling rat is a fate worse than dying
the worst part about this thing is its a mindset thats so easy to fall back into because it makes you feel Good you are so Good and Nice to be everything everyone wants you to be but you cant cover up anger and lack of self with Goodness forever. that gold star sticker doesnt hold the cracks together. and eventually people catch on and get disappointed because the person they thought they knew wasnt even real to begin with.
youre gonna behave differently around different people, that in itself is not inherently bad - but when you dont have boundaries, when you stop yourself from saying no or having opinions that contradict theirs or you dont stand up for things you believe in - if you dont HAVE anything you believe in - THAT is a problem. dont let the easy route of feeling good and being palatable trick you into thinking its the kindest option. its just the one that hides the hurt of rejection longer. its a selfish one.
Update: Legolas’ pupils are about 3.5 cm wide each. Now drawing kawaii Legolas on physics assignment.
And they told you science was no fun.
Science!
I’m going to do it. I’m going to hand it in.
Legolas’s pupil size isn’t the problem here, though. 5 leagues is 17.262 miles. The curvature of the Earth means that for a person of average height, the visual horizon is less than three miles away. Even if your vision is telescopic and the atmosphere is perfectly clear, you can’t see around the planet. If they were standing on a hill, it would have to be at LEAST 198 feet above sea level in order to see the horizon at 17.2 miles away, with nothing tall in between. Which, knowing Rohan, isn’t impossible.
But consider: Elven satellite eyeballs.
you mean like
@sidereanuncia it’s back, the post that I can only imagine haunts your nightmares
I shall never find peace.
Also, for what it’s worth, there’s absolutely no reason to believe that the curvature of Middle Earth is the same as that of Earth.
There’s no evidence that Middle Earth curves.
Yeah there is. The Silmarillion states that the world was curved after the fall of Numenor (I believe), preventing access to Valinor. But Elves (among others) can travel the straight path across it.
So middle earth is round, but not for Elves because magic.
So wait, the reason he can see that far is because Elves just have the ability to ignore the curve of the earth? That’s awesome. It also means that no matter how good your optics got, you would always want elf eyes manning the spyglass because they can see arbitrarily far while everybody else is limited by this ‘horizon’ bullshit.
Oh thank God, my poor elf prince has seen too much in this post
Elves are flat-earthers
This post went from amusing to horrifying, to be brought back down to amusing, sprinkled in with some cannon explanation, and then you leave me here in fucking outrage
This post really was a rollercoaster.
for elves it was a straight line
Well it was at least a ride for everyone involved.
let your players make up the magic system as they go along, doing whatever overpowered bullshit they want as long as they give a brief in-universe explanation of why they can do that (e.g. “actually i’m immune to fire magic because i’m wearing red”).
keep track of everything they do. then use the magic system they created against them, turning every deus ex machina they ever gave themselves into a diabolus ex machina (e.g. “you notice that the giant plant monster has a red ribbon tied around its trunk, making it immune to fire magic”).
