Friendship is Dragons
Updates Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
Page 1043 - Success Risk
Author Notes:
Notice: Guest comic submissions are open! Guidelines here. Deadline: January 27th, 2023.
(Pop-out)
23 Comments:
With my local tabletop it's just a matter of booking notes. For example, my Ranger has the leadership feat and I only took that because we needed an extra healer to help us overcome the fact the GM doesn't understand the concept of CRs. But the GM follows the feat's extra property to the letter of the DMG, specifically that I have a bunch of followers that I have to feed and put a roof over their heads. Well then. Since I have been working with other PCs to brand ourselves as an adventuring guild, I decided to put those followers to work. I bought an old tavern/inn to house the followers, hired an accountant to track expenses and a scholar with knowledge on contracts to ensure we get work coming in with a paper trail. I now document the entire thing in a notebook and I can easily track profits. I probably make twice the money running that business than I do adventuring.
Anyway, the groups that I'm in never really plan anything that far out for this kind of a situation to happen. It's usually just us grabbing an item or two and carrying it around with us for most of the adventure before being reminded that it exists and would be perfect for the situation at hand. And what plans we do actually prepared for some kind of future problem, our GM is usually great at remembering and actually keeps it in mind when he plans out his next few sessions.
To be honest, the only time the above comic is pulled is when someone is trying to do something that would be considered jumping the shark and they attempt to pull in past actions to justify the insanity. No pre-planning or anything like that, just people trying to do cool things. It never ends well for them.
Besides, it's like gold-mining. Those who wanted to get-rich-quick mined gold. Those who understood the importance of steady, if slow wealth accumulation, mined the gold-miners and sold them necessities.
lol@Mykin. Basically, "F*** adventuring. Let's be quest-givers instead with quest rewards." right?
Our GM for 3.5 has a terrible memory. He never writes down any magic items we get, so if we didn't take notes, then we lose out. I've created a little database of all the items I and my minion have collected just so I'm prepared. And yes, I had a few instances of "I'll use this X item to defeat the miniboss" and the GM will question where I got it. I show him my clear notes and ask where he keeps his. Haven't lost a challenge yet.
(he should be lucky I haven't cheated the system. Too easy to do so as this is practically merit-based)
That can backfire, you know.
There was a time a long time back when I didn't write down house rulings. And in a Mekton game, I made two different decisions on two different days for the same event.
One of the players jumped up, grabbed a model Starship Enterprise nearby, and had it orbit my head while saying in a mock-Scotty voice, "Captain! It's one huge Contrrrrradiction!"
The rest of the group lost it, I was *very* embarrassed... and I never made that mistake again. Now, I write down every house decision I make, and keep checking old notes to make sure my gaming is consistent.
On one hand, I'm sure my gaming style has gotten a lot better, and I'm sure the players enjoy a more consistent universe. On the other, I *never* let people get away with changing decisions on me, because I don't want a repeat of the Enterprise Incident.
So, yeah. Embarrassing your GM like that can have consequences if you do it too many times.
There was a time a long time back when I didn't write down house rulings. And in a Mekton game, I made two different decisions on two different days for the same event.
One of the players jumped up, grabbed a model Starship Enterprise nearby, and had it orbit my head while saying in a mock-Scotty voice, "Captain! It's one huge Contrrrrradiction!"
The rest of the group lost it, I was *very* embarrassed... and I never made that mistake again. Now, I write down every house decision I make, and keep checking old notes to make sure my gaming is consistent.
On one hand, I'm sure my gaming style has gotten a lot better, and I'm sure the players enjoy a more consistent universe. On the other, I *never* let people get away with changing decisions on me, because I don't want a repeat of the Enterprise Incident.
So, yeah. Embarrassing your GM like that can have consequences if you do it too many times.
I always write a journal in Google Docs for my characters as if from their perspective. If they have any ideas or note any important clues or information, they're in a bright, bold color.
Having it in docs is just my personal preference because of the font and color options as well as the saving after every edit (I can't tell you how many times I've written a full session recap and then closed before saving it...) and being able to just link my DM so they can view and comment. I am also using a spreadsheet to keep track of my rogue's Bag of Holding.
Having it in docs is just my personal preference because of the font and color options as well as the saving after every edit (I can't tell you how many times I've written a full session recap and then closed before saving it...) and being able to just link my DM so they can view and comment. I am also using a spreadsheet to keep track of my rogue's Bag of Holding.
GMing has become so much easier with the advent of digital media, it's silly.
The "Unspoken Plan Guarantee" is fun in movies, and that makes it a serious temptation for players to attempt it in a game.
What you need is a system that incorporates Deus ex Flashback features. From the MEGS system omni-gadgets for carrying just the right tool, to narrative stunts, or systems that let you spend resources to put in a contingency after the fact. I'd suggest FATE or PbtA systems.
Heck 3rd Ed D&D had alacritous cogitation - you use an unprepared spell slot to cast anything from your list of that level or lower...
Heck 3rd Ed D&D had alacritous cogitation - you use an unprepared spell slot to cast anything from your list of that level or lower...
I have always said that she successfully cast her spell in the show. Is it a failsafe spell, or a “fail, safe!” spell? Celestia’s safe did fail to keep Discord out after all...
I was wondering about that thing with the safe. What if it worked perfectly, but the seal was only intact while the vault was closed? And Discord knew that, so he was waiting around outside the safe (invisibly) for the moment they just barely cracked the door, so he could instantly take the elements before they opened the door all the way and saw they were gone?
Maybe the name was backwards and it was a "safe fail" spell. Everything did work out in the end.
"I just bet Xencarn's gonna be all, "This comic is about me, isn't it." And I'm gonna have to be like, "No. Yes, but no.""
I can hear him saying it in his voice, even.
And some of the very likely follow-up conversation. X^D
I can hear him saying it in his voice, even.
And some of the very likely follow-up conversation. X^D
The GM in one of my games decided to start tracking not just equipment, encumbrance, and gold, but our current hit points.
Sometimes he forgets to record healing, and you usually find out in the middle of combat when he tells you that 2-point hit from the kobold just killed you.
Sometimes he forgets to record healing, and you usually find out in the middle of combat when he tells you that 2-point hit from the kobold just killed you.
Any story about how you managed to win thanks to something of a flashback that never happened?
"That never happened!"
"You said we could use that downtime month however we wanted
"You said we could use that downtime month however we wanted
...back after we beat that boss!"
"That doesn't apply to a Retcon Failsafe!"
"..."
The time it worked and actually happened, though?
"Ok, so the rest of the party now knows I'm evil and has stabbed me to death. Do I get a couple last words?"
"You can have a few last words, sure."
"POWER WORD: S***STORM."
"Why?"
"That activates my eighteen Glyphs of Warding and four Symbols."
"When did you make THOSE?"
"During all that downtime!"
"You never told me!"
"Yes I did!"
"WHEN?"
"I sent an email!"
*one email check later*
"Ok, so everyone dies..."
"Well, yes, but I get better: one of the runes was Revivify."
"Sigh"
"That doesn't apply to a Retcon Failsafe!"
"..."
The time it worked and actually happened, though?
"Ok, so the rest of the party now knows I'm evil and has stabbed me to death. Do I get a couple last words?"
"You can have a few last words, sure."
"POWER WORD: S***STORM."
"Why?"
"That activates my eighteen Glyphs of Warding and four Symbols."
"When did you make THOSE?"
"During all that downtime!"
"You never told me!"
"Yes I did!"
"WHEN?"
"I sent an email!"
*one email check later*
"Ok, so everyone dies..."
"Well, yes, but I get better: one of the runes was Revivify."
"Sigh"
"Yes it did!"
"No I'm retconning it."
Later...
"This happened."
"We never saw it and you didn't confirm it with me."
"It happened!"
"No it didn't!"
"Oh come on! You get to do it!"
Too be fair, I don't think I ever tried to retcon anything. To be also fair, I did ask a lot of OOC questions on how the game worked
But, yeah, Twilight's plan here is beyond reasonable; That's not just 'needed to read up on a few things', that's 'needed to design and develop multiple expensive and complicated devices'
It feels on the same level as just 'assuming' you got your hands on a magic sword or whatever in the downtime; It might be doable, and it might be suitable for your character, but you really should be doing that on-screen, unless the GM says otherwise.
It's funny; I had just started this webcomic by the time the second season premiered. So while I got the joke that the writers were kind of parodying the "Twilight has a spell for everything" trope (and getting some wordplay in for good measure with "failsafe failed!")... in my head, the reasoning was always "No, you did not clear this with me first, Twilight. Stop making things up."