Friendship is Dragons
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Page 305 - The Mole Ponies
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No, but I am amused to note that the first letter of your screen name follows Radsjet's in the alphabet, while the reverse is true for the last letters of your screen names.
No, but I did screw up what I meant to write very badly by forgetting it in the middle of typing it. To show just how badly, my point was originally supposed to be that Senpai ends just before Jennifer, the next name to post, begins.
See how far off course that went between realization and communication?
See how far off course that went between realization and communication?
Hahaha! Saw that on MST3K once.
And yeah. Splitting the party is getting weird here...
And yeah. Splitting the party is getting weird here...
Tune in next time, when we'll hear the DM say:
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY ROOM?!"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY ROOM?!"
I'll be disappointed if there's not an Underminer reference at some point.
Well, puns are a Syndrome of players getting into the spirit of things.
Getting into the spirit of things? Are you sure you don't mean getting into the Frozone?
I think we should focus like a Gazerbeam on the topic at hand. I'd hate for us to Dash ahead of ourselves.
If you don't realize that all these puns are just a Mirage, then you don't know Jack-Jack.
Well, at least this discussion didn't turn Violet in my absence.
Every time I think the puns are over with, I get dragged back into Helen Earth.
I was hoping we'd already bid all the pun threads Bomb Voyage
I think we have reached the point where someone will have to make a guest comic featuring Pun Pony (http://askpun.tumblr.com/).
I really have no experience with this (or any other) kind of editing, but if noone else takes to the task, I will do it myself... eventually.
...probably.
I really have no experience with this (or any other) kind of editing, but if noone else takes to the task, I will do it myself... eventually.
...probably.
And, of course, after a Pun-Quake like that, you have to expect there to be a few Hyper Shocks.
So, is anyone going to post that PMV. It seems very apropos. Hell, they even let the damn thief out of sight, a cardinal sin.
>Also, I am never, EVER splitting the party like this again
Oh, don't I know it. I've run a few too many games where I tried to cater to one player (or more!) who wanted to go do their own thing for most of the session. It always ends with the group or the person sitting around for an hour, and by the time you're ready for them again, they're in the middle of a game of Settlers of Cataan and suddenly the D&D game is a distraction instead of the evening's main event.
Short splits are fine, and pre-planned splits (where only the relevant people need to be invited to the game that night) can be great, but session-long "out of the room, it's X's turn" ordeals like in this comic have never gone well for me.
Oh, don't I know it. I've run a few too many games where I tried to cater to one player (or more!) who wanted to go do their own thing for most of the session. It always ends with the group or the person sitting around for an hour, and by the time you're ready for them again, they're in the middle of a game of Settlers of Cataan and suddenly the D&D game is a distraction instead of the evening's main event.
Short splits are fine, and pre-planned splits (where only the relevant people need to be invited to the game that night) can be great, but session-long "out of the room, it's X's turn" ordeals like in this comic have never gone well for me.
What I've found helps tremendously with party splits a lot of the times is a combination of emails, written prompts and and secondary DMs.
Now using the comic as a guide the DM could easily have written out something and let (probably Applejack but the character least likely to be active) run the Philomena part while the main DM dealt with Rarity. The same goes for combat, sure you have to trust your players not to be dicks but it keeps the flow which often is the important part.
Usually when someone is running off on their own though whatever THEY are doing isn't particularly involved so they can just write it down hand it to you or what not.
Now using the comic as a guide the DM could easily have written out something and let (probably Applejack but the character least likely to be active) run the Philomena part while the main DM dealt with Rarity. The same goes for combat, sure you have to trust your players not to be dicks but it keeps the flow which often is the important part.
Usually when someone is running off on their own though whatever THEY are doing isn't particularly involved so they can just write it down hand it to you or what not.
It happens consistantly that when the party splits up in one of my games, one or both sides ends up with a fatality:
1. PCs get the location of the BBEG's secret hideout. The ranger splits off to go "kidnapp" daughter of a prominant duke because the BBEG is about to attack her hometown.
The duke gets word of the kidnapping and sets a trap that kills the ranger. Sad because the rest of the party stopped the BBEG from even reaching the town.
2. The party reaches an abandoned mine with a legend for killing anyone who enters. Party rogue splits off expecting there's just a bandit camp inside and goes to ambush them. The remaining party gets maimed by several necromantic traps.
Rogue is eaten by a Grue (seriosuly, the mine was haunted by an elder wraith. The party together could take it on with minor injury, but the rogue by itself died in two rounds from cold damage).
3. PCs successfully sneak into a Ziggaraut (some fancy temple thing) and are one room away from taking the McGuffin away from the BBEG. They know it's trapped so party splits up. Warlock goes to get the McGuffin alone in the next room while the rest of the team hides in the basement.
Warlock triggers the trap and a Black Oooze lands on him. He gets killed in three rounds,even WITH a redo that I allowed of two rounds. Meanwhile, the alarm triggered the BBEG's minions to search the temple. They find the PCs in the basement and half the party is killed beause there's no alternate way out (as opposed to the McGuffin room where I had two windowsand stairs to the roof for the PCs to escape).
My players don't split up anymore.
1. PCs get the location of the BBEG's secret hideout. The ranger splits off to go "kidnapp" daughter of a prominant duke because the BBEG is about to attack her hometown.
The duke gets word of the kidnapping and sets a trap that kills the ranger. Sad because the rest of the party stopped the BBEG from even reaching the town.
2. The party reaches an abandoned mine with a legend for killing anyone who enters. Party rogue splits off expecting there's just a bandit camp inside and goes to ambush them. The remaining party gets maimed by several necromantic traps.
Rogue is eaten by a Grue (seriosuly, the mine was haunted by an elder wraith. The party together could take it on with minor injury, but the rogue by itself died in two rounds from cold damage).
3. PCs successfully sneak into a Ziggaraut (some fancy temple thing) and are one room away from taking the McGuffin away from the BBEG. They know it's trapped so party splits up. Warlock goes to get the McGuffin alone in the next room while the rest of the team hides in the basement.
Warlock triggers the trap and a Black Oooze lands on him. He gets killed in three rounds,even WITH a redo that I allowed of two rounds. Meanwhile, the alarm triggered the BBEG's minions to search the temple. They find the PCs in the basement and half the party is killed beause there's no alternate way out (as opposed to the McGuffin room where I had two windowsand stairs to the roof for the PCs to escape).
My players don't split up anymore.
I've actually had some IRL party splits work pretty well sometimes. I find they work best when you just let all the players know what to expect:
Okay, so you're in town waiting for the others to get back. I'm going to have to split time between you and them. This might take a little while so be patient with me please...
-Oh, and it also helps to stop on cliff-hanger between groups, so the players are more excited to continue whenever you get back to them. Here's the guist of one session I had:
NPC: "We'll stop you before you can hurt anyone else!"
Big Bad: "Too late fools! As we speak, my forces are already putting your town to the torch! BWAAHAHAHAHHAHAA!!!"
GM (me): This looks like a good stopping point. Time to switch groups!
Players: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
-When you do things like that, it makes the players eager to know what's going to happen next, at least as far as I've seen.
Okay, so you're in town waiting for the others to get back. I'm going to have to split time between you and them. This might take a little while so be patient with me please...
-Oh, and it also helps to stop on cliff-hanger between groups, so the players are more excited to continue whenever you get back to them. Here's the guist of one session I had:
NPC: "We'll stop you before you can hurt anyone else!"
Big Bad: "Too late fools! As we speak, my forces are already putting your town to the torch! BWAAHAHAHAHHAHAA!!!"
GM (me): This looks like a good stopping point. Time to switch groups!
Players: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
-When you do things like that, it makes the players eager to know what's going to happen next, at least as far as I've seen.
Good advice, especially the part about cliffhangers. Gotta keep their interest.
So, in the old Living Greyhawk campaign for D&D 3.x, we were in a series of modules that centered around a local 'new' noble who was trying to found a logging town in the middle of a forest of rare trees.
Living Campaigns are designed for convention play--so you often sit down with people you've never adventured with before, or at least characters your chars have never seen. This is what happened to me; most of the other chars had prior connections, although I knew (and respected) most of the players, I had know real ties between our characters.
At one point in the module, we were given a choice--try to save the town from an imminent attack, or go and rescue the fae who were being tortured by some unknown evil dwelling deep in the woods.
Two additional data points:
1: I'm playing a Druid who has, in general, grown increasingly hostile towards the local human settlements that insist on going into the woods and waking up this, that or the other ancient evil.
2: This particular town had repeatedly ignored warning signs that they were facing massive resistance; the noble was written as a grade-A jackass.
So, I wanted to save the fae; one other member of the group, who was deeply tied to the noble in question because of genuine in-character reasons, wanted to save the town.
Party split 1:5. Or really, 2:5, because my snake animal companion was almost as effective as some of the PCs.
The rest of the party goes to face down the attackers. They put up a good fight, and battle it back--but with at least one casualty.
Meanwhile, I end up in this grotesque torture-chamber filled with iron implements being used to subjugate several varieties of fae creature. I end up facing down the Great Evil--and getting my ass kicked. It was a narrow thing--one more grapple roll by the snake and it would've gone the other way--but I lost, and died; the rest of the party eventually followed the trail back and managed to retrieve my body for reincarnation, but by that time the Great Evil had packed up shop and disappeared, after killing all the fae.
So, yeah, not any of our finest moments. But looking back on it, I really don't see how any of us could've willingly gone different directions.
Living Campaigns are designed for convention play--so you often sit down with people you've never adventured with before, or at least characters your chars have never seen. This is what happened to me; most of the other chars had prior connections, although I knew (and respected) most of the players, I had know real ties between our characters.
At one point in the module, we were given a choice--try to save the town from an imminent attack, or go and rescue the fae who were being tortured by some unknown evil dwelling deep in the woods.
Two additional data points:
1: I'm playing a Druid who has, in general, grown increasingly hostile towards the local human settlements that insist on going into the woods and waking up this, that or the other ancient evil.
2: This particular town had repeatedly ignored warning signs that they were facing massive resistance; the noble was written as a grade-A jackass.
So, I wanted to save the fae; one other member of the group, who was deeply tied to the noble in question because of genuine in-character reasons, wanted to save the town.
Party split 1:5. Or really, 2:5, because my snake animal companion was almost as effective as some of the PCs.
The rest of the party goes to face down the attackers. They put up a good fight, and battle it back--but with at least one casualty.
Meanwhile, I end up in this grotesque torture-chamber filled with iron implements being used to subjugate several varieties of fae creature. I end up facing down the Great Evil--and getting my ass kicked. It was a narrow thing--one more grapple roll by the snake and it would've gone the other way--but I lost, and died; the rest of the party eventually followed the trail back and managed to retrieve my body for reincarnation, but by that time the Great Evil had packed up shop and disappeared, after killing all the fae.
So, yeah, not any of our finest moments. But looking back on it, I really don't see how any of us could've willingly gone different directions.
It takes a bit of guts to stick to your character even when it isn't the best course of action. I've had characters curb-stomped because they didn't know any better despite me the player being quite genre savvy.
Typicaly in 3.5 post lv 5 or so if the Druid or Wizard can't Solo a creature then the presence or absence of any other party members is irrelevant.
Not necessarily. I've had combats where 1-on-1, the enemy was able to counter the attacks of a lone wizard or druid, but add even just a fighter into the mix and the enemy now has to split his actions. Thus, teamwork sometimes does come into play.
I'm not sure what this has to do with "A Soldier's Things".
No, I'm thinking more of Rita McNeil's "Underground".
No, I'm thinking more of Rita McNeil's "Underground".
So the elven Revenge was to drop a catgirl in a box on the Fortress Doorstep??? And they wonder why the Dwarves continue to use !!MAGMA!! on them.
I've been reading this for awhile- figured I could probably make an account and subscribe.
Now, if I could just get my friends to play some DnD...
Now, if I could just get my friends to play some DnD...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=345MkdJp5XY
Crush, smack! Whip crack!
Smash, grab! Pinch, nab!
You go, po-nee!
Ho, ho! Po-nee!
The black crack! the back crack!
The black crack! the back crack!
Down down to Diamond-town
Down down to Diamond-town
Down down to Diamond-town
You go, po-nee!
Ho, ho! po-nee!
Dogs quaff, and Dogs beat
Dogs laugh, and Dogs bleat
Batter, jabber, whip, and taver hoooooo!
Below, po-nee!
Ho, ho! po-nee!
The black crack! the back crack!
The black crack! the back crack!
Down down to Diamond-town
Down down to Diamond-town
Down down to Diamond-town
You go, po-nee!
Ho, ho! po-nee!
Crush, smack! Whip crack!
Smash, grab! Pinch, nab!
You go, po-nee!
Ho, ho! Po-nee!
The black crack! the back crack!
The black crack! the back crack!
Down down to Diamond-town
Down down to Diamond-town
Down down to Diamond-town
You go, po-nee!
Ho, ho! po-nee!
Dogs quaff, and Dogs beat
Dogs laugh, and Dogs bleat
Batter, jabber, whip, and taver hoooooo!
Below, po-nee!
Ho, ho! po-nee!
The black crack! the back crack!
The black crack! the back crack!
Down down to Diamond-town
Down down to Diamond-town
Down down to Diamond-town
You go, po-nee!
Ho, ho! po-nee!
I enjoyed that too. Glenn Yarborough's singing was also a nice bonus.
Man. It doesn't matter how she's being interpreted, Fluttershy is just cute as Hell.
Suuuuuuuuure. Never gonna split them up ever again. Keeping telling yourself that. =p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWcCskvU3vE
(Don't I even have that link from somewhere here?)
(Don't I even have that link from somewhere here?)
At least once. And I'm not the only one to have posted it.
Love reading all these comments, i have wanted to play some DnD since i heard about it but i know nobody that i can play whit, for that matter i don't know anyone that knows about it.
This is all you get.
Now take your lame motorcycle riding, gun toting angsty self and steal yourself a personality!
He's being silly at you. Because he likes you. He likes all of us, I think.
... Okay, I just read the blog review of Friendship is Dragons, and... what the hell. It doesn't even explain ANYTHING about the actual thing it's reviewing! It's lumping this up with its predecessors and not giving it a chance to even pretend to be different. Let's look at facts: In FiD, the players either derail the session way too quickly, figure out what's been planned by the DM, or just troll along casually. It's new and, from what I've seen so far of Darths and Droids, different enough to be considered a standalone and not a carbon copy.
Heh. Heh heh heh.
Oh, sorry, just happening to do a reread in the middle of the Discord arc. (First Discord arc? I have no idea what long-term plans there may be.)
Anyway. So much for never splitting the party like this again! (Yes, I know it's not the only time since. It's fresh in my mind, is the point.)
Oh, sorry, just happening to do a reread in the middle of the Discord arc. (First Discord arc? I have no idea what long-term plans there may be.)
Anyway. So much for never splitting the party like this again! (Yes, I know it's not the only time since. It's fresh in my mind, is the point.)
Yeah, I recently made a stupid mental connection between this and The Mole People, and now the thought just won't go away.