When you really think about it, health bars don't make a lot of sense. It basically means that I'm 100% okay unless I lose that final hit point, then all of my limbs spontaneously fail and I fall unconscious. And as long as I have the health, the location of any strike means little. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

Stamina in RPGs is one of those stats that I really don't like. You won't really know how much stamina you need in a game until you've played it long enough, and it's possible to level up stamina so much that you end up wasting the points. Health and Mana don't have that problem. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

Idea for a magic item: The Health Potion of... where'd it go? These enchanted health potions will always heal a PC up to full health, but the potion has a 50% of teleporting back into your bag on attempted use (or the bag of a nearby person, including enemies). High risk, high reward. #D&D #TTRPG

Sense Motive in D&D is not a magical lie detector. A lot of players try and use it like that, but that's not what it's for. It's more for establishing how a person is currently feeling or what they might be focusing on in that moment. It's a lot more vague than 'they're lying'. #D&D #TTRPG

Is it weird that I prefer when Mana doesn't regenerate in RPGs? I like when it's a limited resource. Because that means I have to actually consider what I'm using it for, rather than hiding from the enemy while I wait for the bar to refill or glitch the enemy into a box or something. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

Writing Tip: A cell phone is a surprisingly useful tool for a writer. You can use it to take quick voice memos, snap a photo of something inspiring, or just to type down a few ideas on a notepad. Just remember you have it in your pocket when inspiration strikes. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Writing Tip: As an exercise, turn off your computer monitor/cover it up and try to write a paragraph or two without looking at the screen. This is what I like to call your 'writing autopilot'. How accurate is it? If you train this skill, your efficiency will improve. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Next time that you GM a game, have an NPC introduce themselves and claim that they are 'definitely not a doppleganger'. And have them repeat that claim regularly. Watch as your players go absolutely nuts trying to figure out if they're actually a doppleganger or not. #D&D #TTRPG

Writing Tip: There is a difference between a character making a mistake because its in their character, and a character making a mistake because you, the writer, want the plot to happen. Readers can tell the difference, so you're not going to fool them doing that. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Writing Tip: Consider all of your senses when you write. Visuals are obvious, but they're not the only tool in your toolbelt. What does a character see, hear, feel or smell? Even taste can be important in certain circumstances, strange as that may be. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Writing Tip: Self-care when it comes to writing is more than just taking a break because you're tired. Your mental health is just as important. Make sure you relax your mind. Do something fun that takes your mind off writing, even if you consider writing fun too. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

If you're about to GM a session, consider doing some vocal exercises as a warmup. Sessions can take a LONG time, and stretching your voice a bit before you start will help prevent long-term damage. Don't go into a session cold and make sure you drink plenty of water. #D&D #TTRPG

If you're a GM and you suddenly get sick, don't think you have to soldier on with a session because 'your players are counting on you'. Sure, they're counting on you... to get better. Any reasonable player knows that personal health comes first. Rest up and you can GM after that. #D&D #TTRPG

If you're planning on GMing for the first time, beware combat encounters. Those are going to be your biggest hurdle. It's basically the exam portion of the game. Not only do you need to know all the combat rules, you need to know them fast to keep things from grinding to a halt. #D&D #TTRPG

Been trying out #DaysGone recently and I'm cautiously optimistic about it. I like open world zombie games. I've just been burned before with similar games and the focus on motorcycles is an... interesting choice. I'm still willing to give it a chance though. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

I heard from the grapevine that Fear and Hunger 2 is getting an update in the near future. And now I face the torment of trying to play the game again despite being absolutely terrible at it. Like, seriously, how do people get remotely close to an ending? I get rocked every time. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

The fact that the Wasteland series has 'toaster repair' as a major skill you can put points into is exactly the reason I picked it up. I know literally nothing else beyond that. And yet I already know I made a good decision trying it out. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

A player might ask for something that isn't a skill they can roll for, like looking for something specific nearby to solve a problem. In these cases, a luck check can help determine the situation quickly. Ask a player 'high or low', Roll a d100 and determine how close they got. #D&D #TTRPG

I'll always appreciate an RPG where levelling up a skill or ability is based on how often you use it. It always bugs the hell out of me when I can max out a skill I've never used once the entire game. Like maxing lockpicking despite never once holding lockpicks. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

Writing Tip: You're inevitably going to have readers who don't like parts of your story. Maybe they don't like the ending. Maybe they don't like a character. That's okay. You're not going to be able to please everyone. Don't try to do that. That road leads to madness. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Writing Tip: Subverting expectations for the sake of subverting expectations is not strong writing. If you're subverting expectations, you should be doing it for a narrative reason, not just as a 'gotcha' to the reader. Because that often feels cheap and lazy. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Writing Tip: Endings are more than just about wrapping things up. Consider the emotional state of your reader by the end. Are they going to be satisfied? Frustrated that a plot point wasn't finished? Where do you want your reader's headspace to be after the finale? #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Sometimes just setting up a timer for yourself as a GM is a smart move. Not within view of your players, but just for you so that you know roughly how long you want an encounter or scene to go on for. Don't be strict, but use it as a yardstick to know when to wrap things up. #D&D #TTRPG

Idea for a magic item: Scroll of the Drunk Wizard When using this scroll, select any # of targets within visual range. The scroll will then become a random spell scroll of a high-level spell. (spell level determined by the GM) Positive effect? Negative? Who knows. Let the chaos commence. #D&D #TTRPG

As a GM, you're going to have a bad session. It's just gunna happen. But because your players are also likely your friends they might be a bit biased in their feedback. But even if you had a bad session, wallowing won't solve anything. Learn from it, then improve for next time! #D&D #TTRPG

I actually like RPGs where items are powerful but have drawbacks. Like healing potions having a side-effect to use them. This is because while they are often more powerful, it means you can't just chug healing items (or spam other items) without considering the downsides. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

Been replaying some #SilentHill games for research on a project lately. You know, it's really nice to play a horror game that doesn't feel the need to jumpscare you every five minutes. Atmospheric horror, that's where it's at. 🎮 #gaming #Horror

There comes a point every time I play #Fallout4 where I start to ask myself 'why am I even doing this?' It's usually the point where the game starts piling on radiant quests that actually serve no purpose other than wasting your time. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

Initial first impressions of #Expedition33... DAMN the music is pretty. I mean, holy crap. The soundtrack is absolutely breathtaking. No wonder these guys won an award for it. The rest of the game is amazing too... but wow. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

Writing Tip: Keep a list of names on your phone. Sounds strange or creepy, but it's not. When you hear a name out in the world that sounds cool/might be a good fit for a future character, write it down! Not full names though because that actually would be kinda creepy. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Writing Tip: Good writing takes time. Time takes patience. And patience is hard when you've been writing the same thing for ages and just want to finish it. This is one of the reasons that endings get rushed, greatly decreasing the quality. Have patience. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

If a player jumps in with an idea to help another player after the first one rolled poorly, don't just say 'oops, too bad, they're screwed'. Encourage that! Some of the best moments I've had RP-ing is when a player at my table volunteers an idea to save another player from disaster. #D&D #TTRPG

Writing Tip: 'What if' scenarios are great practice for writers of any skill range. Ask yourself a 'what if' scenario and wargame it out. A popular example is Batman VS Superman, or if Columbo could solve the Kira murders. Wacky fun stuff like that! #writing #writingtips #Booksky

I don't mind linear RPGs, I don't always need big open worlds, but I hate a game that's just a series of hallways with enemies in them. Give me alternate paths, or fun mobility mechanics. Running from hallway to hallway to fight monsters gets boring real fast. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

There's nothing wrong with silence during a D&D session. As the GM, it is not your responsibility to fill a silence. Sure, if it goes on for too long you might want to prod the players, but that's not necessarily a sign that they're bored. Sometimes, everyone is waiting for someone else. #D&D #TTRPG

Writing Tip: Don't worry too much about making characters likable. Trying too hard to make a character likable often has the opposite effect. If they're a well-designed character, then someone will like them. It's as simple as that. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Writing Tip: Don't have your characters always explain everything just so that the audience knows things. That's lazy writing. Good writing is having the details be so crisp and clean that the audience can figure out what you're trying to say from the context. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Writing Tip: When a character enters a scene, pause for a minute and ask 'how did they get there'? Is it reasonable for them to enter the scene, or is it physically or chronologically impossible for them to get here? Happens more than you think! #writing #writingtips #Booksky

A good GM keeps track of time. Sure, it's perfectly natural to get lost in the session, just like your players, but if you can time the end of a scene to the end of your session, that's SO much better than having a scene with an unintended cliffhanger until next week. Those suuuck. #D&D #TTRPG

There's going to always be one player in your session that doesn't have much to do. Maybe they're combat-focused and this particular session is mostly RP. Don't just force them to sit on the sidelines. Help them come up with things to do! Get them included too! #D&D #TTRPG

Introduce a new mechanic to your players and it flies like a lead balloon? Don't try to force them to try it till they like it. If it's really not that great, ditch it and move on. Give it another look and see if you can improve it for the next time. #D&D #TTRPG

I love a good counter-mechanic in RPGs. Parries and dodges during turn-based combat is something I've missed a lot recently. #Expedition33 does them REALLY well, and only now do I realize that this is something I dreadfully miss in a lot of RPGs these days. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

If I had only one gripe early on in #Expedition33, it's that the tutorial pop-ups are a little poor when it comes to teaching us things. Some of them pop up a little too early, before we even have a chance to play around with the system it's supposed to teach us about. But it's good! 🎮 #gaming #RPG

Started playing #Expedition33 and so far it's really, really good. Tone-wise, they really nailed the prologue. And for the first time in a while, I actually have no idea what's going to happen in the story. I have theories... but I'll keep those to myself. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

My favorite moments in #NewVegas are quests where the dialogue and plot are so interesting that I never even fire a shot. Like going undercover to hire a bodyguard so you can figure out for a faction how he's scamming his customers. With the right skills, you got so many options. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

There's a reason that passive perception is different than regular perception. Perception rolls should be used when players are actively looking. Passive perception is for when they aren't looking, like when an assassin is hiding in the room and they don't know it. #D&D #TTRPG

Writing Tip: One of the important reasons not to write while you're sick is that, frankly, it won't be any good. Your brain will be in an illness haze and work you think is good then will likely won't hold up to scrutiny. Writing when at 100% is better than forcing it. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Perception in D&D is one of those tools a GM can use to create whatever pacing you want. What do I mean by that? When you want to give the players a specific detail, have them roll perception. Unless they have a catastrophic fail, you can give them a detail right when you want to. #D&D #TTRPG

Combat in D&D doesn't have to be plain or stale. Add a gimmick! Add something unique to your fight. You could turn combat into a tower defense, or a tense chase. Play with the environment or add a mechanic specifically for the encounter. Get creative! #D&D #TTRPG

Writing Tip: Dialogue might be helpful for conveying information to a reader, but don't make it obvious. If your characters are going on long-winded monologues about info both parties of the conversation would know, then the readers will notice how unreal the convo is. #writing #writingtips #Booksky