Friendship is Dragons
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Page 687 - Sequel Crook
Author Notes:
Newbiespud
17th Dec 2015, 5:00 AM
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Cause, you know...
By the end of the session the GM almost quit on us, having been fed up with the peanut gallery. Next week's session went MUCH better. We actually got to make some good decisions and they actually had an effect on the adventure arc. So hey, maybe the Gm just had a pet peeve... "Near death experience". :D
Death by pet peeve... I guess that would count for a necromancer we ran into.
We were playing world of darkness and our GM was doing a rather annoying ghost quest as everytime we advanced we got side smacked by a ghost.
Duel of wills? Ghost easily beat us. Grab the item? Ghost possess. Torch something? Not soul ghost bind even if we lit the entire house on fire that was linked to the freaking ghost.
So to combat with the pain in the butt ghost... we punned, and used a lot of bad jokes.
Ghost appear we grabbed a vacuum and sang ghost busters! Ghost appear away from cleaning supply? Grab some gloves and did Thriller Night as our budding necromancer had his skeletons dance with him.
Ghost appear? Grab a chair and talk to it asking "How he felt" and quote Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Needless to say the ghost finally bit the dust if only to stop it all.
We were playing world of darkness and our GM was doing a rather annoying ghost quest as everytime we advanced we got side smacked by a ghost.
Duel of wills? Ghost easily beat us. Grab the item? Ghost possess. Torch something? Not soul ghost bind even if we lit the entire house on fire that was linked to the freaking ghost.
So to combat with the pain in the butt ghost... we punned, and used a lot of bad jokes.
Ghost appear we grabbed a vacuum and sang ghost busters! Ghost appear away from cleaning supply? Grab some gloves and did Thriller Night as our budding necromancer had his skeletons dance with him.
Ghost appear? Grab a chair and talk to it asking "How he felt" and quote Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Needless to say the ghost finally bit the dust if only to stop it all.
I had that happen in a game...
When playing 4th Edition, we had a tiefling Bard...
The bard accidentally made a pun in town. ...I forget what it was now... Actually, I forgot before the end of the first session (I have a bad memory).
Anyway, we ruled the pun was a use of 'Vicious Mockery', a first level at-will attack. We rolled it out. A commoner died. This led to him being arrested. The guards asked what he did..."I just said..." They also died. The bard was arrested again. After that, whenever he said, "I just said..." the rest of the party stopped me from talking. Which was hard at first, as they were under arrest too (I was under arrest for 'indecent exposure' when my human tried to prove he was male by taking off his shirt...turns out dwarves think you can't be male if you don't have a beard...with the exception of elves and bards, who they know even the guys look girly).
When playing 4th Edition, we had a tiefling Bard...
The bard accidentally made a pun in town. ...I forget what it was now... Actually, I forgot before the end of the first session (I have a bad memory).
Anyway, we ruled the pun was a use of 'Vicious Mockery', a first level at-will attack. We rolled it out. A commoner died. This led to him being arrested. The guards asked what he did..."I just said..." They also died. The bard was arrested again. After that, whenever he said, "I just said..." the rest of the party stopped me from talking. Which was hard at first, as they were under arrest too (I was under arrest for 'indecent exposure' when my human tried to prove he was male by taking off his shirt...turns out dwarves think you can't be male if you don't have a beard...with the exception of elves and bards, who they know even the guys look girly).
Wai a second... Ghost survives even if you destroy his Anchor?
Is that somewhere legitimately in the rules or was the ST just a great douche?
Is that somewhere legitimately in the rules or was the ST just a great douche?
Honestly, I would absolutely bet on YOUR group of roleplayers inventing it. Or at least one member *cough*Javolt*cough*. ;>
Time to annoy the DM
Do I need to explain it?
Winner gets a holo prize.
Do I need to explain it?
Winner gets a holo prize.
She decided there would be no combat. Okay, fair enough, roleplaying sessions can be good. Heck, a noncombat campaign can work, too. Then she said we all had to be good aligned. Eh, we were all playing good or neutral characters anyway.
Then we learned that we couldn't hunt for food. Sigh. That's what rangers do. Then we learned that all our characters were going to be vegan for the campaign. We asked if this was because of the laws. No, we were vegan because eating meat is a bad thing. Oh, and my wolf is uplifted and wise enough to be a vegan now.
First session was nauseating. There was no conflict. We were just plunked down into a perfect vegan hippie commune with no direction. We had to make our own fun. I don't think she really understood that we needed some conflict. After some player feedback, we got an actual adventure. There were some people doing vague evil things, and it was threatening the commune.
She left it up to us. I tried sneaking in to gather evidence of wrongdoing. It was described in exagerrated terms and sinister tones, but I learned that they were running a game farming operation. Essentially poaching, but on a large scale.
Oh, and the runoff was polluting the drinking water. So we cracked some jokes about summoning Captain Planet. She was not happy about the comparisons, but it was something for us to do.
The breaking point for me was that she threatened to deduct xp from my character if I brought snacks she disapproved of. She tried to coerce me into throwing out the chili I had brought for everyone, which had been preparing for no less than ten hours, then shame me for it, telling me that my character would never eat something like that.
She was that kind of hippie. The kind that acts like they have your best interests at heart, but don't want you to be able to make choices they deem wrong.
Anyway, up to the breaking point, we were bored. Sooo bored. The DM was annoyed that we were cracking jokes. Up to and including me playing dueling banjos and making Deliverance references. I reasoned, out loud, that everyone in the village had the same birth defect, so there must be some heavy inbreeding going on.
The DM asked me what the hell I was talking about. "Well, it's obvious they were all born with their heads up their asses. Must be a spinal defect." I don't rag on the setting or plot unless you are doing something very, very wrong.
I try to be fair, but nobody was having fun. It just wasn't fun.
I mean, if someone in the group had a bad allergy to a food, I can understand trying to avoid bringing it. Just to be safe. but this wasn't that case it would seem.
Nice punchline about the spinal defect. Ouch.
Tried getting my mack on. Was informed that D&D is supposed to be family friendly, so no nudity, violence, sex, or swearing. And definitely no drugs or alcohol.
Three sessions like that?
our group would have kicked her out during the first one.
hippies are the real villians.
our group would have kicked her out during the first one.
hippies are the real villians.
No drugs or alcohol in D&D?
She obviously never read the 1ed DMG then, given that it has rules for characters who are intoxicated. Later editions have also had rules covering the same ground.
She obviously never read the 1ed DMG then, given that it has rules for characters who are intoxicated. Later editions have also had rules covering the same ground.
You realize of course that the best way to combat this it to go all DM of the Rings on her and do your best to throw the campaign off.
An example would be for that game preserve, you would go up to the guy running it and go, "So... how much for a couple of Cornish game hens?" If she complains that that's an evil act, you just say you can live with that (especially if it would change your alignment). Ooh, ooh! And then... you become a runner for him! Except instead of moonshine, it's poultry.
Again, if she complained, you're "making your own fun."
An example would be for that game preserve, you would go up to the guy running it and go, "So... how much for a couple of Cornish game hens?" If she complains that that's an evil act, you just say you can live with that (especially if it would change your alignment). Ooh, ooh! And then... you become a runner for him! Except instead of moonshine, it's poultry.
Again, if she complained, you're "making your own fun."
I know our gaming group is notorious for turning molehills into mountains. We have a good (bad?) history of it.
In a peaceful non- to low- conflict Equestria, we managed to make "losing some marbles" into "griffon intimidation, murder by combustion, massive fugitive hunt".
More recently, we managed to turn a mini-encounter into a mini-quest into a full-on war... needless to say the main quest has been way-derailed with probably potentially lethal consequences for us all...
... It's a long story.
That sounds like a rough run, Raxon. I've known vegans - one of them's a very good friend I need to talk to more, actually - but they're all grounded in reality. I mean, I venerate nature more than the next man, but even I know that nature is very capable of being quite brutal.
Vegan wolf? Really? Wow.
Vegan wolf? Really? Wow.
PETA and their kind are the type. You know, like that nosy vegan guy from the job a few years back who would check meals in the fridge. If they had meat, he'd throw them in the trash.
But anyway, yeah. The bullshit about how we are enlightened and thus are capable of rising above the barbarism of fighting, competing, and killing in order to work together in unity.
Yeah, that's all well and good, but mankind is not built for that. Aggression and competition are still a necessary part of humanity on an individual level. As iron sharpens iron, so too does one man sharpen another.
I dislike being called an ignorant savage simply for understanding human nature.
Yeah, I figured. Some take veganism and related philosophies a little too far. And throwing meat away... that's the worst. I've considered going vegetarian (and I don't know about you, but given the quality of the meat I tend to eat, that would actually improve my health), but no matter my choices, if there's meat on the table and no one else is going to eat it, I will. As resentful as I am of our stereotypical meat industry, letting meat go to waste would be letting their death be in vain. I mean, they're already dead, make the most of it.
Going further into that would require an in-depth explanation of my views, but basically, I agree with the "more enlightened" part - potentially - but I use that knowledge to thank my food for their sacrifice. Quite important to me. And I don't think humans need aggression and completion. I think they just refuse to be without it.
...On other notes, I don't have many stories of annoying the DM. Biggest annoyances I've seen are pointlessly arguing with the DM and playing on one's cell phone. Or in my case, using my laptop, but then I'm the only one who suffers for it, as I get lost...
Going further into that would require an in-depth explanation of my views, but basically, I agree with the "more enlightened" part - potentially - but I use that knowledge to thank my food for their sacrifice. Quite important to me. And I don't think humans need aggression and completion. I think they just refuse to be without it.
...On other notes, I don't have many stories of annoying the DM. Biggest annoyances I've seen are pointlessly arguing with the DM and playing on one's cell phone. Or in my case, using my laptop, but then I'm the only one who suffers for it, as I get lost...
One guy wrapped a severed goat head in plastic wrap and left it in the fridge to be found. The note attached said that for every meal thrown away, there would be one additional goat head.
The guy made a formal complaint, and management got involved. They learned about the situation, and the guy throwing out meals got a formal reprimand.
The goat head was obtained from his own land. He just saved the head when they butchered it.
I have not met any vegans in person who were nice people or fun to be around. I've met plenty over the net who say not all vegans are like that, and I am inclined to believe them. However, if you're vegan, chances are you will not be joining our group, especially with the way vegans are around here.
I've met vegetarians who are decent, though. Either just don't like the taste of meat, or are on dietary restrictions.
I am usually the gm, and I am pretty tolerant, so this is a hard one...
I guess all I can think of is the time my party decided to read my on-the-spot-made-up fanfiction about an expy of an expy. Gentlepony Adventurer. And then I had to make up his story for 3 sessions while begging the party to go on and face the BBEG whose awakening was releasing demons into the world and possibly destroying stars.
I guess all I can think of is the time my party decided to read my on-the-spot-made-up fanfiction about an expy of an expy. Gentlepony Adventurer. And then I had to make up his story for 3 sessions while begging the party to go on and face the BBEG whose awakening was releasing demons into the world and possibly destroying stars.
I don't know if that is considered annoying, or worse, but two others (including myself) found it somewhat annoying.
When I GM on IRC, I try to be tolerant, but it's a little irritating if someone asks to delay their turn in combat so they can spare some attention for a play-by-post.
And puns are right out.
We were off to a great dramatic start. Our heroes, an orphaned ranger who prowls the streets at night fighting crime, and a cleric who's been sheltered by overprotective parents and never seen anything. It was frickin' classic, I couldn't be happier with my first campaign.
Then another friend of mine asks to join the campaign. We work on building her a character. She whips up a tiefling paladin who's morally ambiguous, gender-ambiguous, sleeps around, and is stereotypically African-American. And I'm like, no. No way, no how. This was our first dip into D&D, it was supposed to be a *real* dramatic fantasy adventure, there was no place for something wacky and subversive like that.
Obligingly, she creates what appears to be a typical dwarf warrior: 18 Strength, 8 Intelligence, a mercenary, carries around a big-ass hammer. I was content. So, next session I work her into the story, and in comes this tough dwarf warrior... wearing a pink frilly dress, skipping down the street and singing like Snow White.
The campaign died at that moment. Technically, it went on for another year, but I was a zombie the whole time. For the reboot, I'm trying to convince the player to rework the character into a NORMAL dwarf fighter, because I don't trust her to create a third character.
Replying here rather than on previous comic since I'm not sure you'd monitor for replies on the previous one, but re that 0-likes fic: you can always like your own. It may seem like cheating, but it does at least get 1, and that can encourage more. (That said, there are fics with worse ratios than yours. It might not have any likes right now, but at least it doesn't have any dislikes yet either.)
Also, the update schedule...given the source material, you might have wanted to have it fully ready to go, or at least almost ready with the first chapter up and the later chapters at least written (if not revised and edited), so you could release on a more consistent schedule. (I know some prefer to release over time. Personally, I prefer to release multi-chapter fics all at once...though I'm considering trying one-per-day with my next, since it's a murder mystery.)
Not sure what other advice I can give.
Also, the update schedule...given the source material, you might have wanted to have it fully ready to go, or at least almost ready with the first chapter up and the later chapters at least written (if not revised and edited), so you could release on a more consistent schedule. (I know some prefer to release over time. Personally, I prefer to release multi-chapter fics all at once...though I'm considering trying one-per-day with my next, since it's a murder mystery.)
Not sure what other advice I can give.
And I finished writing and revising the story a year ago. I'm updating only occasionally because people tend to only talk about the most recent chapter, and I hate that, so I usually don't release every chapter all at once. Of course, that backfired on me, because nobody's commenting at all. So, you think it might start getting seen more once it's finished?
"Where Butterfly has an unnecessary shared history with the dragon for no adequately explained reason."
Oh God, Pinkie is writing Friendship is Witchcraft.
Oh God, Pinkie is writing Friendship is Witchcraft.
Woo! I have an account now! I'm not sure what to do with it, but eh. Anyway, I've finally caught up with the comics and now actively participate in discussions. Love the comments section, but conversations tend to last a couple days and then move on to the next page...
Yeah, I have a love/hate relationship with that fact as well. On the one hoof, you get those really interesting conversations that you want to continue to talk about and contribute to. On the other, it gives me the reassurance that 90% of all of my stupid comments will be forgotten about in a couple of days and I no longer have to worry about them. So it's a give and take.
Oh and let's not forget that having an account also lets you edit and delete your comments as well! They're my favorite features! ^_^
Still, better then stumbling on to it in an awkward fashion.
I find it funny on how the thing that got the GM to breakdown involved "Moony" and "Sunny" saying That they love each other which when taken out of context (assuming you can figure out the original context it was in, in the first place) sounds like a line out of a fan fiction that involved plenty' shipping. XD