I like the "lovely mess". The idea that clean and excessively neat information can be aesthetically sterile of life is something I honestly never considered.

@dropthedice

4 ай бұрын

Designing information to be clear, succinct, and usable takes an ungodly amount of time and effort. To look at the results of that toil and find it sterile begets belief.

@beardyben7848

4 ай бұрын

@@dropthedice I have no quarrel here. Well organized info is valuable, useful, and indicates effort and thoughtfulness. Not sterile of value, but of messiness. Hankerin mentioned that during our planning and GMing process, minor disorder and the accumulation of multiple objects in physical space with less than perfect organization has an aesthetic value and that unintentional inaccuracies feed creativity. I was considering that elimination of those things in exchange for superior accuracy and organization had a cost. Different flavors: reliably crisp and refreshing vs a heavy flavor with an unexpected aftertaste. Both are good but one will surprise you.

On "Desirable Difficulty": There are many attempts to define what a game is, and many of them fail in hilariously obvious ways. Lately though "it needs a win condition" has become more prominent due to the resurgence of board games - but that one fails hard in capturing RPFs. Bernhard Suits however said a game is "the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles", and that ties in very well with the theme of desirable difficulty, and captures RPGs like no other definition i saw so far.

This is the exact reason why music and art make for a better-educated populace. A platform of taking in and retaining information without factual knowledge, when perfected, makes the mind superhuman. I want to write a thesis on this…

Great episode! Really enjoyed the studies! I had a high school teacher that used to say that when you write notes, the information flows up through the pen, through your arm and into your brain so that when you take a test, it can flow right back down onto the paper.

Congratulations! Less than 1% of podcasts get to 20 podcasts- that’s why you and the listeners are incredible! Great job!

I’ve been taking my copy of Crown 👑 & Skull 💀 and writing ✍️ and paraphrasing the rules so I can comprehend them better. I use a super cheap composition journal 📓. Apologies for the emojis. I couldn’t help myself.

On the topic of the worn out character sheet I highly recommend going to Staples and getting your character sheets printed on paper one or two grades higher than standard. They're more resistant to rips and spilled beer.

Thank you again for such inspiration. I am really back into GMing. I mean, I never really left. But this time I am *inspired* again. Oh and btw, I completely agree with your written notes thing. I am a waldorf teacher and I teach many subjects to my students in 'periods' of 3 weeks. In each such 'period' they write, scribble and draw amazing looking small journals about the subject. Be it history, math or biology. Or whatever subjects. It really stays with them and each journal is a small treasure of information, reflection and progress.

Mr. Runehammer: these podcast ruminations of yours are a fairly recent discovery of mine. I really enjoy them. Please keep it up. Now, to The Point: there is a modern philosopher named Daniel Dennett. I think he's still alive... Anyway, Dennett likes to say that writing longhand helps to "upload" the thing you are learning to your "necktop" computer. Chew on that for a bit. Lol

This is exactly why I let my students (IT) use pen & paper to practice subnetting and binary, hex conversions, database modelling etc. At first, they’re shocked 😅 (pen? paper? it’s IT!), but then they ‘feel’ that they have more mastery and ‘enjoy’ it more (and I observe more comprehension and retention). And personally I favor a paper character sheet over dnd beyond stuff, it lives more, it’s real, direct, more magical, epic, mythical. In my group I’m the only one with a paper sheet and cards, as a consequence I look at the table/game more as opposed of being buried in a tool like my group members can be. Tool support, but constrain. Pen and paper gives power and freedom to the mind.

One of my players calls my DM notebook "the scribblings of a mad man"

I type up my GM notes to make them easier (for me) to read. I compose stuff at the keyboard and sort of organize them in folders. I print many pages up for each game session and during the session I scrawl notes in any available space.

This podcast, and especially this episode, have done so much to reignite my passion for the hobby after years of burnout. Thank you!!

"What the hell does this mean?" I feel this one - my own game notes are often more likely doodles & sketches than actual attempts at words, yet somehow they seem to get the job done. Thanks for sharing!

I really dig the illustration on this one

I think one of the best phrases I heard was, Game Mastering is an art, not a science. Like any skill, it takes time to hone your craft. This is followed by another phrase, The mark of a true craftsman isn't one who doesn't make mistakes, but how well you respond to them. Don't look at mastery as perfection, but as a series of adjustments. Look at mistakes as a gateway towards new knowledge and new skills.

@Game.Master.Allen83

4 ай бұрын

Congratulations on 50 episodes!! Keep them coming 👏

In Germany we still call ttrpgs Pen&Paper Roleplaying Games. Love that term it gets to the core of the experience.

I enjoyed the dive into the studies. This episode reminded me of a time when i was in school i made a really comprehensive cheat sheet for a test, and then wound up not needing it because the prep to be a cheater was still just prep 😓😅 Since then i just try and write down anything i need to remember. I also read somewhere that writing a thing down is as good for memorizing it as saying it outloud seven times, i don't know if the science supports that.

Runehammer has the exact laugh of George RR Martin.

The Cal Newport of Table Top

The Dorking is strong with this one!!

Index card notes for the win 🎉

@alexroman6424

4 ай бұрын

It's on an index card so it must be important.

Against Balrog, my money is on E Honda every single time. Spam that thousand hand slap.

@eastvanisfun

4 ай бұрын

haha I'm such a cheap b word with Balrog

Dawg you where at RinCon? I would've loved to meet you, I'm a fan of your RPG esoterica 🤘

At the table, I resonate more with analog tools than digital: dice, paper, index cards, tokens, etc. It harkens to the sentiment that, if we were to lose access to electricity, we could still play TTRPGs. That, and I just do stuff faster with analog than with digital. When it comes to writing, however, I am very averse to the pen, preferring the flexible pencil, especially on a character sheet. Writing space is a premium commodity for me. All-in-all, however, my main concern is that which can optimize my performance as a Game Master at the table by freeing up as much cognitive resources as possible to use as RAM. I want to devote as little RAM as possible to complicated systems and brute facts, instead diverting RAM to exploring possible outcomes and instinctual responses to keep the session Quick & Dirty (yes, this is a shameless channel and game plug 😂).

Good as always.

Wonderful podcast.

Only ever.

thanks for removing that nasty antagonistic comment i left. I shouldnt have said that. i went to delete it myself and it was gone already

So now explain why people need "World Anvil"? I refuse to use computer tools in my ttrpg. I better rephrase that. I love my computer printer for all the forms I build so that I can put my ideas in order. I bought a 19 hole paper binding tool so that I can create my books for my game. I design my game and it is organized in it weirdness. I need my mess.

@alexroman6424

4 ай бұрын

I don't understand the premise of your comment. Different people can use different tools in the pursuit of the same goal. Some people organize themselves in World Anvil, others in bullet journals, still others in 12 different paper scraps. It's all good! Whatever works. 😊

@kevinhallett608

4 ай бұрын

i like world anvil cause it has lots of writing workshops.

@SageMasterRPG

4 ай бұрын

@@alexroman6424 I am critical about World Anvil and other such services because I see way too many TTRPG youtube creators pimping it out on their videos. I feel that half of the TTRPG videos are infomercials. I have been working on my game the old school manner because I can load up on the table and have a fun night. But I can't enjoy a night with multiple windows open on the monitor. I can take one of my books to work with me and work on it during down time. Then there is the fact that once it is on paper it is permanently mine without a monthly fee.

@SageMasterRPG

4 ай бұрын

@@kevinhallett608 I don't like monthly subs that can change policy and disappear without notice.

@ZeKiwiOfTheNorth

4 ай бұрын

Okay, you don't understand one tool you don't need, bought a different one that other people don't need. Weird flex.