I see Linux in my future, as I just don’t have the cash for a new rig.
I have to be careful though, as it’s my family PC, and the rest of my family aren’t going to tolerate much of a learning curve. It really needs to just work out of the box.
Considering Zorin OS. Hopefully I can get it on my SSD next to Windows so I can dual-boot for a while to test the water…
Guess it kinda depends on what it’s made of?
Even if as a material it’s mundane, it could be worth something to the right buyer, as a natural curiosity?
Every day, the reasons to either switch to dumb devices or open-source software keep piling up.
Tentacles that burst forward and slapped the shit out of enemies?
Grant us eyes, grant us eyes…
I wouldn’t say I have an actual phobia, but I completely understand people with trypophobia. It makes me very uncomfortable and I find it pretty revolting.
Check out Lost Mine of Phandelver: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/lmop
It’s a one-shot campaign, pretty much ready to go, to the point that I think it’s even got pre-rolled characters included.
Very little set-up required beyond the DM familiarising themself with the campaign itself, and the players reviewing their chosen character and brushing up on the core rules of the game so that they know how to actually play.
Beyond that, pretty much everything else is already taken care of, so far as I know (I’ve never played it, but I know it’s a firm favourite for beginners for these very reasons).
And as for DM experience, someone who is willing to put in the work kinda just has to bite the bullet and go for it. It’s a skill like anything else, and you only get better through practice. Start with pre-written campaigns to help keep the amount of prep required and wildly unexpected events that require lots of improv on the DM’s part to a minimum. Branch out from there into more homebrew stuff when you’re feeling ready.
Above all though, just give it a shot and see what happens. There will always be reasons not to play, but if you’ve got a group who are willing to give it a go then you’ve already overcome the biggest hurdle by far.
Being DM is a big responsibility, and being able to do it well is a real talent, but it’s one of those things that you can absolutely improve on with practice.
Players have to take some responsibility too, by getting a grip on the core rules and mechanics, dedicating time to fleshing out their characters, and committing to the role itself. They can’t rely on the DM for absolutely everything.
There are some one-shot campaigns out there which I hear are designed for beginners which would be a good place to start. In fact I’m pretty sure if you make a DnD Beyond account, you get the basic rules and a beginner campaign for free, so that would be a good resource for you.
Also, if you haven’t seen it, go check out Critical Role, starting with campaign 1. Matt Mercer is an outstanding DM and will give you a great demonstration of how to run a campaign.
I’m actually the opposite.
Wanted to play DnD for years but never really had the opportunity as I didn’t have enough friends who also wanted to play so we could get a campaign going.
We’ve got a group together last year and now manage to play about once per month.
I think I’d have still been interested in BG3 even if I didn’t have a DnD group, but I’m definitely more interested in BG3 now than I would have been because of my DnD group.
You’ve got a few options here, as I should think that ultimately the solution will be found by the not-sphynx’s behaviours and mannerisms (though the questions themselves do help bring those behaviours out).
You could go for something everyone knows, like “What’s lighter: a tonne of bricks or a tonne of feathers?” When the players get it right by saying they both weigh a tonne, have the not-sphynx insist on the obvious wrong answer instead (the feathers, as a single feather is lighter than a single brick). Then when the players explain why that’s wrong and their answer is right, the not-sphynx pretends he knew that and was just testing them. Stuff like that.
If the campaign isn’t super serious in tone, you could work-in famous pop-culture examples. Ask the questions for crossing the bridge from Monty Python “What’s your name/quest/favourite colour?” With the not-sphynx not getting that the difficulty came from Tim alternating to a super hard third question for every other person he asked. You can even use the question about the African Swallow, with the not-sphynx not knowing if it should be laden or unladen, and just handwaving that one away when the players ask.
Ask the “What have I got in my pocket” question from the Hobbit. The players might try and answer “The One Ring” or something clever. When they exhaust their ideas and give up, the not-sphynx gets embarrassed and plays it down, admitting he forgot he doesn’t have any pockets…
Cool idea overall though - I think your group will have a lot of fun.
Thanks! I’m lucky to have someone in the family who can paint like he can!
If I’d have done it, it would have ended up being a gross brown mess 😅
You know I was once convinced Hatsune Miku was the primitive start of a huge shift in the entertainment industry.
No one believed me when I said AI would one day be seriously considered against flesh and blood entertainers.
Well whose laughing now, huh?!
Ah really? I could put it on the hard drive, but the whole point of the SSD was for it to take the OS… Will have to think on that.
They generally don’t do more than browse the web so I’m not anticipating any major issues. I used to game on it, but it’s so old now I’ve stopped using it for games.
Maybe I’ll put it on a usb for a while instead of dual booting.