Welcome back to The Nerd Blitz Typecast!
As we continue to celebrate the launch of The Nerd Blitz Conversations: The First 10 Years, we have a new guest round these parts what goes by the name Lacy.
I’m in the process of teaching her a thing or two about some nerdery that is fundamental to what we done discussed in that thar Typecast book: Dungeons and/or Dragons.
Read along as I begin to do just that.
Doom: So, just to start out and get a bit of a baseline, what do you know about the Dungeons and the Dragons?
Lacy: That it takes a lot of initiative! There are special dice you get to use. Much is left up to your imagination. There’s numbers and math involved. You can be different things, each with different powers. There is a dungeon master, who seems to be able to rule all. Pretty much the basics, I guess. I don’t know much!
Doom: Did you pick any of that up from pop culture? Like, are you a Stranger Things fan? Or is that all just based on shit you’ve gleaned from our conversations?
Lacy: I only watched the first season of Stranger Things, and have no memory of D&D being in it. I feel like I’ve known about a DM, the dice, portraying a character and being creative, those aspects just from like, life? No specific references for me for those. I have listened to the game (campaign?) you played with Fitz and J Sarge, where they were teaching you. And have backgrounded some others. That’s where I learned it takes math and initiative.
Doom: Gotcha. So, my fuckin’ angry, sleep deprived ass was some of your first dice slinging experience?
…I’m…I’m so sorry…
It’s fair to say, at this point, you at least have some familiarity then? I mean, it’s not gonna be a total “into the fire” situation, right?
Lacy: I’d be angry too, they were harping on you, for not knowing what you don’t know! I thought, “Oh my lanta, that’s a fear of mine.” I realized I will need much more of a hand-holding experience than you received for an introduction.
I think it’s fair to say that. I’m newer than a rookie newbie, never played but not tee totally unexposed to it.
Doom: Hahaha, that’s the nature of our relationship as a trio, I take the punches. I love that dynamic.
But yeah, for whatever we end up doing with it, I’ll definitely have a lighter touch for ya than when I got my cherry popped.
I think my next question has to be, from the little we’ve talked about it and whatnot, what is it about D&D that you find alluring?
Lacy: That’s very appreciated! You know I’m sensitive, ha!
I think there are multiple aspects that are alluring about D&D. Being able to be someone else, creating a whole different persona, a persona that has magical abilities at that! Who wouldn’t want to have magical powers?! A good book can transport you, and I’d imagine a good game/round/campaign of D&D could do the same. Into worlds unknown and creatures to meet, battle, help and whatever else may come along the journey. The comradery is very inviting also. Surrounding yourself with others who are in the same unknown world as you seems cool. And again, magic!
Doom: And something you didn’t touch on but I think is appealing to you, a lot of folks have described it in a way that I find incredibly apt, it’s basically improv with rules. Like you have guard rails on how much damage and shit you can do, but for the most part it’s a lot of spur of the moment “yes anding” work.
I’ve never played with more than a group of three, total, but all that you said does appear to be based in there. I got lucky that Fitz and JSarge are a good group to be around, because I have heard some fuckin’ horror stories about people being dicks. Taking rules too seriously, or criticizing the way that somebody else plays or the moves they make and spells they use. It can definitely be rough out there.
Lacy: Absolutely! This whole, like, we-have-rules-but-some-are-made-to-bend-thing must keep it fresh, right?
I feel like having a DM who isn’t a douche canoe is key. But, no douche canoes at any table is always best.
Doom: You bring up an interesting point there. Because most, if not all, of the books say something along the lines of “these are really just guidelines, ignore at your leisure”. And D&D has faced a lot of criticism over the years because the designers, at least of the more recent editions, never intended this to be a game that you have to play by following the rules dead letter perfect. The critics say then what’s the point? Why have “rules” if they’re really just suggestions? Other games and systems have rules that are more flexible and friendly, allegedly.
To me it’s just like “Motherfucker, we’re all here to have fun. Let’s not act like some power trippin’ HOA leader and kill that fun, huh?”
Lacy: Everyone’s a critic, right? You can’t please all peeps. Things change. I don’t see the point of having issues with not being told exactly how to play something that you are literally making up as you go along. What’s the quote from Pirates of the Caribbean, “the rules are more like guidelines anyways”?
Doom: Fuckin’ a right.
It’s funny too, there is an aspect of the game that is stealth educational too. I mean, you get your text book, you’re doing a lot of math, there’s a decent amount of stats and history type stuff to it. So it’s no wonder it would attract some teacher’s pet types. Haha
So, what are you hoping to get out of this experience? Are you wanting us to eventually try to play a text based game? Are you wanting to dig into some fantasy type shit a bit more? Just learn about something that seems fun?
Lacy: Just don’t be like Randall from Recess. Teacher’s pets aren’t all too bad, I earned some of my good grades in school by being on the teachers good sides. Maybe that’s what attracts me to the game?
I mean, I guess some of all the above? Is that allowed? Learning more about it should only help me be able to play hopefully. I’m down to game with you if you’re down to game with me! And that learning stuff for me would have to come from you also! I do enjoy the fantasy type shit, as you say. There’s no fairies in D&D is there?
Doom: Haha, well just don’t fuck over the whole class by askin’ for homework and you’ll be good.
That is definitely allowed. And I’m definitely down to play with you, any time.
What kind of fantasy are you into then? Books, movies, shows, what’s your fantasy flavor?
Oh yeah, D&D has fairies!
Lacy: Pffffffftttttt, never ask for homework!
Hmmm, a bit of a mix. I’m a huge fan of Harry Potter, both the books and movies. Once Upon a Time is one of my favorite shows. There was a show called The 10th Kingdom on many years ago that I dug. I don’t know what flavor you’d get out of that. Maybe a chili or something?
Yeah, lemme be a fairy and just zoom around and hit the bad guys with my sprinkle glitter dust shit. Bing, bang, boom, all monsters out of the room!
Doom: Have you ever looked into any Tolkien? Like Lord Of The Rings/The Hobbit? That type of stuff heavily influenced D&D.
I’m totally picking up a heavy fairytale
inspired vibe, right? That’s something you’d wanna play around with?
Lacy: It’s been recommended to me numerous times throughout the years but I’ve never read any of his books or seen any Lord of the Rings movies. I think they remain pretty unspoiled for me, I should probably try to give them a looksie.
I’d say that’s a part of fantasy I like if that makes sense. Do you mean play around with it like make it a theme of a D&D round?
Doom: I’d definitely recommend watching at least one of the movies to see if it feels like you could get down and funky with it. I mentioned text books earlier, the LotR novels felt like text books for damn sure. The Hobbit on the other hand is an amazing fuckin’ novel. Truly a great piece of foundational fantasy literature.
For sure. I could definitely scale a low danger fairy one-shot for you, just to give you the fundamentals of the game. We’d need to figure out exactly what your character would be, background wise, and then I’d build a story around you from there.
I don’t wanna force you as a square peg into a round hole, I find it’s always better to figure out your pegs first, if you will.
Lacy: I might just have to take you up on the flick recommendation! I can’t quite recall any negative feedback, I’m sure they are dope! I’m more of a movie gal than book gal, I’ll have better luck starting there I think.
I like the sound of that to try to get started with. Pegs first, then journey. Got it.
Doom: I highly recommend the extended editions too, but 3 hour movies might not be your thing.
Other than all of that, what kinds of stories are you into or even not into?
I ask, because if I’m gonna build a story around you, I wanna tailor it to you. If you fuckin’ hate giant spiders and mysteries, I don’t wanna throw a spider detective at you.
Lacy: It depends on the movie, ha. But that is for sure noted!
If we’re talking about things I’m not into, you can add spiders and snakes to that list. Any size. And big birds. I don’t want to stray away from anything dark necessarily, so long as you get the light parts with it to balance. I am a mystery fan, I like puzzles (not saying I’m good at them), nature and music. I love when a story can take me away to a new place that I can immerse myself into. Is that what you’re looking for?
Doom: That’s exactly what I’m looking for. Because, again, this is gonna be tailored to you.
So far I have ya wanna be a wee fairy, no snakes and spiders, but you’re okay with darkness as long as it’s not just an orgy of depression.
I’ll definitely go rules light on you too, just to not bog you down as well.
Now I wanna transition a bit. Because I know you have a fuck ton of questions. Hit me with some.
Also, because I know you a bit, don’t worry about a “stupid question”. The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask. You’re learnin’, so don’t be too hard-on (HAHAHAHA, I SAID HARD-ON!) yourself.
Also also, I ain’t a fuckin’ expert either, so I’ll answer to the best of my knowledge and ability, but that doesn’t mean it’s 100% fact.
Lacy: My life is an orgy of depression, I have enough of that. So, yeah, let’s keep that far away.
Am I able to be a size-shifting fairy? Like, be able to change how little or big I am? Do I name myself? You mentioned a textbook, do the D&D fairies drop that off? Can you be multiple characters? Not in the same game, but have different personas to be other than one. Am I responsible for my stats and math? I don’t want my character to die, either. What are your tips for someone just starting out?
I’m sure I will have more questions along the way, that’s what I can think of right now.
Doom: Okay, Imma take these in order.
I’ll have to take a look at fairies, I’m not super familiar with them in D&D. I know they come from the Fey Realm, but that’s about it. If
nothing else, we can homebrew something and maybe give you some guard rail like you can only change size 2 times a day or some such shit. Maybe give you more if you get to a higher level, really depends if that’s something you’re interested in.
Yeah, you name yourself. Does Finius Fuckwhistle seem like some shit anybody but my dumbass would come up with? Lol
You can come up with a backstory (family, friends, where you live, etc.) for your character too. That type of stuff is one of the most fun aspects of it to me, building the story elements of your character.
Yeah, the Gods will drop a book off at your feet. It’s a portal to their dimension of wonder, lust, and joy.
Oh yeah, I’ve seen people have multiple characters across multiple games. Hell, you could play two characters in one game, but that would be a lot to keep track of.
Yeah, you’ll have a character sheet that will tell you all of your stats and shit. That will make it way easier to track math, supplies, and all your special abilities.
Do you mean tips for keeping your character alive or just tips in general?
Lacy: Define homebrew and guard rail for me, please. I appreciate all of the info!
Any and all tips are wanted! Keeping my character alive, the best things to ask or keep in mind, tips on D&D “etiquette”, what’s acceptable and what’s not.
Doom: Homebrew basically means I made my own. Like, that thing doesn’t exist in the book so I said fuck it and made up my own thing for it. So, if size changing doesn’t exist, I’d homebrew that.
And a guard rail is just like a limiter, because if you can change size willy nilly and face no consequences, like say you get a little tired or something, you start feeling like a god that can do anything and I’ve heard most people say that god play in games can be kind of boring.
Well, for keeping your character alive, I’d say that’s usually a conversation you need to have with your DM. I think I asked both Fitz and Josh that when I started the games with them. Fitz wasn’t interested in a major threat that could kill his character at all, so I kinda make sure I don’t put his character in that position. Josh on the other had, didn’t necessarily want his character to die, but he wanted it to be a possibility. So I have a few things in play for him that, if he doesn’t play them just right, his character might end up getting fucked up and killed.
Most people want a challenge, but don’t want you to just insta-kill them. But there are some who enjoy having that threat looming over them, where at any moment shit can go tits up and their character is gone. A lot of the big actual plays you see online always have a backup character incase they do get killed.
I think the most important thing is to pay attention. Because you don’t necessarily want to be rail roaded (hand held) the entire time, you wanna feel like your choices matter, and your DM might be trying to tell you this fight is too big for you without having a giant neon sign saying “DANGER, YOU WILL DIE”.
But a lot of that type of shit, and etiquette, varies table to table. Going back to what we talked about earlier, there are some people who take it super serious and don’t want you dicking around at all.
Then you have groups like Nerd Poker who kinda use it as an excuse to get together regularly. They’re into the playing, but they’ll talk about movies and shit, make fuckin’ jokes the whole time. So, again, it really depends who you’re playing with and such.
Another tip, don’t be afraid of failure. A lot of fun can be found in this game with failure.
I think that fucks a lot of people up too.
Say you’re going up against somebody that has like 12 perception and you wanna santch a coin purse, you have to roll 12 or higher to grab it without them knowing. Sometimes, it can be more fun to fail and get caught than to silently get the coin purse and go on your merry way. You might learn a bit of info if you can roll well and talk it out of them. But if you just succeeded in stealing, you wouldn’t have learned that info.
Lemme ask ya this, did you play or have any interest in playing Baldur’s Gate 3?
Lacy: I’m going to have to learn the lingo! And putting limits on things makes total sense. Just whomping ass the whole time can’t be really fun.
Aren’t you essentially my DM for this? The dangers and threats are expected, but if I can choose, I’d like my character not to die.
What is it I am paying attention to? I figure all details and things said to me by the DM matter. Like, if I’m straight up told I probably can’t handle the fight my instinct is to listen to that.
Do you consider yourself someone who takes it serious, or just for the fun? Or a mash up? As a player, and as a DM.
I think I’m okay with the possibility of failing. You can’t win them all. BUT, I don’t want my character to expire.
I haven’t had any exposure to Baldur’s Gate 3.
Doom: I am your DM for this, but I’m just saying in general. Because, for instance, Fitz said he wouldn’t want his character to die, but I did pitch him an idea where we would do a high level one shot where we know going in my whole goal is for me to kill his character. He seemed into that idea, and we discussed it beforehand, so he knows what to expect when we do that.
Because a lot of times, unless you want to be explicitly told “hey, this fight is too much for you to handle” a DM would probably say “you come up to the door and it looks pretty intimidating. Do you wanna press forward?” or something like that. That’s a more subtle way of saying “yeah, not today chief!”
Which, leads me to another tip, but you do clearly have a handle on this one: Communication is key!
A lot of folks will say “just throw it at all me”, then their character got killed, they get pissed, and they think D&D sucks. But they didn’t really say “hey, don’t kill this fuckin’ character, I’m not into that.” Ya know?
I would say I like a mixture. You can hear in our later eps with J Sarge that I’d just start talking to J Sarge because Fitz was looking shit up and I didn’t wanna have dead air. So I was pretty much vamping to fill that dead air and cover for Fitty. But Finius is also kind of a slap dick, goofy character. So he allows for fuckin’ around too.
Another thing, D&D is a cooperative storytelling game told in arcs, like a comic book in a way. It’s not a game you’re really setting out to win or beat everytime you sit down to play.
I would say look up Baldur’s Gate 3 then. Because, while I haven’t played it, from what I’ve seen, it’s one of the best ways to play D&D without other people. You can really learn a lot about the TTRPG version of the game that way.
Lacy: So, is knowing how to read between the lines of what your DM says is important? I’d think for a text-based game, the more kind of explicit the better. In person you can try to read tone or body language.
Communication is key, I agree! That applies to all relationships and one between a DM and players is included in that!
I’m not looking to “win” every single time, but would like to see growth in my character and myself too I guess.
I’ll hafta add it to the list of what to check out, I’ve got homework to complete!
Doom: Right, that’s correct, of course. But I’m just speaking generally for the most part.
It’s gonna be interesting to do text based/play by mail style for a few reasons.
I’ve never done it that way before.
It will be a bit harder to convey some things. Not gonna be as easy to shorthand things, I’d guess. Probably have to almost overexplain some shit.
That is very true as well.
Oh, for sure. I just mean, it’s more a game of small, almost incremental goals and wins rather than a big climactic finish. Hell, even most one-shots I’ve seen tend to have some threads left dangling incase folks wanna go back to those characters and world.
See? Homework, that’s what being a teacher’s pet gets you. Lol
Lacy: Well, there is a first time for everything, right? The challenge it brings for you might help you improve something along the way also!
Are one-shots popular among experienced players?
I didn’t ask for the homework tho, it was recommended!
Doom: That is always the hope. Everything is an experience to help improve the next time. Or it becomes a story you can tell around the digital camp fire.
I’d say so, especially if you’re trying out a new system. But I think it’s also good to work out the kinks in a character or class too, to experiment with some shit and see if it’s something you’d wanna do in a long form campaign or some such shit.
As I’ve made allusions, D&D is just one of many systems. And the only one I’ve really fucked around with too. But there are hundreds of games and systems out there. So yeah, one-shots are great to see if your group might be into a new game as well.
Nah, you pretty much asked for it by claiming teacher’s pet-dom. We all seent it. Now where’s my goddamn apple!?
Lacy: A digital campfire, I wonder what those roasted marshmallows would taste like?
That many options can seem overwhelming. Something simple is best for dipping my toes into the waters.
Those recommendations would have come to anyone in my place, teacher’s pet or not! Suck on that apple!
Doom: Sharp, blocky, pixelated, and coppery. 0 outta 10, do not recommend.
Oh, without a doubt. Again, it sometimes gets dinged for being the basic bitch TTRPG, but it really can be a gateway drug to other games.
If it’s a cosmic crisp, I will. So, checkmate!
What other burning questions you got?
Lacy: I shall pass on trying them then, and just stick with the stories.
Wait, D&D = marijuana? I’m in!
You, sir, shall be receiving a bruised Fuji apple if ya keep it up. Checkmate? Ya going to teach me how to play chess too?
I really can’t come up with any more at the moment, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have some cross my mind.
Doom: Shoulda known that would getcha.
No, I never could figure out chess myself. Cause it sure ain’t checkers with little statues like I thought.
I wanna circle back to something then, try to dig in a bit.
You said it was just something that you were always kind of aware of, do you have any idea about where you may have heard of it first?
I know when I first mentioned it to you, you seemed to have had, at least passingly, some understanding of it’s existence.
Like, where did that and your interest in it come from?
Lacy: King the Queen! Ha.
I don’t quite recall where I first learned of it. Growing up I never knew anyone that played it, so my best guess would be somewhere from mainstream media I guess. My interest in it mainly stems from the desire to escape life. Being taken away and just going somewhere else. Being someone else. Coming across and being creatures we can only dream about.
Doom: And you’ve dabbled in improv, right?
Lacy: Yes slightly. Maaaaaaaaany moons ago though.
Doom: Yeah, I think you’ll take to it like a fish takes to…things that fish like…
I would also say, don’t let it overwhelm you. Without a doubt, it’s a lot to take in. But keep in mind, it’s a game and we’re trying to have fun, so don’t get bogged down in the weeds and rules.
Lacy: Fishfood?
Imma tryin’ here!
Doom: *snaps fingers, points* Water! Like a fish to water.
Do or do not, there is no try. – Yoda
*****
I wanna thank Lacy for taking the time to talk about D&D for this Typecast.
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