A Digital 5e Utopia - Lazy RPG Talk Show

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of slyflourish.com
Video Contents
00:00 Show Start
01:33 D&D & RPG News: Fantastic Deals on D&D and 5e Books
06:51 D&D & RPG News: Roll 20 D&D Character Builder Outside the VTT
11:47 Commentary: A D&D Digital Utopia
26:10 GM Tip: Build Monuments of Power for Big Battles in 5e
41:48 Patreon Question: Dialog Options for NPCs
45:45 Patreon Question: Good AD&D Adventures for Shadowdark RPG
46:40 Patreon Question: Learning New RPGs
Links
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Buy Sly Flourish Books:
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Radiant Citadel on Amazon (Affiliate Link)
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Eberron Rising from the Last War on Amazon (Affiliate Link)
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Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica on Amazon (Affiliate Link)
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Mythic Odyssey of Theros on Amazon (Affiliate Link)
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5e Humble Bundle
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Roll20 D&D Character Builder
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Level Up Advanced 5e System Reference Documents
a5esrd.com/a5esrd
A5e Foundry Module Github Repo
github.com/Pjb518/FoundryVTT-...
Anatomy of an Environmental Effect - Chernobog's Well
slyflourish.com/anatomy_of_an...
#dnd #lazydm #dndtips #dmtips

[@philbest]

Just wanted to submit a small correction regarding the discussion of the A5e Foundry system. I'm the person who made the A5e Foundry system and one of two current contributors. The entire thing is a volunteer effort, and we don't receive any funding outside of occasional small donations from the community. While we're the officially endorsed system for Level Up on Foundry, we're not directly associated with EN in any way. The data entry for all of the JSON documents was similarly done by volunteers. We assemble groups of community helpers to carry out data entry work whenever new content becomes available via the various licenses, and we also receive on-off contributions from community members, typically to update our documents to take advantage of new system features or to submit corrections.

[@SlyFlourish]

Ah! I stand corrected! Sorry for misrepresenting it. I’ll correct my statements on the next show

[@HunterMayer]

@philbest the project is fascinating and will live a long life. Did the changes that fell out of the recent D&D kerfuffle end up opening up more data for you to access. Does the project get to benefit from that. Do you have an entry point that I can read more about this if it exists. Thanks!

[@philbest]

@@HunterMayer The recent OGL drama actually didn't have a big impact on the system. Russ at EN stated right from the beginning that all game mechanical information for Level Up would make it into their SRD at one point or another, and the majority of the material has been available to us for well over a year at this point. We're expecting the remainder of the currently published material to be included in the SRD around the start of next year. The A5e 3PP scene has also been extremely open for the most part, with the majority of releases including all mechanical content as OGC. We've worked with just about everyone making content for A5e to get their stuff into Foundry through modules, and we've sunset several of those modules in favour of including the content in the system itself to reduce our maintenance burden. We include a lot of content from Purple Martin Games and Roll them Bones in particular.

[@HunterMayer]

@@philbest Nice. The future was *already* bright! Its just getting better!

[@theresemalachowski1923]

On monument actions/traits, I'd probably borrow from the lair actions of a high-CR creature in the same vein.

[@kingsfan2099]

Yoooooooo....using forge of foes to create a monument is awesome.

[@daanopdebeeck2312]

What Zen Hiker Joe meant was a way to get into the right mindset for roleplaying an NPC and I assume these dialogue options helped him to understand the NPC better. I wonder the same thing myself, is there a lazy DM way for preparing or immersing yourself into an NPC? Do you need motivation/goal, ideals, flaw, bond like PC's do? Or also things like mood, voice, profession, cultural or local background...Instead of filling these in is there a way to role-play NPC's faster and more natural? Probably for one time NPC's you can make it general and for important NPC's flesh them out more, but I also find it difficult to portray them accurately in the moment.

[@erodriguez927]

Thanks Mike

[@ThisMosaicLife]

I have long wished for a way to put my rpg books into a screen reader, or have some way to listen to an audio version. But every method I've tried is blocked by the way the books are coded. This is an accessibility issue; not just for those with vision issues but for those who, like me, have neurological and/or learning disabilities. That's a good chunk of the population that would benefit from a machine-readable version.

[@HunterMayer]

After 12 hours of screen work, the last thing my old eyes want to do is more focusing! The older I get the harder this is getting too.

[@RealmBuilderGuy]

Very cool. I’ll be using this in our OSE campaign for sure.

[@ChristianEmilsson]

Quick lazy idea for monuments i got while watching, You could just lift part of a monsters abilities to a monument, for example the source of a Trolls Regeneration effect could be originating from a tube hanging from the cieling connecting to thier back. (reskin troll to a subject of mad scientist) the source of a Gorgons Petryfying Breath could be from large spoory mushrooms that are scattered around the room (reskin gorgon to a Aggressive Elk)

[@cdfreester]

Mike's analogy of digital content vs books/pdfs makes me think about TV. You can watch local TV over the air for free, but streaming has changed the landscape in terms of you have to pay a monthly fee per channel, which is even more extreme than cable or satellite for which you get dozens of channels for a monthly fee. I can see why this model would be very appealing to a company like Hasbro.

[@Keovar]

Most paid streaming doesn't have ads, and you can watch what you want on your own schedule instead of having to accept someone else's programming.

[@lonic123]

Thanks

[@flanf]

The Monument Section is really great! 8D

[@erikoftheinternet]

3:00 it's a good prediction to make because if you're right everyone thinks you're smart, and if you're wrong we get an EVEN BETTER book

[@alanleckert1]

I bought the bundle for the Kobold Press stuff alone!

[@CharlesKhan]

living on that slyflourish money 🤑

[@SirEdgard1013]

18:44 YEES please, please please

[@arnovanboxem2519]

I would argue the secrets and clues are different. I think they meant to have dialogue to make the npcs more distinct. I agree that the secrets can come from anywhere but that isn't what makes the npc unique. I would make three or four sentences that would make sence for the character to say and use whatever feels appropriate on the spot. If you are not good in that i would ask chatgpt. That is perfect for stuff like this.

[@mooxim]

The Ender Dragon in Minecraft has monuments. I ran a game recently with a magical huge fruit, it had four leaves hanging from the top that had zombie stats. When the party first sliced into the fruit the zombie leaves animated. The players mentioned that they could probably target the fruit to disable the zombies but they decided to focus their attention on the zombies anyway.

[@Zr0din]

Monument Idea: in a temple or church, there is a podium. If you stand near the podium a fog machine and light dimmers come one. You can push a person out of the area or you can throw burning oil up there to keep people away or destroy the podium outright. This is based on a church I actually have attended.

[@magejoshplays]

Oh snap, that's perfect for my autoDM project.

[@LogistiQbunnik]

I guess we'd need some format of character sheet (as output from an online character builder) that one would be able to use in just about any VTT product. And the same for some digital product, as you mention, some for of way to use that, since currently it requires apparently quite a bit of work to get stuff into the boatload of VTTs, all of them differently off course. At best I would prefer getting that as an attachment/addon to your paper version (or rather the other way round getting the paper verison as an addon to the digital version). From MCDM I understand that there is quite a lot of difference to all of the stuff that has to be done to get stuff onto the various platforms, there is not a signle useable digital format.

[@lassejensen4318]

I really like the idea of talking about a digital utopia for TTRPGs. One thing is the digitization of a former analogue-only hobby. This gives us digital tools for character sheets, VTT and everything that does "the same, but digital". AI for assisting the DM, blockchain for proving ownership of digital products are emerging technologies that could help develop the hobby. Unfortunately I miss the new ways of seeing old material. If we take inspiration from newspapers: articles had to be correct, fulfilling and covering all perspectives before going into print, since printing is costly. Now articles are shorter, easy to digest, adding or changing something is easy and it is not costly to reach an international audience. Begs the question: do we need core rulebooks? Could it instead be a system of smaller, always updated articles. Add exploration module X, add underdark monsters from 3rd party monster issue Y, add pirate themed subclasses from Z. Basically; Can the digital version of TTRPGs give us something we don't know we are missing because we only look to mimic the analogue version of the hobby? Oh, and thank you Mike! Great inspiration in your work - my players, and I, thank you!

[@emil_io]

In obsidian there is something like was Mike was talking about. Plugin, open source, can import monster as json. I don’t remember the name

[@paullehman9495]

WOTC has the power to create a standard digital file format we all could use. Call it the ampersand or dnd format. Perhaps .& or .dnd. Worked for Adobe and pdf.

[@Tomeroche]

I'm not seeing that deal on amazon, nothing indicates it's there. There's no coupon, there's nothing on Wizard's amazon page, there's no bundle listed with it in it.

[@Tomeroche]

Just added them to a cart to see if it populates a coupon on check out, it does not. There is no 3 for 2 deal going on right now, and yes I am in America and shopping from the American store.

[@SamDark]

Same here😢

[@alexv4907]

I'm not seeing it either.... Just filled up my cart with books too. lol

[@hillseason]

Seems like you need a monuments random table and to rewrite all future encounter to support monuments (optionally)

[@SlyFlourish]

Done! Check out the lazy dm workbook and companion.

[@natesroomrule]

i cant figure out how to get the deal on amazon. I am in Florida so in the US

[@robinarmstrong685]

I don't think it's the publishers that are against their books being formatted to upload on multiple VTTs, but the VTTs. Foundry, for example, has a one-time purchase fee. They're making money on people buying materials available for them, not the purchase (give away the razors and sell the blades).

[@stewi009]

If Foundry is relying on people buying published content internally to keep their business model afloat, they're doing a shit job of selling it. I haven't come across any pressure tactics or paywalls that compel me to even consider buying anything beyond the initial license cost.

[@CloudVaris]

Yeeeah. At this point, I think Foundry gets a cut from the Paizo adventure modules that they helped put together, and maybe the hosting services? And then they have a patreon. They don't get a cut of most of the Foundry modules out there. They don't have a first-party market the way roll20 does.

[@stewi009]

@@CloudVaris I'm sure they get a cut from premium content sold on the platform, but they're not pushing that content on users even slightly. I'm not sure that the Forge is actually the same people, but even if it is, they're no pressuring people to use that either. This is my point. If they were depending on income from these sources to stay in the black, they'd be pushing it a lot harder. Making it difficult, if not impossible, to play without these features.

[@liesdamnlies3372]

Except I can use Foundry in perpetuity with my one license key. That’s not a razor and blades model. If it were then Foundry would have cost me $10 ( _maybe_ but more likely free) and extra content like the 5e system module (so something that for practical purposes is required to play 5e in Foundry) would be a recurring fee (maybe $10-15/mo). It cost me $50 up-front and then nothing for the system module. All the content I’m using in it I got from elsewhere and there isn’t even a hint of a barrier. In your analogy they would have some sort of proprietary api for plugins so no one could make extra content and mods without extracting payment somewhere.

[@attar81]

4e would be fine to play again some day, but without a character builder, it makes it hard for me to want to try.

[@sewinlove_co]

There is a character builder! You have to download it and the installation is a bit tedious, but it works well. It's a copy of DDI and has everything published by WoTC for 4e.

[@AlexWard28]

Does anyone know how to activate the 3 for 2 deal on Amazon? I'm not seeing anything about it when I click the links. Thanks!

[@leahwilton785]

Same here! Trying to figure out if it's me not being familiar w amazon, or the fact that I am not American. edit: it is only in the us. so much for meeee

[@SDoty]

Yeah. I even found an article with a direct link which said the deal was expired @@leahwilton785

[@werin407]

Having the same issue from the US

[@Ellohir]

The roll20 export to PDF doesn't work on Windows either 😅

[@captainhawdon937]

I got the first like!

[@armorclasshero2103]

I would think an easy way to do monuments is to just stat them as monsters...

[@garion046]

Yeah pretty much. Pick a thematic monster for the abilities, then look at AC and HP to compensate (or not) for the lack of movement. I do like Mike's idea of using spells though for monuments that are arcane creations.

[@duncandomey8199]

Pretty sure the 3 for 2 deal is long gone.

[@bledsoebaneminis2487]

I am not seeing the buy 3 for 2 on Amazon. How do you access that? I tried the affiliate link and just going there and it didn't work. I'm in US.

[@SlyFlourish]

I think it might have ended before my video went up 🙁

[@geoffdewitt6845]

For Cyberpunk RED, it plays well, but the book is horribly organized. I recommend a liveplay to see how the rules hit the table. What does a Deception check look like in that system, for example (it's Persuasion). I'd recommend watching Infinite Sided Dice's Edge of Extinction (not sponsored, I just think it's good content).

[@KryssCom1]

I vote Mike Shea for new President of WOTC.

[@SlyFlourish]

Pass

[@dallisjohnson662]

Has the 2 for 3 worked for anyone? I added them to my cart, but couldn't find mention of the sale.

[@sewinlove_co]

It didn't work for me and none of the D&D books' listings mention a promotion. I figured it was because I have a business account.

[@SlyFlourish]

It’s no longer happening. I didn’t realize how limited it was.

[@dallisjohnson662]

Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thanks for trying to put it out for us. Great Show.@@SlyFlourish

[@SDoty]

looks like the b2g1 may be expired already?

[@malachimclean3638]

Maybe they’ll bring it back around Black Friday, they’ve had similar deals for the last couple years

[@SlyFlourish]

I think so. Shit.

[@samdoorley6101]

Mike, why do you distinguish yourself from Sly Flourish? Are you not one and the same? Aside from that musing, I like your idea for a digital utopia. It would be so very cool if all this 3rd party material could somehow all talk to each other on one platform in a sort of plug and play sort of way. I agree this will probably never happen, but who knows.

[@SlyFlourish]

We are different entities

[@Zr0din]

Is Radiant Citadel the same thing as Planescape?

[@SlyFlourish]

Nope

[@gegegebebebe5087]

You often promote thinks like the kobold press books, Open5e, Level Up 5e and so on. I find it hard to keep track of all the material from all the different sources. Is there a tool or single place where I can access all the open information on 5e?

[@borgy1337]

Digital Utopia: The problem is not the publishers. If everything was "buy once and use it anywhere because it's machine-readable", companies like Foundry would cease to exist. Their one time $50 cost for the software cannot sustain them. They rely on profit share they get from the Foundry modules that publishers sell. If anyone can buy a generic machine-readable product from a publisher, Foundry does not get a cut from that. The VTTs need some sort of recurring income to fund the endless development of software -- a one-time cost means everyone gets v1.0 that never gets updated.

[@garion046]

I think if you didn't have to buy all the sources again, most people would be ok with subscription VTTs, because it would be fairly easy to jump ship if the service or price wasn't competitive. Given the upkeep for running a VTT, especially if it's not the clients job to host everything, subscription isn't an unreasonable model or cost for the consumer. The problem with current models for this is the sunk cost keep people from switching and hence reducing competition for quality.

[@Keovar]

WotC won’t create PDF copies of a current-edition book. Making the books accessible to the visually impaired is apparently less important than the possibility of pirate copies. They can watermark the PDFs, but watermarks can be removed. Maybe there’s some way to tag the files with an NFT so you can individually identify an individual copy which could be moved to various formats. It would be nice to have an AI we could teach all the rules for a game by loading in PDFs and such. Paizo makes their materials available in a lot of formats, including print, PDF, VTT modules, and FREE on Archives of Nethys.

[@Aliktren]

Literally every book already has a pirate copy if that's what you really need.

[@Aliktren]

Chat gpt will currently accept 25mb pdfs but is still imperfect, for now

[@Keovar]

@@Aliktren - Of course there are scans, but the problem is that, by not offering PDFs or another accessible format, WotC makes pirate copies the only real option. I do have access to the books on DnDBeyond, but that's only available online, and could end up disappearing if the site goes away.

[@Keovar]

@@Aliktren - It's more than imperfect, it's not capable of incorporating new training data. Whatever you paste in, only lasts for the 'current session'. On the free version, there's no way to give it a file to read at all, and in its current state, a subscription isn't worthwhile. A purchase might be better than a subscription model that's based on you leaving it running indefinitely, useful or not.

[@Aliktren]

@@Keovar gpt4 agents can hold pdf sources

[@HugoGlz56]

This was the dream of the internet in the 90s, it failed when it turned out preople wanted conviniece rather than personalization. Aditionally when wordpress was only used by high IQ MIT and Berkly nerds it did't really needed to be policed, now that hte internet is oppen to everyone the idea that it can run unffeterd is creazy to most people.

[@bayardmartins]

Mike wants 5e dot tools to be legal : )