Without trying to sound too metaphysical. I look at it this way. The atoms that make up my body were forged in the hearts of stars. These atoms have existed in some form across the universe for billions of years.

I don’t remember what patterns my atoms were before they became this one, and I don’t know what pattern these atoms will take once I am done with them, but these atoms will remain.

This consciousness that has arisen from this pattern of atoms may give way to a different consciousness in a different pattern of atoms in some untold amount of time. While this consciousness may not know of that one, and that one may not remember this, it eases my mind to know that the stardust that originated these atoms will still exist.

It eases my mind to know that in the infinite void of nothingness, this pattern of atoms and this consciousness have impacted those around me. The short period of time that this consciousness is around gives me the opportunity to experience the wonderful breadth of the human condition, because this will be the only time these atoms are in this exact pattern. Every moment of my existence I am unique.

I am of the universe, I have experienced the universe, and others have experienced the universe through me.

The caves are alive and have developed a taste for poor John. They yearn to feed, and their howls sound through the night like gusts of wind through the trees.

John knows the hopelessness of inevitability. Some day, they will find him. Some day, he will wake up deep in the bowels of the caves, and his cries will add to the howls of the caves on the wind.

It is a great deal of fun and tremendously addictive.

It really does, and there are always some loose dissapear into the weave over the course of a campaign, but there is a huge high from pulling years of work into a final epic encounter and conclusion.

Plus, the debrief at the end where players can ask all the questions about loot they missed and which characters were actually doppelgangers is always fun.

I recently joined a second game with a different group as a player, so I still get my individual play time. Some of my players will also likely run one shots or small adventures in the interim while I do the next campaign prep, but they are adamant that they don’t want to run any long form stories.

I can relate to that so much. Switching gears from GM to player is a real struggle for me at times.

The way the party kind of adopted the recurring mini BBEG. He was designed to be a recurring villain , showing up near the end of act 1, and was supposed to be the final boss in act two.

He had done some truly vile things to various members of the party, but apologized for them each time, spoke to them as equals, and was overall a fairly amicable person, at least if you can discount the kidnapping and torture on one players father, and the murders of another character’s entire tribe.

Late in act 2, they discovered that he was under a compulsion to serve the whims of the big bad, and I had assumed it was going to lead to a confrontation where they killed him, then went after the BBEG. Instead, they went on a whole redemption arc for the mini BBEG, found a way to break his compulsion, and went on a long quest to free him from the control of the BBEG.

It was kinda inspiring, again except for the multiple murders and other truly vile things this guy did. It was certainly not the outcome I was expecting in a campaign specifically bent to focus on moral grey areas.

I am something of an over planner, but it took me probably 40 hours to get the themes and major plot points nailed down for all three acts. Then, probably another 40 to flesh out act 1 to the point I was ready to bring the players into the sandbox.

For the first year, I was then spending about 3 hours of prep time per session to tie in all the character backgrounds and weave them into the narrative. After the first year, it was down to probably an hour of prep per session unless they were about to transition between acts, or a major character story was happening.

Who said anything about solutions. Like I said, I am just asking questions here.

There is zero evidence for the Obama birther story, “The Big Lie” for the 2020 election, the Springfield Haitians, Kamala’s audio device earnings, or any other story the GOP tries to push. Since when is evidence really needed for them?

I mean I’m just asking questions here. If the implications make the GOP uncomfortable maybe they should address them.

I would agree that having someone else killed would be too far for it to be staged for most people. That said, I have seen no evidence that makes me think the GOP considers anyone who isn’t a billionaire or one of their mouthpieces a person.

To them, a random person in the crowd getting killed would just be a data point in their news story. Then just pack on a blood pack, and a fake bandage to sell it like wrestlemania 23.

I am firmly convinced, based solely on what the tinfoil hat whispers to me, that both of these “attempts” were funded by the GOP as an effort to drive media attention towards Trump.

After all, they have fully admitted to making up stories to get media attention. Is it really too far of a stretch to think that they would pay some poor sucker they view as disposable into being a threat in his general vicinity. The whole thing just feels like a media stunt from a wrestling promo.

Bofuri: I didn’t want to get hurt so I maxed out my defense

I recently ran the 5e one shot Sheep Chase at a work event, and it was a huge hit. Starts at a little higher level and let’s some players get a feel for what the classes can do, while being silly and light hearted enough to keep the laughs coming. Highly recommend brushing up on sheep puns before ewe run it.