Raging Owlbear
@ragingowlbear.bsky.social
AKA Marty. He/Him. Geek Dad, DM, Child of the 70’s #TTRPG blogger. #DnD #RPG #StarWars #CarWars #AFOL http://Twitch.tv/RagingOwlbear 🐘RagingOwlbear@dice.camp
created October 2, 2023
364 followers 137 following 308 posts
view profile on Bluesky Posts
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
It’s about the real estate footprint required. Most of the areas I’ve lived, the gas stations do not have room for a long row of parked cars. Truck stops already have the large parking footprint, but most standard gas stations do not.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
I had to look harder than I was comfortable with to understand this image.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
25 years? Fuuuu…
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Can you make a visitor to Scotland disappear? Asking for a friend.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
Last hour of Gary Gygax’s birthday. Hope you had a happy gaming weekend. #dnd #ttrpg
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
Know the difference between panda bees and murder bots.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Late night TV hosts have always criticized the parent corp. That was literally Letterman’s schtick for dozens of years. This is absolutely about bending the knee for the FCC merger approval.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
And it is definitely a fascist threat to hold up a merger because you don’t like the political commentary. It’s literally a 1st Amendment issue.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Bad mouthing? I haven’t seen that at all. All I saw was “Hey this is a real bummer and we’re sad to see it go.” from Colbert. Stewart has been more outspoken, but I’d hardly call what he said “bad mouthing”. He’s speaking political commentary about the dangers of media under fascist threat.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Comedy always mocks politicians… especially bad ones. CBS is bowing to pressure due to their merger. Sad.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
I didn’t realize there was a political controversy beyond the normal ones. CBS is lame.
debbshock (@debbshock.bsky.social) reposted
dress for the job you want
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Salary negotiations, possibly? Late night talk/variety is kind of a dying breed. I often watch just certain bits after release on YouTube… so it could be a culmination of several factors (cost, advertising, streaming competition) causing CBS to abandon the format. I am surprised though.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
The little furball loves my shoes. #cats
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Side note: This isn’t a discussion about whether Shadowdark is considered “D&D” while Daggerheart is not, but there is nuance there too. From that perspective though, a d20 resolution mechanic is probably the primary qualifier. Fin. 🦈
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
This is the gatekeeping bullsh!t I’m talking about. This is what the meme is talking about. Don’t be this guy. Seriously, f*ck this guy. Play how you want. You’re not “playing wrong”. 4/4
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Whether you play a more narrative driven, less deadly game, or a grim dark grind house, both ways are “playing right” if the table is having fun. Both play styles are perfectly valid. 3/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
The meme is really a protest about gatekeeping how others play. This is a lesson many (not all) in the #OSR circles should learn. Example: A lot of old schoolers say things like “5e is D&D for kindergarten”. Those are the statements the meme is talking about. It’s gatekeeping garbage. 2/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
I’ve seen this meme making the rounds and a lot of folks taking it out of its original context. Here’s the thing: this meme isn’t about rules minutia. It’s about play styles and gatekeeping. A #DnD thread 🧵 1/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
11th grade lunch break TV in the cafeteria
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Support 9th Level Games: 9thlevel.com/products/reb...
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
The other commenter said “we should move to a new VTT” and you corrected them. Just pointing out that the other comment was not an error.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
It doesn’t say “Republicans” anywhere in that game. It says “space Nazis”… a fictional, fascist opponent in the game.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
DriveThru and Roll20 are the same company, dude.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Apparently DriveThru doesn’t like the call to action: “punch a spacenazi right in their stupid, jackbooting, spacenazi face”… Because it’s offensive to spacenazis?
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
Ok, this is f*cking ridiculous. DriveThruRPG has delisted Rebel Scum because of “hateful politics”. Rebel Scum is a love letter to Star Wars by @9thlevelgames.bsky.social Do better, @drivethrurpg.com
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
Hey - where are all my #OriginsGameFair peeps? #daylatedollarshort
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
P-40 “Aleutian Tigers” face off against Japanese Zeros over the Bering Sea with the Americans pulling out a close victory with 7 kills over the Japanese 6 kills. #wingsofglory #wingsofwar #OriginsGameFair #origins2025
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
In the basements of Hommlet, the fight between the dice and candies gets intense as one of the dice goes down under the sinister blades of the candy cultists. #dnd #dnd5e #OriginsGameFair #originsgamefair2025
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
Let the games begin! #OriginsGameFair #origins2025
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
#Origins, I am in you. #Origins2025
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
This. People seem crazed about the “downfall of D&D” when its closest competitors make 1/10th the revenue. I’m all about market competition, but I see so many insane takes that D&D is dying. It’s been “dying” larger every year for a decade.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
Road trip selection for my week of gaming… #ttrpg #dnd #boardgames #origins2025
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
I’m living on the block chain. You might say I’m one of the new kids on the block chain. Now I just need to keep things in sync. Bye bye bye
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Sadly, this is a strong possibility.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
I’ve seen him play with Peter Gabriel and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe. Such an amazing player and so fun to watch!
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Yes, that is true and I grant that POV. If one’s campaign goals are more “gonzo” in style, then a fun house dungeon has its place.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reposted
Choose 4 albums that greatly influenced your taste in music. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
Hot #dnd take: I’m going to annoy a lot of old school folks by saying that “fun house” modules were rarely that much fun. White Plume Mountain barely scrapes by when the DM makes liberal changes. The absurdities are just too immersion breaking for my tastes. What do folks think? #osr
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
Is time spent world building just a waste? Best of Owlbear: Pros and Cons of Worldbuilding #ttrpg #rpg #dnd #dnd5e #worldbuilding #pathfinder ragingowlbear.blogspot.com/2017/07/dnd-...
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Use to? It’s Ovaltine these days but…
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
I think you missed my point. D&D doesn’t have any of those skills. If you don’t like the abstraction that D&D uses, then play a different game. You know he’s good at pirate related activities because it says he’s a “pirate”. Rulings not rules.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
D&D also doesn’t have a “sailing” skill (or any vehicle skill for that matter) so it’s not certain what you are looking for in the stat block to indicate that. Either one likes the broad skill abstraction that D&D uses, or one house rules the “sailor” background (or uses a different game).
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Athletics check would be a +0. That doesn’t mean “can’t swim”. Also, historically speaking, press-ganged sailors weren’t exactly Olympians and likely most couldn’t swim well if at all.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
I mean… It’s neat I suppose, but who exactly is the market for this?
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Now I’m under pressure to post useful content rather than my usual tripe. 😄
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
If anything, mid-tier Druids need MORE interesting beast choices that aren’t dinosaurs which may not fit the flavor of most campaign settings. Instead, Druids have lost 2 of the better shapes on top of being nerfed. Hugely disappointing. 8/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Yeah, that’s somewhat “fixed” by having all the animals in one place, but I still find Giant XXXXX’s in the G section to be super annoying.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
I get that the Wildshape was a little powerful at low levels for the Moon Druid, but by tier 2 the 2014 version levels out in power. Until now. Giant Owl and Giant Eagle are now “celestials” removing the 2 half decent flying options from the Druid list. WTF Wizards? 7/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
The Druid Wildshape got completely nerfed in the PHB (ironically one of the *only* classes that LOST power in the new revisions) but the nerfing continues with the Monster Manual. 6/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
This feels like a change for no reason other than to be different. It worked for 50 years. Sometimes change not necessary. 5/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
I don’t think anyone was confused by a Red Dragon being under D instead of R. I’d rather have them grouped to easily page through their similarities and differences. In a digital version, you can easily link the stat block in more than one place. There no reason to alter the physical version. 4/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
It seems that if the monster matches its own creature type, then it gets it own entry (i.e. a cultist is a humanoid whereas a Blue Dragon is a Dragon) but it’s still freaking annoying. This is the first Monster Manual to break the Dragon/Giant/Elemental/Lycanthrope groupings in 50 years. 3/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Organization: I find the pseudo-alphabetization super annoying. Some entries have monster groups together (Blights, Cultists, Vampires, etc) while other monster groups are not put together - Dragons, Elementals, Giants, etc. Animals also got their own Appendix, but humanoid NPCs did not. 2/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
🧵Thread on the #dnd Monster Manual as I dig in over the course of days. #dnd5e #ttrpg
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Obsidian Portal used to offer at least one free campaign wiki (more at a price). I haven’t looked recently to see if they still have a free offering.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
I don’t actually think this tweet is real even if he likely thinks it.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
A corporation generally won’t lie in an earnings report because it opens one up to investor lawsuits or SEC fines. Link: investor.hasbro.com/static-files...
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
There’s a weird narrative (led by Mike Mearls oddly) on the Xitty site that #dnd5e is somehow failing when the Hasbro investor report clearly states otherwise. The earnings report states “both the new [PHB] and [DMG] are breaking records for the best-selling D&D books ever.” 1/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
D&D just turned 51.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
I dropped a #chocolate truffle and it literally landed in an open peanut butter jar. I had opened the peanut butter for an unrelated purpose. Clearly, this is a message. #lifeimitatesart
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
2025 Game Night Tournament begins! Winner in December takes home the sweet, coveted Game Night Leia Cup… which is like the Stanley Cup… but without the cup part. #boardgames
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Definitely more generic maps get way more table time. That said, they don’t have to be 100% featureless… but random altars or other very unique features have GM’s saying to the players “That’s not actually there” a lot. The old King’s Road and Pathfinder Woodlands saw a LOT of use at my table.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
Tina Ian Anna Margaret Arlen Turner
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Honestly, Curry probably would make an amazing Doctor but probably considered too old for the role in his late 70’s… 10’tp 20 years ago though? That would have been something.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
That’s… kinda genius actually.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
Post your favorite #DoctorWho, wrong answers only.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Thought this one was hilarious…
Jerry D. Grayson (@khepera.bsky.social) reposted
Hey Humans! I've been gaming hard using the One Ring RPG. Below is my version of a Moria dungeon delve. I built the dungeon using my laser cutter and painted each segment utilizing inks, acrylics, and watercolors. The TOMB OF THE DWARVEN LORDS was the culmination of an excursion into Moria.
The One Ring RPG (@the-one-ring-rpg.bsky.social) reposted
Check out these excellent player aid cards. I really like things like this 🙂:
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
I was always curious about this with the SEGA Genesis, but never ended up buying one.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
It did boot once to the Peppermint disc, but I started by running some utilities like checkdisk instead of installing from the get go. After rebooting, the problem with the DVD started. I’m going to try installing from USB stick next.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Everyone block this asshole.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Sending mental waves of safety and luck for your neighborhood.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
She blocked me for pointing out that not all machine learning is generative AI. 🙄
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Yeah, it’s disabled in the bios settings by default, but I turned it back on. I tried manually overriding but it didn’t work. The DVD is readable on another machine, but the older drive may be more fickle. I’m going to pull the hard drive, reformat it with another box and try again. No OS, no boot.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
My point is really not to paint all machine learning technology with the broad brush used to criticize a very small percentage of the actual uses for it (I.e. generative “art”). There are legitimate and life-improving uses that are being implemented right now. 4/4
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Similarly, government agencies are using machine learning to streamline certain regulatory processes, especially in systems where the volume of work creates a backlog and uncorking these bottlenecks would be hugely helpful to the U.S. tax payers. 3/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Other uses include processing MRIs to help MRI technicians and doctors spot potentially harmful pre-cancerous or even cancerous growths that would be otherwise missed. This is a significantly valuable use of machine learning and is already proving highly beneficial for labs that adopt this tech. 2/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
So… “AI” is often a blanket term used for a lot of different technologies. Generative AI is the bullshit that steals intellectual property and vomits it back up in a soulless form. But that’s only about 5% of the machine learning technology use cases. There are lots of other legitimate uses. 1/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
bsky.app/profile/ragi...
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
I just had a weird meta-realization that billionaires hold a similar place in modern society as ancient gods. They walk among us with their human vices but hold power and capabilities closed off to “normal” humans many of whom try to curry their favor to advance their own political/economic power.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Yeah — absolutely. D&D mythology is much more like the Greeks, Romans, and Norse where it wasn’t a belief in a nebulous and invisible Judeo-Christian god but more that the gods walked among men but were equally fallible and full of vices… but just more powerful.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Yeah, I will miss the tradition of “claw/claw/bite”, but I like how “Rend” captures the narrative chaos of being torn apart by a dragon through claws and teeth. Average per-round melee damage was increased from 60-ish to around 90.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
The health and/or profitability of the industry can’t be measured by the sales of the 99 cent “Sexy Battle Wizards” PDF.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
To get an accurate view of the industry, you’d need to look at the hard cover sales of Paizo, Kobold Press, Free League, Troll Lord Games, Darrington Press, MCDM, etc… Numbers which you do not have and would not bee seen through a DriveThru page.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Dude — you are comparing Apples and Oranges. You are using the entire dataset of ALL POSSIBLE LOW EFFORT RPG PDFs to talk about the sales of professionally designed/layer out print books. You’re just making up data to support your bizarre view point.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
I’m going to use this quote whenever someone tries to talk to me about generative AI.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
“t's a brand, the distinction is meaningless.” To be clear here, we’re talking about the cost of book production, so the distinction is very important. D&D almost certainly makes much more money off merch and non-book accessories than actual books.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Definitely agree here. Wizards actually does pay a better rate per word than most of the industry according to reputable freelancers like Teos Abadia. But I agree what designers/artists should get paid would make most RPG books almost double in price. They’re just not a very profitable product.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
* when I previously set it
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Except when I press F2 to bring up the system bios, the boot order is the same as I set it and save the setting. It is certainly possible the little coin battery is on its last legs, but the boot order is correct in the bios screen. What might cause Ubuntu to over-ride this?
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Ubuntu: “I didn’t see nothing. You want regular or recovery mode?” “Debian. I put in Peppermint. I f-cking want you to boot from the Peppermint disc.” Ubuntu: “Yeah, that’s not going to happen, bitch. So what’ll it be?” 4/4
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
Ubuntu boot manager is like - “What Ubuntu do you want to boot?” “No, I put a Debian distro in the DVD and told you to boot from that.” Ubuntu: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What Ubuntu mode would you like?” “Dude. I told you to boot from the DVD. Stop taking over the boot order.” 3/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
It boots, but sometimes has trouble due to those issues and I need to go into recovery mode. Super frustrating. After having tried a coupe distro, I just bag it. So today, I came across is again, figure “well, it’s been a few years, let’s see if I can try an updated version.” 2/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social)
Why People Hate #Linux: a short story. So I have this old win 7 laptop - 4GB ram, 1.5 GHZ AMD. Not speedy, but I figure with Linux, I can still do some stuff. Install Lubuntu a few years ago. Have trouble with the onboard Radeon. Have trouble staying connected to WiFi. Eventually give up. 1/
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
There’s a floor, you know. Like after a certain volume, it doesn’t get any cheaper and Hasbro still has to do inventory management, distribution, direct fulfillment, etc. Point being, whether you are Hasbro or Paizo, the profit margins are terminally small for physical books.
Raging Owlbear (@ragingowlbear.bsky.social) reply parent
If you look at Troll Lord Games, for example, their last Kickstarter sold about 1300 copies for $169,000. That’s not very much when you consider paying salaries… and that’s considered a successful Kickstarter. No one is getting rich selling RPGs except maybe Hasbro… but only because of the volume.