Recent content by Rune

As much as I enjoyed it (and I very much did, mostly due to the very solid performances), it raises some questions about Trevor’s Mandarin that didn’t exist in Iron Man 3. In that film, he was an unknown actor. In Wonder Man, he is an established film actor whose roles at least partially mirror...

Didn’t they kind of already do Born Again in season 3? And wouldn’t this be season 5?

Don’t know about that last part. There are a whole lot of GM-advice “truisms” on the internet that I would consider an ill-fit for my preferences. And that’s the stuff (presumably) it would be trained on.

I wonder if AI could run PCs for a human GM.

I’m not mad about it. But I don’t think the time a piece of fiction has existed is a good determining factor for when conversation about it should casually discuss it without concern for spoiling it. Most people haven’t had the opportunity to experience most fiction for the entire length of that...

There’s also a chance they haven’t. Unless you’re the one who spoils it.

It’s Nicholas Cage. How could it be bad?

Also, we use spoiler tags in Iron DM tournament judgements to conceal the outcomes of judgements from premature revelation (since we also use @-summons). We also encourage spectators to use them when commenting on ongoing matches so that the judges can approach each entry with fresh eyes. Of...

I get it. As a player, I’ve definitely gone out of my way to make sure a dead NPC wouldn’t have a body left for raising (out of sheer pettiness, even). But, in a world with true resurrection, that still doesn’t mean they’re definitely gone for good. Although (on the DM side of things) turning...

I had a thread about this once upon a time. It predates 5e (or at least some of it does), but is still relevant to any system, really. Here it is: Full-Time DM, Part-Time Prep

The thematic stuff was one thing. I’m not unique in my preferences. But the echoed technique really made me question things. Not just that a foreign language was used for names that hint at NPCs’ roles, but that the language chosen was also German! A remarkable case of parallel thinking (offset...

As this year’s champion, you will have automatic entry into the next tournament so that you can defend that title. Your work is quality, so I’d say you have a good shot at a streak.

Congratulations to IRON DM 2025 @AustinHolm!

I expect you’ll get an @-summons when the time comes.

There were a few that were ok with good parts. One that is actually good (the one written by Jim Rash). Most I skip entirely because they were trying too hard to emulate the weird without understanding the characters or the story-structure that gave Harmon’s work its heart. And one that’s just...