Phil. A. Ménard (AKA The Chatty DM)
@chattydm.bsky.social
Dynamically-priced Gen X Gamer Dad. 42 years as a GM, sober 24 hours at a time. Ex narrative designer@VibrantStudios (D&D: The Immersive Quest. Looking for Work. Retired award-winning freelance #TTRPG designer. He/Him. FR/EN
My love languages come packaged in a kind of Russian Roulette. I have a certain number of them, but I don't systematically know if I will express them on any given day. It's always been a challenge for my partners. Is it a me thing or a bipolar thing? #BipolarLove
This Friday, I get to play Blood on the Clocktower with my son for the first time.
Dating an awesome AuDhD goblin, a thread. Beautiful @soryane.bsky.social is working today so I am hanging out near the art store she works at during her shift. I join her for lunch, she decides to go get pizza across the street from the shopping centre she works at.
I came up with the basic concept for a 13th Age mega-campaign which @mytholder.bsky.social has written. Annoyingly, I can't tell you what the concept is because it's a massive spoiler. I'll just leave you with the cover. #ttrpg #13thAge
Friend: Did WotC steal our D&D campaign? Me: Huh? Friend: Look at Crown of the Witch Queen Me: Well I'll be... I kid you not, my friends "freed" Drelzina from the Lost Caverns and she became the villain of my campaign before we hit "pause".
Can someone explain why this is worth 550$? I scored on on Amazon Vine for my ex partner, but I don't quite know what it does? A face massager, a very expensive lotion dispenser. A facial scrubbing? www.amazon.ca/dp/B0H8F19VF...
Amazon.ca
amazon.ca
I'm not commenting anything about WotC and their recent decisions about D&D. 1) I'm still at the very edge of my old job's NDA. 2) I no longer care as much. It is their IP to fuck up if that's what happens, we the players will find what we need.
I have no clue who needs to see this but start writing again.
My dad was a cop. And not a very good one at that. Not close to him because he was very self centered and broke my balls too many times to count about how many (fiscal) risks he took to give us a good life.
Up at fuck o'clock. When you have to wait one hour for the "boulangerie" to open. How's it going across the ocean?
Breathless of Mild Banal Fantasy Bard's Bail Grand Guess Auto Space Insiders Follow me for more middling game titles! (Woke up too early, felt silly, not necessarily funny, I leave that to the pros like @amutepiggy.bsky.social)
It's past 9 PM, I'm writing a 13th Age article. Historically, this often entails some kind of hyperfocusing that borks my sleep hygiene as my awakened brain keeps firing sparks way after I left my desk. I shall play it safe, lay the post aside, play some Balatro, and revisit tomorrow.
Caves of Qud Epilogue: Bear McTechnoBear died at level 12. His attempt to visit legendary ruins turned sour when it was found to be filled with multiple hostile legendary baboons and their extended families. Keep that "Blood Covered Ring" folks!
Made cheesy tomato noodles to last me the next few days. Recipe in Alt text.
Dear friends making it to Gen Con, enjoy it! Have fun, explore, try new things. I miss it dearly, will return one day!
Bear McTechnoBear update. Still alive, level 8, doing the waterlogged run between the ruins of Joppa and Red Rock. I've survived 4 visits from my "Evil Twin" (i.e. I ran away succesfully)
13th Age players and GMs. You struggle coming up with characters One Unique Things? I just rediscovered this blog post I wrote back in 2013 where I borrowed from @jaredsorensen.bsky.social and Luke Crane's Freemarket's amazing "memory" mechanic. critical-hits.com/blog/2013/09...
13th Age Musings: Of Templates, Uniqueness and Adventure Hooks
On one hand, I’m excited about creating stories, plots, and themes needed to establish the best possible campaign. I know the game provides me with some solid tools to do just that. On the ot…
critical-hits.com
Rebecca Ferguson signing a (shorter) version of "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You baby" was not on today's Bingo card. (Fropm the Reminisce soundtrack).
Hey 13th Age fans. Have there been any progress on 2E VTT content?
My Steam Machine now has access to over 6000 games. 3000 from my Family Account (Nico has been on Humble Bundle since he's been 12, he's 24 now, @soryane.bsky.social added a few hundred to my own few). 3000+ from Retro Arch. Yeah!
Bear McTechnoBear Cave of Qud update: My 1st Village quest was to drink from a sacred vase in a desert village populated by hostile Dawngliders (IYKYK). I ran in, drank, and ran out. I'm prouder of that than many other achievements in this game. Dawngliders are NASTY.
Hey whomever is behind the @pelgranepress.bsky.social account (or maybe it's you @simonjrogers.bsky.social), can you have your people contact me so I can join Pelicon as an Introduce New Players to 13th Age 2E GM? I can run one of two of my own games, but if there are intro demos, I'm also down!
This morning Caves of Qud game is going to be a challenge. Name: Bear McTechnoBear Class: Tinker (Daily) Main Mutations: Digging claws, Sleeping Gas, Teleportation, Evil Twin (Negative Mutation). Challenges: Low Str, Low Agility, making combat harder. Must discover Legendary Lairs to level up fast
Éditorial | Protégeons de toutes nos forces la juste place en pleine lumière de la communauté LGBTQ+.
Ne laissons pas l’espace public se rétrécir
ledevoir.com
I saw that @pelgranepress.bsky.social is having a virtual con in September. I believe I could run a 13th Age game. I miss running Con games!
The ancients stir. Texts from the past come forth. A 20+ year old blog produces a new post. Behold, a new Musings of the @chattydm.bsky.social on his latest 13th Age game by @pelgranepress.bsky.social critical-hits.com/blog/2026/07...
The Fractured Authority Gambit: A 13th Age Game
The cleric fell. Tension was rising. Players got worried and antsy.
critical-hits.com
The Fractured Authority Gambit: a 13th Age Game. The Chatty DM is back! critical-hits.com/blog/2026/07...
The Fractured Authority Gambit: A 13th Age Game
The cleric fell. Tension was rising. Players got worried and antsy.
critical-hits.com