thedragonspeakscommon

[thedragonspeakscommon]

AN EVENING WITH NEIL GAIMAN

I start touring 6 weeks from now. It's the first time I've done something like this since before Covid -- get out there every night, read stories and poems and suchlike, answer questions and generally try to interact with a living, breathing audience. I'm a bit nervous, to be honest. Still, the idea of interacting with living, breathing human beings seems wonderful.

Here's the list of places I'll be appearing, with links to get tickets. Right now there are tickets available to all of the venues except Madison Wisconsin. If you are sad I'm not going to be somewhere near to you, I also am probably sad about this too.

(There are different Covid regulations at different venues, please check your venue for their protocol.)

And I'll see you there, I hope...

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Schenectady, NY

Proctor’s Theatre. 7:30 PM

https://tickets.proctors.org/TheatreManager/95/tmEvent/tmEvent13763.html

Friday, April 29, 2022

Boston, MA

Emerson Colonial Theatre. 8 PM

https://www.emersoncolonialtheatre.com/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=D8EA3E70-5B3E-474C-949D-98ED0073B67E

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Seattle, WA

Venue: Benaroya Hall 7:30 PM

https://www.seattlesymphony.org/en/benaroyahall/bh-calendar/benaroya-hall-events/neil-gaiman

Monday, May 2, 2022

Eugene OR

Venue: Hult Center for the Performing Arts / 7:30 PM

Link: https://tickets.hultcenter.org/971/972?_ga=2.26526261.902947090.1628807551-307867051.1626909133

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

San Francisco, CA

Sydney Goldstein Theater / City Arts & Lectures / 7:30 PM

Link: https://www.cityarts.net/event/an-evening-with-neil-gaiman/

Thursday, May 5, 2022

San Diego, CA

Venue: Balboa Theatre   8:00 PM

https://artpower.ucsd.edu/event/an-evening-with-neil-gaiman/

Sunday, May 8, 2022

Austin, TX

Venue: Dell Hall, Long Center   7:30 PM

https://bit.ly/NeilGaimanAU

Monday, May 9, 2022

Denver, CO

Venue: Paramount Theatre   7:30 PM

https://www.ticketmaster.com/neil-gaiman-denver-colorado-05-09-2022/event/1E005B63DDA12DA5

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Hartford CT

The Bushnell Performing Arts Center. 7:30 PM

https://bushnell.org/shows-concerts/an-evening-with-neil-gaiman

Thursday, May 12, 2022

Philadelphia, PA

Merriam Theatre : 7:30 PM

https://www.kimmelculturalcampus.org/events-and-tickets/202122/kcp/neil-gaiman/

Friday, May 13, 2022

Chicago IL

Auditorium Theatre 8 PM

https://mytickets.auditoriumtheatre.org/overview/3019?queueittoken=e_presaleneilgaiman~q_8f2b69c0-de3a-45c1-9688-d97522585888~ts_1636660722~ce_true~rt_safetynet~h_16adf9e6a35024c0d734c9c67136c1fc0c92bef38b10b630f2b0c7073fe03c25

Sunday, May 15, 2022

Madison, WI

Venue: Orpheum Theater 8PM

https://madisonorpheum.com/event/an-evening-with-neil-gaiman/

(This one is sold out, I'm afraid.)

Monday, May 16, 2022

Indianapolis IN

Clowes Auditorium at Butler University  7:30 PM

https://butlerartscenter.org/performance/neil-gaiman/

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Cleveland OH

Playhouse Square  7:30 PM

Link: https://tickets.playhousesquare.org/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=ACAD824C-ED50-471B-8438-87A341A602C6

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Columbus OH

Palace Theatre. 7:30 PM

https://my.cbusarts.com/3190

Friday, May 20, 2022

Dallas, TX

AT & T Performing Arts Center. 8:00PM

https://www.attpac.org/on-sale/2022/an-evening-with-neil-gaiman/

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Houston TX

Jones Hall / Society for the Performing Arts. 8 PM

https://spahouston.org/events/neil-gaiman/

Monday, May 23, 2022

Los Angeles CA

The Theatre at Ace Hotel. 8:00 PM

https://www.axs.com/events/403235/neil-gaiman-tickets

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Pittsburgh PA

Carnegie Music Hall   7:30 PM

https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/16005B64C93844CE

All the details are also over at https://www.neilgaiman.com/where/

[thedragonspeakscommon]

TTRPGs are meant to be all about collaborative storytelling. So why not extend that to worldbuilding?

Let the players do all the leg work for you!

https://thelocaldm.wixsite.com/thedragonspeaks/post/we-should-try-a-different-approach-to-worldbuilding

#DnD #dnd5e #dungeonsanddragons #dmtips #being a dm #dm advice

[thedragonspeakscommon]

Is it me, or does Magic in DnD not make sense?

Is it just me, or is having 4 different way that magic works in #DnD, without any discernible rhyme nor reason as to why make no sense at all? Also Warlocks should be half-casters, I will die on this hill.

https://thelocaldm.wixsite.com/thedragonspeaks/post/is-it-me-or-does-magic-in-dnd-not-make-sense

#dnd #dungeons and dragons #dungeon master

[thedragonspeakscommon]

Why you should play DnD less

This is going to sound silly, but hear me out. Play less DnD at a time.

https://thelocaldm.wixsite.com/thedragonspeaks/post/why-you-should-play-dnd-less…

2.5-3 hour sessions are great. Better planning, better pacing, happier DMs.

#dungeons and dragons #dungeon master #being a dm #dmtips #dnd #dnd 5e

[thedragonspeakscommon]

Or eldritch knights?

So, to the center of the Venn diagram of people who like D&D and the Stormlight Archive, I have a very important question to ask.

The Knights radiant. Are they Paladins or Warlocks?

Discuss.

[thedragonspeakscommon]

I love how surprised these people are about exactly what everyone (who knew what they were talking about) said would happen...

https://global247news.com/2021/03/26/tears-flow-for-brits-as-they-head-home-to-avoid-being-deported-as-illegals-in-spain/amp/

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1415577/Brexit-news-latest-eu-vaccine-block-astrazeneca-uk-john-redwood-boris-johnson

[thedragonspeakscommon]

A horrible step in the wrong direction

If you've been following DnD discourse on Twitter recently, you may be aware of what happened to @POCgamer in relation to The Candlekeep Mysteries.

Suffice to say, the whole thing made me pretty damn mad, so I decided to blog about it.

***CW: Colonialism and Racism ***

https://thelocaldm.wixsite.com/thedragonspeaks/post/a-horrible-step-in-the-wrong-direction

#dungeons and dragons #dungeon master #blm blacklivesmatter #stop asian hate

[thedragonspeakscommon]

Gamifying the Ungamified

There aren't three pillars of adventuring in DnD. Combat stands head and shoulders above anything else in the game in terms of complexity and detail. To the point where combat is a mini-game.

Why not use Skill Challenges to redress the balance a little, a turn exploration and social interactions into a mini-game?

https://thelocaldm.wixsite.com/thedragonspeaks/post/skill-challenges-gamifying-the-ungamified

#dungeon master #dungeons and dragons #dm tips #DnD 5e

[thedragonspeakscommon]

Honestly, the only downside to reading on the kindle is missing out on amazing art work like this. You just can't see it so well.

I want a Poco tattoo so badly!!!

[thedragonspeakscommon]

You can split the party, I promise...

Hey, Dungeon Masters and dnd players, you know how everyone always tell you never to split the party. They lied. You 100% can split the party. It's fun, I promise. He's some tips on not dying:

https://thelocaldm.wixsite.com/thedragonspeaks/post/don-t-split-the-party-actually-do

#dungeons and dragons #dm tips #dnd 5e

[thedragonspeakscommon]

Want to introduce your friends to DnD with a 1-shot set in the circus? Want to read how my friends totally screwed it up when I ran it for them? I got your back.

#dnd #dungeon master #dungeons and dragons #dm tips #dnd 5e #dnd homebrew

[thedragonspeakscommon]

A poorly balanced straw man

Are you utterly sick of people saying that the #combatwheelchair or the changes to racial traits in Tasha's shouldn't be allowed because it makes the game unbalanced? 

I am, so I wrote a blog about why #dnd5e is not a balanced game,  And why the 'balance' argument is a poorly constructed straw man argument hiding a bigger problem. Racism, ableism, sexism, and at the bottom of it all, a refusal to accept change.

https://thelocaldm.wixsite.com/thedragonspeaks/post/a-poorly-balanced-straw-man

#Dungeons and Dragons #dungeon master #being a DM #dmtips

[thedragonspeakscommon]

Guys, people can be friends and have mutual respect for people, while still fundamentally opposing them and betraying them, before coming back around to save them in the end, without wanting to fuck them. Just let frenemies be frenemies ok?

I can't decide if Brandon's lack of a gaydar is funny or sad because like. on the one hand it results in inherently hilarious pairings like Dalinar/Sadeas having chemistry but on the other hand *cries about Navani and Raboniel*

don't you hate it when the best textual romance in a series was done by accident. row was just like whoops we forgot we're supposed to keep this shit subtext..... everything about navani and raboniel was so much like yes they co-authored a scholarly paper together but the fact that they both know they're going to betray each other but the work is so important to them they don't care. raboniel being the first person ever to show nothing but respect and admiration for specifically navani's intellect. being the bridge between their two peoples. complete emotional resonance as both citizens and leaders and mothers who lost their kids. raboniel, dying, stopping moash from killing her. navani refusing to let anyone touch her body after she died. and NONE of that was romantic on purpose like hello sanderson how can you write this beautiful entirely self contained love story and then try to sell us on jaswit like hello. hello.

#row spoilers #the stormlight archive #rhythm of war

[thedragonspeakscommon]

Making Magic Items Meaningful

Hey, #DM s ever had a player in #DnD remember a magic item that you gave them months ago just in time to screw with your carefully designed encounter? Well, follow these #GMtips and that never has to happen again:

https://thelocaldm.wixsite.com/thedragonspeaks/post/making-magic-items-meaningful

That's because they won't forget about them by the way! Basically: 1. Make it something they'll use regularly. 2. Give it a downside or limitation. 3. Make it something with a backstory or a personality.

#Dungeons and Dragons #dungeon master #being a DM #dmtips

[thedragonspeakscommon]

You can't be nurodivergent, mixed race and lgbtq+, there are rules! One diversity per person please, so I know how to be hateful towards them.

For the avoidance of doubt, the above is sarcasm

Some poor soul asked about queer characters in the cosmere and there were many people who Did Not Like This.

#cosmere fandom #lgbtq

[thedragonspeakscommon]

The Race for Equality in DnD

I wrote up my thoughts on the recent Wired article about Race in DnD and how the players are leading the move towards equality.

https://thelocaldm.wixsite.com/thedragonspeaks/post/the-race-for-equality-in-dnd

#dungeons and dragons #dnd #being a DM #dmtips

[thedragonspeakscommon]

Are you ok?

KELSIER?

STUPID IDIOT MOTHERFUCKING KELSIER GOD DAMN FOOL NOBLEMAN MURDERING GOD PUNCHING RAT OLD BASTARD SHITHEAD IDIOT LORD OF THE WHORE BIGGEST CLOWN IN THE COSMERE BITCH SLAPPED TO DEATH LAUGHED OUT OF TOWN COWBOY MOTHERFUCKING KELSIER

STOP PINNING ME WHEN I TALK ABOUT KELSIER I LOVE HIM SO MUCH WHY DOES HE HAVE SO MANY FUCKED UP CULTS WHY DID HE DECIDE TO FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT JUST SET THEM LOOSE IS HE DEAD IS HE A BASTARD MAN HAS SUCH A VISCERAL AFFECT ON ME NOT EVEN ON THE PLANET NEVER SEEN THIS MANS FACE AND I KNOW HE HAS THE WORLDS SHITTIEST SIDEBURNS GET AWAY FROM ME

#The Stormlight Archive #mistborn #mistborn secret history #rhythm of war #row spoilers #cosmemes