Page 1160 - Cooperative Play

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

So the D&D-aligned friendship lesson turns out to be: If you want to do something challenging and experimental in your game, clear it with your players first. You don’t have to give away all the twists, but you should at least see if the themes and objectives are something they’d be interested in. Generally good advice for starting a campaign anyway.

So, we may or may not be reaching the end of The Return of Harmony, and it’s been forever since I called out for guest comics! Remember those? My way of taking a small vacation from the tri-weekly update schedule for a couple of weeks without dropping content? I haven’t done a serious call with an actually reasonable deadline in ages. The last few times it was just “Hey, if you wanna, feel free I guess or whatever.” Let’s get serious for a change.

I’ve clarified and updated my guidelines on this page. You’ve got just short of a whole month starting today, specifically the 22nd of January. I look forward to seeing what kinds of ideas you folks come up with!

DM: Well, since all of you are here, this is probably a good time for me to say: I’m sorry. I wanted to surprise you all, I wanted to shake up the game, I wanted to give you all an epic, worthy campaign… and it’s clear the way I acted on those impulses was horribly misguided. I didn’t take the group dynamic into account at all. I should’ve warned you, I should’ve asked for your input on what kind of campaign you’d all like to have…
Rainbow Dash: We’d probably all have a different answer.
Rarity: You and I especially.
DM: Yeah, but I could’ve asked you all as a group. I just… forged on ahead, with stars in my eyes. <sigh> Which brings us to… the question of where we go from here. I really don’t want to retcon this whole session, but it can’t go on this way. So, let me pull up the DM screen, metaphorically, and share my thoughts with you. Whatever Twilight’s plan is for curing you, it’s probably going to work. But, because… of a reason I still kinda want to keep as a cool twist – not for much longer, I promise – you might not be able to reach Discord even with the Elements.
Applejack: Ohhhhhh.
Twilight Sparkle: What is it?
Applejack: Ah’ll tell you when Ah’m uncursed.
DM: Which sets up a multi-session arc in the World of Chaos, the goal being to explore Equestria for a while before returning to Discord’s throne in Ponyville and defeating him once and for all. Does that sound like something you’d all be interested in?
Rarity: Possibly.
Fluttershy: Um… sorry to ask, but… will your… friend still be co-DMing?
DM: …No. I’ll probably still consult with him between sessions… but I don’t think I’ll invite him back in-person until the finale.
Fluttershy: Oh…