DropTheDie
@dropthedie.bsky.social
Heyyyy everybody. I'm JB, better known as DropTheDie. ➤He/Him ➤Dungeon Master ➤Bestselling TTRPG Author ➤Business e-mail: DropTheDie@gmail.com ➤Links to it all: http://linktr.ee/dropthedie ☰ Put me to WORK!
Given how people, historically, have acted toward me...
9 / 10 intimidation. It is not something I enjoy or am proud of.
9 / 10 intimidation. It is not something I enjoy or am proud of.
October 24, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Given how people, historically, have acted toward me...
9 / 10 intimidation. It is not something I enjoy or am proud of.
9 / 10 intimidation. It is not something I enjoy or am proud of.
i've made the salted rosemary paloma before, and it was pretty good. Not a huge fan of grapefruit, but it all worked very well together.
October 23, 2025 at 11:46 PM
i've made the salted rosemary paloma before, and it was pretty good. Not a huge fan of grapefruit, but it all worked very well together.
took me a moment to realize, it reminds me of the poster/cover for the movie Aniara (2018), which I deeply vibe with. Love the splash of dangerous red on a white/black background. It's classy and timeless.
October 21, 2025 at 6:15 AM
took me a moment to realize, it reminds me of the poster/cover for the movie Aniara (2018), which I deeply vibe with. Love the splash of dangerous red on a white/black background. It's classy and timeless.
That supermoon, tho.
October 7, 2025 at 7:10 AM
That supermoon, tho.
Some star gazing for y'all. #Andromeda #Moon
October 2, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Some star gazing for y'all. #Andromeda #Moon
Note, Pathfinder (and most parallel systems) may handle this differently. For example, in Pathfinder I believe darkvision is not shades of gray but black and white only, but you'd treat the entire area like bright light/normal light.
That'd look pretty weird.
That'd look pretty weird.
October 1, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Note, Pathfinder (and most parallel systems) may handle this differently. For example, in Pathfinder I believe darkvision is not shades of gray but black and white only, but you'd treat the entire area like bright light/normal light.
That'd look pretty weird.
That'd look pretty weird.
Your modern #TTRPG #DND reminder (Tales of the Valiant, 5e, 5.5e, etc). Darkvision doesn't give you night vision goggles like seal team six, it's extremely powerful in Dim light (where normal vision has disadvantage on attacks and Perception), and lessens the horror when its pitch black.
October 1, 2025 at 6:57 PM
As I wait for the temperatures to drop just a little bit more before finishing the deep clean of the car in our garage, I've got two things on my agenda today:
1. Read Shadowdark for an upcoming project.
2. Design modular spaceship systems for my game Salvage.
What are y'all designer peers up to?
1. Read Shadowdark for an upcoming project.
2. Design modular spaceship systems for my game Salvage.
What are y'all designer peers up to?
September 30, 2025 at 5:11 PM
As I wait for the temperatures to drop just a little bit more before finishing the deep clean of the car in our garage, I've got two things on my agenda today:
1. Read Shadowdark for an upcoming project.
2. Design modular spaceship systems for my game Salvage.
What are y'all designer peers up to?
1. Read Shadowdark for an upcoming project.
2. Design modular spaceship systems for my game Salvage.
What are y'all designer peers up to?
Clouds in Las Vegas?
Spooky season is near.
Spooky season is near.
September 29, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Clouds in Las Vegas?
Spooky season is near.
Spooky season is near.
I do a four-step program (dropthedie.com/backstory), but if I could include an additional step/question, it would probably be:
Why keep going?
You can get some pretty interesting details from people with that simple question: it could be all the character knows, new sense of purpose, the thrill
Why keep going?
You can get some pretty interesting details from people with that simple question: it could be all the character knows, new sense of purpose, the thrill
September 24, 2025 at 12:23 PM
I do a four-step program (dropthedie.com/backstory), but if I could include an additional step/question, it would probably be:
Why keep going?
You can get some pretty interesting details from people with that simple question: it could be all the character knows, new sense of purpose, the thrill
Why keep going?
You can get some pretty interesting details from people with that simple question: it could be all the character knows, new sense of purpose, the thrill
Dear #TTRPG peers. There's a huge charity bundle collection of DMs Guild favorites currently up for grabs on Humble Bundle, including my release Taverns, Inns, and Taprooms.
Familiar and beloved names to be included with! Nab tons of cool titles and support Extra Life.
share.google/xfjZl6Snjji6...
Familiar and beloved names to be included with! Nab tons of cool titles and support Extra Life.
share.google/xfjZl6Snjji6...
September 2, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Dear #TTRPG peers. There's a huge charity bundle collection of DMs Guild favorites currently up for grabs on Humble Bundle, including my release Taverns, Inns, and Taprooms.
Familiar and beloved names to be included with! Nab tons of cool titles and support Extra Life.
share.google/xfjZl6Snjji6...
Familiar and beloved names to be included with! Nab tons of cool titles and support Extra Life.
share.google/xfjZl6Snjji6...
This scene in True Detective comes to mind.
We don't need to see the video. We don't need to hear it. We just need to see Rust choosing to stare at the wall while Marty suffers through it.
By focusing the attention on their reactions, we infer everything we would ever need to know.
We don't need to see the video. We don't need to hear it. We just need to see Rust choosing to stare at the wall while Marty suffers through it.
By focusing the attention on their reactions, we infer everything we would ever need to know.
August 26, 2025 at 12:22 AM
This scene in True Detective comes to mind.
We don't need to see the video. We don't need to hear it. We just need to see Rust choosing to stare at the wall while Marty suffers through it.
By focusing the attention on their reactions, we infer everything we would ever need to know.
We don't need to see the video. We don't need to hear it. We just need to see Rust choosing to stare at the wall while Marty suffers through it.
By focusing the attention on their reactions, we infer everything we would ever need to know.
Give it a shot - I did the /exact/ same thing with my Sony A7II last year. You gotta fiddle with the lens to shift the polarizing effect.
Image to support my theory.
Image to support my theory.
August 6, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Give it a shot - I did the /exact/ same thing with my Sony A7II last year. You gotta fiddle with the lens to shift the polarizing effect.
Image to support my theory.
Image to support my theory.
I wrote detailed journal entries and posted them for friends on Discord, with images to set the scene.
So many of them ended with me ripping shit apart with gorilla arms xD
So many of them ended with me ripping shit apart with gorilla arms xD
July 2, 2025 at 9:31 AM
I wrote detailed journal entries and posted them for friends on Discord, with images to set the scene.
So many of them ended with me ripping shit apart with gorilla arms xD
So many of them ended with me ripping shit apart with gorilla arms xD
And before anyone comes in here saying I made it up.
Pictured - a UV index from NOAA saying it was 11.1 Extreme index as of 1pm today. The measurement should repeat for the next two days.
Pictured - a UV index from NOAA saying it was 11.1 Extreme index as of 1pm today. The measurement should repeat for the next two days.
June 20, 2025 at 9:56 PM
And before anyone comes in here saying I made it up.
Pictured - a UV index from NOAA saying it was 11.1 Extreme index as of 1pm today. The measurement should repeat for the next two days.
Pictured - a UV index from NOAA saying it was 11.1 Extreme index as of 1pm today. The measurement should repeat for the next two days.
Sage and I are just obsessed with the idea of getting Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, Hannibal, Pusher) and Laura Birn (Foundation, The Crow) in a show together.
I'd watch them literally do anything, so long as they got to talk to each other and size one another up at least once an episode.
I'd watch them literally do anything, so long as they got to talk to each other and size one another up at least once an episode.
June 4, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Sage and I are just obsessed with the idea of getting Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, Hannibal, Pusher) and Laura Birn (Foundation, The Crow) in a show together.
I'd watch them literally do anything, so long as they got to talk to each other and size one another up at least once an episode.
I'd watch them literally do anything, so long as they got to talk to each other and size one another up at least once an episode.
BONUS
There's a reason we spent 1700 years perfecting armor, shields, and defensive battle formations. Firearms were the great leveler, but prior to them - a suit of the most magnificent steel and gilt armor paled in comparison to the value of a noble lord's safety in combat. No expense was spared
There's a reason we spent 1700 years perfecting armor, shields, and defensive battle formations. Firearms were the great leveler, but prior to them - a suit of the most magnificent steel and gilt armor paled in comparison to the value of a noble lord's safety in combat. No expense was spared
June 2, 2025 at 9:23 PM
BONUS
There's a reason we spent 1700 years perfecting armor, shields, and defensive battle formations. Firearms were the great leveler, but prior to them - a suit of the most magnificent steel and gilt armor paled in comparison to the value of a noble lord's safety in combat. No expense was spared
There's a reason we spent 1700 years perfecting armor, shields, and defensive battle formations. Firearms were the great leveler, but prior to them - a suit of the most magnificent steel and gilt armor paled in comparison to the value of a noble lord's safety in combat. No expense was spared
Even a 1-foot long, 2-inch wooden dowl would add five hundred pounds of shear force to the gate and would cost you NOTHING, let alone a similar length of iron (40,000 additional PSI to shear it).
Thank you for stopping by. You're welcome and I'm sorry in equal measure.
Thank you for stopping by. You're welcome and I'm sorry in equal measure.
May 25, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Even a 1-foot long, 2-inch wooden dowl would add five hundred pounds of shear force to the gate and would cost you NOTHING, let alone a similar length of iron (40,000 additional PSI to shear it).
Thank you for stopping by. You're welcome and I'm sorry in equal measure.
Thank you for stopping by. You're welcome and I'm sorry in equal measure.
The counterweight would be about equal to the weight of the portcullis, so plates of iron or blocks of stone would hang within the gatehouse - helping to raise and lower it smoothly.
UNSECURED, it'd be as heavy as a pickup truck with a couple dozen feet of heavy ropes or chains in the bed.
UNSECURED, it'd be as heavy as a pickup truck with a couple dozen feet of heavy ropes or chains in the bed.
May 25, 2025 at 11:33 PM
The counterweight would be about equal to the weight of the portcullis, so plates of iron or blocks of stone would hang within the gatehouse - helping to raise and lower it smoothly.
UNSECURED, it'd be as heavy as a pickup truck with a couple dozen feet of heavy ropes or chains in the bed.
UNSECURED, it'd be as heavy as a pickup truck with a couple dozen feet of heavy ropes or chains in the bed.
During normal use, the portcullis' crank would be as difficult to use as a heavy shopping cart or steering wheel without power steering fluid. The wheels/turnstiles were usually large and heavy, too, applying HUGE (if slow) force to hoist the rope/chain incrementally up into its storage place.
May 25, 2025 at 11:33 PM
During normal use, the portcullis' crank would be as difficult to use as a heavy shopping cart or steering wheel without power steering fluid. The wheels/turnstiles were usually large and heavy, too, applying HUGE (if slow) force to hoist the rope/chain incrementally up into its storage place.
ADHD pedantic #TTRPG vent:
I'm exhausted by the fantasy tropes involving gates and doors. In a podcast I tried, there was a "solid iron" portcullis barring entry. The PCs tried to lift it. Of course the GM said "it's a DC 30! It's solid iron!"
Allow me a moment to explain why it bugs me...
I'm exhausted by the fantasy tropes involving gates and doors. In a podcast I tried, there was a "solid iron" portcullis barring entry. The PCs tried to lift it. Of course the GM said "it's a DC 30! It's solid iron!"
Allow me a moment to explain why it bugs me...
May 25, 2025 at 11:33 PM
ADHD pedantic #TTRPG vent:
I'm exhausted by the fantasy tropes involving gates and doors. In a podcast I tried, there was a "solid iron" portcullis barring entry. The PCs tried to lift it. Of course the GM said "it's a DC 30! It's solid iron!"
Allow me a moment to explain why it bugs me...
I'm exhausted by the fantasy tropes involving gates and doors. In a podcast I tried, there was a "solid iron" portcullis barring entry. The PCs tried to lift it. Of course the GM said "it's a DC 30! It's solid iron!"
Allow me a moment to explain why it bugs me...
Moon.
Sage got me a telescope for my birthday i'd have never ever spent the money on - not bad for my second ever photo with it in the middle of light-polluted Las Vegas, lol
Sage got me a telescope for my birthday i'd have never ever spent the money on - not bad for my second ever photo with it in the middle of light-polluted Las Vegas, lol
May 19, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Moon.
Sage got me a telescope for my birthday i'd have never ever spent the money on - not bad for my second ever photo with it in the middle of light-polluted Las Vegas, lol
Sage got me a telescope for my birthday i'd have never ever spent the money on - not bad for my second ever photo with it in the middle of light-polluted Las Vegas, lol
I had hernia surgery on the 1st of May. Basically, i had to take the month off to baby the surgery and ensure i didn't rip open stitches on an extremely restrictive, annoying diet.
I had no idea just how SHREDDED my regulatory system was until I had 4 weeks "off" to do practically zilch
#ADHDChat
I had no idea just how SHREDDED my regulatory system was until I had 4 weeks "off" to do practically zilch
#ADHDChat
May 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
I had hernia surgery on the 1st of May. Basically, i had to take the month off to baby the surgery and ensure i didn't rip open stitches on an extremely restrictive, annoying diet.
I had no idea just how SHREDDED my regulatory system was until I had 4 weeks "off" to do practically zilch
#ADHDChat
I had no idea just how SHREDDED my regulatory system was until I had 4 weeks "off" to do practically zilch
#ADHDChat
What really stings me is: the opening pre-outbreak scenes in The Last of Us episodes 1 and 2 were my favorite parts of the entire show. I liked those 12 minutes more than both of the games combined.
Completely fabricated for the show - they're EXACTLY what I crave in horror sci-fi.
Alas.
Completely fabricated for the show - they're EXACTLY what I crave in horror sci-fi.
Alas.
April 26, 2025 at 10:10 PM
What really stings me is: the opening pre-outbreak scenes in The Last of Us episodes 1 and 2 were my favorite parts of the entire show. I liked those 12 minutes more than both of the games combined.
Completely fabricated for the show - they're EXACTLY what I crave in horror sci-fi.
Alas.
Completely fabricated for the show - they're EXACTLY what I crave in horror sci-fi.
Alas.
One thing that studying Warhammer 40k for the past few months has made abundantly clear - if people think your game is cool and stylish, they'll learn to play it, regardless of how complex or daunting the rules might seem.
April 16, 2025 at 8:04 PM
One thing that studying Warhammer 40k for the past few months has made abundantly clear - if people think your game is cool and stylish, they'll learn to play it, regardless of how complex or daunting the rules might seem.