This guy consistently wrote some of the best articles I've read on dndbeyond.com. Impractical, fun-loving advice that helped balance the more 'serious' approach to actual practical game-running advice. In other words, amidst all the rules and RAW vs RAI vs "what works at my table" arguments, the articles by @dantelfer was a great reminder that D&D is still just a game with plenty of out-of-the-box ways to have fun with it. The Infinite Corpse of Nonsense article series still keeps me coming back to it for fun little ideas.
Unfortunately, a great many people strongly disliked his content. They thought it cluttered up the home page with "un-DnDish" content, and was sometimes too juvenile. I am not sure if this is the reason that that the articles stopped, but it may have contributed.
However, I really liked the articles, particularly the one about describing innocent objects in a way that makes them seem dangerous. I would enjoy seeing more of Dan Telfer.
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A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
<sarcasm> Well, yeah, D&D is a serious, mature game for serious, mature adults. Any attempt to trivialize it should be condemned. Imagination and creativity on this site MUST be restrained to the guidelines published in the official WotC materials and their formal associates. </sarcasm>
Oh well. If anyone knows whether the guy maintains a non-dndbeyond.com blog where he posts, I'd appreciate a link.
I prefer funny stories of D&D sessions. Dan had only a couple of those. The rest focused a lot on pranks to play on players. I find that cute on occasion as I do with ways to ruin a DM's plan, but not all the time.
I got the feeling that the columns were more about bad advice parody than actual sage advice, though. It was never stated, but that's how I felt about them (and that's just me). Maybe I was wrong about that. Many people seemed to take the articles as gospel what-to-do advice.
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
People who took Dan Telfer's columns as How To D&D Properly were, and are, too dumb to live. That was much of the point of his columns - to poke fun at tables so full of themselves they've forgotten how to laugh, and to remind us all that this is a game we play for fun and we should maybe not take it quite so life-and-death seriously all the time.
A table should have room for drama, but also room for sneaking the ettin penis you shot off in that last encounter into the bedroll of the pompous sorcerer who screwed up your recon run and triggered the fight in the first place. And frankly, his articles on the Dead Body of Infinite Red Herrings were a ******* masterpiece of nose-tweakery and getting players to laugh their way out of some bad habits.
Not everything he wrote landed, no. But frankly, not everything James Haeck lands these days, either. I hate that Encounter of the Week has turned into "Promote Our Next Book with This Microcampaign That's COMPLETELY USELESS If You're Not Playing Our Next Book!" instead of a series of standalone encounters that a DM can use to rescue a session they underprepped or use as inspiration for world events, the way it started as. But that's fine. The entire point of writing is to produce enough content that everybody gets something they like sometimes, rather than trying to land everything all the time.
People who took Dan Telfer's columns as How To D&D Properly were, and are, too dumb to live. That was much of the point of his columns - to poke fun at tables so full of themselves they've forgotten how to laugh, and to remind us all that this is a game we play for fun and we should maybe not take it quite so life-and-death seriously all the time.
A table should have room for drama, but also room for sneaking the ettin penis you shot off in that last encounter into the bedroll of the pompous sorcerer who screwed up your recon run and triggered the fight in the first place. And frankly, his articles on the Dead Body of Infinite Red Herrings were a ****ing masterpiece of nose-tweakery and getting players to laugh their way out of some bad habits.
Not everything he wrote landed, no. But frankly, not everything James Haeck lands these days, either. I hate that Encounter of the Week has turned into "Promote Our Next Book with This Microcampaign That's COMPLETELY USELESS If You're Not Playing Our Next Book!" instead of a series of standalone encounters that a DM can use to rescue a session they underprepped or use as inspiration for world events, the way it started as. But that's fine. The entire point of writing is to produce enough content that everybody gets something they like sometimes, rather than trying to land everything all the time.
Stand alone encounters are nice. I don’t mind prelude encounters but I haven’t really liked the mail delivery storyline of the current set.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I think (and I could be wrong) that JtW is referring to a locked thread where many members were criticizing things that seemed to me (and possibly only to me) to be misunderstanding/misinterpreting the intention of the articles.
In context of the whole response, JtW misses the articles, too.
I never wanted the articles to stop - just more variety than mostly making fun of DMs pranking Players. I can't read everything published, but I always made a point to read Dan's.
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Unfortunately, a great many people strongly disliked his content.
Coming from someone who posts regularly on the 277 page "Last Comment Wins" thread, I don't find that very credible.
There's a difference between an off-topic thread in an off-topic forum, and (unfnny, IMO) satire posts as Articles on the front page of the site, especially since they were almost daily and pushing down articles that were actually helpful.
My issue wasn't really the fact I found them distasteful - everyone is different, to each their own - it was just how many they were. There was a helpful article put up but within hours it was pushed off the front page due to the flood of Dan's posts. I found it a mild inconvenience but little more than that. I'd have preferred him to slow down or something but it was just my preference - I can easily ignore them. But others were a lot more incensed. There was a rant-thread somebody made about it, even required mods to step in to calm people down as their insults to Dan were getting extreme. The comments on Dan's pages were even worse and there were personal attacks against him too. It was disgusting to read at times. It very much seemed like there were more than a few people who truly hated his posts and him for making them.
Personally I don't miss them. But I wasn't offended by them or anything. Some people did like them and so I think he should have continued making them (just less frequently). However, he did receive a lot of very negative feedback so I'm not surprised he doesn't write here anymore.
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Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond. Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ thisFAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
Unfortunately, a great many people strongly disliked his content.
Coming from someone who posts regularly on the 277 page "Last Comment Wins" thread, I don't find that very credible.
Really? I'm not exactly sure what the Last Comment Wins thread has to do about this, but I know that a lot of people did not like his content. Read the comment sections on any of these articles:
(If you think my posting in the "Last Comment Wins" thread means that I don't understand what good humor is, you are wrong. I have won awards for some of my satirical fiction.)
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A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
Really? I'm not exactly sure what the Last Comment Wins thread has to do about this, but I know that a lot of people did not like his content. Read the comment sections on any of these articles:
Comments threads mostly detect the opinions of a small number of loudmouths, which may not be very representative.
Really? I'm not exactly sure what the Last Comment Wins thread has to do about this, but I know that a lot of people did not like his content. Read the comment sections on any of these articles:
Comments threads mostly detect the opinions of a small number of loudmouths, which may not be very representative.
True.
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A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
Dan, many of us love your posts and enjoy the comical style. It's also fun to interject comedy into games and the way you do it is fantastic. Also a big fan of your show don't go a week without Nerd Poker! Hope to see your articles flooding the pages again soon.
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This guy consistently wrote some of the best articles I've read on dndbeyond.com. Impractical, fun-loving advice that helped balance the more 'serious' approach to actual practical game-running advice. In other words, amidst all the rules and RAW vs RAI vs "what works at my table" arguments, the articles by @dantelfer was a great reminder that D&D is still just a game with plenty of out-of-the-box ways to have fun with it. The Infinite Corpse of Nonsense article series still keeps me coming back to it for fun little ideas.
Unfortunately, a great many people strongly disliked his content. They thought it cluttered up the home page with "un-DnDish" content, and was sometimes too juvenile. I am not sure if this is the reason that that the articles stopped, but it may have contributed.
However, I really liked the articles, particularly the one about describing innocent objects in a way that makes them seem dangerous. I would enjoy seeing more of Dan Telfer.
A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
My Improved Lineage System
<sarcasm>
Well, yeah, D&D is a serious, mature game for serious, mature adults. Any attempt to trivialize it should be condemned. Imagination and creativity on this site MUST be restrained to the guidelines published in the official WotC materials and their formal associates.
</sarcasm>
Oh well. If anyone knows whether the guy maintains a non-dndbeyond.com blog where he posts, I'd appreciate a link.
Why not ask him yourself?
https://www.dndbeyond.com/members/DanTelfer
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I feel I may have been a bit too critical.
I prefer funny stories of D&D sessions. Dan had only a couple of those. The rest focused a lot on pranks to play on players. I find that cute on occasion as I do with ways to ruin a DM's plan, but not all the time.
I got the feeling that the columns were more about bad advice parody than actual sage advice, though. It was never stated, but that's how I felt about them (and that's just me). Maybe I was wrong about that. Many people seemed to take the articles as gospel what-to-do advice.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
People who took Dan Telfer's columns as How To D&D Properly were, and are, too dumb to live. That was much of the point of his columns - to poke fun at tables so full of themselves they've forgotten how to laugh, and to remind us all that this is a game we play for fun and we should maybe not take it quite so life-and-death seriously all the time.
A table should have room for drama, but also room for sneaking the ettin penis you shot off in that last encounter into the bedroll of the pompous sorcerer who screwed up your recon run and triggered the fight in the first place. And frankly, his articles on the Dead Body of Infinite Red Herrings were a ******* masterpiece of nose-tweakery and getting players to laugh their way out of some bad habits.
Not everything he wrote landed, no. But frankly, not everything James Haeck lands these days, either. I hate that Encounter of the Week has turned into "Promote Our Next Book with This Microcampaign That's COMPLETELY USELESS If You're Not Playing Our Next Book!" instead of a series of standalone encounters that a DM can use to rescue a session they underprepped or use as inspiration for world events, the way it started as. But that's fine. The entire point of writing is to produce enough content that everybody gets something they like sometimes, rather than trying to land everything all the time.
Please do not contact or message me.
Stand alone encounters are nice. I don’t mind prelude encounters but I haven’t really liked the mail delivery storyline of the current set.
I would like to read more Dan Telder articles, just sayin'.
It's a mystery (I'm more behind-the-scenes on other projects for the moment)!
___________________________________________________
Dungeon Master of Nerd Poker - a D&D podcast
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Happy to see you around :)
Glad to hear that. Yours were some of the articles that I read the most. Glad to know you are still with the team.
Here's hoping to see you before-the-scenes again!
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Coming from someone who posts regularly on the 277 page "Last Comment Wins" thread, I don't find that very credible.
I think (and I could be wrong) that JtW is referring to a locked thread where many members were criticizing things that seemed to me (and possibly only to me) to be misunderstanding/misinterpreting the intention of the articles.
In context of the whole response, JtW misses the articles, too.
I never wanted the articles to stop - just more variety than mostly making fun of DMs pranking Players. I can't read everything published, but I always made a point to read Dan's.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
There's a difference between an off-topic thread in an off-topic forum, and (unfnny, IMO) satire posts as Articles on the front page of the site, especially since they were almost daily and pushing down articles that were actually helpful.
My issue wasn't really the fact I found them distasteful - everyone is different, to each their own - it was just how many they were. There was a helpful article put up but within hours it was pushed off the front page due to the flood of Dan's posts. I found it a mild inconvenience but little more than that. I'd have preferred him to slow down or something but it was just my preference - I can easily ignore them. But others were a lot more incensed. There was a rant-thread somebody made about it, even required mods to step in to calm people down as their insults to Dan were getting extreme. The comments on Dan's pages were even worse and there were personal attacks against him too. It was disgusting to read at times. It very much seemed like there were more than a few people who truly hated his posts and him for making them.
Personally I don't miss them. But I wasn't offended by them or anything. Some people did like them and so I think he should have continued making them (just less frequently). However, he did receive a lot of very negative feedback so I'm not surprised he doesn't write here anymore.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
Really? I'm not exactly sure what the Last Comment Wins thread has to do about this, but I know that a lot of people did not like his content. Read the comment sections on any of these articles:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/692-upcoming-2020-d-d-content-you-wont-get?page=2 If you look in the comment section of this one, you won't find any negative comments. That's because all of them got taken down for personally attacking Telfer and other commenters.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/686-faerun-holidays-we-should-probably-forget-about?page=3 Again, the comments on this one were taken down.
Here's a link to the rest of the articles.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/tag/comedy
(If you think my posting in the "Last Comment Wins" thread means that I don't understand what good humor is, you are wrong. I have won awards for some of my satirical fiction.)
A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
My Improved Lineage System
Comments threads mostly detect the opinions of a small number of loudmouths, which may not be very representative.
True.
A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
My Improved Lineage System
That's awesome, Dan! I'm glad you're still involved with the team. :)
Dan, many of us love your posts and enjoy the comical style. It's also fun to interject comedy into games and the way you do it is fantastic. Also a big fan of your show don't go a week without Nerd Poker! Hope to see your articles flooding the pages again soon.