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You are here: Home / Archives for 2009

Archives for 2009

You’re a Mean One, Mr. Gish

December 17, 2009 by Dave

I have posted my entry into the Winter Holiday Encounter Contest, an adventure for 5 15th level PCs that takes them up the slopes of Mt. Crunchit to face a certain green-skinned thief and his trusted companion with a fake horn.

Filed Under: Critical Bits, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, holiday, winter, wotc

YouTube Tuesday: Rule the Sky Edition

December 15, 2009 by Dave

Animated trailer for EN Publishing’s War of the Burning Sky adventure path, spanning all levels, available for both 3.5e and 4e D&D. Pretty cool teaser, and besides, how often do you get to see a trailer for D&D adventures?

Filed Under: Roleplaying Games, YouTube Tuesday Tagged With: 3.5e, 4e, enworld, war of the burning sky

Chasing the Dream: Chatty Moves One Step Closer…

December 15, 2009 by The Chatty DM

A few weeks ago I wrote a very personal post about the state of me and what I wanted to do with my still nascent writing life. In that article, I posted a list of what I wanted to do in the short to mid term to achieve my ultimate goal: becoming a writer that […]

Filed Under: blogging, Freelance Writing, Musings of the Chatty DM

Inq. of the Week: Seasons Greetings

December 14, 2009 by Dave

I’ve run a few adventures in wintery climes (they go hand in hand with frost giants, after all) and it does add an extra flavor above and beyond the normal temperate adventures. That’s my way of using gaming to introduce this real world question…

Filed Under: Featured, Inquisition of the Week, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: cold, fall, ice, spring, summer, weather, winter

Creativity and the RPG Mind: Part 2, The Right Answer

December 14, 2009 by The Chatty DM

Way back at the end of September, I wrote an introductory post to a new series where I would explore how creativity is expressed (or stiffed) in the RPG geek’s mind.   Based on the ‘A Whack on the Side of the Head‘ by creativity Guru Roger von Oech, I wish to explore the common barriers […]

Filed Under: Musings of the Chatty DM, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: advice, Creativity

Critical Bits for the week ending 2009-12-12

December 12, 2009 by Gato the News Robot

Chris Sims and Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens talk about the size of the gaming industry and so-called rival designers http://bit.ly/8UwZBP # iPhone as Helper Pixie (iPhone apps for RPGs) http://bit.ly/5vPitl # RT @Comixace: CHime in on DC's latest Big Two reboot — EARTH ONE http://bit.ly/8itzUD # I approve. http://bit.ly/4DNb2e # The magic items that WotC […]

Filed Under: Critical Bits Tagged With: twitter

Gears of Ruin: Creating PC-specific Clockwork Mechanics.

December 11, 2009 by The Chatty DM

My new Gears of Ruin Clockwork D&D 4e campaign starts as soon as the holidays are over (with a pre-campaign session right before). I’ve spoken a bit about what the setting would be.  I’m moving away from my traditional fantasy world and creating a new one based on Clockwork Fantasy tropes (Girl Genius, Iron Kingdoms, […]

Filed Under: Musings of the Chatty DM, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, chatty's, Gears of Ruin, Tropes, world building

Review: “The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos”

December 10, 2009 by Bartoneus

The Plane Below is the first of several 4th Edition D&D books that delve into a bit more detail on specific planes and the kinds of adventures that can be found within them, as the title indicates this one focuses on the Elemental Chaos and everything pertaining to it.

Filed Under: Featured, Reviews, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, 4th Edition, D&D, dnd, Dungeons and Dragons, plane below, Reviews, Roleplaying Games, roleplaying games

Chatty’s Ptolus 4e Demo: A Tail of Two Shities, Part 3

December 10, 2009 by The Chatty DM

See part 1 here and part 2 here. Rat and Roll! After the PCs rested for a few minutes, they continued deeper in the complex of caves and crypts.  They eventually found the fleeing rats and followed their light to a large chamber.  As they approached, they heard a rumbling sound, like stone rubbing on […]

Filed Under: Musings of the Chatty DM, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, Game Demo, Ptolus

Chatty’s Ptolus 4e Demo: A Tail of Two Shities, Part 2

December 9, 2009 by The Chatty DM

See part 1 here. Of Kobolds and Rats As I mentioned in my pre-game post, the actual ‘dungeon’ of the adventure was a modified version of the Dungeon Master Guide’s ‘Kobold Hall’.  In fact, I took Area 1, 3 and 4 and modified them to my needs.  All kobolds became ratlings and I added a few other […]

Filed Under: Musings of the Chatty DM, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, Game Demo, Ptolus

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  • Dave

    Dave "The Game" Chalker is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of Critical Hits. Since 2005, he has been bringing readers game news and advice, as well as editing nearly everything published here. He is the designer of the Origins Award-winning Get Bit!, a freelance designer and developer, son of a science fiction author, and a Master of Arts. He lives in MD with e and at least three dogs.

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