Werewolf: How a parlor game became a tech phenomenon http://is.gd/8Xp5m # Warfare for D&D4e http://is.gd/90lbx # RT @mouseferatu: Available *today*, from Spectra: THE CONQUEROR'S SHADOW, my first published non-tie-in novel. http://tinyurl.com/y8lbh6y # RT @wordwill: Announcing RAZED: http://www.pelgranepress.com/?p=823 # PHB3 Spoilers at RPG net http://bit.ly/9ro3oY # RT @Wizards_DnD: Join the discussion on the Dominating Warlord bit.ly/aJg9pj […]
Archives for February 2010
Review: Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2: It’s like Breakin’ 2 – Electric Boogaloo, but without all that messy breakdancing. You can’t do that in a vacuum. Turbo and Boogaloo Shrimp would implode. That is, unless Special K can discover her biotic abilities in time.
Ashes to Ashes, Death to Life
Character death. Total Party Kill. These words have long been the bane of DMs and players. DMs face scornful players and upset friends when a beloved character dies, and a possible coup when a TPK comes around. While players see their invested time, work and creation disappear before them with a single roll of the dice. Nobody, DMs and players alike, enjoy the idea of starting again or losing a beloved character within the game. However if death is never an option, if DMs fudge rolls so nobody dies, then the thrill and tension of grand battles can very quickly dissipate and the campaign can grow stale.
Critical Hits Podcast #19: 4e DMing Tips Seminar
Lead by Mike Shea of Sly Flourish, joined by Matt James of Loremaster and Dave The Game (myself), the last seminar from synDCon 2010 was about tips for DMs, primarily for 4e D&D but also some tips for GMs of all RPGs. The first part focuses on how to plan a game (and the creative process in general) and the last part talks about tips for running at the table, including ways to run initiative and track conditions.
Character Concepts: Dragonborn
A handful of character concepts and builds for creating an effective and elementally devastating dragonborn. From a Warden/Fighter that spews acid left and right to becoming an all-powerful avatar of the deceased god Io.
Critical Hits Podcast #18: Planning Your Campaign Using the 5×5 Method Seminar
I gave a talk at synDCon 2010 on how to use the 5×5 Method to plan a campaign arc. I took suggestions from the audience and walked through the process, and by the end, we had the structure to start planning.
Gears of Ruin: The Phantom Rails, Part 1
The one rule I gave myself was “Shape the adventure based on the questions your players ask you” and “When in doubt, ask for a skill check”.
It worked wonderfully. So much so that my first true sandbox dungeon adventure probably felt like a seamless linear adventure narrative to my players who probably thought they were just following the path I had made for them.
Video Interview with D&D Creative Manager Chris Perkins
Nick interviews D&D Creative Manager Chris Perkins about being a killer DM, running D&D for celebrities, and making your NPCs memorable by doing voices.
Will of The Forsaken (WTF for short)
There was a full decade of my life when I declared there were two things I’d never play. One was MMO’s. I decided this when a guy I knew quit his job to play Everquest full time and mooch off his girlfriend. The other was collectible card games, because I was astounded at how much money one could drop on them. This decision was made easy to live with by being in college and/or mostly poor. Over the last two years, both of these vows have been broken.
Inq. of the Week: A Whole Lot of Class?
Martial Power 2 comes out tomorrow, and having gotten a look at the book I am very disappointed that my current party does not have any martial classes at all out of eight players, not even through multi-classing. This has led me to wondering exactly which classes all of you are playing and as a result which classes are the most played and which don’t get that much love.
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