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You are here: Home / Archives for Dave

March Fo(u)rth for GM’s Day Sale 2010

March 3, 2010 by Dave

DriveThruRPG is having its annual March 4th sale, and extending it a few days after that. In case you didn’t get your fill from the Haiti bundle (and really, who could get their fill of RPG books?) there’s plenty of good stuff to be had on sale, whether you’re buying it for your awesome GM who lets you have that radiant weapon you’ve been seeking, or just stocking up for yourself.

Filed Under: News, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: drivethrurpg, sale

Critical Hits Podcast #19: 4e DMing Tips Seminar

February 25, 2010 by Dave

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.

Filed Under: Critical Hits Podcast, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, DMing tips, syndcon

Critical Hits Podcast #18: Planning Your Campaign Using the 5×5 Method Seminar

February 24, 2010 by Dave

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.

Filed Under: Critical Hits Podcast, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 5x5 method, campaign planning, seminar, syndcon

Critical Hits Podcast #17: Demolishing the Edition War – Roleplaying in 4e Seminar

February 18, 2010 by Dave

Matt James of Loremaster, David Phillips, and myself gave a talk at synDCon 2010 about the origins of the Edition War in D&D, using skills for magical effects, why combat might be prevalent, tips for using skill challenges to increase roleplaying, and more.

Filed Under: Critical Hits Podcast, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, edition war, seminar

Critical Hits Podcast #16: Creating Challenging Encounters Seminar

February 16, 2010 by Dave

Matt James of Loremaster, Erik Nowak of Blackdirge Publishing/Goodman Games, and myself gave a talk at synDCon 2010 about creating challenging encounters in 4e. Everything from reverse skill challenges to Beholder tunnels to fighting Orcus at level 1 is covered.

Filed Under: Critical Hits Podcast, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, encounters

Inq. of the Week: Age of Dragons

February 16, 2010 by Dave

Last weekend, while at synDCon, I managed to get into some quick demos of the Dragon Age tabletop RPG run by Hal of Green Ronin. I left with boxed set in hand, so expect a full review coming sometime soon after I get a chance to pour over it, but suffice it to say we couldn’t help but swap some stories about playing the video game.

Filed Under: Featured, Inquisition of the Week, Roleplaying Games, Video Games Tagged With: dragon age

Inq. of the Week: Gotta Mutate ‘Em All

February 8, 2010 by Dave

While reports leaked out ahead of time, it was the D&D Experience convention where a full announcement was made about a new edition of the Gamma World RPG, based on the 4e D&D rules. During the announcement came one major surprise: they would make random “booster packs” available to supplement the mutations that happen in the radiation soaked Gamma World and the ancient technology that waits to be discovered.

Filed Under: Board, Card, and Miniature Games, Editorial, Featured, Inquisition of the Week, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, D&DXP, ddxp2010, gamma world, magic the gathering

Review: “Martial Power 2”

February 6, 2010 by Dave

You might be asking yourself why you need a second Martial Power book, especially as classes are getting more options in DDI. Well, here’s the big factor for me: I find the “builds” of each class to be one of the more interesting parts of the game. In the original Martial Power, there were a few snoozer builds alongside some awesome builds. In Martial Power 2, all the builds look fun and portray different concepts.

Filed Under: Featured, Reviews, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, martial power 2

D&D XP 2010: Dark Sun Characters

January 29, 2010 by Dave

Here are scans of all 6 characters being run in the adventure “Dark Sun: Death in the Arena” here at D&D XP.

Filed Under: Featured, News, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, D&D, D&D XP, dark sun

D&D XP 2010: Dungeons & Dragons Essentials

January 29, 2010 by Dave

During the last quarter, WotC will roll out a product line designed for new players. The game’s core is what was being called the “4e Red Box.” The prototype image was styled after the original D&D Red Box, and contains enough for a few players to play (including some tokens and maps), but can also be played solo. What was interesting to me was the “walkthrough” approach to the rules, where the book is designed to come with you to learn the rules as you play.

Filed Under: News, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, D&D, D&D essentials, dungeon tiles, red box

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About the Author

  • 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.

    Email: dave@critical-hits.com

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