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You are here: Home / Archives for Newest Critical Hits / Columns / Critical Threats

The 5×5 Dungeon: The Temple of Elemental Evil

January 31, 2011 by Dave

To finish off the paragon tier, the PCs in my game headed into one of the most classic dungeons out there: The Temple of Elemental Evil. I started with the original module (while not being slavish to it), then hacked away to adapt pieces to my game and involve major NPCs from earlier. However, I had a very specific style in mind that would feel like a big dungeon crawl.

Filed Under: Critical Threats, Featured, Game Hacks & Content, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, 5x5, temple of elemental evil

My Love Letter to “Mage: The Ascension”

January 4, 2011 by Dave

Dave looks back at the 2nd edition of “Mage: The Ascension,” how he got into the game, why it never stuck as a campaign, and how it rewired his teenage brain.

Filed Under: Critical Threats, Editorial, Featured, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: mage: the ascension, old world of darkness, white wolf, world of darkness

“Leverage” RPG: The Misidentified Dolphin Job

December 13, 2010 by Dave

The Miami Crew helps out a disgraced football player by reversing a lookalike brother con into a Kansas City Shuffle within a Xanatos Gambit.

Filed Under: Critical Threats, Editorial, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: Actual Play, leverage

The Gammarizer: Bringing Your Town to Gamma Terra

November 28, 2010 by Dave

The Gammarizer is my attempt at a semi-random adventure generation tool for Gamma World. You start with a location all the players are familiar with (like your hometown) and then change it to fit into the post-apocalyptic setting of Gamma Terra, and in the process, generate an adventure on the fly. This method focuses on using the elements of a setting and altering it to connect to the origins of the PCs to give it that Gamma flavor and a personal connection.

Filed Under: Critical Threats, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: gamma world

Gamma World Actual Play: “Pax Extraterrestria” at DC Game Day

October 13, 2010 by Dave

I picked up Gamma World last Thursday. I hadn’t intended to run it so soon, especially with DC Game Day over the weekend… and then fate intervened. My sunday morning game of Old School Hack was canceled on Saturday since the DM had something come up, and so I stepped up. None of the other players minded the switch, so life in Gamma Terra was on.

Filed Under: Critical Threats, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: dc game day, gamma world

Dave’s Gen Con 2010 Wrap-up

August 14, 2010 by Dave

So you may have seen all the Gen Con schedules posted last week that told you where various Critical Hits staff members were going to be, I am going to buck the trend and tell you where I WAS at Gen Con… or at least the highlights.

Filed Under: Board, Card, and Miniature Games, Critical Threats, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: con report, gen con, gen con 2010

Gen Con 2010: Drinking Dungeons & Dragons

August 11, 2010 by Dave

Now years ago, it started as a joke: making a drinking game out of 4e Dungeons & Dragons. After that, it became an annual tradition at Gen Con for some of our closest blogger friends those first two years, run by ChattyDM. I offered to step in and spear-head the DD&D game, if he would collaborate with me and run a second table. An accord was struck and the planning began: a Drinking Dungeons & Dragons event for Gen Con to top all the previous.

Filed Under: Critical Threats, Featured, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, dd&d, gen con, gen con 2010

Origins 2010: “Game Design is Mind Control” Seminar

June 29, 2010 by Dave

During Origins 2010, I dropped by a packed seminar run by Luke Crane and Jared Sorensen. Luke Crane is the designer of Burning Wheel and Mouse Guard RPGs, of which we (mainly ChattyDM) have spoken of on many occasions. Jared Sorensen is the game designer behind a number of games including Action Castle and the […]

Filed Under: Board, Card, and Miniature Games, Critical Threats, News, Roleplaying Games, Video Games Tagged With: action castle, Burning Wheel, game design, jared sorensen, luke crane, Mouse Guard, origins, Origins 2010, parsley

Air War: A Skill Challenge

May 27, 2010 by Dave

I’ve done a few airship skill challenges before, thanks to a motley Dwarven pirate airship. Escape from the giant dragon air skill challenge and oh crap the airship is crashing skill challenge both had been done, so for this one, I envisioned something like the space battles in Star Wars, like the trench run but in a more open space. Thus, I consulted Gamefiend, the mad genius of skill challenges, for his help in designing it. One Skype call later (and then another day of planning later) I came up with the following skill challenge.

Filed Under: Critical Threats, Featured, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, air war, airships, final fantasy, skill challenges, star wars, trench run, we got deathstar (deathstar)

4th Power Project: Playtest Recap & Wealth

November 23, 2009 by Dave

On Halloween, I ran the first ever playtest. I designed all the characters, constructed a scenario, recruited members of my regular D&D group, and GMed the game. I am definitely happy to report one thing: the game didn’t combust in on itself.

Filed Under: Critical Threats, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4th power, 4th power project

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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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