There’s been a lot of talk around here lately about epic tier games in 4e (and how it isn’t very much fun, and how we’d all rather have our ever-regenerating livers torn out each morning by eagles than play characters over level 20). I haven’t had any experience with epic tier play in 4e yet, but from the sound of it I cannot wait. I have, however, dabbled in the cosmos-shaking power of epic level characters in previous editions. It sucked too. Let me tell you about it.
Redesigning the Epic Tier
Both Sly Flourish and I have talked a lot lately about the issues we’ve run into at epic levels in D&D. While there are certainly rules issues, I believe fixing them all would take up a lot more than single column. However, I do have some ideas on alternate ways to restructure how the campaign […]
Chatty’s Dream Design Project: An Interactive Primer-RPG
In which Chatty posts something that’s less than 500 words about what his dream game design project would be like. Hop right in and discuss!
Meat, Food, Snacks, Mjölnir
Last week, my preschooler son Sam came home with his very first homework assignment. The task was simple and seasonally festive: he was to sit down with me and his mom and talk about the things he was thankful for in his life, then we’d all make a poster together that involved those things. Having a child of mine respond with “meat”, “food”, and “snacks” was not a real surprise — but this nerd-papa nearly burst at the seams with pride when he said he was thankful for “thunder” and “Mjölnir”. At the end, he summarized everything by saying, “my life is cool city”. I couldn’t disagree. It also made me take stock in what I’m thankful for. I don’t have a preschool class to turn my homework in, so I guess you guys will have to do.
Teach Kids to Game: Nico and Rory’s Stories
In which Chatty revisits most of his “Playing with Children” posts and represents them in anthology form to celebrate “Teach Kids to Game” week.
D&D Zombie Apocalypse, Part 2: The What Ifs
In which Chatty asks a series of questions about the why and the how of a zombie apocalype in a fantasy world and comes up with solid ideas for campaign plots.
If The Dungeon Mama Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy
I’ll admit it: I’d been dreading running last week’s D&D game. It had been over a month since we played, and my trepidation was as much laziness as it was not wanting to dungeon crawl. I’d imagine it was much more my fault than the dungeon module we were running, but I’d somehow managed to suck all the fun out of the game for me. That’s the last thing you want running through the DM’s mind in any group — sooner or later things start to suck for everybody else. A few months later, the group breaks up and one of your roleplayers goes to prison for stabbing a minmaxer. I knew I had to do something. But what?
The Harsh Lessons Of The Starfish Man
Once upon a time, back in high school, I had one of the most epic dreams of my career. In it, an evil man wearing a starfish mask and his army of dwarves had invaded my grandmother’s back yard and were kidnapping my best friend’s dad. A decade later, I based a campaign on this idea, and discovered the true meaning of Christmas. And by Christmas, I mean PAIN. Read on to know how my discovery can make your campaign better. Or something.
Infinite Possibilities, Itty-Bitty Comfort Zone
My nerdcation to Washington DC last month opened my eyes to a lot of things. These included crab chips and secret ginger candies that stop motion sickness. Mostly, it was the exposure to open-form roleplaying games that has been taking up most of my free processor cycles. Despite being the guy in our group that would cheerfully handwave every combat in favor of having an all-roleplay session, I find myself flummoxed when faced with the infinite possibilities of a game like Fiasco. I have a lot of fun when it works, and nobody has fun when it doesn’t.
D&D Zombie Apocalypse, Part 1: Genesis
In which Chatty tells the story of a great 100% made up on the spot D&D 4e game he ran for new players at the New York ComicCon. Be careful, it contains zombies and wolves.
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