Back in my day, you had to turn in government stamps just to play a game of pong! We used to have to steal ram chips just to remember where we lived! My daddy worked on the parallel port, and worked 256 shifts manufacturing computer metaphors! And all you damn kids want is more explosions. I’ll have none of it!
The Soft Landing: Pax East Highlights
Late night board gaming, meeting Wil Wheaton, running the DM challenge, and much more in the Chatty DM’s trip to Pax East.
Oh, and Silver Bulettes that crap gravitational anomalies.
Mailbag Memo
Please don’t hesitate to send me email or leave a comment about questions you have. I’m willing to answer just about anything I legally and conscionably can about games, the industry, freelancing, and working professionally at Wizards of the Coast. I’ll share opinions and facts, as well as how I’d run my game or recommend you solve a problem you have. I have a few questions already, but more is better. Don’t be shy just because I’m a cannibalistic demihuman. (I do bite.) Go ahead, email me. I dare you.
The Melias Prophecy
Prophecies and predictions can play a large part in any RPG campaign. Cryptic messages and foreboding tales can herald apocalyptic destruction or miraculous saviours. The kingdom of Melias worships one such insightful text and after generations of zealous worship, the time for prosperous glory has almost arrived for the people of this kingdom. As the people of Melias wage war with the nomadic tribes of Orcs that infest their homeland, they place their hope and faith in the hands of a young king, heralded as the Kelliha, bringer of glory. Unfortunately one of the kingdoms sages has stumbled upon a cipher that shows the Melias Prophecy in new and devastating light.
Emergence & Reentry
Hello everyone! I’m Chris Sims, former Wizards of the Coast designer and editor. You might know me from my editing work on the 3e D&D game (Rules Compendium), my design work for the 4e game (Martial Power, MM, MM2, and so on), or from D&D Insider. I’m joining my friends here at Critical-Hits, because I enjoy talking, thinking, and writing about games and generally geeky stuff.
The Short Epic Tale
ne of the things that still bewilders me after nearly 30 years of RPGs is how many of us insist on following specific conceits that were rarely, if ever, hardwired in the rules. For instance, what’s with having such long campaign lengths and the necessity to stick with the same PC as long as it remains alive? I’ve talked to so many people online and during cons bemoan that they can’t try a new class or a new RPG because ‘we’re playing this one epic campaign, maybe after…’ Say What? Why must so many campaigns be these epic tales lasting x amount of actual real life years? Why is it so important to ‘get to the end of the game’?
Inq. of the Week: Modifying Your Game
During the week in which that question was asked, we ran a week of homebrew rules, some advice, and even a mini-game. I hope you enjoyed it- if you’d like to see more like that, or have any other ideas for theme weeks, let us know. And to close out the homebrew week, I ask the following question in relation…
Is It The Beards?
Standing on average between 4’8” to 5’6”, Half-Dwarves retain the muscular stature of their Dwarven heritage. The barrel-like frame of the Half-Dwarf means their weight usually exceeds both of their parent’s averages at 180lbs to 240lbs. Skin tone, hair and eye colour tend to come from the Human parent with the grey and sandstone skin tones of the Dwarves rarely occurring amongst the mixed race. Hair and beards remain thick amongst the males, whilst females grow either very little or no facial hair.
Crafting Your Adventure
How about that for a title? It’s pretty audacious, acting like I’m about to deliver some sort of authoritative how-to guide. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that a better title would be, “Crafting MY Adventure,” and still better, “Crafting This One Adventure Once.”
Review: “Player’s Handbook 3”
The Player’s Handbook 3 is the newest core release for 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons that introduces a lot of new content including the psionic power source. In much the same way the PHB2 introduced primal classes with a back story, this book lays out the changes to any D&D world that might bring about psionic characters and races. If you’re a fan of psionics, miss rangers that could cast natural spells, want to play classes that are more versatile and flexible, or if you’re just looking for some new options for your 4th edition game you really should check out this book.
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