Welcome back to this series about helping D&D 4e DM’s keep up with players who manage to become more performing than the game’s default assumption. In part 1, I described the “Secret Synergy Bonus” that made players a lot better at dealing with combat encounters that should otherwise be more challenging. Then in part 2, […]
Five Things I Would Like WotC to Do With D&D in 2011
With all of the 2010 predictions going on, I thought it might be fun to look at the five things I’d like to see WotC do with Dungeons & Dragons in 2011. Why 2011 instead of 2010? It’s very likely the WotC production schedule has already fully planned out their line for 2010. Any desires I have will likely have to wait until 2011 to become reality.
Keeping up with the PCs: Part 2, What Not to Do and Quick Fixes
In part 1, I discussed a common occurrence in D&D 4e where parties becomes much stronger than they should be through what I called the ‘Secret Synergy Bonus.’ This occurs when players figure how to play their PCs as a focused team based on good communication and smart use of power combos to increase combat efficiency […]
Keeping up with the PCs: Part 1, The Secret Synergy Bonus
Many D&D 4e DMs have experienced, over the last 18 months, a shift in their gaming group’s performance. PCs have become capable of taking absolutely everything thrown at them with more ease than the game rules assume. Encounters at the PCs’ levels barely make a dent in the their resources anymore: “Dude, I lost like, just one Healing Surge”. Higher level encounters are also often dealt with with relative ease.
Gears of Ruin: Session 1, Revolutions per Machines, Part 3
See part 1 and part 2. First Contact This combat encounter had 3 goals: Give players a fairly challenging fight to give them a better feel for their PCs’ powers. Set a hostile first contact with mechanical monsters, in this case some undead warforged (you read that right) Spring a surprise on the player by […]
I Hate Magic Items
Here’s the thing I’ve come to realize: I don’t like magic items period. Sure, they are a staple of fantasy literature. And I have a soft spot for certain classes of magical items, like the strange artifact or consumable item that has to be used at just the right time. +1 Swords? Fiery Platemail? Rings of Jumping? Never a fan.
Gears of Ruin: Session 1, Revolutions per Machines, Part 2
See part 1 here. Get me some Competence Porn, stat! The first scene had a few goals. Introduce the PCs to the first important NPCs of the campaign, give them a quest for the night, but more importantly, make them look good! The scene started with the PCs waiting to be summoned to show up […]
Gears of Ruin: Session 1, Revolutions per Machines, Part 1
Last Friday we started our Clockwork D&D campaign. We spent about one hour completing the Party Template I wrote about here then we played a 2 scenes mini-adventure I dubbed ‘RPM’. 🙂 Here’s the 1st game report of what I hope will be yet another awesome campaign. Dramatis Persona Nar-Beth: Female Dwarven Druid from a […]
On 4e Adventures: Part 1, Third Parties and the Freelance Writer
I’m a very instinctive type of guy, and lately my gut feeling has told me that some 3rd party publishers of 4e adventures have left the boat (or are thinking about doing it). For instance, I learned yesterday that Joseph Goodman of Goodman Games has been musing online about adding Pathfinder support to his DCC […]
2009 Retrospective on 4e: The Reality of the Relationship
The honeymoon with 4e is over. 4e and I spent our days in bed cooing softly in one another’s ear, and now it’s time to take stock of the situation. It’s time to codify my biggest gripes about 4e.
Recent Comments