Recently Mike Mearls invited people to follow his 1st ‘for fun’ D&D 4e campaign. It’s very loosely based on Gary’s Temple of Elemental Evil, it gives a very good feel of what 4e will be about and it’s all played in one hour sessions. I don’t think reading this will change anyone’s idea on 4e […]
Search Results for: mike mearls
Our D&D Greatest Hits: Chatty’s Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
I was very intrigued with Mike Mearls’ vision of creating a “D&D’s Greatest Hits”. It evokes a plethora of images about modular designs and piecemeal “build your own game” elements that inspires the writer and buding game designer in me. This gave me an idea for a series of post here at Critical Hits. I thought it would be interesting if we shared our five DMing Greatest Hits for some or all of the versions of D&D we played as dungeon masters.
Upcoming 4e Item Rarities and the Great 4e Rebalancing
At the D&D New Products Seminar, and on this post from Mike Mearls, it was stated that, from Essentials on out, items would fall into categories of common, uncommon, and rare. Most existing items, he stated, would fall into the “uncommon” rarity. So why does this matter? It matters because it is the combination of item powers mixed with class, paragon path, epic destiny, and class power effects that often unbalanced the game. With these item combinations much more rare, PCs are more likely to stay balanced. Let’s look at a few specific instances where we’ll see this change.
A DM’s Look at D&D Essentials
Like many of you, I was very interested to hear more about D&D Essentials. A lot of people whisper the threat of “D&D 4.5” and narrow their eyes as they grab a hold of their wallets for fear that Mike Mearls will pluck it out of their hands. We have a lot of questions rolling around in our heads. As primarily a dungeon master, I have a lot of questions about what this will do to my game. Today we’re going to take a look at what D&D Essentials could mean for us dungeon masters.
Interview: Steve Townshend, D&D Freelancer and Co-Author of “Demonomicon”
Steve Townshend is a freelance writer (both for D&D and his own fiction) and actor living in Chicago. We recently had the chance to interview Steve over email about the release of the new D&D Demonomicon book, of which his name shares the cover with Mike Mearls and Brian R. James. We also asked him about story in D&D games, a subject with which he has a lot to say.
A D&D Life
What does D&D mean to me? It’s an important question, because some might think after being laid off (twice) while working on D&D, I might have negative feelings about it. I don’t.
Review: WotC’s “D&D Gaming Enhancer”
“D&D Gaming Enhancer”, as the product is labeled, is a viscous green liquid designed to “make gaming better.” Wizards of the Coast has opted to ship one gallon of the substance to every owner of the Player’s Handbook.
Review: “Monster Manual” for “Dungeons & Dragons” 5th Edition
With a fantastic design, writing that inspires the imagination, and mechanics that make monsters fun to run and fun to fight, the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Monster Manual may very well be the best monster book ever written.
Soft Skill Check
It comes as little surprise to me, then, that when I look back on all the really good DM’s I’ve ever played with, I see a 10d6 fireball made out of people skills. These people manage to complete the cat-herding ritual that is holding a weekly game night. A lot of them work with their players individually to give each one something personal to enjoy in-game. They manage interpersonal conflicts, both in and out of game. They manage the expectations of their players. And they do it while running a game.
Gen Con 2012: D&D Keynote and More
D&D is in a transitional period, and that showed quite a bit at Gen Con. No longer in one big room at the Sagamore, D&D events were spread out across different rooms in the convention center, with the booth in the exhibit hall focusing mainly on showing off the new MMO expansion, the Lolth statue, and selling branded merchandise. Organized Play such as Living Forgotten Realms and Ashes of Athas kept the torching going for D&D 4e, while other rooms were dedicated to demoing Next. Let’s start with the current offerings from D&D and move forward from there.
Recent Comments