Author Archives: mxyzplk

Scrabulous?

Posted on April 9, 2008 | Leave a comment

There’s a legal case brewing that might have implications for the RPG world.  For a long time, RPG companies have held people who wanted to make compatible products at bay with legal threats; even though the rough consensus is “you can’t protect game rules” there hasn’t been clear enough case law to make it “safe enough” for people to bother.

However, now there’s a big test case – with Hasbro involved no less – where they’re suing an online game called Scrabulous that uses the same rules as Scrabble.

If Hasbro etc. loses, this means that there’s a lot clearer protection for other people – for example, for people or companies to make D&D compatible products without having to deal with Hasbro/WotC’s ideas of how that should happen.  Check out the linked article for some legal analysis from an IP attorney.

Leave a comment

Posted in talk

Tagged ,

Third Runelords “Stone Giants” Session Summary Posted

Posted on April 8, 2008 | Leave a comment

Our brave party forges deeper into the Fortress of the Stone Giants in Paizo’s Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path. 

This time, my character Valgrim the Summoner finally gets to bind a demon!   Frequently talked about in D&D but infrequently done, binding a demon to your will has its pros and its cons.  He got a bar-lgura (from Fiendish Codex I), or as my party calls it “The Hellutang!”

And we get a little too much excitement – after a boring fight with redcaps, and our dragon shaman browbeating a kobold barbarian into joining us, we meet Xanesha the lamia matriarch for the last time!  Ravno the Varisian takes his revenge on her for her abduction of his sister – but perishes himself in the process. 

All of this and more awaits you – here’s the newest summary!

 

Leave a comment

Posted in session summaries

Tagged , , , , , ,

Eldritch RPG Web Site Live

Posted on April 7, 2008 | 1 comment

The Eldritch RPG Web site is live and the game should arrive soon.

The Eldritch designers responded to a bunch of my questions about the game on the Goodman forums – why a new system, why not OGL, what the target feel is…

So far I like what I’m hearing.  Looking at their DM’s screen and character sheet downloads is probably the best view into the rules.   I like the skill successions.   I’m not as thrilled with the acronym-heavy approach that makes it sound like Palladium.  

Innovative new game or D&D/Palladium FRP heartbreaker?  Can’t tell until we get a chance to play it!

1 Comment

Posted in talk

Tagged , ,

Celebrity D&D Stats

Posted on April 7, 2008 | 1 comment

Wired Magazine decided, in honor of Gary Gygax’ death, to host a gallery of reader-submitted D&D adaptations of real life celebrities from Paris Hilton to Mr. T.  What’s up with the improperly formatted stat blocks though?  Why, Rick Astley’s special ability should read:

Rickroll (Ex): As a standard action, Astley can rickroll a target for 5d6 points of humiliation damage.

1 Comment

Posted in talk

Tagged , , ,

Second Runelords “Stone Giants” Session Summary Posted

Posted on April 6, 2008 | Leave a comment

It’s a bit late, but here’s the newest Rise of the Runelords session summary; the second game session of the fourth (of six) chapters overall, as we approach the Fortress of the Stone Giants!

Fortress of the Stone Giants

Part III is happening today.  I will be binding a creature from the outermost Hells and forcing it to serve me by helping to slay whatever weird semi-giant is in charge of all this nonsense!!!

Leave a comment

Posted in session summaries

Tagged , , , , , ,

Hyperion: The Movie

Posted on April 5, 2008 | Leave a comment

Dan Simmons’ Hyperion and the sequel, Fall of Hyperion, are two highly regarded literary science fiction novels I’ve always enjoyed. Hyperion is written in a format very similar to the Canterbury Tales, except for a common thread, an indestructable monstrous killer called the Shrike. Apparently, there’s a movie in the works! Yay, although smart money’s on them ditching the whole “tales” parts, which is the actually best part of the whole thing.

Leave a comment

Posted in talk

Tagged

Intergalactic Cooking Challenge

Posted on April 5, 2008 | 1 comment

I was just in my FLGS and saw this, it looks hilarious! It’s an indie game (originally a 24 hour RPG) in which the PCs are engaged in comedic Iron Chef-like antics with aliens.

Intergalactic Cooking Challenge

I’m glad it was in the store – RPGs are fringe enough; people who rely on Lulu or whatever instead of putting their books in game stores – sorry, but I’ve never bought a POD without looking at it and not sure I ever will. Of course I’m not a big fan of buying PDFs either, unless it’s something I can’t lay my hands on otherwise (like the list of things I bought at RPGNow recently) or unless I can check it out first (not that I’d know how to lay my hands on RPG PDFs for free…).

1 Comment

Posted in talk

Tagged , ,

Wizards Presents: Worlds and Monsters Review

Posted on April 3, 2008 | 2 comments

My review of the second 4e preview book is up at RPG.net. As a work unto itself, it’s fine; as for what it reveals about 4e, it sucks.

I’ve been letting this 4e stuff, especially the fiasco where Wizards is trying to renege on open gaming while FUDding the masses for spin control (see many of my recent posts), get to me too much. The novel openness of 3e had briefly distracted me from the truth, which is that D&D is the ghetto in which the uninspired of roleplaying languish. So no more going on about 4e from me. I’ll definitely follow the variants like Pathfinder inasmuch as they’re creative, but now I’m remembering why I had previously moved away from D&D towards other RPGs.

Maybe some of the other posters on ENWorld are right – maybe D&D being open brought designers whose creative talent would be better spent on other games into the fold. When I think Ray Winninger I think Underworld; when I think Robin Laws I think Feng Shui, when I think Jonathan Tweet I think Over the Edge, all of which stand head and shoulders above the battle-matted abortion that D&D has been transforming into especially with 3.5 and what we hear about 4e.

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in reviews

Tagged , , , ,

D&D 4e In Mainstream Press!

Posted on April 2, 2008 | Leave a comment

There’s a very well written MSNBC article on the new version. It’s actually full of non-distorted facts, which is unusual for media reporting on RPGs. It talks about the MMO flavor of 4e, the rift in the community, and quotes Chris Pramas! What more could you want.

Leave a comment

Posted in talk

Tagged , , ,

Why 4e Doesn’t Feel Like D&D

Posted on April 1, 2008 | 1 comment

Don’t take my word for it – read what JD Wiker has to say.   In the comments there’s some good points from other notable game designers – Sean K. Reynolds, Stan!, Monte Cook – who have basically been kept away from the 4e rules.  Why is this?  Wiker wrote Sandstorm and contributed to the 3e PH, MM, and DMG.  So did Stan!, as well as developing Ghostwalk, Player’s Guide to Eberron, etc.  Sean did lots of 3e FR stuff, and the Big Three too.  Monte did the 3.5e Big Three. 

Why is WotC keeping them out of 4e?  Morons.

1 Comment

Posted in talk

Tagged , ,

WotC Rethinking Open Gaming Update

Posted on March 31, 2008 | 1 comment

So it’s the work week now.  Discussion rages on ENWorld, the Wizards forum, and other places (e.g. Chris Pramas’ blog).  Response from WotC?  Jack!  I guess their attitude is “you can suck it!”

If any of the links go bad it’s because the ENworld mods are trying to bury the discussion by moving them to disused forums.  (Vote here to ask them to quit it.)  Update: 90% of voters say they should move the discussion back into the main forums, but no action has been taken yet.  I assume it’ll just get delayed until WotC finally puts the nails in the coffin of the GSL to save them some embarassment.

Go and let your opinion be known, pro or con!  In this day and age, companies ignore their customers at their own risk.

1 Comment

Posted in talk

Tagged , , , , ,

Goodman Games Launches “Eldritch Role-Playing System”

Posted on March 30, 2008 | 1 comment

Goodman Games, heretofore mainly notable for their huge “Dungeon Crawl Classics” line of 1e style D&D adventures for 3/3.5e, are launching their own fantasy RPG.  It hits in 1.5 days, if the countdown on the Web site (http://www.eldritchrpg.com/) is any indication.  Their main differentiator is that it’s a classless, and claims to be more narrative and share interpretive power with characters (implied: at least more than D&D).  Check out the character sheet and the forums. 

This is the first I’ve heard of the game – more as I discover it!  It’s at the printer and should be in stores in April.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in talk

Tagged ,