Tag Archives: RPG

4e Compilation PDF

Posted on March 22, 2008 | 2 comments

“Verys Arkon” has compiled all the info about 4e revealed so far into a preview “Lite Edition” PDF.  Check it out here.  It appears to only include the stuff from DDXP, not the various things designers have revealed on blogs or whatnot (marking, etc.).

 As I read it I get back to my familiar ambivalence with 4e.  The initial changes in terms of simplification and encounter powers – basically all the stuff they showcased in Star Wars Saga Edition and Book of Nine Swords – I love.  All the other crap they piled on top of it – I hate.  Alas. 

The Stinky Cheese:

  • Teleporting elves
  • All point buy stats
  • Dumping half-orc and gnome for tiefling and dragonborn
  • Shoehorning “roles” for PCs and monsters
  • Movement in “squares”

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Pathfinder RPG Review

Posted on March 19, 2008 | Leave a comment

RPG.net has posted my review of the new Pathfinder RPG Alpha Preview 1.  Word!  Game came out yesterday, I reviewed it last night, they posted it this morning.  The Internet at work!

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Paizo Forks D&D!

Posted on March 18, 2008 | 1 comment

It’s official!  Paizo Publishing is the gaming company that was publishing Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine for  years until WotC pulled their license.  Since then they’ve been publishing the best D&D adventures on the market (and Dragon and Dungeon are languishing in low-content electronic-only hell on wizards.com). 

Well, Wizards screwed around and screwed around; even after announcing that they’d get the license and rules to third party publishers (for $5k a head) they never executed on it.  So now Paizo has decided to fork D&D by creating a RPG called the Pathfinder RPG based on 3.5e via the OGL.  The “alpha” version of it is freely available – in fact, they say once they start selling the beta sometime around Gen Con it’ll still be available freely as a PDF.  The beta will be an open beta for a year and the “final” version will launch in August of 2009.  They are also launching the Pathfinder Society, which sounds like a competitor to the RPGA.

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Relative Class Power in D&D 3.5e

Posted on March 17, 2008 | Leave a comment

There’s a thread on the Wizards forums I refer to from time to time – The Base Classes as Rated by You. The community voted on relative class power and the results are interesting.

Rated 1-10, with “10” being “most powerful” and “1” being “least powerful”.
*= not enough responses to mean much
D= highly debated – the ranks were widespread
C= consensus – the ranks were often the same

9.4 Druid C
8.6 Wizard C
8.6 Cleric
8.6 Artificer *C
8.1 Psion C
7.7 Wu Jen * C
7.5 Psychic Warrior
7.5 Favoured Soul
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The Old Grey Lady on the Elder God of Gaming

Posted on March 16, 2008 | Leave a comment

The New York Times, in last Sunday’s edition, published a nice article from Adam Rogers of Wired about D&D, E. Gary Gygax, and how D&D informs so much of modern geek culture (which is steadily taking over mainstream culture).  They have a big fun flowchart to follow your own journey of geekiness, too!

Geek Flowchart

(click to enlarge)

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What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Am I?

Posted on March 15, 2008 | 1 comment

I ran across this online survey while surfing.  It’s a comprehensive questionnaire that determines your D&D class, race, and alignment!  Here’s me.  Appaently I’m a goon because who would go bard/wizard?!?  I assume the bard part is for my strength in leadership, but bah!  Other than that, it’s about right.  And since clerics are “leaders” in 4e, and I scored pretty high on cleric, maybe I’m really a Wizard/Cleric.  Mystic Theurge, here I come!!!

I Am A: Neutral Good Human Bard/Wizard (3rd/2nd Level)

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Monster Manual VI: The Politicians

Posted on March 14, 2008 | 1 comment

There’s a hilarious writeup of the three major US presidential candidates as they’d appear in the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual (first edition!) courtesy of British scifi author Charles Stross.  McCain is “Demon Prince of Republicans”, Clinton is “Demon Queen of Pork Belly Futures,” and Obama is “Demon Prince of Upsetting Applecarts.”  The pictures, from FreakingNews.com and GuysFromArea51.com, are mind-numbingly beautiful.  My fave:

Hillary the Devil

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First Runelords “Stone Giants” Session Summary Posted

Posted on March 14, 2008 | Leave a comment

It’s been a long haul, but we’ve now started Fortress of the Stone Giants, the fourth installment in the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path! Nothing subtle about these bad boys. Also, some more full character sheets are up on the main campaign page.

Fortress of the Stone Giants Part I

Our special Spring Break adventure follows the standard format of a Spring Break vacation. A road trip, gossip, shopping, violence, assessing the damage, and fleeing the scene.

Drop a line or comment on the blog if you’re enjoying these!

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DriveThroughRPG GM Day Sale

Posted on March 6, 2008 | Leave a comment

In honor of “GM’s Day”, DriveThruRPG.com (aka RPGNow.com) is having a pretty decent sale.  If you haven’t used them, they sell a huge variety of RPGs in PDF – you can get old out of print D&D, Traveller, etc. as well as the newest releases from a wide variety of game companies.  Goes through tomorrow, March 7th.  What did I get,  you ask?

  • Issues of Buccaneers & Bokor, a zine for Skull & Bones and/or other semi-historical piracy games, from Adamant Entertainment
  • Against the Reich, for the indie game octaNe – the “psychotronic game of post-apocalyptic trash-culture America”

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The Turku School

Posted on March 6, 2008 | 1 comment

You’ve gotta love those crazy Nordic types!  I was reading through some links on roleplayng theory and came across the “Turku School of Roleplaying!”   It uses quotes from the Communist Manfesto!  It has a Vow of Chastity!   I expected it to mention Swedenborg Space but it didn’t.

I generally sympathize with its aims, which is the promotion of immersive roleplay and simulationism over the dramatist and gamist approaches.  (I personally am simulationist with a side of dramatist, but find gamism gauche).   If you don’t know what I’m talking about, these are terms from the Threefold Model of roleplaying developed by John Kim and others.

My favorite quote: “In the United States the gamists are trying to de-evolve role-playing back into moving little pieces of plastic on a board, but even in that world of darkness the Turku School sheds light to the eläytyjist movement.”

True, so true….

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Gary Gygax Passes Away

Posted on March 4, 2008 | 1 comment

Unfortunately, D&D co-creator and gaming luminary Gary Gygax has passed away.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family; my family and gaming group are saddened by his passing.

This may seem strange to some folks because I have certainly not been a fan of his later era work; I’m firmly of the belief that RPGs have evolved and though AD&D 1e was seminal, it isn’t something I want to play today.  I didn’t think much of his endless retreads of it as “Danjerous Journeys/Lejendary Adventures/Pjining for the Fjords” or even the other non-Gygax 1e nostalgia stuff (Kalamar, etc.) and have been outspoken about it.  For his part, he called me “fatuous and jejeuene” on his mailing list for my views.  (Yes, I had to look it up.)  But regardless of all that, he started D&D and carried the torch for RPGs, and the hobby wouldn’t be around, most likely, without him.  So props, Gary Gygax!  

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Chris Pramas Reviews D&D 4e

Posted on March 4, 2008 | Leave a comment

One of the game designers I respect the most reviews D&D 4e.  His short summary – “It’s an interesting system that didn’t so much feel like D&D in play; nonetheless, the brand power of D&D all but ensures this will be a success and it may even redefine what D&D means for the next generation.”  Yeah, I think that’s about what I figured.  He compares the game play to more akin to a CCG than the “sounds like an MMO” critiques. 

And, of course, WotC is still screwing around and hasn’t made the GSL or new rules available to third party publishers yet, even those waving $5k in the air, despite their announcing it on January 9th…

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