Leonine Roar

In case you missed it, the much anticipated Blu-ray extended version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy was recently released.  Well worth the wait, as the seamlessly integrated bonus footage of the extended version of the trilogy can finally be seen in all its Blu-ray glory!

Much like the original (and hopefully August’s) Conan the Barbarian is beloved among hosts of D&D fans, so too are the Lord of the Rings movies, which set a new and impressive standard in fantasy genre filmmaking. 

And perhaps unlike any movies before them, the LotR films attracted all types of movie fans for the first time to the world of fantasy, creating new fantasy fans and D&D players since their release in the early 2000’s.

How high does the Lord of the Rings trilogy rate?  The three movies boast a combined 1.2 million-plus votes and occupy three of the five top spots in IMDb’s Top Rated Fantasy Movies of All Time, including LotR: Return of the King at #1.  Though the fantasy genre is rather loosely defined on this list, there are other modern classics on there which I also adore, such as Pan’s Labyrinth (#11) and Avatar (#28).

And if you’re into torturing yourself (or others who deserve it!), you can always check out the Worst Fantasy Movies of All Time below the Top 50 on that same page.  I’m inclined to throw the original Dungeons & Dragons (2000) movie in there (just horrible!), but apparently, that’s somehow too harsh? 

Ironically, the D&D movie came out right around LotR: The Fellowhip of the Ring (2001), so we have Peter Jackson to thank for saving the fantasy genre from the doom promised just months prior by the D&D movie.  At least its direct-to-DVD sequel was decent by comparison – I  didn’t cringe or feel nauseous throughout unlike its predecessor.

Does your top five fantasy genre movies of all time include the Lord of the Rings trilogy?  And on the flip side, what fantasy movie should have never, ever seen the light of day? 

In case you missed it, Leonine Roar recently won June 2011 Site of the Month at Stuffer Shack, one of my favorite RPG gaming sites.  You can find the brief announcement here, including a short blurb about me as I humbly thank Tourq and Stuffer Shack for the honor. 

If you haven’t checked out Stuffer Shack enough, you should.  Tourq and his crew know what they’re doing over there, and similar to Critical Hits, they have something for every gamer and RPG player, D&D and beyond.  As I wrote about in my aforementioned thanks, there’s some similarities in our writing styles and how we approach our gaming.  The Shack was one of my very first links on my blogroll for a reason!

Here are a few of my favorite Stuffer Shack features – go check them out right now!

• Next Level Gaming – because like Leonine Roar, Stuffer Shuck also shows you how you can amp up your RPG game!  I love Character Excellence in particular.
• Steal This… – ready-to-play monsters, adventures, encounters, terrain and more you can use *right now*
• Mount Miniatures, Horses & Exotic – inexpensive mount miniatures specifically created with room for your character’s mini – style and utility!

Once again, my sincere thanks to Tourq and Stuffer Shack!

Wednesday’s Global Encounter Elements proudly marked the 50th D&D article on Leonine Roar! 

First and foremost, I would like to thank all of you who read and subscribe to Leonine Roar, as well as all of you who follow me and the site on Twitter.  I love that you keep coming back for quality articles and ideas on how to improve and amp up your D&D game, whether you play, DM, or like me, do both. 

I also love hearing from you as much as I love writing about, playing and DM’ing D&D, so I want to thank every one of you for your fantastic comments and kind feedback since Leonine Roar launched in February.  Loyal readers and fans like you are worth your weight in platinum!  Thank you so much for being part of Leonine Roar.

Miss an article?  An apropros Leonine 12 follows:  

All-Time Most Popular Posts

1. Top 12 Ways to Stop Sounding So Damn Metagamey – also published in Johnn Four’s Roleplaying Tips Newsletter # 519 in May.  Thanks again, Johnn!

2. Attack the Darkness: Roll a d6!

3. Fight or Flight? Run Away!

4. Attack With Your Social Skills!

5. New Players and Playgroups: What to Buy

6. Encouraging Roleplay: 3 Easy Tips

But wait, there’s more!

7. Monster Complexity and Selection

8. Fight the Power… Groups!

9. The Leonine 12: D&D’s Top Blogs and Creative Minds – the original Leonine 12 list!

10. D&D4e: What Works and What Doesn’t Work for DMs

11. Conan the Barbarian

12. Guys, Girls & Minions

And now that I’ve earned this shiny new action point, here’s to fifty more posts!  See you at 100!

Leonine Roar is a D&D blog with a passionate focus: ideas and solutions for both the storytelling and mechanical aspects of D&D 4e. 

Why do you play D&D?  For power?  For glory?  For victory?  To be remembered and beloved for generations?

“Let no man forget how menacing we are, we are lions!  Immortality!  Take it!  It’s yours!” – Achilles, Troy

Leonine Roar is passionately dedicated to the imaginative atmosphere that D&D inspires.