Archive for August, 2011

Rituals Re-Purposed: A Review of the Rituals Index

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

alt textFinding the right ritual for a given situation, challenge or problem – that’s what takes most of the time and effort for ritual use in your games, isn’t it?  Whether you’re a player or DM, it can seem like a lot of work to integrate rituals into your game as a clever resource. 

Until now!  Chris Sims put together a Rituals Index, something I had been looking forward to after taking a shot at something like it myself just months prior in Rituals Re-Organized. 

Here’s a brief review of the index plus some of my advice on using it in your game – including the most helpful and important part which starts on page 16: Reference Groupings.  These will change the way you think about and use rituals in your game, giving them more stage time and rounding out your D&D campaign and story in creative and memorable ways.

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Posted in Design, Mechanics & Efficiencies, News, Previews & Reviews, Storytelling & Roleplaying | 5 Comments »

Epic Play? You Actually Got That Far?

Friday, August 26th, 2011

alt textEpic play may seem out of reach for the typical D&D campaign that starts out at level 1.  So why don’t we see more D&D 4e epic play and support?  Here’s what I told Dungeon’s Master in their excellent The Future of Dungeons & Dragons – Part 2 article:

Wizards is just now starting to talk about releasing and supporting more epic content.

I think it’s a simple pacing and practicality thing – combats, and by extension, sessions and leveling take so long in 4e, that it takes several months if not *years* for a typical campaign to hit and conclude in epic play.

The default, out-of-box game should not be this slow. Especially not these days with all the entertainment choices and technology we have.

So why don’t we see more epic play and support?  Because we never get there!

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Posted in Design, Mechanics & Efficiencies, Media & Technology | 2 Comments »

D&D Music Video Gems: Tonight by Allie Goertz

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

There are some brilliant artists out there blending two of their passions together: music and D&D.  Now since I love both and undoubtedly enriched your gaming lives with the Roll a d6 video, I went out once more into the Internet multiverse, scouring its ever-expanding corners for more inspired gems. 

So if the Roll a d6 genre wasn’t your thing (though the lyrics were fantastic, right?), relax and give a listen to Allie Goertz’s “Tonight.”  

“Tonight” is a funny and soothing song about what every D&D gamer like Allie looks forward to after a long day or week: enjoying some D&D with your friends. 

Enjoy!

Posted in Media & Technology | No Comments »

Alternative Awards: Superior Temporary Hit Points and More

Friday, August 19th, 2011

alt textEver earn bonus XP for brilliant roleplay, creative thinking or some other Moment of Greatness in D&D?  Of course you have! 

But what if you don’t use XP anymore in 4e, leveling instead after a number of encounters or sessions, or at certain story points? 

In any D&D game – whether you use XP or not – there are some great alternative ways to reward outstanding play besides the classic small XP reward. 

Here’s a list of six simple and easy-to-use approaches you can use or ask your DM to consider for your game tonight:  

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Posted in Design, Mechanics & Efficiencies, Storytelling & Roleplaying | 2 Comments »

Bullets for Our Pastime

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

alt textEver find yourself drowning in the ocean of text of some powers or magic items?  And miss that one word that changes how the entire thing works?  Or found flavor descriptions severely lacking?  Wish there was a better way to both view and read power and magic item cards?

As I told Robert J. Schwalb in his excellent The Burden’s On You:

This happens a lot with us.  You’re absolutely right about 4e’s precision.  It’s so easy to miss out on a specific part of a wall of text of rules.  Often, that one short sentence changes the dynamics, utility and power level of something altogether.

I often wish 4e’s powers, feats and similar features had bulleted information for easier “decoding.”  Prose and walls of texts is not a good fit for 4e’s tactical complexity.

Whether it’s for D&D 4e or 5e, the quest for more efficient formatting and more inspiring text on power and magic item cards begins now!

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Posted in Design, Mechanics & Efficiencies, Media & Technology | No Comments »

Romancing the Party

Friday, August 12th, 2011

alt textThe best implementation of intraparty romance I’ve ever seen is in the Dragon Age video game.  Inspiring dialogue, decision points and elegant rules combine to create a wonderful model that can easily fit into your own D&D adventures, from whomever love or romance springs in your party.

NPC companion characters or party allies particularly make excellent potential romance options in D&D, whether they’re a good friend whose been with the crew since day one (perhaps filling out a small party and missing tactical roles in the process), or an unusual sort passing through for just an adventure with his or her goals temporarily or tangentially aligned with the rest of the party. 

For example, maybe that lovely fire-haired lady is simply also headed for Winterhaven, and could both use and offer some company and protection along the way.  Love and romance often begin in such incidental ways.

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Posted in Characters, Storytelling & Roleplaying | 2 Comments »

Monsters That Grab You: Why Grab Stinks

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

alt textWhat’s more frightening than some muscled, demonic monstrosity wrapping its limbs around you and squeezing the very life out of you?  Whether it’s an owlbear, minotaur or something far more wicked like the bebilith, we all dread being grabbed. 

Or do we?

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Posted in Design, Mechanics & Efficiencies | 6 Comments »

Encounter as Story: Tiny Encounters

Friday, August 5th, 2011

alt textWhat makes the tiny encounter unique?  It’s not about the numbers or even tactics, so much as the strategy or potential outcomes.

The tiny encounter is a rarity in 4e.  With this edition of D&D designed with large set piece combat encounters in mind, the very small but outcome-rich encounters usually go by the wayside.

It doesn’t have to be that way in your 4e game.  Here are some things to look for, whether as a player or DM, when interacting with tiny encounters, including a gong and a certain tower the party is trying to break into to help illustrate the concepts.

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Posted in Design, Mechanics & Efficiencies, Storytelling & Roleplaying | 7 Comments »

Music for Your D&D Game: Jango

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

alt textSince I discovered Pandora, our gaming groups using nothing but free Internet radio during our D&D sessions. Time-saving, easy to use, typically free, and perfect for mood-setting – with a dash of customizing, as needed.

Some of my friends still use Pandora at their place, though since they became more ad-heavy this year (including increasingly frequent audio ad interruptions, which are the worst, most jarring offenders), I’ve now put Jango in my top Internet radio spot – for any kind of customized music station, in and out of D&D.  No annoying, constant audio ads like my once beloved Pandora!

If you try Jango, I think you’ll instantly become a huge fan and never go back, whatever music you enjoy and want to hear. 

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Posted in Media & Technology | 1 Comment »