Gamepro Circa December 1995 Advertises AD&D
Here’s a blast from the past. When looking through old Gamepro issues for a new feature on Gamervision.com, Dominic found an advertisement for AD&D in the December 1995 issue. It’s… not bad. Anyone remember seeing this?
Wizards of the Coast Wants You to Design D&D Shoes
Apparently Wizards of the Coast has teamed up with RYZ to make D&D shoes. I’m serious. Shoes. The strange pairing is actually the beginning of a contest (called the “Sell Your Sole” contest, get it?), where you can actually design the shoes and win a bit of money, as well. For as silly as it sounds, I’m actually interested. Sure, I’m not going to make the shoes myself, for I lack the talent and patience, but the ones they show as a demo are sort of cool. As long as they price them well (and I mean really well) I might be tempted.
Here’s a link to the contest, anyone else want to strap their feet into some Dungeons and Dragons? I own a few nerdy D20 shirts and know some with D&D wallets and the like, but shoes? They might be a bit much. In the same way, who could turn down a nice pair with Beholders of Dragons on them? Not me, that’s for damn sure.
Penny-Arcade, Again, Nails D&D
Part of me is very tired of posting Penny-Arcade comics as news. That part of me is small when compared to the part that is laughing, loudly, at this comic. I remember at one point I had a nearly identical conversation with a friend, both starting with complaining about players being too confident, and both ending with Mind Flayers.
Oh, Mind Flayers…
Easing Someone in to RPGs
There are very few people who won’t try Role-Playing. I mean, sure, once you get into LARPing there are going to be a good amount of hold-outs, but in terms of actual RPing there are few who won’t give it a try. However, it’s not always an easy task. I’ve noticed that some people are interested but have problems getting themselves into a situation where they would play, or have constant excuses as to why they won’t. “I don’t know how,” they might say, or “I’d slow everyone down.” No matter how many times these people might be told it isn’t the case, they seem reluctant. Below are a few ways to coax people into trying an RPG, no matter how many excuses they might make: Learn more »
Assassin and Monk Coming to Character Creator. Also Jim Darkmagic.
“Want to play an assassin? If you’re a #dnd insider subscriber, you soon can! Subscribers can find out more here: http://tinyurl.com/nlqmjt“
Today on Twitter, Greg Bilsland (of Wizards of the coast) announced that the Assassin class would be coming to 4th edition. The Assassin is likely a rogueish class, which has seen previous iterations in the Dungeon Master’s Guide for edition 3.5. Expect daily abilities that do massive damage and plenty of bonuses for combat advantage. Along with the tweet, DND Insider account holders will find extra information upon clicking the link.
Beyond the new class, a new race called the “Revenant” is being added. This race stands out from the others, as the description claims that any race that stays dead after dying is eligible to rise and be one of these undead creatures. They word it a little differently than that, but still rule out the possibility of Deva Revenants. But that’s not all.
Learn more »
E3 09: Pen and Paper Gaming at E3?
In the past few weeks, as I’ve been getting all of my E3 appointments set up, I couldn’t help but wonder: will there be any tabletop gaming at E3?
I’m sure none of the RPG publishers are buying million-dollar booths, but will EA have the Dragon Age game on display? Will Champions Online be running games of… Champions? It would beat the hell out of booth babes! Well, maybe it wouldn’t, but you would think with all of the RPG love in the industry that someone would bring some D20s to the show, right?
Either way, check back with Pen and Paper Portal and Gamervision.com for some Electronics Entertainment Expo news. I’ll find nerds there, yet.
Review: Monster Manual 2
Name: Monster Manual 2
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
System: D20
Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition is a year old. In that time, most people have already chosen sides, with purists sticking to 3.5 and below, while others embrace the new, quick gameplay. If you follow PnPP you have likely realized that I fall into the second category, feeling that the mechanics of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition greatly surpass those of its predecessors. But enough about that, if you wanted to know my thoughts on 4E you would have gone to that review. It’s important to know that, however, because in many ways, the Monster Manual 2 is a perfect example of 4th Edition at its finest.
As expected, the Monster Manual 2 contains hundreds of new enemies (and allies) to D&D. Unlike the Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons, there’s no theme to the book. With the book’s release it seemed that Wizards was going to take a strange (see: milking) approach to the expansion books, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. The variety knows no bounds, and it introduces as many creatures as it expands on. Learn more »
Dragon Age Being Turned into a Pen and Paper RPG
In a move that screams irony, BioWare is turning to Green Ronin Publisher to adapt their upcoming RPG, Dragon Age: Origins, into a tabletop pen and paper RPG. BioWare, for those who don’t know, broke into gaming with Neverwinter Nights, a title based on Dungeons & Dragons, so it’s interesting to see the company grow to the point where they’re effectively launching competition on the tabletop scene. Talk about the tables…turning…
It’s set to launch this summer, giving gamers plenty of time to become immersed in the world of Dragon Age before the game hits store shelves in the winter. Fans of pen and paper RPGs likely know Green Ronin from their work with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Mutants & Masterminds, both of which have been followed with critical acclaim from fans of the genre. Hopefully Dragon Age will follow suit, fleshing out the already exciting universe BioWare has created.
The press release is below, and stick around for more news on both versions of Dragon Age as their release approaches.
Learn more »
Wizards Launches D&D Test Drive, No Excuse Not to Play
The most common excuse I’ve ever heard from friends who don’t want to try D&D is “my girlfriend wouldn’t let me.” The second most common excuse is because they don’t want to get lost. Friends have said that they’ve bought the book, gotten together with friends and, without any veteran players, had a terrible, confusing experience. Wizards isn’t ignoring these pleas, and has launched a D&D Test Drive. Currently free on their website, it includes:
- The popular Keep on the Shadowfell adventure, revised with the latest rules and updated, action-packed encounters
- A set of pre-generated characters for quickly jumping into the game (or create your own character using the Character Builder, free for levels 1-3)
- A downloadable set of Quick Start rules
It can be accessed here. I know several people I’ll be sending this link to, because the more people playing 4th Edition the easier it is to find D&D groups.
