Review: Underdark (4th Edition D&D Supplement)
Name: Underdark
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
System: 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons
There are few places in the world(s) of Dungeons & Dragons as ripe for exploration as the Underdark. As the home of the Drow, Mindflayers, and other shadow-dwelling horrors, it’s one of the most disturbing, dangerous places unfortunate adventurers can end up. Despite this, past 4th Edition books only briefly touched on the caverns, something the release of the supplement, Underdark, hopes to fix. 
For those looking to explore the dark, underground world, the book definitely comes packed with plenty of content. The opening pages deal with the violent creation of the Underdark, which hinges on the dark god, Torog, and his descent into the ground and battles with primordials. Though, for as detailed as it is, the writers are sure to include the fact that there’s really no way the average adventurer would know this. In fact, it might not even be the way it happened, as different legends tell of different ways the world was created. It’s left open for interpretation, something that Dungeon Masters can easily use to their advantage when throwing their adventurers into the Underdark.
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Review: Miami Vice: The Board Game
Thrift stores are good for a few things. Getting props for Gamervision’s videos, finding stuff for cheap that can be sold on Ebay for profit, and, of course, getting awesome nonsense like Miami Vice: The Game. No, we’re not talking about a video game, or even some sort of SCENE IT? – “Miami Vice”. We’re talking old school. Cardboard, plastic, and paper. A few years back, Sarah purchased a copy of the game for Luke, and recently we sat down to play it for the first time. What we found was a surprisingly well thought out game with a few key issues that keep it from being anything more than a silly experiment.
It starts off well, with an incredibly detailed game board depicting a map of a small chunk of Miami. Players split into two teams: Miami Vice and criminals. Each player has ten plastic cars at his disposal, which can be used to cruise the streets and move down the pre-determined roads. At the start of the game, the criminals choose Drop Cards, labeled with a letter to show where they need to land in order to win. This location could be incredibly close to their starting area or far away, something that proved to be extremely important in practice. At the start, the criminals each roll a die, moving that many spots on the board. On subsequent turns, they’re able to either move the same vehicle or add a new one to the board, moving that one instead. Learn more »
She Totally Just Did that Dragon – Wait, How?
I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of dragon sex in Dungeons & Dragons. Not two dragons doing it, mind you, but dragons doing the deed with other creatures. It’s never moved beyond that, I’ve never considered purchasing a finely made Bad-Dragon.com product, I’ve just been… curious. Maybe it’s because, despite Wizards of the Coast leaving out everything that has to do with sex (for obvious reasons), the worlds of D&D are filled with half-dragon creatures. Half-orcs, half-elves, and other half-breed usually make sense, since the creatures don’t differ too much in terms of everything, but dragon? It’s strange. It means that many citizens of Ebberon and Faerun simply enjoy having sexual relations with dragons. After some time, I figured it was me and the Bad Dragon crowd that was curious, and no one else.
And then I saw this picture.
Rise of the Eldrazi Review
Recently, I was given a pack of cards from the newest Magic the Gathering set, Rise of the Eldrazi. Over the course of the next few days, I played with the deck in dozens of games, seeing how the new mechanics work against previously established MTG rules. While I wasn’t able to get time in with all of the cards (naturally), my time with the ones I did have gave me a good insight into what Wizards of the Coast was attempting with the new set, and I’ve already found myself playing more Magic, and eagerly anticipating new releases. Learn more »
New D&D MMO Rumored as Cryptic Teases A New Announcement Later This Year
Cryptic, developers of the recent Champions Online and Star Trek Online, will be announcing a new property later this year, according to Cryptic’s Chief Creative Officer, Bill Roper. While he didn’t go into details, rumors are already flying around that the developer is going to try their hand at a Dungeons & Dragons MMO, maybe even one based on BioWare’s Neverwinter Nights.
In an interview with MMORPG, Roper dropped a few cryptic clues:
“I can’t speak to the specifics of what we’re doing, but it’s true that we have another game in the works. We won’t be making an announcement until late summer, and we’re still a ways off from launch. I can say that this is a game and a franchise we’re very excited about. I think people are going to pleased and a bit surprised with what we’re doing in terms of the game, how we make it, and even how we sell and support it. The game is being developed around new design principles merged with Cryptic’s community-first approach to ongoing development.”
J!NX Adds New D&D Tees, I Want Them
J!NX, the nerd clothing website best known for their massive supply of shirts with the word “geek” worked in to different puns, has launched a new wave of Dungeons & Dragons shirts. For the most part, they’re damn cool, with each being worth a purchase for anyone who enjoys rolling die from time to time. It’s hard to pick a favorite, since I love them all for different reasons, with the winner being “Not All Goblins Are Minions” for the awesome art, and a joke that hits on a number of levels. Then again, the idea of a Rust Monster turning gear into “poop” makes me laugh as well. Topping it off is an image from the Player’s Handbook 2 that makes me want to roll a Goliath so freaking hard. I mean, look at him, being all awesome…
You can check them out here. With Mothers Day coming up, it’s surely the perfect gift for any geek mom or grandmom out there. It’s also the perfect gift for me. You know, J!NX, technically this article counts as an advertisement. I’d say you owe me at least ten of each. At least. Maybe twenty of each, just for good measure. I’ll be waiting here.
Dungeons & Dragons Comic Book to Be Published By IDW Publishing
At the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo, Wizards of the Coast and IDW announced plans to create a series of comics based on the Dungeons & Dragons universe. The debut issue will be released this August, with new monthly comics and reprints launching in November. Plans are to include well-known characters from the Forgotten Realms universe and offer new stories and playable characters to existing game campaigns.
“We are delighted to partner with IDW,” said Liz Schuh, Brand Director for Dungeons & Dragons. “Together, we will bring great D&D stories to our fans, told through IDW’s high quality comics.”
For those who don’t know, IDW is best known for publishing Transformers, G.I. Joe, and a number of EA franchises in the comic world. They’re no Marvel or DC, but it’s still good to see D&D expanding out of the hobby shop. Well, actually, they’ll likely be in the same store… Anyway, the full press release is below, and be sure to check back for more news as it develops. Learn more »
Three Maps of Faerun to Give Your Campaign a Starting Point
I’ve always found that looking at a map of Faerun can help give me ideas. Just today, scanning accross the hills and valleys of the fictional world reminded me of some lingering concepts in the back of my brain, and got the creative juices flowing right proper. The problem is, with so many maps in the game’s history (and so many websites going down every day), it’s sometimes hard to find the same one again without saving them. I figured I’d throw them all up, here, for anyone who needs to find a good Forgotten Realms map for their Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Or, you know, for whatever other reason you might have.
Does using an actual map help any of you? I like to have a map for every area my players encounter, though I hardly ever do. It gives a good visual basis for whatever is going on in the fiction of the game. Below are a few more, from 3rd Edition and… an older one. There’s something about having one that I like, and, at this point, I think I’m just going to go ahead and make it my computer wallpaper. Yeah, that seems like a thing I should do… Learn more »
PAX East 2010: D&D Game Table “Still Being Worked On”
At the Penny-Arcade Expo in 2007, Gamervision had a chance to sit down with the D&D Game Table. I was there, and I saw a prototype of the program, which was supposed to launch with D&D 4th Edition. It didn’t. It was supposed to come out a few months after. It, again, didn’t. Months went by without any word on the program. Months became years, and now here we are, still without the game table. At this year’s PAX East, we pressed the question, asking if Wizards of the Coast was finally ready to say what we’d all been dreading. They aren’t.
According to a Wizards of the Coast representative, Game Table is “still being worked on.” She couldn’t go into more details, but said that they weren’t scrapping the project, they just wanted to release it when it worked as well as they wanted. This is the same line we’ve been hearing for nearly three years, though it’s still good to know that somwhere, someone is working on the next evolution of Dungeons & Dragons. In the meantime, I suppose we’ll all still try and figure out how to use it on Google Wave. Or try and make friends. Aw, I made myself sad.
We’ll be sure to continue to ask everyone who has even been near a coast or cast a spell about the Game Table. I figure we’ll find out more eventually.
PAX East 2010: Duels of the Planeswalkers’ Second Expansion Packs Avatar Awards
During the Penny-Arcade Expo, I had a chance to play a little of the second expansion pack for Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalker. As you might expect, it felt very similar to the core game, to the point where it’s hard to accurately point out differences. That’s because most of the changes come in the form of new decks and cards, and I doubt any of you have memorized the cards that were in the first game to begin with. There were some other elements, however, that did stand out, and are worth getting excited for. Namely, the avatar rewards, which might drive some people to pick up the game and expansion solely to get the gear. Learn more »
