Opinion recipes
Review: Divine Power
Name: Divine Power
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
System: 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons
Once the basic rules of Fourth Edition were released, many thought that Wizards of the Coast was phasing out the reliance on Divine power. Before, a group without a Cleric was a group without a healer, and the game’s rules made it nearly impossible to proceed without some type of healing class. In comes 4E, bringing with it Healing Surges, Second Winds, and the ability to heal to full overnight. After a few months of play it became obvious that, while it’s possible to work without a healer, having a master of the Divine arts is still the way to go. With the release of Divine Power, WotC has added further support for the classes associated with the godliest of all domains, enhancing and improving them in many ways.
With Divine Power, the Avenger, Cleric, Invoker, and Paladin receive updates, with each getting a number of new classes, builds, powers, and paragon paths. On top of that, there are a goodly amount of new feats, domains, rituals, and Epic Destinies. It’s a holy book full of awesome stuff! Ouch, that’s a bad joke. I’ll keep this review wholly serious. Heh. 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 »
Would You Buy RPG Books on an E-Book?
As soon as I got my hands on my Kindle 2 I wanted to put all of my D&D books onto it. I’ve heard the PDF support isn’t that great, but I imagine Wizard of the Coast’s recent foray into “technology” should land them squarely onto the E-Book. When asked for a comment, they didn’t seem willing to commit to the device, instead insisting that their efforts are devoted to D&D Insider, but I imagine it wouldn’t be too difficult to move the books to Amazon’s future-book. I mean, if it’s security they’re worrying about, they should work on fixing the leaks they already have, since Amazon seems pretty secure.
Would you use an E-Book for D&D or any other RPG? I imagine holding every book – and being able to rule search instatly – would be fantastic.
Oh, and in relation to the image above, check back soon for a review of Dungeon Delve and the Player’s Handbook 2.
The Evil Dungeon Master: Why Does He Want Us to Suffer?
During my regular weekend D&D session last Friday, I noticed something a bit disturbing: it seemed like the Dungeon Master was trying to kill us.
Okay, okay, maybe he wasn’t trying to kill us. Still, it did feel like we were battling against him just as much as that room full of Goblins. The first time I caught a look of disappointment on his face after I rolled a high amount of damage, I thought maybe I was just imagining things. Then it happened again, and again. Soon, he was smiling sadistically as we rolled low numbers, and mocking us on our quest. “You know that guy is just gonna move again next, right? He’s going to put the same spell on you.”
If the DM is pretty much taking the role of god in Dungeons & Dragons, then ours is a mean, spiteful god. It’s not like I don’t want a challenge. We, as a party, need challenges; otherwise, what would be our motivation to continue playing? Where would the satisfaction of victory be if we didn’t have to work for it? However, while I expect the foes to oppose me, I don’t expect my Dungeon Master to groan every time I roll a 20.
I wasn’t put off by it in any way; if anything, it only made me want to do better, so I could rub it in his face. I just didn’t expect my neutral DM to suddenly turn on the party. Dungeon Masters, if you do this: why? Does it make you feel like your campaign is stronger if your party is struggling? Or are you just drunk with power, enjoying the fact that you hold these fictional characters’ futures in your hands? I know it is the job of DMs to “kill the party” or whatever, but maybe they should hide it better.
A Problem Conveying the Epic
When it comes to describing small things I’m fairly good at conveying a message to my players. A room with a chest? The players might as well be there. A dingy bar? Described to the last puke stain. But for some reason, no matter how much I try, I have a problem conveying epic situations. Chandeliers dropping or buildings exploding sound great in my head, but when I say them I never evoke the proper emotion from my players, and I feel as though I’m doing them a disservice. I want to be able to have epic situations, but for some reason I’m not able to really explain them in a way where they sound as epic or urgent as they are.
Does anyone have tips to share in describing epic situations that might help set the mood? I have some theories I plan on testing, but I’d like to hear how other DMs or Players have experienced epic situations first, to see if there’s just something I’m missing.
“If you were that dumb you wouldn’t have lived this long.”
One time a large, red dragon save my D&D party by showing up, blowing fire on the enemies, grabbing the adventurers, and flying off. Gliding low to the ground he let them go, and one party member chuckled as he took a swing at him, trying to slice at his powerful claw.
He hit and did 3 damage.
The dragon spun around and attacked him, easily biting him in half in one turn. The player looked at me, stunned that I would kill his character for “no reason,” but that is where it ended, with his body…well, some of it, lying in a field.
Usually, when a character tries to do something unusually stupid I let it go; it’s their choice, after all. They can drink that water, read the old scroll, or stab the sleeping giant. Sure, whatever, your loss. But every so often, for the sake of keeping a realistic campaign, I feel the need to step in and ask them, very clearly, if they are serious and ready to accept the consequences. Whenever I get a confused look, or they ask why, I have the same, simple answer:
If you were that dumb you wouldn’t have lived this long.
Eventually an irate Orc would have sliced their throat and left them to die – it’s the way the world works. I have to remind them that their character simply can’t be that stupid, and can’t seriously “like biting gnomes” or “feel the need to always burn down forests.”
Has anyone ever had to cut a player off for their own sake, or to simply keep a sense of realism in their campaign?
Minions in 4th Edition Kinda-Sorta Suck
One of the first changes I noticed in the 4th Edition Monster Manual (which I reviewed here) was the inclusion of Minions, 1HP enemies to use as fodder in large-scale battles. At first I loved the idea, and it made every fight just a little more epic. Some of the first encounters my players had were against a group of Kobold Minions and their leader. It let the characters know that there was a threat, but gave them an opportunity to sharpen their weapons on some flesh before making their way to the boss. At early levels it makes complete sense, but once the players level up and enemies become more difficult the issues grow worse.
I first noticed the problem when planning an encounter against Vampires. Vampires are one of the most different creatures from 3rd to 4th Edition because of their complexity. Most of the differences I was fine with, but adding Vampire Minions really changed the dynamic of the game. Hit the jump for more observations, and possible solutions.
I’m Frightened of TPK and My Players Know
I’m going to admit something no Dungeon Master ever should admit: I’m frightened of Total Party Kills. I’ve been in several situations where I should have killed my party, allowed them to die for their mistakes or given them a harsh punishment for their failures, but I’ve never been able to do it. Usually one character dies, I look over the HP count of both the players and the remaining enemies, and start to panic. I usually end up throwing in some sort of deus ex machina to save them, cheapening the player’s death. Not only that, but I think my players are beginning to realize my fears.
See, the issue is that I think that a TPK is my fault – it means I screwed up. The party has died and I gave them enemies that were too hard or didn’t give them the proper tools for the battle. How can I get over this fear? How can I become the DM that can blame his party, as opposed to himself, for their failures? Is there anyone else that shares this issue?
Whose job is it to keep the party alive, the players or the DM?
Miniatures, Markers, and White Boards
My Dungeons & Dragons campaigns have always fluctuated with miniature use, ranging from none to full-scale replicas of the battle. We have had people create sections that we ended up working into the campaign, rearranging plot and story to fit a certain hill someone made for fun, or a town made of popsicle sticks – just because. On the same point, some things just couldn’t be captured on table, like a fight in the middle of a forest against a large, scarred giant.
Most recently, we have taken to purchasing large whiteboards and scoring them with exacto knives, and proceeding to use anything nearby (be it old hero-clicks, dice, or simply magic markets) to mark the board. Cutting the ridges allows you to draw a battlefield without fear of losing the ever precious grid, but I have noted that some of the best battles I have ever run didn’t actually use any type of markers or boards, they were done with the imagination of the players and detailed descriptions that couldn’t be achieved on paper.
I’d like to know what other DM’s and players think – is it worth using minis and a board, or relying on the imaginations of the players? Which creates more epic battles, and which is more fun to play and experience?
Marvel Super Heroes First Impression
In our D&D crew, we have quite a few comic fans. It was only a matter of time before we gave Marvel’s tabletop RPG a play through. I missed the first week, but that was simply character creation for the other PS’s, so I didn’t miss any important game play or storyline material. Chris (our Marvel GM), ran me quickly through the process before our last session.
First surprise – there are absolutely zero character classes in this game. You are free to completely create the type of superhero you want to play. You establish the concept, and your GM then helps you to select the appropriate skills, traits, and equipment to fashion your character into reality. It’s amazingly intuitive, and leave tons of room for creativity. It also helps to establish a varied crew of PCs. Ours runs the gamut from robots to human wrecking balls.
A little more after the jump. POW!
