Review recipes
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 »
Review: I Hit It With My Axe: Episode One: Meet the Party
What happens when porn stars and strippers play Dungeons & Dragons? As it turns out, the same thing that happens when the rest of us do. Hold on to your butts, folks, it’s a review of I Hit It With My Axe: Episode One: Meet the Party.
Campaign Coins Review
Recently, a box of Campaign Coins showed up on my desk. In the past, I’ve dabbled in using tangible objects in my RPG sessions, but I’ve usually ended up going back to a hands-off approach to Dungeons & Dragons. The problem, usually, is that things need to either be completely imaginary, or match up perfectly. As we’ve posted about in the past, there have been times where even using the wrong minis can harm campaigns. They can make things feel… silly, something I was worried about when I cracked open the box and saw packs of coins inside. Luckily, while they didn’t change my game dramatically, the tangible feel definitely added something. Learn more »
Review: The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos
Name: The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
System: 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons
Different people play Dungeons & Dragons for different reasons. Some enjoy spending time in cities, exploring different locations and getting involved in the politics of the world. Others prefer the outdoors, setting up camps in the wilderness and battling against nature. Many players would rather delve into a dungeon, finding keys for locked doors and disabling traps in hopes of finding a large chest at the end of the journey. There are also those, though, that want something more… abstract. For those, there are the planes. With the release of The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos, one of the more chaotic areas in D&D is detailed, and laid out for players and DMs to explore.
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 »
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 »
Review: Dungeon Delve
Name: Dungeon Delve
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
System: D20
I didn’t learn Dungeons & Dragons by reading. In fact, I didn’t touch a D&D book until I had played several sessions. My first group was a bit unorthodox, and while they followed the rules closely, there were some of their own that they applied to the D&D experience.
The first rule, and one that I had no reason not to believe in at the time, was that dungeons sucked. I was told that they were always boring, and that the game was worse when the players were stuck in a cave. We spent our time in cities, forests, and other open locations.
The second rule was that the DM should always create their own adventures. While, over time, I have warmed up to the idea of a dungeon, I still believe that creating a story is what makes D&D fun, and never, ever picked up a pre-made campaign. I’ve taken ideas, used things as inspiration, and written some of my own, but I haven’t actually used a pre-made dungeon or character in my time DMing.
Needless to say, I came in to Dungeon Delve a bit skeptical, and left very, very surprised.
World of Creatures Mini-Review
A few weeks back I put out a question: how can one tastefully implement music into a Dungeons & Dragons game. I received plenty of sound advice, ignored it all, end ended up breaking out my laptop and having the Lich play a piano version of Metallica’s Master of Puppets I found online. It worked, but it felt incredibly out of place without any noises before or after. Thankfully, I was sent a few CDs to help fix that problem, and throughout this week and next check back for reviews of World of Magics, Monsters, and Ambiances.
Next up: Creatures. Learn more »
World of Magics Mini-Review
A few weeks back I put out a question: how can one tastefully implement music into a Dungeons & Dragons game. I received plenty of sound advice, ignored it all, end ended up breaking out my laptop and having the Lich play a piano version of Metallica’s Master of Puppets I found online. It worked, but it felt incredibly out of place without any noises before or after. Thankfully, I was sent a few CDs to help fix that problem, and throughout this week and next check back for reviews of World of Magics, Monsters, and Ambiances.
First up: Magics.
