JeDi Wiker recently made the point on EN World that he finds the new D&D 4e monster names ((“kobold skirmisher,” “hobgoblin warcaster,” “deathjump spider”) too similar to D&D Miniatures naming conventions, which thus lessens the D&D feel of the game for him. I do think that the CMG and new D&D names are very similar, but I don’t think the design decision was “let’s make them … Continue reading D&D Monster Naming Conventions
At present I have two D&D groups. One is halfway through Savage Tide, the other is moving towards the conclusion of my homebrewed County of Ulek campaign. Most of us are very interested in 4th edition. One “advantage” that I have is that the groups meet every fortnight. Why is this an advantage? Well, if I use published adventures, it gives them a chance to … Continue reading D&D Adventures – What I’m waiting for
In my last article, I discussed how adventuring in a “megadungeon” allows the players to choose their own difficulty level. It’s a very useful style for new DMs and players to use in their initial play of D&D. To a large extent, the megadungeon provides the training wheels of D&D, an environment that allows the players and DM to come to grip with the rules … Continue reading Dungeon Design: Tailored to Distraction
If you want to go back to the purest form of D&D, the form in which it was developed, you need to understand the megadungeon environment and its implications for the game. The design of D&D using the megadungeon made a few assumptions that may be incorrect for the modern game, but the legacy issues are important to know about. Of course, I am speculating … Continue reading D&D: Understanding the Megadungeon
Well, the latest change to 4e is making the rounds of the message boards, and it’s one that will probably be really embraced by my players – especially Bradford. The change I’m talking about is the chance to the movement rules: diagonal squares count as 1 square, rather than the 1-2-1-2 scheme we used in 3.5e. Or rather, I used, for many of my friends … Continue reading Diagonals in D&D 4e
Yay! I’m amusing myself by proofreading another teacher’s reports rather than writing my own. Apparently the Sarah Jane Adventures are really, really good; the first episode of Season 2 Torchwood is also great – a decided change from most of the eps last season, and you really, really need to check out this link. Oh, and Josh Whedon will be doing a Ripper movie with … Continue reading Proofreading
One of the key design precepts of 3e was that roleplaying penalties should not balanced mechanical advantages. I still subscribe to that precept. I’d like to offer something else that I think should be adhered to in 4e design. Discuss as you like: * Characters need to be balanced in combat activities. That is, during a combat they should always have “fun” things to do … Continue reading Balancing Encounter types in D&D
Andy Collins notes in a post on his forum“I hate the fact that if I want to play a ranger, or a monk, or a binder, or yes, even a bard, that I have to make sure that all the “normal” bases are covered in the party first, because my class isn’t good at the basic functions that every party needs. The game doesn’t have … Continue reading D&D Character Roles
Rich Baker’s latest article, Points of Light, describes a form of the D&D campaign world that really hit the spot for me. It’s also apparently the default D&D world in 4e. Some may see this as the “Wild West” version of a D&D setting; or alternatively a “Dark Ages” mediaeval setting. Either way, it connects with me. Partly because it also evokes one of my … Continue reading Islands in the Wilderness
I wrote this as a reply to Mike Mearls’ blog, but it’s worth standing on its own. I learnt the art of improvisation when I ran my Amber Diceless RPG campaign back about 15 years ago. You pretty much had to do it. Of course, when improvisation failed, there were some pretty awful sessions. 🙂 Making situations interesting is great. The more players have to … Continue reading Improvisation, Interesting Encounters and Roleplaying
