November was a great month for Dungeon’s Master. The site got a shout out from Wizards of the Coast. They linked to two of our articles in the November News and Reviews on November 18. We were thrilled to discover that the folks at Wizards read our site and liked what they read enough to send new readers our way. Readers new and returning found many great articles in November. And as always we want to thank you, the readers, for visiting us and returning day after day. If you happened to miss any of November’s articles, here’s a recap.
Highlights
Holiday Dungeon Contest
In November we launched the Design Holiday Dungeon Contest. The contest deadline isn’t until Sunday, December 20, so there’s still lots of time to submit your entry. We’ll announce the winner the week of December 28. Keep those holiday themed dungeons rolling in.
Skills
In Skill Focus: Nature and Skill Focus: Streetwise we continued our ongoing exploration of alternative ways to use skills. We added The Kitchen Adventure to our expanding skill challenge library. And we offered some suggestions for Using Rituals In Skill Challenges.
Eberron
We were fortunate enough to get an interview with Eberron author Don Bassingthwaite. He was very forthcoming about how he got his start writing D&D novels, how his work continues to impact the Eberron setting and even who he’d cast in movie versions of his books (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3).
Class Discussion
- We continued to review and revise the Necromancer: Paragon Path and the Necromancer: Epic Tier.
- PHB3 First Look: The Seeker – After a few sessions of play-testing we presented our thoughts on the new primal controller class.
Dungeon Master Resources
- Playing Recognizable Archetype – Have you ever run a game based on established characters like King Arthur, Robin Hood or even the members of Star Trek: The Next Generation? If not, this may just change your mind.
- LFR Magic Item Treasure Bundle List – Give your PCs the treasure they want by consulting this complete LFR treasure inventory before choosing your next LFR adventure.
- Engaging Your Players – Give your PCs just enough information to keep them wanting more.
Player Resources
- Brave Warrior, Heal Thyself – This article provides a list of magical items that lets any PC heal himself by spending extra healing surges.
- Get Real Job – What was your PC’s career path before he decided to become an adventurer?
- 10 Reminders for All D&D Players – Everyone can benefit from a few helpful reminders, even the Dungeon’s Master team.
Editorial
- Should Players Suffer When PCs Die? – This article kicked up a lot of controversy and had our readers sharing their opinions on how to handle character death in 4e D&D.
- One More Reason that Character Builder is Awesome – Following November’s Character Builder update, Ameron made a discovery he couldn’t keep to himself.
- The Art of D&D (Part 1) – A look at five artistic masters who’s work has become synonymous with D&D from the 80s and 90s.
- Top 5 Fantasy Books Of All Time – Wimwick shares his thoughts on the best fantasy novels he’s ever read.
- Weekend in the Realms 2009 – Ameron offers his feedback after participating in the latest Weekend in the Realms.
A Look Ahead
In December we’ll keep bringing you the kind of articles you’ve come to expect from us here at Dungeon’s Master. More skill challenges, more entries in our Skill Focus series, part 2 of our look at the art of D&D, more product reviews, and over the holiday break we’ll highlight some of our best articles from 2009. We’ll also announce the winner of our Holiday Dungeon Contest the last week of December. There’s plenty going on throughout December so be sure to visit us every day.