Author: Ameron (Derek Myers)

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Top 10

10 Good Reasons to Play D&D

Have you ever had to justify your love for D&D? Did you stand up for the game or did you deny everything? Are you one of those gamers who proudly and openly talks about his love of D&D? Maybe you enjoy D&D but don’t need to give anyone another reason to know that you’re a nerd? Perhaps you’re a closet gamer who nerds it up behind closed doors, but refuses to acknowledge anything D&D related in front of your social peers or members of the opposite sex?

Over the years I’ve often had to defend my love for D&D to my friends, family and even my wife. In my article Confessions of a Gamer (written shortly after Dungeon’s Master was first launched) I dared to bare my soul and shout from the (virtual) rooftops that I play D&D and I was proud of it.

I realized long ago that playing D&D was nothing to be ashamed of; in fact I went to the other extreme and created a D&D blog so I could write about D&D every day. The more I thought about it the more I realized that there are a lot of strong up-sides to playing D&D. So for anyone who faces ridicule for playing D&D, here’s a list of 10 good reasons to play D&D.

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Editorial

The Art of D&D (Part 2)

Many artists have contributed to D&D over the years, but only the greatest left a lasting impression on the game and its fans. In The Art of D&D (Part 1)we looked at five of the greatest artists ever associated with D&D: Caldwell, Elmore, Easley, Fields and Parkinson. These five set the bar for style and quality in the art of D&D throughout the 1980s. As D&D expanded in the years and decades to come, new artists stepped in to fill the giant shoes left behind by these masters. Today we look at three of them.

One of the smartest decisions Wizards of the Coast (TSR at the time) ever did was to make the artwork of one artist exclusive to a particular campaign line. It was marketing genius. The art was so distinct and so good that you immediately knew, just by looking at the advertisement or book cover, which campaign setting it was for. There was a direct correlation between the popularity and success of these product lines with the brand recognition the artists created.

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Editorial

D&D Encounters: Keep on the Borderlands (Week 8.)

Using the information gained from the small copper dragon at the end of last week’s encounter the PCs rushed into the swamp in hopes of saving Benwick from ambush. Our party this week consisted of Berrian, Hagen, Quinn, Sola and two unique characters, an Assassin and a Wizard. So with a full roster we braved ahead.

We arrived at the ambush site just in time to witness the ambush taking place. As we approached we overheard the Dragonborn leader addressing Ronnik and telling him that they will “seal their arrangement with blood.” The Dragonborn was standing menacingly over Benwick; Ronnik was standing over Benwick’s fallen comrades Sal and Gordi. Four lizardfolk address Ronnik in Draconic before attacking the PCs.

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DM Resources Editorial

Who’s Really In Control At Your Gaming Table?

The common belief is that the DM is in charge, but the more I’ve been looking at things objectively the more I’m inclined to disagree. It seems to me that the players have a lot more power and influence over the campaign than anyone may realize.

At the very beginning of any game the DM is indeed in charge. He’s in control of the overall setting, the campaign objective, the party’s motivation and the monsters. The very first time the players sit down at the gaming table the DM is firmly in control. But as we all know, no plan survives contact with the enemy (the enemy being the players).

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Player Resources

Tomb of Horrors: Actual Play Podcasts (Part 2)

What do you get when six experienced gamers that have never played the Tomb of Horrors try to survive a delve into the most infamous dungeon adventure in D&D history? A whole bunch of exciting actual play podcasts. With a DM who plays for keeps, the players continue to match wits with a dungeon famous for killing all who dare to enter. So far none of the PCs have died, although there have been a few very close calls.

In this article we bring you episodes #4 and #5, which make up the second night of our ongoing adventure. Before diving intop these podcasts, make sure you listen to the first three Tomb of Horrors: Actual Play Podcasts.

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Editorial

D&D Encounters: Keep on the Borderlands (Week 7)

For the first time this season a character was killed, dead-dead. At one point three PCs were making death saves having already wracked up two strikes and staring the third in the face. Our arrogance, over-confidence, and poor tactics resulted in heavy damage and one fatality. The party felt challenged and quickly realized that this wasn’t going to be another cake-walk.

Our party consisted of five PCs. Quinn, Sola, Berrian plus a Dwarven Rogue (basically Merric with a couple of small changes) and a Human Wizard. So we had a balanced party with a defender, leader, striker and two controllers. But in the end balance it wasn’t enough to earn a quick or easy victory.

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Editorial

Fortune 500 – Extreme Wealth in D&D

Today marks our 500th post. When we’ve hit significant milestones at Dungeon’s Master in the past we’ve tried to relate the number of that milestone into that article. Our 100th post was a list of 100 Great Things About D&D. For our 300th post Wimwick and I each created King Leonidas from the movie 300. Post 404 was all about Errors I’ve Made as a DM. When I was trying to come up with a subject to tie in to our 500th post I kept thinking of the Fortune 500 – a list of the most wealthy and profitable companies in the U.S. From there it wasn’t much of a leap to start thinking about extreme wealth in D&D.

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Editorial

The 2010 Hobby Show & The Great Canadian Game Show

The 2010 Hobby Show & The Great Canadian Game Show is happening this weekend in Toronto. It’s a showcase for many hobbies and games including, but not limited to, Dungeons & Dragons. If you live in the Greater Toronto Area or are a reasonable driving distance from here I strongly encourage you to check it out.

The convention is happening at the International Centre in Mississauga, located at 6900 Airport Road and runs all weekend. Here are the hours of operation.

  • Friday, November 5, 1 p.m. – 9 p.m.
  • Saturday, November 6, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
  • Sunday, November 7, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Daily Admission is $12 for adults, $7 for children under 15 and free for kids 5 and under. For $2 off admission, just visit their website and print the coupon.

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DM Resources Player Resources

Does Alignment Matter in 4e D&D?

How important is alignment? Does it serve a practical purpose in D&D , or does it just take up room on the character sheet? The alignment mechanic underwent significant changes when 4e D&D was launched. The traditional or classic view of alignment was turned on its head. Nine alignments were pared down to only five; and two of the remaining alignments are, for the most part, off limits to players. So with only three real choices remaining does alignment even matter? Is this just a carryover from previous editions that no longer has a place in D&D?

As a player and a DM I believe that alignment is a vitally important part of every character sheet and that it doesn’t get nearly enough attention. In fact I’m extremely dissatisfied with how alignment is handled in 4e D&D.

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Month in Review

Month in Review: October 2010

In October we returned to our roots and wrote about skill challenges… a lot. We looked at ways to make skill challenges more exciting and we provided new skill challenges for your campaign. We made sure that you knew what was going on with changes to LFR, provided an adventuring hook that generated a lot of discussion, looked back at the history of D&D computer games and forward to Neverwinter, and covered weeks 3-6 of D&D Encounters: Keep on the Borderlands.

Thanks to everyone who visited us during October and we hope that you keep visiting us in November. We welcome your feedback and appreciate it when you leave your comments. If you missed any of the great stuff we published in October then this is your chance to get caught up.

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