Jonathan Jacobs of The Core Mechanic is moving forward with Open Game Table Vol. 2 and is asking the online gaming community to nominate articles they’d like to see included in this anthology. OGT2 is scheduled for a Summer 2010 release and will be available in as an eBook and in hard copy.
Author: Ameron (Derek Myers)
This weekend is the grand opening of HairyT North & 3rd Quadrant Comics, and to celebrate this exciting event they’re having a huge sale on just about everything, including gaming stuff. This is the third Hairy Tarantula location in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This time they’ve joined forces with the recently resurrected 3rd Quadrant Comics to open one new super-store dedicated to everything gaming and comic books.
The Harry Tarantula has a reputation for being one of the best gaming store franchises in the GTA. They carry an incredible variety of gaming products. They’ll also order in just about anything you can think of (at least that’s been my experience).
The new store is in what used to be a pool hall and it’s gigantic. If you’re looking for a gaming-related gift for a friend or yourself, you have to check out this sale this weekend. Here’s the email announcement they sent to their mailing list explaining all the details.
When the skills were streamlined for 4e D&D one of the skills that disappeared was Craft. That’s not to say that PCs can’t create things anymore, it’s just that this kind of task isn’t something you’re likely to use very often. It’s a task more suited for an NPC, not an adventurer.
However, there might still be times when you do want to create something yourself. You might require a unique device to accomplish a goal, you might need to pose as a smith or carpenter, or you might need to craft your own weapon as the first part of an epic quest.
When PCs find themselves in this situation the DM needs to determine just how significant the outcome is going to be. If it’s just something you’re doing during your down time then no role playing is probably required. In fact no roll is likely required either. However, if the success or failure of your handiwork will affect the outcome of things to come, then perhaps it’s time to turn your labours into a skill challenge.
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Always Train Your Worst Skills
Imagine you have an attack score of +15. Your opponent, a savage brute, has an AC of 20 and his companions all have ACs between 10-15. Does this fight even interest you? You’d hit with almost every attack. It might be ok if this was a rare, one-off situation, but imagine that this was how combat shaped up every single time. Personally, I’d lose interest.
Yet this is exactly what’s happening during skill challenges at gaming tables everywhere. We’re so concerned with being really, really good at a couple of skills that when it comes time to use them we are almost guaranteed automatic success. Using Stealth to move undetected or using Athletics to climb any wall under any circumstance can be very cool and a lot of fun, but training the skills we’re already good at just makes using those skills a bore.
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Playing Against Type
When it comes to character creation you have a lot choice. If you take into account the current number of races (35) and classes (22) presented in character builder you can create over 770 different possible combinations. If you throw the Hybrid class into the mix the number continues to grow exponentially. And as more classes and races are introduced, the number of variations continues to increase. So if there are currently 770 different possible race/class combinations, why do we keep seeing the same ones over and over again?
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Month in Review: November 2009
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.
“What would the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise look like if they were D&D characters?” I’ve asked myself this question numerous times over the last few weeks as I’ve watched old episodes of Start Trek: The Next Generation. It’s an interesting exercise, and it got me thinking about what it would take to play these archetypes in an ongoing camping.
Over the years I have participated in games that borrowed famous characters from familiar stories. It was an interesting way to create new characters and the games were a lot of fun.
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LFR Magic Item Treasure Bundle List
Living Forgotten Realms games are great. As a DM you just select the adventure you want to run and download it from the Wizards of the Coast website for free. All the prep work is done for you. All you have to do is read the adventure. As a player you can use the same character at any sanctioned LFR event (provided you are of the appropriate level). You also know that if you complete the adventure you’re in for some fairly good rewards.
There are tasks in D&D that are deemed so trivial or non-important that they happen off screen. You just assume stuff happens and the game proceeds. In many cases no checks are even required. Then there are the tasks that are a little bit more important and the result of the check will have some kind of impact on the game. Nothing life-or-death, but some noticeable effect. And then you have full blown skill challenges with all the structure and XP that comes with it.
From time to time it’s interesting to take some of those marginally important tasks and turn them into skill challenges. These are opportunities to encourage creative role-playing. There is structure and there is XP, but the real objective of the encounter is to have fun. If the PCs happen to earn some XP along the way then that’s just a bonus.
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Brave Warrior, Heal Thyself
What do you do if you need healing and none is readily available? You’re in the thick of battle and you realize your hit points are getting dangerously low. You call out to the healer for help, but he’s got nothing to offer. He’s already expended this encounter’s allotment. Or worse yet, maybe your party doesn’t have a leader? No problem, you use your second wind. But what if you’ve already done that too. Now you’re in a situation with no healer and no way to easily expend a healing surge. What now?