Category: Editorial

Categories
Editorial

Merry Christmas

The Dungeon’s Master team wishes all of our readers a safe and happy holiday season.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who visited Dungeon’s Master during the last year. Your continued support by visiting our site regularly and commenting often has helped make us successful. We hope you continue to visit during 2015 and we’ll keep providing relevant and interesting content.

In 2014 we saw the official release of D&D 5e and with that came the revamp of the organized play program in the form of the Adventurers League. It was a fantastic year for D&D and hopefully next year will continue to be just as great for gamers and the gaming community.

Although we didn’t put out as much new content in 2014 as we’d have liked, we’ll make a stronger effort in 2015 to get back into the habit of providing new articles that will help you make your gaming experience better.

If there’s a particular topic you’d like use to write about, please let us know. Also, we’re always looking for guest bloggers so if you’ve got something to say about D&D that you want to share with other gamers, contact us and we’ll see about giving you a shot.

If you’re still looking for a great gift to give yourself or someone in your gaming group, we have a suggestion that’s in everyone’s price range. Give the gift of D&D content directly into your inbox weekdays throughout 2014 by subscribing to the Dungeon’s Master RSS feed.


[jetpack_subscription_form title=”Looking for Instant Updates?” subscribe_text=”Subscribe to the Dungeon’s Master Feed for up to date info from your favourite D&D site.” subscribe_button=”Sign Up Now”]

Categories
D&D Encounters Editorial

D&D Encounters: Hoard of the Dragon Queen – Report Card

hoard-of-the-dragon-queen-cover-2This was the new beginning for D&D. It may have been season 19 of D&D Encounters, but this was the first adventure that used the official new 5e rules so in a way it was like season 1 again. We had high expectation for 5e, especially after participating in the D&D Next playtest for so long, and we had high hopes for the first adventure that used the new rules. It was a lot of fun and there were plenty of memorable encounters at the tables I ran.

Today I’m going to take a long, hard look at Hoard of the Dragon Queen. I’m going to identify the good and the bad and then judge it on its merits. Was it a good adventure? Did it work as a season of D&D Encounters? Read on and find out.

Continue reading “D&D Encounters: Hoard of the Dragon Queen – Report Card”
Categories
Editorial

Win a Free Hex Dice Chest – One Day Only!

dice-chest-01If it’s one things games never have enough of, it’s dice. And with a massive collection of dice comes the inevitable problem of where to store them all. Well, if you’re sick of keeping you dice in a purple, crushed-velvet Crown Royal bag then you should check out Hex Dice Chests.

Quentin and Dan are just a couple of gamers with a passion for woodworking. They’ve got an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign on right now where you can order your own Hex Dice Chest. It’s already 1,000% funded! The Kickstarter runs until the end of day Sunday, November 2. Check it out.

Now if you think these Hex Dice Chests are just the thing for you, but you’re a bit short of funds right now, you’re in luck. Quentin and Dan have graciously donated 4 free Hex Dice Chests to our readers. We’ve decided the fairest way to dole out these prizes is to have a random drawing.

Continue reading “Win a Free Hex Dice Chest – One Day Only!”
Categories
Editorial

Ameron’s 2014 GenCon Schedule

gencon-logo-01The best four days in gaming is less than a week away. To say that I’m excited is an understatement. I’m literally counting the days and hours until I arrive in Indianapolis. I’m not especially wild about the 10 hour trip in the car from Toronto, but I’ll have two buddies along for the ride so that should keep things lively.

This will be my eighth consecutive year attending GenCon. Each year seems to be better than the year before. I’m sure that my familiarity with how things work and my growing list of gaming friends are both contributing factors. If you’re heading to GenCon I encourage you to find me so we can meet in persona and perhaps even play a game together.

For those arriving in Indy Wednesday at a reasonable hour, please come and join us as we’ll be gathering to play board games late into the night. Tweet or email me.

Continue reading “Ameron’s 2014 GenCon Schedule”
Categories
Editorial Friday Favourites

Friday Favourite: Should PCs Charge Other PCs for Services?

On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From June 13, 2011, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: Should PCs Charge Other PCs for Services?

What if, during the heat of combat, when you’re down to your last few hit points and in desperate need of healing, the Cleric only agrees to use Healing Word if you promise to pay him 500 gp? What about a Rogue who won’t disarm and open a locked treasure chest unless he gets half of whatever’s inside it? Should characters be able to charge party members for performing unique services?

Normally this kind of behaviour isn’t tolerated at any D&D table. The game is cooperative and everyone’s supposed to get along. It’s assumed that all characters bring something useful to the party dynamic. In the end everyone will contribute as necessary to accomplish the greater objective and by doing so everyone is entitled to an equal share of the spoils. But isn’t it reasonable to assume that every once and a while a PC will feel that what they bring to the table far outweighs that of the others? And in these circumstances is it wrong for them to take advantage of the situation for personal gain?

Continue reading “Friday Favourite: Should PCs Charge Other PCs for Services?”
Categories
Editorial

Review: D&D Starter Set (5e)

starter-set-coverWelcome to D&D 5e. Yesterday Wizards of the Coast officially launched the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons by releasing the D&D Basic Rules online and the D&D Starter Set in select FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Shops). For the past year and a half many D&D enthusiasts participated in the playtest of the new rules dubbed D&D Next. Although the D&D 5e rules look a lot like the final version of the playtest there have been some changes and dare I say improvements made since then. The playtest is over and the real thing is here.

It’s been a long time since Wizards released a new gaming supplement that you could by at your FLGS and hold in your hands. The D&D Starter Set is the first product released in the 5e lineup with the other iconic rulebooks coming out over the next few months.

The D&D Starter Set is like a delicious appetizer. You knew you were hungry when you ordered it but you didn’t realize how hungry until you took your first bite. It’s delicious and it leaves you wanting more. You know that the main course is coming soon, but this will certainly hold you over until then.

Before I go on and talk about what’s in the box, let me tell you that I haven’t yet looked at the D&D Basic Rules available on the Wizards of the Coast website. The D&D Starter Set is supposed to include enough details that you can open the box, read the materials, and begin playing. I wanted to look at this product with that mindset.

Continue reading “Review: D&D Starter Set (5e)”
Categories
Editorial

3,000,000 Page Views

We did it. Today Dungeon’s Master hit 3 million pages views. Every day when I log into the blog’s back end I review our stats to see how we’re doing. I knew we were getting close to the 3 million mark and today, between the time I left work and the time I got home, we crossed that threshold. I’m blown away by this milestone.

We started Dungeon’s Master on February 1, 2009. It took us 31 months to reach 1 million page views. It took us another 17 months to reach 2 million page views. And it only took another 15 months to reach 3 million. Here we are 1,888 days since we first launched this little gaming blog and we’ve still here and still going strong.

We couldn’t have come this far without you, the readers. So today I’d like to say a very special thank you to everyone who’s ever visited Dungeon’s Master, especially those who visit regularly and comment often. Your feedback and support are a big part of what keeps us motivated to continue writing for this blog. We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you.

3-million-views

Related reading:


Looking for instant updates? Subscribe to the Dungeon’s Master feed!


Categories
Editorial Friday Favourites

Friday Favourite: The Importance of Trust and Honesty in D&D

On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From March 21, 2011, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: The Importance of Trust and Honesty in D&D.

I think that the vast majority of people who play D&D take for granted just how important trust and honesty are to the game. In order for everything to work we have to assume that everyone playing is honest and trustworthy. Of course, we don’t come right out and ask this of the other players; you merely accept it as fact. If players cheat or abuse the trust we’ve given them in good faith, then the system won’t work and the gaming experience will be tarnished.

Just this past weekend I was playing a Living Forgotten Realms (LFR) adventure at my FLGS and something happened that really highlighted the importance of trust in D&D. It was an unusual situation, and the more I thought about it the more I realized that perhaps it’s time to discuss just how vital trust and honesty are in D&D.

Continue reading “Friday Favourite: The Importance of Trust and Honesty in D&D”
Categories
Editorial

Gaming Resume

It’s fair to say I was a decent athlete in my teenage years, but I was never the best player on the team. Growing up, I knew that there was no way I’d ever play sports professionally. However, as a gaming nerd, I’ve always thought it might be possible to get a job in the RPG industry, or specifically to get the chance to work for Wizards of the Coast.

A couple of years ago I got the chance to write some articles for Wizards as a freelancer, and that certainly got me a bit closer to living the dream. Last week I applied for a contract position with Wizards of the Coast as one of three D&D Organized Play Administrators. It’s not a full time job, but it’s a chance to make a meaningful contribution to the game I love and the public play program that I participate in every week.

Continue reading “Gaming Resume”
Categories
Editorial Humour

Greatest Hits 2013: The Big Bang Theory D&D Episode – A Gamer’s Perspective

While the Dungeon’s Master team enjoys some well-deserved vacation time, we’re breaking out the greatest hits and shining a spotlight on a few of our favourite articles from 2013. We’ve searched for hidden gems that our newer readers might have missed and our long-time readers will enjoy reading again. Enjoy a second look at these greatest hits from Dungeon’s Master.

So what do nerds do for fun? The Big Bang Theory has done a pretty good job of showing the guys indulging in all sorts of nerdy hobbies from video games, to sci-fi movie marathons, to cosplay, to board gamers, to Dungeons & Dragons. The hobbies may get the occasional cheap laugh because of the mainstream audience’s unfamiliarity with them, but for the most part they’re all shown in a fairly positive light.

The Big Bang Theory has been good for nerd hobbies and nerds in general. The show is one of the most popular on TV right now and it’s exposing the masses to all sorts of things they’d never herd of or seen before.

It’s no secret in my office that I’m a huge nerd, and my co-workers will often ask me about things they see on episodes of The Big Bang Theory. I haven’t been able to get any of my colleagues to game with me yet, but the curiosity factor is encouraging. They see the characters on TV having fun doing something they’ve never heard of and think that perhaps they’d have fun if they tried it.

I’m particularly encouraged when I see The Big Bang Theory cast playing D&D. When they play on the show their games tend to focus on a good mixture of exploration, solving puzzles, and general role-playing. They don’t seem to engage in combat or even roll dice that often but honestly that would be boring to show on TV so I understand why we don’t see that very often.

In my opinion, the most important aspect of the D&D games we’ve seen on The Big Bang Theory is that they’re always having fun. This is the best endorsement the game can get and I’m glad we keep seeing the gang play D&D in prime time. If this episode’s popularity was any indication then I expect we’ll see them playing more D&D in upcoming episodes.

From May 10, 2013, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: The Big Bang Theory D&D Episode – A Gamer’s Perspective.

Continue reading “Greatest Hits 2013: The Big Bang Theory D&D Episode – A Gamer’s Perspective”