Category: Editorial

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Editorial

A DM’s Debut: The Story of a First Time GenCon Judge

While Ameron and I were at GenCon we met a lot of other players and DMs. Some of these folks were very experienced and others were coming to D&D for the first time. One experienced DM judging at GenCon for the first time was Shawn O’Leary. We played at his table during our first crack at the D&D Convention Delve. After the adventure we shamelessly plugged our website and asked Shawn if he’d be interested in writing an article for Dungeon’s Master about being a first time DM at GenCon. Shawn was kind enough to take us up on our offer and today we’re happy to share Shawn’s experiences with you.

I’ve been a Dungeon Master for a long time. The first RPG I ran as the DM was D&D, of course. I can’t recall if I started with the blue box or the red box but D&D started it all for me. After that there was Gamma World and then various other role playing games published by TSR such as Marvel Super Heroes and Star Frontiers. But my favorite game, first and foremost, was and still is Dungeons & Dragons.

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Dark Sun Editorial

D&D Encounters Dark Sun (Week 11)

As Fury of the Wastewalker chapter 3 began the party was captured by savage Halflings. Among the captives were some new faces as players were encouraged to create their own PCs. How will these new adventurers work with the pre-generated characters? Let’s find out.

Our numbers held steady at nine. Not enough players to run two tables but more than enough for a normally balanced encounter. For the second week in a row, our DM agreed to run the encounter with a party of eight.

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Editorial Player Resources

The 2010 D&D Open Championship

Last weekend at GenCon a new champion was crowned at the D&D Open Championship. Regretfully it was not us. We didn’t even make it to the finals, which was sorely disappointing. However, we still had a lot of fun playing and a lot of fun preparing for the competition. We like to think of this as a learning experience and want to share our findings with you.

This year’s Championship was an adventure called A Hole in the World. Five level 25 pre-generated PCs, were provided. Each team had to complete five encounters, each encounter with a 45-minute time limit. If you didn’t complete an encounter in 45 minutes you were eliminated. If the party decided to take an extended rest you were eliminated. It was designed to challenge the best and most experienced D&D players and it certainly did just that.

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Editorial

What Makes An Encounter Legendary?

Five hours. One Encounter. A near total party kill. Three characters only one strike away from death. One character dead.

The DM began the encounter by taunting us. “You’re the ninth party I’ve run this adventure for since GenCon started and so far none of them have survived past the first encounter.” He continued his challenge by saying “This is by far the most difficult encounter I have ever seen in any LFR adventure.”

That did it. The players were committed, hook, line and sinker. We were going to complete this encounter even if it killed us. And it almost did.

The events of that night beg the question, what makes an encounter legendary?

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Dark Sun Editorial

D&D Encounters Dark Sun (Week 10)

GenCon is over and now it’s time to get back to our regularly scheduled D&D game. After a two week absence I was back at D&D Encounters on Wednesday night. With our numbers dwindling week after week I wasn’t sure if we’d need more than one table. While I was on the road to Indianapolis last week only six people managed to make it out for D&D Encounters Dark Sun week 9. I was ready to DM this week, but happy to jump into the role of player if there was only one table.

We waited an extra 15 minutes before starting, but in the end we had only nine people – not quite enough for two tables. The other DM decided to run a super encounter with an expanded party. So we got things in order and prepared to play with eight players. All of the pre-gens were represented as well as Yuka 2 and Phye 2 (which I played).

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Editorial

GenCon: D&D Adventure Builder’s Workshop

Every good DM enjoys dreaming up new campaigns, adventures and encounters. With this in mind I descended upon GenCon with the intent of attending the D&D Adventure Builder’s Workshop. I wanted to hear how the pros built encounters, how they designed their traps and what inspired their campaigns. I must say I wasn’t disappointed and while I didn’t get exactly what I was looking for, what I did get was that much better.

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Editorial

GenCon: D&D Convention Delve – Lair of the Dread Witch

After a lot of meticulous planning about what to do and which games to play at GenCon we made an accidental discovery that changed everything. Originally we registered for a few LFR games, the D&D Championship and the D&D Classic. We intentionally left some time open to take in a couple of seminars and to try out the Dark Sun Arenas tournament. But last night we discovered the D&D Convention Delve and that changed everything.

After being eliminated form the D&D Championship after three encounters (more on that in a later article) we felt deflated. We grabbed a bite to eat and drown our sorrows in the bottom of a pint (or two or three). We then headed back to the Convention Centre to wander the halls and it was then we learned more about the D&D Convention Delve.

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Editorial

GenCon Awaits

After 9 grueling hours in the car with Ameron we’ve arrived in Indy. Our badges are in hand and the slaying of monsters awaits. Over the course of the best four days in gaming Ameron and I will have periodic updates about the events and sights that make up GenCon. Over the week our plan is to play some LFR games, check out the Dark Sun Arena’s and of course the Open Championship. We’ve teamed up with half of the C Team, last years winners. Last night we me up, handed out the character assignments and worked out our some strategy. Keep your swords or wands crossed for us.

GenCon promises to be a week of great fun, chance encounters and little sleep. We’ll post as many updates and images about the events as we’re able. For now I need to get what sleep I can, the life of an adventurer is uncertain and you never know when you’ll get your next extended rest.

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Editorial

D&D Camp and the Tomb of Horrors

During the final week of D&D camp I had a group of great kids. They knew the game well and I had DMed for all of them the week before. They were all friends from school who had been playing together for a number of years. They were the very best group of D&D kids you could find. There was the lifer, the child of two professional actors, the athletic competitive kid, the brain, and the kid who was in it just to make his friends laugh. They had all been to D&D camp in previous years and on the first day of this week (after a “D&D weekend” at the cottage) expressed an interested in playing through a campaign that was a little more involved than the typical “find sword, fight dragon” type game. Enter the Tomb of Horrors. I recently received my copy of the level 9 adventure in the mail and so proposed the Tomb to them by reading Gary Gygax’s original introduction and from there the tone was set. The week of play that followed was a brutal fight against oblivion which 13 adventurers would not survive.

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Editorial

Wimwick’s Newbie Plans For GenCon

The best four days in gaming begin next week. This will be my first trip to GenCon and I’m looking forward to the experience. I’ve heard all about it from Ameron and of course I’ve read about it through various other blogs. Still there is an aura of mystique that surrounds the event and I’m eager to arrive and investigate everything that GenCon and Indianapolis has to offer.

With that thought in mind I’ve put together a list of the top things I’d like to accomplish while at GenCon this year.

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