Tag: 4e

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Editorial

D&D Encounters: Keep on the Borderlands (Week 5)

Chapter 2 of the Keep on the Borderlands – A Season of Serpents began this week. This season of D&D Encounters is running well at my FLGS. We’ve managed to run one solid table every week. On top of that new players keep coming out to try their hand at D&D. Some with absolutely no 4e D&D experience and other who are old pros looking for a pick-up game.

Even though we see new faces every week we’re having difficulty getting them all to come back. The good news is that the interest is there and that the players seem to be having a really good time (I know I am). The negativity that clouded our FLGS during the final weeks of D&D Encounters Dark Sun seems to have disappeared and we’re picking up a lot of positive momentum. I think we’ll start to see more regular attendance moving forward and perhaps have enough people to run two tables.

If you live in the Greater Toronto Area and want to join us, we play on Wednesday night at Dueling Grounds. D&D Encounters begins a 6 p.m. every week.

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Editorial

Play Neverwinter

Last week I enjoyed the nostalgia that highlighting the History of Dungeons & Dragons Computer Games. Today I want to look to the future. In August Atari announced the next release for D&D on the computer. Coming in Q4 of 2011 is Neverwinter and on the surface it looks promising.

I say that as an individual who doesn’t think there are enough D&D computer titles on the shelves these days. Looking back at past releases we saw that between 1990 and 1993, 17 titles were released. Clearly designing and releasing a computer game today is not what it was 20 years ago, but I would like to see more D&D video game releases.

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Player Resources

Tomb of Horrors: Actual Play Podcasts

The Tomb of Horrors. An adventure synonymous with character death. Its reputation for brutality is well known and often repeated in anything but hushed tones. Almost all D&D players have tried their hand at this iconic adventure at some point in their gaming career. So when an ambitious DM decided to gather experienced gamers, none of whom had ever actually played Tomb of Horrors before, and run them through the 4e re-imagining of the most brutal adventure ever written, he was surprised to actually find five experienced gamers who fit this criteria. A sixth player who had recently run the Tomb of Horrors for the kids at D&D Camp filled the sixth seat but agreed not to be the party’s decision-maker. With the party complete, the adventure begins.

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Editorial

More LFR Changes – Level Bands and Encounters Levels

There are more changes on the horizon for LFR. A couple of weeks ago in the article Will Essentials Ruin LFR? we talked about forthcoming changes to magical treasure and PC equipment necessitated by D&D Essentials. Last week Greg Marks (posting as Skerrit) one of the Global Admins for LFR posted another article on the Wizards forums announcing more changes to LFR. In the article CCG Update he talks about changes to the way adventures are going to be structured in 2011.

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Editorial

The History of Dungeons & Dragons Computer Games

Video games were my introduction to Dungeons & Dragons, specifically SSI’s Pool of Radiance. Playing this game led me to purchase the original Red Box Set and guided me down the path to playing D&D. With the announcement of Neverwinter I started thinking about all of the D&D computer games that have been released. I’ve always felt that D&D having a digital presence through computer games is a great way to expand the presence of the brand. These games also serve as a great introduction to the hobby for the uninitiated.

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Editorial

D&D Encounters: Keep on the Borderlands (Week 4)

Last week Ronnik tried to eliminate any evidence that might tie him to the Cult of Tiamat or Gordi’s kidnapping. Time was of the essence, so the PCs headed to the Well Hideout specified on the map they found in Ronnik’s wall safe.

This week we had a full party of six made up of Merric, Quinn, Hagen, Sola and two Berrians. After running two characters last week I opted to go back to just one character this week – Sola. We had a new player join our table this week. The last time he played D&D was AD&D 2e. So after a quick 10 minute primer on d20 mechanics, and a 5 minute recap of what happened during weeks 1-3 we moved on to D&D Encounters week 4.

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DM Resources Skill Challenges

Skill Challenge: The Revolving Door

When the party finds themselves in front of a locked door it usually falls to the Rogue to search for traps and then unlock it. It takes two rolls and about 30 seconds of game play. It’s a boring, even for the Rogue.

As a DM I’m always trying to find new and creative ways to challenge the party. On top of that, I like to throw typical conventions upside down. So when I was creating a recent dungeon and needed to place a “door” between the PCs and a secret chamber I opted for something unconventional. I wanted something that required more than a quick Thievery check to bypass. I also wanted something that required the entire party to work together to overcome. And that’s where the idea for the revolving door originated.

Depending on how a DM wasn’t to incorporate this into his campaign, it can be a straight up skill challenge or it can easily become a dangerous hazard. I’ll describe how the door works and then provide the skill challenge mechanics afterward.

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Player Resources

16 Feats Worth Selecting

I love building new characters. It doesn’t matter what level, I enjoy the challenge of creating interesting builds. Matching feats and powers to create powerful characters that can withstand anything thrown at them. I enjoy taking those characters and dreaming up a background story for them. Imbuing the raw numbers with life.

Recently I was messing about with Character Builder. My goal was to build as tough a Fighter as I possibly could. I decided on human for my race and I was going to build this character at level 30.

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Adventure Hooks DM Resources

Adventure Hook: The Metamorphosis Curse

When players create a character one of the most important decisions they make is choosing their race. Most often players look at the race that provides the best ability bonuses or most interesting racial power to compliment their class. It’s because of this min/maxing we tend to see the same race/class combos over and over again. Introducing the Metamorphosis Curse into your campaign will force players to try new races they might not otherwise choose on their own.

Let’s assume that you’ve created the perfect character. You’ve played through a few levels and you’re really getting to know this PC. He was built to kick butt and he’s doing a fantastic job so far. Everything’s clicking. What happens if his race is suddenly changed? How does this affect your character?

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Editorial

D&D Encounters: Keep on the Borderlands (Week 3)

Sometimes it’s nice to play an encounter that’s just hack and slash. Show up, sit down, roll initiative and kill monsters. I’m not saying I’d be happy with this week after week, but it was a welcome change after two weeks with some heavy role-playing.

When last week’s encounter ended the PCs barely had time for a short rest before they noticed Ronnik’s bank was on fire. The action picked up immediately where last week’s left off. Sal cried out, “Ronnik’s trying to destroy evidence of his evil affiliation by burning his own shop.” The PCs rolled initiative and rushed towards the burning building in search of survivors among the flames or evidence of Ronnik’s deeds.

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