Tag: Dungeon’s Master

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Technology

Desktop Killed The Tabletop Game

On August 1, 1981, MTV played their very first music video, Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles. What does a song from the 80s have to do with Dungeons & Dragons? Perhaps more than we know. This month’s blog carnival, hosted by Role Playing Pro, is about the future of RPGs. As our contribution, the Dungeon’s Master team wants to focus on technology and what it means for the future of RPGs and D&D in particular. Much has already been written on this topic and our intent is not to repeat or regurgitate old arguments. In stead, I intend to add to the conversation and provide our particular point of view.

Video killed the radio star
In my mind and in my car
We can’t rewind we’ve gone to far

Video Killed the Radio Star, The Buggles

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Class Discussions

The Fighter as a Striker

You’ve decided that your next character will be an archer and your primary weapon will be the longbow. But you’re not interested in playing a tree-hugging, one-with-nature Ranger. You want to play a tough as nails Fighter in plate armor who is a longbow master. Interesting character concept, but can you make this character using the 4e mechanics?

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Class Discussions

Redefining Character Roles

The advent of class roles to 4e D&D changed our perception of character classes. All classes now fit into one of four predefined roles within the party: controller, defender, leader and striker. Even though we’ve only had these four roles since the release of 4e last summer, they have become engrained in the discussion of gaming groups.

These four classifications are quickly becoming more than just roles. You could argue that they have become the new default character classes and that the current classes as we know them are just archetypes of the controller, defender, leader and striker. What I’m seeing more often are players deciding to play the striker and select whether they’d like to try the arcane, divine, martial or primal archetype of that class.

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DM Resources Skill Challenges

Running Memorable Skill Challenges (Part 2)

As we continue to explore how to run and design skill challenges we’ll look at the importance of creativity, the consequences of failing and new, advanced ideas for skill challenges. This builds on the basics of skill challenge design we covered yesterday in Running Memorable Skill Challenges (Part 1) including what is a skill challenge, how to introduce them and the basics of designing skill challenges.

Reward Creativity

Skill challenges are about creativity. They challenge the DM to think creatively when designing the challenge in order to give the PCs something new to experience. They also force PCs to look at their skill selection in new ways. The Fighter who is all thumbs in social encounters might consider training in Intimidate or even Diplomacy to increase his level of participation.

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DM Resources Skill Challenges

Running Memorable Skill Challenges (Part 1)

What is a skill challenge? These two words redefined encounters in Dungeons & Dragons. Since the release of 4e almost a year ago, skill challenges have been a thorn in the DM’s side, and a challenge for players to participate in. Much has been written about them in the blogosphere and this article certainly won’t be the last. The fundamental question I want to answer is “How to run and design skill challenges?”. The paradox here is that as I write this article I know I don’t have one solid answer. Rather, there are a myriad of ways to run skill challenges. All of them have merit, all of them have negatives and no one answer is right for all gaming groups. Further, what worked in the design of one challenge may fail in another.

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Adventure Hooks DM Resources

Adventure Hook: The Town Meeting

How do you motivate the PCs to begin a new adventure? Meeting a guy in a tavern is old and overused. You want the PCs to go down the road you’ve paved with all your hard work. You’ve designed the campaign, chosen the adventure, drawn the maps, populated the dungeons, given stats to the important NPCs, balanced the encounters and planned your tactics. All you need now is a hook.

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Month in Review

Month in Review: April 2009

April was our best month yet. If you missed any of the great material we posted, here’s your chance to get caught up. We’ve only been around for three months, but in that time we’ve covered a lot of ground. Our readership has continued to grow and again we thank the loyal readers who visit us every day and comment regularly. Here are the highlights just in case you missed anything.

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Categories
Adventures

Module: The Guardians

The Guardians is the third module offering from the team at Dungeon’s Master. This module continues the adventure path started in our first module, The Magistrate’s Daughter, and the second module, The Spy In Our Midst. It is designed for second level characters. Playing all three modules should provide PCs with enough experience to advance to the midpoint of second level. Enjoy the module and we would appreciate your feedback.

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Editorial

Why We Do What We Do

Wizards of the Coast puts out great materials for 4e D&D, but when looking at the bigger picture they have two significant problems. Addressing these shortcomings and making D&D better was a big reason we created Dungeon’s Master.

We’re coming up on our three month anniversary at Dungeon’s Master and we think we’re on the right track. I know what you’re thinking, Wimwick is about to toot his own horn, and you’re right I am. This is my soap box and I’m going to use it.

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DM Resources

New 4e House Rules (Part 1)

Sometimes you have an idea while you’re playing and you think: “Man, this would make a great house rule.” And then you suggest it to the table and they shoot it down as dumb or too complicated or just unnecessary. And in most cases their feedback was bang on the money. However, every once and a while an idea that’s shot down refuses to die. Even though your immediate peer group thinks it’s a bad idea you’re convinced that it has merit. It is with this in mind that I’m writing this, the first of what I hope will be a series of articles, about house rules in 4e D&D.

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