Tag: Legends & Lore

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Editorial

From Looking to Looting in Legends & Lore

In this week’s Legends & Lore I was pleased to see something that I could praise. One must understand, Monte Cook’s writing is difficult to praise, and difficult to critique. Unfortunately, it is far too easy to criticize. So today I’m going to take this opportunity to praise what is deserving of praise as I analyze this week’s Legends & Lore column.

If you haven’t read Magic and Mystery by Monte Cook, take time now to read it. Pay special attention to the poll results at the end of the article. As you might have guessed if you read my article, Tip of the Iceberg here on Dungeon’s Master last week, I didn’t like Cook’s proposed new skill mechanic and I fell into the 12%.

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Editorial

Tip of the Iceberg: Monte Cook’s First Legends & Lore

Monte Cook’s inaugural Legends & Lore column is an inauspicious beginning. Taken as a whole, the column introduced Monte Cook to readers and discussed his take on the skill system proposed by Mike Mearls in his August 16 Legends & Lore article Difficulty Class Warfare. As if rehashing a used topic wasn’t bad enough, Cook didn’t present it nearly as well Mearls did a month earlier. If you haven’t yet read Monte Cook’s first Legends & Lore column, Very Perceptive, I encourage you to do so before reading my running commentary and opinions on the highs and lows.

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Editorial

Goodbye Mearls, Hello Cook: Reflecting on Legends & Lore

In this week’s Legends & Lore column, Mike Mearls announced he is stepping aside and handing the column over to Monte Cook. Over the past eight months, I’ve read every Legends & Lore article written by Mearls. I’ve come to know and respect his writing and his ideas. Thanks in large part to the content in the Legends & Lore articles; I’ve started to really internalize the game theory. The question on everyone’s mind now is how big an impact will replacing Mearls with Cook have on the Legends & Lore column and on D&D?

Last week we put out a call for submissions. Today the Dungeon’s Master team is pleased to welcome the first of our new contributors, Dantracker (Kenneth McNay). Kenneth discovered D&D as a way to a keep in touch with fellow Soldiers after he left the service. It only took a few sessions before he jumped into 4e with both feet and began running campaigns in 2009. He serves as a store organizer for D&D Encounters and participates in private campaigns as both a player and DM. Outside of D&D, Kenneth works in information and networking technology. On rare occasion, he even plays ukulele. We welcome him to the team and hope you enjoy his first contribution. – Ameron

Before proceeding I must admit that my gaming experience is limited. My introduction to D&D (and RPGs) was in 2009 shortly after 4e launched. My gaming knowledge and experience has grown considerably in the past two years, but I come to the hobby without preconception of previous editions or the baggage that often accompanies it. My opinions and comments regarding D&D and the Legends & Lore series specifically are those of someone without agenda or axe to grind. I enjoy everything D&D has to offer and love to share my enthusiasm. Now that you know where I stand, it’s up to you to decide how much value my opinion carries.

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Editorial

The Future of Dungeons & Dragons – Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about what The Future of Dungeons & Dragons might look like by considering what the present edition of Dungeons & Dragons offers us as players in order to get a sense of what might lie ahead for the game. The ongoing Legends & Lore series by Mike Mearls provides some insight into what the designers are thinking about and they are clearly looking to the player base for feedback. Why else would Mike be writing his column? In short, the fine folks at Wizards of the Coast want to create a gaming experience that we, the players, want to play. Pretty simple really.

But in fact it’s not going to be simple at all. The reality is that everyone wants something slightly different from the game. We all play it a little differently. Go from one group to the next and you’ll encounter a new house rule or certain source books that are off limits. So designing a game we will all enjoy is a tougher prospect than it might originally seem.

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Book Reviews Editorial

Is Deities and Demigods a 4e Necessity?

Deities and Demigods was one of the very first AD&D supplements TSR ever produced. It’s been an integral part of D&D since 1980. But do we really need a 4e version? The myths haven’t changed since 3e so why put out a new book?

I’ve always been interested in mythology. The classic myths lend themselves so nicely to RPGs, especially Dungeons & Dragons. Who doesn’t like stories about larger-than-life characters with extraordinary powers doing the impossible? If you’re into D&D then a tale of a hero with magic powers and mythical weapons fighting monsters should be right up your alley. Realizing this, TSR published Deities and Demigods back in the days of D&D’s infancy. They provided us with statistics for the heroes of myth. Pure genius.

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