Tag: Wizards of the Coast

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Editorial Player Resources Technology

Character Builder: Is It REALLY That Bad?

Last week I reflected on my initial reaction of the new web based version of Character Builder. Overall, I was not impressed and if you’d like the details feel free to read the post entitled Character Builder: Working As Intended. However, what I did not do was review the new version. My reaction and major complaint is that the new version just has too many bugs and the release should have been delayed. This does not mean that it doesn’t have any good features.

Today we look at the Legacy and Silverlight version of Character Builder. We’ll compare the two as I build a new level one character. The point here isn’t to point out problems with one or the other but to look at the differences in the process and determine if the Silverlight version is actually a step forward, bugs aside, from the Legacy version.

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DM Resources Skill Challenges

Exploring Skill Checks and the New DCs (Part 2)

Since the launch of 4e D&D, Wizards of the Coast has given us three different charts to measure the DC for skill checks. Clearly they’ve recognized that the DCs were off and they’re trying to find a more suitable model. Rather than wait for them to get it right I decided form the beginning that I was going to tweak the numbers as I felt was appropriate for my game. Following the DCs set out in any of the iterations of the skill DC chart just seemed to arbitrary given most circumstances.

In Exploring Skill Checks and the New DCs (Part 1) I explored the idea of when to actually use skill checks and when to let the narrative drive the story. In part 2 we’ll look at the actual numbers that determine success or failure and how to derive them.

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DM Resources Skill Challenges

Exploring Skill Checks and the New DCs (Part 1)

Recently our friends at Wizards of the Coast updated the skill check DCs… again, and I admit that I did shake my head when I heard this. Shortly thereafter there was a disagreement at my gaming table about why these changes were made. After a lively discussion I realized that there are fundamental questions about what a skill check actually is that needed to be addressed before you can make use of these newly minted numbers.

What is a skill check? On the most basic level it is a die roll where you add your character’s relevant aptitude and circumstance as expressed as a number. The result is an abstraction about how skilled your character is or how fortunate they are in the circumstances. There are two distinct types of skill checks that you can make – opposed skill checks and skill checks against a set DC.

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Editorial Technology

Character Builder: Working As Intended

Disappointed. The word barely scratches the surface on my feelings towards the Character Builder. When Wizards of the Coast made the original announcement about the changes to the CB we remained silent, deciding we would wait until the new version was released before we commented. We had our opinions to be sure, but we felt to be critical of something we couldn’t actually experience wouldn’t be fair.

Well today I had my first taste of the new version of Character Builder. At first glance I was entranced. The interface is slick and very fluid. The updated CB is very user friendly, very new-to-the-hobby friendly as well. At first glance it appears that creating a new character would be a breeze and for the most part it is. It’s when you want to go beyond that first character that you start bumping into problems.

It didn’t take long for WotC to release a page of Known Issues for Character Builder.

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Player Resources

Tomb of Horrors: Actual Play Podcasts (Part 2)

What do you get when six experienced gamers that have never played the Tomb of Horrors try to survive a delve into the most infamous dungeon adventure in D&D history? A whole bunch of exciting actual play podcasts. With a DM who plays for keeps, the players continue to match wits with a dungeon famous for killing all who dare to enter. So far none of the PCs have died, although there have been a few very close calls.

In this article we bring you episodes #4 and #5, which make up the second night of our ongoing adventure. Before diving intop these podcasts, make sure you listen to the first three Tomb of Horrors: Actual Play Podcasts.

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Editorial

Zeroing in on Magic Item Changes for LFR

It looks like the LFR Global Admins have pretty much nailed how magic items will work after D&D Essentials becomes part of Living Forgotten Realms. Yesterday M. Sean Molley (posting as soccerref73) provided us with a preview in the article LFR Campaign Guide: Upcoming Magic Item Changes. Although the details are still not 100% finalized, this looks and sounds like a solid model and they pretty much say that in the article.

They’re never going to please everyone, but I think these changes sound fair and will please most of the people most of the time. They are still asking for your feedback so be sure to leave your comments. They’re especially concerned about gaps or loopholes that they might have missed.

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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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