Change of Opinion: Flexibility not Limitation
I have been complaining since Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition came out that many of the features that I relied on in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition had been removed. I have now not only come to accept th[...]Read on >>
Arena 4e
Arena 4E is a fast-paced combat game for two or more players, and it can be played as a bloody free-for-all, a team vs. team cooperative effort, or any other combination.[...]Read on >>
How To Get The Best Of All Editions
This post came out of a journaling session on 750words.com. If you’ve never used it, I recommend it highly. Because of the uncensored nature of the journal, there may be some residual disorganization, but IR[...]Read on >>
Hit Locker
One of the big design changes between 3rd and 4e was the way they handled damage and hit points. First of all, 4e characters start with a lot more hit points: your average characters starts with roughly 24 HP. Compare th[...]Read on >>
‘Escapist’ interview behind ‘The Truth About 4th Ed’
Here at DireKraken, we represent a selection of D&D players that have chosen not to play 4th Edition. We have a fairly good spectrum of opinions about it, ranging from ‘acceptable alternative system’ to[...]Read on >>
Character du Jour: Cudgel the Goblin
(No, this isn’t an instruction) Grey Goblins are known for three things: their granite toughness, their isolation, and their utterly ungoblinlike nature. For the one known as Cudgel, only two out of those three are[...]Read on >>
Errata Isn’t in my Vocabulary
Every couple months, RPG companies come out with their latest batch of errata for their games. For those who don’t know what errata is, it’s all the changes they’ve made to the game, since they realized[...]Read on >>
Player’s Handbook 3 (PHB3) Review (Part 3)
Psionics. I’ll admit that over the years I’ve never been a huge fan of psionics in D&D. I cringed when Wizards announced that PHB3 would introduce psionic powered character classes to 4e D&D. My initial (and [...]Read on >>
Initiative Tracking Tools
Initiative tracking is very important when it comes to running a Dungeons & Dragons game. Gamers all over the internet have come up with some unique and creative ways for tracking initiative. I thought I would take a[...]Read on >>
DM Tip Twitter Archive: February 2010
DM Tip Twitter Archive: January 2010 Below is an archive of all of the Sly Flourish DM Tip Twitter posts for February 2010. Get daily DM tips at http://twitter.com/slyflourish! #dnd tip: Have a spymaster NPC on your PC&#[...]Read on >>
It’s Called Tabletop Gaming Not “Rebooting My Laptop” Gaming
Watching my fellow players and their fixation with technology in the past months has got me thinking quite a bit about the place of technology at the gaming table. They use their iPhones to store their character stats, r[...]Read on >>
NewbieDM Review: Harrowing Halls 3d Dungeon Tiles
The Harrowing Halls set in the Dungeon Tiles line fill a different niche from that of previous sets. The included 3d tiles aside, the 2d stuff is unlike any seen in previous Dungeon Tiles sets. If you’ve ever w[...]Read on >>
It’s my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to…
But I didn’t have to. I got some pretty great stuff. Two things topped the list: One: a new hard drive from Bridget, which will allow me to once again use my laptop as a laptop and stop using an external hard drive[...]Read on >>
Monstrous Races in 4E D&D – Githyanki
In the Dragon article that previewed the githzerai race from the upcoming Player's Handbook 3, the designers stated that the githyanki were not being developed as a PC race due to their villainous nature and they feel th[...]Read on >>
Saving the game in the middle of combat
Because my group has a limited time to game each week (about 3-3.5) hours, the amount of stuff we can do in an individual session is pretty limited. In particular, there’†s a big burden on the DM to craft encount[...]Read on >>
Virtual Table Top and DDi
No, this post is not going to give you an update on the status of WotC’s Virtual Table Top Program. Sorry to disappoint you. I know that some people are eagerly awaiting the announcement that it is complete and[...]Read on >>
D&D Dungeon Masters, the video
I realize this is old news but I have a few readers that don’t read a lot of other blogs so this is mainly for them. The last section bashes on 3.5 a bit, though I agree with most of the points they raise. Incid[...]Read on >>
Stock Characters In Your RPGs
March 10, 2010 from The Spirits of Eden
Filed under: Campaigns, D&D 4e, Fluff/Inspiration, Legacy D&D, RPG, RPG Hub
My NPCs never die. This is not to say that they are invincible. They can surely be reduced to 0 HP and never seen again in that particular game. But that only gives them new life, a life beyond the confines of any single[...] Filed under: Campaigns, D&D 4e, Fluff/Inspiration, Legacy D&D, RPG, RPG Hub
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Let’s Roll….(the dice that is!)
That song at the beginning of Borderlands, performed by Cage The Elephant, is definitely a fitting tune for this week. “Aint no rest for the wicked, money don’t grow on trees…I got bills to pay, I got m[...]Read on >>
Is More Really Better: A Look At Character Classes
I’m all about options, I love to have a multitude of choices, doing the research and then selecting the best fit for the vision of my character. These choices don’t just include the feats and powers I select [...]Read on >>
Gearing up for PAX East
“I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli Dice… check. Paper and pencils… check. Laptop… check. So yes, PAX East is almost upon us, coming up on March 26-28, and I’ve been al[...]Read on >>
Humpday Hazard: Ghoul Vomit
“The door was thick—made of stone, I think—but I could still hear it. Damn my soul, I could still bloody hear it.” The priest sat in silence, casting a long frown over the ninth bowl of oatmeal the warrior had i[...]Read on >>
Magical Minds Contest Entries
Thanks to everyone who entered the PH3 competition. Entries are now closed. All entries have been packaged up and are ready to be sent to Greg Bilsland. Now you’ll just have to wait.[...]Read on >>
The NewbieDM.com Minicast
I’ve decided to toss my fear of public speaking aside and go ahead with the launch of the minicast. As of now, it is active, with an rss feed, and an upcoming link in the Itunes store. The first episode runs just u[...]Read on >>
Rituals and Incantations: Welcome Zombie Sky Press
Though he’s too modest to brag about it himself, our Web Editor Scott Gable has launched a dual-edition set of Spirit Magic that I think is the most promising new company launch in ages. Now I might be slightly bia[...]Read on >>
How to be a better GM.
To jump on the bandwagon from a Questing GM, he is graciously hosting this month's RPG Blog Carnival Question, 'How to be a better GM.' There is a lot of thoughts I could add to this. I'll bring up 2 things I think are [...]Read on >>
Don’t Neglect Story Telling
Recently, I read newbiedm’s post about building an adventure which has advice on what to do and not do with regards to writing your own scenarios. I won’t recap over all of these suggestions here, as you sho[...]Read on >>
Reader Voicemail: Building an Adventure
The response to the voicemail has been pretty fantastic so far, and there’s probably no way that I’ll be able to take advantage of all the voicemails that have come in through a podcast alone, so I thought I&[...]Read on >>
Classless 4e
Though the game is made up of classes- which are intrinsic to the design of the system- you can try something new with your next campaign by getting rid of them altogether. Some sub-systems in 4th Edition will have to st[...]Read on >>
Player’s Handbook 3 (PHB3) Review (Part 2)
In our Player’s Handbook 3 Review (Part 1) we looked at the new Shardmind race and one of the new classes, the Runepriest. Today in our PHB3 Review (Part 2) we’re looking at skill powers, feats, superior implement[...]Read on >>
Last day to win a Players Handbook 3!
You’ve got until 23.59 GMT today to enter the PH3 competition. http://buccaneersguild.com/players-handbook-3-giveaway-2/ Judged by our guest judge, WotC’s Greg Bilsland.[...]Read on >>
Hezruul’s Winged Goblins
As far as Wizards go, Hezruul the Magnificent was nothing but a fraud. In his lifetime he claimed credit for many fantastic creatures including the Owlbear, Chimera and Manticore, all of which pre-dated him by untold ce[...]Read on >>
i4e review
I’ve been meaning to post this review for awhile. At the end of last year I blogged about playing without my character sheet. In the comments, DM Ron suggested I check out a iPhone/iPod Touch program called i4e. It[...]Read on >>
Gaming With Significant Others: An Addendum or My Response to Having the Lightning Train Swallowed By An Elemental
So far, so good has been my motto. My husband and I have been gaming partners for going on 3 years with no incidents. He’s often the DM or GM and I never feel singled out, either for positive rewards or harsh p[...]Read on >>
Review of Blackdirge’s Bargain Templates: Brutish
Miracle Max: Go away or I’ll call the Brute Squad.| Fezzik: I’m on the Brute Squad. | Miracle Max: You *are* the Brute Squad! ~ The Princess Bride If you think about it, a fairy tale wouldn’t be c[...]Read on >>
Win a copy of Martial Power 2
You can win a copy of the new hardcover Martial Power 2 for D&D 4E thanks to Gator Games. How to enter Entering is easy and you have two options: Option 1. Leave a comment below telling us you’d like to enter t[...]Read on >>
Player’s Handbook 3 (PHB3) Review (Part 1)
You may think that you know what the Player’s Handbook 3 is all about if you’ve got a DDI subscription, but the preview content was just the tip of the iceberg. If you’re a DDI subscribers who’s consi[...]Read on >>
The Importance of Dice
Dice are a very important part of most role playing games. Without out a good set of dice you would not be able to roll up your character, let alone slay a dragon. They are just as important to people who play roll playi[...]Read on >>
DM Tips Video: Building a Portal Prop
Here’s a short three minute video on how to build cool props for your D&D game. In it, I discuss building a light-up portal for some nasty beast to enter from a foul world. Here’s a pic of the portal in [...]Read on >>
Happy Jacks RPG Podcast Season 02 Episode 09
March 8, 2010 from Happy Jacks RPG Podcast
Filed under: DnD4e, Podcast Episode, Podcasts, RPG Hub, Reviews, Savage Worlds, podcast
Stu, Stork and Tappy discuss listener email, a few qualities of great players, DnD4e Martial Power 2 and Player’s Handbook 3.
Featured song: The Man Who Doesn’t Like Beer, by the Poxy Boggards, featured on Li[...] Filed under: DnD4e, Podcast Episode, Podcasts, RPG Hub, Reviews, Savage Worlds, podcast
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News in Review for March 1 to March 7 2010
It’s been a week of podcasts and updates, with not one but two new Chris Perkins vs. Robot Chicken D&D Sessions and the whopping eighty-eight page March Update from WotC! That update was huge and had tons of ru[...]Read on >>
4E Vault of the Clay Medusa
This past week, the winners of the Design a Dungeon Room contest were announced, and my entry – Vault of the Clay Medusa – earned a runner-up spot. You can download the entire collection of rooms here. You[...]Read on >>
WotC come out of the bunker
Rodney Thompson from WotC has put a request online at a few sites. I’ll quote it in full: Help me make WotC adventures better. Hello there everybody, In case you don’t know me, I’m Rodney Thompson, a[...]Read on >>
The Fearsome Beast from Below the Earth
Tonight, this is what the heroes will face. It’s the first paper model I’ve built successfully that actually turned out looking good. That’s entirely made of paper, and normally you could find it on One[...]Read on >>
Shorter Games are Cinematic Games
The Game Knights get together once a week (Friday or Saturday) for gaming from 8 pm to about 10-10:30 pm. Of course, it usually takes a little time for everyone to look over character sheets, grab some snacks and drinks,[...]Read on >>
Tim’s Campaign – Session 4 Podcast
The druid Blindheart has been tainted by a black crystal and after the group destroys it he is released from its power. [...]Read on >>
DM TIp: Insight is not a lie detector.
Sometimes you might have this happen. Some NPC spills his guts dropping off some key information to the party. You get one guy that grabs a D20 and says, 'I'm gonna see if he's lying with Insight.' Nope. Hold on. Back up[...]Read on >>
The first duty of a prisoner is to escape
There may come a time in adventurer’s life when he is imprisoned against his will. Good characters can get imprisoned under false pretense or righteous action, or captured by enemies. When the party is trapped unde[...]Read on >>
4e Sample Combat
You know what’s missing from Fourth Edition D&D? A really good blow-by-blow combat example. Let’s fix that, shall we? First, let’s meet the team. Here’s four fresh 1st level adventurers, all g[...]Read on >>
The Evolution of the Dungeon Encounter
“Hey what dat noise?” “What noise dat you talk’n bout Oloorin?” “Sounds like fight’n, maybe we go see?” “Wha you talk’n bout? We have important job, we guard ch[...]Read on >>
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