New D&D Red Box Thoughts (Part 1)

As I mentioned in the last post, I have acquired a copy of the new Introductory Boxed Set for the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The packaging of this new boxed set is based on the 1980s "Mentzer" Red Box Basic [...]
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The Kübler-Ross Stages of Grief, D&D Encounters, and Me

Those of you who read this blog, may have noticed that I devoted two posts last week to my feelings about the D&D Encounters program. While I don't think my posts were as filled with internet anonymity syndrome and [...]
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Cryptic’s “Neverwinter”, looking bleak?

I’m gonna come right out and say this, I have some pretty low expectations for the next installation of the Neverwinter PC game series. However it’s not because it’s hard to live up to or come close to standard[...]
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What Wizards of the Coast is Doing Wrong with Their “Encounters” Program

Yesterday was a great day for this blog.  I posted about my frustration that Wizards of the Coast is using KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS as the basis for their next Encounters Program adventure.  I ended up getting more visi[...]
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Wizards of the Coast to Supportive Old School Home Gamers — “Go to Hell!”

Those who read this blog know that I am usually a staunch defender of Wizards of the Coast. While others were complaining about Wizard's release of a 4th edition of D&D, I defended the idea. Since that time, I have[...]
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Threads of Sanity – Forgotten Realms Campaign

It has been four months since I was able to sit down to play some pen & paper roleplaying games. Being father to a small child of course reduces my time to play much, but nevertheless, I was able to pull together a g[...]
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Busy, Busy, Busy

Number of View: 248Man, I’ve got a lot on my plate right now, gaming-wise. Still no gaming group here, but I’m keeping myself busy. I’m doing this here blog, as well as a host on RPG Circus (as all of y[...]
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How to Build an Villain Using “How to Be a Villain.” pt. 1

For the last 6 years or so I have had the book “How to Be a Villain” on my shelf; mostly as a funny display and conversation starter. For the most part it works, when some one sees it next to my “The Zo[...]
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Win a D&D 4e Red Box!

I’m pretty excited about the essentials line I’m not going to lie, and also since I’m just too young to have appreciated the first D&D red box I’m very excited about the new one that’s c[...]
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Dungeon Master Tips in 140 characters or so #14

One of the best things about asking these questions on twitter is asking them again a few days later. I ask every question for the week on Monday mornings in rapid succession so people who missed them through out the wee[...]
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Ritualistically Speaking: Control Weather

There are things that make a wizard a wizard. No practitioner of magic can truly call them selves a wizard until they have a mastery over nature it’s self. It’s classic wizarding 101, bend the forces of natur[...]
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Magic Missile is Back!

Yep, that’s right, the wizards’ reliable, never-missing friend is back! Of course, Magic Missile never went away, but it had been seriously nerfed in the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition rules. I you fin[...]
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Dungeon Master Tips in 140 characters or so #13

And we are back in for another DT140. I took a short summer break due to my working 14 days with no day off. So I took a bit of an internet break and now I feel much better!  So lets get right into the questions. Questi[...]
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Dark Sun Heats Up

We are fortunate enough to have received copies of the Dark Sun Campaign Setting and the Dark Sun Creature Catalog today, and as usual we'd love to share anything and everything that we can with you guys! Earlier today I[...]
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A “Small” Problem

This should be the last guest post for a while.  I’m finally getting all caught up with work and my home life. Lou M. aka Alio the Fool a friend from twitter and a contributing author over at RPGmusings.com was ki[...]
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Basic Training DMing 101: #2 the wish list

I have decided to lighten up as a DM and give out a few more magic items to my players. I enjoy the role magic weapons and armor play in 4th edition. They provide character options and power ups with out leveling. They a[...]
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Ritualistically Speaking: Banish Illusion

Enemies who are invisible or who use illusions to mask their identities can be painful adversaries when you are a player. Using illusions and trickery can be fun when you are a DM. Banish Illusion can make a wizard feel [...]
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Ritualistically Speaking: Rope Trick

I have to admit, things have slowed down on the site for a little while now, and it’s my fault. I have been getting my ass handed to me at work since the beginning of last week. Half of my co-workers have been on s[...]
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Humor amidst the tension

Personally I didn’t know what to think of these new D&D rule announcements earlier today, and in regards to the essentials products I’ll just have to wait and see if they’re for me I suppose. I̵[...]
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An Introduction To 4th Edition

Alright DnDers, I’m about to step into the world of 4E — now do not be alarmed! I am not leaving behind 3-3.50 editions of dnd, I’m simply stepping into both realms as I have recently been playing fourth editio[...]
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Dungeon Master Tips in 140 Characters or so #11

That’s right it’s time for another round of dungeon master tips and answers given by all the great people in the D&D twitter community. Question #1: Give me one good tip for first time Dungeon Masters, wh[...]
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Dark Sun Goodies!

I've bundled the Bloodsand Arena module Wizards was giving out this year for Free RPG Day, along with some other goodies for all of you. If you're like me and are foaming at the mouth for more 4e Dark Sun material - Augu[...]
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D&D 4e: The New Player’s Option

I was actually very surprised while looking through the Wizards Spring 2011 catalog when I stumbled across a new book coming out in March, Player's Option: Heroes of Shadow. There are a lot of aspects to this book that a[...]
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D&D Encounters buff recap

For those of you lucky enough to have participated in D&D Encounters, or followed the unfolding news and stories via your preferred source of news consumption you know exactly what these are. For those of you who don[...]
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DnD for Dummies Part 1 – Overview for Complete N00bs

Experienced players warned: this post is NOT for you! Dungeons and Dragons has a core principle of expanding by attracting more players, people who today feel empty with their 9-5 job or other mundane elements of what ha[...]
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Review: “The Hidden Current” 4e Adventure Module

The Hidden Current is the first chapter of the Dark Veil Campaign arc for 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons that promises to take players from level 1 to level 30 published by Blackbyrne Publishing. Though the adventure m[...]
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An Undead History

Have you ever written a detailed and complex history for your campaign only to watch it gather dust as your players focus on the now and not concern themselves with the prior events of your campaign world? As a player, h[...]
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Make Your Own Adventure + DnD = ??

I may be shooting myself in the foot by putting this idea out there, due to my general lack of the ability to finish anything. Someone will probably take this idea and have it out on RPGNow within a week. If anyone is in[...]
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The Planar Orphan

Eladrin of the Feywild are an enigmatic people. With a natural detachment from events that occur on the material plane, these creatures can seem heartless and uncaring. However those that have the privilege to call an El[...]
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Going 3D with D&D

Anyone who has ever dabbled in 3-D terrain for tabletops learns three things pretty quickly: it’s expensive, it’s time-consuming, and it’s addictive. Ever the cheapsk- uh, bargain hunter, I budget my D&D money [...]
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Let’s Get Ready To Ruuuuumbleee!

Mass combat can often times be the enemy of entertainment in our DnD games, there is a lot of rolling involved for the DM, a lot of keeping track of numbers, kills, death tolls, and so on. I have a few ways to spice up m[...]
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Review: “The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea”

The Plane Above is the next 4th Edition D&D supplement that focuses specifically on the Astral Sea, denizens of the plane, a wide variety of locations found there, campaign ideas involving the plane and a handful of [...]
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Gamers Will Be Gamers…

It means hanging out and playing DnD. Though, for each person they look forward to different things on different occasions. Game night is a release for a lot of people, an escape from their home lives a lot of time and a[...]
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Review: “Player’s Handbook 3″

The Player's Handbook 3 is the newest core release for 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons that introduces a lot of new content including the psionic power source. In much the same way the PHB2 introduced primal classes wit[...]
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‘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[...]
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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[...]
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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[...]
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Character Concepts: Dragonborn

A handful of character concepts and builds for creating an effective and elementally devastating dragonborn. From a Warden/Fighter that spews acid left and right to becoming an all-powerful avatar of the deceased god Io.[...]
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Inq. of the Week: A Whole Lot of Class?

Martial Power 2 comes out tomorrow, and having gotten a look at the book I am very disappointed that my current party does not have any martial classes at all out of eight players, not even through multi-classing. This h[...]
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Review: “Underdark”

The latest 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons supplement from Wizards of the Coast is simply titled Underdark, and it contains all kinds of information and fleshed out details on the entire realm for which it is named. T[...]
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4e Power Toolkit v0.7.0 beta released, now with French and Italian translations

All those French and Italian dungeon masters who were missing out on the awesomeness of the 4e Power Toolkit – never fear! You too can create your own class and powers with the latest version of the program. Sorry [...]
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Inq. of the Week: PHB3 Classes?

With D&D XP behind us now, the Battlemind class out in the open, and the Runepriest nearly confirmed it seems like a good time to look at the Player's Handbook 3 that is coming out in March this year and figure out w[...]
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A Year’s Worth of D&D

[...]
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Initial Thoughts on Underdark and Dragonborn

Yesterday afternoon, my Amazon.com order came in. I’m a few books behind in the WotC release of books, so I ordered the Player’s Handbook Races: Dragonborn supplement, as well as Underdark. I’ve only cu[...]
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Review: “The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos”

The Plane Below is the first of several 4th Edition D&D books that delve into a bit more detail on specific planes and the kinds of adventures that can be found within them, as the title indicates this one focuses on[...]
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Monster Manual 2 – In Depth #5

Now that it is nearing the end of 2009, at long last I bring you my final in depth analysis of the Monster Manual 2 and the creatures contained therein. While the book has been out for half of a year now, I still have no[...]
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Review: Azagar’s Book of Rituals from Goodman Games

One thing that always irked me in my D&D 4th Edition home game was the lack of ritual integration. I don’t know why, but my players would just not use them. I suspect that since they got involved with 4E through th[...]
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Jump into the Power Pool

What if you could choose more freely how often you use a certain power and mix and trade in daily powers for multiple encounter powers? These are new, simple rules for trading powers for other powers and action points f[...]
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Power to the people

Have you ever been in a tough combat and found that the powers you have left aren't useful at all? Or ended up choosing an attack power at level up when you really wanted something else? This post suggests some alternati[...]
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Preview & Review: “Primal Power”

Late last week, with a copy of Primal Power in hand, I decided to give people a chance to preview the book by asking questions that I would answer on Twitter as well as at our page on Facebook. Below I'll share most of [...]
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