Classy D&D Beverages (and stormtroopers)

I don't usually just like to give a shout out towards a funny link or video that I've found, but this is too good to be true. Want to show up all your fellow gamers at your next D&D session? Show up and throw some of these in the fridge. Maybe your DM will give you an XP bonus if you give him one, you never know!

http://www.myjones.com/code/limited.php?campaign=wizards

Has anyone tried these? Tasty? Horrible? Let me know!

Also, an extra video for your viewing pleasure...

Anthology of RPG Blogs: PDF now available!

I never talked about Open Game Table - The Anthology of Roleplaying Game Blogs, Vol. 1, and I'm not really sure why. For those of you who don't know, it's a collection of some of the finest RPG blog articles of 2008, from a variety of both prominent and lesser-known RPG bloggers out there. From ChattyDM, to Unclebear, to yours truly!

I actually got two of my articles from last year published. Even though none of the writers were paid it was the first time I've ever gotten an RPG article published... so that's pretty awesome.

There are tons of articles in there! The hardcopy is really nice, which you can purchase from Amazon, but if you want a digital copy with easily printable articles and a searchable PDF format, go pick up your copy today from RPGNOW!

Choose Your Review: The Polls Are Open!

As I said last week, I was lucky enough to win a $10.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com recently from the great comic-based blog Exfanding Your Horizons, and I am opening up the decision of what I should buy and review to YOU the readers!

I only received a few responses - most via email - but I think a decent set of options has been provided. Over the next week, please weigh in with your opinions. I will purchase whichever product wins and, after taking some time to playtest/read through it, I'll provide a review of the product itself. So, choose your review!

These are the options up for vote:

1. Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game
2. Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook
3. GameMastery: Combat Pad
4. Pathfinder Chronicles: Harrow Deck
5. The Game Inventor's Guidebook

In other news, this blog will be celebrating it's one-year anniversary next Wednesday, so I hope to provide you all with exciting posts this coming week. Some post topics on the horizon that you can look forward to are...

> Top 10 Mistakes Gamemasters Can Make
> Top 10 Mistakes Players Can Make
> Keeping Secrets At The Table
> A Time and Place for Personal Plot
> Storyteller Innovations: Death Packets

In the meanwhile, if you - my noble readers - have any subjects that interest you, I am always eager to please. A couple days ago I made a post about deadlines in D&D for Mark, one of my readers. I'm both willing and eager to write about what interests you so leave a comment and let me know!

Don't forget to vote!

Review: Kobold Quarterly #10

When Kobold Quarterly came out initially, I was hesitant. I was a true fan of Dragon Magazine in it's heyday, and was sad to see it switch to 4e - a transition I was less then psyched about. From what I'd heard about KQ, it was designed to sort of pick up where Dragon left off. Truth be told, I've heard some great things about KQ and have been trying to come up with some article topics so I could write something for them, but I simply haven't had the time.

Regardless, I've wanted to sneak a peek at Kobold Quarterly for a while, and lucky me - here comes issue 10, and I've been asked to give a review/preview of it! I've seen a truckload of other bloggers already discuss the magazine so rather then give a breakdown of the whole issue, I'll discuss my thoughts on the parts which stuck out.

4e On The Horizon?

Several of the "letters to the editors" were from concerned readers worried or angered about the encroachment of 4e on the magazine. The response was a respectable one - namely that the magazine would follow what the subscribers were interested in. If subscribers played 4e, they would publish more 4e content, and same for 3.5 D&D.

This is quite sensible of KQ - why wouldn't you print what your subscribers wanted to read? It's nice to see that Kobold Quarterly is a flexible magazine that is both capable of growth, and eager to please.

Admittedly, being a diehard 3.5 fan, were I a subscriber it would be worrisome if KQ wasn't consistent with it's material, knowing that the next issue might only have a handful of articles I had any interest in. Dragon Magazine, for example, simply was 3.5 back in the day. Readers could count on that and it was never an issue - they knew they would get their moneys worth.

Now, this is hardly a soap box moment, but that issue caught my eye since I'd always heard KQ described as the new 3.5 magazine. Flexibility is a good thing, though I can see how some other 3.5 maniacs like myself might be a little put off by it.

Reader Friendly Layout

All in all, the magazine itself is a well-laid out collection of articles. Ads are quite large, but rarely invasive. The artwork is absolutely stunning. And the general type is easy on the eyes, and very readable.

I got a lot of old-school Dragon vibes from the layout and was overall very pleased with what KQ put forward. The magazine was masterfully crafted and a pleasure to read.

Great Article Content

There was a lot of great content throughout the magazine. From prestige classes to magic items to everyone's favorite monster: the gelatinous cube! Very cool.

As mentioned before, there were some 4e content articles which I skimmed over. I don't really know enough about the edition to know if the content was usable, but if the rest of the magazine was any indication, KQ is full of ready-to-use content.

The more I read, the more I was impressed by all of the many topics this issue covered. Spells, artifacts, playable templates, notes on classes, player advice, monster stats, and an entire playable character race! One of my favorite parts of Dragon Magazine was that I could find content on pretty much every page that was usable in my very next gaming session. Kobold Quarterly does not disappoint!

Unique Insights

One of the best parts about Kobold Quarterly was that the authors went above and beyond all the normal RPG topics to develop content dealing with unique and creative aspects of Dungeons & Dragons that I never would have even thought of.

One such article that really grabbed my attention was the introduction of Death feats and flaws - additions that can only be granted to a character after they've been brought back from the dead. Before I'd even finished the first page of the article I was printing it out and adding it to my Dungeon Master's Notebook.

Another article that stuck out to me was a short discussion on Lycanthropy and how to make it still instill fear in your players. Skip Williams offers some really great advice on the subject - the same great level of advice for both players and dungeon masters offered throughout the entire issue.

Informative Reviews

One really great feature that I'm glad to see echoed over from Dragon was a series of reviews for fantasy and RPG books on the market now. I was particularly happy to see a review of Open Game Table: The Anthology of Roleplaying Game Blogs, Vol. 1 with a handful of the "best" articles in there pointed out.

My articles sadly didn't make the cut, but all of the reviews were well-thought-out and very informative.

Closing Thoughts

All in all, this magazine is great. Issue #10 is KQ's longest issue to date, but if the other issues carry the same density of ready-to-use content, then I am thoroughly impressed. I've heard wonderful things about KQ and this issue went above and beyond anything I could have expected. All the things I loved about Dragon Magazine have carried over beautifully in addition to the unique content KQ's writers have come up with beyond what I would have expected. Bravo.

You can check out Kobold Quarterly, purchase issue 10, and subscribe to their magazine releases at the KQ website: http://www.koboldquarterly.com/

Choose Your Review! What should I buy?

I was lucky enough to win a $10.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com recently from the great comic-based blog Exfanding Your Horizons. Many of you may know Flashman85, one of the blog's authors, as a guest writer here on BtS whose written two fantastic posts already (one just a few days ago)

Anyways, I was planning on just running to the site and buying up the Harrow Cards I've been considering getting, but then - glancing down my wish list of RPG books and game aids I've been considering buying - I realized that there was a lot I wanted to buy. Frankly there was a TON I wanted to buy.

Sigh...

SO, I'm leaving the decision up to you, the READERS! I have a small list already brewing in my head of potential things I could purchase, but throw your opinions in the ring! Is there a game, adventure, campaign setting, game aid, map pack, or anything else you've been curious about? Should I grab up the Mouseguard game everyone's talking about, or throw a pre-order in for the Pathfinder RPG? Want a review on a Gamemaster aid, or even The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen?

If you have a product (or several) you'd like to suggest, reply in a comment or send me an email directly at beneaththescreen AT gmail DOT com. I'll take suggestions for the next week and then write a follow-up post, setting up a poll with all of the options. Once I've purchased the product I'll provide a step-by-step recap of my experience with the item and a review of my thoughts on it.

In other news, the jury is in on my new banner.



The verdict? For the most part, folks who were familiar with my old banner enjoyed it more then the new one I had up. While the new banner wasn't BAD (new viewers seem to enjoy it), all in all most people weren't a fan of the new banner.

At the end of the day, I'd love to get a snazzy new banner. I mean, just look at these fancy blogs I'm sharing the stage with! If I ever get my hands on something award-worthy maybe I'll hold a banner-making contest. I may just wait for the inevitable day I switch to wordpress and buy my own domain though... like all them fancy bloggers.

Anyways, we're back to the original banner for now. I look forward to hearing some of your ideas for product reviews. Leave a comment!

D&D: The New Age

I had a request a little while ago from Flashman85, the kind fellow who offered a guest post in my absence, for a post on what the heck is going on with Dungeons and Dragons these days. So I offer you this current update on the "new age" of Dungeons and Dragons as a guide to the two new versions of the game that are currently on the market, and what they mean for the game.

If you already know 4th edition like the back of your hand, or play regularly in a Pathfinder campaign (or both) there will be no new information here. This isn't necessarily a review of either game - just a reference for the rest of us who may not be as well-versed in the current state of things.

The Basics...

In June, 2008, Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) released the Player's Handbook for Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition. The edition's immanency was announced as sort of a surprise to 3.5 enthusiasts as WOTC continued to release 3.5 supplements basically up to the point they released the new editions. This made many older games upset, but the new edition was primarily focused towards the next generation of gamers (middle - high school students) and was heavily advertised.

In 1975, TSR Inc started a little magazine called The Strategic Review which has since evolved into the magazines Dragon and Dungeon. When TSR was bought by Wizards of the Coast they allowed Paizo Publishing to publish the two magazines under WOTC license. The magazines were aimed at both the player side of RPGs (primarily D&D) and the DM side, respectively. In the switch to 4th edition, WOTC decided that they wanted to convert Dragon and Dungeon magazines into an online aspect of their website, along with their entire online branch called "D&D Insider".

Paizo Publishing chose to not make the switch to 4th edition, and instead began releasing the Pathfinder adventure paths. Essentially, each adventure path was six books in length, with a book being release monthly. The books were substantial adventure books just under 100 pages that built campaigns within the homebrewed world of Golarion. At the end of the adventure section in each book they included some world-specific monsters and further information about the world - useful for DM's and players alike. The adventure paths could be subscribed to not unlike the Dungeon and Dragon magazines.

Given the clear success of Pathfinder it wasn't long before Paizo took it one step further and began releasing betas for the Pathfinder Campaign Setting. The campaign setting is based in the 3.5 style but with many changes to character advancement, skill use, and character power.

So... What's Been Changed?

In the change from 3.5 D&D to 4e D&D, there were too many changes to name. Essentially, almost everything in the game is done differently, and that which has remained the same has a different name. From skills, to feats, to magic items, and of course to the classes. The class system in 4e has undergone a major overhaul giving each class "powers" which essentially means that everyone and his brother can use what we might have called "spells" back in 3.5.

Every class has a lot more versatility, and the game functions much more like a board game or strategy game, rather then a roleplaying game. Former "roleplaying" encounters have in some cases been replaced with "skill" encounters, making them more combatish.

From my initial views of 4e it seems to be a lot more like MMORPGs like World of Warcraft. Everyone can do their "special attacks" in addition to just attacking, and of course once the battle's over everything recharges in time for the next battle (except things with long cooldown times). Along that line, the game seems a lot more intended towards the WOW generation.

Also, the game seems to be a lot more streamlined. Instead of actually measuring out feet on a piece of graph paper, it's now calculated in squares! That's just one example, but things have been dumbed down in many areas so a very basic understanding of what some simple things mean is enough to pick up a sheet and play a character.

Like in 4e, Pathfinder scaled up character power. Feats are gained quicker, and you start off with more hit points. In a lot of other ways, 3.5 is a lot like Pathfinder. With 4th Edition, it's pretty much a completely new game, but with Pathfinder it's just changed. In my personal opinion it's improved upon a lot of the things that were wrong with 3.5 and expanded on the things that were good. All in all, it was a good change, but it's certainly different.

So Which Is Better?

What a great question! I'm so glad that (I assumed that) you asked it!

There isn't really an answer I'm afraid. I've looked through both rulebooks and have been impressed by things in both systems. The problem is, that you can't really compare them. Just as you can't really compare 3.5 edition with 4th edition. They are completely different games. If you want to compare something, the only thing you could really compare is 3.5 to Pathfinder, which I think is a HUGE improvement on the system.

In the end, here's the truth. If you are just getting started with D&D or maybe only have the Player's Handbook, or even the core three rulebooks, and are looking to continue or to upgrade to a new system, my suggestion would be that you try out fourth edition. There are a lot of people out there who hate WOTC with flaming anger and would rather burn in the fires of a million suns then pick up a 4th edition book, but the game's actually pretty good.

4th edition will be around for a while I'm pretty sure, and there's no reason to not update. Especially if you're just getting into D&D, just go with the flow and hop on the 4th edition train.

If you're like me however and have invested way too much money into 3.5 or have grown up with that system, then switching to 4th edition isn't really worth the time to learn a completely new game or the money it would cost to start over again. From someone who has... *goes to count* ... around 40 books from 3.5 on his bookcase not to mention the 40 some-odd Dungeon and Dragon magazines... starting over again would put me out a LOT of money.

Besides, I like 3.5 and I've played it for seven years. Pathfinder is a great choice for people who don't want to make that switch. It's a tremendous improvement upon 3.5 with a one-book-tells-all core rulebook, and some really FANTASTIC published adventures if you're into that sort of thing.

Just Tell Me What To Buy!

Well, I wouldn't mind if you bought me a set of dice. It would make me smile. As to what you should buy for yourself... How should I know? I hope however that I've given you the tools to start making up your own mind. What will I be doing with my next $70.00? Probably buying the Pathfinder Campaign Setting and Gazetteer. But when my little bro who's just entering high school looked at my books and told me he was interested in playing, what did I tell him? Save up your $70.00 for the 4e Core Rulebooks and never look back!

My First 4e Character: The First Draft

So... I caved. I realized that sooner or later, I would need to break the mold on my first 4e character, and that day happened just 42 hours or so ago. I was invited to play in a Play-By-Post 4e remake of Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. I love the module, so it was hard for me to turn down. Plus, the game was described to me as "noob friendly" which made me face the sad fact that, despite the hours I've put into 3.5, I'm still a baby when it comes to 4e.

As I hadn't the faintest idea of what the party would need, or what I should play, I let the DM make the call. Soon enough, the call had been made. A paladin. This was appropriate for me on two counts. First, I'm kind of a lawful good guy by nature, so I always get drawn to, and enjoy playing those classes anyways.

Second, I have actually had a minor preview of 4e at DDXP this past year, during which I played the halfling paladin premade. I thought this was a good option, so I copied the sheet into a notepad document and sat down on my couch.

Then my cable went out.

The tv and internet flatlined. So there I was, with a borrowed Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and an empty character sheet with only one line filled in. Paladin. I had no way of contacting the online world to see if I was making mistakes or to ask for suggestions.

I was on my own - a good old fashioned solo quest - and I only hoped I wasn't in over my head... The module started at 6th level, so I flipped to page 143 of the Dungeon Master's Guide and received it's heavenly guidance. My adventure had begun.

Step 0: Choose a God.

The actual first step in the Dungeon Master's Guide is to choose a race - but I'm playing a Paladin! That means that probably the most important part of my character will be my religion! Sometimes, religion is tied closely with race, so I didn't want to make any decisions before I knew what god my lovely paladin would be following.

Alright then, Player's Handbook - Table of Contents. Things I was surprised to see? Magic Items. Things I didn't see? Deities! I was scared at first, but a lucky guess and a little page skimming brought me right to the correct location.

Avandra, Bahamut, and Moradin first caught my eye, my goal was to explore all of the many facets of 4e however, so the two old gods were out of the picture. Avandra was interesting. Then the Raven Queen caught my eye. Clearly Wee Jas was not cool enough to make it to 4e, but at least they kept her alive in one form or another. (That poor goddess has gone through so many changes...)

Being a paladin of the Raven Queen would allow me to kill without pity, yet still maintain a humble personality. Also, as the Ravenloft module is crawling with Undead, I would have more then enough reason to lend my weapons to the cause, since the Raven Queen seems to be quite anti-necromancy. Done and done.

Step 1/2: Choose an Alignment.

If you have read my earlier posts you probably caught onto the fact that I was obsessed with alignment. This is usually step 0 for me unless I'm playing a cleric or paladin. However, I held back on this step since I don't know what the paladin requirements will be yet...

Step 1: Choose a Race.

The Raven Queen does not demand any race in particular, so my options seemed open. I peeked ahead at key Paladin abilities just for some added insight into what would work.

First stop is Dragonborn. I've never been a big fan of the "dragon craze" that hit a lot of people around the time Draconomicon came out. I think dragons can be somewhat overused and have, in that vein, steered clear of them for all of my characters. Yet, here we have a race that fits perfectly into the Paladin class - even accenting two of my key abilities. Something worth considering...

Dwarfs are another good option. I've always loved dwarfs. They would fit in decently to the class. On to Elves... err... there's a typo in my book. No wait, that's Eladrin. Sorry. Feypeople. Onward...

Half-Elves! Another all-time favorite of mine. Hey, apparently they fit in well with Paladin too! Of course there are good old humans, another staple of mine. I always find that I need that extra feat, so they're still in the running.

My first urge was to go with the Dwarf. Reading though their description however, the Raven Goddess wasn't even mentioned as a possible god for them to follow, and though they had the more grim and stable personality I was looking for, it just didn't fit.

I figured that Dragonborns would be the same way, but rather, they seemed hung up on honor more then on gods. Certainly a possibility. They seemed down to earth, rather the flighty, and even occasionally aroggant. My paladin would certainly be convinced in his own beliefs, so this was something worth considering.

Half-elves were my second choice after dwarves, but their description fell short for me too. They just seemed a bit too... happy for my tastes. So between dragonborn and human. Final decision?

Well, I want to try everything new, so dragonborn it was. Looking over the race I determined that I would be able to play it in a unique fashion that wouldn't bank all of it's "cool" on the fact that my noble paladin looked like a lizard. Made my breath weapon cold to honor the Mistress of Winter, and moved on.

Step 2: Choose Class.

Paladin! Easy enough. Glancing over the class it looked like the Avenging Route was my character's plan since he is ready to accept death. Why would someone who worships death as the natural end of things take extra measures to protect it. Hmm... playing this character is going to be a challenge, but I'm going to enjoy it.

I'm unaligned! Whatever that means...

Steps 3-5: Ability Scores, Skills, and Feats.

This all fell into place easily. I like the condensed skill selections and the way they organized it. I think this is certainly a fair way to streamline. I've always played with the "perception" and "stealth" skills, rather then listen, spot, move silently, and hide - so it was nice to see this. For feats, I grabbed a couple racial feats, and of course Blessing of the Raven Queen.

Step 6: Choose Powers.

Here's where things got fun. The powers were of course the big thing when it came to 4e, since everything's more or less turned into "build your own class". I could make two 6th level paladins who are completely and utterly different from each other in skill and ability. Strength was my primary ability, so most of my powers had to do with Strength attacks.

All in all though, this was a fun process, and I found the powers really interesting. It will certainly be interesting to play once the campaign starts up. I'll try to update you again when I have the finer points of this guy's personality hammered out. And a name of course... I still need a name.