Tuesday, December 27, 2011

AGE Brew: Player Created Backgrounds

December 10th, 2011. A day to be remembered. Once again, due to a lack of players showing up for one reason or another, mostly legitimate ones involving real life, we played an improvised game of Dragon Age RPG.

I am falling more and more in love with this game the more we play it. However, the game setting itself, while intriguing, I find does not do it for everybody at my table. So, I proposed an idea to the three players able to make it that week: create our own backgrounds based on what we want the character to be, and the setting will create itself as we move on from there.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Kringle, King of the Fey

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

Before I continue, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

And with that, I present to you the man who gave us all a visit last night: Kringle, the King of the Fey.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Bob

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

I love the Dresden Files series of books. I admittedly also love the short lived television show based on the books, though I recognize the books are incredibly more entertaining. If you have not read them, I strongly reccommend that you do.

For those of you who have already read them, I give you a present that you can easily insert into your game: Bob.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Commoners

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

The Player Characters are supposed to be special in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. They are driven by powerful threads of destiny woven into the fabric of the universe. Even the villains they oppose and the monsters they battle are special in their own right.

But what about the every day guy? What about the people who are just trying to make a life for themselves, day by day? What about the Commoners?

Monday, December 5, 2011

AGE Brew: Nobleman background

I was introduced to the Dragon Age RPG by NewbieDM via his blog, and a one-shot combat session online, and I was HOOKED! I love the character creation, the Dragon Die mechanics, EVERYTHING! So of course, I was tempted to create my own material for the game outside the assumed setting of Dragon Age.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Heavy-Metal Constructs

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

As part of my Humor Campaign, I introduce to you the radical race of the Heavy-Metal Constructs.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

VLOG November 27th, 2011: FML or Taking Time Off



That's the gist of it.

Weekly 4e Homebrew: The Colt

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

Inspired once again by the incredible, awesome, godsend of a show called Supernatural, this week's article introduces to 4th Edition that most powerful of all weapons, the Colt.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Let's Play Starfleet Academy: Part 18, The Zy



Those alien buggers never stood a chance against Cadet Barnes!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Lingering Spirit

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

Inspired by the incredible, awesome, godsend of a show called Supernatural, you have the Lingering Spirit.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

DM Tips: Passive Doesn't Mean Active

Brace yourself, kiddies. I've finally got another topic to talk about and yes, it is about 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons.

What does it mean to use your Passive Perception? As written, the rules want you to treat it as taking 10 on your skill check. But does this create a believable scenario in terms of story?

Let's Play A Time Waster: Ben There, Dan That part 2



Things happen. Strange hilarious things.

Note: Due to a family event, Friday's LP may be late. We'll see.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Let's Play A Time Waster: Ben There, Dan That part 1



Wasting time with Ben There, Dan That! Special Edition. A funny little indie adventure game.

The video uploaded rather funny-like. Maybe Wednesday will look better.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Mask of the Demon

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

From a land in the far East comes an item of power, constructed to take your opponents off guard and send them fleeing in sheer terror. I give you: The Mask of the Demon!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Let's Play Starfleet Academy: Part 16, Last Chance



I declare that I have spent far too much time on this level and have decided to just push on!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Gamera

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

So before we continue, I have a few questions to ask: Do you like turtles? Do you like giant monster movies? Well, here comes GAMERA!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Shard Weapon

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

This week, we discover a weapon forged from material found only beyond the universe. I give you, the Shard Weapon.

Let's Play Starfleet Academy: Part 12, Covered in Mudd



*SIGH* Mudd. Why did it have to be Mudd?

This video was late due to...well, it might be quicker to tell you what DIDN'T get in the way of posting this.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Monday, October 24, 2011

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: the Sect

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

This week we have a legitimate race to add to your list of usable races. This week we have the insect-oid race of the Sect.

Let's Play Starfleet Academy: Part 9, Sophmore Year



FINALLY!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Let's Play Starfleet Academy: Part 8, Less Screwing Up



I manage to NOT create an inter-stellar incident! This is a good sign.

I need to get a calendar or something in this room. I forgot it was Wednesday yesterday, hence the late video.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Let's Play Starfleet Academy: Part 7, Dragonzord GO!



Yes, my cell phone text message sound is the Green Ranger's dagger song he uses to summon the Dragonzord (though my phone creates a strange pause in the last note).

Taking Freshman year over again is going well. Let's see how I do next time...

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Mad Scientist

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

I introduce to you a man of SCIENCE for your characters to take down: The Mad Scientist.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

A Quick Apology

There will be no Let's Plays this week. Several situations of a personal nature arose almost simultaniously and I need to take care of those. Next week we will be back on our regularly scheduled program.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Force Weapon

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

This week I present to you a single magic item, which I admit seems a little cheap compared to the other Weeklies that have been posted. This is the Force Weapon. It appeared in an encounter I ran filled with Star Wars references, and as you can see, this magic weapon is no different.
















Designer Notes: I think I will be adding designer notes in these posts from here on out so that you can see why I did the things I did. For example, I chose to specify versatile weapons for this magic item to simulate the wielding of a standard lightsaber, which has been shown to be used both one-handed and two-handed.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Monday, October 3, 2011

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Character Reputation

Have you ever wondered how well people know of your exploits? Wonder no longer. Your character's reputation is on the line with this week's Character Reputation mechanics.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Monday, September 26, 2011

Let's Play Starfleet Academy: Part 1, Basic Training



Join Cadet Jason Barnes as he takes his crew into the bridge simulator for basic training.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Garbush

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

This week we have a monster for you. Lurking from the depths of your local garbage dump, Garbush.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Let's Play A Time Waster: Terraria part 4



I once again venture into the mines...only to be killed by a wimpy bat.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Let's Play A Time Waster: Terraria part 3.5



The real version of part 3, entirely without pirate interruption. I know this is kind of cheating, in regards to the release schedule, but this allows me to end the week with Terraria and start next week with an actual Let's Play.

Click Here For The Pirate Version

Monday, September 19, 2011

Let's Play A Time Waster: Terraria part 3



It's Talk Like A Pirate Day! (should I upload the non-pirate version?)

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Let's Play A Time Waster: Terraria part 2



Still trying to get used to the new elements of version 1.0.6 of Terraria.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Let's Play A Time Waster: Terraria part 1



Wasting more time with Terraria version 1.0.6 which was brand new at the time.

This video was late due to technical difficulties.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Friday, September 9, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 24, Rage Quit



Wherein I give up due to stupid.

Let's Play Discworld: Part 23, A Final Attempt



Why isn't is working!?
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This video was technically on time...on Youtube. I don't know how I forgot to post it on the blog. Crazy.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 22, More Frustration



Seriously, this game is starting to make me hate it.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

4D Mass Effect: Species Feats

I built a few species based feats for the 4D Mass Effect Species. Nothing special, just a continued look into a 4th Edition conversion. You can see them after the Jump.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Monday, August 29, 2011

Saturday, August 27, 2011

4D Mass Effect: Species

Mass Effect conversions have recently been making their rounds around the internet again, recently. One or two such conversions was for, of course, Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition.

This led me to attempt my own conversion once again, and not just because I do not completely agree with the decisions made with the conversions I saw. The Asari has not changed much since last she saw her way onto this blog. In addition, new terminology presented here will be described below the Species statistics.

Of course, all Mass Effect references and Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition mechanics are property of their respective owners.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 18, L-Space



We discover the strange time travelling world of books.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 17, End Act One



In which the video is released on schedule and Rincewind meets a dragon.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Let's Play Discworld Part 16, Get Our Quest DONE



/JediMindTrick: This video was posted on schedule.

In today's video, we finish our quest to build the...thingy!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Let's Play Discworld Part 15, An Encounter With Death



What do you mean this video is late? You crazy. Okay, so I had some things going on in the RL that kept me from uploading. It's the first video in 15 that has been.

In this installment, I make the game less boring and we end up meeting with Death himself.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Let's Play Discworld Part 14, The Frustration Rises



Seriously, how should I know some of this without even the slightest hint? Trial and error? That sounds like padding for time to me.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

D&D 4E: Puninator Errata

A lot of the changes made are cosmetic, fixing capitalized letters and bold text. The following are the major changes made to the Puninator Theme.

Name; Change
Pun Generation; Changes the Immediate Reaction to No Action because you cannot take Immediate Actions on your turn. The Trigger has been more clearly defined.
Punning Enhancement; Changes the Immediate action to No Action. Removes Personal range. More accurately defines when the power can be used.
Distracting Pun; Changes the target to enemies instead of creatures. Changes the Effect to end at the end of the player's next turn.
Punning Death; Redefines the use of the Fortitude bonus to allies.

After the cut is the entire reworked Puninator Theme.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Saturday, August 13, 2011

D&D 4e: Detriments

I caught myself wondering, earlier today: "What if I wanted to play a fat character in Dungeons and Dragons 4e? You know, like a chubby Santa Claus type of Cleric or something."

I am aware of Traits and Flaws; such mechanics have been utilized in many a Roleplaying Game. I'm also aware of at least one 3rd Party 4th Edition product of Traits and Flaws. But personally, I wanted something that felt a little less permanent; something that a character, if they wanted to, could make it a personal quest to see removed.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Detriments.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 12, Hot Chicks and Poop



...........I really need to think of better names for these videos.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Monday, August 8, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 10, Exploring Ankh-Morpork



I continue exploring the great (?) city of Ankh-Morpork.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 9, People in the Streets



Pressure! Ba de da bop!
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Expect LP updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That's M-W-F for those who prefer weird abbreviations.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 8, Old Peoples Be Crazy



Seriously, are these the old guys from the book Lost Continent?
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Expect LP updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That's M-W-F for those who prefer weird abbreviations.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

VLOG August 2nd, 2011: Fantasy Flight Games Announcement



A quick VLOG about the Fantasy Flight Games announcement found here:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=2528

Monday, August 1, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 7, The Broken Drum



I head into the Broken Drum and talk with the patrons.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 6, More Unseen University



Time to clean out what there is to know of the Unseen University.

There may have been a problem with the recording devices at the time. Once again, this is a learning process.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 5, Now With Subtitles!



...in which I come to the conclusion that subtitles make things easier to understand.
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Expect LP updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That's M-W-F for those who prefer weird abbreviations.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 4, The Plot!



Getting into the plot, finally.
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Expect LP updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That's M-W-F for those who prefer weird abbreviations.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Passing GO! Episode 2: Fluxx



A review of everyone's favorite card game, Fluxx. Disagree? You haven't really played it then, have you?

Friday, July 22, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 3, More Plot Evasion



Did anybody get the number of that donkey cart?
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Expect LP updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That's M-W-F for those who prefer weird abbreviations.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Part 2, Pickles?



We continue our journey into Discworld and discover that old people are obsessed with pickles. And yes, I know who the voice actor is now.
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Expect LP updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That's M-W-F for those who prefer weird abbreviations.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Let's Play Discworld: Intro and Part 1

Introduction


Part 1: Avoiding the Plot


The Let's Play videos will be posted on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. That's M-W-F for you weird abbreviation loving people.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Suburban Knights: A Parody Review



1. See me rocking the Opus shirt and Vegetales hat. Oh, yeah.
2. I need to remember that knocking the table means the camera will fall. It was right after I said "Peter Pan". Fell like a rock.
3. I used the line "Holy Crap. That worked." twice in this video. I don't like that. Well, each video I make is a learning experience and this is no exception.

Be sure to check out http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/ for the Suburban Knights videos. It is seriously very good.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Media Inspired: Mining and Crafting

I have made it no secret on Twitter that I have been playing a LOT of a game on Steam called Terraria. I highly recommend it. It's only $10 and I have been playing it for getting close to two hundred hours now.

Terraria is a game much like Minecraft; the goal is to explore and gather as many resources as possible to create bigger and better armor and weapons to help you survive the horrors of the world you are stranded on. While Minecraft is a 3D game, Terraria is designed much like a 2D platformer.

So how does something like this translate into a pen and paper RPG? The short answer: resource management. Good, Lord! I could hear some of you shudder as I'm writing this! Resource management has a bad reputation in the RPG community. Very few people actually bother to keep track of everything they eat, collect, and sell. Weight capacity alone has become one of the most ignored mechanics of any given RPG.

If you somehow manage to trick your players into using resource management, you can then begin the process of Mining and Crafting. Now, mining doesn't exactly have to be about digging into the earth; it can be any kind of gathering that requires at least some effort. This means that you could be collecting anything from gold ore to bear skin. The fact of the matter is, you need materials to construct greater devices out of.

If you think you can handle the math for weight capacity, go for it. Keep up with each item you collect and, unlike Terraria, make use of wagons and carts and BAGS OF HOLDING. Good Lord, Bags of Holding will help you so much here.

If weight capacity is too much of a hassle, perhaps we should look into an inventory system similar to the video games of our era. Using Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition as an example (what can I say, I'm a fan), the maximum for a normal load is Strength x 10, for a heavy load it's Strength x 20, and for a dragging it's Strength x 50. So, since video games usually use slots for equipment, let's say that a character has a number of slots equal to Strength x 3, each slot approximately 5 lbs. worth of equipment, including money. I just made this up on the fly. Lemme know what you think.

Now, once you have your materials, it is time to start crafting. It's best to know exactly what you want to make before hunting for the materials. You can decide whether or not to craft the material yourself, but having an NPC do it is, while a time saver, more boring...in my opinion. Using 4th Edition as an example yet again, I would use Strength based skills to forge metals and Dexterity based skills to craft other types of things. Perhaps you can create decent designs using Intelligence or Wisdom.

I would not recommend doing this if any of your players hate resource management. Good luck because in my experience, that's all of them.

Friday, July 1, 2011

DM Tips: Combating Indecisive Players

A Quick Note: As I am writing this, it has come to my attention how Dungeons and Dragons 4e centric I am. I tried to make this article as generic as possible so that it could be applied to various roleplaying games, so forgive me if I slip into 4e on occasion.

I was looking at how people were finding my blog (I always get a laugh when I see I was once found with the search keywords of "magical shopping arcade abenobashi tits") when I discovered that someone found me when searching for help with indecisive players. Well, it is your lucky day, sir and/or madame.

Friday, June 17, 2011

VLOG June 17, 2011: Green Lantern Reveiw


A review of the latest DC Comics movie, Green Lantern. Overall, I would give the movie a 6 or 6.5 out of 10.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

VLOG June 5, 2011: Things and Stuff


I talk about things...and stuff that are related to my video review show, "Passing GO!".

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

DM Tips: Combating DM Burnout

The players have finally broken you. You have essentially given up on the game, for what is the point if you are not having any fun? Just like every other roleplayer, you are not a robot (unless you are, in which case I welcome my future overlords to the blog). As a human, you cannot last forever. If the demand of a game is starting to become too much like work, you begin to get weary of it. The hobbies you do for fun should not drain you. You fear the end if nigh. You, the Dungeon Master, have burned out. But fear not! There are methods you can take to save your game from certain doom.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Quick Note: Passing GO! Delays

"Hey, RobedGuy!"

Yes, strange voice in my head?

"Weren't you doing a video review show of non-digital games?"

Ah, yes. Yes, I was. And I still plan to continue creating the show. But...there have been factors holding me back. Allow me the opportunity to explain.

Friday, May 20, 2011

DM Tips: Organic Skill Challenges

There comes a time in all good roleplaying games where we must take a step back from combat and accomplish something that does not require swinging a sword or firing a crossbow. There is always a cliff face that needs climbing or an outraged paladin that needs to be talked down. In Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition, you can complete such tasks with a Skill Challenge. But, a lot of people find that the Skill Challenge itself is a mechanic that needs not exist. They say it "kills roleplaying".

There has been much debate on the subject and many attempts at "fixing" the problem. There are those that say you should announce when a Skill Challenge presents itself. There are those that say you should abolish the whole idea and just make a skill check when appropriate. I, for one, use a third, more organic, option.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

DM Tips: Combating Newbie Disease

Do you remember what it was like during your first roleplaying game? You could do ANYTHING. The world was your burrito and damn the consequences! And then you look up and see your Dungeon Master, red faced and fuming. Maybe you later found him crying in the bathroom, flushing his notes down the toilet. In any case, there is a reason from this and no, there is nothing wrong with him. It's you. You are suffering from none other than Newbie Disease.

Friday, May 6, 2011

DM Tips: Realigning Alignments

I have the unfortunate pleasure of having a party full of uncaring bastards. To be more clear, all the PCs in the game I am running are Unaligned.

The current game I am running has four PCs, all with the Unaligned alignment; a Gnome Warlock, a Dwarven Fighter, a Human Slayer, and an Eladrin Bard. In the Warlock's defense, dark characters are his strong suit and usually come with a redemption story of sorts. I attribute the choice of alignment with the other players to Newbie Disease; the realization that you can do anything in a role playing game without any real world consequence, other than frustrating the Dungeon Master.

I got to thinking about why these players are acting out, bordering on evil at times. I am convinced that the vague nature of the Unalignment is one of the reasons for this acting out...other than Newbie Disease, a topic I wish to tackle in another article. In comparison to 3.5e, the Unaligned alignment in 4e essentially encompasses the Chaotic Good, Lawful Neutral, True Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, and Lawful Evil alignments from 3.5e, making Unaligned a rather vast alignment as compared to, for example, Lawful Good.

I can't decide if creating an army of undead orphans is Unaligned or not.
While I admit that I haven't done a thorough search, I have yet to find any mechanical use for alignments in 4th Edition outside of which gods to worship and frankly, that seems more flavor based than mechanics. So, without any strong mechanical use for alignments, then why don't we just revert the alignment system back to 3.5e?

If we return the alignment system to what it once was, then players that align in the gray could have a stronger focus. When it comes to moral choices, a PC in the Lawful Neutral alignment will have less difficulty considering what to do as compared to someone who is Unaligned. A character with a more focused alignment will also be subjected less to debate about what is in character or not.

As I end this article before I risk restarting the Alignment Wars of the '00s, I think the 3.5e alignment system will be making a reappearance at my gaming table soon. Next order of business, see if I can get these uncaring bastards to stop chopping off peoples' delicate body parts.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Media Inspired: Messages in Time

I have recently been watching through Stargate SG-1, mostly just so I know where certain stories fall in the series continuity, and as usual find myself thinking about its applications to role playing. One particular story element caught my attention with the episodes entitled '2010' and '2001' dealing with messages from the future.

Friday, April 29, 2011

My Own 4E Character Sheets

I designed these Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition character sheets a while back but have yet to implement them in actual games. I am hoping to do so with a one-shot game I have planned using Essentials versions of characters my players are fond of. While putting together the characters for them, due to time constraints, I have seen where I can improve in the future, but for now, tell me what you think.

Page 1
Page 2

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Solo Encounter Contest Entry

This is my entry to David Flor's contest for building a Solo monster encounter, complete with a pool! This encounter was built using the Angry DM's D&D Boss Fight method and the monster stat blocks were built using Power 2ool. I highly recommend using Power 2ool, especially if you have access to the Dungeons and Dragons Insider compendium.

Click HERE for the encounter.

Edit: It should be noted that the last form of Grimthyr (called Grimthyr, Bloodied) is, for all intents and purposes, mechanically considered Bloodied.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

DM Tips: The DM Action Point

As I stated in my previous post, My House Rules, I mentioned how I used something I call Dungeon Master Action Points, or DMAPs, to supplement the need for Action Points in games where my players travel long distances between encounters. Unlike regular Action Points, these ones do not reset to 1 after an extended rest. You earn them and spend them.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Vampires...or as I call them, the Vahm-pyre...

There has been debate, outrage, and confusion spreading across the internets. Which ones? ALL OF THEM!

Why? Because in the newest book in the Dungeons and Dragons 4E line that is coming out from Wizards of the Coast not only seems to be built for the Essentials line, ignoring the original 4E line, but one of the newest classes available in the Heroes of Shadow is the Vampire.

"Now, wait just a minute" you may say. "This makes very little sense." I agree. However, if you are just as confused as this hypothetical person commenting on the class choice, check out Wizard's excuses HERE. Still not agreeing with the choice? Allow me to help you with that.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Passing GO! Episode 1: The Game of Life



A review of the popular board game, the Game of Life. I am being my own worst critic at the moment but posted this anyway as Episode 2 needs a predecessor.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Passing GO! Episode 0: Explaining MEAX



A quick look into what I am looking for when reviewing non-digital games. And ignore the chirping. I will learn to make the camera stop that one of these days. I promise.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

DM Tips: Deal or No Deal

You know what is fun? Making deals with your PCs.

In my current game, my friend, Jason, is playing a Dark Pact Warlock. He wanted to give his character a little extra damage. I said "Yes, BUT..."

As a Dungeon Master, the "Yes, BUT..." can be a powerful weapon. I gave my friend the extra damage he wanted, but I twisted it with something partially story and partially mechanical. With each damaging power he uses, he has a chance to fall into a blind murderous rage, attacking friend and enemy alike.

Don't be afraid to make deals with your players in the interest of fun. Bringing in this unnatural rage not only makes the story that much more interesting, but offers a goal and some motivation for the character. He is now trying to find a way to stop the rage from ever surfacing again. Do I smell a Minor Quest?

Monday, January 10, 2011

Theme: Puninator

So I got to admit. Times have been rather...unkind to me as of recently. Nothing strong like a death or severe injury or disease. Just...hard times.

IN BETTER NEWS! I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. With that! I give you a theme I have put together for my Humor Campaign written specifically for a friend.

Theme: Puninator

"This is quite theme-atic."