Just an interesting thought before I begin (feel free to skip this paragraph if you want to get down to business): I think this must be the first week since Gen Con 2011 ended that many of us have had the opportunity to reflect. Shawn Merwin posted his thoughts today, focusing on some of the ups and downs of conventions from a personal perspective. DNAPhil from Gnome Stew posted his Gen Con 2011 report this morning, too, figuring he was the last one to do so. That post was followed almost immediately by a tweet from @DavetheGame noting that he hadn’t put his up either.

The Highlights

Rather than give you a long narrative of the Best Four Days in Gaming, let me offer some overall thoughts and observations:

• Gen Con 2011 was a huge success by all estimates. According to the official press release, attendance was up 20%. Events were up by 26%, and sanctioned D&D events such as D&D Game Day, Living Forgotten Realms, Ashes of Athas, and the D&D Championship were up by 18%.
• Gaming friends are the best friends. This year, I got to hang with a ton of old friends from exotic places like Wisconsin and Georgia, plus some relatively new local friends. We drank beer, played D&D, drank beer, talked gaming, drank beer…
• The newly-expanded Indianapolis Convention Center rocks. Vendor floor space increased, allowing more room in the aisles. I think the only real traffic jam I experienced was at about 3 PM on Saturday near the Wizards of the Coast booth.
• Lair Assault is going to make players run out of game stores screaming in terror. I ran a Lair Assault preview for WotC on Trade Day (Wednesday) for game store owners. Can’t say much more about it yet, but just know that I can’t see even the most optimized party getting through this thing in less than two or three attempts.
• Erik Scott de Bie is a tremendously talented game designer. Along with Ari Marmell and Matt Sernett, Erik wrote the Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Erik also did the D&D Game Day adventure, Gates of Neverdeath, which I ran three times on Saturday. Every group I ran had a blast, and I love the fact that the adventure dovetails with this season of Encounters.
• Playing D&D with kids is hella fun. At my mid-day Saturday Gates of Neverdeath slot, I had a couple of families play. There were three kids between the ages of 10 and 13, plus three adults. My favorite moment of the entire weekend happened during this game (see below for the story).
• Old School can be a blast. On Thursday night, I played Basic D&D run by my old friend John. John was my first DM way back in 1983. He ran us through a portion of B2: Keep on the Borderlands. In a six-hour period, we made characters, had five or six combats, did tons of exploration, made friends with and then betrayed a tribe of hobgoblins, had two characters die and two turned to stone. It was like I was 12 again.
• There are some damn fine Old School style products out there. I also picked up Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Grindhouse Edition after having heard it mentioned a few months back on the official D&D podcast. This thing is cool: it’s essentially Basic D&D rules with some smart improvements (Thieves are called “specialists,” and their skill system is much streamlined; attack resolution uses positive AC and to hit bonuses rather than charts or THAC0. Clerical turning is a spell). The flavor of the setting rocks, with what James Raggi dubs “Weird Fantasy.” I’ll post more about LotFP in the coming days; just know that it’s pretty sweet.

A “What If?” moment

I backed way off my D&D blog back in 2008. I put energy into other pursuits, most of which paid off for me in terms of my business. I don’t regret that.

However, I did have a “what if” moment this year at Gen Con. The other D&D bloggers I was running with at the time – Chatty DM, Dave and Danny at Critical Hits, and others – are all doing very well for themselves. These guys are the Rock Stars of the convention. Chatty is blogging for Critical Hits, and CH just won a Gold Ennie this year. Dave just had his first DDI article published, and they’ve all got tons of projects in the works (Congrats, by the way, guys!) Other bloggers that I was just starting to connect with (like the guys at Gnome Stew) are doing well, too.

My freelance writing business has taken me a different direction, and it’s definitely been a good thing, but I am forced to wonder how things might be different if it hadn’t.

The Pimp Hat

So, like I mentioned, I ran a slot of Gates of Neverdeath for a family with three kids. At the end of the first encounter, the party captured one of the villains. The 10 year-old boy stepped up and said, “Does he have a hat?”

“Sure, why not,” I replied. Not sure where he’s going with this…

“I take his hat and put it on!” The boy was rather enthusiastic now. Kid likes hats, I guess.

“All right,” I said. “You have a hat.”

“What does it look like?” This kid is going to be a fun DM when he grows up, I think.

“It’s purple and fuzzy. It has a long feather sticking out of it.”

His mother turns toward me with an astonished look on her face. “Did you just give my son a pimp hat?”

We all burst out laughing. This is why gaming with kids is so fun: they’re inquisitive. They’re curious. They don’t know that you’re supposed to ignore hats on villains yet. They’re not cold and jaded and calculated. They’re just there to let their imagination run wild.

And that’s what gaming is all about, isn’t it?

My experience with DC Adventures RPG Hero’s Handbook: Super-Hero Roleplaying in the DC Universe

photo credit: brick red

If you know me, you know I’m all about Dungeons & Dragons. Other RPGs are good for a break, from time to time. I enjoy the occasional World of Darkness mini-campaign, or an occasional Gamma World one-shot. All other things being equal, I’d rather just play D&D.

Last Friday marked the release of The Green Lantern in movie theaters. One of my friends is a huge GL geek, and since it was the off week for my regular D&D campaign, I thought I’d get some folks together and make a day of it. We saw the 11:15 matinee, followed by lunch at the local Chinese buffet. We finished off the day with some super hero RPG at my place.

I decided to use DC Adventures for the game. I did this for several reasons:

1. I thought a DC-based game would be fitting, given the Green Lantern theme for the day.
2. DC Adventures is built on Mutants & Masterminds, a solid d20 OGL product.
3. Unlike various other supers RPGs, I actually own the book.

For the adventure, I chose the Emerald Knights I module, along with the freebie prelude download. I had five players at the table, each using an Emerald Knights pregen character. Overall, we had a blast, but I’d like to deconstruct the game a bit, and look at the individual components.

The Mutants & Masterminds Adventure

Because there isn’t much yet in the way of specifically DC-themed material, and because I didn’t have the time or desire to craft my own adventure, I relied on published material. Emerald Knights I is a solid heroes adventure. I think the best way to describe it is to compare it to a standard D&D adventure. Here’s how it differed:

• Out of 9 scenes (read: encounters), only 2 were combat-related. I like this emphasis on story. I think it fits well with the supers genre.
• Of those 9 scenes, 3 were entirely optional. That’s nice, because it lets player choice become a real factor in how the adventure goes.
• The combat scenes were poorly orchestrated. I’ve become used to the convenient format of today’s D&D adventures. I like the “tactics,” “features of the area,” “development,” and other sections in a typical D&D encounter. The adventure design could use some organization in that regard.

My players loved the story, and so did I. In fact, I’d say that the story was good enough to make up for the weakness in organization on the part of the designer. I give the adventure an A-.

The DC Adventures System

Now, here’s where we ran into some snags. At first glance, the system itself looked a lot like a transitional product between D&D 3.5 and D&D 4E (think Star Wars: Saga Edition). However, in terms of its execution, things panned out quite differently.

The first obstacle we faced was the poor organization of the character sheets. Each hero’s powers, advantages, skills, and other features were listed on their character sheets. However, there was nothing to indicate to my players where to find information about a given power. Rather than naming the power by the tag used in the book (“flight”, for example) the character sheets used flavor-rich names (“eagle’s wings,” in one case.) This made the process of becoming familiar with the pregen characters somewhat sluggish.

Granted – if we’d made characters from scratch, the players would have had an easier time with that aspect. The difficulty here may have been more in the design of the pregen sheets, rather than the organization of the rulebook.

The big problem we faced was in combat. The combat section of the book is a mere three pages. Yet, there are elements that contribute to the combat system throughout the book. The problem here is that the other sections in the book – which the combat section references by page number – directly contradict some of the info in the combat section.

In an ongoing campaign setting, this would probably not be a problem. You’d simply pick one way or the other to do things, and stick with it. As occasional players in a one-shot, it was time consuming, bulky, and confusing.

How I’ll Do It Next Time

I don’t think DC Adventures is a bad system. In fact, judging from all of the Mutants & Masterminds fans out there, I think it’s probably the best thing currently in production.

That said, I don’t think I’ll play it again. I may drop in to my FLGS and take a peek at the M&M core book – specifically the combat section. My guess is that it’s better organized, or at least more consistent. If not, I’ll shoot on over to eBay and find myself a copy of the TSR Marvel Super Heroes game we all know and love from the 80s. Hmmm… maybe it’ll be here in time for Captain America to hit the theater!

I just played through my first game of the Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft board game, and I can confirm your suspicions:

It’s full of awesome.

Now, I was never a huge Ravenloft fan. I like the concept, to be sure: a D&D campaign with a horror twist is intriguing. However, an entire D&D campaign designed around the principle of mere survival always sounded a bit less than fun. It was fine for the occasional one-shot, but not so much for an ongoing game. I always imagined it would wear on you after a bit.

That’s probably part of the reason I like this game. It’s self-contained, can be played occasionally and in just about an hour. Ravenloft is a wonderful setting for an afternoon, if not an entire campaign.

Here are some of the things that I really like about this game:

• You can play Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft board game solo. You can play with up to 5 players, but there are a number of scenarios that allow you to play as a single character. For those boring Saturday afternoons when the kids are outside playing and Angie’s canning spaghetti sauce, it’s a wonderful distraction.
• This game very much emulates the spirit and feel of Dungeons & Dragons. Playing this game is very much like a fast-paced version of D&D. No, it’s not the full game, but it doesn’t require a 4-6 hour commitment either. It’s a great substitute when you’ve got an hour or two.
• Like the new D&D Starter Set, it is a wonderful intro to the Dungeons & Dragons game. Many of the basic ideas in D&D – things like movement, hit points and powers – are all capsulized in this box.
• The interlocking dungeon tiles keep the board stable. Unlike the D&D Dungeon Tiles, these tiles aren’t getting continually knocked out of place. Wizards should consider this model with their traditional tiles.
• This game makes for a unique experience every time. Even if you’re playing the same scenario, you can’t ever count on facing the same creatures or wandering the same floor plan.
• The rules are clear and concise. One thing that worried me was that this would be another Descent or Axis & Allies situation where you spend a couple of days learning the rules ahead of time. Not so. Even without familiarity with D&D, you could probably pick up the rules in an hour or two by playing the introductory solo scenario.

My list of complaints about this game is much shorter:

• Painted minis would have been nice. I get that it would likely put the cost of the game well over $100, making it a breaking point for many folks. I am considering the possibility of collecting regular D&D minis to populate the game to add an extra feel of coolness.
• I’m not sold on the cooperative nature of the game. D&D is, in many ways, a cooperative game, but there’s room for competition. It might be nice to see some of those elements replicated in the game.

Here’s a look at what you get in the box:

And, if you have the time and interest, here’s Mike Mearls going through the box and its contents:

Bottom line? The Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft board game makes a wicked-cool Christmas gift for yourself or your favorite D&D geek.

After an interesting play session last Friday, something occurred to me:

Fourth edition truly puts the nail in the coffin of Vancian magic. The wizard I ran in that game felt much more like a traditional fantasy wizard. I felt very Gandalf, at least in terms of combat, and rituals had my back when it came to other tasks. Very fun.

I suppose that’s one of the things, though, that some folks don’t like about 4E: the abandoning of the Vancian system.

I’m interested, though: What do you all think? Whether or not you like 4E, are there good reasons to go with a “fire and forget” spell system? Do you personally prefer Vancian magic to the alternatives?

Welcome one and all to RPGDigest.com! I trust your trip was a safe one.

Congratulations to InShaneee for suggesting the winning domain name for the new home of DnDReviews.com! Check out the rest of the entries here. InShaneee, if you’re reading this, please shoot me an e-mail so I can get you your prize!

You’ll pardon the dust, of course, while everything settles for a day or two. On Sunday, I’ll have a Link Smashup as always, and on Monday I’ll reveal some of the cool new features that make up RPG Digest. I’ll also let you know what the other top contenders were on Monday.

Stay tuned, and in the meantime go weigh in on the question of Game Balance in Dungeons and Dragons 4E.

photo credit: Poppyseed Bandits

I normally do my link-outs on Sundays, and I’ll have more for you this Sunday.  I wanted to devote a full post today to two different friends of this blog, both of which connect two of my greatest loves in life: RPGs and writing.

First, most of you know Kameron Franklin, author of the Forgotten Realms novel, Maiden of Pain as a regular commenter on this blog.  What you may not know is that Kam has re-launched his Blog, and is now focused on his experiences and thoughts on Fiction writing.  He’s a good guy with a decent published novel and a great future, I think.  Give Kam a visit at Pens and Swords.  Tell him I sent you.

Next, I want you to check out this announcement over at Men with Pens. Harry and James are a couple of role-players who also happen to be kick-ass writers.  They’re starting a new online creative writing RPG site next week, and you want to get in on this one.  It’s play-by-post taken to it’s ultimate extreme.  I’ll be there, and you should too.

Oh, plus they’ve got a picture of a mostly-naked chick.  That alone is worth the price of admission.

And remember, there’s still time to submit your entry (or more entries) to my Name This Blog contest.  Help me out, won’t you?

UPDATE for June 3: Thanks to everyone for their entries. The contest is now closed. Make sure to come back on Friday when I announce the winner!

It’s time, I think.

When I started this web site, it was called “Dungeons and Dragons Reviews” and it was designed to be more of a static, article-based site, featuring reviews of D&D products. I quickly discovered, however, that I enjoyed the interactivity of blogging about Dungeons and Dragons much more than I enjoyed writing articles, and so The DMs Blog was born as a part of DnDReviews.com.

Today, I find myself in a branding crisis. I have no desire to write reviews all day long, so DnDReviews.com isn’t necessarily appropriate anymore. I could stick with “The DM’s Blog,” but I don’t think it is nearly original enough to describe what I do here. On top of that, folks like Yax at Dungeonmastering.com and Phil from ChattyDM.net sort of have the “DM” market cornered.

So, I’m at a bit of a loss. I need a new name.

This is where YOU come in.

Between now at June 3, 2008, I need as many suggestions as I can get for a name for this blog. Put yours right down below in the “comments” section. On June 4, I will pick my favorite, and announce the winner on the day 4E is released, June 6. The winner will receive her choice of any one of the 3 core 4E books, or a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate.

You can enter as many times as you’d like. Be creative. Be unique. Be interesting. Here’s what I know I want:

I want a blog name that has an available “.com” domain. In other words, if I’m to be The Jolly DM, I want jollyDM.com to be available. You can find whether a domain is available at http://www.domainsearch.com/.

• I want a blog name that has one of these keywords in it: dnd, dungeon, dragon, rpg, or roleplaying. This point isn’t mandatory, but if you can incorporate one of them it’d be swell.
• I want a blog name that is no more than 3 words long (excluding the word “blog”).
• I want a blog name that represents my writing style and my blog’s mission. For my writing style, you’d have to read some of my posts. For the mission, well, here is my newly-minted mission statement:

“(Name)’s purpose is to provide interesting and insightful information for Dungeons and Dragons players, DMs and fans, to facilitate discussion of issues in the Dungeons and Dragons community, and to serve the gaming community at large.”

Good luck to everyone. If you have questions, email me here: bob at dnd reviews dot com.

To follow the contest and know when I’ve announced the winner, Subscribe to The DM’s Blog via RSS, or via E-mail, and/or follow me on Twitter.