4e / GSL Recommend some DDI stuff to me

[Rel]

I've been subscribed to the DDI for almost a month now and I've been having fun playing with some of the tools in preparation for my first 4e campaign that kicks off in a little over a week. I see a lot of utility there.

What I haven't delved into much are the other articles there, especially the Dungeon and Dragon articles. What I'm hoping is that some of you who have been keeping up with them all along could recommend some of them to me that you've found most helpful in preparing and running your own games.

The ones that I have given a pretty decent run through are the Dungeoncraft stuff as well as Mearls recent articles about Skill Challenges. I've got a pretty good grasp about campaign and adventure design as well as Skill Challenges so far. But if there are other articles that expand on these topics that you think are top notch or revolutionary, let me know and I'll check those out as well.

So, any recommendations?

[catsclaw227]

The Gladiator Article was very useful for my AoW game (Champion's Belt), and the different Race articles were good too (Minotaur and Gnoll). I have a Minotaur in my new 4e game right now.

Really, you should just DL all the full issues and skim them. There's lotsa gold in them thar hills.

[fba827]

yeah, it really depends on what type of features interest you and your players.

For instance, several people will tell you that the gladiator articles are good (I can't say, I haven't read them) but if you (or your players) don't like or ever plan to have much focus on gladiator combat it isn't going to be as 'exciting' to you as someone whose entire campaign arc will be spent in a gladiator arena (some, yes, as exciting, no). Same is true of the articles on warforged and what not -- ever plan on sticking them in as PCs? And so on ... Or, from another perspective, if you hear your want-to-be-wizards complaining about not enough variety in power choices (or wanting to play a more mental role) then check out the wizards class acts from one of the first issues in pdf, it has some alt power choices for wizards that do psychic damage and illusion-like things.

my point is -- i have no idea what to suggest because i know my own tastes tend to get rather detailed in to specifics of my own campaign world.

[Keefe the Thief]

Creature incarnations: Kobolds from Dragon 364 is one of the most useful articles if you love those silly little buggers. Especially the vermin handler - 3 brutes and 5 vermin handlers, and your players will call you names all night.

[Shroomy]

Here are my favorite articles from the 4e issues of Dragon

Issue 364 -

"Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Yeenoghu"
"Vor Kragal: The Lost City of Bael Turath"
"Ashen Convenant"
"The Wolves of Maldeen"
"Creature Incarnations: Kobolds"
"Class Acts: Wizards"
"Expeditionary Dispatches: The Forest of Flesh"

Issue 365
"Playtest: Artificer"
"Backdrop: Cormyr"
"Codex of Betrayal: Beleth"

Issue 366
"Mithrendain: City of the Feywild"
"Wish Upon a Star"
"Ritually Speaking"
"The Bloodghost Syndicate"

Issue 367
"Intelligent Items"
"Bestiary: Golems and Oozes"
"Playing Gnolls"
"Realmslore: Auril's Hall"

Issue 368
"Playtest: Barbarian"
"Artifacts"
"The Gladiator"
"The Pit: Running Gladiator Campaigns"
"Domains of Dread: Sunderheart, the Funeral City"

Issue 369
"Playing Minotaurs"
"Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Baphomet"
"Creature Incarnations: Gnolls"
"Class Acts: Warlord"

Issue 370
"Her Majesty's Secret Servants"
"Riven Justice: The Mercykillers"
"Bestiary: Monsters of the Demonweb"

Issue 371
"Hestavar: The Bright City"
"Playing: Dhampyr"
"Creature Incarnations: Zombies"