Gaming Tonic
First Post
This week PAX East caused a lot of excitement and commotion. If you missed The Future of D&D Seminar you can see it all here. We also get some Expedition to the Barrier Peaks toys for your game and get primed to go back to Undermountain. Don't forget to enjoy The Ecology of the Vegepygmy, but make sure you wash them before eating. I am hoping to have more in the next two weeks about what we can expect in The Dungeoneer Survival Handbook, then I will only have one wish left in my ring. Now then, let's get to it.- Mike Mearls discusses D&D Next Design Considerations in his Legends and Lore article this week, and it is appreciated. The goals that are outlined in this article have a lot of promise and if Wizards of the Coast can come anywhere near reaching this then the next iteration of D&D is going to be great. This forum thread is overheating with both positive and negative feedback, check it out here.
[*]Dave Chalker arms you futuristic style inThingamajigs of the Barrier Peaks. This selection of gadgets includes jet packs, chainsaw swords, and power armor for your characters to arm themselves with. Be careful because with great technology comes great calamity and the rules are provided to cover exactly what sort of calamity happens.
[*]The blog post Beyond Class and Race by Robert Schwalb finally lets a lot of the fans in on a bit of the direction the next iteration of D&D plans to take. So far when it comes to skills and abilities as it relates to race and class I have been beyond pleased. There will probably be a lot of changes with the open playtest coming up when the fans start giving their feedback. All kinds of chatter about this from readers can be found here.
[*]The Ecology of the Vegepygmy by Teos Abadia gives great details for the plant monsters that I first encountered so long ago in the classic adventure, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. Several parts of this ecology piece really make it stand out. The inclusion of the companion write-up for the Gul’gek is a great touch and something I would love to see more of in 4E. The quick rule for using shrieker spores to replace residuum in plant-related potions was a nice idea as well.
[*]Chris Perkins is talking about that game don’t, splitting the party, in Cuts and Splinters. Epic level is rough if the fate of Garrot the fighter is an example. Chris describes how he handles the situation when the party is split and when combat starts this is a great way to handle the players. It is out of combat party splits which seem to stall games so perhaps we will see a column about that soon.
[*]Rule of Three by Rodney Thompson answers questions from the readers about what elements of 4E are being considered for 5e, PC survivability in 5E compared to 4E, and tips for running a short game session in 4E. I have to say that the tips he provides are excellent and while it could have been something you thought of on your own, sometimes it is nice to let someone do some of the bookkeeping thinking for you.
[*]Matt Sernett breaks down the experience of Entering the Halls of Undermountain for Design & Development this week. I could see how it would be an overwhelming decision of how to take all the great material that has been produced for Undermountain, boil it down to fit in one product, and still do the original material justice while putting your own stamp on the subject. I love Undermountain and can’t wait to see how the finish product turns out.
[*]Et, And, Ampersand in Dragon’s-Eye View by Jon Schindehette gives you the history behind an iconic piece of Dungeons and Dragons, the ampersand. This not only has the history of the ampersand and the dragon in D&D, but also provides the history of the ampersand. The poll at the end allows you to voice your opinion on what you think this little character should look like in the next edition.
[*]The Talking Door is the focus of Ed Greenwood’s Eye on the Realms this week. The door hangs on an inn in Waterdeep, the City of Splendors, and makes an excellent detail to entertain your players in your next game. If you don’t play in Waterdeep that is okay, doors are in use in all kinds of settings. Just hang it in the doorway that works best for you. The inn is a great location as well so move it where you need it as well.
[*]In his blog post Crypt of the Ninja Queen, Bruce Cordell talks about published adventures and what players and DMs should expect from a great adventure. This is really the sort of thing that can vary so much from gamer to gamer and fortunately Bruce acknowledges that in his post. The two polls at the end of the article pretty much bear out this line of thinking.
