Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Let's read the entire run
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5985658" data-attributes="member: 27780"><p><strong><u>Dragon Issue 288: October 2001</u></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>part 7/7</p><p></p><p></p><p>Silicon sorcery: Baldur's Gate again? When's Neverwinter going to show up, give them some 3e based games to draw from? I guess development times are pretty extensive these days. A year just isn't enough to really polish a product. But anyway. This time, we get the template for Bhaalspawn, so you can use one in your game as either a PC or antagonist. If a PC has it, it'll push the game in a decidedly WoDish direction, as you play a creature that has to constantly struggle against it's darker nature, and gains more powers, but also more self-control problems and social issues as you level up. Monsters will just be made even more able to rip you to shreds. Since it scales up as you level, it is probably worth the LA +2 adjustment, although a level 1, CR 3 thing would be rather fragile. Balance is a precarious thing, and the LA system is a blunt tool. I guess it'll come down to your charop skills to make these powers synergise with your level and feat choices. </p><p></p><p></p><p>PC Portraits: We go for a monstrous theme this month, with most of the portraits showing visible signs of undeath. Some are well preserved, some rotting, and some skeletal, but none of them look like a model of health. That doesn't mean they don't need love, and couldn't make a valuable adventuring companion. There's a lot to be said for having someone along who doesn't breathe, eat or sleep, even if they might have issues with clerics and easily spooked peasants. So any edition other than 3e, I could accuse this column of being a bit misnamed this month. As it is, it just reinforces their current permissive tendencies. Pick an odd race, stack up on the templates, multiclass into several obscure prestige classes, we don't mind at all. It's all just part of the character building fun they want to encourage at the moment. Just don't get caught eating brains in public, as that tends to make people uncomfortable. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Dungeoncraft: Ray finishes off his map key with the essentials of life. Food sources, merchants, temples, places for ordinary people to live, and mounts. (the fact that these mounts are giant pterosaurs is irrelevant. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> ) While there may not be decent amenities by modern standards, the basics are there, and there's enough resources to get a group of adventures decently outfitted to go out and kick ass. As with most creative works, the last bit feels like it was done on perspiration rather than inspiration. We need this stuff, but it's hard to get excited about it. Still, once again, it does a good job of showing us the logistics that underpin the setting. The degree of safety they have here is precarious and hard-won, and one rampaging horde would ruin it for everyone. Are you going to defend it, or run off to explore and leave that responsibility to other people? Hopefully there'll be decent stories to tell whichever option you pick. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Namsco? I don't remember this? Another flop? </p><p></p><p></p><p>DM's toolbox: Another very cool idea in the toolbox this month. To get your players more involved, encourage them to fill out little details of the worldbuilding connected to their characters, or possibly just in general. It helps them invest in the world and remember things in a way that infodumps don't, it makes the world less homogenous, as it isn't all the product of one brain, it gives them something to exploit, and you can further reward them with XP or other cookies for doing so, which hopefully creates a positive feedback loop and encourages them to stick with the game and do this sort of thing again in the future. This is the kind of thing that I strongly approve of, and is only a problem if the players start getting competitive OOC, and the people who can't keep up get resentful of the more creative ones. You can frequently benefit from blurring the role between player and DM, and keeping people thinking about the game between sessions. I encourage you to try it, but also to be aware of it's pitfalls. Emotional investment and sharing the load good. Overcompetitiveness, (a life without competitiveness would be like a life without explosives <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" /> ) bitchiness and burnout bad. Take that risk, go for the big payoff. It's only a game, after all. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Sunburn's a bitch in dragonmirth. What's new goes mindlessly throughout its familiar routine. Just like me, at this stage. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Not that much horror material this year, but the issue is all the stronger for it, once again having a very high batting average indeed. This has certainly been one of the smoothest editorial changeovers the magazine has managed, and shows them really getting the hang of 3e in general. How long will this quality boost last? Let's hope it's for a while yet. Next month please, waiter!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="(un)reason, post: 5985658, member: 27780"] [B][U]Dragon Issue 288: October 2001[/U][/B] part 7/7 Silicon sorcery: Baldur's Gate again? When's Neverwinter going to show up, give them some 3e based games to draw from? I guess development times are pretty extensive these days. A year just isn't enough to really polish a product. But anyway. This time, we get the template for Bhaalspawn, so you can use one in your game as either a PC or antagonist. If a PC has it, it'll push the game in a decidedly WoDish direction, as you play a creature that has to constantly struggle against it's darker nature, and gains more powers, but also more self-control problems and social issues as you level up. Monsters will just be made even more able to rip you to shreds. Since it scales up as you level, it is probably worth the LA +2 adjustment, although a level 1, CR 3 thing would be rather fragile. Balance is a precarious thing, and the LA system is a blunt tool. I guess it'll come down to your charop skills to make these powers synergise with your level and feat choices. PC Portraits: We go for a monstrous theme this month, with most of the portraits showing visible signs of undeath. Some are well preserved, some rotting, and some skeletal, but none of them look like a model of health. That doesn't mean they don't need love, and couldn't make a valuable adventuring companion. There's a lot to be said for having someone along who doesn't breathe, eat or sleep, even if they might have issues with clerics and easily spooked peasants. So any edition other than 3e, I could accuse this column of being a bit misnamed this month. As it is, it just reinforces their current permissive tendencies. Pick an odd race, stack up on the templates, multiclass into several obscure prestige classes, we don't mind at all. It's all just part of the character building fun they want to encourage at the moment. Just don't get caught eating brains in public, as that tends to make people uncomfortable. Dungeoncraft: Ray finishes off his map key with the essentials of life. Food sources, merchants, temples, places for ordinary people to live, and mounts. (the fact that these mounts are giant pterosaurs is irrelevant. ;) ) While there may not be decent amenities by modern standards, the basics are there, and there's enough resources to get a group of adventures decently outfitted to go out and kick ass. As with most creative works, the last bit feels like it was done on perspiration rather than inspiration. We need this stuff, but it's hard to get excited about it. Still, once again, it does a good job of showing us the logistics that underpin the setting. The degree of safety they have here is precarious and hard-won, and one rampaging horde would ruin it for everyone. Are you going to defend it, or run off to explore and leave that responsibility to other people? Hopefully there'll be decent stories to tell whichever option you pick. Namsco? I don't remember this? Another flop? DM's toolbox: Another very cool idea in the toolbox this month. To get your players more involved, encourage them to fill out little details of the worldbuilding connected to their characters, or possibly just in general. It helps them invest in the world and remember things in a way that infodumps don't, it makes the world less homogenous, as it isn't all the product of one brain, it gives them something to exploit, and you can further reward them with XP or other cookies for doing so, which hopefully creates a positive feedback loop and encourages them to stick with the game and do this sort of thing again in the future. This is the kind of thing that I strongly approve of, and is only a problem if the players start getting competitive OOC, and the people who can't keep up get resentful of the more creative ones. You can frequently benefit from blurring the role between player and DM, and keeping people thinking about the game between sessions. I encourage you to try it, but also to be aware of it's pitfalls. Emotional investment and sharing the load good. Overcompetitiveness, (a life without competitiveness would be like a life without explosives :p ) bitchiness and burnout bad. Take that risk, go for the big payoff. It's only a game, after all. Sunburn's a bitch in dragonmirth. What's new goes mindlessly throughout its familiar routine. Just like me, at this stage. Not that much horror material this year, but the issue is all the stronger for it, once again having a very high batting average indeed. This has certainly been one of the smoothest editorial changeovers the magazine has managed, and shows them really getting the hang of 3e in general. How long will this quality boost last? Let's hope it's for a while yet. Next month please, waiter! [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Let's read the entire run
Top