Gaming Tonic
First Post
Well I hope too many of you were not lured into the April Fool's shenanigans. Even putting all that aside we still have so much new stuff to talk about this week including excellent adventurers, the future of the game, the glorious past of Dungeon Magazine, and more. Well let's get started then.- Legends and Lore by Mike Mearls is A Menagerie of Topics this week. Mike’s results from an informal Twitter poll are discussed and several other polls are presented for the readers. I agree that some players will not want to play the same character forever but some players do and D&D needs to be able to support high level play with the same enthusiasm it supports lower level play. This thread on the forum is really heating up, check it out here.
[*]Hall of the Fire Giant Kings by Christopher Perkins is the fourth and final adventure in the new giant series of modules for 4th Edition. This one seems to be really challenging and I think that reflects the original adventure.
[*]Flame’s Last Flicker by Shawn Merwin for Dungeon 200 is an epic tier adventure that will challenge your party and your player’s resource management because it is designed to not allow an extended rest. We will see if your group has what it takes to put another end to Flame.
[*]I really enjoyed the Blog:Sneak Attack and Backstabs by Robert Schwalb because I really enjoy rogues and agree with the points he makes in this article. I would like to see a lot more about some of the thoughts presented here as we get closer to open playtest.
[*]Monte Cook talks Life after Death after Death after Death in his new blog. I have no problem with being raised from the dead having a significant drawback, but I started playing the game when it was much easier to die, and resurrection wasn’t a guarantee so I think I just have thicker skin about it. EN World readers are talking about this article here.
[*]Chris Perkins unleashes another brain teaser with The +5 Crossword of Slaying,--Part 8. I thought this one was a bit easier than some of the previous puzzles but it might just have been in my D&D wheelhouse.
[*]This week in Rule of Three, Rodney Thompson answers fan questions about multi-classing, Solo monsters, and spell templates in D&D Next. I think Rodney missed the other issue with multi-classing, the wealth of crunch that was never designed to work together being slapped on the same character. Overpowered is a threat to the fun of the game just as much as under powered. The fans are talking about this here.
[*]Sweet Rejection by Greg Bilsland lets the reader know what submissions for Dragon and Dungeon Magazines have a chance of being accepted. I think the part stating what they are not looking for is very important to read before submitting a proposal, so follow the directions.
[*]The Cleric, the Paladin, and Multisysteming by Tom Lapille looks examines what the differences between these classes may be and what they have been over the various editions. I like classes that stand on their own and are not watered down versions of a collection of powers from other classes.
[*]D&D Future by Christopher Perkins announces the submission window opening and combined with Sweet Rejection should give potential writers enough guidelines to have a chance of a pitch being accepted.
[*]Dragon’s Eye View by Jon Schindehette takes a look at Appropriate Armor. I found this article really thought provoking and hopefully some people will realize that a fantasy game will have fantasy armor. If you are an artist make sure to read the last part about a chance to show off your work.
[*]Shelly Mazzanoble talks about luring in her friend into D&D with Rollin in the 'Deep for Confessions of a Full-Time Wizard. I was most surprised to find out that she doesn't think voices and accents are part of the game. When I first playtested 5E she was sitting behind me as I did my Christian Bale Batman voice for my dwarf. That is a shocking thing to say.
[*]Shawn Merwin stares into The Enduring Flame in Design & Development. Reading about that first issue of Dragon made me nostalgic and I fortunately did get to play that first appearance of Flame. It is great to see the venerable dragon making another appearance. I wonder if it will be the last.
[*]Chris Perkins says his players Never Surrender in The Dungeon Master Experience and I don’t think he is alone in that thought. I have seen PCs just except death as a much better alternative to capture time and time again. I think that the immaturity of DMs when most players first start playing the game probably has something to do with why we don’t surrender.
[*]Lil’ Flame by Emi Tanji is a cool printable, foldable dragon that you can use in your game or use to keep the kids busy and introduce them to Dungeons & Dragons. This is really neat and not a bad way to get past that April Fool’s Joke.
[*]The Dungeon Index (Issues #1-200) by Christopher Perkins and James Jacobs is a comprehensive list of what has appeared in the magazine over the years. This includes which edition, setting, game, and anything else you need to know to quickly find where the material you need is located.
[*]The Art Galleries for Dragon 409 and Dungeon 200 along with the Map Gallery for Dungeon 200 have been released. Put those portraits away because lots of fans are probably going to be making new characters real soon.
