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Probably not. I have to ask myself everytime I make a gaming purchase: "When will I use this?" If I don't know, then I don't buy it. I do like the free content they've let people access, but I just don't want to pay for stuff that I might not use. As for the rest of DDI, I just don't trust...

Every once in a while I'll run an OD&D one-shot using "In Search of the Unknown." And everytime the players roll up characters, somebody exclaims: "What!?! Clerics don't get spells at 1st level!!!" And everybody laughs. ---- I ran an AD&D campaign last spring. I enjoyed the free-formness of...

I actually like reading the 4e books, especially the DMG. I agree, however, that the 4e are the "lightest reads" of all the editions. I love reading 1e books because of the Gygaxian prose. I love the fact that I was using i.e., q.v., et al, when I was in 6th grade and knew what they meant...

That is a damn good book. It's companion, Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb guide is also a good book, even though a lot of the information is recycled from 1e Wilderness and Dungeoneer's survival guides. Up until 4e, the best DMG was the 1e DMG, followed by the 3.5e DMG. Each was chalked full...

Here's something from Game Mastery 101, a presentation I did not too long ago for my local gaming club: A Dungeon Master is in business, the entertainment business. The players are the clientele and they expect to be entertained. Like a business, a Dungeon Master has competition: movies, TV...

From the Ashes was the first campaign setting boxed set I ever owned. I bought it when I was 11 or 12. I really liked Greyhawk from that point on simply because I didn't know any better. Then my older brother let me keep his World of Greyhawk boxed set a couple years later. I loved how the...

15) Start small (you only need the 3 core books), then accessorize as needed. 16) "Have fun stormin' the castle!" Take risks, even though for your character to live, "it'll take a miracle."

Sorry, double post

Great article to discuss! 1. I, as a DM, allow players to have default procedure patterns. Players often don't take advantage of this. I'll mention this for my next game. It'd make combat go faster. 2. Unless one has a large party, reserves is difficult to pull off. I know back in AD&D...

This reminds me of another time I got "booed." Back in the days of 2e, I consulted "Grimtooth's Traps" for inspiration for one of my games. The trap was crystal vase with gold pieces at the bottom. One player-character reached in and pulled a handful out. The PC's face turned blue. He reached...

This thread is hilarious... As a side note, I had Delon the Mage actually be an 8th level vampire sorcerer concerned about his "herd" (the Downs) starving to death. Madame Riva (perhaps with the power of Asmodeus and exception based design) cursed the Downs because she knew that the villagers...

Hans Moleman wasn't part of the crowd. ;)

Anybody else who owns the Forest Oracle notice how HUGE brigand camp is? Looking at the map on p.15, "Hut B" looks about 400ft long. And the goat pen is about 500ft x 700ft. Those two goats must need their space. I've actually run this module some years back, modified for 3.5e. It's one of...

I don't know if the people who booed me tried 4e D&D. But I can find out. I've only played 4e once, I ran the adventure in the back for a group of players. I liked, the players enjoyed it for the most part. It did take getting used to however. I'd love to try 4e again. One of my concerns is...

I gave a presentation for the gaming club I belong to called Game Mastery 101. The presentation covered the basics of GMing for both beginning DMs and Expert DM. Everything was going fine until I got to the part where I told the audience to "start small." That is, if your not sure if you want...

Chivalry and Sorcery: For sometime a friend of mime wanted to play C&S. He had all the books--and said that's bonus because they aren't making anymore, unlike d20. He hated d20 and played 3e only a few times. I looked through his books and thought the game was more about creating a simulation of...

I can't help but notice, both on and offline, the controversy that 4e has caused. I don't remember the same thing happening when 3e came out, nor does it compare to the grumbling when 3.5e emerged. For many, it seems, 4e is the last straw. Other have embraced 4e. While others have gone on to...

You saved me some heartache, at least. I have all of those Fantastic Locations and was considering buying Keep on the Shadowfell. Now I won't. So thank you.

I'm not running a regular D&D campaign. High magic conflicts with the "feel" of the world that I want to portray. High magic, like technology, also allow players to override plots really fast (particularly in horror/investigative adventures). Sort of like how the producers of Battlestar...

Good point. It just shouldn't take 5 hours to resolve something that's happens in about a minute. But that's what happened in my game. I'm looking forward to seeing how high level combats with numerous opponents work in 4e. Minions!