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For iOS, the problem with Silverlight is the same as the problem with Flash: it's a proprietary layer of technology originally designed to run on machines with desktop-level hardware. Technologically, they lack the performance characteristics of native iOS applications and HTML. Legally, iOS...

To be clear, Macs can run the old Character Builder by (a) buying a second OS, a copy of Windows, and (b) either buying virtualization software (VMware or Parallels) or rebooting every time you want to switch between Windows and Mac OS X. I own several Macs, but the hassle and expense was great...

Well, to answer the original question, the Monster Vault does seem to have the "pure" elementals. Someone else merely pointed out that WotC had already designed these for MM3, so all that remained was to essentialize those elementals. In other words, given the retro feel of Essentials and the...

Instead of trying to bring the party to Winterhaven for the RP, why not bring the RP to the players? Sprinkle the keep with some kidnapped citizens of Winterhaven, which the goblins or hobgoblins are bringing to Kalarel for use in his ritual. The party can RP with these NPCs, and if you're...

I would be tempted just to use Essentials, assuming none of the players feels a strong need to have psionics. Why not let the mage be arcane and explore the social consequences throughout the campaign? The biggest limitation is that the only leader (healer) class would be the druid, assuming...

Yes, if you already know how to play 4E and just want more build options, you just want the two Heroes books. If you're just looking for more powers to add to an existing character, note that some of the Essentials builds depart from the pattern of existing 4E classes. For example, for an...

Interesting point. It makes me curious about the historic rationale for requiring all paladins to be lawful good. Why must a hero and champion be lawful? But to be honest, the requirement never struck me as odd back then, so I don't see why it should strike me as so odd now. And I don't see...

In your position, I would go with Slaying Stone, which seems such a richer first experience than the other options on the table. So what if your players end up half a level ahead in XP? In the worst case, the party will have a slightly easier time for a bit. Even then, you could always add...

Your biggest challenge with combat encounters will be keeping them dynamic. A battle between five PCs and five monsters naturally involves plenty of movement, but combats with only one monster have the potential to grind, whether it's a solo monster against a standard party of five or a...

Makes sense to me. Even in the real world, we have rare consumables that no one today could reproduce. Ask any sommelier. In fact, I can't think of a good fluff reason that all consumables must necessarily be common. What did you have in mind?

Aw man, I for one would love it if all future apps were web-based. I just hope they are lighter weight than the main web site, which makes my iPad crawl. If I could design monsters and encounters on my iPad or even just display them on my iPad at the table, I'd be ecstatic. [Disclaimer: I...

I like coolstuffinc.com. They currently sell Lords of Madness cases for $99, and they have cheap shipping when just buying singles.

Possibly he was referring to this article: His conclusion seems to be that TSR simply did none of the market research that it needed to. But he suggests that perhaps the market didn't want all those settings: Earlier in the article is another reference to the number of settings, when Dancey...

I know I will tell my players to use the original character sheet (or better yet, the Character Builder) to compute the numbers, before copying them to the new sheet for use at the table.

What about level 2 minions? They are stronger than level 1 minions and weaker than level 2 minions. (They require more attacks from a level 1 PC, on average, to hit than a level 1 minion.) But in practice, I like to use level 0 and level -1 monsters, as others have suggested.

I think the Paizo AP could work well. I think having a small party is actually a benefit when converting adventures from 3E, since the expected number of monsters is smaller. Switching systems does mean you'll want to be flexible with substituting 3E monsters with 4E ones. If you go with a 4E...

So today is the release date. Can anybody confirm seeing it in stores? Are the online availability dates later because WotC is giving FLGSs a head start? Or did the boat from China take a detour?

People who have actually played the game seem to have enjoyed it, so I'm willing to give it a try, even if it doesn't encourage the 15-minute adventuring day.

When designing encounters, scale the XP budget to the number of players, but don't fall into the trap of thinking that a typical encounter contains standard equal-level monsters. Two standard level-n monsters against two PCs probably has the same potential for grind as two elite level-n...

I like it. I'm a big believer in separating out the character sheet used at the table and the worksheet used to compute everything. For example, the D&D Encounters character sheets are so much more usable than the standard ones!