Search results

The thing about 4E is that the game is built on a really small core set of rules that are well balanced, and it's really, really, really easy to change or expand on them yourself if you don't like what the RAW say. The core mechanic, the golden rule, is so elegant. If your character has a...

The best thing Wizards has done in the past several years is clean house in the Magic department. And the best part of that house cleaning was getting rid of Randy Buehler. The game was more and more catering to the existing pro player because former pro players, like Randy, were managing the...

Good stuff. Ultimately, the responsibility of the DM is to create opportunities for the players to fail. The recent David Mamet memo restates this and expands on it and should be reprinted in the DMG3, IMHO.

Do you have any questions in particular? To me they pretty much do what you'd expect given their names.

At the risk of diverting the conversation, let me say I think this is a difference in philosophy and I don't think there is any right or wrong answer. However, I like killing new players early in the life of their character. The timing is important. I want them to have begun to get a feel for...

What does it take to get @Morrus, @Piratecat, or @Plane Sailing to sticky this thread?

Growing up on a ranch, I've carried many 5-gallon buckets full of water and feed. Carrying a full bucket is awkward. Even with three gallons, I'd definitely consider the person carrying the bucket slowed. Also, trying to swing a sword and defend against attacks while one hand has a 30- to...

Each token should be individually identifiable. They don't have to have pictures or names, even something as simple as colored numbers or letters works (green A,B,C for the three kobolds, blue A,B for the stirges, etc.) Everyone has a different way to do it. Here's what I do. 1. Write down each...

Hate to repeat myself, but: In 4E ranged strikers are cannons. If you want to model a complex mechanical device in 4E, you should always start by searching for powers that can create a similar effect. 4E Magic > Cannon Balls

Anywhere in the midwest, it's not uncommon to drive 4+ hours to a big Magic tourney, 2+ to a "local" Saturday event. Maybe make a FNM in the summer when a parent is feeling generous and took the afternoon off. Wednesday night D&D is right out.

About 12 blocks (~1 mile) from me here in Fargo, North Dakota.

I am going to start here: Here is the 4th Edition of Dungeons and Dragons in a nutshell: You are playing a character in a story. You can have your character do whatever you want them to do. When you try to do something that might fail, like hit another character, climb a cliff, or bluff the...

So, does the DM have a stack of pregens ready for the players, or do you spend the first session having the players make at least a half-dozen characters to pull from?

Ranged Strikers **are** cannons in D&D.

Encounters is free to play in. But it is organized play that reflects on WotC and the FLGS that hosts it. And it is supposed to be a way for new players to discover the game.

Exactly. But professional athletes don't just show up and play, they condition and train outside of the game. So what kind of activities and exercises help train new DMs and improve existing DMs outside of play? For events like Encounters, Game Days, etc., the DMs must be professional and...

Are there course materials, workshops, an organized play organization with materials, etc? I'm basically planning on setting up some kind of semi-regular "How to DM" workshop at the store. But if I don't have to reinvent the wheel and develop my own curriculum, handouts, activities, slideshows...

My FLGS has had a problem finding DMs to run D&D Encounters. The ones that have been found are mostly new and/or bad. (Bad as in: running the session as little more than a board game, not knowing the rules at all, don't describe anything, have no strategy or tactics for the bad guys, etc.) I'm...

My FLGS has been having a hell of a time rounding up enough DMs to have enough tables for all the players that want to play Encounters on Wednesday night. Any other stores having a similar problem? How did you solve it? I'm thinking about leading a "how to dm 4e" minicamp to try and train and...

For what it's worth, I've been able to solve almost all of new players' problems with understanding their options by using not using the default character sheet and including pre-calculated bonuses. (Optional or situational bonuses are presented inline in parenthesis, fully calculated and with a...