Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 8926252" data-attributes="member: 27780">Polyhedron Issue 131: August 1998part 5/5Internet 101: As they said in the editorial, WotC is embracing the internet and they want to bring all of us along for the ride. So here they walk you through the basics of using the internet. First, you need to pick an internet service provider (ISP). Sign up to one, make yourself an email account so you can send messages back and forth, then start looking for things using a search engine, with google not being on their list of example ones showing just how much the web is still in it's infancy. Since this is long before they start getting algorithmic with searches and customising them to your history, you're reminded that the specific keywords you use really matter, with synonyms that mean the same thing to us getting very different results in a browser. Then they give us a bunch of sample websites that have contents that might be useful for a game, most of which are still active today. It might seem trivial to younger people who've grown up with the internet, but it's a good reminder just how recent this whole field of technology is and just how much it's changed over the past couple of decades, going from a curiosity you signed onto occasionally to integral to our everyday lives. How else will the world change dramatically in our lifetimes, and will it be for better or worse?The PBeM File: We continue the basic advice on how to use the internet with some for aspiring play by emailers. Despite being called that, many games don't just use email, but some kind of chat software, which means you don't have to make sure you type in everyone's address before every post and can fairly do dice rolls, even ones that would be impossible with physical polyhedrons. This means you can often join a room to lurk and get a feel of how things work before you start trying to set up your own game. Remember that things naturally run on a slower pace than tabletop, (although faster than old PBM's) and adjust your expectations accordingly, but don't be afraid to push people to go a little faster if you ever want to finish a scenario instead of just chatting until someone disappears off the face of the web and the game stalls. Similarly, don't be afraid to assess your potential players and simply not pick some of them if they're flaky, a bad writer or show themselves to have entirely the wrong attitude for the kind of game you want to run. All pretty basic stuff, but since everyone is a beginner here really that's understandable, and most of the advice remains relevant despite the technology advancing. Lurk moar and figure out how things work will never not be relevant. DM Tips: Last time, this column looked ahead to the changes 3e will bring. This time, it goes back to the old school, looking at the idea of playing solo using the random dungeon generation rules in the DMG appendixes, determining the dispositions of the things you encounter down there purely with the random reaction table and rolling all the combats for both sides yourself. It turns play into a tactical experience where you have to think carefully about how much resources your previous encounters have consumed and if you should retreat to the surface to rest and heal up. Despite everything being built randomly, it's surprising how often you get an emergent narrative from the way the dungeon is built and the kinds of monsters you encounter. It hones your mapmaking and general mathematical skills, forcing you to take things like encumbrance seriously with no distractions from other players. It's a good way to better understand what D&D was built to do on a mechanical level and does well, stripped of the roleplaying elements that accumulated around it as the years went by. Another very specific bit of advice that's much more interesting to me than the basic ones about getting into character we see every year or two. Like the last issue of Dungeon, it shows that the people at WotC care more about the actual rules of the game than TSR and are eager to delve deep into how you can best exploit them, which is a trend I'm fully behind.A pretty strong issue with a very interesting themed section, showing them introducing a new game and having a clear idea what they’re doing with it. (even if a Living Marvel setting seems unlikely with all the extra approvals needed. ) Once again they’re showing clear signs of caring more about rules details than TSR as well as being more eager to adopt new technology. Looks pretty likely we’ll see more interesting tidbits about how we got from 2e to 3e next issue.</blockquote>

Verification