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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5014194" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Magazine Issue 158: June 1990part 3/6Also known as the orc: Once again they tackle another problem, that of the players automatically knowing what they're up against. This is amazingly simple to deal with. Simply have different people from different regions use different names for the same creature, or possibly one name for a whole class of similar looking creatures. It's realistic, it reduces the fantasy monoculture problem, and it keeps PC's on their toes, treating dungeoneering like the dangerous business it is. A whole load of existing mythological names are drawn upon, many rather awkward to pronounce, to make up these listings. A few of them also get variant stats to reflect that they are actual subraces. Course, given the nature of D&D, we're likely to see many of these names again at some point, attached to other creatures with quite different stats. But hey, that just adds to the mystery of dungeon delving, doesn't it. Now this is one I can definitely see myself drawing on quite a few times. Muahahahaha! Now get down that pit, and find out what you're up against firsthand. The rules of the game: From an article for confounding experienced players, to one for helping newbies. Trying to convert people to your hobby cold is not a very effective way of going about things, and if you do it wrong, throwing jargon at them, having a whole bunch of people trying to explain things at cross-purposes, telling you about their character, being patronising, creepily obsessive, etc etc, then you are far more likely to drive them off. It's just a variant on acting or writing a story. Everyone knows what those are, even if many people are, er, a bit wooden when they try to do them. Remember, doing it fun comes before doing it right. It's only a game. Ironically, the best way to learn is probably by starting with a whole bunch of people who don't know what they're doing either, just like forming a band. Ironically, this article probably over-thinks the process a bit, making something that is, at it's core, very simple indeed into a process that uses a bunch of formulae. Which I really don't think I need. Of course, like dating, this is probably a case where those who've got it can be blase about their success, while those who haven't try all sorts of tricks and formulae to improve their odds to minimal success and much frustration. I think I'll get off this topic before my angstium refinery gets going and the whole thing gets derailed. The voyage of the princess ark: Another sightseeing stop for haldemar and co. They come across a village of elf/ogre hybrids, who ride giant pelicans, and then discover that they're part of a larger country. As these guys have both pretty good physical capabilities, and like elves, are all spellcasters, it would seem a good idea to establish positive relations with them, despite their more unsavory personal habits. Ahh, the horrible compromises of politics. That's what being an ambasador for your nation entails. We also get PC stats for our new hybrid friends, which is a very nice addition indeed. Like most BD&D creatures, race=class, but they can choose if they use magic-user or druid spells, which means they can fill more than one niche in your party. Their greater baseline power than most PC races is represented by setting their starting XP at a negative, so you have to pay that off before you become a standard adult of that race. Combined with their high XP requirements, this becomes a surprisingly elegant solution to keep them in line with other characters. And all their info fits on less than a page as well. Another great example of just how quickly you could get a character up and running and into the fun in BD&D. As the series progresses, we'll be able to assemble characters from all sorts of weird races around the world. That'll certainly spice things up if you're getting tired of the same 7 basic classes. A role-player's best friend: Another forum subject graduates to become a full article.  All the ways you can use your computer to make your gaming experience better are expanded upon here. In theory, anyway. Course, in practice several ideas are missing that have since gone on to become commonplace, but many of them wouldn't even be possible with memory sizes what they were. Still, even the basic utility of easy cutting and pasting lets you organize and update your notes with several orders of magnitude less effort. And once you get the hang of databases and graphic design programs, you can do things that would be a lot more tedious than otherwise, especially when it comes to making multiple copies. Not to be sneezed at at all, this isn't a huge or particularly comprehensive article, but all the ideas within are pretty easily implemented. (although I'll confess to being driven mad trying to figure out spreadsheet programs several times.) In fact, since the vast majority of both my books and notes are now electronic, I already do most of this stuff. Guess once again it's not that the articles are bad, but that I'm already too high CR to get any XP from them. Oh well, onto the next one.</blockquote>

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