So, the past week brought a lot of changes. I restarted my 3.0 game after a five year break (for reasons good & bad). I've run & played plenty of games in the interim, but that one is my classic D&D game. It's off to a slow but good start. I've found some unexpected help from three recent WotC product lines.
First, I needed a quick semi-random encounter with a black dragon to follow-up on the last session and to provide a bit of action for the night. The need came up at the table. Luckily, I had purchased a Basic set a few months ago on clearance. It has a nice black dragon mini, and the book has condensed stats. Just what I needed: a painted mini and an easy-to-use stat block. It really challenged the party of 4 5th level PCs. They drove it off, again, but it was fun.
Second, I discovered that all the D&D minis I bought several months ago have cards with RPG stats on the reverse. What a bonus! I love using minis, especially painted ones. But being a busy parent these days I don't have the time to spend for painting as I did a few years ago. Although I really enjoyed it, I can't spend a couple of hours per mini now (I have too many unpainted ones as it is). Well, the D&D minis are good. Now I don't have to make an initiative card since all the RPG stats are condensed on a card for me, and I'm just writing the initiative counts on the battle surface so that the players help me keep the order straight. I can see several sessions in the offing with the minis I have. I even bought another booster this weekend and like what I found, especially with my third discovery.
Third, Fantastic Locations. I had Fane of the Drow from an awesome visit to WotC last summer. I tried to get the players to go to the Underdark, but they chose an older option. But, I was really impressed with the design of Fane of the Drow. The encounters are concise, and the poster-sized battle maps are great. I'll have to lure them there later. So, I went out and bought Frostfell Rift and City of Peril this weekend. I plan to get use out of both. I have some ideas for the Frostfell Rift maps to use with the minis I have, and the City of peril will probably be used once the group returns to Greyhawk.
Another change this past week was the news of the cancellation of Dungeon. I stopped my long-standing subscription a few months ago because I just wasn't using the new material, but I was still saddened by the news. I'm still utilizing a few issues from the 3.0 days, but that will end soon. Luckily, WotC is making some great products that will really help my old game.
First, I needed a quick semi-random encounter with a black dragon to follow-up on the last session and to provide a bit of action for the night. The need came up at the table. Luckily, I had purchased a Basic set a few months ago on clearance. It has a nice black dragon mini, and the book has condensed stats. Just what I needed: a painted mini and an easy-to-use stat block. It really challenged the party of 4 5th level PCs. They drove it off, again, but it was fun.
Second, I discovered that all the D&D minis I bought several months ago have cards with RPG stats on the reverse. What a bonus! I love using minis, especially painted ones. But being a busy parent these days I don't have the time to spend for painting as I did a few years ago. Although I really enjoyed it, I can't spend a couple of hours per mini now (I have too many unpainted ones as it is). Well, the D&D minis are good. Now I don't have to make an initiative card since all the RPG stats are condensed on a card for me, and I'm just writing the initiative counts on the battle surface so that the players help me keep the order straight. I can see several sessions in the offing with the minis I have. I even bought another booster this weekend and like what I found, especially with my third discovery.
Third, Fantastic Locations. I had Fane of the Drow from an awesome visit to WotC last summer. I tried to get the players to go to the Underdark, but they chose an older option. But, I was really impressed with the design of Fane of the Drow. The encounters are concise, and the poster-sized battle maps are great. I'll have to lure them there later. So, I went out and bought Frostfell Rift and City of Peril this weekend. I plan to get use out of both. I have some ideas for the Frostfell Rift maps to use with the minis I have, and the City of peril will probably be used once the group returns to Greyhawk.
Another change this past week was the news of the cancellation of Dungeon. I stopped my long-standing subscription a few months ago because I just wasn't using the new material, but I was still saddened by the news. I'm still utilizing a few issues from the 3.0 days, but that will end soon. Luckily, WotC is making some great products that will really help my old game.
