New Dungeon Article

[mach1.9pants]

I am glad I didn't offend, it was meant tongue-in-cheek. It is a great article though. It is an excellent example of why adventures can be better without rules-wired alignment. No matter how charming either of the shadar-kai are if one of the PC's cast detect alignment all those plot twists and hooks are out the window! So it certainly got my creative juices going thinking about my new 4E campaign world and how to make it more grey, less black and white
As to the art, yeah it is great. I really like Yalda... like like Cruela DeVille mixed with extra evil LOL. Not so sure about the orcs though, they are bit green skinned -A pet dislike of mine.

So an excellent starter article and great art.
But, please, no more doubled-up names.........like Maaaaach Paaaaants Bugger I am doing it as well

 

[Ycore Rixle]

Or, "Within the shadar-kai culture, a sometimes-cruel meritocracy...abounds." How can a meritocracy "abound"? it is either a meritocracy or it isn't; it can't "abound".

Yep. Then in the next paragraph, shadar-kai blocs are "not utterly destroying" things. Does that mean that they destroy them just a little bit? Or does it mean that they are not destroying them a whole lot? Probably the shadar-kai girls can get "not utterly pregnant." This article made me think back to the Pit Fiend preview and its style sins.

 

[Hussar]

Y'know, I used to think that the online Dragon would be nice because I wouldn't have to wait two or three months to get my fix.

Now I see that all the armchair grammar Nazi's are going to have a field day with this. How come none of you guys jumped all over Paizo?

 

[Ycore Rixle]

Now I see that all the armchair grammar Nazi's are going to have a field day with this. How come none of you guys jumped all over Paizo?

Actually in a post in the Pit Fiend preview thread, I did get on Paizo. My specific example was the first sentence in their "Rise of the Runelords" players' guide. It has a misplaced modifier that lacks the saving grace of many misplaced modifiers: unintentional humor. I'm sorry I'm too tired to link it right now. But I just wanted to point out that I hit all sides equally (and heck, I've written for these guys!).

That said, I am looking forward to switching to 4e. I think it will be a better system than 3.5e. I really like Paizo's products, too, from Game Mastery to Pathfinder.

 

[Greenfaun]

I also wrote that stinker of a sentence. Phew. What was I thinking? It apparently happens to the best of us, as well as writers such as me.

I'm glad everyone seems to be generally enjoying the article, despite a few foibles. What do you think of the art? Me? I think it rocks.

It's cool that you read this forum, and even cooler that you can be good-natured about us picking apart your work.

I'm going to explicitly state that I meant no personal disrespect by calling that sentence out the way I did. I give props to anyone who can make a living writing about fantasy gaming. I wish I could do that. So, y'know, all due respect.

But that one sentence... Ow. My brain. But I wouldn't want to put any of the crap I come up with on the internet without another person or three looking it over first; I'm capable of some heinous butchery of the mother tongue myself.

As for your question, yes, that art was pretty nice.

 

[Khur]

It's cool that you read this forum, and even cooler that you can be good-natured about us picking apart your work.

I'm going to explicitly state that I meant no personal disrespect by calling that sentence out the way I did. I give props to anyone who can make a living writing about fantasy gaming. I wish I could do that. So, y'know, all due respect.

But that one sentence... Ow. My brain. But I wouldn't want to put any of the crap I come up with on the internet without another person or three looking it over first; I'm capable of some heinous butchery of the mother tongue myself.

As for your question, yes, that art was pretty nice.

Definitely no disrespect detected, and no offense taken. That sentence had meaning, a lot like thumbscrews have meaning.

I love editors. And not just because I was one. I don't mind "grammar Nazis" either, at least not for published work. Making fun of English is fun in itself, especially when I butcher it. You should have heard me mispronounce a word the other day—and the editor I was talking to was too nice to tell me. But the way I see it, it wouldn't make sense to like editors and hate grammar aficionados—would it? Now, I do mind it when people pick on forum posters, especially ESL posters, but I digress.

That's not encouragement to jump all over Paizo. Man, they produce stuff that's fun to look at and read. Gorgeous art much of the time.

The breakneck pace we do things at around here, especially lately for some reason (hrm?) doesn't help sometimes. Writing is like sculpting—looking at what you're doing and carefully redoing it or molding into a precise shape. (Yeah, me art guy too—at one time.) Sometimes, there's too much going on for the detail work. You have to hope someone's got your back. And sometimes they can't or don't.

Oh, and McPants, I like the shadar-kai depictions. The orcs? Meh. I'm partial to hobgoblins anyhow.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

I kind of like the noun-noun words, they remind me of my own language . For those who want a Norse touch to D&D, you got your share now

As a Finn, I don't see anything weird or funny about the compound words, either. They are infinitely better than made-up ones with a'pos'troph'es and kreatyve spellyng.

 

[med stud]

As a Finn, I don't see anything weird or funny about the compound words, either. They are infinitely better than made-up ones with a'pos'troph'es and kreatyve spellyng.

Yeah I hate those names. All names mean something in their original language anyway, you might as well eliminate the middle man and use English (since it is an American game, after all).

Example: The MM could have an entry for Köldjätte. It would be a strange word for Anglosaxons to learn, while it really means Frost giant. Better to use Frost giant instead.

 

[ThirdWizard]

My players will always forget the name unless they change it into a simple descriptive nickname. Like (hypothetical) Ignathorak, who is a Ku'lockai Elder (a giant spider that weaves flaming webs), will just become, say, the Giant Fireweb spider.

This. Oh yes, this. Gloomdeeps might even be too complicated for them. I named an NPC Dest and suddenly he's Fred Durst. What's up with that players? What's up???

 

[Cyronax]

"Asherack" is not as funny as "Balsag."

But neither of those are as funny as "ball-peen hammer."

-The Gneech

Well either way both lead you to roughly the same place.