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Category Archives: Gaming Systems
Schrödinger’s Gun in Games (or, That Robot Ducky is a Doombot!)
When I was younger and thus poorer, I liked to make gifts for people rather than purchase them. One year I came home from college for a weekend that coincided with my cousin’s first or second birthday party, and I … Continue reading
Set Pieces in D&D
I’ve said before that I like designing campaigns toward some sort of set piece, and I think there’s an opportunity to explain. Here, a set piece is a significant encounter that doesn’t follow the normal flow of D&D. It’s usually … Continue reading
Skill Challenges (or, They Wasted a Perfectly Good Mechanic)
One thing I was excited about in 4th Edition was skill challenges. I think they’re a great idea. I think they’re such a great idea that I can’t help but notice that every DM in every campaign I’ve seen has … Continue reading
Pacing (Part 2, Short-Term)
Some aspects of pacing are pretty clear. I think most DMs understand (and players prefer) that campaigns start with something interesting to make the characters care about the story, like a surprise fight that unites the party or a mystery … Continue reading
Posted in DMing, Gaming Systems
Tagged D&D 3.5E, D&D 4E, Pathfinder
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When a Player Misses a Session
Meteors. Zombie swarms. Conventions for Japanese cartoons. Jesus. There are probably a thousand things that can prevent a player from attending the session, and I’ve heard two-hundred thirty-eight of them. So when something explodes and a player can’t attend a … Continue reading
Heroes of the Elemental Chaos
I like Heroes of the Elemental Chaos. When I got Heroes of Shadow, I found that it was mostly just an expansion to the staggeringly limited Encounters line, in that it wasn’t good but it was the best there was. … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Gaming Systems
Tagged Book Reviews, D&D 4E
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CRs, and Why They Mean So Little
Last night in our 3.5E campaign, we fought an entomber, from Libris Mortis, the Book of Bad Latin (also undead). The entomber’s primary mechanic is, shock of shocks, entombing. Every time it connects with an attack, the target has to … Continue reading
Secondary Skills
I have plenty of complaints about the skill system in 4th, but the thing I missed the most is the skills that fell by the wayside. I understand rolling skills like Listen, Spot, and Search into Perception, and I don’t … Continue reading
The Seven Party Roles (Examples)
So what does it mean to have roles that aren’t defined by the system? In 4th Edition, a fighter is a defender. Though you can build one with striking or controlling, it’s a rare fighter that doesn’t function at all … Continue reading
Posted in DMing, Gaming Systems
Tagged D&D 3.5E, D&D 4E, Pathfinder
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The Seven Party Roles (Definitions)
Since Delve Night is moving from D&D 4th Edition to Pathfinder, I think it’s about time to dig up this thing I wrote years ago, possibly back before Unearthed Arcana, the fourth core rulebook, was even released. Before 4th Edition … Continue reading