The DDI beast and the appetite for new D&D content by fans.

So a slew of announcements has come out from WotC and quite a few have caused a stir with folks. To quickly give a summary WotC is pulling full support for the painted miniatures and going with smaller, special figures as limited runs. The content for Dragon and Dungeon are no longer be compiled as a single PDF, rather they will be provided piecemeal as individual articles. And lastly a few books are being pulled from the release schedule completely, and quite possibly will be reintroduced in some other format.

For the miniatures, I’m no surprised. I always thought it was cost prohibitive for most new players to get into. The deal with minis is you really need a lot, and a variety, to add to someones game. Yeah, you can heavily use proxies and make those 8 goblins you have represent nearly any other creature the players fight, but that gets old. It always blew my mind that WotC never pushed into making token sets like what other companies had put out. With the essentials line it looks like the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I do think tokens are a great product for WotC to dip their toes in. Too bad the miniature line had to be completely dumped in the process.

As for the lack of a single PDF file for Dragon and Dungeon I can understand. I believe you sometimes had different versions, as the magazine issues were the ‘clarified’ and ‘errata’ versions of earlier articles. Slimming that process down to a single article I’m sure saved some money somewhere.

However I think with the announcement of the pulled books, it’s clear to me that focus for profits is with people keeping up DDI subscriptions and I think the hardback book format might be falling from favor. Until the DDI can provide a suite of tools for the D&D player, I think they are dependant on getting out content as articles and adventures. I think until the virtual tabletop comes out, WotC is under a lot of pressure to keep people justifying their DDI subscription. Folks are rabid for new content, to keep the DDI beast going you’ve got to feed the fans a constant stream of material.

Shuffling some materials planned for books into digital content is a decent strategy. Why release a book on magical items? Why not make it a new monthly feature for Dragon magazine instead? Same material, just presented in a different format. It helps keep folks maintaining a more profitable subscription, not to mention it is material that can easily be integrated into other online tools.

I think that is one reason also for the new format. I’m certain that WotC is really looking at the digital format not to just replace books, but as a way to integrate into other tools for the game. I can easily see them indexing digital content into an adventure builder. Want to make an appropriate encounter for Dark Sun including the fluff? Just click the appropriate filters for-an-unnamed-furture-release-DDI-exclusive-adventure-builder. BAM! You now have a list of magical items, monsters, map tiles, the works, and all can be used for that campaign setting.

Clearly having people gaining access to material based on a long term subscription is more profitable than having people make a one time purchase for books. Also, the more fragmented content you have, the less inclined you’ll be to maintain your own digital copy. Folks might be willing to keep 24 pdfs a year saved some place. Individually download and index 240 items though (figure 10 articles a month for Dragon and Dungeon)? Well now you’ve got something downright unwieldy to use.

I don’t blame WotC. They are a company. They are seeing a clear profit model in the DDI subscription. I do think as tablet devices and smart phones get more integrated into online use by the general public, there is a market there to be tapped for RPGs. I think WotC sees this as something to get into. Who knows what is on the horizon as technology progresses (surface scapes anyone?). I guess time will tell.

Me? In this interconnected online world of RPGs, I’ll miss my books, dice, and pushing little plastic men around.

I’m not dead yet!

Not quite. All though things have been super quiet here I likely will be dropping a post here once in a while. I think this may very well be my more ranty blog, leaving the 4E game heavy stuff over at this is my game.

Until then, hope everyone has a prosperous and happy new year!

Where the wild things are

So I’ve landed over at the blog, This is My Game, and am very excited. I got lined up with a group of other contributors and I think this will eventually be a great blog for D&D. As usual I will be posting a smattering on other games, but still focus on 4E. Also, I want to keep a lot of my material accessible at one site (plus I am lazy) so expect some of the material here to be reposts there.

Had a ton of fun doing this, and I expect the new site to be tons of fun more. Please be sure to bookmark the new site!

Frank Frazetta, you will always be missed…

I’m outta here!

So a while back I stated that things would be ramping up that would cut into my blogging. I’ve definitely slowed down since last year. I was at a crossroads of trying to keep the site chugging along, or maybe fold up camp and join someone else.

So I’ve decided to move on and join in a collaborative effort with Thadeous over at this is my game. He is in the process of setting a brand new website with a few other folks. I’m quite happy to be one of the people blogging there.

Expect a few of the older posts here to migrate over, but I’ll be piping up with some new stuff too. As the details get finalized, I’ll be sure to post here. See you all hopefully in a few weeks at a brand new site!

Handling Errata

So WotC seems to have a never ending stream of errata that comes out. I get a bit torn about this. One part of me feels it is such a pain to try and keep up on the changes for powers and items, and wishing WotC took a bit more time to playtest new material. Yet another part of me is happy that WotC tries to address powers and abilities that are too powerful, or even better, get some of the older powers up to snuff with new options available to players.

Trying to incorporate this stuff into your existing books is a bit of a pain though. When the first errata started to trickle out, I diligently printed, cut, and taped the text into my books. As more and more piled up I realized it would be a huge endeavor to try and update the books and keep them current.

Instead, I have all the errata printed out and put into sleeve protectors. I indexed them with color tabs and have a notebook with all the errata broken down for each WotC book. I then took the books and highlighted the name of powers that had some errata (sometimes put brackets in the margin if it was a chunk of text). Then if I was looking in a book, I would know I should pick up the errata notebook to make sure a power was working correctly.

So it is still a little tedious, but a lot easier than making individual changes to each book. Plus I can easily add to any future errata that comes out. I still think if I were a new DM I’d freak out about all the changes and corrections floating out there. So I’ll offer some advice on the matter.

Check the stealth rules – Make sure you’ve got the updated stealth rules (PBH 188) and how to target things you can’t see handy (PHB 281).

Make changes to the DC levels – Go through the skill DC levels and adjust them (DMG 42). Make sure to keep these values in mind for skill checks. Almost every other skill check in the game, from the disease tracks to traps, are altered due to these changes. You can readjust most checks on the fly if you’ve got this errata change handy.

Mind failures for skill challenges – Update the skill challenge complexity (DMG 72) so that each is not a success once 3 failed checks are made. It’s a big change and helps keep skill challenges a little exciting.

Don’t sweat the other stuff – Honestly most of the other changes are minor tweaks and corrections. If anything, they are specific to a certain player class. I’d definitely make an effort to go through the errata once a player picks a power, but don’t get too freaked out if you miss something.

A few powers and abilities are broke. As a DM you’ll usually find out about this (and might have to make changes later), but for the most part you could likely play your game with your pals and never bother making changes to Delver Armor, or even the ‘new and improved’ magic missile.

In fact the worst part about being dismissive with errata is that you are hurting your players. I suggest putting the work on their shoulders. If they find an errata to a power, let them tell you about it. Have them keep that printed page handy when you all play. You’ll be surprised that if a player can get a boon to a power due to changes or corrections, they’ll be sure to scour the errata to find it. It’s a great way to delegate the responsibility for keeping all the characters up to date.

So these are my little tidbits on errata. How do other DM’s handle game changes to the rule books?

Expeditions of Amazing Adventure: The mischievous monoliths of Miandriss

The open plains of Miandriss are dotted with deep lakes that are fed by a myriad of small rivers and streams. This land is known for its fine farmland and rolling plains of grain. But one cannot fail to mention the great mysterious stone statues that also lie about the many farming communities of this land.

Most are level to a man’s chest and hold the visage of some simple humanoid face. The gray stone on many are so worn, barely any detail can be found on their face. It is unknown the purpose of the stone markers, or what race was responsible for creating them.

Many people look upon the statues that grace their fields and homes as good fortune. Most farmers would agree, that to deface or move such stoic rock figures would be tempting foul luck. Even older traditions of more primal beliefs still hold sway over many communities.

Each long fall before the main harvest, huge bonfires light the night sky. Families with homes near the stone figures will leave pints of dark ale, sharp cheese, and hearty loaves of bread. Most folk will spend the evening around the fires drinking merrily and filling the air with laughter and song. All done to appease the spirits buried deep within the quiet stone faces of the statues that dot their community.

Villagers claim as the night drags on, the fires fall to embers, and the folk weary with sleep and drink retire to their homes, that the rock figures come alive. Sure enough, many farmers will find some of their wheat baled, or fruit from thick orchards in bushels. And pity the miser farmer that did not leave a meal for their stone neighbors. He might wake to find his livestock scattered or a small vegetable patch rooted up. Usually, such a slight is rewarded with some mischievous deed. Yet few whisper of more darker deeds, one of children gone missing in long past seasons.

One thing is for certain, every statue has moved by the dawn of the following day. Even the great imperial arcane guild has documented this phenomenon without any explanation. Attempts to do so have always resulted in some mishap. Whether a young apprentice seems to fall asleep during the observation, or a group of wizards is run off by some irritated beast, no one has actually seen the statues move.

They only know that by the next sunrise these simple figures of man have managed to uproot themselves and move. Be it a mere 10 feet or hundreds of yards, it seems that each season the stone statues of Miandriss begin a migration, quite possibly a great jest from some ancient trickster god.

Off for a while

I’m heading out of the country again for a bit. I expect my internet availability (and/or time to post) spotty at best. So I’ll likely be offline for the next few weeks. Till then enjoy a bit of inspirational art I pilfered from the net. Toodles for now!

Why I don’t do betas any more

So my geekness knows no bounds. I’ve put in several years playing different MMOS. A lot of fantasy games, a few super hero games, and some sci fi ones too. Over the years, I’ve gotten into a few betas and usually was pretty excited about it. It is great being one of the few folks to see a brand new game, and help in making it a polished product for the final launch.

Two big MMOs on the horizon, Star Wars: the old republic and DC online, have announced they are taking beta applications. All though I’m excited about both of those games. I have no desire to throw my hat in with the other beta testers.

A couple of things have stuck with me in my past experiences with betas. One thing I’ve experienced is that the game is typically done by the time I am testing it. Most companies have all ready gotten the big game design philosophies locked in. I’m always excited about possible features and new tweaks to the MMO genre, but have been at times disappointed once the game rolls out.

I’ve found that most MMOs have locked onto standards of game play, required features if you will of just about every other MMO out there. I guess it speaks more to the people that regularly play them. People want crafting. People want loot. People want the instant gratification of killing 10 rats, speaking with a robotic NPC, and seeing their little xp bar move up 3 pixels. It’s like a check list that every MMO must have.

And while the initial boards might have some interesting ideas floating around from the beta community, typically I think this viewpoint is ignored by the game devs. After all, they have a firm grip on the algorithms and nuts and bolts of the game. And finding that sweet spot of something engaging for the masses, while still being fun, is very elusive for them. I’ve come to realize once I’m beta testing, the game is done. What I am playing is pretty much what will be released. I’m just tweaking game play and squashing bugs.

This leads me to my main reason, if the game is not going to change much by launch then I’m just replaying content. Yeah, it’s pretty exciting to work on a game before it is released. It is neat to test out powers and abilities and get a grasp of the mechanics of the game. Once it’s released though, I’ve gone through certain content so many times, trying to squeeze out the fun is difficult. To be able to keep up that experience of wonder and enjoyment exploring a game I’ve all ready been playing for 6 months is pretty hard to do.

So while I’m tempted on applying for these betas, I’m going to pass. I’ll wait for release, and savor that new experience along with most other players. Maybe I’ve gotten burned out on MMOs. Maybe the repetitive gameplay they all have is starting to show through for me. Yet, I find that being in a beta diminishes that excitement I have for a game, it doesn’t enhance it. I’m selfish. I want to hold onto that enjoyment as long as I can.

Review: Counter Collection Heroic Set

As I mentioned before I’m a big fan of using using some type of miniatures when playing D&D. I stumbled on Fiery Dragon which has some pretty neat RPG stuff. In particular I came across their counter collection series and picked up the heroic level monster set.

The set had sheets of cut counters with every creature in the 4E monster manual for the heroic level. Inside was quite a haul, hundreds of counters printed on thick card stock. Each was printed in color, most depicting a monster from the torso up. On the flip side was the same image with a red border, indicating it was bloodied.

There were several duplicates of each creature. Most were in sets of 3-4, with minion types up to 8 in number. Also each counter had a small white circle you could write on to give each counter a number, letter, or some color designation to set it apart from the others. Additionally, in small text was the name of the creature on the bloodied side. A nice feature to keep you from guessing what they should be, but still not be so obtrusive you couldn’t use them for a proxy for some other creature type.

The counters were cut to an appropriate base, 1 inch being for most of them. The stirges were the one exception where I had to trim them with a pair of scissors to their 1/4 inch size. Some of the largest creatures were a beefier 2″ x 2″ counter.

The artwork was rather nice, and offered a fairly good representation of what’s between the pages in the MM. They offer a pretty realistic image of the creatures (i.e. not your anime big eyes, small mouth monster).While the counters are duplicated, each creature type has different artwork. So that decrepit skeleton has a different image from a normal skeleton or a bone shard skeleton.

The Good – A nice selection of counters that are easy to pop out and use. Very utilitarian, especially the flip side of each counter being a bloodied version. They are properly based and, while being printed on cardboard, nice thick durable material. The artwork is rather good and seriously done. Best of all, for the set you have a haul of creature types, with enough to use as proxies for other monster types.

The Bad – While each creature type does have a different image, many are simply different profiles with some additional weapon, armor, or color type. You do get 8 goblin cutters, all of the same image. Having a few different poses might have been nice (but then again, might add to some confusion on what they represented). Also, while the card stock is nice, it is still card stock. A spilled drink might mean you have to put several tokens up for the night while they dry out.

The Verdict – An exceptionally good buy. You get a ton of monsters for a reasonable price. Punching them out of the sheets was easy to do, and required no printing or cutting (save for the stirges) unlike most PDF products. I think WotC will be offering something similar in future products from their essentials line. However I feel with the counter collection from Fiery Dragon out there, they’ll have to step up the production value as this one is pretty hard to beat.

DM Tip: Skill challenges should be say, then roll.

Willingham-IronCobraI like skill challenges. Once it got pounded into my head that WotC ‘rules’ for them were more frameworks and guidelines, rather than cut and dried rules, I totally got into the groove of running them. People still have a lot of ire for them and some lament how skill challenges are too much a game mechanic that interrupts good roleplaying. To be honest, it totally depends on how you run your challenges.

I’m not talking about the set up, goals, and deciding the DC values. The Fearless DM has given pretty good rundown of how he runs skill challenges. I find it interesting how in one point I run my challenges similar.

If you have some skill challenge, say the group is seeking a written pass into a city, and you approach the challenge as a series of diplomacy checks. Well that is exactly what you are going to get. I can see the conversation at the table now…

DM – ‘Okay, um… make a diplomacy check.’

Player A – ’19’

Player B – ‘8, ouch!’

Player C – ‘A 23 here.’

DM – ‘You guys get two successes and one failure. So, you still need to talk to the guard some. Make another round of checks.’

Yeah, I think with that type of challenge just about any group would think them a big snooze fest. And in this light I can totally see how 4E detractors think of skill challenges as a very mechanical process without any roleplaying.

I’m going to bypass talking about setting up skill challenges and working out DCs and appropriate skills to use. That’ll likely come as a few individual posts. Instead I’d like to offer a few suggestions on how I run a skill challenge from round to round.

Describe your action – I have my players describe what they want to do and avoid the simple skill check. Don’t tell me you want to make a diplomacy check, tell me what your character is doing or saying. I think this is a key point to running skill challenges. Get your players into the habit of describing there actions first, worry about what to roll later.

Everyone participates – I go from character to character getting a feel for what they are doing. And everyone is in the action. Doing nothing is not an option. People get wrapped up in not wanting to make checks that lead to a failure. I don’t accept inaction as an option, my players are going to be doing something.

See, there is this little skill option called assist other. A player makes a moderate skill check and if successful, can give a bonus to another character’s skill check. If a player is really worried about tanking a check, they can always use this option. So yeah, I make everyone do something, even if they are just trying to help out one of their teammates.

Work out the skills needed and roll – Once I find out what everyone wants to do, I assign skills and have everyone roll. This is a key point. Have the players tell you what they want to do. You as the DM then figure out the appropriate skill. Finally, then have the players make their skill checks.

You have to be flexible with this. If a player offers a clever idea and can make a convincing argument for using a particular skill, then the DM should roll with it. If you really think the skill use is a stretch, or not applicable, assign a penalty or bump up the DC for the check (or do both) and let the player make the check. Once they say what they want to do, find the appropriate skill and work with the players, not against them.

Describe the results and repeat – Don’t just tally up the results and spit out the number of successes and failures. Be descriptive with the results and give degrees of failure and success. This is a great way to give subtle cues that a player is using an appropriate skill for the challenge (‘You find the duke receptive to many of your points. You think with a bit more persuasive conversation, you might sway him to your cause’).

This is also a great way to give out a little information or some simple rewards in the face of failing the challenge. Maybe the group doesn’t find the entrance to the thieve’s guild, but at least they know it’s in the port district. This helps players from feeling some challenges are a total loss if they fail. That at least they managed to gleam some information or make a little headway to finding a solution, rather than their efforts being a complete failure (and failing one should never stop things dead).

Overall, I find these points help make skill challenges a lot more of an organic RP experience, rather than some mechanical round of skill checks. I hope some folks find them useful and would love to hear any tips other DMs have to offer when running their skill challenges.