Mystery Box Friday (Boffin's Beneficial Battle Box)

All right folks, we’re back with another Mystery Box Friday.  If you’ve read the blog, you know we have a great affection for woodwork projects, and today we’re taking a look at Boffin’s Beneficial Battle Box from 3xoterric Designs, a workshop in Davenport, Iowa.  They’ve got an interesting product that’s getting ready to go live on Kickstarter on May 6th, and it’s something that I think the Gaming community has been looking for without realizing it.  Boffin’s Beneficial Battle Box is a fantastic woodcraft project for the gamer who’s looking for something a little different but doesn’t necessarily have the disposable cash to drop more than 100$ on an RPG gaming box.  Let’s take a look at what it provides, what the options for it are, and what they are going to run you.  Then let’s see what we can come up to do with them.  

Adventurer's League Season 3 part 6 (Mid Level Track Part 2)

All right Game Fans, we’re continuing with our look at the 3rd season of the Adventurer’s League for Dungeons and Dragons, 5th edition.  Like last season, we’re not going to take these adventures in numeric order, but we’ve split them up into two different tracks based off of their suggested character level.  Today we’re looking at the first two adventures for the mid level track, DDEX 3-8 The Malady of  Elventree and DDEX 3-9 The Waydown.  Let’s dive in, and take a closer look at the next part of Season 3.

Weapons for Edge of the Empire (Tools of Ill Omen)

Hey Game fans, we’re back with a more in depth look at part of the equipment you can pickup for your character in Edge of the Empire.  Weapons are an ugly essential truth of the setting, and very few characters are going to get by without packing at least one way to defend themselves.  It’s a violent galaxy and sometimes characters are going to want to be able to shoot back when threatened.  Alternatively, it’s good to have a weapon to add credibility when you have to threaten someone.  Weapons have a host of unique traits and characteristics that we’re going to break down for you today.  Strap in for a bumpy ride.

World Building (With a Map!)

So Game Fans, this is the 300th article i’ve published to my site.  I thought a long time about what kind of article i wanted to put together and i came to a rough idea of what i thought would be neat.  First off, thank all of you, old readers and new alike for wandering down these roads with me, and i hope you’re here around Christmas when Article 500 is published (I kid, maybe).  Today i’m going to talk about two things that i enjoy, World Building, and the tools that make world building easier and add more fun to the mix. Let’s hop in the Rambler and see where we end up today.

Formation Building Example #3

Formation Building Example #3

Hey Game Fans, we’re back with an example of how to put a formation together using the Combat Manuals for Alpha Strike.  If you’re interested in the explanation for how this is going to work, feel free to check out our article on the process, which you can find here.  I’ll take you through the step by step process to get you an idea of how this works.

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part 3

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part 3 (The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan)

Hey Game fans, we’re back with another look at the brand new hardcover adventure compilation Tales from the Yawning Portal.  We’re going to break down each one of these adventures and take a look at the adventure as it’s presented and compare it to its original presentation from a previous version of dungeons and Dragons.  Our quest continues with The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan.

Equipment for Edge of the Empire

Hey Game Fans, we’re back with another look at a component of the Star Wars Edge of the Empire game from Fantasy Flight Games.  Today we’re going to take a look at stuff, and equipment, and how they interact with the Star Wars universe.  Stuff is a catchall category that i’m going to use to describe goods of varying qualities and values.  Equipment is a more immediately usable piece of technology that enables a character to perform a task that they otherwise would either be incapable of doing, or would be less able to do.

Mystery Box (Nerzugal's Dungeon Master's Toolkit)

Hey Folks, we’re putting together another one of our mystery box series.  Today we’re looking at something a little bit different.  Today we have a DM’s Guild supplement created by a community member.  This supplement, written by Nerzugal, features a host of useful tools and options for a Dungeon Master.  The aptly named Dungeon Master’s Toolkit has five primary resources that a Dungeon Master can utilize in his or her game.  We’re going to look at this a little differently than we do with adventures, and we’re going to break down the sections and talk about what you can find in each.  

Castle Brians and you (DFA Lore)

History

A Recurring element of Battletech is the idea of lost or hidden Star League Era facilities that are full of equipment and technology.  The biggest of these facilities are Castle Brians.  Named after one of the Director Generals of the Terran Hegemony (the nation state that dominated Terra and the 120 or so light years around it), Castle Brians are probably the hardest structures in the known galaxy to take away from their owners.  No one is entirely sure how many of them were built during the Terran Hegemony?star League years because in many cases the ones built in the Periphery were designed as rapid response fire bases.  From these jumping off points, Star League Defense Forces could rapidly engage rebellious Periphery powers (or pirates, bandits, thugs and a host of other enemy combatants.  

Mystery Box Friday (Killer Kobolds)

Hey Folks, we’re putting together another one of our mystery box series.  Today we’re looking at a DM’s Guild adventure created by a community member.  This adventure, written by Tony Petrecca, features a fine lesson on underestimating monsters and how low level monsters can be a serious threat to mid-level characters..  The characters are drawn into a rescue mission to save some local townsfolk from some nefarious kobolds.  Let’s dive into Killer Kobolds, and see what sort of mischief these kobolds are up to.  

How I got started with my Homebrew Setting

I’m going to engage the Rambler for a minute and talk about something that i think is important.  Inspiration takes a lot of forms and there are a lot of ways an idea can change or grow over time.  This is the rough, rambling story of how i came up with the core idea for the campaign setting i’ve been working on for the last let’s say 5 or 6 years.  I’m just finishing my undergraduate psychology degree and i’m home on a Christmas break.  I don’t have the space to carry all of my books, but i’ve managed to borrow some Pathfinder books from a buddy of mine.  I’ve played 3.5 and been there and done that, but i really dig the adventure paths and the Bestiaries.  

I start tinkering (which is to say obsessively reading all of the books i’ve got access to) with the books and notice that a.) I really like the way the adventure paths are laid out, and b.) that i definitely enjoy the bestiaries an awful lot.  My mind starts grabbing at the idea of a Fey dominated adventure path idea, and it starts checking out the monsters that are available, and does some math.  There are enough monsters at the various CRs, that you could build a 1 to high level Adventure Path built around the fey.  

This idea percolated in my head for most of that break (This is also the break that spawned the maps for my reverse Stargate/Land of the Lost adventure arc), and when i got back to it, it had morphed into a campaign setting idea about an older age of fantasy.  “What happens if we build a world where the traditional fantasy races aren’t the dominant powers, and the Fey, the Giants, and the Dragons are still the Apex predators?”  What would it be like to playing a massive underdog in a setting built for bigger, badder monsters?  

I tinkered with this idea a couple more times, and i put some thoughts on paper for it, and made a couple of gods for the setting.  I came up with a Queen of Flowers and a King Stag idea, and started doodling out some thoughts on how they ruled the fey.  I took these thoughts with me to Gencon that year (this is also the year i lost my voice for 6 weeks after the show).  I ended up chatting with John Wick of all people about it, and he said he liked the idea.  This is also the show the Steve Jackson cracked a fat joke at me (which was adorable).   So we roll time forward a little and i start to stat things out for a Pathfinder based setting.  

Time slips away a little more, and when i get back to working on this setting, I’ve pretty heavily converted to 5th edition (i love a lot of the things about Pathfinder, but i’m more world building right now, and frankly, it’s fairly easy to convert back and forth).  So now i started reworking my setting ideas again, and i’ve got a notion.

Then my brother calls me and asks me to run an introductory adventure for some of his friends using 5th edition.  I put together a quick continent map, a local map, and a short adventure that has some quirks to it (He calls on a Wednesday for a Friday night game).  Everyone has fun, they like the starting location, and that becomes the basis for the city of Lakeport.  Everything else since then has been an outgrowth of those original ideas, and me just making changes that make sense in my brain.  

Hopefully you guys are enjoying the Lakeport setting and the hows and the whys of everything i have put together, and hopefully i get it to the point that it’s a publishable campaign setting so that you can all play around in the world i’ve pieced together from the various ideas and inspirations i have bumped into.  Thank you all for taking the time to read this, and i hope you all have fun.    

The Dwarves of Lakeport

OKay Game Fans, we’re adding another piece of the puzzle to my Lakeport Homebrewed Setting.  The world is massive, and is so big that no one short of the Gods (and they’re not telling) how big it exactly is.  I’ll cover an actual breakdown of the continent in another article, but today we’re going to talk about how the races differ in terms of the core Dungeons and Dragons rules.  Some of the changes are very minor, but some of them are massive in terms of culture, history, and there are rule changes that go with them.  Today i’m going to start with the Dwarves.  

Wizard Class Discussion

Good Morning Game Fans, we’re back to continue our deeper investigation into the mysteries of Dungeons and Dragons, and how it shaped the larger roleplaying game community.  We’ve put a temporary hold on our discussion about races in fantasy roleplaying (We’ll pick back up with the races from Volo’s Guide to Monsters and the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion after this interlude).  We’re going to discuss the role of Classes in fantasy roleplaying games, and then we’ll take a look in turn at each of the character classes in the Player’s Handbook for Dungeons and Dragons, 5th Edition.

Unearthed Arcana (Downtime for Tier 2)

Hey Game Fans, we’re back with another look at an Unearthed Arcana article from our mystical overlords at Wizards of the Coast.  The Dungeons and Dragons game is built on the idea that adventurers spend their days digging through ancient temples, or rescuing people from disasters, or are general men and women of action.  There aren’t a lot of adventures that focus on the scenes that happen around the adventures, but there are some rules for what adventurers do on their downtime.  

The Wonder Wizards (of the Coast) have given us a look at a potential system for how mid level (5-10) adventurers spend their days when they’re not out looking for trouble or looting rooms.  Let’s take a look at the suggestions offered and how we might be able to integrate them into our home games.  

 

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part 2

Hey Game fans, we’re back with another look at the brand new hardcover adventure compilation Tales from the Yawning Portal.  We’re going to break down each one of these adventures and take a look at the adventure as it’s presented and compare it to its original presentation from a previous version of dungeons and Dragons.  Our quest continues with The Forge of Fury.

Formation Building Example #2

Formation Building Example #2

Hey Game Fans, we’re back with an example of how to put a formation together using the Combat Manuals for Alpha Strike.  If you’re interested in the explanation for how this is going to work, feel free to check out our article on the process, which you can find here.  I’ll take you through the step by step process to get you an idea of how this works.

Unearthed Arcana (New Spells)

Hey Game Fans, we’re back with a brief look at one of the new options released by Wizards in their Unearthed Arcana series.  They’ve added a bunch of new spells for low level characters of all spellcasting persuasions, and we’re going to take a look at them and see what they add to the game.  We’re not going to break each spell down because i would rather you read the spell for yourself and see what creative things you can do with it.  So let’s dig in to the new spells and see what we can find.

Spell Lists

Bard

1st level

Guiding Hand (Divination, Ritual)

Puppet (Enchantment)

Sense Emotion (Divination)

Sudden Awakening (Enchantment)

Unearthly Chorus (Illusion)

Cleric

Cantrips

Hand of Radiance (Evocation)

Toll of the Dead (Necromancy)

Virtue (Abjuration)

1st Level

Ceremony (Conjuration, Ritual)

Guiding Hand (Divination, Ritual)

Druid

Cantrips

Infestation (Conjuration)

Primal Savagery (Transmutation)

1st Level

Guiding Hand (Divination, Ritual)

Snare (Abjuration)

Wild Cunning (Transmutation)

Paladin

1st Level

Ceremony (Conjuration, Ritual)

Ranger

1st Level

Snare (Abjuration)

Sudden Awakening (Enchantment)

Wild Cunning (Transmutation)

Zephyr Strike (Transmutation)

Sorcerer

Cantrip

Infestation (Conjuration)

1st Level

Chaos Bolt (Evocation)

Sudden Awakening (Enchantment)

Warlock

Cantrips

Infestation (Conjuration)

Toll the Dead (Necromancy)

1st Level

Cause Fear (Necromancy)

Healing Elixir (Conjuration)

Puppet (Enchantment)

Sense Emotion (Divination)

Wizard

Cantrips

Infestation (Conjuration)

Toll the Dead (Necromancy)

1st Level

Cause Fear (Necromancy)

Guiding Hand (Divination, Ritual)

Healing Elixir (Conjuration)

Puppet (Enchantment)

Sense Emotion (Divination)

Snare (Abjuration)

Sudden Awakening (Enchantment)

Highlights

Now these spells give a low level character a variety of options for handling situations.  They’re very flavorful spells, and fit within the overall theme of the character class they’re intended for.  Some of these cross class boundaries, and i’m going to go over a few of my favorites.

Chaos Bolt:

Chaos Bolt’s a neat little offensive spell for the Sorcerer.  It’s almost tailor made for a wild magic sorcerer, as it does 2D8 points of damage of a randomly determined type.  If the results come up as doubles, the bolt arcs to another creature within 30 feet, where the damage is rolled again (including type), and it can also arc on a doubles.  It’s a fun spell that feels extremely thematic while still being unpredictable in game.

Ceremony:

Ceremony is one of the best catchall spells i’ve seen in for 5th edition.  It encompasses many of the religious acts you’d expect a cleric or priest to be able to perform and actually gives them a mechanical benefit in the game.  It’s a neat spell that lets a religious leader do good for the community he or she works in.  Very clever idea.

Honorable Mentions:

Guiding Hand:  Because sometimes we get lost.

Hand of Radiance: Clear the swarms

Conclusions

There are some interesting new spells to tinker with, and they expand the capabilities of low level adventurers.  There are sections of the fan base that are clamoring for more spells and new options, and these do a fine job of meeting that need without creating analysis paralysis.  The number of choices don’t overwhelm the player with too many choices.  Good Article, and i hope we seem some more options for 2nd and 3rd level spells soon.  Game On, Game Fans.

Adventurer's League Season 3 part 5 (Mid Level Track Part 1)

All right Game Fans, we’re continuing with our look at the 3rd season of the Adventurer’s League for Dungeons and Dragons, 5th edition.  Like last season, we’re not going to take these adventures in numeric order, but we’ve split them up into two different tracks based off of their suggested character level.  Today we’re looking at the first two adventures for the mid level track, DDEX 3-3 The Occupation of Szith Morcane and DDEX 3-7 Herald of the Moon.  Let’s dive in, and take a closer look at the next part of Season 3.

Talents for Edge of the Empire (Everyone's got one)

Hey Game Fans, we’re back with another article on one of our favorite games, Edge of the Empire from Fantasy Flight Games.  Today we’re going to take a look at Talents, how they work, how you get them, what you can do with them and hopefully answer some interesting character building questions. Let’s start the deep dive into talents, and see what we can figure out.  

Warlock Class Discussion

Good Morning Game Fans, we’re back to continue our deeper investigation into the mysteries of Dungeons and Dragons, and how it shaped the larger roleplaying game community.  We’ve put a temporary hold on our discussion about races in fantasy roleplaying (We’ll pick back up with the races from Volo’s Guide to Monsters and the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion after this interlude).  We’re going to discuss the role of Classes in fantasy roleplaying games, and then we’ll take a look in turn at each of the character classes in the Player’s Handbook for Dungeons and Dragons, 5th Edition.

Formation Building Example #1

Formation Building Example #1

Hey Game Fans, we’re back with an example of how to put a formation together using the Combat Manuals for Alpha Strike.  If you’re interested in the explanation for how this is going to work, feel free to check out our article on the process, which you can find here.  I’ll take you through the step by step process to get you an idea of how this works.

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part 1

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part I (The Sunless Citadel)

Hey Game fans, we’re back with a look at the brand new hardcover adventure compilation Tales from the Yawning Portal.  We’re going to break down each one of these adventures and take a look at the adventure as it’s presented and compare it to its original presentation from a previous version of dungeons and Dragons.  Our quest begins fittingly with the The Sunless Citadel.

Mystery Box Friday (The Haunt)

Hey Folks, we’re putting together another one of our mystery box series.  Today we’re looking at a DM’s Guild adventure created by a community member.  This adventure, written by Phil Beckwith and published by P.B. Publishing, features a twist on the traditional dungeon.  The characters are drawn to an incredibly spooky “haunted” mansion, and have to explore it to figure out what’s going on..  Let’s dive into The Haunt, and see what new and inventive ways we can die.

Adventurer's League Season 3 part 4 (Lower Level Track Pt 4)

All right Game Fans, we’re continuing with our look at the 3rd season of the Adventurer’s League for Dungeons and Dragons, 5th edition.  Like last season, we’re not going to take these adventures in numeric order, but we’ve split them up into two (technically three) different tracks based off of their suggested character level.  Today we’re looking at the last adventure in the lower level track, DDEX 3-14 Death on the Wall.

Skills for Edge of the Empire (Everybody has Mad ones)

Hey Folks, we’re back with another article on one of our favorite games, Edge of the Empire, from Fantasy Flight Games.  This fun Role-playing game encapsulates the experience of living on the fringes of civilized space in the Star Wars Universe, and you can take on the role of a Smuggler, or a Technician, or a Bounty Hunter (or some other choices we’ve talked about before).  If you’d like to see what this game looks like (how it’s played) check out the amazing folks at Hyper RPGs Pencils and Parsecs show.  You can catch them live on Friday nights after Death from Above on Twitch, or catch them on Youtube after the fact at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY8Gz58YzHg&list=PLHKocVDXoWBsVQVwv6HgYVzRYzZFYR4N4&index=2.  

Today we’re going to look at one of the specific components that every character has, and sort of go over what they do and how they work.  Today we’re going to talk about skills, and how they work in Edge of the Empire.  So Buckle in, grab your funny dice, and let’s get started.  

Unearthed Arcana (Archetypes Galore)

Hey Game Fans, we’re back for another look at the Unearthed Arcana series from Wizards of the Coast.  We’re a little behind on these, so we’re going to combine the two articles into one review.  Today we are going to look at the Drunken Master tradition for the Monk, the Oath of Redemption for the Paladin, and the Monster Slayer for the Ranger, as well as the Theurgy and War Magic Arcane Traditions.  Like all of the Archetypes, these will modify the way that the base class they are options for, usually either adding a new facet or enhancing another aspect of the base class.  Let’s dive right into the new options and see what trouble we can get into it.  

One of the issues with Comic Book Movies

Hey Guys, today Im going to talk about something a little different from games, but it’s still very dear to my heart.  I love comic books, and I have since I was a kid.  I read pretty straightforward titles, Your X-mens, your Avengers, I love DC Comics, and I think my favorite line ever was Gotham Academy.  I don’t tread too deep into Independent waters, (though Hyper RPG is giving me good vibrations about the Valiant Universe).  But today we’re going to talk about Comic book movies.  I really want to like comic book movies, but some of them are very hit or miss, and it’s not necessarily the movie’s fault.

 

Formation Building for Alpha Strike

All right Game Fans, we’re back with another article on one of our favorite games, Alpha Strike.  If you’ve kept up with the list to date, you can see that we’ve been cranking out the articles on this topic and it’s because we genuinely enjoy the game.  Today we’re going to take a look at building your first army group, (Alpha Strike calls these formations).  We’re going to be referencing the combat manuals to do this, so if you haven’t picked up Combat Manual: Mercenaries, or Combat Manual Kurita, you’re going to be at a bit of a disadvantage.  So, go get one of those while the rest of us get started.  

Tales from the Yawning Portal (first thoughts and ideas)

Hery Game Fans, we’re going to take a quick look at Tales from the Yawning Portal, the newest Hardcover book released by our grand masters, Wizards of the Coast.  This is a different kind of hardcover adventure, and we’ll get into that in a minute.  First i’d like to thank the fine folks at Wizards for putting together a product like this.  Second, settle in because this isn’t like a product we’ve seen before, so i’m going to ramble for a while.