The Elminster Problem (World Building)

Hey guys, this article came up as a part of a discussion this morning with our friend @DroptheDie on Twitter.  The crux of this discussion revolves around the resources that a party of characters has access to, and how do you as a GM design appropriate challenges to that kind of a group.  How do you effectively challenge a group that has all the resources in the world behind them?  What if they have access to powerful allied spellcasters or a near infinite supply of money to purchase goods and/or services?  This turned into a quick discussion about the existence of high level NPC characters in your world, and that’s the crux of what i am planning to talk about.  (I’m sure i’ll find a couple of other important topics to hit along the way, but let’s dig into High level characters in your world).  

 

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part 7

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part 7 (The Tomb of Horrors)

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 comes to the end of its journey with Tomb of Horrors.

The Half-Elves of Lakeport

So this is another expansion of the work i have been doing on my Lakeport setting.  Today I’m going to talk about the Fey of this world, and how they helped shape it into what it is.  There’s a companion article (really four companion articles) that detail the Fey Gods, and then a companion piece about Elves and half Elves.  This group of articles should do a fairly solid job of putting these three races together and give you a wealth of information on who they are and what they do.  Let’s dig into the Half-Elves.

Player vs. Character (Key Terms)

Hey Game Fans, we’re back with a look at a couple of key terms that are going to come up a lot in the world of Role-Playing games.  If you haven’t joined a game yet, or have been playing for years, you’re going to routinely encounter the terms Player and Character, and you probably shouldn’t get them mixed up.  “I think I was too rough and killed one of the players in my game” has a much different meaning than “I think I was too rough and killed one of the characters in my game.”  Let’s dig into these two important concepts and then we’ll cover a couple of other ideas.

The Elves of Lakeport

So this is another expansion of the work i have been doing on my Lakeport setting.  Today i’m going to talk about the Elves of this world, and how they were shaped by it. Once the Elves are finished, we'll cover the Half Elves, and then it's off to another group of interesting people.  Let’s dig into the Elves.

Equipment for Edge of the Empire (Multipasses not Included)

Hey Game Fans, we’re back to take a look at the equipment you’re going to probably utilize at some point during your games of Edge of the Empire from Fantasy Flight Games.  Star Wars has a rich history of cool gadgets and gizmos that crop up during important scenes during various movies, games and books.  They are an essential part of life on the fringes of society and can do a lot of things.  We’re not going to talk about Droids today (mostly because they are much better as a species discussion) nor are we going to talk about vehicles and starships (those belong in their own article).  We’re going to cover the other pieces of technology that make life a much easier proposition in the Star Wars RPG.  Now there are a lot of different kind of equipment, and we’re going to try cover as much ground as we can.  Let’s take a deeper look at Equipment.

 

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part 6

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part 6 (Against the Giants)

 

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  Against the Giants.

 

Deities, Divinities and Truly Scary Things Pt. 19

Hey Game Fans, we’re taking a look at some world building ideas and concepts for the home setting i run.  If you’ve checked out my other world building articles, this is the setting that focuses on Lakeport and the larger world around it.  Today i’m going to  take a look at one of the oldest gods for the setting, The Black Oceab. Before i get started on him, let me give you a little background for the gods of this world.  

Deities, Divinities and Truly Scary Things Pt. 18

Hey Game Fans, we’re taking a look at some world building ideas and concepts for the home setting i run.  If you’ve checked out my other world building articles, this is the setting that focuses on Lakeport and the larger world around it.  Today i’m going to  take a look at one of the oldest gods for the setting, The North Wind. Before i get started on him, let me give you a little background for the gods of this world.  

Deities, Divinities and Truly Scary Things Pt. 17

Hey Game Fans, we’re taking a look at some world building ideas and concepts for the home setting i run.  If you’ve checked out my other world building articles, this is the setting that focuses on Lakeport and the larger world around it.  Today i’m going to  take a look at one of the oldest gods for the setting, Grandmother Lion. Before i get started on Lion herself, let me give you a little background for the gods of this world.  

Deities, Divinities and Truly Scary Things Pt. 16

Hey Game Fans, we’re taking a look at some world building ideas and concepts for the home setting i run.  If you’ve checked out my other world building articles, this is the setting that focuses on Lakeport and the larger world around it.  Today i’m going to  take a look at one of the oldest gods for the setting, Grandfather Oak. Before i get started on Oak himself, let me give you a little background for the gods of this world.  

System v. Setting (WTF are you talking about?)

Hey Game Fans, I’ve back with another article about gaming (big Surprise, right?) but today i’m going to talk about a couple of key terms that i think that you all should get acquainted with and it will help you grow as consumers of games.  We talk about games a lot and you might hear something to the effect of “I love the setting but the system is absolutely terrible,” or “I love this System is literally dumber than a bag of doorknobs.”  Now if you’re not sure what either of those statements means, don’t feel bad.  I’m going to take a look at both of the terms and see if i can’t help you see the differences between them.  Let’s dig a little deeper and see what we can come up with.  

Super Villain Idea for Valiant Universe

So last week Zac Eubank of Hyper RPG posted a twitter question about what kind of villains we, the loyal fans, would like to see show up on the Valiant RPG show on Wednesday nights.  I posted the suggestion of Mad Scientist type character who’s gained access to Doomsday levels of Nanotechnology.  The twist in this character design is that the character has plot point amnesia, and doesn’t remember any of the following:

    The Master Plan for the Nanotech.

    What he’s actually discovered and the applications he’s made with the Nanotech.  

    The current status of the Master Plan.

    Nanotech Implantation in his own body.  

So working within these limitations in information, what does this character look and how do they interact as a villain?  Let’s put together a basic profile of how this character exists.

Fallout: Wasteland Warfare (From Modiphius)

Hey Game Fans, we’re back with a look outside our usual comfort box.  Today we’re taking a look at the recently announced Fallout: Wasteland Warfare tactical miniatures game from Modiphius Entertainment.  The website for the game can be found here so go take a look and then we’ll dive in.  I know right?  Look at those wonderful minis!

Tales from the Yawning Portal 5 (Dead in Thay)

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part 5 (Dead in Thay)

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 Dead in Thay.

The Fey of Lakeport

So this is another expansion of the work i have been doing on my lakeport setting.  Today i’m going to talk about the Fey of this world, and how they helped shape it into what it is.  There’s a companion article (really four companion articles) that detail the Fey Gods, and then a companion piece about Elves and half Elves.  This group of articles should do a fairly solid job of putting these three races together and give you a wealth of information on who they are and what they do.  Let’s dig into the Fey.

Deities, Divinities and Truly Scary Things Pt. 15

Hey Game Fans, we’re taking a look at some world building ideas and concepts for the home setting i run.  If you’ve checked out my other world building articles, this is the setting that focuses on Lakeport and the larger world around it.  Today i’m going to  take a look at one of the more unusual gods for the setting, Lucky Tenfingers, the Lord of Halflings. Before i get started on Lucky himself, let me give you a little background for the gods of this world.  

Growing and Learning with RPGs

Hey Game Fans, I’ve got a brief editorial today that i wanted to share with you before i got back to the more regular work of breaking down adventures and options.  I wanted to talk about those moments that we all experience where we grow and learn things about ourselves from the games we play.  I have been playing RPGs and other games since i was in 2nd grade (I was terrible at it, but i was trying).  In the intervening 25+ years, i have had moments where i was playing a game or reading a book (or in modern times, watching a live play game on Twitch) and something in experienced changed the way i look at games and their role in our lives.  Let me share two of these instances with you, and maybe you can think about some of these instances that have affected the way you look at games.  

The Halflings 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 continue with the Halflings, rounding out the playable races that are a part of the Giant’s Brood.  

Sunday Editorial (Deep Thoughts Edition)

Thoughts and Ideas, Part I

So i’ve got some extra minutes this afternoon and i wanted to share a semi deep thought about organizing your gaming group and i am going to end up using one of those R words i don’t like to utilize.  I’m going to break out a Rule for all of you, and bear with me for a second.  I don’t like Rules in general because for every rule i can think of, exceptions apply.  If a Rule generates more exceptions than the original idea the rule was supposed to help you by providing a guideline or a hard and fast way of looking at things, then the Rule isn’t much help is it?  The Rule i’m going to drop on you is my rule 0, and it goes something like this “Don’t let the options get in the way of fun.”  Seems easy right?  It’s a fairly easy rule that i use as a guide for when i am building a character for an RPG, or an army for a Tabletop Miniature war game.  There are some considerations for using this rule, and i’m going to talk about this first in terms of character (and party) construction, and then i’ll talk a little bit about designing an army for a Minis game.  Bear with me, and i’ll see if i can help you out with the thought process behind Rule 0.  

Mystery Box Friday (Mortzengersturm the Mad Manticore of Prismatic Peak)

Hey Folks, we’re putting together another one of our mystery box series.  Today we’re looking at  an adventure from RPGnow, created by an independent publisher .  This adventure, written by Trey Causey and published by The Hydra Cooperative, features a wonderful departure from the norm and has such a wonderfully different style.  There’s a mansion in need of visiting, and the hijinks are just getting started as we explore Mortzengersturm the Mad Manticore of Prismatic Peak.

Expedition to the Barrier Peaks (Why this is my favorite adventure ever)

I’m going to take a minute today to tell you a story about how i fell in love with the Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.  I was still in middle school when my brother dropped off a giant assortment of 1st edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons books at my mom’s house (evidently his college girlfriend at the time wasn’t a fan of fun).  With my usual calm approach, i tore through the books like a house afire and learned the game quickly.  I fell in love with the old art work, and the math, and the ideas behind the game.  I would eventually grow out of this phase, but i look back on those old books fondly (and i’m still only missing one book to have a complete set of 1st edition, Curse you Dragonlance Adventures!).  

Adventurer's League Season 3 part 7 (Mid Level Track Part 3)

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 3-11 The Quest for Sporedome and DDEX 3-13 Writhing in the Dark.  Let’s dive in, and take a closer look at the next part of Season 3.

Armor for Edge of the Empire (This goes over the soft parts)

Hey Game Fans, we’re back with another article on Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars game, Edge of the Empire.  Featuring the dramatic struggle to survive outside the lines of Imperial society, EotE focuses on the stories of characters living on the fringe of polite society and their struggle to make a living along the edges of the civilized world.   Today we’re going to continue taking a look at the Equipment that a character may need to survive in this environment.  We covered weapons last week, so today we’re going to cover Armor.  Sometimes the best defense is actual defense.  

Just Dumb Things (Vampire: The Masquerade Edition)

So i haven’t done one of these in a while, and the recent appearance of the Vampire: The Masquerade 20 year edition showing up on Humble Bundle brought up a wonderful horror story of how things got screwed up playing Vampire, that one time in college.  Now this story does end with a werewolf getting pinwheel kicked into a silver chandelier by a demonically possessed Pope, but that’s much closer to the end of the story than the beginning, and we generally try to start at the beginning of the story.  There are two interesting Gaming Issues we’re going to tackle with this one, the misunderstood expectations, and the dreaded  GMPC.  So Buckle up and hear the story of who we got trapped in Oklahoma City, as an unsuspecting group of neonate vampires.  

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part 4

Tales from the Yawning Portal Part 4 (White Plume Mountain)

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 White Plume Mountain.

Deities, Divinities and Truly Scary Things Pt. 14

Hey Game Fans, we’re taking a look at some world building ideas and concepts for the home setting i run.  If you’ve checked out my other world building articles, this is the setting that focuses on Lakeport and the larger world around it.  Today i’m going to  take a look at one of the more beloved goddesses for the setting, Seramesh, the Lady of Gnomes. Before i get started on Seramesh herself, let me give you a little background for the gods of this world.  

Deities, Divinities and Truly Scary Things Pt. 13

Hey Game Fans, we’re taking a look at some world building ideas and concepts for the home setting i run.  If you’ve checked out my other world building articles, this is the setting that focuses on Lakeport and the larger world around it.  Today i’m going to  take a look at one of the racial gods for the setting, Mourne Stonehall, the Lord of Dwarves. Before i get started on Mourne himself, let me give you a little background for the gods of this world.  

The Gnomes 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 continue with the Gnomes.