Battletech has returned to the PC (And it's spectacular)

So our friends at Hare Brained Schemes have spent the last two and half years putting together their Battletech game and it released last Tuesday to a mixture of trepidation, expectations of the highest caliber, and a smidge of controversy (which feels awfully artificially generated). So what is this game? Well, my limited (6ish hours in) experience is that it is one of the most elegant PC Games I’ve played in the last 5 years and the folks who built it have created something special, something that will be imitated by others in the near future. So what is Battletech? Settle in, i’ll try and make this brief.

Money (and Treasure!) in RPGs

Hey Game Fans, we’re looking at an interesting aspect of the RPG trope today and i am going to share a couple of ideas that i think will help you all have some more fun with your characters. Today we’re talking about Treasure, and what it means to your character in a game of D & D (though there are a lot of games where treasure is a driving focus for story progression, character development, and a meter for who’s winning).

Good Vibrations

This is a little different from our normal fare, but i see things on twitter, or in facebook groups that look like “OMG, i suck at this, why did i ever think i could do this, wtf is wrong with me?” and it cuts through our (the gaming community) population with a regularity that i find concerning. So, here are two truths that i think will help us all out.

New Warlock Patron

Hey Game Fans, we're back with a new idea for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. This is a new homebrew patron for Warlock players representing a pact made with an arcane power of some type. There are some examples in the opening paragraph, but there are tons of interesting options that can fuel this kind of a Warlock patron. Now, we haven't playtested this at all, and honestly aren't completely sold on all of the abilities. Below the body of the article we'll toss out some of the ideas we had considered for it. Grab ten minutes and take a look at the Grand Arcana

Battletech (PC Game)

So Friends, in less than a week we'll all have access to the Battletech PC game from the wonderworkers at Harebrained Schemes and i'll be talking about this as we get further in, and maybe play some for the youtubes, but this is one of the most important things i've ever seen.  (Battletech Intro)  Did you go see?  Good.  That's the most wonderful short introduction to the generational history of Battletech i have ever seen.  I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to Battletech and this gives me the best way ever of explaining the narrative story of Battletech to a new fan.  It's simple, it's two minutes long, the music is awesome and the images are perfect.  Thank you Harebrained Schemes. 

Intelligence and Behavior (Monsters)

Hey game fans, we’re going to briefly discuss something that cropped up on the twitters today (again, i blame TerminallyNerdy.com) We’ve got a DM Tip that Intelligent monsters should be played intelligently, and if they are, then they are way more dangerous than the sum of their stats and abilities. This is very true, but Intelligence is a spectrum, and creatures at the other end of the spectrum are equally interesting tactical challenges for players and DMs alike. Let’s take a look at one of the key things to remember when deciding how a less than intelligent monster is going to potentially behave.

Experiments in Cartographic Doom

Hey Game Fans, we’re back with an idea article about a part of the world building process. This article is the intellectual descendant of my good friend Clay, over at Terminally Nerdy (Here). The genesis of this idea starts with a simple DM Tip on Twitter that basically says “When you are building your own world, don’t forget to leave blank spaces so you can fill in with new things or ideas as they come up.” And this is absolutely perfect advice. It does lead into a deeper thought of mine that comes up every once in a while.

Styles in Dungeons & Dragons

Hey Game Fans, today i’m going to talk a little bit about something i find interesting in the RPG community (the title says Dungeons and Dragons, but it can be splashed around a little harder than that). Dungeons and Dragons has a lot of characteristics that define its style, and you can mix and match them if you want to get creative. Let’s talk about those styles and how you can stretch them to fit your needs for your games at home or the adventures you may be writing or stories you’re trying to tell.

Retroverse Preview

Hey Game fans, we’re back with another article on one of our favorite topics, Dungeons and Dragons. Now our good friends over at Lasers and Liches (website here) are gearing up for a Kickstarter to launch their Retroverse campaign setting (officially launches on April 10th, so save your pennies). It’s an homage to neon lights, synth music, and a reality where everything is possible. Over the weekend they were nice enough to release a free preview for some of the stuff that’s coming with that setting. (You can find that preview here). Let’s talk about the themes we’re seeing so far, and talk about a couple of things.