The Origins Game Fair 2009 is here. Since my non-gamer friends and family (as well as folks on Twitter) are probably wondering what the heck that is, so I thought I’d explain. Origins is a game convention held in Columbus, Ohio from June 24-28. It’s an event where geeks and gamers (often, but not always, … Read more
When my group playtested D&D 4th Edition, I immediately thought that that the new rules could work well in Eberron, particular in its pulp-ish, high-adventure incarnation. The lost continent, the dinosaur-riding halflings, the magical technology — it all seemed like it would mesh well with 4E’s default power setting, but unfortunately, Wizards decided to destroy, … Read more
After years of talking about it, I’m finally going to the Origins Game Fair. The reason is two fold: 1) I’ve never been to the convention, having always chosen to go to GenCon instead and 2) I have a bunch of friends who will be a Origins whom I’ve never had a chance to game … Read more
Three weeks of rainy days put a major crimp in my podcast-listening schedule in May as I was forcd to drive (rather than walk) to work. It’s the difference between a 2 minute commute and a 15 minute one … as well as no podcasts or three podcasts a week. With the sun finally shining … Read more
The proliferation of quick and easy hosting options for blogs and wikis – such as Blogger and the Obsidian Portal — has led to a proliferation of RPG campaign web sites. But which is best for your campaign? After experimenting with both options for the last few years, I think the answer to that question … Read more
Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition is seeing a nice publicity bump from its second round of major book releases as PHB 2, Arcane Power, Monster Manual 2, Eberron Campaign Setting and DMG 2 all hit the stands over the next few months. Right now the focus is on the just-released Monster Manual 2, which a … Read more
Our Star Wars campaign reached a major milestone last Friday: our heroes bought their first starship. The group is loosely divided into two factions: the Jedi padawans and the crew. The later group served aboard a ship known as the Aeon Harrier, which the Jedi occasionally contracted out for missions. It served as the group’s … Read more
Thinking of trying out Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, but don’t want to layout money for books? Then check out Wizards of the Coast’s new D&D Test Drive, a free set of downloads that includes: Quicstart Rules H1 Keep on the Shadowfell Pregenerated characters The free version of the D&D Character Builder (for character levels … Read more
A strange thing is happening in RPGs: science fiction is popular again. While there have always been science fiction RPGs, they’ve always been a distant second (or more often, a distant third) to fantasy and even horror RPGs. Right now though we have three major scifi RPGs in print: Star Wars: Saga Edition, Warhammer 40k, … Read more
Dungeons & Dragons: Tiny Adventures is that rarest of WotC digital products: one that actually delivers. Wizards of the Coast’s litany of digital failure is long. D&D Master Tools. D&D eTools. D&D Insider. Gleemax. All overhyped, and under delivered. Yet here’s Tiny Adventures for Facebook, a simple but surprisingly addictive little app that no one … Read more