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
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
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
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
In 12 years of adventuring in Greyhawk, our group built up a number of legends, told, but never experienced. The recovery of the soul-devouring sword Blackrazor is one of them. Brant Bladescream, warrior, adventurer and conman, recovered Blackrazor from the volcanic dungeon known as White Plume Mountain and used its notoriety to found the Blackrazor Guild. … Read more
Megadungeons, epic character deathtraps that have made or broken a thousand RPG campaigns, are staging a comeback. While it’s been upwards of 25-30 years since we first crawled into Castle Greyhawk and Undermountain, the Oughts saw the release of Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, World’s Largest Dungeon, Castle Whiterock, Maure Castle and now … Read more
One area where Star Wars: Saga Edition could use some help are its creatures. There are certainly a number of them out there, particularly the iconic ones from the movies, but the system tends to come up a little short with more mundane critters. After my third session of Star Wars, I thought back our … Read more
Skill challenges were one of the best things to come out of our D&D 4th Edition playtest. Building on earlier versions that appeared in Spycraft and Unearthed Arcana, skill challenges provided an in-game mechanic for resolving non-combat conflicts and complex tasks. We used it to handle the exploration a lava tube complex leading to a … Read more
Nuketown Radio Active #72 contemplates the best way to organize a geeky bookshelf, takes another turn at chess with kids, finds out that Neutron Lad has a lot to talk about, and asks questions about Nuketown’s long-dormant RADIATIONS newsletter. Finally I review Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, the latest edition of the venerable role-playing game by … Read more
Like a twister carving its way through a Midwestern cornfield, Nuke(m)Con has come and gone. My gaming group held its annual (well, almost annual) home-grown convention over the weekend. In a break from previous years, which typically saw a mix of Dungeons & Dragons and board games, this year’s Nuke(m)Con had a western theme. We … Read more