Knightmare

And to think this is the same nation that gave us Doctor Who...

After watching a few clips of this, I just don't eve know what to say. It's a UK show called "Knightmare" (was spelling it with a K supposed to make it fun again?). 

This interesting article sums it up rather nicely:

 "...four weedy pre-pubescents from the Home Counties, dressed in pastel-colored polo shirts and looking like they would quite like to go home now, please. Three of the team members acted as “advisors,” sitting in front of the magic mirror and making notes on enchanted clipboards. The fourth player, or “dungeoneer,” got to enter the actual dungeon." 

 Sort of like a VR world where...no one really got to experience anything. And to think we just used to run around outdoors and bash each other with sticks and squirt each other with supersoakers...

2013 Game Event: Part 3

Over the last few weeks, I've revealed some key details about the yearlong game event for 2013. Today I'll touch on the story's major theme. If you've been playing in a Druid Cycle game recently, you probably won't be surprised to learn that our game event is going to focus on the timeless, world-spanning struggle between Ekhis and the Ternion. (Ekhis and the Ternion? Sounds like the name of some cheesey Europop band...) By now you probably know that the Ternion are the "good guys" in this struggle, but the twist for our game event is that each player will get to decide which faction he or she supports. Your fellow players won't know where you stand (unless you blab, of course), and given the shadowy nature of these characters, you may not even be sure you're actually supporting the side you think you're supporting...

Happy Holidays!

My posts will probably be infrequent over the next couple of weeks, but before all the Christmastime craziness sets in, I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

Critically Delicious Since 2011

Not sure how much actual gaming would go on if we were eating our die...

The Skill Die

The skill die is a new mechanic in this iteration of the D&D Next playtest. When you make a check for one of your skills, you also roll your skill die (which starts as a d4 at Level 1 and increases thereafter) and add the result to your check. So, your overall skill check becomes an ability check (d20 plus the relevant ability score bonus) plus the skill die result. (Side-note: Rogues can spend their skill die to perform tricks, just as fighters and monks can spend their martial damage dice to perform maneuvers.)

I'm not sure about the skill die. It seems to be a replacement for the static, level-based skill improvement of 4e and the skill points of 3e. In my estimation, both of those earlier models are better. With the static improvement of 4e, you always know what you're going to get, even if you can't customize your skill improvements. The skill point system of 3e allowed players to focus on improving the skills of their choice, at the expense of less-favored skills. The skill die system, however, does not allow for any customization, and the results of skill checks will be more "swingy."

Two data points don't make a trend, but I fear the rise of swingy math in D&D Next. We already have the advantage and disadvantage system, wherein the player rolls twice and takes, respectively, the higher or the lower of the two. Now, with the skill die system, you roll your d20 as part of the check and then you roll the skill die rather than add a static bonus. In any system in which you're rolling more dice rather than adding (or subtracting) static numbers, you're going to have a wider swing in the possible results. In earlier forms of D&D, my character might get cursed and be forced to make an attack roll at, say, -4. If my attack roll total was 16, I'd subtract 4 and get a 12. In D&D Next, that -4 penalty would be replaced by disadvantage on the roll. So I roll twice and get, perhaps, a 19 on one roll and a 3 on the other, and be forced to take the 3. That's a difference of 16! Is a "swingier" system worse? It certainly makes the game more unpredictable.

Monks and Rogues

Monks and rogues are no longer gimpy, watered-down fighters. Monks get cool ki abilities that are granted by their choice of monastic tradition. Rogues no longer have maneuvers (as fighters and monks still do), but they have maneuver-like abilities called skill tricks. The iconic Sneak Attack feature was fixed (previously it was just a conditional version of the fighter's extra damage ability), but the player's choice of rogue scheme (acrobat, assassin, thief, etc.) might replace Sneak Attack with a different talent, such as the incredibly awesome Assassinate, which is ideal for sniper builds and stealthy back-stabbers. Rogues also get a nifty feature called Ace in the Hole, which allows them to turn an attack roll or failed check or saving throw into a 20. All good stuff.

Clerics and Wizards

Good news to report for both of the D&D Next spellcasters. For clerics, Turn Undead resumes its rightful (in my opinion) place as a Channel Divinity power. The various deity templates each grant a couple of Channel Divinity options -- as well as different armor and weapon proficiencies, domain spells, and special abilities -- so clerics of different faiths will play quite differently. Clerics also receive expertise dice (now renamed "martial damage dice") and, ultimately, a flat damage bonus. All classes that engage in melee combat will receive martial damage dice and this additional martial damage bonus. Fighters and monks can spend martial damage dice to perform maneuvers (just as with expertise dice), but for clerics the martial damage dice can only be used to enhance damage rolls. This way, clerics don't get the fancy maneuvers of their martial companions (they do have spells, after all) but they don't fall behind in terms of raw damage output.

Another interesting change is that clerics and wizards now prepare spells the same way. Both classes prepare a number of spells equal to one plus their wizard or cleric level. This is unlike a strict Vancian system in which the spellcaster must choose exactly which spells he or she will prepare for a given day; if I prepared Knock but have no reason to cast it, I've essentially wasted that spell slot. In the current playtest rules, however, I could prepare, say, Magic Missile and Sleep. If I can cast two spells per day, I could cast each of them once, or either one of them twice. I like the flexibility.

We've Got Ourselves a Game!

The latest version of D&D Next is a major step forward. As you know, the previous iteration had me very, very worried about the future of the game. This time, I think they nailed it. The complexity of the core game is quickly approaching 3e/4e levels, and there are still some bugs in the system (several armor types are still useless due to superior choices in the same price range, humans still receive stat bonuses that are way too high, etc.), but overall this is a solid game with five flavorful and distinct character classes that should all play well at the table. Over the next couple of days, I'll follow up with other posts commenting on specific features.

Another Playtest Packet

There's a new D&D Next playtest packet available for download. In the previous iterations of the playtest, I provided numerous posts with my analysis of the rules. This time, with the holidays approaching and everyone in my family sick, I suspect my commentary will be much more limited. I think I'm also coming down with a case of Playtest Packet Fatigue. Don't get me wrong -- I'm still very pleased to be able to participate in the playtest and to help shape the future of my all-time favorite game, but I can't help feeling a bit burned out at this point. However, I haven't seen the new rules yet, so maybe all that will change...

2013 Game Event: Part 2

My goal for our yearlong game event is to tell a story that resonates with events in other Front Porch campaigns, past and present. If you participate in this event -- either as a player or as an observer -- you'll see a lot of familiar names and themes, and you may even learn some vital information that pertains to the storylines of your usual characters.

To keep the focus squarely on the story, I'm going to go very, very light on game mechanics. Those of you who have participated in email-based adventures know that tactical encounters tend to slow things down. Weeks or even months can pass as we slog through round after round of combat.

We do need some sort of game rules, of course, so I considered a number of options. As you know, the game will be set in the contemporary city of Demeter (home to the superheroes of Tales of the Ternion) but since it's not going to be a superhero story, I've decided against Mutants & Masterminds. It isn't sci-fi, like the Cyberwars / Ragnarok campaign, so I'm not going to use Gamma World. It seems to me that the best choice would be d20 Modern, which is well suited for a "realistic" setting and is based on the familiar D&D 3.5 rules. I'll provide more information once we get started (including a link to the rules and a quick way to create a character), but for now I'll sign off with a promise to reveal the major theme of the story in my next post in this series.

New Look!

Timothy has created a new look for the site. What do y'all think?

Notice the tabs at the top. Currently there's a "Home" tab with the main blog content, as well as a "Front Porch Gallery" tab that contains some photographs. (I assume Timothy has a stockpile of highly embarrassing photos that he plans to inflict upon us in the coming weeks, months, and years!) What other tabs should we include? Leave a comment and let us know!

"Were the ancient Egyptians the inventors of Dungeons and Dragons?"

As the article notes, it's fun to think of D&D spanning the centuries...

The Chosen Children, Part 7: Maeve

We now turn to the seventh and final member of the chosen children. Maeve is the infant daughter of King Arawn and Queen Brynne, the eladrin (high elf) rulers of the forest-realm of Annuvin.

So, to recap in order of birth, we have Neanias (half-human, half-deva), Devon (human), Florian Romlin (elf), Roan (dragonborn), Tancred (dwarf), Adair (half-human, half-tiefling), and Maeve (eladrin). These kids will grow up to be the next generation of Druid Cycle champions...but only if the current generation keeps them safe so that they survive to adulthood!

2013 Game Event: Part 1

Ready for more details about the mysterious game event that I have planned for next year? In last week's "Anniversary Events" post, I revealed that the game would be email-based, run throughout 2013, and allow for active participation or fly-on-the-wall observation. The next detail I'll reveal is that the game will take place in a contemporary time period in the fictional US city of Demeter, home to the fledgling Tales of the Ternion superhero campaign. However, this game will not be a superhero campaign. In the next post in this series, I'll talk a bit about the rules system that we'll use; in the meantime, check out the handful of other Tales of the Ternion posts, particularly the very excellent city map that Timothy created for us.

"My inn's as clean as..."

My internet connection has been spotty lately, but at least I was able to download Baldur's Gate for my iPad. I've started up a new game with an archer ranger, and my five-year-old is trying out a shapeshifter druid. After spending some time in Candlekeep, he picked up the catchphrase of the local innkeeper: "My inn's as clean as an elven arse!" Now he's saying it non-stop. Amy is not as amused as I am...

Baldur's Gate for iPad

Just in time for the weekend! Baldur's Gate for iPad is here!

Mounts!

The paladin may be my all-time favorite D&D class (or maybe it's the fighter...or cleric...), and one of my favorite aspects of this class is the paladin's mount. Check out this article on the D&D website about the history of mounts in early editions of D&D and how they will be used in an upcoming 4e adventure.

Engagement Ring

Not sure that I'd ever go this far, but for some people it may just be the ticket to eternal love...

Baldur's Gate Delay

D'oh! The iPad version of Baldur's Gate has been delayed again...

Virus Warning

EN World has long been one of my favorite roleplaying sites, but lately my browser and my antivirus software have been giving me lots of warnings that EN World may be a dangerous site to visit. I'm sure Morrus and the gang are working on correcting whatever's going on, but for the time being, I'd advise against going to that site.

Anniversary Events

Now that the calendar has turned to December, we're less than a month away from our twenty-fifth anniversary. We had a few comments about options for the celebration, and a few folks voted in the poll, but I don't feel that I have a lot of data about what people would like to do. However, I used the information that I received as a starting point and came up with a preliminary plan...

• An online one-shot adventure: We'll gather in a chat room or use a free browser-based online gaming application to play a self-contained, one- or two-evening adventure. Suggestions for the rules system include Gamma World, Mutants & Masterminds, and "old school" D&D. I'd be up for running one of these events, and if anyone else is interested in gamemastering another session, just let me know. Depending on the level of interest, we could end up with a few of these throughout the year.
• A retrospective video: I have some photographs (especially from our early days), and I invite others to send photos, video clips, anecdotes, funny quotes, character sheets, maps, and anything else that you'd like to be included. I'll take whatever you give me and put it all together into a video, which I'll then provide to everyone on DVD or via a download site.
• A super-awesome top-secret experimental project: I'll give you a couple of hints now, and then more throughout the month. Here's all you're going to get for today: It will be an asynchronous (i.e., email-based) game event taking place between January and December. You can participate as a player (with a character you control) or as an observer (you get copied on the emails to keep up with the story, but don't actually control a character).

Let me know what you think!