Multiverse Madness

If you caught my recent post titled "Quintessence War," you may have some idea of the big Front Porch event that I'm planning for 2015. (The post itself is just one line, but check out the many, many labels underneath.) I'll reveal a few tidbits here and there, starting with this quick overview: Quintessence War is going to be a mini-campaign with a storyline that crosses multiple game worlds. Players will create brand-new characters (using the 5e D&D rules) for this event, but the plot will feature plenty of multiverse-spanning NPCs, some of whom have already started marking appearances in current Front Porch adventures. Stay tuned for more details!

Let's Go, Rangers!!!

Please forgive the occasional non-game-related post...

Basic D&D Is Free!

Also launching in July, alongside the D&D Starter Set, is Basic Dungeons & Dragons...and it's free! Anyone can download this PDF from the Wizards site. Basic includes the rules necessary for play and character creation for the core races and classes. The PDF will be updated and expanded as new settings and adventures are published. We haven't seen anything yet, of course, but this sounds like a game changer to me. Click here for all the details.

Pathfinder Writer Commentary

Jim Zub, the writer of the Pathfinder comic books, provides an interesting page-by-page commentary of the current issue here.

Quintessence War

In 2015, the multiverse goes to war.

What a Rip!

D&D has a new system of organized play -- D&D Adventurers League -- and it appears, at first glance, to be a total rip-off of the Pathfinder Society. See for yourself here. Amazing, isn't it, how quickly Pathfinder has become the brand leader?

City of Secrets #1

What to make of the new Pathfinder series? Much of this first issue is setup for things to come. Unfortunately, it didn't do much to hook new readers; if you aren't familiar with these characters or the world they inhabit, you're likely to be a bit lost -- or, worse yet, you may have little reason to care about the various goings-on in Magnimar. On the plus side, I love the artwork and consider it a substantial improvement over the last series. The RPG material at the end (including a removable map depicting a tavern -- perfect for staging a brawl!) was also very welcome. Check out full reviews here (for a negative review) and here (for a positive review that is, alas, riddled with typos).

Pathfinder Returns!

Dynamite's Pathfinder comic book returns today with the first issue of Pathfinder: City of Secrets. Click here for more info.

Tyranny of Dragons

Here's an update on my post from earlier today: Wizards has a brief article explaining their upcoming Tyranny of Dragons brand-wide storyline, so click here for the details.

Holy Crap! Here Comes D&D Next!

All of a sudden, a massive list of upcoming D&D Next products has been released! Check out the Wizards of the Coast product catalog page (here) to see the cover art, price, and tentative release date for the first wave of D&D products. First up is the starter set, which arrives on July 15!

Kids Track

Kids Track (click here for more info) is an interesting "lesson plan" for teaching young children how to play the Pathfinder roleplaying game. I've spent some time teaching Matthew (currently age six) about RPGs, but what I like about the Kids Track is that it's very well organized and presents the core concepts in discrete, manageable chunks. I'll definitely keep this document in mind when it's time to introduce Nathaniel (age three) to these games.

Mech Maker

I've never contributed to a Kickstarter project before, but...design your own mini? 3D printing? It's tempting...click here for details!

Heroes of Magnimar Reminder

It's been a slow couple months for gaming news, huh? I suspect all of that will change once we start getting more information about the release of D&D Next. In the meantime, don't forget about the relaunch of the Pathfinder comic book, and the coinciding in-store game events that will be held all across the country this month. Click here to find a participating game store near you!

FCBD Update

Score! My local comic book store held a drawing for a $50 gift certificate, and I was the lucky winner!

Head Over to Your Friendly Local Comic Book Store!

That's right, it's Free Comic Book Day today!