D&D Patrol

Doom Patrol is one of the best comics out there today, and it's been on my pull list since Gerard Way started his trippy run on the book as the flagship title in DC's Young Animal line. I had to chuckle when I picked up my pulls today and saw this awesome cover, which is intended to evoke those classic D&D adventure modules of the late '70s and early '80s.

Mash Up

It's been a while since we've had a Strat-O-Matic game with our Hall of Fame League -- the pendulum has swung back toward the sci-fi Shattered Realm campaign -- but I was thinking the other day about an amusing genre mash-up from many years ago. Back in the pixelated '90s, I had a primitive baseball video game that allowed you to create players, so one day, on a whim, I whipped up a team consisting of characters from the Druid Cycle setting. Now, that was a real fantasy baseball team! (Sorry.) 

NPC All-Stars

The initial expedition into the Gloaming Hills featured only one major NPC (Ironside) as it introduced a host of new (though minor) characters during that long trek into the jungle. The upcoming sequel widens the scope considerably. Now that the champions of the Druid Cycle campaign world are aware of the threat festering within the Gloaming Hills, they're coming back in force. All the major NPCs -- heroes and villains alike -- of the past three decades will play a role in this story. And when I say "all", I mean it. That includes the dead ones...

500 Stores

This Saturday, Games Workshop is celebrating the opening of their 500th store. I'm sure it won't be as exciting as Arthur Fortune opening his 112th store in Springfield, but it's going to be a party nonetheless. Click here for details.

Little Green Men

I have an order of new D&D miniatures on the way. Little green plant-like creatures...

Gloaming Hills

Iskander has a steampunk airship...because of course he does.

And what does this admittedly cryptic statement have to do with the title of the post? Druid Cycle players, get ready for the next chapter...

Okay, okay...

So I guess I don't hate Pathfinder: Kingmaker. I still laugh every time the load screen comes up and it says that first-time loads will take several minutes (spoiler alert: all load times are atrocious) and I still have no idea when said kingmaking will actually occur, but for the time being the game is at least as enjoyable as Sword Coast Legends. Damning with faint praise, perhaps, but Kingmaker is worth a look for anyone who needs a D&D(-esque) fix.

D Plus D?

I woke up this morning to Nathaniel climbing on the bed chanting "D plus D, D plus D!" Yeah, he was definitely experiencing D&D withdrawal! Fortunately, we had time before lunch to log an hour or so catching up on our sci-fi Shattered Realm storyline -- just long enough for a cool reveal in which Nathaniel's character learned that one of his closest friends was secretly a high-ranking member of an evil thieves' guild.

After that, Matthew had to get ready for Lego League, where he's leading a rather inexperienced and squirrely team. Nathaniel and I faced yet another afternoon without the third member of our little trio, so I decided to start up a new solo campaign for the little lad. I'm putting him through The Sunless Citadel, a classic Third Edition adventure that was revised for Fifth when it was included in Tales From the Yawning Portal. This will give Nathaniel his D&D fix as well as a fun way for the two of us to pass the time when Matthew is at his Lego League meetings. 

Strongholds & Campsites

One of the best parts of Baldur's Gate II was the stronghold. At a certain point in the game, your main character would get the opportunity to obtain a permanent headquarters where the party could rest safely, stock away surplus magic items, and even resolve local issues that were going on in the area around the stronghold. The coolest stronghold of all was the one that fighters could get -- a massive castle, complete with a great hall, guards and servants, and plenty of secret passages and hidden chambers. (Side note: During my last play-through, about four years ago, my party lacked the magic items necessary to defeat a powerful golem, so we basically just locked him in one of the many castle bedrooms -- and there he remained for the rest of the campaign!) The castle stuff in Baldur's Gate II remains one of my all-time favorite bits from any video game I've ever played.

So, that brings us to Pathfinder: Kingmaker. This game has the same play style as Baldur's Gate and its ilk, but it seeks to take that castle experience and flesh it out so that it becomes an absolutely integral part of the game. You don't just end up with a stronghold -- you build and manage your own kingdom! Super awesome, right? I assume so, but I may never see it.

I'm stuck in the campsite.

Resting rivals the long load times for the most annoying problem with this game. Your characters consume rations when you rest (fine) and often you get attacked while resting (also fine), but
camping is so tedious and time-consuming that it seriously detracts from the experience of the game. You're sending out hunters, you're appointing a cook, you're camouflaging the tents, you're setting the shifts for your watch, you're sharpening your weapons....you get the idea. I have no doubt that some folks will find this added realism to be enjoyable -- I thought it was kind of cool the first time around -- but as I'm traipsing through dungeons and finding myself in need of rest to replenish hit points and spells, I just dread the whole process of resting. I think I need to give this game a rest.

Multifaceted Martin

As I'm adding the remaining Hall of Famers into our Strat-O-Matiac league, I'm absolutely flabbergasted by the flexibility of Negro League player Martin Dihigo. This dude is a switch hitter who hits for both average and power, and he's eligible for a staggering seven defensive positions. What's more, his defense rates as a 1 or a 2 (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the best) in all of those positions except for one, where he's a 3. You can play this guy all over the diamond -- including pitcher. The multifaceted Martin can also take the mound as a starter or as a reliever. And the one thing he can't do? He can't suit up as catcher. Come on, Martin! Give it a shot!