Dungeons & Dragons – Page 2

An Acceptable Level of Risk

This week’s post came out of some pondering I was doing after I wrote about introducing a couple of new people to the hobby last week. Specifically, about how one of the players ended up bouncing off the system a few times as the dice didn’t want to cooperate with his idea of how heContinueContinue reading “An Acceptable Level of Risk”

Creating New Gamers

Recently, I got the chance to introduce two new people to Dungeons & Dragons, and the roleplaying hobby in general. I always love doing this, as this is a hobby that has brought me so much enjoyment over the past 30+ years. I’ve introduced many people to gaming over that time frame, and had theContinueContinue reading “Creating New Gamers”

One Adventure per Campaign?

When I first starting playing D&D a million years ago (give or take), an actual campaign was something that just never happened. I was in sixth grade, and started with the Tom Moldvay red box Basic Set (published in 1981). It was the beginning of a lifelong love of roleplaying games. But back then, thoseContinueContinue reading “One Adventure per Campaign?”

Developing an Old School Sandbox for 5E – Part 2

Back in May, I posted an article about developing an old school sandbox setting for 5E. In that post, I described my core objectives for this campaign setting and talked about some elements that I would need to consider. I’m revisiting that idea again this week, where I’ll talk a bit about monsters. A Few,ContinueContinue reading “Developing an Old School Sandbox for 5E – Part 2”

The Low-Level Monster Problem?

For those gamers who are brand new to Dungeons & Dragons, everything feels new. No one yawns when they first encounter a kobold or a goblin. Orcs and hobgoblins are unknown entities and there’s a level of excitement that comes with encountering the unknown. For example, in the game that I’m running for my sonContinueContinue reading “The Low-Level Monster Problem?”

D&D Adventure Maps through the Years

Cartography in official D&D products have undergone quite a change through the four decades of its publication. Most modern maps are quite different from those published in the early years. Some of that has to do with printing costs/technology, and some has to do with changing styles. I see RPG maps as falling into twoContinueContinue reading “D&D Adventure Maps through the Years”

D&D 5E – Old School and Skills

Last week, I talked about using the D&D fifth edition rules to run an “old school” campaign. If you’re not sure what I mean by old school, I recommend Matt Finch’s Quick Primer for Old School Gaming. This week, I’m going to talk about the difference between player skill and character skill, and discuss theContinueContinue reading “D&D 5E – Old School and Skills”

D&D 5E – Old School XP and Treasure

As mentioned previously, I’ve started running the newest edition of D&D for my son and his friends, and I’m pleasantly surprised at how the game hangs together. Game play is smooth and fun, and the kids are having a great time. My favorite edition has always been the original AD&D rules. There is just somethingContinueContinue reading “D&D 5E – Old School XP and Treasure”

How Fast is Too Fast?

As I mentioned two weeks ago, I’ve started running D&D 5th edition for my son and his friends. In fact, I’ve now started running a solo game for him as well, in which he plays a drow fighter/ranger named…Drizzt. Yes, he’s thirteen years old, why do you ask? Anyway, as I’ve delved into the rulesContinueContinue reading “How Fast is Too Fast?”

HeroQuest and D&D – Magic, Part 2

Last week, I talked about how to represent wizards and arcane magic in a HeroQuest-based D&D or Pathfinder game. This week, I want to touch on divine magic/spellcasters, and then talk about D&D-style magic items. Divine Magic In most ways, divine magic works just like arcane magic: There are many discrete, individual spells. The cleric (orContinueContinue reading “HeroQuest and D&D – Magic, Part 2”