baradifi's page

The style of presentation is fairly distinctive though and, in my view, conveys the impression that 4th edition is a series of decision moments with very limited choices (and that all of those choices are not much different from each other).

1) convincing the last enemy in a fight to join us and

2) delaying a fight with a superior group of gravediggers that wasn't openly hostile by talking to them).

In both cases, Diplomacy was involved, but also:

1) Religion, in convincing the enemy that his friends had blasphemed by switching gods. A noncharismatic character contributed with his language skill. And,

2) History, in realizing the gravedigger was no archaeologist. Perception, in noticing various things. Some wilderness/survival related skill to identify some animal parts that weren't what they were claimed to be.

We must have used at least 3 separate skills each challenge, and both were spontaneously created by the DM and PCs. We may have gotten unseen bonuses for the words we put in our PCs mouths. We had many choices, avoided two combats, all using the skill challenge rules from the core rules. Voila, a working roleplay mechanic. In fact, the system worked so well, as another poster mentioned, we didn't even realized we'd passed a skill check until the next day!

Celestial Healer wrote:

That's off the top of my head. I'm still dreaming of the world where the Paizo writers are writing up material for the 4e ruleset. That would be a match made in heaven...

You and me both. I'd like nothing more than to be able to buy first rate adventures for 4E. Heaven knows WotC isn't putting them out...

I edited your post for you.

Hi, can you delete this post/thread so my personal info is not shown? cheers!

Ha, I thought 1.80 was the special pre-order price and turns out it's just a budget product! I'm paying $9 shipping to get this to Hong Kong. Hope it's good, but would have cancelled and gone for the PDF if I knew this wasn't as big as the higher-priced modules. Dumb me.

Unacceptable sir that you've been driven away, however I understand your choice. I find myself returning to these boards less frequently which is sad because as a result I buy less stuff from Paizo and hence recommend them less.

baradifi wrote:

I mean the concept doesn't sound much different than Dungeon Crawl Classics, does it?

well, by the sound of the other guys review of it, it sounds like its very much different then the concept of dcc.

in the dcc, npcs are meant to be killed, this one sounds like it has quite a few roleplaying parts, and skill challenges, etc.

seems very different.

This sounds like hack-and-slash. as does the powergamey-sounding bit about great dungeons make graet adventurers. If there IS a deep story in there, maybe they should put that in their promotional material.

Any issues convertying this to "icky" 4th Edition ?

http://www.dragonavenue.com/forums/viewthread/935/

What are the changes?

Any issues convertying this to "icky" 4th Edition ?

I mean the concept doesn't sound much different than Dungeon Crawl Classics, does it?

"Remember the good old days, when adventures were underground, NPCs were there to be killed, and the finale of every dungeon was the dragon on the 20th level? Those days are back. Dungeon Crawl Classics don't waste your time with long-winded speeches, weird campaign settings, or NPCs who aren't meant to be killed. Each adventure is 100% good, solid dungeon crawl, with the monsters you know, the traps you fear, and the secret doors you know are there somewhere."

I like the old days, and the maps sound killer, but I dunno about the brainless part of the above. Is the series really like this? Sounds like criticisms of the new 4e adventure Keep on the Shadowfell.

More needs to be written on the key NPC, I don't see enough there too hook them without just railroading them into accepting the premise of the events of the first adventure.

Yeah it will be interesting playing the realms where the PCs are the most important people. And in a way the Spellplague is an explanation for the high-magic setting 4e (and I guess D&D in general) goes for. And explains why there's all of a sudden freakin' dragonmen walking around.

"Tender.. is the night" is all I hear I must be old.

Does anyone else have impressions of this book lest we get into another 3.xe vs. 4e debate (snooze)

Mine are identical.

and its easy to convert those from prior editions?

If people wana play in the past they still can with a bit of conversion. But this book is not a reissue, it adds to the story by advancing it. considering old books still around, whats wrong with that?

Paizo, if you make BLANK cards with art on the backs with pictures of adventurers or fantasy tropes on them I will BUY THEM and fill in the power info myself. I might use them for other things too; cards are just cool.

Of course it should be noted that any copyright holder is well within legal and moral rights to determine how much of that copyright other companies can have access to, for free or for a charge.

But yeah, the GSL gives WOTC more control. I imagine they felt they didn't make enough of a share in the overall market for the line.

I was reading Second Darkness last night and noticed they get into a lot of detail about which spells enemies use in their tactics. How hard would it be to convert this aspect considering how much magic has reportedly changed?

On other online stores I see a different cover. Is the above a limited edition cover? I prefer the drow I must say.

Thick stock. That is frikkin' awesome.

I have gamed in the realms for years, so I hear ya. On the other hand it DID always striek me as somewhat generic, like nothing earthshaking would ever happen, like I was a speck on a mountain...

THAT seems like it has probably changed.

I will give it a shot, and read it (if just for the fun of it) but if I end up agreeing with you I will just keep using my old FR stuff as I am sure will a lot of others.

Thanks for the tip!

Thanks for posting this, it's encouraging!

Thanks Maktaka, that's very encouraging that a full adventure only took an hour to convert -- that hour probably also gave you a better idea of the adventure so would have been time well spent even if you weren't converting. You probably just sold a copy of Lair of the Kobold King, right there.

How hard has the conversion been? How time-consuming? Or do the new DM adventure creation tools in 4e streamline this?

In a nutshell how scared should time-strapped GMs be of upconverting Paizo?

I like the Dragon concept of short modular adventures that require little prep time. I dunno if any group I could put together could finish an adventure that took more than one session.

Paizo ceratinly needs to negotiate a GSL they can live with and start making stuff for 4e though, their quality level is tops and I don't see 4e going anywhere... despite the critics a LOT of people are getting back into gaming with this version.

I have H1-H3 on order but if I don't like them I will probably be convert my Pathfinder subscription adventures instead because they're so rich.

Too bad, I liked her. Mystra also gone. I have the companion on order and can't wait to see it; I think the salient point for FR fans is they can still play in teh past if tehy prefer it; and the changes may bring in new players who didn't like teh realms before. Say what you want, but FR is a less 'generic' setting after the Spellplague. Bordering on 'out there', especially considering the landscape, per WOTC now looks like a Roger Dean cover from a Yes album. That strikes me as hearkening back to the 70s while putting a spin on things, which is cool, that's when the hobby began, so it makes sense to me.

But a point many people miss about RPGs is that you can take what you like and leave out what you don't; unless yer playing in a tournament you just make the world what you want. A rehash of FR 3x using the 4e rules now strikes me as pointless so I am glad they took a new direction... and to repeat, the FR of 2 and 3x are STILL USABLE if you prefeer to set you campaign in them. But you may need the new book for a lot of the creature stats I guess.

Hey, I read on Amazon it is thick like the cover of a hardcover book. Is this true?

Looks like they are discontinuing these as they dropped the cross-marketing blurb about them from the newer Map Packs released in 2008. Also the figures are on clearance, which is nice, I picked up the mummy from this, great fig.

Buggery. Well that's it then. (Though I wasn't thinking of cards that would be compatible with both 4e and 3e). On another board someone says someone is making 4e Power Cards.

Who's selling the cards? I haven't seen them. I don't mind paying, don't have free time to make my own and like well-produced stuff, that's why I'd go for pro-published cards if someone's making them. Where did you see sets for $9.99? Paizo, stock them if they exist!

So Paizo can't even make cool Gamemastery Power Cards for 4e?

I enjoyed 3e as an encyclopedia for teh books and for the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series of games, which is most of my exposure to FR. I will probably buy it because FR feels like home after so many years videogaming in it. I worry about the chanmges wrought by the spellplague and the new art design, but on the other hand, WOTC says the new art direction will be like Roger Dean's album covers for Yes, and that's great gaming music and one of my fave bands, with some of my fave cover art, so it might be fun if it feels all 70s, Wizards (the Ralph Bakshi movie) and Heavy Metal (the music and the movie) in 4e.

Paizo please DO make Gamemastery 4e Power Cards along the lines of your awesome item cards. I'll buy two decks immediately. I guess conversion guides for my Adventure Path subscription would be too much to ask for, which makes me sad.

To reduce the magic level I may have a campaign in a country where magic use is illegal, even punishable by death, and there are government magehunters trying to detect its use everywhere, like in Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana.

I know Paizo isn't going full-bore on 4e by any means (an understatement) but I WOULD like to see Paizo produce some beautifully illustrated power cards for 4e like they have for Item Cards.

What does it contain?

Be great to see what it contains.

Vic Wertz wrote:

Vic Wertz wrote:

baradifi wrote:

I have this on bac order. Do you know when you'll have stock again? Unfair to just use the crit fumbles deck (or less fun for players).

We're not sure yet, but I suspect at least a couple of months.

...although I'm told we may have a few tucked away in the warehouse. We're checking...

We did indeed turn up a few more.

Alison McKenzie wrote:

baradifi wrote:

Hi I want to check what item(s) in particular is/are holding up my order. I might change the order it to get the other items faster as it is still pending after 7 days. Cheers!

Your order is waiting on the following items:
Clay Golem Reaper Miniatures
Highland Hunting Dragon Dark Sword Miniatures
Full Metal Fantasy: Draegyn, the Black Bastard Privateer Press
Snakemen (2) Reaper Miniatures
Male Werewolf Reaper Miniatures
Jalinrix Female Devil Reaper Miniatures

The Clay Golem says it usually ships in 9 to 16 business days, the Highland Hunting Dragon in 10 to 17 business days, and the rest in 5 to 11 business days.

Hope this answers your question!

Hi, how much will it add to my total to have the items that are ready ship now? I imagine minis shouldnt cost too much to ship.

Thanks!

baradifi wrote:

Hi I want to check what item(s) in particular is/are holding up my order. I might change the order it to get the other items faster as it is still pending after 7 days. Cheers!

Your order is waiting on the following items:
Clay Golem Reaper Miniatures
Highland Hunting Dragon Dark Sword Miniatures
Full Metal Fantasy: Draegyn, the Black Bastard Privateer Press
Snakemen (2) Reaper Miniatures
Male Werewolf Reaper Miniatures
Jalinrix Female Devil Reaper Miniatures

The Clay Golem says it usually ships in 9 to 16 business days, the Highland Hunting Dragon in 10 to 17 business days, and the rest in 5 to 11 business days.

Hope this answers your question!

Hi I want to check what item(s) in particular is/are holding up my order. I might change the order it to get the other items faster as it is still pending after 7 days. Cheers!

That'll do fine, and thanks for finding a crit hit deck by the way!