Demon

fantasyphil's page

Goblin Squad Member. ***** Venture-Agent, United Kingdom—England—Kent 60 posts (113 including aliases). No reviews. No lists. 1 wishlist. 33 Organized Play characters.


RSS

1 to 50 of 60 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>
4/5 *** Venture-Agent, United Kingdom—England—Kent

Dolgar, Karzoug, Mortimer get my vote, in that order. Not that the others aren't good, these just spoke to me. Dolgar's ginger beard really leaps out at you.

4/5 *** Venture-Agent, United Kingdom—England—Kent

I for one welcome our new overlord. :)

4/5 *** Venture-Agent, United Kingdom—England—Kent

Well-deserved recognition for all your hard work! :)

4/5 *** Venture-Agent, United Kingdom—England—Kent

This year, was indeed, particularly awesome. The con seems to be going from strength to strength. Great games and great players helped along by the terrific organisation skills of the Paizocon UK team.


What terrific news! Congratulations to both of you, Dave and Rob, on receiving this well-deserved recognition. You will, of course, be expected to arrive at Paizocon in limousines and enter along a red carpet! Time to dust off your posh frocks ladies! :)


Great! I'll take the replacement copies for all 3 damaged items thanks. You guys are terrific. :)


Disappointingly my latest order from Paizo arrived damaged. In the one box containing Inner Sea Gods and Mummy's Mask II, the Inner Sea Gods book had a folded and ripped page 177. The box appeared undamaged. The other package, a card envelope containing Inner Sea Combat,Undead Slayer's Handbook and Alchemy Manual arrived a day later but showed water damage and some tearing on the outside. Inside the Inner Sea Combat had water damage to the cover, spine and rear inner pages. The Alchemy Manual had suffered minor water damage to the top edge of its pages. Is there anything that can be done about this?

4/5 *** Venture-Agent, United Kingdom—England—Kent

As one of those in the UK who has had the pleasure of gaming with Jens as GM on a semi-regular basis I can say he fully deserves his 5 Star rating.

4/5 *** Venture-Agent, United Kingdom—England—Kent

Nice one!


I continued with DDI as a subscriber and have no problem with the cost. I like having access to the articles and though I don't currently play 4E I use a lot of the material in my 3.5 and Pathfinder games. I download the pdfs and keep them on my computer to print when I want hardcopy. I've used maps, illustrations and articles/adventures from the site. I don't tend to use any of the tools because they aren't relevant to me, but if I do play/run 4E anytime then I could see their usefulness.


Out of the Baldur's Gate stable I liked Icewind Dale because it just felt like a campaign game but Planescape was the most awesome. it really captured the feel of the settting and had interesting NPCs and a cool plot. I was also a big fan of Diablo I and II, Dungeon Siege less so. My ideal would be a PFRPG MMORPG though,DDO or LOTRO style. PFS lends itself beautifully to the idea with charcters based in Absalom and being able to go out on missions across Golarion. What would really rock would be being able to tackle the adventures at different tiers so that you had more flexibility. The ability to add in NPCs to achive the minimum party number would also be great. Include faction missions and you have a winner with fame and prestige helping set your spending limits and buy in-game bonuses.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

As a new DM don't try to run before you can walk. Using a published adventure path is a good idea even if there are some complications. There is usually a lot of discussion and advice on the messageboards. Read through the adventure, making notes as you go to help you (either pencil things in the margins, highlight sections, use labels to bookmark pages or put post-its on your GMs screen(another useful purchase if you haven't got one). Look up any rules you're not sure of in advance. Being an experienced player will help you with the rules and the pacing. You probably know what you and your group like so can tailor your style to fit. Don't second-guess yourself or look to the players for guidance too much. You're in charge. Ask for help once in a while if you need it, take time-out to double-check an important rule or piece of information, but don't let the game bog down. Cut the players some slack but expect the same from them. Give a sucker an even break if the dice aren't rolling their way and be generous when you can. If things start taking a turn for the worse, take a break at an opportune moment and review your options. Most importantly, have fun!

4/5 *** Venture-Agent, United Kingdom—England—Kent

I had a great time at the convention and would like to thank the Pathfinder Team for organising another excellent crop of games. I was worried about how the pre-booking would work and it seems there were a few problems along the way but everyone coped and the feedback seems positive. It would be nice to see a dedicated Pathfinder room at expo next year and that might allow players to buy tickets for a slot rather than a scenario, giving more flexibility when matching characters and scenarios. Just a thought.


The content for the Witch did take me back to the days when NPC classes were being published in Dragon Magazine. I know some people like to mix it up by playing evil characters but I'd still baulk at the idea of my character cooking children.


Arguing over a book that has already been delivered is pointless, Where there are mistakes there can be errata. Where an individual DM dislikes a particular section they can alter or ignore it. The point of discussing a product should be to share opinions and make suggestions to improve current play and future game development.


The original Golden Heroes superhero rpg had characters with randomly rolled superpowers that the player then had to come up with a backstory to justify. THAT led to some creative backgrounds. I've known several players over the years build an implausibly cheesy character and then justify it with an improbable backstory. Just as with the Golden Heroes referees who had the right to throw out any superpower from a character's list that they didn't feel had a strong enough reason for being there, a DM should be able to veto character builds that don't fit with the spirit of their game. Common sense has to prevail in such cases. Just because the rules say you can/can't do something incredibly cheesy the SPIRIT of the rules does. I've allowed some potentially cheesy character builds into my home games when I've trusted the player not to abuse my generosity and I've also been ambushed by character builds that have turned out cheesier than I had believed possible. Ultimately the proof is in the playing.


You should be free to support your favourite edition without being flagged for it as long as you don't break the rules for posting. It's up to the others responding to a thread to keep it on topic.


1. Role Playing - if you role-play the NPCs then your players may be inspired to role-play their characters. Encourage speaking in-character and decribing actions dramatically.

2. Subtle Inclusions - NPC portraits, background music to introduce atmosphere, pre-prepared handouts all add to the game but remember, less is more.

3. Plot Hooks - get the charcters involved in the campaign plot from the get-go with background traits that link to the story arc. Make it personal by threatening what they love.

4. Rules - Bend but don't break. Follow the rules but don't forget the fun. Ignore mundane spell components but insist on listing the unique/expensive ones. Check character sheets once in a while but don't be pedantic. Remember to allow some downtime for crafting items or players won't bother but do follow the rules for cost and time. I like hero points, critical hits/fumbles and storycards as house rules.

5. Starting levels - With expereinced players you might want to start at 3rd level but there's a pride in bringing a character on from 1st.

6. Campaigns - I run my own campaign but it includes ingredients from many different settings. I often use published adventures to save time but edit them for my own purposes. Start small and think big is my advice.

7. Gaming Materials - Battlemats, floorplans and miniatures really add to a game. An initiative tracker speeds things up.

8. Story - My campaign has been running for over twenty years so has a lot of backstory but each segment has its own story arc. I add minor details on the fly from my own knowledge of the game world and also put out player guides and information sheets. I try to balance role-play and combat 50/50 but shift the balance depending on the situation. Starting a game with a brief recap and then a fight to draw the players into the action works well, as does halting before a big fight and picking it up at the start of the next session.

9. Player Experience - Experience isn't as important as playing style. Guide new players through the rules but don't smother them. Avoid putting them into situations where they are overshadowed by the deeds of previous characters or punished for not knowing past events in the campaign. Try to give all the players a little bit of what they want from the game and make sure everyone gets a moment in the spotlight. If people are unhappy talk it through.

10. Terrain - There's nothing worse than a fight on a plain battlemat. Terrain makes a fight interesting and inspires players to try things. Use published floorplans to save time or pre-draw your own. Use 3-D terrain once in a while to remind players that a fight can happen on more than one level. Chases across rooftops, fights in alleys, battling on bridges over chasms all add flavour.

11. Intelligent Items - Use intelligent items sparingly but make them memorable. One player wished for a superior magical bow and got one with an enormous ego that belonged to a legendary elven cavalier with whom it constantly compared the new owner. A foul-mouthed sword unearthed from a a barrow kept starting fights by insulting opponents. Another sword took on the personality of the wielder and exaggerated it. The main reason for intelligent items falling flat is when they have no voice and the player controls them completely.

12. Challenging Players - Give them moral and ethical problems to sort out. Set deadlines or give limited resources. Make them choose the lesser of two evils. Put them outside their comfort zone once in a while.


The wedding day belongs to the bride. Give her what she wants.


As a player I hate being railroaded. As a DM I hate it when players ruin my story arc by not 'getting it'. The balance point is inbetween a linear adventure path and the sandbox. My best games have been when I have let the players have the illusion that they can go anywhere and do anything, my worst when I have been telling them a story and letting them roll dice once in a while as though it mattered. One thing that is really important is establishing from the outset what kind of game you want to run and getting your players onboard. You will always find someone who will insist on playing but has their own ideas about what they want the game to be and will try to take it in that direction, but providing you stay true to the original concept and have the majority of players onside it should work. When it comes to laying down clues, the rule of three is an excellent model to follow as players don't always write down the important stuff and end up frustrated that they missed the DMs hints.


Amazon has lower prices but has let me down in the past on delivery - even telling me an item had shipped before saying it was out of stock and asking me to reorder it. Buying through Paizo costs me more, with postage to the UK on top as well, but guaranteeing getting the product plus scoring the free pdf is worth it.


My friendly local game store which I'd been frequenting for 22 years closed over Christmas so I've now had to switch to getting my Knights of the Dinner Table fix through Paizo. I used to always find something to buy there but recently I'd found that I wasn't that interested in the 4E stuff and was buying more reduced stock and boardgames from there than anything else. Guess that explains why they bit the dust.
At a recent convention here in the UK the Bring & Buy stall did a brisk trade in 3.5. There were only a couple of Pathfinder game aids out (which I grabbed: map packs and item cards)but tons of 4E books being offloaded.


I have played a campaign where the one player insisted on keeping his character details secret from the referee. It got to the point where he wouldn't even reveal how many hit points he had and insisted that his character had died during one encounter. The group wasted half an hour trying to get a straight answer out of him as to how much damage he had taken to see if he could be saved or not. It was at that point that I left the gaming table and didn't come back. Soon after that group folded and restarted without that player.

I believe the referee has the right to check the sheet of any player at any time during the game.

It is helpful but not essential for the referee to have up-to-date copies of each player's sheets.

A player refusing to show the referee their character sheet makes no sense unless they have something to hide.

Make clear from the outset of your game what your expectations as a GM are and that those who can't get on board with them should not play.


How much of a pain in it is to run a high-level game very much depends on who you are playing with and what the set-up is like.

I have run a grup of characters from 1st to epic through the initial series of 3E modules and because they have built up in power slowly and evolved together as personalities it isn't a problem.

I eventually ran the retooling of Against the Giants for them at epic level but ran it as a miltiary and political campaign.

The biggest mistake I have ever made running high-level games is thinking that everything always has to be bigger, better or badder.

One of the most enjoyable games I found to run was letting a high-level illusionist play at being a rogue in a standard D&D city. I didn't up the ante just because she was able to spell her way out of trouble and the player responded by trying to be inventive in the crimes they committed.

Low-level play forces players to be imaginative but high-level play can swamp them with options.

If you are running for a pick-up group of strangers then you need to know your stuff better than when you game with your buddies (assuming they normally cut you some slack).

The only real limit as to what character level you allow your game to progress to is the point at which it becomes more like work and less like play for you and your group.


I have been running the same campaign with some of the same players for over twenty years and it is hard to keep that sense of wonder everyone had when you all first started playing.

Thankfully the game we play has evolved and this has brought with it new challenges and different, more interesting ways to build and play characters and a new setting to explore.

Golarion is both familiar and yet different enough that it has got me interested in playing or running the various adventure paths and Pathfinder Society adventures set there, but I still run my homebrewed setting that steals unashamedly from my favourite books, films, comics and games.

To maintain variety in my own game I vary the locale for the adventures, vary the premise or introduce new twists like critical hits and fumbles, hero points and story cards.

I try not to run too much of one kind of adventure even though it is often difficult to move outside my comfort zone. I also take guidance from my players so that they have a hand in shaping the direction of the game.

If you can all agree on what you want, or at least reach a fair compromise, then everyone should have a game they can enjoy.

I also find that getting out and gaming with different people helps add new ideas to my own gaming bag of tricks.


I enjoyed being part of the RPGA here in the UK and playing in the various D&D competitions at Gamesfair and GenconUK but was never really interested in any of the Living campaigns. Pathfinder Society seems the best of all possible worlds and has certainly got me more involved in playing and running games at conventions. I like the way adventures are organised and the different play options. I've also been tempted into trying Lihr (the ongoing Living Scarred Lands campaign)and had enjoyed my one session of Dragonmouth (a Living Iron Heroes game). The fact that these and similar living games are fan-run makes them all the more impressive. Pathfinder Society being so well supported by Paizo just makes things easier but it is the efforts of the many GMs running home-based and convention games that has given rise to the large amount of interest for Pathfinder Society organised play. When it comes to LFR in the UK it will be the hard work of its referees which keeps it going rather than the degree of support from WotC.

4/5 *** Venture-Agent, United Kingdom—England—Kent

Having been one of those lucky enough to attend Jenscon Zero and play Godsmouth Heresy there I would have to say that the faction missions added a lot to the experience - as did the use of Dwarven Forge pieces to build the Ossuary. It was frustrating not to have the knowledge skills to unravel more of what was going on but the faction missions gave enough hints to piece together an idea. I can't speak as to the suitability of the Venture captain giving the briefing but Adril Hestram was as good as any to pick out of a hat and helped push our group of Pathfinders into the adventure with a proper sense of urgency.
I was playing one of the two characters in the Andor faction and while we weren't from the classes best suited to achieve our goals we had fun trying. Knowing that we would get our PA regardless didn't stop us but I could see some groups perhaps deciding discretion is the better part of valour. I would love to see the Ossuary run as an all-day evnt at a conevntion with the entire dungeon built up using Dwarven Forge or similar 3D dungeon pieces. It might even be possible to run more than one group through it at the same time. The Blakros Museum model proved a real hit at Conception here in the UK and helped draw a lot of attention to the Pathfinder Society.


It took me a long time to realise that when I buy a role-playing game I'm the one who gets to decide how it works. If you want rules-lite than choose the rules you want and ignore the rest. Rules heavy? Add the rules that you want and run with it. Dislike the setting? Throw it away and write your own. But if you're into organised play or you and your players need the consistency of using the rules as sold then check the errata. The best thing that came out for 3.5 was the Rules Compendium which gethered all the information on the various key rules in one place rather than having them scattered across several volumes. That's what I'd like to see for Pathfinder rather than a 2nd edition.


I like my FLGS, even though it is't that local to me and always make a point of dropping in when I'm in town. I also love discovering someone else's FLGs when visiting a new area. There's just something special about a store packed full of rpgs, minis, dice and boardgames that makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. I can get a little of the same buzz when shopping online but it's good to be able to handle the product and discuss it with the store owner before parting with my cash. At the moment I have several subscriptions with Paizo so that I guarantee getting my fix of new Pathfinder product and getting the pdf of what I buy is a big plus. However, if I was a more frequent visitor to my flgs and they carried everything Pathfinder then I'd happily pay a bit more for my hard copy if I was getting the pdf too - and wouldn't that just require an individual code being given out with each book that the buyer could use to access the pdf to go with their purchase?


Role-play forums are not the place to challenge other people's fundamental beliefs or mock them. I like the fact that role-playing games allow me to explore moral and ethical issues and to examine what faith and belief mean in a world where gods are real and miracles happen but I don't want to insult anyone while I'm doing it.


No-one likes having their character taken out of the action when it comes to a big fight and I'm sure many GM's feel the same about their villains, but that's just how it goes sometimes. There are ways to protect against and reverse the effects of fear and saving throws become easier as characters advance up through the levels. When your dice let you down you have to suck it up but if your GM is actively working against you it's probably time to look for another game. Gary Gygax famously said that it is up to the players to balance the game back in their favour when the DM has it in for them, but that is just escalating the problem. Talk it through if you can and walk away if you can't. It sounds like you have a reasonably large pool of players so someone else could dust off their GM's screen and offer an alternative game. Bottom line: if it ain't fun, don't do it and getting angry won't help.


I believe in luck, good and bad. A friend of mine rolls consistently high when DMing and low when playing,leading to undesired character death in both cases. He rolls openly and uses large dice that show the numbers clearly. When he suffered a particular run of bad luck which seemed to be infecting everyone at the table I bought him some new dice - which behaved exactly the same way, plus the identical set I bought nearly got my character killed after a string of the lowest rolls I've ever seen! I also play with A DM who consistently crits my characters over everyone else's through no fault of his own. I truly believe that the more you want your dice to roll a certain number the less likely you are to get it. The magic moment is when you succeed against all the odds with a lucky roll, the exception that proves the rule. Gary Gygax famously said that it is up to the players to balance the game in their favour and there are times when it is tempting, especially when it is the fate of the entire party at stake. But once you start down that road it's hard to stop and it certainly can lead to bad feeling if one charcter gets to hog the limelight thanks to consistently 'lucky' rolls. I've played diceless games but I still like the element of random chance dice give. As DM I sometimes moderate the dice to give players a break but I also use hero points to let them buy off their bad luck when it matters. As DM I usually don't worry about cheating at my table unless it is clumsy or rampant and gets in the way of everyone enjoying themselves. Calling someone a cheat is a big step and not to be taken lightly. In a game I ran questions were raised about how one player had built their character and was running it. I followed this up and it created bad feeling which escalated into that player leaving the group. Basically, it cost me a friend, but not calling it might have cost me more. You just have to decide what your level of tolerance is.


It is a mistake to prey on the weaknesses of characters but also to only play to their strengths. The first is discouraging for the players and the second can lead to the DM feeling they are just a screen monkey serving up xps and loot on demand. As in all things, balance is required. A player who optimises their character for a certain role will overshadow anyone else in that role and if the focus of your game is combat then the optimised fighter will rule. On the other hand if the focus is on role-playing then the players with the most confidence or biggest personalities will dominate regardless of their character skill set. Trouble can arise when the optimised fighter is played by the person with the most confidence. The GM must referee play to ensure everyone enjoys themselves and sometimes that means reining in one or more of the players to a greater or lesser extent.This can be problematic but should work if you explain everyone wants to have fun playing and that means taking turns in the spotliight.


I play with several different groups with some overlap between them. Often there is debate about what we should be playing and sometimes a particular game gets vetoed because someone doesn;t like the rules system, setting or the DM. Just as often a DM will come up with an idea and then discard it because 'it wouldn't work with players X, Y or Z' in the mix. Role-playing is a hobby which means we should be enjoying it - if we aren't then why bother? Any game has to be a compromise between the different expectations everyone has.If you want to run a particular style of game you have to put that out there from the outset and see who bites. If someone doesn't want to play then they don't have to. However, if the object is to get together with a particular group of friends then you have to try and find something they all want to be involved with.

4/5 *** Venture-Agent, United Kingdom—England—Kent

For some, role-playing their character will always involve being as awkward as possible but if that's their bag then PFS isn't the organised play game for them because, faction shenannigans aside, we're all on the same side. Is there really anyone who doesn't want the mission to succeed? If you want PvP take it outside and don't try to sneak it in through the backdoor. In the Castle Ravenloft boardgame if a party member dies it's 'game over' so perhaps a little xp, loot or prestige penalty would keep the party spirit alive...


I wasn't a big fan of 4E (so call me a 3.5 grognard if you like) and I love PF, but when I run games for kids as part of the Children's University at my local school I use 4E because it's quick and simple to set up and play (if you ignore some of the fiddlier aspects like marking). Everything you need is clearly laid out on the sample characters from the free to download module but since I have the original hard copy I just run off the character sheets and then use the normal booklets and map sheets plus my own minis. For young players the dice, figures and floorplans combo is the key, plus easy to follow rules. The new Castle Ravenloft game works just as well for the same reasons but includes hit point counters and cards for feats and abilities, items etc. so I believe any intro game has to have dice, figures and floorplans/maps to grab the kids' attention. You also need a simple set of rules for the players and a slightly bigger booklet of rules and adventures for the DM. Include some equipment cards, spell cards and so on and you have a winner imho. And yes, the rules should lead into the full game and not be an alternate set. Levels 1-3 worked for Basic D&D so why not for PF? If you want more you buy the full rules. And you will want more...But if you want to intro the game to more experienced players then go the softback rulebook route.


Playing a swashbuckler from Tome of Secrets in a Kingmaker game I am all in favour of Lunge stopping AoOs but can see why those who have worked their way up the 'Improved...' tree might object. You pays your money and you takes your choice...


I was going to say 'Say it ain't so', but it is , so I won't. Best wishes Josh, wherever you're off to.

4/5 *** Venture-Agent, United Kingdom—England—Kent

Shock news indeed! Dare one say end of an era? But as one era ends another begins. Good luck with your new direction Josh - and welcome Hyrum. PFS is definitely where it's at (whatever 'it' is). Josh hasn't gone over to the Shadow Lodge has he...?


I just played my first game of Ravenloft the boardgame It was fun and seemed a natural extension of where WotC have been taking D&D - it looks like a boardgame, it plays like a boardgame, so it might as well be a boardgame. Much closer to Heroquest and Descent than House on Haunted Hill. Nice sturdy components and lots of them. The minis are a bit of a dissapointment but I believe the reason for them being unpainted is so that each type can be recognised more easily by their colour. I don't know how much replayability there is once you've worked through the given scenarios but I can see this being a hit with youngsters and old hands alike. One of my main gripes about D&D 4E is that it feels too much like playing a baordgame, but now it is one I quite like it!


Any GM that takes a valuable resource that the player has INVESTED IN with the expectation of it being an advantage (a feat and a class ability in this case) and uses it to totally screw the player over by making it anything but an advantage will quickly run out of players willing to play with him (or get punched in the face).

Unless everyone else at the table thinks it's REALLY funny. :P


I was surprised when a player pointed out to me as GM that you could take 20 on a Perception check, but that's because I was confusing the idea of searching for traps with disabling them. If I was going to walk through a minefield I'd want to have a very hard look beforehand and if I wasn't sure of a safe route then I'd start looking for an alternative route. If I was being chased by bad guys then maybe I'd take my chances. So, basically, I agree with the rules as written!


In days of old... when gamers were almost exclusively men, then a certain element of stereotyping crept in when it came to women NPCs. Nowadays, in these enlightened times, equality is everything and our games reflect that attitude. We disapprove of racism and sexism and this features in our games. You could quote history and the place of women in past societies but where's the fun in that? Gamers, boys and girls alike, love a strong female lead, as does Joe Public (see Ripley et al in films like Alien). I tend to play male characters because that's what I'm comfortable with but that doesn't stop me playing elves or dwarves. Some other guy I know often plays female characters but won’t play a demi-human because he ‘doesn’t get them’. I avoid female characters for much the same reason. If I play an elf then it’s unlikely that one will turn up to the game and be unhappy with how I’m portraying their race, but with so many female gamers out there (vive le difference) the chance to offend is very real. Fantasy is not reality, it just has to be real enough for us to suspend disbelief. You could treat women as a different race (Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus) but why bother?


The 'monastic aesthetics' slip was picked up by Murphy's Rules and presented in a cartoon with a monk painting with his feet! I always assumed the Monk character class came about because someone was really into the Kung-Fu TV show. You never saw many monk characters because when you had to roll stats on 3D6 it was a challlenge to come up with the right numbers and what you got at low-level for them really sucked (no stat bonuses for all those high stats for a start!). Monks became more kick-ass (literally)in 3rd Edition D&D but their oriental martial arts have never quite fitted in with the default quasi-medieval setting for D&D (and yes, I also imagined someone like Friar Lawrence in Romeo & Juliet drop-kicking his way around Verona). Since then I've seen players play monks as bar-room brawlers or greek-style wrestlers, so I guess you can make anything fit if you want to.


If a spell is going to ruin your scenario/campaign then think of a way around it - many people have obviously given this some thought and there's merit in most of the suggestions. Pick one and run with it. My personal favourite is 'Range: Touch', although at the moment I let the spell run as per the rules in my own game. It hasn't been a problem - but maybe my group are just playing nice... :)


Why make a bad PC game out of a great tabletop one? The experience is never going to be the same. I could cope with Baldur's Gate but preferred Icewind Dale and never got inmto Neverwinter Nights - but by then I'd discovered MMORPGs. D&D Online was my first but it wasn't the best. Now if we could get a Pathfinder MMORPG that ran like Lord of the Rings Online or World of Warcrat...


The best book ever to come out for D&D 3.5 was the Rules Compendium. No more hunting for rules across several volumes. As the range expands a similar product for Pathfinder would be a real boon.


Paizo gets my vote and my money! I started to struggle to find gaming product I wanted to buy and now there's too much!


I blame Dave...

...for organising another fun-packed weekend of gaming and I still stand in awe of the GMing stamina of both Dave and Rob. Thanks also to Mark for his GMing of the two Sunday slots. I had a blast. Roll on PaizoCon UK 2011!But in the meantime here's to seeing more familiar faces at Oddcon and Conception.


D&D was my first rpg and will always be my favourite - even now it's called Pathfinder. ;)

Having been playing the game for over 30 years I have seen a LOT of changes but, like coming to accept the latest regeneration of Dr. Who, I've always come back to D&D however dubious I am of the changes made to the rules - until now.

Once I heard Pathfinder was continuing a tweaked version of the 3.5 rules I knew D&D and I were going to part company.

It's not just that you can't teach an old dog new tricks - some of the biggest converts to 4th ed. I know are older gamers looking for a little hack'n'slash - but the fact is that I have now been playing MMORPG's for a few years and while I can enjoy the contribution tabletop rpgs have made to the online games, I can't enjoy what they're giving back.

Yes it's fun to call your fighter a tank but once my tabletop experience starts to feel too much like my online experience I want it to stop.

Most MMORPGs seem light on roleplay and heavy on combat, but the beauty is that the mechanics are all hidden away in the programming and you can still enjy the awesome scenery, plot hooks and imbedded backgroundas you grind your levels. Put the mechanics out in the open as part of the rules of a tabletop rpg and you suck the fun right out of the experience. You're back to playing a game, not a roleplaying game and not the kind of D&D game I used to enjoy.

To be fair, my experience of 4th Ed. hasn't been all negative. I've loved running games for younger players and the rules are ideal for what they want out of a game. D&D 4th Ed. is a doddle to run if you stick to published scenarios. But my own playing experience is that the rules intrude too much.

1 to 50 of 60 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>