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Knowing the influence Jack Vance had on the basis of D&D, I was wondering, as I am currently reading his Lyonesse trilogy, if you guys saw like me the common points between the Lyonesse universe and the Moonshae in the FR. Is it just me or did it strike you as well?
Let's get funny, as I'm bored. What's the worst, the most ridiculous, stupid novel from any D&D arc you ever read? If I had to choose, I would take the Phlan trilogy. I mean, the bodybuilder wizard girl, the undead priest named Martinez (or Fernandez, don't recall exactly),etc... It was so stupid it was funny, something that touches the nonsense of some Monty Python sketches, or the z fun of Trauma Productions. What about you?
Who has seen this movie? It's absolutely brilliant. Based on the story of Chris McCandless, idealistic hitch-hiker who met his fate in the Alaskan wilderness.
Hey all, Tonight I'm working, while the majority of the world will celebrate Xmas. Curiously, I don't really feel sad about it, in some ways I would say I'm even a bit relieved. No family meeting, and no usual decade-old rituals...it feels strange but I'm quite happy, because I'm not a real big fan of Xmas at heart anyway. The frenzy of buying that is displayed on December has really started to rebuke me these past few years, I mean if you love people it's all year long and everyday and not on a single occasion with costly presents. As well the religious overtones of the thing I don't really dig: I have the chance to live in a multicultural country, so I don't see why I couldn't celebrate the Muslim, Jewish or Chinese xmas if there are. And to finish, I don't know why but every year I'm sick like a dog for xmas: nausea, back problems,etc.... Just like if my body was rejecting this whole stuff. It's really strange. So, enjoy your holidays, and while you'll feast, know that there will be a guy somewhere who is, as Thin Lizzy sang, "Dancing in the moonlight"! Cheers!
Hi, Don't really know where to put this message, so I guess this column will do. I just wanted to wish to all of you, from CEO to milkman, the very best of Christmas and a happy new year 2008! I'm sure all your fellow customers will join me to wish you many many good things for this next era! I wouldn't be what you call a hardcore customer, having just a few issues of Dungeon/Dragon in my collection and a few other stuff as well. But I'm more than impressed by the quality of your work, and above all, the tremendous relationship you try to establish , day after day, with your base of customers. It's so rare that you have earned my life long respect. And finally, the thing that overwhelms me the most with you guys is that I feel that, while of course a serious business who wants to make money like all the others, you are also people with real LOVE for what they are doing. It's just an awesome pleasure to feel how much you like this job and this game, and how much you put efforts into it. Kudos again! So guys, I really hope you have lots lots of fun with the holidays, and don't forget to drink responsibly on new year, because we pretty much need you to get ready to work on the 1st of Jan for some more awesomeness!!! MERRY XMAS PAIZO!!!! JOYEUX NOEL PAIZO!!!!
Excuse the bluesy reference of my title, I just wanted to share some opinions with the members of the boards about the fate of D&D4. I personally think, and it's totally personal and maybe stupid, that D&D4 will go down really quickly. Yeah, it's gonna flop. Big time. The reasons? Well, as I said in previous posts, WOTC is running after too many customers (WOW youngsters and trad RPG gamers), some of whom are not even aware of D&D and don't even care about it(-and seeing the total artistic/commercial flop that D&D Online was, what's their opinion of D&D anyway?) Second, the old guard ( I mean the guys that are over 25), the ones like you and me, who work ,and thus have funds ,and thus buy the stuff... are pretty much pissed off about WOTC right now. From a disastrous PR campaign to a total bashing of the game history, you name it. Plus we have found out that there are other companies, like Paizo, who really care about their customers and come up with a quality of material that WOTC can only dream of as of recently... Third, the slaughter they are making of established and beloved settings (like the Realms). 99% of the comments I heard from fans have been utterly negative. And I'm not only talking about gamers, I'm talking also about people who just buy the novels and love the Realms for what it is. As well, reinventing the wheel and coming up with the 10000000000th cataclysm is totally boring... Fourth, the marketing disaster of 3.5. Because now that we already lived it once, why would we be so sure that 4.5 is not around the corner anyway? I guess there's a lot of dudes who are going to wait 1 to 2 years before investing...and yet they won't be totally sure that it's not in the plans. So will you put as many bucks in a product you can't be certain of ? Hmmm... As I see it, I can imagine it will start by selling quite a few units. But it will quickly go back to bad curbs on the sales charts. Because the core of the customers just won't be there anymore. And it should be painful as well when the FR campaign setting is out. These are just my two cents. I'm not hateful or anything, I'm just trying to summarize my thoughts, and share them with you. And now for the most important? What do you think is gonna happen? Hall of Fame or Bust? Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf? :)
Have you ever heard that famous sentence from Einstein? "I don't know how World War III will be fought, but I know World War IV will be fought with woodsticks and stones." That's exactly the situation I feel is going to happen with D&D4. I don't know how D&D4 will be played, but I'm sure D&D5 will be back to the basics. Because WOTC are destroying so much of the D&D we all love and know that people will be pissed off and will want to go back to the roots: 20 levels, vancian magic, alignments... When I'm playing D&D, I'm expecting to play D&D. if I want to play Exalted, I'll play Exalted. Same for other stuff: if I want a beer, I'll have a beer, not something with the taste of beer... :)
Hi all, I posted earlier about my interest in adapting the Savage Tide AP to the Moonshae Islands. Comments I had were pretty negative, and right now I don't feel sure about it either. So I'd like to gather ideas and feedbacks from DMs/players, as I intend to start a Moonshae based campaign in the near future. My group and I have been playing in the region of the Dalelands for a while (2 years)with the same bunch of characters, in a big homebrewed campaign, and I feel it's time for something new! Basically the game will start on one of the Moonshae islands with characters level 1. They will all be pretty much beginners, young and inexperienced in life.I will push for native characters, but foreigners coming from the continent could also be accepted. We will use basic rules (plus some home ones), magic enhanced with the FR material, and I have also allowed two new basic classes (the Knight and the Witch) as they fit the Moonshae background pretty well. My ideas for adventures are not quite definite ( I'm towing with the idea of the return of an evil nordic warlord, exiled some years ago, who comes back to the Isles for revenge with a pirate fleet from the Nelanthers and other dark allies), so I'm very very interested to hear about your ideas, feedbacks and comments. Especially regarding the very first adventure of this new batch of adventurers! An attack from the sea, some basic dungeoncrawl, a trip to another part of the archipelago,etc...You name it. This first adventure I'd like to keep short (8hrs of play or so) and fastpaced to install the feel of the setting. So, fellow gamers, all your help is welcome! :)
Hi all, I recently started reading bits and pieces of the Savage Tide adventure path, and I will certainly DM it in the near future for my players. As we all like the Forgotten Realms setting, I intend on converting the campaign for Faerun, and I read through the conversion guidelines brought by Paizo. The stuff is that I'm not very fond of the locations being advised, and instead I'd like to put the background of the campaign on the Moonshae Isles, off the western coast of Faerun. Main idea is that Sasserine could be put on the island of Mintarn, as its main city, Mintarn being the most cosmopolitan island of the region, and has evident trade/influence links with several kingdoms on the coast like Amn, Calimshan or Waterdeep. I could see the Crimson pirates as coming from the Nelanther islands in the south of the Moonshae, and the Isle of Dread as being located far west in the uncharted parts of the Trackless Sea. So, what do you think of my ideas, do you think it's workable, and what kind of advices could you give me, fellow gamers? I like the Moonshae for the liberty they leave to a DM (not a lot of material from TSR/Wotc), and the remote/celtic feel they have. I intend also on fleshing out the campaign with material from the Freeport setting. So, any idea, advices, remarks will be more than welcome, and if they are DMs who did something similar, or know well the Moonshae, your feedback would be highly appreciated. Many thanks!
Hi all, Just watched the D&D4 trailer on Youtube (yes I'm late...). Never have I seen worst a commercial, who not only bashes all previous editions of the game, but makes players look stupid and in dire need of all the great improvements that saint WOTC will provide them. WOTC: wise and overlordly
It's lame. It's insulting. And it's not even funny... Also, as a Frenchman, I would like to apologize on behalf of my country and all french gamers for the guy who presents it. If I could buy him to beat him up, I would. He's so arrogant and his english is so bad that I would have him executed in the minute. Forgive us. And to finish, I especially enjoyed the statement "Ze gameu will remain zeu sameuu" (heavyweight french accent). Yeah, right. Except you won't be able to use your 3ed books, settings are dramatically altered, no more saves, 30 levels (???), different rolls for weapons and combats, no more gnomes, no more druids, etc etc... Am I the only thinking this is one of the worst jokes ever made?
Hi all, I have been using some house rules in my game, and being pretty satisfied with them (my players too), I'd like to know what you think about them, and if you use similar systems in your groups. here they are. -Massive damage threshold(MDT): Each character has a MDT of 10+CON bonus+level. Every time he is hit by an amount of damage equal or superior to his MDT, he rolls a Fortitude check (DC15+2 pts per 10 pts of damage received). If he fails, he is knockout at -1 and starts dying. Thus it simulates hazards and dangers of a somewhat more realistic battle. -Accumulating damage: When a character goes below half of his Hit Points, he is dazed and all his actions until being healed suffer a -2 penalty to rolls. He also moves half of his normal speed. -Damage to armor: every time a character goes below 0 Hit Points, his armor suffers damage and loses 1 point of AC, thus needing crafting afterwards. -Hero Points: Roughly similar to the Warhammer RPG system. Characters start with 3 Hero Points, which they can use to save their lives in a spectacular manner, or perform epic actions (big bonuses to a roll). I require my players to describe the effect, thus adding to the fun and spectacular aspect of this roll. -Perks and flaws: I ask my players to come up with one of each, being background based or more general (Richness, Blindness, Code of Honor, Stupid, Phobia, Powerful enemy or ally, etc...). These are not feats, more like ading something to the character personality or background. These little rules have been fun and have rekindled our interest in D&D. So what do you think about them?
No one? :(
Hi all, I'm desperatly looking for some sheets where the spells for core D&D and Forgotten Realms would be enclosed together, thus giving my players useful documents to refer to when they want to cast spells, choose new ones,etc...At the very least ones with the page's references would be great. Anyone ?
Hi all, I recently read my old Marco Volo modules , and I couldn't help to feel a bit of nostalgia , based on the long hours I spent with my group playing this fantastic campaign. It was full of over the top and remarkable characters , funny and swashbuckling situations , epic moments , and most of all , it was greatly heroic and refreshing with a "Three Musketeers" kind of atmosphere!Definitely the masterpiece of the AD&D times , along with Dragonlance. I was wondering why we can't have , from Paizo or Dungeon , more of this style of adventures , which are for me far more interesting and roleplaying-friendly than any of the usual dungeons and "get the loot and kill the bad guys" modules published in the past few years.Personally I'm fed up with that , and , don't take it for yourself guys , the adventures I read in your columns only seldomly give me the will to master them to my players. As a DM , I want my players to have epic duels , meet great characters , make long and dangerous trips , in a non-black and white style of universe where all is sumed by "he is LE so he's a bad guy". Somewhere where they're heroes and live heroic moments.
The Marco Volo trilogy had all of that , with a different touch , along with the greatest NPC in D&D history , and the greatest villain (ahhh , this stupid and megalomaniac Darklance...)at the same time. Because they were more real than a "evil temple of doom" and the likes.And when I talk to my players about our D&D moments , Marco Volo stands as our best memories with the game , same level with Warhammer's The enemy Within and Alternity and Pendragon campaigns we had. So , please , could we have more adventures like it , something like it , free of these stupid and casual dungeons and villains who have 2 pages long of abilities but no personality ? Sorry for the fans , but Kyuss is only a technical challenge to me , a PC-game big boss void of all the Something that makes him alive and great to confront (Lashonna on the other hand is a great character , and you should have stopped with her , making Kyuss more of an unworld menace , a bit like a Great Ancient). I would be delighted to see an adventure or a campaign between the technical florilege of Age of Worms and the fantasy of Marco Volo.Something that has the seminal taste of our childhoold fantasy books and the feeling of our swashbuckling/adventurous teenage readings.Yeah that would definitely delight me.Thanks for reading me and let the good times roll. :) And what do the other readers think ?
Half-fielon
..... My thread will be simple and short: This is just becoming non-sense . This is becoming slowly a Monty Python game with the most uninteresting cliches and super-hero kiddy look. Where's the serious and simplicity in that ? And I don't mean it halfly ;)
Hi all, I wouldn't want to be a pain in the ass of everybody who's enjoying the AOWAP , but really.....what's so exciting about it ? I red several adventures from the AP , and except "The Prince of Redhand" , a brilliant and original roleplaying adventure that I stolen immediately to adapt to my own campaign , I found the rest pretty boring , not original , "munchkinesque" and based only on dungeons , bashing , dungeons , bashing......Plus the main plot is as old and fascinating as my old Polo Wolkswagen...:) So , is there somebody else sharing my opinion or am I really missing something about AOW ? PS : I'm not criticizing the people who like AOW , let's make it clear ! ;)
Hi all, I have an adventure that would involve young characters (15 to 17 years of age , human range) and I think level 1 characters would already be too evolved for the story and the image I have of them.... I heard that somewhere in the rules there is something about level 0 characters....Does anybody has an idea about that , and what are the specific rules for such characters? Thanks a million
Hi all , Is there anybody on this board hailing from Dublin , Ireland ? I'm 28 years old , I've been playing for the last 15 years and I'm always looking for a good game with nice people . I like nice stories over all-fighting , but I don't mind a good fireball or double axe hit !!!! And I nearly forgot to tell you I'm French , but my english is fine , don't worry... Hope to have answers ! See ya !
Hi , here is the campaign diary from the adventurers group I'm involved in at the moment . I'm playing Arnald , a human thief , small in size but be careful !!!We're playing in the world created by our gamemaster , Jean. Shipwrecked (adapted from "Wreck Ashore") Gamemaster : Jean
Lights , camera , action.... We all wake up in a cage suspended in the bottom of what looks like a boat , trapped like animals and without all our equipment.While we were trying to find a way out , suddenly the door of the cell opens and a bare chested guy comes in , announcing we are now slaves and prisoners aboard the Galiath , a slave ship heading the gods only know where.... While the guy is menacing and tauning us , we suddenly hear a big crashing noise , and water starts to pound inside the boat. After some efforts , we just have time to grab pieces of equipment and weapons , open the cage and leave the sinking boat with raging elemens all around us . In the distance , we see what looks like the fire of a lighthouse. We finally land on a shore , all by ourselves , soaked and tired , and we decide to take some rest , witnessing the presence of a tall building close by .... In the morning we go investigate what is finally in abandonned lighthouse, and we all guess that the inhabitants were forced to leave . once we arrived on the top floor we see a big makeshift tower in the distance , a wooden tower built to serve as a temporary lighthouse , but apparently serving to a very different goal than keeping the boats off the dangerous cliffs and shores....Nothing of interest really in the stone tower..... Going out of the stone tower , we discover we are spied upon by a lizardfolk , and we decide to try communicating with him , thanks to the magic of Lordias . The lizardfolk tells us some bad humans arrived in the area some time ago , kidnapped the poor family of the lighthouse and started to build their tower in hope to attract ships and loot them. As the lizardfolks are feared by the inhabitants of the human town of Seawell close by , they are the ideal scapegoats and want to get rid of the ship looters....
The ambush works very well : we kill one the patrolers , and make a prisoner out of the other . He gives us some info on the camp and we decide to disguise ourselves as patrolers and prisoners and go attack the camp... We enter the camp thanks to our trick and unleash the attack. All the guards fall down , and those who were resting are slained in their sleep . But the chief of the party , an enormous human fighter, strikes and injures some of us. Finally , thanks to the dexterity of our elven archer , he falls dead on the ground.....We free the poor family of the lighthouse , destroy the beacon tower and loot the camp , a justful epilogue to the base of the shipwreckers.....Our "friend" the lizardfolk comes and thanks us fo our help , before heading back to his village somewhere in the swamps....But we have discovered that this pirate camp has been raised following the orders of a mysterious "captain" , who knows who is he and why is he paying so much for poor merchant ships wreckings..... We make our way back to Seawell and we are honored by the city councellor , who rewards us with one night and dinner offered at the town's finest inn.....Some rumors tell us of strange dissapearances at the Gravemountains to the southeast of Seawell. Some of us are hoping for treasure, others just hope not to die.... THE END XP for each character : 550
I wanted to know if anyone of you is using an alternative way to reward experience to players.I am sick of all the combat-based XP as it leads the players to kill everything instead of concentrating on adventures objectives and finding alternative solutions to one problem.... I decided some time ago that I would only reward players from now on their roleplaying skills , completion of adventure and personal objectives , as well as the success of the session (I mean , in terms of good cooperation and fun for everyone around the table). For me , combat is a part of all that , and not the supreme goal of it all (Of course , killing the big boss can still be a scenario objective , as well as other sorts of combat , but hacking and slashing inferior NPCs or situations just piss me off and bore players I think after a while) So now here's my system : I reward my players with Adventure Points instead of basic XP , that I converted like that : Level 2 is 5 Adv.Pts , Level 3 10 Adv.Pts ,etc.Each time the players attain a level , the Adv.Pts are erased and it starts again..For rules concerning XP , like some spells , just divide the gap of XP between each level by the number of Adv.Points. Typical reward for me is 1-4 points per adventure , 1-2 points per good to excellent roleplaying , and 1 point for general fun and success of the session . I feel my players are now more concentrating on "living" the adventure rather than just slaughtering the world...And I'm pretty glad about that !!! So I wanted your opinion and own home rules to see how you do with your players or masters....See you ! PS : I think that all roleplaying games fanatics will recognize an inspiration from the Alternity XP system (I miss that game....). And they're right !!! ;))
I'm sorry for the fans , but I think this guy is the most overrated author in comics EVER !!! I red Sin City , From Hell , and my feeling all the way was : graphism is s@@& , story is always the same , and apart from bloodshed and meaningless cruaulty , this guy just doesn't know how to write and give life to interesting characters..... So my opinion : dump this guy !!! Ok I know he has lot of fans , and I expect them to reply as evn if I don't like his work , I respect everyone's opinions !! See you
From a DM's poin of view: -Once upon a time in the west , Sergio Leone
These movies helped me to know how to come up with a good story and interesting characters , as well as a way to treat psychological questions , and most of all , what is great and inspiring cinema.... You surely noticed that all these movies are quite old , as many of the movies that are released now are pretty pretty baaaaaddddddd and booorrrrrinnnnggggg (whoaooo look all the FX , as we don't have any story to tell you ;) !!!!) For me the worst movie of all time should be Matrix , as it's only a pale copy of what the Japaneses did 10 years ago with Akira and Ghost in the Shell , and the characters are absolutely uninteresting , the music sucks , the camera views are pretentious and kitsch (god , in 5 years this movie will be the kitschest movie of our period !!!)
Hi folks, Recently I came up with some ideas for a new FR campaign of my own that would involve characters into a great divine project that could change the face of Faerun forever. Shar , the dark goddess , is said to have a growing cult that is slowly and secretly taking the reins of power in Halruaa. And what if the goddess gave birth to a mortal heir that could oneday take the crown in the magical realm ? Imagine what it could be if that would ever happen ? the campaign should begin in the Dales and take the characters all the way to Halruaa , and involve many major groups from the realms as it is a major event that concerns everybody.... This campaign as I see it would have an atmosphere like "The Exorcist" movies serie , something scarry , thrilling and in a conspiracy tone , and I'm looking for any ideas and tips that would help me build this campaign and make it a memorable one. So tell me please , what do you think of this idea , what are yours about it , etc.....All your help is very welcome ! Griselame Ken Fisher has not created a profile. |
