Monte Redeems Himself

D&D Insider: Legends and Lore
(linked article does not require a DDI subcription)

Monte Cook struck out in his first at-bat with his new gig writing the Legends and Lore column for Wizards of the Coast. His ideas about how Perception should work were basically the same as the system already in play in 4E, and his column seemed to betray that he didn't really have a grasp on the system in question. 

Today, though, in his second article, he hit a home run. He turned the spotlight on magic items, and made a point that's been a primary grognardian criticism of 3rd and 4th Edition D&D since the beginning: magic items have lost their magical feel, and it's because they are no longer a reward but have become an expected part of character advancement, and, indeed, a requirement to maintain PC power levels as they advance through the game. 

Ha! And he takes this swipe at the system right on the heels of the release of Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium, the finest collection of magic items WotC has given us to date. 

This is a good thing. Monte's clearly been paying attention to the old-school gaming movement. This definitely bodes well for the direction of the game. Word is that a 5th Edition is on its way, and if this is a primary assumption of the system, magic items as actual reward and not mechanical filler in the overglorified name of "balance", then maybe Wizards will strike gold. 

I Wish for Magic Story Items

http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ex/20110829

This article here is just an excerpt from the upcoming 4E D&D supplement "Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium", and I have to say I'm sold and can't wait to get my hands on it! 

I admit I've been feeling a bit down on 4th Edition lately. I guess it's mostly because I see so much potential in the system and I haven't really been impressed by how it is implemented in official product from Wizards. This excerpt, however, definitely made me take notice, as they are introducing something new that is a pretty big departure from everything so far. 

"Story Items". Not quite artifacts, though one could be, in the old-school sense of the word. Magical, though lacking any bonuses to character stats. The primary function is really to help tell the story. I love it. Finally we're getting some ideas for gameplay outside of the Combat Encounter/Skill Challenge dichotomy! 

DDI Article and 4E meets AD&D part 3

Combat Velocity

A couple things today. I haven't reviewed a Dungeons and Dragons Insider Article review in a good long minute, but there was a pretty interesting one published today behind the subscription paywall concerning some things you can do to speed up combat in your 4E game.

Wait, didn't the D&D 4E blogosphere hash this all out a few months ago? Why, yes, yes we did. All over the place! Seemed like everyone except WotC had some suggestions on how to speed up combat. It's about time they got on the bandwagon. Their suggestions are: roleplaying(!), doubling PC damage, doubling all damage, using average damage instead of rolling dice, using fewer monsters, and limiting character options. I think every single one of those options has been bandied about the interwebs at length and ad nauseum. However, there was a really interesting article over at Campaign Mastery last week where Johnn used a timer on all the participants and discovered that, by a significant amount, the DM (himself) was the biggest time-thief at his table.


My Suggestions

Referee, know thy monsters. Use simple ones. Save the one with all the fun tricks to be the boss.

Players, know thy characters. Have a plan of attack in combat. Know what the different funny sized dice are. Know how your powers work.

And here's one that's out of left field: change daily powers (class and magic item) to be 1x per encounter powers. Make red encounter powers usable twice per encounter. This will eliminate a lot of player waffling over which power to use, is it worth it to spend the daily now, should I save it, I don't know...

That was just a thought I had yesterday. Gonna playtest it soon, see how the players like it. I'll have a more in-depth article on that soon.

Now, back to the Old-School stuff.

Rulings, Not Rules

Of all the Old-School maxims, this is one I often have the most difficulty with. And not because I'm averse to making rulings at the table in any given situation. As I read through my old-school rulebooks, the rules are convoluted and often confusing. Some actions require a D100 roll, some a D20, and still others a D6!

There is no real core mechanic to the system.

For the game to work with "rulings" instead of "rules", the rulings must be able to be applied fairly to all players, given the circumstances. No DM is perfect, of course. We all make mistakes.

4th Edition's Core Mechanic, however, allows for more consistent rulings to be applied by the DM in any given situation. Understanding the rules and the system is key to making rulings. A judge in a courtroom knows the law; that's how she became a judge. Her understanding of the law allows her to make rulings that are consistent with precedent. At the gaming table, the rules are there to help the DM make consistent rulings. If you have to keep looking up rules at the table, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG! Set a level-appropriate target, have them roll a D20, add the appropriate modifer, and get on with the game. Tie goes to the players. Know (or have an easily accessed cheat sheet) for all the rules you regularly need to reference. The biggest part of that particular trick is knowing your PC's abilities and powers, and knowing the same for your monsters and villains.

One complaint I see old-schoolers make about 4E again and again is that the system limits players with set powers in combat. However, if the DM won't allow a PC to attempt something because he doesn't have the right power, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!

That's right. Now, everyone take a deep breath, and if you really want to get a firm grasp on the rules and learn how to make better rulings in any given situation, for anything the PCs want to try, go read At-Will. This website should be required reading for every 4e DM. If you haven't spent a good chunk of time reading his stuff, you are behind the curve. And the webchat there is awesome! Hope to see you there!

Review: DDI: Eye on Dark Sun: Aldaarich

Review of DDI Article: Eye on Dark Sun: Aldaarich

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dueods/201102eods

I've never been a huge fan of the Dark Sun Campaign Setting. Yeah, I think it's a great concept, and I'm sure the folks who adventure in Athas love it, but it's not my cup of tea. I've always been more into Dragonlance and The Forgotten Realms; call me a traditionalist, I suppose, but that's how I like my D&D. I have yet to pick up any of the 4th Edition Dark Sun products except for the Free RPG Day offering last summer. 

That being said, I loved this article. It details an area that is far enough removed from the areas detailed in the Dark Sun Campaign Setting that it can be easily dropped into any world. And an intriguing place it is! The ruler is a paranoid-schizophrenic type, and a nasty level 20 sorcerer at that. The main city is a prison; none of its people ever leave, and no one is allowed entrance. Its people are all infected with the King's madness. 

The article also fleshes out a few of the local military leaders, and gives DMs a good starting point to build some intrigue-heavy plotlines. No one in Aldaarich trusts anyone, and that should definitely be a theme of any adventure here. 

This is definitely a terrifying place, and I can't wait to send my players there! Like I said before, this is the kind of place that could easily be dropped into any campaign with very little, if any, modification. This kind of article is the reason I keep my D&D Insider account active. 

Review: DDI: Windswept Lord

Review of DDI Article: Windswept Lord

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drfe/201101kord

Windswept Lord is an excellent article specifically about the god Kord's relationship with the Dwarven race. The first page is all mythical background and fluff, further exploring the gods' myriad connections and history in the Points of Light setting. 

After that, we get some usable goodies: a divine boon, a new magic weapon, and a reagent, all flavored for dwarves with Kord's blessing. There is also a new background, the Clan of Kord, which is basically a clan for dwarven orphans and ne'er-do-wells, 

Overall, in four pages you get a whole lot of fluff and plenty of usable crunch. Dungeon and Dragon magazines have recently scaled back their schedule of articles to give themselves more "flexibility" with when they put things out. This Channel Divinity article is a great example of why that decision was a good idea, as this is a very well-written article that had something usable for any player of a dwarf, and any DM with a dwarf in the party. I know in the last couple of weeks we've seen fewer DnD Insider articles, and some have been pushed back, but if this is a sign of what is to come, then I am all for it. Don't get me wrong; I loved the monthly content calendar and used it frequently. That is definitely missed. But this is one of the better articles I've seen in a while. In fact, most of the stuff I've been seeing since that change took effect has been top-notch. Keep up the good work, D&D Insider!