JPHiP Forum

General => Akihabara => Topic started by: twissie on June 05, 2010, 02:01:37 AM

Title: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on June 05, 2010, 02:01:37 AM
I've played a bunch of different tabletop rpgs over the last couple of years... not a lot, but enough to be interested in playing more xD Favourite so far is the shiny new 4e D&D :heart: I guess making the combat more boardgame-y makes it easier for me to get into the action and actually picture what's going on.

How about you guys? Anyone play tabletop rpgs?

I was kind of on the fence about tabletop rpgs before, but podcasts and videos of people actually playing helped motivate me to give it a go.  :thumbup

Penny Arcade D&D Sessions Podcast (GREAT FUN! XD)
- Penny Arcade Podcasts Series 1 - 4 (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/podcasts.aspx)

I think this is still running. Not quite sure, though xD; Either way, this is definitely worth a listen!

I Hit It With My Axe
Tabeltop rpgs so hip, even porn stars do it!
Awesome show where people like Mandy Morbid, Kimberly Kane, and Zak Sabbath get together to play homebrew D&D, special guest star in the first seven episodes: Sasha Grey! First few episodes are a bit shaky, but they get better!

- Episode 1: Meet the Party (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1533-Episode-One-Meet-the-Party)
- Episode 2: F*uck A Medusa (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1550-Episode-Two-F-ck-A-Medusa)
- Episode 3: Down In The Hole (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1583-Episode-Three-Down-In-The-Hole)
- Episode 4: A Lot Of Spiders (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1602-Episode-Four-A-Lot-Of-Spiders)
- Episode 5: Blobs and Brain Switching (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1615-Episode-Five-Blobs-and-Brain-Switching)
- Episode 6: His Body Closes the Door with its Pieces (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1635-Episode-Six-His-Body-Closes-the-Door-with-its-Pieces)
- Episode 7: No Defense Against Blankets (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1674-Episode-Seven-No-Defense-Against-Blankets)
- Episode 8: Don't Tell Us Right Now (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1686-Episode-Eight-Dont-Tell-Us-Right-Now)
- Episode 9: Deciding Which Goblin To Hit (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1704-Episode-Nine-Deciding-Which-Goblin-To-Hit)
- Episode 10: Trying To Kill The King Has Consequences (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1718-Episode-10-Trying-To-Kill-The-King-Has-Consequences)
- Episode 11: You Guys Got Totally Paralyzed (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1735-Episode-11-You-Guys-Got-Totally-Paralyzed)
- Episode 12: The Blind Stabbing The Blind (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1758-Episode-12-The-Blind-Stabbing-The-Blind)
- Episode 13: Aaaah! Rat! Giant Bee! (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1777-Episode-13-Aaaah-Rat-Giant-Bee)
- Episode 14: Bacon, Balloons and Beetles (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1804-Episode-14-Bacon-Balloons-and-Beetles)
- Episode 15: Ambush at the River of Despair (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1816-Episode-15-Ambush-at-the-River-of-Despair)
- Episode 16: Now & Then A Player Will Die (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1840-Episode-16-Now-Then-A-Player-Will-Die)
- Episode 17: A Dire Situation (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1858-Episode-17-A-Dire-Situation)
- Episode 18: 200 lbs. Of Meat And A New Fur Coat (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1872-Episode-18-200-lbs-Of-Meat-And-A-New-Fur-Coat)
- Episode 19: Silly (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1884-Episode-19-Silly)

Series is still running. New episode every Wednesday :heart:
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Amplifier on June 05, 2010, 02:10:59 AM
I've never had the fortune of playing any tabletop games in person, given that no one I know in person plays them, or has any interest at all, sadly.

Will catch up on I Hit It With My Axe, since I need to catch up on ZP too :grin: Sounds.. :drool:
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: pikapikapika on June 05, 2010, 02:16:59 AM
I've always been interested in D&D, mostly because it seems much better than that Warhammer crap my friend is always trying to get me to play.
I'd rather use my imagination than paint 500 overpriced plastic men with overpriced paint and play whatever Warhammer is.

I would say how bad I disliked it, but I was so busy painting all these little elf guys for weeks I got so freaking bored I ditched it before I had enough to play an actual game of it  :lol: when I tried playing it in high school.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Flyp on June 05, 2010, 02:18:20 AM
Used to play D&D 3.5e with about 5 of my buddies a couple years ago.  My current job killed that ability, sadly.  But I used to play weekly for 2 years, and I do miss it.  Especially the Tome of Battle stuff, you could make some really epic martial characters with that sourcebook.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Rickker708 on June 05, 2010, 04:23:15 AM
Actually, I should be getting out the door now instead of posting here. A group of friends I hae been playing with for a while now have just converted from 3.5 to 4 and are having a decent time of it. I missed the first game due to lupe fiasco. We play every other friday. gotta go roll some 20's.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on June 07, 2010, 10:48:58 AM
I've never played D&D (or any other tabletop rpg) with a whole group of people. Would love to try it once, but I don't really know that many people who are in to it .__.; So for most (... if not all? lol) of my game sessions we've only been two players (so a DM and a player who juggles two or three different characters). Not ideal, but it works, and still makes for good fun :thumbup

Before I actually gave D&D a go, I kept looking at the books in the comic book store. I love books, and roleplaying game books can be so pretty!  :wub:  :nervous

I love the design of the D&D4e books, they're really easy to use for actual games, but they're also easy to pick up and flick through and actually read. I remember the font in the earlier edition books just made my eyes water over @_@; Difficult to read~~ XD
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Amplifier on June 07, 2010, 01:09:44 PM
I saw the first few episodes of I Hit It With My Axe yesterday, good stuff!

Also, very related Penny Arcade TV episode (http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/pa-the-series/122/)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on June 09, 2010, 11:09:30 PM
New episode of I Hit It With My Axe is up!

Episode 13: Aaaah! Rat! Giant Bee! (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1777-Episode-13-Aaaah-Rat-Giant-Bee)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Asmodai on June 10, 2010, 08:07:58 AM
I've never had the fortune of playing any tabletop games in person, given that no one I know in person plays them, or has any interest at all, sadly.

Will catch up on I Hit It With My Axe, since I need to catch up on ZP too :grin: Sounds.. :drool:

Come visit and we can rectify that, Amp. ;) I've been playing tabletop games for more than a decade now (started with the AD&D 2nd ed. black books in 1995) - I probably spend more time on it than any of my other hobbies - even Warhammer and video games. It's where I met most of my longtime friends, including my current gf. D&D is definitely more fun and much less of a commitment than Warhammer, Pika.

Currently I'm playing in a 3.5 D&D game and a Dark Heresy game. I'm going to be restarting my 4e game once Dark Sun comes out. I really love 4e though - makes DMing so much easier, and the game is much more about tactics than character builds now.

If there's enough interest, we might even be able to do a game via iPlay or something - http://iplay4e.appspot.com/characters (http://iplay4e.appspot.com/characters)

I'll also post a link to Order of the Stick - an amazing D&D-themed webcomic for those that aren't familiar with it: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html)


EDIT: And since I'm feeling bored and nostalgic right now, I noticed a certain similarity earlier today when I was digging through some of my gaming books:

(http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/4851/img2111.jpg)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Scramasax on June 11, 2010, 02:18:55 AM
I've been DMing a 3.5 campaing for over 2 years now.  It took the party all the way from level 1 to 16 so far.  4 more levels and we are living the dream!   :w00t:
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Foxy Brown on June 11, 2010, 02:26:06 AM
(http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/2901/61008819091.jpg)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on June 15, 2010, 02:50:54 PM
Woah, so since there are so many experienced players here, maybe someone would be able to give me some pointers? I'm going to DM a session of D&D 4e with the Eberron setting~ now, we'll probably start a longer campaign as well, but we're going to start off with the 1st level adventure presented at the back of the Eberron Campaign Guide (or so I was thinking, anyway). I think I might have to adjust some (if not all) of the encounters since, again, there'll only be one player (lol).. XD Uugh.

... I guess my question is, how difficult is it for a person with no imagination previous D&D experience to speak of to DM a session and possibly come up with a longer campaign? Hahaha. Are there any other one-shot (or longer) Eberron campaigns available anywhere? Because I'd love to be able to make use of existing material - fan made or official. Making my own campaign just really seems like a horribly daunting task, and I'm not sure I have the willpower to complete such a project *_*

Other general DM tips and tricks are welcome too~! :D
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Asmodai on June 15, 2010, 05:37:53 PM
Awesome. I love Eberron. You're making a good choice. :)

There is another 4e Eberron themed adventure: Seekers of the Ashen Crown - http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/9780786950171 (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/9780786950171) - I haven't played it myself though. There are also a few free adventures from Dungeon you could adapt: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Archive.aspx?page=1&sort=category (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Archive.aspx?page=1&sort=category)

As for DMing, the main advice I have is try not to sweat it too much. You can feel you've done a lousy job and still have your players tell you how awesome stuff is. Focus on a small part of the world (e.g. Sharn, Aundair, etc.) and read up on it. If you set your first few adventures in the same area, you'll have less to keep track of and your player will learn the setting quicker.

For more specific advice, I'd go to an office supply store and get a few sets of tabs. Tab the skill challenge section in the DMG and put tabs on the monsters you plan to use before the session. I also like to use a small dry erase board to write down monster HP and status, initiative and all that other stuff - once the fight is done, I just wipe it clean and its ready to go again.

With one player, you'll need to tone down fights. Usually this means one 'real' opponent and a couple minions. The Dragon Annual has a chart showing the best opponents based on the PC's role:

Controller: Artillery*, Controller, Skirmisher
Defender: Brute, Skirmisher*, Soldier
Leader: Controller, Skirmisher*, Striker
Striker: Brute, Skirmisher*, Soldier
* = Ideal role

You don't have to stick to this, but it is a good list of what 1-on-1 battles produce interesting fights. If the player loses a fight, usually it's more fun to have them captured and get to make a daring escape than to just kill them. It keeps the game from ending too. If you want to have a larger fight, you can balance things out by adding some guards or soldiers on the player's side to help them out. This is especially fun if they're playing a Warlord or Bard and need others to get the most of their abilities.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Scramasax on June 16, 2010, 04:39:42 PM
^ First rule of DMing:  The DM is GOD!  His/Her word is the law of the universe as much as Newton's Laws are the laws of ours.  Sure, there's lots of rules in the books, but really, they're just guidelines.  You'll find yourself in positions where someone will do something that either isn't specifically explained or that will take far too long to look up.  Just wing it.  The math in 4e is simpler than in 3.5, so you have that going for you.

Second rule of DMing: DM is GOD!  see above.

Third Rule:  It's about the players, not the DM.  Avoid making DM NPCs that follow the party around.  Especially super powerful NPCs that do all the work for the party.

Fourth Rule:  Don't let players paly characters based on themselves.  Also, don't let them play a Mary-sue.  It's called Role-playing for a reason.  If they are palying "themselves" or an over-idealized character, then every bad thing that happens to their character will be taken personally.

If you need to know what a Mary-Sue is, it typically refers to characters in fan-fic, but it's pretty easy apply it universally. 
(http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/1641/1263132115106.th.jpg) (http://img69.imageshack.us/i/1263132115106.jpg/)

[edit] As for reducing the challenge for the single player, the book assumes parties of 4 players.  You'll want to cut the enemy's numbers in fourth, or reduce the challenge rating by 4, whichever is easier given the situation.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on June 16, 2010, 10:53:48 PM
^
Thank you guys. Practical things like tabs and small dry erase boards are things I wouldn't have thought of myself, even though they are simple little things to make things run smoother, omg haha XD Awesome. Keep the tips/general thoughts coming! :D

Aaaand there's a new I Hit It With My Axe episode~! Episode 14: Bacon, Balloons and Beetles (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1804-Episode-14-Bacon-Balloons-and-Beetles)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on June 23, 2010, 11:59:09 PM
New I Hit It With My Axe episode is up! And I'm told it is a good one!  :thumbsup

Episode 15: Ambush at the River of Despair (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1816-Episode-15-Ambush-at-the-River-of-Despair)

(http://hitorimoni.net/g/src/1277301333.png)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Asmodai on June 26, 2010, 02:28:35 AM
Since I'm upping it for my players anyway - here's the primer I made for the Forgotten Realms campaign I'm starting in a couple weeks: http://www.sendspace.com/file/zmkm67 (http://www.sendspace.com/file/zmkm67)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on June 29, 2010, 11:31:32 PM
Crazy inspirational stuff posted on the Penny Arcade blog. This encounter looks so awesome *o* I hope they'll film it or something...

Quote from: Gabe
My players ended up in the Elemental Chaos, a place called the Moteswarm to be exact. I wanted to create something that would really give them the feeling of fighting on these giant elemental motes in bizarre gravity. So what I did is create a series of 3D “planets” for the encounters to take place on.

(http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/5959/9176720792tzvbm.jpg)

(http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/580/91769451673kqum.jpg)
Full post and info on how to make these planets here (http://www.penny-arcade.com/2010/6/28/) (the post at the bottom called D&D in the Elemental Chaos part 1). SO COOL. Wish I could come up with things like this XD
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Amplifier on June 29, 2010, 11:45:01 PM
Wow, that looks intense. I love the shit they cook up for their games, makes me mad jealous.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on June 29, 2010, 11:48:14 PM
Thing is, those styrofoam planets aren't difficult to make, nor would it be very expensive. ... still I'm obviously not awesome enough to think of these things. Even though I did go to art school for three years :bleed eyes:

Aaanyway. It's awesome to have guys like them do this kind of stuff. It really makes me want to play more, and I'm sure they're able to introduce a lot of new people to the world of D&D/roleplaying as well :twothumbs
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Asmodai on June 30, 2010, 02:01:12 AM
That stuff is pretty awesome. I liked the 3D game table they did for flying stuff too.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on July 21, 2010, 10:42:10 PM
Oops, I forgot this thread was here <,<; New I Hit It With My Axe episodes~!

Episode 16: Now & Then A Player Will Die (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1840-Episode-16-Now-Then-A-Player-Will-Die)

Episode 17: A Dire Situation (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1858-Episode-17-A-Dire-Situation)

Episode 18: 200 lbs. Of Meat And A New Fur Coat (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1872-Episode-18-200-lbs-Of-Meat-And-A-New-Fur-Coat)

Episode 19: Silly (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/i-hit-it-with-my-axe/1884-Episode-19-Silly)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Asmodai on July 22, 2010, 07:05:43 AM
Woo~ :)


Got session #2 of my new campaign tomorrow. I've got the basic plot written up, but I need to sit down tomorrow and print out some stats for the encounters.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on July 24, 2010, 02:23:22 AM
^
Nice! Whaaa, I really want to make my own campaign someday. ...

Meanwhile, look what arrived in the mail today! Dresden Files Roleplaying Game straight from the printers~! xD Hahaha. Pre-ordered on the first day of pre-orders~~ xDDD;
(http://hitorimoni.net/g/src/1279901140.JPG)

I haven't really looked at them or the game mechanics yet so I can't say much about how this all works... though I know that the game is based on FATE and use Fudge dice. I can, however, say that the books look incredibly awesome! *o*
(http://hitorimoni.net/g/src/1279901148.JPG)
Great illustrations, easy to read font, and lots and lots of little extra tidbits to spice up the books :heart:

(http://hitorimoni.net/g/src/1279901182.JPG)
The Dresden Files characters arguing/teasing/talking with each other in the margins...

(http://hitorimoni.net/g/src/1279901193.JPG)
:lol:

(http://hitorimoni.net/g/src/1279901198.JPG)
Yes... totally. <,<;

Volume Two even contains a short story by Jim Butcher, the Dresden Files author! :w00t:

The game is created by Evil Hat, and they are awesome. They use the open gaming license for most or all of their games. Open source gaming, hells yeah  :rockon:
They're also unusually (http://www.deadlyfredly.com/2010/04/anatomy-of-a-preorder/) open (http://www.deadlyfredly.com/2010/07/evil-hat-sales-numbers-q2-2010/) about the business side of things... like sales numbers and such. Good, good stuff :D

Can't wait to play this~! :D
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on October 13, 2010, 10:31:15 AM
Did anyone listen to the Penny Arcade D&D session podcasts? Either way, you should check this out. Live D&D session at PAX 2010. Chris Perkins as DM, along with players Jerry Holkins, Scott Kurtz, Mike Krahulik, and Wil Wheaton.

It's hilarious 8D I do recommend listening to the podcasts first so you'll know their characters a bit, but whatever. This is funny either way xD;

PAX Celebrity Game, Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqXqK3ZlqWI#ws)

There are 10 parts total! Check out the DNDWizards (http://www.youtube.com/user/DNDWizards#p/u) youtube for the rest~
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: shurrupak on December 23, 2010, 02:06:46 PM
I played this a lot now  i play dungeons dragons online. :p
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Foxy Brown on March 22, 2011, 05:37:50 AM
(http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/5093/189193300001lzzzzzzz.jpg)
Is it sad that I would totally play that if I could get a group together?


Also: http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=2982.0 (http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=2982.0)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on January 10, 2012, 06:25:55 AM
So, a combination of Community and this thread motivated to at least get the DnD Starter Set. That was more than half a year ago and I finally got to give it a whirl last week :lol: It was just two of my cousins playing and me DMing. Considering that I decided to do it very spur of the moment, it was pretty clunky, but enjoyable, I think. It helped pass the time at any rate. After that, I read up on my stuff so I'd be prepared for the next time, if it was ever to arise... which it did a few days later. I went to their house for a swim and after everyone had gone home, I brought my starter set out of my car (sneaky sneaky) XD It went a lot more smoothly, but they did get me to play a character I'd made when I was trying to work out how games run half a year ago. There were still quite a few things that I didn't know and I even forgot to add weapon accuracy to attack modifiers which made things a heck of a lot harder for us :nervous The included books didn't tell me that I could use heal checks to revive a dying character, though I probably should have been able to figure that out myself :doh: All in all, it was fun, and I was really taken aback by how long our three encounters (including the last one in the player's book consisting solely of goblin minions) took. We started playing at around 7pm and finished a little past 1am. We would've kept going, but my cousins were leaving for New Zealand the next day, so we had to cut it short.

I like that DnD is pretty age-inclusive. One of my cousins is my age, but the other one is only 12, so that both could play on roughly equal footing impressed me. I actually liked it so much that I went the next step and bought a Player's Handbook as well as a Dungeon Master's Kit. I was actually planning to just go get the player's handbook as well as a scenario book to run a campaign with, but then the guy told me that the book was essentially a whole part of the DnD world and that I had to come up with the campaign myself. I don't think I'm quite ready for that :sweatdrop: I'm hoping to get a small group of guys (I don't know any girls in real life who may be remotely interested in this game) together, so we can play without myself having to juggle a player character alongside DMing. I also get really paranoid that I'm biasing the gameplay in the party's favour because I'm there, but I have the feeling I'd do that anyway. Don't want them dying outright before they get to the hard encounters XD

I had to google the d4 to determine how to read the result, hahaha... Before, we'd just been adding up all the numbers on the face down side, so we were there thinking that a rogue was awesome. Now that I've figured out how to read it though, I don't understand how the rogue can be considered a striker with a dagger. Sure, it hits and runs, but I thought it'd do high damage before running :huhuh

While my laptop was in for repair, I started listening to those Penny Arcade pocasts Twissie linked in the first post. Really great fun :thumbsup The Jim Darkmagic of the New Hampshire Darkmagics is definitely my favourite :rofl: My phone has issues with flash, so I couldn't listen to the I Hit It With My Axe podcasts, but I will start after I finish the Penny Arcade stuff now that my laptop's back.

One thing about the game that disappoints me is the apparent need for physical maps/boards. As I saw it first in an episode of Community (and later an episode of the IT Crowd), I'd assumed that all you needed were dice, paper, pencils, rubbers (erasers, for all you northerners), character sheets, a table, the scenario book for the DM and then the DM's notes. Oh, and maybe a screen. Is it just a 4e thing? I admit that it does make combat simple, but I was hoping I wouldn't have to buy/make the maps.

This game has really helped me pass the time when I was without a computer. I think I survived because of it. It's decent fun and I hope I get to play it more in the future, hopefully as player character sometime instead of the permanent DM.

EDIT: Oh yeah, Asmo: Is your username at all related to Asmodeus?
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Asmodai on January 11, 2012, 02:03:37 AM
Sounds like a lot of fun. Most D&D versions use maps (AD&D, AD&D 2e, 3rd, 3.5, Pathfinder, 4e all are about equal in needing maps). You can usually get buy without them for simpler stuff. I often only use them for the big battles, and just do less important ones verbally. A fifth edition has been announced where they'll be optional, but that won't be for another year or two.

In response to your question about my user name, only indirectly.

I haven't played since moving north. Still need to find a gaming group here.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on January 25, 2012, 08:24:51 AM
What the... My long-ass post disappeared :doh: Must've related to the forum issues yesterday.

On Monday, I hosted my first proper session of D&D for five friends. It was really slow to get started. I made characters for 4 of the 5 guys; 1 had already made himself a ranger. As we had an extra guy in regard to the campaign design, I added 2 goblins to the first encounter. The fighter came close to dying completely :sweatdrop: It took about one and a half hours for the one encounter, because everyone was learning the rules and looking at their powers/modifiers. As such, the group didn't seem to enthusiastic. When they got down to the last 2 goblins, I just made the enemies flee to get everything moving along.

Everything really picked up when they got into the dungeon :thumbup They plowed through the kobold minions and then confronted the fledgling dragon at the end of chamber. I was pretty impressed with their improved approach to their surroundings. They came to some runes on the floor and suspected that something was up with them, so they wanted to check them out. Thanks to that, they managed to get some blessing before meeting the dragon. The wizard of the party took it upon himself to introduce the party to the dragon as Qifug (a company name determined by a d20 and QWERTY keyboard :P) - actually, he said "Qifuk" first, but the others quickly corrected him :grin: He was doing pretty well, until he told the dragon that they had come to loot. Everyone was like, "WHAT?? NO!!" and then rolled for initiative. They basically annihilated it, much to my surprise :shocked They even decided to extract information from it just before killing it. That was a bit cruel, but it was their choice.

Our plans to go to the beach on Tuesday got cancelled due to rain, so we had another session instead :) One of the guys couldn't turn up, but someone extra turned up anyway, so I made him a paladin to compensate for the loss of the cleric. They went to another room of the dungeon, which is where things turned pear-shaped. After seeing how easily they took on the previous room, which was meant to be more difficult than the one they were moving into, I figured I should either add 2 goblins to the encounter or 1 guard drake. I put in the extra drake, which was a big mistake. The 2 drakes were in a room with a closed door, and the party was absolutely rocking against the goblin hex hurler and one of the cutthroats. The remaining cutthroat then released the drakes :nervous The tables almost immediately turned. The drakes and cutthroat stayed together near the rogue and wizard. Both drakes took both the rogue and wizard down in one turn, killing one of them instantly. The ranger then knocked over a brazier, hitting one drake and the wizard, killing him. The fighter had tried running back from the hex hurler to revive the wizard, but was too late and he got flanked by the drakes, also getting the cutthroat in his face. The paladin was downed by the shaman, the ranger by a drake. I chose to bend the rules and allowed the fighter to use healing surges as minor actions (he was a dwarf) as many times as his turn/no. of surges would allow him to. That meant he was able to hang on and defeat the drakes, even though he used all of his 12 surges. The paladin died after 3 failed saving throws. The ranger managed to revive himself just as the dwarf got to him. They both just managed to take down the shaman, even with it's high AC.

Seeing as they're only level 1, I let the ranger and the fighter take the bodies of their comrades to town and had some made up mysterious mage revive them. That actually turned out to be a pretty good thing. I said that they now owed him a favour, which he might call on in the future, setting up a scenario for a later campaign :) Thinking about it now, I should've made it a temple priest that revived them, but don't sweat the small stuff, right?

Letting the fighter heal himself lead to improved camaraderie, with everyone calling him the MVP and patting him on the back. In a way, I still penalised total death by depriving those 3 characters of XP from the encounter and instead sharing it only between the fighter and ranger. I'm not sure if that's what I should've done, but I figured their had to be some consequence for dying if I revived them.

This game is pretty fun :thumbsup
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on May 06, 2012, 08:04:19 AM
My friend invited me to join a Game of Thrones RPG that he's playing soon. I'm excited, but I hope I'll have the time to go.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Asmodai on May 06, 2012, 07:03:54 PM
Good luck!

Still no luck finding an RPG in Iqaluit. Must be gamers out there, but I have no idea where to find them.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Rickker708 on May 07, 2012, 12:07:04 AM
^ have you tried craigslist? My group picked up our newest member through an add.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Asmodai on May 07, 2012, 01:39:02 AM
Good idea, but sadly they don't exist here.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Foxy Brown on May 22, 2012, 08:20:59 PM
(http://i.imgur.com/3lfiVl.jpg)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on June 04, 2012, 05:03:25 AM
Would anyone be interested in having a JPHiP D&D campaign? We could use Skype, G+ or something. I have been doing a bit of table-topping in real life lately and I'd really like to be able to play with some of you guys and girls.

Finding a good time for everyone to play won't be easy, but just polling for interest first.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Foxy Brown on August 03, 2012, 02:00:08 AM
(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/6029/originalpw.jpg)
Oh, Rush Limbaugh...
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Foxy Brown on August 23, 2012, 01:49:24 AM
(http://i.imgur.com/we2YX.jpg)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on January 06, 2013, 05:10:15 AM
Hey everyone! It's a new year and that means new things!!

I know some people expressed interest in playing an online JPHiP campaign before, so I'd really like to try it out! I was talking to Twissie on Twitter a bit and she's keen for it. Apparently, she's tried playing over IRC before and it worked out well, so maybe we can try that?? We'll need a separate channel for it, but I don't really know how that works. Amp? Anyone?

Then comes the question of what to play. Suggestions? Wizards of the Coast have been releasing free playtest packets for D&D Next, accessible here (http://dndplaytest.wizards.com/). I haven't tried it, but it sounds like it could be fun! I'm really open to anything. The only table-top games I've really played are D&D 4e and Icons.

Yeah, yeah, let's work out a time, a place, a game and get playing!! :w00t:
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on January 06, 2013, 05:57:32 PM
I'm thinking we should maybe test out the format by doing a simple one shot adventure or something first, just to give people an idea of how a campaign could turn out.

Playing over IRC, we won't have visuals like miniatures or even maps, so I find that simple dungeon crawlers work better. I've been playing Dungeon Crawler Classics over IRC with a group of people, and it's so much fun! Decision making can take a bit of time, though. The adventures/campaigns require minimum preparation, so it would be relatively easy for the DM to prepare. Anything to makes it easier for people to get together and do this, is a huge plus.

With only textual descriptions and communication, I also find it easier to slip into character and do some actual role playing - which is awesome, since I've seldom seen this when I've played dungeon crawlers with people IRL. Haha.

The rules for DCC are very simple, if you are familiar with DnD, you'll feel right at home. One of the people I play this with over IRC, had zero experience with tabletop gaming before joining, and he absolutely loves it (and plays very well!). So... you know :D

DCC is also absolutely hilarious. Here is the back cover of the book to lure you in:
(http://hitorimoni.net/n/src/1357491262988703.jpg)

Other than that, I really love Pathfinder, but those campaigns require quite a bit of preparation, and I'm not sure how well it would play out over IRC. I'm pretty much open for anything, though :D I have experience from playing a bunch of different types of RPGS ^^;
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on June 08, 2013, 03:31:02 PM
So, reaching the end of another uni semester, it's time to recap.

I've been playing in two games this semester: one as a player and the other as the DM.

The first was a game called Mutants & Masterminds.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rBrqa_YCUXE/TWglHEi9QtI/AAAAAAAABBs/R8G5m2E2Xpk/s400/MnM3_cover_edited.jpg)

I went with the shapeshifter archetype, because I wanted to go with something I would usually never pick. I was an animal shapeshifter with a raccoon for a father, though the one animal I (ironically) couldn't turn into was a raccoon. However, my defining characteristic was a stripe pattern like that of a raccoon's tail, no matter my form. If there's one thing that this game taught me, it's that rhinos and whales fuck shit up. In the best way. Our gang (named the Wrecking Crew fought the government, who wanted to exterminate supers, some anarchists based on Mad Stan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MduM0SCXlqM#)(see 0:24 onwards) and even Oda Nobunaga. At the beginning of the last session, the GM gave each of us what we'd been aiming for: I was reunited with my father and finally managed to shapeshift into a raccoon. I fought ninjas with my dextrous hands, undoing belts, lassoing swords and hurling throwing stars. I also possibly turned into a blue whale right above a Perfume concert :doh:

All in all, had lots of fun and the group of players was always entertaining. It's a shame that one of them is returning to the US in a couple of weeks.

The game that I ran was D&D 4e, house-ruled to a fair extent. It started off as a one-shot until my friend could come and run our other campaign, but that never happened, so the one-shot has become a long-term campaign. It's set in Eberron, currently in the city of Sharn. We don't use a battle map, which does make combat last longer than it should, but everyone seems to have fun. The group dynamic is interesting, in that the players all like each other, but as characters, trust and teamwork are virtually non-existent. It's the first time I'm running a campaign of my own design and I'm seeing where it goes, but really, it's most fun to first give the party a push in any direction and then just see where it takes them.

Playing for about 7 weeks (with 1 session per week), the PCs are only level 3 (even with me increasingly boosting the XP rewards) now. I hope they don't get too frustrated with the rate of levelling. I spent the past 3 sessions trying to show them that combat isn't always the most preferrable option and I started throwing some different kinds of encounters: illusions, artifacts with a taste for mind control - the usual.

In short, it's been fun. :thumbup

I have to say, I'm pretty bad at sticking the rules in places :sweatdrop: Even moreso, I'm finding it hard to visualise the world of Eberron and the city of Sharn in my head, which makes it hard to describe at times. I've read the setting book, but it just doesn't implant a clear image. Any tips?
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Asmodai on June 12, 2013, 06:14:51 AM
Sharn: City of Towers is an amazing book - one of the best D&D city books ever printed. It's almost entirely systemless so it's good with 3rd/4th/5th or whatever else.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on June 17, 2013, 02:07:03 AM
^ A million thanks! Pretty much exactly what I've been looking for, though I had no idea it existed. I managed to find a PDF form, but it's still a shame that it's so hard to get a hardcopy of it.

Looking at my D&D collection, it's really grown ever since it started with the Red Box about 2 or 3 years ago... I don't want to think about how much I've spent :bleed eyes: (Most of the books here are $50 and the cost of shipping them makes it relatively useless to get them online) Still, I might post a picture after my newest purchase arrives.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Asmodai on June 17, 2013, 03:17:56 PM
Cool. I should post some pictures sometime too. :)

I find free shipping and $35 from Amazon pretty reasonable.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on June 17, 2013, 03:39:08 PM
^ I believe that's just within North America, though? Being in Australia, shipping itself comes to around $20. I don't really want to spend more than $40, as I've been spending quite a bit lately :sweatdrop:
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on March 16, 2014, 11:37:28 PM
I am currently playing a campaign of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Terror In Talabheim. It's my first proper go at Warhammer Fantasy, and I am having such a blast. I find the combat rules pretty intuitive (d100 rolls are fun 8D), and this particular campaign has been pretty awesome so far.

As with most games I play, there is just one player and 1 GM - so I have no idea how my gaming experiences match up with people who play in actual groups, but whatever. I am having a lot of fun with this game.

My character is human female Constanza Erpresser (I laughed so hard when I rolled this first name, I can't shake the image of her being a female version of George from Seinfeld), she's working towards becoming a journeyman wizard (olololol), though I'm not sure it's such a great match for her career wise. We'll see. Magic darts are fricking awesome, though, and I'm not sure what I'd do without them. I tend to fumble everything else :p

I am pretty new to playing rpgs regularly, and one thing I've never been good at is bothering to read up on setting/world/fluff stuff. I just like to get down to gritty fighting and dice rolling. I enjoy how seamless it was to jump into this game with no prior knowledge of the system, world or setting. I have also surprised myself this time around, and I find the exploring/investigating parts more interesting than the fighting. I am starting to loosen up and wanting to steer the game in a certain direction. I can't wait to see what happens next 8Db

The not bothering to read up on world/fluff has been a problem in the past, though. Any tips on how to dive into fluff? I am just very bad at retaining information, and especially the kind of information that the players end up asking questions about during play :( I feel like the story should be enough to drive the game forward, but I guess not xD; I am probably a somewhat atypical gamer that way.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on March 17, 2014, 02:44:07 AM
^ Being a GM on a regular basis can make researching all the fluff something of a chore. You're sure it's all fantastic stuff, but the prospect of all that reading is simply off-putting.

Though I run a D&D campaign, I think the principle is still roughly the same. What I do is listen to podcasts or read blogs that present the information in a way that gets me excited. I actually devise a lot of my own lore based on what I read, because one of my players likes to meta-game and read all the fluff themself, which can make for a nasty combination.

Another fun thing I've been trying lately is random tables (not really fluff-related, but it can be). What happens when the PC drinks that unidentified potion? Just roll on your Random Potion Effects Table. Easy. The best part is that there are heaps of existing tables scattered across the internet.

Last night, I was messing around, generating a couple of tables of my own here (http://www.lastgaspgrimoire.com/generators/choose-your-own-generator/). I made a 3-table generator that spits out details about books (title, page text and magical effect) seeing as my players love to touch everything. Also started on a dying/unconscious dream generator, which is always nice when PCs are waiting to be revived.

On another note, I just checked out the home page of that link I posted above and that Roll M thing sounds awesome.

To Twissie (and everyone else), do you keep a notebook for all your game notes? Just curious as to what people's notebooks look like. I might post a picture of mine later, because I have to get ready for uni.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on March 17, 2014, 08:08:22 PM
Great, thanks for the tips. I find some games are easier to read fluff/background on than others. Call of Cthulhu I find extremely easy to read up on, not sure why, PERHAPS because it's set in our real world (except in the past in most cases). 8D

Pathfinder is OK, I guess, though I tend to just focus on what's presented in the adventure path(s) we're playing currently, and that has worked out well enough so far.

I was trying to run a game of Warhammer 40K Dark Heresy edit: I can't even remember the name of the actual game, that's how bad I am at this. Rogue Trader, Rogue Trader, Rogue Trader! Anyway, uuuuh we reached some space combat and then I was just completely lost and we had to just take a break. Have yet to pick that back up :X So.. I have some work to do with that one. I sat with the GM section pouring over the same sections of fluff for a couple of hours, but none of it stuck in my head T_____T;

As for notebooks... heeehehe. I should. I really should keep notebooks of the game(s) I run as a DM, but I am lazy and unorganized and I have not managed this yet. I have started filling in a little notebook for the Warhammer Fantasy game I'm currently playing as a player, though. Filing it with random doodles, in-character babbles and other notes :D I'd love to see a picture of your notebooks, Deft!
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on March 18, 2014, 05:01:58 AM
^ Call of Cthulhu is awesome, but the system has yet to fully grow on me. The one time I played, the entire group got really immersed in the seriousness of it all. When we discovered the the missing owner of a mansion came back as a vampire, everyone - being ordinary, powerless people - ran away. With the exception of myself, who was struggling in the far corner of the room with a magical knife slicing up my insides. When I finally got rid of the knife, I tried to escape through a hole we'd made in the wall, only to see another PC mis-throw a molotov and set that only exit on fire. I somehow managed to not get killed by the vampire and knife, but I'm still having trouble letting all those bad things go :sweatdrop:

Oh, Rogue Trader is complex. Some guy yesterday was explaining his hilarious Rogue Trader campaign to me and some other people. I was so lost. Something about crashing a ship into the Himalayas and having to face the baby emperor :?

Aaaaaaahhhhh, yesterday's game of D&D was game-changing :thumbup :bleed eyes: I didn't realise it until 2am this morning. The party defeated my BBEG of the session with time to spare, so I had to run on the fly. In the previous session, one of the PCs rolled a 2 on Streetwise to find out recent happenings in a city called Wroat, so all she found out is that the scones there are amazing. Arriving there yesterday, the party found themselves in the middle of the Festival of Scones. The people of Wroat seemed abnormally cheerful and it's because of the addictive scones which are being produced by some mastermind in his quest for small-scale nation domination. There are a couple of important things to note here:
1) The mastermind, one Aewin Lundaghan, has many servants working under him to produce and distribute the scones throughout Wroat. His operation is useless without the manpower.

2) After defeating the BBEG, the party found a book that, when read, had the magical effect of causing all servants and slaves in a 200 mile radius to turn against their masters. The magical effect has yet to be discovered by the party.

So Aewin's pretty much been foiled with the players having barely a hint of his existence. Almost a bummer, BUT:
1) What happens when demand is high and the supply is completely halted? Riots at the least.

2) As the capital city of the nation, if Wroat's nobles/politicians are killed/jailed, what does it mean for the stability of the nation as a whole? As this campaign is based in Eberron, any shift in the balance of powers could quite easily start another war.

All this because I decided on a whim to make a random book (with title, text and magical effect) generator on Sunday night. I love games.

Also, notebook pictures to come later tonight!EDIT: Here we are (plus the initiative cards I made for my group + long-awaited D&D collection):

(http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/th_IMG_4331.jpg) (http://s883.photobucket.com/user/Deft-Monkey/media/IMG_4331.jpg.html) (http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/th_IMG_4335.jpg) (http://s883.photobucket.com/user/Deft-Monkey/media/IMG_4335.jpg.html) (http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/th_IMG_4336.jpg) (http://s883.photobucket.com/user/Deft-Monkey/media/IMG_4336.jpg.html) (http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/th_IMG_4339.jpg) (http://s883.photobucket.com/user/Deft-Monkey/media/IMG_4339.jpg.html) (http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/th_IMG_4340.jpg) (http://s883.photobucket.com/user/Deft-Monkey/media/IMG_4340.jpg.html) (http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/th_IMG_4347.jpg) (http://s883.photobucket.com/user/Deft-Monkey/media/IMG_4347.jpg.html) (http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/th_IMG_4350.jpg) (http://s883.photobucket.com/user/Deft-Monkey/media/IMG_4350.jpg.html) (http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/th_IMG_4351.jpg) (http://s883.photobucket.com/user/Deft-Monkey/media/IMG_4351.jpg.html) (http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/th_IMG_4352.jpg) (http://s883.photobucket.com/user/Deft-Monkey/media/IMG_4352.jpg.html) (http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/th_IMG_4354.jpg) (http://s883.photobucket.com/user/Deft-Monkey/media/IMG_4354.jpg.html) (http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/th_IMG_4358.jpg) (http://s883.photobucket.com/user/Deft-Monkey/media/IMG_4358.jpg.html)

(http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Deft-Monkey/IMG_4359.jpg)

Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: twissie on March 22, 2014, 12:33:52 AM
The one time I played, the entire group got really immersed in the seriousness of it all. When we discovered the the missing owner of a mansion came back as a vampire, everyone - being ordinary, powerless people - ran away. With the exception of myself, who was struggling in the far corner of the room with a magical knife slicing up my insides. When I finally got rid of the knife, I tried to escape through a hole we'd made in the wall, only to see another PC mis-throw a molotov and set that only exit on fire.

:lol: that sounds like an awesome session, omg. I've been listening to Yog-Sothoth (http://www.yog-sothoth.com/articles.html) podcasts/play sessions - so much fun.


FESTIVAL OF SCONES! and addictive scones at that, this is brilliant stuff XD;;; so playful, you make it seem so effortless somehow.


Nice collection! Oooh, you have Vornheim too! I really like Zak's writing and artwork - have you had a chance to play it?
I'd post a picture of the RPG collection we've got going here, but I'm slightly embarrassed about it :S
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: kuro808 on March 22, 2014, 02:37:06 AM
Lately I have been doing some tabletop gaming with my brother and friends.  Most of the stuff has been card games in general.  Also thanks to Wil Wheaton, it be good to get yourself accustomed to these games

Although personal favorites have been Fluxx series and Cards Against Humanity with Tsuro.  Wishlist has been getting bigger by the months XD
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on March 24, 2014, 03:26:54 PM
^ I've read up on Cards Against Humanity, but haven't gotten a chance to play it before.

Nice collection! Oooh, you have Vornheim too! I really like Zak's writing and artwork - have you had a chance to play it?
Because my two D&D groups are both in ongoing campaigns, I haven't gotten to play or run a game set in Vornheim, but I have been using the book rather handily to create cities that I only know the names of. It's also great for bizarre monster ideas.

So, I realised a few hours before today's session that the King of Breland lives within the city which the party is in. In which all the servants and slaves have magically turned against their master. Oops. :rofl:

Still the PCs didn't find any of this out, as they were trying to get to the bottom of the riots caused by the sudden scone shortage. Everything was going fine: the rogue started rescuing the restrained test subjects, the ranger just kept shooting at the revolting servants and Neogi Queen (think of a gigantic furry ant with the front pincers of a praying mantis), while the swordmage was in the middle of it all, attracting attention and pretty much killing all of the servants. Then came the blunder: having angered the Neogi, (he took off more than half its hitpoints in one shot) the rogue was going to take a nasty hit, only to have the swordmage intervene and teleport the great beast into the giant vat of yellow, glowing AND bubbling liquid in the middle of the room. Long story short, a minor boss enemy became 3 times bigger, with full hitpoints and buffed stats. That was only two thirds of the battle.

Even though we had only 3 out of the 5 players today, it was a lot of fun :D Aewin was stopped, the Parliament Hall was flooded by thousands of angry citizens (all the rogue's doing) and the PCs ignored a person being thrown out of the king's castle: my party basically writes this campaign for me :grin:
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: kuro808 on May 30, 2014, 08:42:06 AM
Love Letter: Grant Imahara, Nika Harper and Anne Wheaton Join Wil Wheaton on TableTop [Livestream] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=640UAS_8gj8#ws)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on September 06, 2014, 10:11:13 AM
When I find something that gives me a new idea to throw at my players, it's hard to focus on anything else.

In the hope that I'm not the only one:
http://johnkenn.blogspot.com.au (http://johnkenn.blogspot.com.au)
http://goblinpunch.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/false-hydra.html (http://goblinpunch.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/false-hydra.html)
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on September 24, 2014, 03:15:03 AM
So I'll be running this (http://www.rpgnow.com/product/133404/Sleeping-Place-of-the-Feathered-Swine?site=&manufacturers_id=7172) Saturday week.

If you've got time for a good read, here's a recount of the adventure in action: http://www.lastgaspgrimoire.com/playing-dd-with-girls-who-work-in-a-tea-shop-and-also-my-brother/ (http://www.lastgaspgrimoire.com/playing-dd-with-girls-who-work-in-a-tea-shop-and-also-my-brother/)

Needless to say, I am knee-deep in excitement.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: maruda on September 25, 2014, 07:51:02 AM
I remember first playing a tabletop RPG way back in the '80s to early '90s (AD&D 2nd Edition). I started as a human paladin that ended up as an ex-paladin / ranger. After many years not playing D&D, I was brought back into it around 2004 after meeting old playmates during a high school reunion. This time it was the 3.5 edition. We basically played our old characters who were reincarnated into new bodies (to better reflect our current attitudes). The DM allowed for the players to be able to access their former abilities albeit with some restrictions. I became a hexblade / warlock who would regain combat bonuses from my time as a paladin and ranger as he levels up, although penalties are incurred when using the paladin and ranger's magic (or divine) abilities. With the advent of the 4th edition in 2008, we decided to end our adventure with a bang by going up against a Nyarlathotep pastiche. While we won the final battle, we were caught in a tear in reality that caused all of us to end up being reborn in a new world.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on December 21, 2014, 02:56:08 PM
The Reward on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/58179094)

My 5th Edition books (PHB and Monster Manual) arrived recently. Very much looking forward to trying out the system.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: kuro808 on March 05, 2015, 09:36:40 PM
Epic Spell Wars: Emily V. Gordon, Jonah Ray, and Veronica Belmont Join Wil on TableTop S03E09 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzY7Ywv_JiI#ws)

 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: StGermaine on March 19, 2015, 01:26:39 AM
Would anyone be interested in an Exalted 2nd Ed game? I can run it via roll20.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: kuro808 on March 19, 2015, 08:00:13 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCEqUn7If44#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCEqUn7If44#ws)

NSFW but I still watched it
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on July 18, 2015, 10:45:39 AM
Would anyone be interested in an Exalted 2nd Ed game? I can run it via roll20.

Damn, been too long since I've visited this thread. Sorry! :doh:

I'm not entirely sure if this belongs in this thread, but a few days ago, I went to my friends' place for a day of boardgames and it was awesome. I always thought boardgames weren't for me but I guess I was just playing the wrong ones. The Resistance (similar to Mafia and Werewolf, but better) and Ghost Stories were knock-outs. In the Resistance, I got to see one of my friends almost reduced to tears as she tried to convince her girlfriend that she wasn't a spy - she was a spy :lol: Ghost Stories was a great co-op game that brought everyone together and then whittled our morale down to nothing.

For our 'proper' boardgame, we played Eldritch Horror. I still don't know how we won. If any of you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen the bloodbath that was Tokyo. I felt very drained at 1am when we finally finished the game after 4-5 hours of play, but it is definitely worthwhile.

We played a few other games as well - Love Letter, Tsuro, Carcassonne and Small World.

Now to find another job so I can fund my newly discovered interest.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: StGermaine on November 23, 2015, 11:42:27 PM
Quote
I always thought boardgames weren't for me but I guess I was just playing the wrong ones.

I.E Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers, there's a wide range of board games out there you just have to find out the ones that appeal to you.
Title: Re: Dungeons and Dragons and Owlbears, OH MY! [tabletop gaming]
Post by: Deft-Monkey on February 03, 2016, 02:53:26 AM
Running a holiday 5th edition D&D campaign for a group of lady friends at the moment and it's been a blast. They're so into it, 2 of them insist on skyping in to our next few sessions while they're out of the state/country. Last session, they came to the realisation that they're trapped in a castle full of vampires. Oh and one of the player characters has contracted vampirism, which no one else in the party knows. Should be fun.