Post Gen Con and Back to Work and getting everything done for the Fall term has left no time for blogging this week.
You could pop over to DriveThruRPG and read some of the reviews I have written I suppose. I am up to 92 now.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
This will not end well
I like to keep an eye on the OSR movement since I like the spirit of what is going on, I love many of the products and most of the people involved are also very cool.
But this is something that will not end well at all.
http://www.diecastgamesinc.com/ADD-Adventures_c2.htm
I also saw this at Gen Con and wondered at first if this was an old TSR book that never saw the light of day or something new.
This issue here of course is using a trademark, "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" which is specifically prohibited by the OGL.
There are more discussions going about here:
Even people that don't like new D&D or WotC see this as a bad move.
There are a lot of problems with this, mostly effecting the OSR publishers wishing to reach out to new audiences.
This is one to keep an eye on.
But this is something that will not end well at all.
http://www.diecastgamesinc.com/ADD-Adventures_c2.htm
I also saw this at Gen Con and wondered at first if this was an old TSR book that never saw the light of day or something new.
This issue here of course is using a trademark, "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" which is specifically prohibited by the OGL.
There are more discussions going about here:
- http://wondrousimaginings.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-cant-believe-im-rooting-for-wotc-to.html
- http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-not-to-use-ogl.html
- http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/08/kerfuffle-in-offing.html
- http://underdarkgazette.blogspot.com/2010/08/well-i-wonder-how-this-will-go-over-tsr.html
- http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=44132&sid=54adce16cc39c4cbfa3fdcdcd08093f4
- http://knights-n-knaves.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7268
- http://www.acaeum.com/forum/about10369-0-asc-0.html
Even people that don't like new D&D or WotC see this as a bad move.
There are a lot of problems with this, mostly effecting the OSR publishers wishing to reach out to new audiences.
This is one to keep an eye on.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Gen Con Haul, quick and dirty reviews, Part 1
Here are some of the things I got at Gen Con this year.
Ok, that is a small lie. I actually didn't buy anything this year, but instead bought some on PDF before the Con and others afterwards.
First up Pathfinder, the big Ennie winner of 2010.
Pathfinder Advanced Player's Guide
OR "Bought it for the Witch, Stayed for the Paladin"
The one thing I see here is some serious influence on what I will call "new School" D&D. Pathfinder and D&D4 took the same base idea (D&D 3.5) and then went in very different directions. I think Pathfinder is exactly what we would have gotten in D&D 4 had the same team stayed at Wizards/Hasbro. That is more evident with this book.
The race section is interesting, but I am not sure what I'll do with that all yet. Though I like the potential of what they have here. I can see similar options for various countries or lands the characters grow up in.
I love the new classes. The Alchemist, Oracle and the Witch are all kinds of awesome. The cavalier is a nice throwback to the old UA. TheWitch Hunter Inquisitor is also quite cool. The Oracle and the Witch are like Divine and Arcane versions of the same thing really. That is how it should be. A multiclassed Oracle/Witch (a Seer? A Sybil?) would be very cool if built properly. I love all the archetypes (Mysteries, Orders and the like) really gives each class some style. Speaking of the witch, I love how much she is reliant on her familiar. Something I think other witch classes for *D&D over the years has forgotten. Though I am not a fan of the witch needing a hag for a coven. I don't mind that she can count as a hag, but I still think three witches should be able to form a coven on their own.
The section on expanding the existing base classes is equally as awesome. Again, this book seems to deliver on the promise of the old Unearthed Arcana. All sorts of new archetypes are detailed. Think of what they did with the Sorcerer and bloodlines and now apply that to every class. Sorcerers get new bloodlines, fighters get new fighting styles (which helps move them away from the Cavalier. This is a good thing). Wizards get new schools (Earth, Wind and Fire...and Water. Benders or 70's Soul. You decide).
The Zen Archer Monk is cool beyond words. In one of my Pathfinder games I am playing a Paladin, so I am looking at the various archetypes (Divine Defender, Hospitaler, Sacred Servant, Shining Knight, my faves Undead Scourge and Warrior of the Holy Light) really closely. There is also an Antipaladin class, not a prestige class.
Plenty of new feats. New equipment (no new polearms). Lots of new spells. And Prestige Classes.
While there is nothing here that screams witch or oracle, there are some neat ones for the cavalier, inquisitor and paladins. The Holy Vindicator certainly looks fun. There are some new magic items, cursed items and artifacts.
There are some new rules, including Hero Points, which is nice and the whole section on Traits; which I am unsure if this is the same as what come out before or not.
All in all a really awesome book. If you are playing Pathfinder then it really should be a must have.
The best comparison is of course to the old Unearthed Arcana of the 1st ed days (not the 3rd Ed one). The rules here are designed to be added right into your game with a minimal of fuss.
As a publishing model I can see Pathfinder coming out with these every so often, like WotC and their Player's Handbook X model. But the issue with that is there is so much in this book now and it adds so much flexibility that I am uncertain where they would want to go next. Mind you I do have my own ideas, but would those support a line?
Other Random bits:
I like the witch. I like her a lot. But there are things I would change about her to be honest.
I guess the Witch iconic character is named Feiya, but I have not seen her stated up yet, other than she is Chaotic Good and has white/blond hair like the iconic sorceress, Seoni.
While the expanded races are neat, I think I would have liked to see something new too. A new race really should not be out of the question given the races that both 3.x and 4e have given us. Not a dragonborn or a wilden, but a demonic type like the Tiefling might be cool.
The three core Pathfinder books, the Core Rules, Bestiary and Advanced Player's Guide, use the same color on their bindings as the core D&D4 books. Red, green and blue. Granted these are the most common colors, but it bears mentioning.
With the release of this book would it be safe to call Pathfinder "Advanced D&D 3rd Edition" instead of D&D 3.75? I personally like that better. So once again you could say we have AD&D and D&D.
I mentioned it before, but the art is fantastic. It is still the "dungeon punk" feel of 3.x, but updated to the D&D4 style a bit.
What is missing here I think and needed is some information on Pathfinder Epic level play. I was never thrilled with the Epic Level Handbook from WotC and I also don't think it will work very well with this book. But I would like to see something.
Ok, that is a small lie. I actually didn't buy anything this year, but instead bought some on PDF before the Con and others afterwards.
First up Pathfinder, the big Ennie winner of 2010.
Pathfinder Advanced Player's Guide
The one thing I see here is some serious influence on what I will call "new School" D&D. Pathfinder and D&D4 took the same base idea (D&D 3.5) and then went in very different directions. I think Pathfinder is exactly what we would have gotten in D&D 4 had the same team stayed at Wizards/Hasbro. That is more evident with this book.
The race section is interesting, but I am not sure what I'll do with that all yet. Though I like the potential of what they have here. I can see similar options for various countries or lands the characters grow up in.
I love the new classes. The Alchemist, Oracle and the Witch are all kinds of awesome. The cavalier is a nice throwback to the old UA. The
The section on expanding the existing base classes is equally as awesome. Again, this book seems to deliver on the promise of the old Unearthed Arcana. All sorts of new archetypes are detailed. Think of what they did with the Sorcerer and bloodlines and now apply that to every class. Sorcerers get new bloodlines, fighters get new fighting styles (which helps move them away from the Cavalier. This is a good thing). Wizards get new schools (Earth, Wind and Fire...and Water. Benders or 70's Soul. You decide).
The Zen Archer Monk is cool beyond words. In one of my Pathfinder games I am playing a Paladin, so I am looking at the various archetypes (Divine Defender, Hospitaler, Sacred Servant, Shining Knight, my faves Undead Scourge and Warrior of the Holy Light) really closely. There is also an Antipaladin class, not a prestige class.
Plenty of new feats. New equipment (no new polearms). Lots of new spells. And Prestige Classes.
While there is nothing here that screams witch or oracle, there are some neat ones for the cavalier, inquisitor and paladins. The Holy Vindicator certainly looks fun. There are some new magic items, cursed items and artifacts.
There are some new rules, including Hero Points, which is nice and the whole section on Traits; which I am unsure if this is the same as what come out before or not.
All in all a really awesome book. If you are playing Pathfinder then it really should be a must have.
The best comparison is of course to the old Unearthed Arcana of the 1st ed days (not the 3rd Ed one). The rules here are designed to be added right into your game with a minimal of fuss.
As a publishing model I can see Pathfinder coming out with these every so often, like WotC and their Player's Handbook X model. But the issue with that is there is so much in this book now and it adds so much flexibility that I am uncertain where they would want to go next. Mind you I do have my own ideas, but would those support a line?
Other Random bits:
I like the witch. I like her a lot. But there are things I would change about her to be honest.
I guess the Witch iconic character is named Feiya, but I have not seen her stated up yet, other than she is Chaotic Good and has white/blond hair like the iconic sorceress, Seoni.
While the expanded races are neat, I think I would have liked to see something new too. A new race really should not be out of the question given the races that both 3.x and 4e have given us. Not a dragonborn or a wilden, but a demonic type like the Tiefling might be cool.
The three core Pathfinder books, the Core Rules, Bestiary and Advanced Player's Guide, use the same color on their bindings as the core D&D4 books. Red, green and blue. Granted these are the most common colors, but it bears mentioning.
With the release of this book would it be safe to call Pathfinder "Advanced D&D 3rd Edition" instead of D&D 3.75? I personally like that better. So once again you could say we have AD&D and D&D.
I mentioned it before, but the art is fantastic. It is still the "dungeon punk" feel of 3.x, but updated to the D&D4 style a bit.
What is missing here I think and needed is some information on Pathfinder Epic level play. I was never thrilled with the Epic Level Handbook from WotC and I also don't think it will work very well with this book. But I would like to see something.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Pathfinder APG
I now have my hands on the Advanced Player's Guide for Pathfinder.
Still dig the witch, but would rather see her stats based on Wisdom or even Charisma.
Love the art.
More once I have had a chance to go over it proper.
Would have liked to see more witchy Prestige Classes too.
Love the art.
More once I have had a chance to go over it proper.
Would have liked to see more witchy Prestige Classes too.
Gen Con 2010 in retrospect
All things considered Gen Con 2010 was a great time. It was the first time I took the wife and kids and everyone had a blast. Here are some of the highlights (and lowlights) of my time.
Best:
- Playing the Red Box D&D4 with my kids. It was awesome and it felt like "old D&D" to me. I know there is a lot of FUDing about this (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) about the new Essentials line, but I can tell you this it was fast and fun.
- My Ghosts of Albion games went great! Ran Obsession and I loved seeing how the different groups dealt with the same problems. Kurt Wiegel of Game Geeks fame played in one of my games and it was great time. Earlier in the same day Andrew Peregrine of Victoriana fame also played in my games. I always try to get in a game of Victoriana at Gen Con, but couldn't this year. So it was nice to get Andrew in a Ghosts game instead. By the way, Andrew got a silver for Best Writing for Victoriana at the Ennies this year!
Wanted to run some more games, but didn't have the time. Having the boys with me made the social and gaming dynamic very different.
- Playing our regular D&D 3 game in the hotel lobby with my boys. I wanted them to have the full Con experience. We only played for about an hour, but they managed to get pretty far.
If you have that Facebook thing on teh internets at home then you can see my photos.
Looking Forward to:
- Ravenloft board game. Saw it run at the Con and it looks fun as hell.
- D&D4 Red Box. I know this send hordes of people that like to read my blog scratching their heads in disbelief, but I played and it was fun.
- Ravenloft campaign setting. That was totally unexpected!
Sorta Bad: I bought nothing the entire con. I decided to pick up the books I want at my local game store instead. I am buying Advanced Player's Guide, Smallville, and DC Adventures. I might also pick up Icons, even though I have all of these on PDF already. So I'll head to Games Plus and buy my stuff.
What was up with the White Wolf booth anyway? Were they selling anything at all?
Kinda Bad/But also Good: Son and I tried to get into a D&D4 game but the line was longer than his stamina. We wanted to play but went down and had chili dogs and soda instead. Again, the full Con experience. I have to admit I was getting tired too and having a chili dog and a soda with my little guy was a fantastic way to spend the time.
Worse: Some guy fell asleep on I-65 back to Chicago and hit us doing 75 miles an hour. We went across 2 lanes of traffic and landed in a ditch on the side of the road.
Kids and wife are fine, no one was hurt. Had a lot of help from some really nice locals. Really killed the post-con high we had going. We will be back next year of course. But I might be taking back roads home.
Other News
The Ipad seemed to be to tool of choice this year. I can easily understand why. Once they have one big enough to hold all my PDFs then I am there.
Ghosts of Albion did not make it to print for Gen Con this year. But I understand that we are going to be seeing it in game stores in a couple of months. Frankly a Halloween release would be awesome. I'll write a new Halloween themed adventure for it to run when it is out.
Not Gen Con related
Amber Benson has some updated information about Drones on her blog. I support Amber. Mostly because I know her and I have known about Drones for a while. Long enough to support her claims.
http://amberbensonwrotethis.blogspot.com/2010/08/why-are-these-two-things-different.html
I made the OSR News! And not for any of my OSR support or my insane liking for the new Tomb of Horrors. ;) They liked my Dark Druid adventure! Thanks for the nod guys. It really made my day today when I saw that.
Best:
- Playing the Red Box D&D4 with my kids. It was awesome and it felt like "old D&D" to me. I know there is a lot of FUDing about this (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) about the new Essentials line, but I can tell you this it was fast and fun.
- My Ghosts of Albion games went great! Ran Obsession and I loved seeing how the different groups dealt with the same problems. Kurt Wiegel of Game Geeks fame played in one of my games and it was great time. Earlier in the same day Andrew Peregrine of Victoriana fame also played in my games. I always try to get in a game of Victoriana at Gen Con, but couldn't this year. So it was nice to get Andrew in a Ghosts game instead. By the way, Andrew got a silver for Best Writing for Victoriana at the Ennies this year!
Wanted to run some more games, but didn't have the time. Having the boys with me made the social and gaming dynamic very different.
- Playing our regular D&D 3 game in the hotel lobby with my boys. I wanted them to have the full Con experience. We only played for about an hour, but they managed to get pretty far.
If you have that Facebook thing on teh internets at home then you can see my photos.
Looking Forward to:
- Ravenloft board game. Saw it run at the Con and it looks fun as hell.
- D&D4 Red Box. I know this send hordes of people that like to read my blog scratching their heads in disbelief, but I played and it was fun.
- Ravenloft campaign setting. That was totally unexpected!
Sorta Bad: I bought nothing the entire con. I decided to pick up the books I want at my local game store instead. I am buying Advanced Player's Guide, Smallville, and DC Adventures. I might also pick up Icons, even though I have all of these on PDF already. So I'll head to Games Plus and buy my stuff.
What was up with the White Wolf booth anyway? Were they selling anything at all?
Kinda Bad/But also Good: Son and I tried to get into a D&D4 game but the line was longer than his stamina. We wanted to play but went down and had chili dogs and soda instead. Again, the full Con experience. I have to admit I was getting tired too and having a chili dog and a soda with my little guy was a fantastic way to spend the time.
Worse: Some guy fell asleep on I-65 back to Chicago and hit us doing 75 miles an hour. We went across 2 lanes of traffic and landed in a ditch on the side of the road.
Kids and wife are fine, no one was hurt. Had a lot of help from some really nice locals. Really killed the post-con high we had going. We will be back next year of course. But I might be taking back roads home.
Other News
The Ipad seemed to be to tool of choice this year. I can easily understand why. Once they have one big enough to hold all my PDFs then I am there.
Ghosts of Albion did not make it to print for Gen Con this year. But I understand that we are going to be seeing it in game stores in a couple of months. Frankly a Halloween release would be awesome. I'll write a new Halloween themed adventure for it to run when it is out.
Not Gen Con related
Amber Benson has some updated information about Drones on her blog. I support Amber. Mostly because I know her and I have known about Drones for a while. Long enough to support her claims.
http://amberbensonwrotethis.blogspot.com/2010/08/why-are-these-two-things-different.html
I made the OSR News! And not for any of my OSR support or my insane liking for the new Tomb of Horrors. ;) They liked my Dark Druid adventure! Thanks for the nod guys. It really made my day today when I saw that.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Gen Con, post note
Hey all.
You will get some updates from me tomorrow. I hope.
On our way home some dude fell asleep and came across our our lane of traffic and hit us, sent us flying across two lanes of 70+ mph traffic on I-65 and into a ditch.
Everyone is fine. The van is a little messed up though.
So, I am going to spending some time on the phone with the insurance guy instead of blogging.
You will get some updates from me tomorrow. I hope.
On our way home some dude fell asleep and came across our our lane of traffic and hit us, sent us flying across two lanes of 70+ mph traffic on I-65 and into a ditch.
Everyone is fine. The van is a little messed up though.
So, I am going to spending some time on the phone with the insurance guy instead of blogging.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Live, from Gen Con
Well sorta. It's almost 1:00am here.
The day is ending on Gen Con Day 2.
I just finished running a marathon day of Ghosts of Albion: Obsession today.
Both groups were fantastic and I had a lot of fun. Both group also managed to save a few of the NPCs before the demonic janitor did them in.
So my purchases have been non-existent. I stopped by many booths today to say. Talked to George, Derrik and Alex at Eden. The new Hack/Slash game looks like it could be fun. Got to say hi Matt McElroy from DriveThruRPG. Stopped by to see the guys at Cubicle 7. Andrew was in a my afternoon Ghosts game so that was awesome. Nice parity since I was in one his early Victoriana games.
Said hi to Cam Banks at the Margret Weis Game booth. Love to write a new magic system for Cortex, something awesome and cool and something people will want to buy and enjoy playing.
Kurt Wiegel of Game Geeks was in my night Ghosts game. That was a blast.
Tomorrow is costume day and Day 3 of Gen Con; AKA the busiest of the whole con. I have no major plans. I had considered running some Ghosts games, but I am hoping to get some emails back on that.
Need to come up with a new Ghosts of Albion adventure I think. Blight and Obsession were an absolute blast, but I don't think I can talk about Miriam White anymore.
The day is ending on Gen Con Day 2.
I just finished running a marathon day of Ghosts of Albion: Obsession today.
Both groups were fantastic and I had a lot of fun. Both group also managed to save a few of the NPCs before the demonic janitor did them in.
So my purchases have been non-existent. I stopped by many booths today to say. Talked to George, Derrik and Alex at Eden. The new Hack/Slash game looks like it could be fun. Got to say hi Matt McElroy from DriveThruRPG. Stopped by to see the guys at Cubicle 7. Andrew was in a my afternoon Ghosts game so that was awesome. Nice parity since I was in one his early Victoriana games.
Said hi to Cam Banks at the Margret Weis Game booth. Love to write a new magic system for Cortex, something awesome and cool and something people will want to buy and enjoy playing.
Kurt Wiegel of Game Geeks was in my night Ghosts game. That was a blast.
Tomorrow is costume day and Day 3 of Gen Con; AKA the busiest of the whole con. I have no major plans. I had considered running some Ghosts games, but I am hoping to get some emails back on that.
Need to come up with a new Ghosts of Albion adventure I think. Blight and Obsession were an absolute blast, but I don't think I can talk about Miriam White anymore.
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