The Dungeons and Dragons Thread

[Magnum PEI]

So I played D&D for the first time. Didn't know how to play or what to expect. I was surprised by how complicated it is and it took me a while to figure everything out, but once I got everything it became really fun.
I was basically told to be a dwarf fighter because I'm a newb, so I just rushed in and chopped everything with my great axe while my companions sat back and tried to cast spells, which usually failed. Then I had to split the loot with them, which doesn't seem fair.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

So I played D&D for the first time. Didn't know how to play or what to expect. I was surprised by how complicated it is and it took me a while to figure everything out, but once I got everything it became really fun.
I was basically told to be a dwarf fighter because I'm a newb, so I just rushed in and chopped everything with my great axe while my companions sat back and tried to cast spells, which usually failed. Then I had to split the loot with them, which doesn't seem fair.

Sooner or later, every D&D group has someone who comes along and tries to kill the entire party for their own benefit.

Might as well get that out of the way now.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Rathji

Sooner or later, every D&D group has someone who comes along and tries to kill the entire party for their own benefit.

Might as well get that out of the way now.

Yup, the one time I played DND I tried to kill my whole party for absolutely no benefit except that it would be hilarious.

Unfortunately due to the games format you couldn't be subtle about that and just tell the Dungeon Master that you wanted to murder somone because you had to roll dice against them.

It would be niice if some guy in your party is going "I throw my +5 level of paralysis against the Dragon, and the Dungeon Master says "while you were distracted one of your party members tore your intestines out"

Instead its a stupid "I throw my +5 level paralysis against the Dragon" Then I have to announce. "While you were distracted I ripped out your intestines and wore them like a hat"

And then the Dungeon Master is like "Roll your dice" and everyone knows that your a chaotic evil psycho who likes hats.

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Yup, the one time I played DND I tried to kill my whole party for absolutely no benefit except that it would be hilarious.

Unfortunately due to the games format you couldn't be subtle about that and just tell the Dungeon Master that you wanted to murder somone because you had to roll dice against them.

It would be niice if some guy in your party is going "I throw my +5 level of paralysis against the Dragon, and the Dungeon Master says "while you were distracted one of your party members tore your intestines out"

Instead its a stupid "I throw my +5 level paralysis against the Dragon" Then I have to announce. "While you were distracted I ripped out your intestines and wore them like a hat"

And then the Dungeon Master is like "Roll your dice" and everyone knows that your a chaotic evil psycho who likes hats.

That's when you pass secret notes to the DM. It's best to establish a pattern of doing it well ahead of time so no one is suspicious when you're doing something really nasty. Give the DM your appropriate skills (sneak, hit roll, damage) so he can roll them for you, and if it works (and you have a good DM) the rest of the party might not even know it was you.

[driveway]

The best campaigns are the ones where no one can sleep because they're afraid that someone else is going to shank them in the middle of the night and everyone's stats start decreasing and the DM starts making you roll to generate random psychoses due to lack of sleep.

Really anything which makes you roll on a random table is awesome. I once watched a chaotic evil scorpion-like demon monster get banished to the Elysian Fields with a Prismatic Ray.

[Itse]

BTW since I guess some people here would be interested, the next edition of D&D is currently under playtesting. I know some people that are playtesting but it seems their groups are full so I won't be in on that. If I hear some comments I might post them, but if you're really interested the development blog is propably the place to look: http://community.wizards.com/dndnext

[troutman]

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[the wanderer]

It been a long time since I played.

I have a ton of old school (1st and 2nd edition) books I want to sell. Anyone know someone wanting to buy or trade for some?

[troutman]

Dungeons & Dragons: A Documentary


http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...-a-documentary

The story of D&D and its creation spans four decades and is a complicated, heart-breaking story. Imagine "The Social Network", the creation of Facebook, but no one ends up rich.

We've already shot hours of footage and spent the better part of a year putting this project together. It's been an amazing experience. But we've done all that we can and spent as much as we can afford. We still have a long, challenging road ahead of us.

We need to interview people all over the country, find folks who were there at its creation, talk to experts to explain to us why this is such an important game. We also have archival footage to find and pay for. Once we get it "into the can", we then have to cut all of that footage together. We need to edit, add music and include some fun graphics, etc. We then have to sound mix it, master it and put all the finishing touches to make it look great.

And we'd like to get all of it finished by 2014, the 40th anniversary of the first publication of Dungeons & Dragons, when the first boxed set was released.


That's where you come in. We need your support. It's an expensive project and yes, we are asking for a lot of money. But rest assured, transparency will be our focus and our mission. We will be updating our blog, sharing on our social media sites, sending out reports and making sure that every dollar we spend is accounted for. You will be with us the entire way, at every interview, during the edit and at the mastering. We will need your support making decisions, helping us spread the word and see us through the moments of despair.

[Coys1882]

Dropped into the Sentry Box tonight for my first ever crack at D&D. I didn't know what to expect and came away very happy I went. The guys there were super helpful and welcoming to a complete new guy.

[Coys1882]

Hosting a D&D session tonight and will be DMing for the first time - any quick tips?

[Rathji]

What edition?

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

Hosting a D&D session tonight and will be DMing for the first time - any quick tips?

Choose a pizza that is not too greasy. And no snacks that are orange.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

Hosting a D&D session tonight and will be DMing for the first time - any quick tips?

Podcasts:

http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo...n-Con-Podcasts

Part 1:
01 Cast Intro and GenCon stories – 44:53
02 Paizo 2012 and Beyond – 59:30
03 GM101 – Practice Makes Perfect – 1:56:08
04 Highrise Circus – Blindman – 1:47

GM Guide:

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8ffn?P...eMastery-Guide

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Rathji

What edition?

4e using the essentials guidelines. It's a group of friends so I don't have to worry but I still want it to go smoothly and not be boring while I fumble for rules.

[Rathji]

The biggest issue with 4e is that the flow isn't very fast, especially with new players.

A few tips to help with that.

1. Make sure all players have complete power cards filled out. If they can use the Character Builder, then that is the best bet since everything is automatically filled in, including bonuses for each attack etc. Otherwise, just make sure they figure out and write down the stuff for each power someplace obvious.

2. Stipulate that damage dice are rolled with attack dice. Then a player can have the dice in hand when their turn comes around and if they hit, getting damage is as simple as looking at the other dice.

3. Assuming your encounters are all pre-planned, have a copy of each monsters stats, basic and special attacks on a separate card. Premade adventures normally have a nice thing you can print, or you can just copy the stats from the book. Have each player create the same type of card for their characters, including basic attack modifiers and total damage dice for their at-will, encounter and daily powers. Include a section for their initiative for the encounter.

Now, when an encounter starts, you can roll initiative, and write it on each card and order them in their turn order. As you are going through the turns, simply flip the cards and if it is a creatures turn, you have what they can do written right there and it is easy to resolve.If it is a players turn, you don't need to be questioning them about each power, since they will likely have powers that you won't recognize by name, but can look on the card real quick to remind you.

4. Have a turn time limit. If things are flowing smoothly, you don't need to enforce it, but having a minute hour glass that you can flip over for those turns that it seems like everyone has a crazy idea they want the person to attempt.

5. If a character will often be switching weapons have them have card with a weapon on both sides, so you know what they have and no one forgets during a long turn. As they switch weapons, they just need to flip the card over. The same for weapons that needs anything but a free action to load (like a crossbow takes a minor action), have them have a card with loaded or unloaded on either side, so they don't get confused and end up making an attack with a weapon that in unloaded, especially if they don't have an action left to load it.

6. Either have maps set up in advance, or have the peices to make the maps set aside to have it happen quickly. In my group, most of our encounters that are not directly in a dungeon, are done with a grid map on the bottom and a clear plastic map on top that has the area drawn on it with wet erase markers. I often thing that pre-drawing (or printing on a PC) would be better, with a grid directly on the clear plastic, then switching maps would be instant. edit: You can even use something like MapTool to make a map and then print out to use without a plastic mat, but that requires a bit of time to get set up.

7. Have your figurines for encounters separate before hand. Digging through stuff in the middle of the session just slows things down

[Skootenbeeten]

Originally Posted by trumpethead

Agree or Disagree: 80% or more of the posts in this thread will contain at least one reference to: a) nerds b) virginity c) living with your parents or d) all of the above.

I am shocked that D&D still exists?? Shouldn't all the nerds be in a lineup at the Apple store?

Most nerds can build their own PC. Soccer moms, hipsters and ###### bags buy apple.

[PowerPlayoffs06]

My quick tip, switch to 3.5.

[kirant]

Try to figure out the group early and tune the game to them. If they just like smashing things (this should be evident if they all have low Charisma scores), try to make a bit more fighting than you would if you see them just getting into character a lot. If you see them acting nuts, don't be afraid to loosen up yourself and crack some in universe jokes. If you really want some insanity and the guys are up for it, limit turn decision time to exactly how long the turn is in combat. I think it was Paranoia that suggested this to me, but if the guy is taking time and saying "Uhhh....", cut in and say "Well [x] spends his turn dumbfounded. [y]?"

Expect the unexpected. Especially if your group is a bit less than sane. They may attempt to kill important characters or take an alternative option. Don't try to railroad them is my advice here...people I know hate it when they get forced into a linear RPG. If they happen to kill THE most important character, just roll with it and try to rewrite on the fly. One game I had my friend killed the "world saving NPC" (Hey, we were in High School and Oblivion just came out. Give us a break), so the DM for that game just made it into a more generic and less "epic" styled game.

[Coys1882]

So we played for about 3 hours last night and pulled off two encounters. It was a six man group in a made for 4 adventure but with some adjustments and some on the fly additions (stealthed goblins in a back room) I was able to make it fairly challenging for them.

I think I had some good flow and everyone embraced the RP element too which was fun to watch - especially as they stressed about what could be behind a locked door.

Overall it seemed to be a success and everyone was asking when the next session would be.