Author: Scott

Categories
Roleplaying

Lots of finds, heavy on 4e

4e related:
4e random encounter maker
4e pointbuy calculator
4e character sheet (pdf, for printing)
4e Form fillable auto-calculating character sheet (.zip)

Bankuei’s 4e playaids: Requests and some solutions.

Keep on the Shadowfell review, very positive. (No spoilers.)
The Chatty DM plays 4e: initial thoughts, Into the Shadowhaunt (spoilers!)
Martin reviews 4e books in detail. An excellent review.

From Doyce: Watching the 4.0 DnD release, and The DnD 4.0 game with the seven-year old got even more awesome.

4e FAQ (from Reading Dragon mailing list):

My response from Customer Service is that if a monster has two or more basic attacks, you can select which one you want to use in and opportuity attack situation.

Standing from prone does not generate opportunity attacks (OA). gleemax thread

Here is Customer Services ruling on slowed shifting. It exposes a new way to deal with rules precedence: “can’t trumps can.” As suggested in the basic mechanics of the game on page 11, specific trumps general, though when specific and specific conflict (as in this situation), we rule that can’t trumps can. Thus if you’re slowed, you’re limited to two squares of movement, regardless of the type of movement, unless the power/ability specifically says otherwise.

Now more than ever– is it time to buy Firey dragon counters print them on cardstock?

Dragon Avenue crusades against 4e naysayers.

Roundup from Elonian Nomad

RPG Digest roundup

Rob Donohuge preps 4e: 1, 2, 3.

Continue reading “Lots of finds, heavy on 4e”
Categories
Game Group

Next Game: Friday June 20th

Life got in the way of playing on the 13th– or the fear of Friday the 13th was just too strong. Kev and Dad aren’t available on Saturday night, so let’s play on Friday! As ever, let us know if you’ll have any problem making it Friday.

Session canceled for Friday the 13th. (Old info below)
Spooky! I suspect beads will be in heavy use given that we’ll be playing on Friday the 13th.

It doesn’t look like people need the posts up here on the blog– does anyone really want these reminder posts? Do you hop over to the calendar, or are we just used to Fridays. If we do more Saturday games, will that make a difference?

Categories
Roleplaying

A few recent finds

Pens and Swords; fantasy fiction writing. The most recent posts are about World Building and how it varies as a Fantasy author vs DM.

The DMs Blog: The d20 Stops Here.

No Myth summarized

Cults of Tiamat and Bahamut

The Cull: A best of RPG theory discussion blog

Continue reading “A few recent finds”
Categories
Books

House of Leaves

House of Leaves is by Mark Z. Danielewski. It’s clearly a dark book; very sophisticated in its presentation, with layers on layers of meaning and narrative. I’m reading this now because it was recommended by Old Hat on CVGamers. I first remember reading about this in Poe’s liner notes for Haunted. [Side note: the relationship between the two is mentioned on the Haunted wikipedia page.

I’m not far into it yet, but it looks very promising.

Categories
Books

Valedemar: Arrows Trilogy

I recently reread Mercedes Lackey’s Arrows Trilogy: Arrows of the Queen, Arrow’s Flight, and Arrow’s Fall. Evidently was the first trilogy written in the series, despite my reading the Magic’s Promise/Pride/Price trilogy previously.

I enjoyed the series. Some small elements felt repetitious– but given that this was the first series written I guess it’s the other books that repeat the elements introduced here.

Talia is inspiring and refreshing– from the very beginning, she seems like someone whose struggles are worthwhile. The petty humiliations and struggle to adapt to strange environments in the first book are very well written– I sympathized with Talia and hoped she’d find a way to endure.

Continue reading “Valedemar: Arrows Trilogy”
Categories
Game Group

Next Game: Friday May 30th

We’re looking at playing Friday night, May 30th, unless you let us know otherwise. Be there or be square!

Categories
Game Group

Next Game: Saturday May 24th

We’re looking at Saturday May 24th at 6:30 pm. It’s a 3 day weekend, so double check your plans. Hopefully, everything will line up and we’ll get to enjoy a game again.

Categories
Books

Recent Books: Tarma, Kethry, and Kerowyn

I had a craving for some Lackey novels this weekend– specifically Tarma and Kethry. So I read Oathbound and Oathbreakers, which I enjoyed, but noticed some problems with them this time around. Afterward I read Oathblood, and kicked myself– the missing kickoff story is in there. (Oathblood is a collection of Tarma and Kethry short stories). If you’re interested in reading the series, here’s how I suggest you tackle it:
Oathblood: Sword-sworn
Oathbound
Oathbreakers
remaining short stories from Oathblood. [Note: Some of these are in Oathblood and Oathbound in very similar form.]

Continue reading “Recent Books: Tarma, Kethry, and Kerowyn”
Categories
Game Group

Next Game: Friday May 16th

We’re off this week, with several people up in the air and Jennifer unavailable. We’ll pick back up on May 16th, unless I hear otherwise.

You’re currently paralleling the river, heading north and reconnoitering the fields. So far you’ve seen several different farm sizes– with a handful of slaves to more than fifty on one plantation.

Categories
Fresno

Twice in one week

Bad news. You remember how I mentioned over lunch, Dad and Ben, that the Mexican place [Vallarta] around the corner from me was closed? I walked by it today and it remained closed, with chairs stacked on tables, a chain dead bolted around the door, etc.

But even worse? I continued walking to the Olive Press, and found that it too is closed. I ate there Monday, but it looks like they’re gone. The Java City shop owner across the street told me that they’re done.

Not good news for downtown lunch fans. While there are several good options still around, I’m sad to see the two of them go. [And suspicious about the Olive Press– I wonder if the end of construction on Kern and the completion of the Virginia Hotel around them raised their rents and drove them off.]