“Let me talk about some basic principles I have latched onto that lead to success with [D&D 4th edition]. The first is a simple truth: Learn from Video Games.
Video games have been creating interesting encounters for much longer than we have. For the most part role-playing games have really sucked at this for a long time.
My former workplace, BzzAgent, has a public blog, which I think is cool. They’ve been working on a new system for rating users, and…
The new system, if it goes in to place, is not a hastily assembled token, but a full-fledged, D&D level of intricacy, system filled with goodies and generally neat stuff. I don’t think anyone will be disappointed, lest they be foul orcs of the pest realms!
Yes, they’ve compared they’re new user-rating to Dungeons and Dragons. I don’t know whether to throw the horns or bow my head in shame.
For now, it’ll be the horns. Yay former-workplace!
Check out this character descripton by ‘Simple Man’ on RPG.net. It began with him and a friend invite to a game of D&D, which wasn’t their first choice. But, they were determined to find a hook they could get into. And so…
3 seconds later, my friend hit me with a statement that I should have known all along: “Dude, we’re the boondock saints!” And from then on, our characters were brothers by blood.
And so Wolfgang and Albrecht were born, a Paladin and Cleric (respectively) who drank heavily (often toasting Pelor), roughhoused in the tavern, and basically partook of anything seedy but still considered acceptible by D&D standards of Law and Good. If there was Evil, we smote it. If there was an innocent in danger, we would quickly sober up and save the day.
But we played brothers first and foremost. We played darts in the bar, then beat eachother up when one started to get ahead. If one ran headlong into danger, the other followed. And if one was insulted by a townsperson, the other decked said townsperson. We also tried to get the rest of the party in on it, as we were roleplaying becoming fast friends with everyone, lovable drunkards who were really decent fellows down at the core.
Awesome. Even when the focus is on tactics and challenge, a good D&D game absolutely needs vibrant character hooks you can riff off of.
gobi honors the recent Enron convictions:
Enron D&D House Rules
1. Assume critical hits based on projected future dice rolls.
2. Never actually roll any dice.
Add your own!!