A Model Way to Play, Part III
This is Part III of a 4-part series that reviews a bit of the history behind papercraft, provides direction on where to begin, and then delves into some expert tips and tricks. Part II discussed the tools, materials, and software a papercrafter would need to start building highly detailed cardstock models for their own games. Part III is still one step away from breaking out the scissors and glue; before printing, I always take a quick glance at the files to see if there’s anything I want to add or change graphically. As a quick reminder, I’d like to repeat something important...
Read MoreRedesigning Encounters: Street Assault
I decided to play Street Assault differently than it was written; instead of an ambush as depicted in The Scouring of Gate Pass, the Black Horses planned an all out attack in order to capture Asher (whom they failed to attain in the first session). Also, looking forward, I saw that Kathor and Renard were in the same combat near the end of the adventure; I wanted to seperate the two in order to highlight each individually. Street Assault, known as Street Ambush in the adventure, is located on page 51 and consists of the following: Black Horse Lieutenant, Level 3 Soldier 4 Black Horse Bandits,...
Read MoreMusings on Our Seventh Session
The last month has seen a lot of changes to our roster. First, Brian went and got himself married, and then let his wife convince him to move to the other side of the country. This put a damper on the campaign, not only because we will genuinely miss Brian’s presence at the table, but also because his character was a linchpin the campaign was eventually going to revolve around; being a dragonborn, he was going to play a major role when the Bahamut and Tiamat plot waltzed into the forefront. Fortunately, we’ve built a solid campaign foundation that will focus more on the group as a...
Read MoreRedesigning Encounters: Spy Headquarters
The Spy Headquarters encounter was my favorite so far and not because it was a rewarding combat, but because it was almost completely bypassed by excellent roleplaying and more than a few lucky bluff checks. The encounter started off with the group convincing the Shahalesti that they were sent by Shealis to open the case of the vital military intelligence. I decided that I couldn’t let just one die roll decide the fate of what was supposed to be a difficult encounter, and so I whipped up a skill challenge. We were about halfway through it when I realized that I wasn’t going to...
Read MoreMusings on Our Sixth Session
Session 6 was a spectacular session! My closest friend and the best man at my wedding, Jeff Farnsworth, sat in as a guest player; he portrayed the role of Artimus, Rivereye’s old friend. This was lucky, as Brian was unable to make it out. Additionally, our session took place on my birthday—I am now the ripe old age of 32. Lastly, we lost Arender, finally outed as a spy for the Shahalesti government. He fell in combat against eladrin terrorists who were trying to undermine the King of Shahalesti, Lord Shaaladel. Best of all: though the session was eight hours, only one of those...
Read MoreRedesigning Encounters: Dual at Gabal’s School
The group’s encounter with Shealis was different than those that had come before. First of all, it was completely possible for the group to talk their way past her; a detailed skill challenge was put together so the party could choose whether they wanted to open with diplomacy or hostility. Though the players chose diplomacy, in the end it failed and Shealis attacked. Overall, the encounter was enjoyable for the group, mostly because the players were able to work together and focus on one powerful enemy. On my end of the screen, however, Shealis was boring. She was little more than a...
Read MoreMusings on Our Fifth Session
Session 5 of our War of the Burning Sky campaign was the best session yet! Not only did we get six hours of gaming in, five of those hours were solid roleplay; the session’s combat only lasted one hour. We finally hit the sweet spot of how long combat should last! Between Condition Cards, the initiative board, and a familiarity with their character’s powers, the players zipped from turn to turn with barely a moment in-between. Also: My marriage to Janelle Kann is less than a month away! Unfortunately, this means scheduling future sessions will be difficult as the excitement,...
Read MoreUsing Fortune Cards
At first, I wasn’t completely sold on Fortune Cards. How would they work? Would I use them? Sure, I had a few ideas—but until I was able to get them into my hot little hands, I just didn’t know what my feelings towards them would be. Now that they’ve been out for a little over four months, I have to say—I love them—but not for the reason they’re meant for. To be honest, I’m not even sure how to use them properly because as soon as I saw them, I knew exactly what I was going to do with them: I was going to replace my Bonus Action Points house...
Read MoreCan I Get a Fluffer? …Part III
If it wasn’t obvious by now, I love fluffing. I’ve altered the descriptions of powers, feats, classes, races, movement, items, and templates. Throughout my blog you can find examples of my efforts, from fluffing class powers to monsters; movement to entire encounters. If it has rules and some blob of descriptive text associated with it, chances are I’ve fluffed it. For those of you who need a quick recap on what fluffing is, page 55 of the Player’s Handbook discusses this concept as Flavor Text: A power’s flavor text helps you understand what happens when you use...
Read MoreMassaging Treasure Parcels
At the end of 2010, I detailed how I deal with magic items in 4th Edition games. In a nutshell, rather than routinely hand out brand new items, forcing characters to ditch arms and armaments that they may have grown attached to, I add the powers of what would have been new magic items to the magic items that the characters already have. Confused? Read the process in more detail here. Recently, my group fought a pretty major NPC named Shealis. During the battle, Shealis wielded what was apparently a magic wand. Also of note: During the battle, one of the character’s...
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