Gaming League

The kids had an idea to start a home gaming league. Play games as often as possible, keep track of the game played and the winners, scores, etc., and then compare the numbers after a month or two and determine the overall winners. It sounded like a solid idea, so we officially started the league with a game of Fireball Island.

The game was awesome and we had a lot of fun. It is nice to see an older game like this one, hold up in the gaming world today. It is just as much fun now as it was in the 80's.

Jesse was the winner.

D&D Summer Campaign: Update #2

The photo has nothing to do with this posting other than the fact that it was cool and the first thing I was able to locate that had a D&D Party of Adventurers in it. :) Brandon and I have decided on the three characters for our Summer Campaign.

We'll have a female human Paladin and a male half-elf rogue teaming up with a Warlock (race undecided). This isn't set in stone yet, but it is probably going to be close to what we end up with. More information to come!

Free RPG Day was a Success!

I managed to spend about 45 minutes in Rooks (the local gaming store in Bozeman) this Saturday for Free RPG day, which seems to be the most free time I have had there in ages. It was a great success for sure and I got some super products.

The owner (Lincoln) had setup a table as you walked in, it had all of the Free RPG stuff out for everyone to see and flip through. I didn't want to be greedy, so I took one of the WOTC modules (Khyber's Harves), the Goodman Games Suppliment (Immortal Heroes/Amethest: Heart of Chaos) and the Paizo Publishing book (Bonus Beastiary) and a few other odds and ends I will also comment on here.

After taking those items and browsing the store, I picked up about $75 worth of merchandise (A few Pathfinder Modules, the new Ebberon book, a pack of Boosters and some misc. stuff). Rooks was offering a 20% discount on all RPG items and WOTC also had free mini boosters for anyone spending over $15 on WOTC products. So truth be told, I probably had about $150 of merchandise when I left and spent just under $80 in total.

With today being Father's Day as well as a day I had to work on a rush project in my studio, I haven't yet had the time I want to look though things, but I did manage to get a quick overview.

Wizards of the Coast - Khyber's Harvest

This is an introductory and short adventure. Lincoln told me it is essentially for people to hook in new players with a fairly fast and fun adventure. It has several pregenerated characters in the back of it as well as comes with an bonus Dungeon Tile. As a collector for the Dungeon Tiles and a fan of their use in the game, this was a very nice and unexpected bonus for me. I was quite impressed by my quick overview of the module, but haven't given it a solid read as of yet. I will officially state for the record that I am disgusted that people are already selling this item on ebay for $15 - $20 buy it now prices, especially some DEALERS that obviously got them for free. These are supposed to be used to get people into the hobby, not to be blood thirtsty and scalp them the day of the "Free" give away event. You dealers disgust me and will never get my business. Lincoln over at Rooks was actually kind enough to let me grab a second copy for my oldest son who is visiting his Grandparents and unable to get one of his own - Two thumbs up for honest store owners like Lincoln!

Goodman Games - Immortal Hero's Handbook and Amethyst: Heart of Chaos Adventure.

I am a huge fan of Goodman Games. They have rapidly become one of my favorite "third party" D&D companies on the market today. I have to be fair and say that Paizo has been a favorite of mine for quite some time, but Goodman has stepped up into that slot and is actually neck and neck with Paizo right now (in my book at least).

This booklet is a double sided book (the kind where the back half is printed upside down and you have to flip it around), the front is one of the Hero Handbooks, this one being Immortal Heroes. I am not a fan of these books (nothing against Goodman Games, the books are excellent, I just prefer to stick with official WOTC material for everything other than modules/adventures). I skimmed it over and it appears to have some nice material in it.

The reverse size has an adventure Amethyst: Heart of Chaos. Holy cow, this was a little gem waiting to be found, and one of the more exciting things I found at Free RPG Day for sure. I thought it was going to be your every day run of the mill D&D adventure, but in fact, it is so much more. I haven't kept up on the 'news' as of late, but it appears as though Goodman Games has a new Campaign Setting coming out and this module is a sneak peek. Again, I have only skimmed it over due to time, but essentially it is a 'what if' setting, where the D&D world has basically merged in some way with Modern Day Earth (that may not be the correct info, but you get the idea), so there are guns and science as well as swords and magic. Quite a cool thing to uncover.

This adventure is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD from Goodman Games at this web link: http://www.goodman-games.com/downloads/HeartsofChaos-Download.pdf

Paizo Publishing: Pathfinder Bonus Beastiary

Essentially this is a sneak peek at the Paizo's new "Monster Manual", the Beastiary. It has some quite neat monsters in it, check out the last one in the book, holy sweetness Batman! :) I am looking forward to reading this cover to cover. Never a let down from Paizo!!! Aside from looking at the 'pretty pictures' and reading 2 or 3 entries, this book has a bunch of time with my name all over it. :)

I also picked up a few more items as I had mentioned, the Castles & Crusaders company (Troll Lords) offered a module and quickstart rules. I don't know if it was just the batch my local gaming store got, or the entire run, but the quality on this was HORRIBLE. There were ink smears all over and the pages were all stapled crooked. It was quite a let down for me in quality. Perhaps it was just the batch this shop had, I don't know, but with my background in Commercial Art and Printing, this product wouldn't have even been allowed out of my door if I was the printer.

One other thing I did pick up was the Rogue Trader RPG Adventure Module from Fantasy Flight Games for the Warhammer 40k universe. I really REALLY wanted to like this, but something about 40k and Games Workshop has really turned me off in the last couple of years. I used to love playing Traveller back in the mid/late 80's, and a similar game in the 40k universe just seems like something I SHOULD like, but DON'T. I have had a bad taste in my mouth with 40k and GW though, so I can't fault Fantasy Flight. The module itself looks top notch, excellent layout and printing with nice art, but for some reason it just isn't doing it for me.

Well, that's it for my short review of the products I brought home. I wish I had more time to read through things more thoroughly, but unfortunately time has not yet permitted it. Too bad I own my own business or I could call in sick tomorrow and give all of the items a solid read though. :)

D-Rock signing off!

D&D Modules from the Idiot

I typed in Idiot on the internet and this photo was the number one result in Google Images, so I have decided to use it in this blog posting to show what I think of the guy I just got a shipment of D&D Modules from.

Ok, here is my story... I'd love to hear comments on this. I recently bought some modules from a dealer online (I am not mentioning any names because that is not what this is about, this is more about the situation in general and not calling out the specific person as an idiot, although I am tempted). So back to the story, I ordered a few D&D modules from someone online, and I paid extra money for Priority shipping. I personally like Priority shipping because you get a Delivery Confirmation number and can look online as to when you can expect the package to arrive, or track it down if it is lost. The shipping charge from the seller came to $8.50 which I thought was a bit excessive for a few modules, but I didn't complain about it and paid.

The payment I made was through paypal June 3rd... the seller actually didn't ship the package until June 9th though. The only reason he did send it, is apparently because I emailed him on the 9th (just about a week after I paid) to get the tracking number since I hadn't gotten the box yet. The seller replied "Oh, I just sent them out!" (which looking back probably meant "oh, I forgot, I'm shipping them today".)

So they went out a week after I paid, but that is still NOT why I am mad.

The modules shipped on the 9th, and I just got them TODAY (June 18th), a full 9 mailing days later, and guess what, they were NOT even shipped priority, they were shipped PARCEL POST. (Parcel Post is USPS Code for SLOW ASS SHIPPING!)

Ok, now here is where my problem is. Follow me for a moment here, and take these numbers all in to truly get a sense for my reason for being disappointed.

SHIPPING TIMES

Priority shipments takes 2-3 days.

Parcel Post shipments take 2-9 days

(in this situation it was 9 mailing days for me to get it)

SHIPPING WEIGHT

The box weighed in at 1 pound 1 ounce.

SHIPPING COST

For a package of this size and weight, from the seller's zip code to my zip code:

Priority cost: $4.80 (remember, I paid $8.50)

Parcel Post cost: (drumroll here) $5.09

So the idiot actually paid MORE to ship it to me SLOWER.

But wait, it gets better...

The box was wrapped in brown grocery bag paper and taped up. Upon opening it, the box he used under the brown wrapping paper was an INSIDE OUT Priority Box.

So just to summarize this...

1) The IDIOT charged me for Priority Shipping.

2) The IDIOT went out and got a Priority Box (since I paid for Priority shipping)

3) At this point, the IDIOT could have shipped it out for $4.80, with tracking, and I would have had it in 2-3 days.

4) The IDIOT cut up and turned the Priority Mail box inside out and packed my modules.

5) The the IDIOT took the time to repack the box wrapped in brown paper bag material

6) Then the IDIOT paid MORE money ($5.08) to ship it to me Parcel Post with no tracking.

UGHH... It was so frustrating. I considered saying I never got the package and getting a full refund, he would have no way to prove to PayPal he shipped it, having no tracking and seeing clearly my option paid for was Priority... PayPal would have instantly refunded my money. It is a good thing for the IDIOT that although I'm pissed, I'm not an ASS!

At least the modules inside were as described.

Free RPG Day This Weekend!

With the weekend rapidly approaching, I was happy to learn that Free RPG Day fell on a day I'd be heading into the city (which I usually only do once every other month or so), this opportunity will allow me to hit my FLGS (Rooks - their link is in the right column) and see what they'll have to offer for Free RPG Day!

Although most stores are limited to a certain amount of products, there are some great things on the horizon that are to be on the look out for!

Wizards of the Coast

Khyber's Harvest - 4e D&D Adventure set in Eberron

Goodman Games

Hero's Handbook: Immortal Heroes - 4e D&D

Amethyst: Heart of Chaos - 4e D&D Module

Paizo Publishing

Pathfinder RPG: Bonus Beastiary

White Wolf

Geist RPG Quickstart Rules

Q-Workshop

Unique Dice

Lone Wolf Development

Hero Lab Demo (CD Rom)

Mongoose Publishing

Paranoia: The Troubleshooter Reference Manual

Introduction to Dragon Warriors

Corporation: Grab the Cache

Troll Lords

Castles & Crusaders Quickstart and Adventure Module

Claymore Entertainment

Hero's Bane Quickstart and Adventure.

Chessex

Commemorative Dice with Store's Name

Exile Game Studios

Hollow Earth Expedition Adventure

Fantasy Flight Games

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader RPG Adventure Module

I am looking forward to any Dungeons and Dragons compatible products, so the items being produced by Goodman Games, Paizo and Wizards of the Coast are on my priority list to try and get copies of.

If you have a gaming store near you, don't miss out on the offerings this weekend!

Filling in the Gaps!

Now that I am settled in after my very big move last year, I have had a chance to re-evaluate a lot of items in my gaming collection (board games, miniature games, role playing games, etc.). I have come to realize that I am very close (VERY) close to having a complete collection of 1e modules.

I am mainly missing a bunch of the older mono covered modules, and some of the UK release modules. But for the most part, I'd say I am missing only about a dozen or so with another couple dozen that should probably be replaced.

So, I decided to try and fill in the gaps! I am buying the ones I am missing and replacing the ones that are in less than desirable condition. Based on current prices, it probably will be less than $100 for the to complete my collection, so that isn't bad at all! A nice piece of D&D History to have.

I just bought module T1 (The Village of Hommlet) on ebay. It was the Mono cover version (I already had the full color one). The module I am getting is actually the third printing (still Mono but has the ISBN number added to the cover).

D&D Summer Campaign: Update #1

Update! My campaign plans are going well, I have the basic layout of the summer campaign planned, however, I don't think we will be able to make it through all 30 levels this summer. I think I am going to shoot for a solid 1-20 advancement, then postpone the remaining 10 levels for the Christmas/New Years break at the end of the year. Really try to get us to a good and memorable stopping point (the assembly of the weapon and the start of the quest to locate the dragon).

I am trying to determine what characters I want to run as an NPC. I really like the idea of a Dwarf Rogue, and flavor him as an Assassin type of character. (I typed in "Dwarf Assassin" into Google Images and the image at the top of this blog was the first one I saw that I liked) Almost along the lines of a Mercenary. But, this will all depend on what Brandon takes. I am thinking I may need a healing character of some sort. But it is up in the air at this point. Only 3 or so more weeks until we start.

I did get MM2, but it is a father's day gift, so I can't really look at it yet. My 6 year old son Parker got it for me last week when he went into the city with Mommy and he is really excited to be giving it to me for Father's Day... so, as much as I want to peer into those pages, it will have to wait! :P

NOTE TO READERS: Since Brandon does read this blog, I can't give too much information out ahead of time in fear of ruining the campaign for him, but once the games start I'll post brief session reports and 'spill the beans' after the fact! :)

Dungeons & Dragons 4e: Overdrive

So this summer we have a Dungeons and Dragons game planed for my oldest son, Brandon, and myself.  I am going to DM and he is going to play. He will be taking 2 PC's and I'll be taking an NPC to help him out, depending on what he is lacking in the party (healing, defender, etc.)

Our idea is to play 3 sessions per week, in the evenings, using the Dungeon Delve scenarios (Dungeon Delve has become one of my all time favorite D&D books). These should be fast and fun, taking between 1 and 2 hours per, and the Dungeon Delve book has 1 scenario (mini dungeon) for each level, 1 through 30.

The plan is to play the short scenario and then at the end of each session, regardless of how much experience we did, we'll level up our characters, I'll award a generic treasure parcel as needed to compensate for the lack of adventuring... then, the following game it will start off with a short narrative "It has been several weeks since your last adventure, and you have gone up a level..." and we'll continue this way from level 1 to 30.

I am not giving Brandon to much info on my plan, but I do intend to tie the entire set of Delve adventures together into a long string and ongoing campaign. My idea is to have his main character (whichever of his two he likes the best) on a life long quest to slay the dragon that killed his (insert relative here). Brandon has a fascination with Dragons and really wants an epic battle with one in D&D. So my idea to tie the Delves all together is to make him on a quest following clues along the way (leading from one Delve to another), sometimes he'll get nothing out of the Delve, but other times he'll get some clues.

My idea is that a wizard who knew how to defeat the dragon had died before Brandon's character could track him down, but the Wizard had a journal. Over the first 10 Delves (or so) the party will be searching for the journal. Maybe finding it in the 3rd or 4th Delve, only to discover key pages were missing, etc, etc.

Eventually the journal would lead them to a set of magical blueprints to create a (insert weapon here) that can be enchanted to kill the Dragon. It is the only weapon in the land capable of beating it, etc, etc...  Once he gets the weapon (level 20 or so) and assembles it. He will then need to hunt down rare and magical components, finally leading him to the grand finale (in 1-1/2 months time) where the group of level 30 adventurer's will face and battle the Dragon.

I'll post more as it happens, this campaign isn't starting until the second week of July, so I have time to plan more.