Wand Issues

It's Not A Question Of Where He Grips It! Today I'm just poking a little fun at the recent iphone issues but geared for us gamers. Hehe.  Hopefully this will be a continuing feature pop'n up now and again.  Still playing with the styles, format, etc.  I now bring you "Crits and Fumbles".

Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by!

Glowing Dreams In A Gamma World

As I mentioned in the 1st post on d4d6d8d10d12d20, I've played most other RPG's and other board games and will likely comment on some of my favorite ones here from time to time.  A number of months ago I purchased Fallout3 but never played it.  I knew it would take up all my time when I did, but couldn't pass up the deal they had on Steam.  So there it sat waiting, taunting me to play it.  Until this weekend.  Feeling a bit burned out on the various fair that's been keeping my time occupied I decided to dive in.

Fallout3 is a post apocalyptic 50's styled era where the aftermath of a unforeseen nuclear war has caused a portion of mankind to take shelter underground.  A few of these shelters or "vaults" were purported to be opened after the war ended and the surface was again habitable, but one special vault, the one you are born into, literally, is set to never open and humanity is to continue on unspoiled. Its a neat way to start a RPG and run through a tutorial from infant to teen to young adult and finally adult hood. Now you're given a job via the G.O.A.T, and the Overseer is to be obeyed at all cost.  Don't worry I've not included anything further on the game, so as not to spoil anything for those, who like me, haven't played the game yet.

So far its a great game very engrossing and I'm enjoying playing it.  Of course now I'm longing to again play in or GM a Gamma World game.  It has been over 10 years since I've played in or game mastered a Gamma world game.  After a quick search guess what I found out, yep, Wizards is bringing back yet again the wasteland as of Oct 19, 2010 and its available for pre-order on amazon.  Now...

Blank Cottage Templates

Wizards of the Coast has upon their site a excellent, and more importantly FREE, archive of papercraft models scaled for use with DnD and Pathfinder miniatures (28mm-30mm) and is an excellent resource for creating some nice playing aids and accessories for your campaigns.  Trust me your players will be floored if you whip out the covered bridge section with some nasty beasty residing under the bridge only to emerge when they try to cross!

  

However the problem is all of the models all geared for a generic fantasy realm, e.g. Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, etc.  All are based upon the classic medieval Tudor building style, which is great if that's what you want.  However what if you're playing a different genre say the like recently released dnd 4.0 Dark Sun Setting where buildings are more adobe styled constructions, perhaps a post apocalyptic gama world where stacked cookie cutter buildings are blasted out here and there, or western styled campaign and those houses of the oakies are made of sod, those building might not fit in exactly how you would like. The problem compounds itself further if the players are spending a lot of time in a location or using it as a base of operations.  Also you might be like me and like to tweak the images regardless to add your own flair and style.  

So with that said, I've and created the first, in what I hope is a series, "template" you can use to customize to your hearts content. The first offering are two "cottage buildings", one large (roughly 4in. x 3.5in)  and one small( roughly 2inx2in)...

Lip Style Roof

Adhesive Guide for Resin Parts

The following is a guide of sorts, actually more of an account of my use with the various adhesives / glues with regard to their use upon resin parts.

The resin I use is the "quick cast" resin from Tap Plastics. This resin is a tan resin when dry so I also use tap plastics black super pigment to produce a nice gray resin. I use this resin for casting my own design of "field stone" and "cut stone" dungeon pieces. I use those pieces to construct modular dungeons and other structures.

There were a few criteria that I was looking for when searching for the "right" adhesive / glue for use with resin pieces. These included:

Look Sir, Druids!

Real Druids! (Photo: Getty Images / Matt Cardy)

Today is the summer solstice, or the longest day of the year.  As it passes we now head into the period of the calendar where the days are again growing shorter and the nights longer until the winter solstice where the night rules the roost.  Then the process starts all over!  Of course there are some great articles on the subject, from wikipedia, on what a solstice is and additional articles on the summer solstice and winter solstice.  

I'm curious if any of you use a similar event(s) in your campaigns.  In my dnd campaigns I ran, the solstices would be a time for the druids to gather, druidic councils to determine the future paths of their order and select new council members, par take in sacred rituals or summonings, pick various herbs for spells and potions, and overall frolic and merry make out in the wilds of the lands.

My current campaign i'm DM'n was adopted from a friend who moved away, and he now plays via skype at times, but one of the characters that started with out group was a druid. She was awesome, too awesome, and when the player who was playing her couldn't play anymore it was determined she had gone away, summoned by the council of elders and is off on her own questline (funny enough in another campaign played by another person entirely). Who knows she may return to aid the players again if they can ever get out of pandemonium! Mwhahaha!

Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by!

The Dice Oath - And My Love Affair with Dice

Its a unwritten rule in rpg'dom that you never touch another players dice, that is unless you want to pull back a bloody stump!

My love of the many sided pieces of plastic and metal has been a ongoing love affair. From the clear red d6's in my 1st risk game, to the d12s in my golf peg game, and of course to my complete polyhedral set from dnd, I love em all!  One exception wood dice, typically made of lighter materials (especially in the modern era), wood dice have never felt right in my hands and are very un-satisfyingly in sound and bounce when they clatter across the table top...

Take Your Dipped Miniatures For A Spin

With my recent articles on creating a paint station, and dipping miniatures to get a "quick shading" effect with minimal effort, I've seen various methods of removing the excess "dip" shading tints.  The best method I've had luck with is just using a old paint brush to apply the "dip" and just using rolled up paper towels to a fine point and wicking away the excess "dip".  I think that is the overall method for control.  If you're time pressed or just doing some quick and dirty speed painting there are some other methods.

Dip Shading Technique for Miniatures

After constructing your painting station one of the techniques you can use to paint your miniatures is called the dip method or quick shading.  More or less its a technique used quickly field a group of miniatures for your games without too much hassle and effort and requires very minimal artistic skill.  If you can paint within the lines then you can use the dip method to get some nice looking figures on your game table.  (don't forget you can click on the pictures for larger versions)

Make a Painting Station n Painting Rigs / Holders

Painting Station

This article will briefly go over how to make a painting station.  Basically its a rig to hold miniatures with, and in a second article I'll go over a technique called "dipping" used to auto shade miniatures once your done painting them.  I'm recycling this info from a post from one of my old blogs, just a fyi as its good info.

S4E7 - Dark Sun Campaign Podcast End

This is the last episode of the Penny Arcade, PvP, and Kris Straub playing DnD session.  The guys are recapping their adventure into the Dark Sun campaign setting, now adapted to the Dungeons and Dragons 4.0 Edition. 


Season 4 - Episode 7 

• Jerry Holkins (Tycho from Penny Arcade): The Dungeon Master

The Players:

• Mike Krahulik (Gabe from Penny Arcade): Mantis Eaglehawk
• Scott Kurtz (from PvP): Tuzul "Bloody-handed"
• Kris Straub : "Two Coins"

Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by!

Paper Clip Hoop Condition Tokens

Check out the pic to the right!  Those various colored hoops are made out of ordinary paper clips that I picked up at one of the "office" box stores for around $5-6 bucks. The pack I purchased contained 150 Jumbo(which are about 2in.) and 300 #2(which are 1in.) all coated in a vinyl sheath in the various colors you see.  I made these using a few simple tools and they work great for marking miniatures during a game for various effects and conditions or to differentiate the same sculpture of a miniature when using multiples. They're also easy to use, and unlike colored magnets don't "raise up" your miniature if your suffering from many effects. So you're never standing 3 in. above the combat on a "pedestal".

 They're also good for just plain movement in that they don't travel with your miniature! You can move your figure and try out various movements and your starting place is marked and only when you've committed you can then move the paper clip hoop.  You won't have players, or yourself say "Where was I again?"

So I've included the instructions on how to bend the paper clips out and then to bend them with another simple tool, so that you get the most round shape with minimal kinks in the paper clips. So if you want to know more check out the instructions after the jump... 

S4E6 Dark sun Campaign Penny Arcade, PvP, and guest star Kris Straub

The next episode of the Penny Arcade, PvP, and Kris Straub playing DnD session is here!  The guys are exploring the campaign setting of Dark Sun, now adapted to the Dungeons and Dragons 4.0 Edition.  


Season 4 - Episode 6

Dark Sun Campaign Ep 6 Article Link

• Jerry Holkins (Tycho from Penny Arcade): The Dungeon Master

The Players:

• Mike Krahulik (Gabe from Penny Arcade): Mantis Eaglehawk
• Scott Kurtz (from PvP): Tuzul "Bloody-handed"
• Kris Straub : "Two Coins"

Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by!

Eschew Materials - Modified Feat

As I had mentioned in a previous post I'm a big fan of spell components.  I think its just another portion of DnD or Pathfinder you can use to inject a bit of role playing and go beyond the normal rewards for overcoming a particular challenge or creature.  Its always fun as a DM to have the players try and determine if any particular creature they killed has any usable portions for spells or alchemical potions.  It is also fun as a DM to watch them fight the urge to sell a 5000 gp diamond to pay for various other pieces of equipment thinking that they may have to use it as diamond dust for a few restoration spells.  I like the players to have choices, yes some times those choices are directly opposed but still they give depth to the world.  Which brings me to the Eschew Materials Feat.  I do like this feat, however I don't like how its executed.   Especially when some classes get the feat as a class feature for free, the Sorcerer is one example where they get it for free at 1st level.  Like with any of the rules I'm not keen on I've modified them to my liking for use in my campaigns...

Ioun Stone - A Complete Guide, History of, and Props for use as an Ioun Stone

Over at d20 Resource Jonathan Drain has an article on his investigations into origins of the fabled ioun stone.  The article was an interesting read but what I found more useful was the fact that Johnathan had a "complete guide", so to speak,  of all the references to ioun stones he's been able to find over the years throughout the various publications.  This "Ioun Stone Complete Guide" is a gold mine for DM's/GM's of Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder role playing games.  I have a character in my current campaign who has a pink rhomboid ioun stone but is always forgetting he has it. Using a prop has helped with remembering.

You can get as creative as you want, or not, when making a prop, accessory, or other game aid to use as a stand in for an ioun stone, but just the addition of a prop, any prop, seems to help greatly in reminding the character (and DM/GM) of the little stone flying about their characters head.  Below are a couple of examples of props you could make for an ioun stone to hand out to the players on the cheap:

• Make a LED Throwie with a colored LED of the color of the ioun stone, if you can manage it.  Or you could make one with a blinking LED or a color shifting LED.  You can google LED throwie and you'll find lots of info on creating them or just click on the link above for an instructibles article on how to make one.  One of the more interesting and creative, but I'm not sure how well it would shine in the bright light of the gameboard, but putting a LED inside a ping-pong balls is also a novel idea! LED's rule!

• A Polished Rock / Stone from a craft store or Diddiams/Party America(USA), etc. If you've got one, even a fancy crystal would do! I have a large chunk of polished amethyst that I found on the streets of San Jose, CA while walking back to work from lunch one day. However its MY precious, so I doubt I'd give it to my players as an ioun stone.  If you have a friend, grandfather, or perform the hobby of tumbling rocks yourself then you've got plenty of "ioun stone fodder" to choose from!

• Glass or acrylic decorative beads from Michaels / Hobby Lobby.  You can find in all sorts of shapes, I have a few that are broken crystal shapes and I use them for a multitude of games from nexus ops board game, used as crystals for points so I have neon green and red ones, to clear and frosted white ones for use with pirates of the Spanish Main as little icebergs! The ones pictured are shaped like chandelier ornaments so if you're going for a more "fancy" or refined ioun stone, then those would be perfect!

There are many other things you could use as a prop for an ioun stone, you could create a playing card / mtg card similar to the cards I've created for use with my campaign, just something to alert the character that they have something that they can use to their benefit, or is in constant use and spinning about their head, etc.  You can always remind them too with a bit of role playing! Having the local guard or their new love interest intently watching them as if there were something unique about the character.  The character with think its their charm and charisma that has woo'd or calmed the npc, but then have the npc widely swing at the ioun stone flying around their head as if trying to swat it away, and then inquire about the character of his personal hygiene. "You've got glowing bugs flying around yer head!" hehe.

Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by!

Get Your Game On! - For Free!

Wizards has released the quick start rules , the module/scenario Keep On The Shadowfell , another scenario called Khyber's Harvest for 2nd Lvl characters, and a downloadable D&DI Character Builder to create characters from levels 1-3 at their website for FREE!.  So now you don't have any excuses to NOT try 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons.  If you want to hear/see how fun the game is check out the Penny Arcade, PvP audio podcasts and the video podcasts with the writers of Robot Chicken.

Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by!

S4E5 Dark Sun Campaign Penny Arcade, PvP, and guest star Kris Straub

The next episode of the Penny Arcade, PvP, and Kris Straub playing DnD session is here!  The guys are exploring the campaign setting of Dark Sun, now adapted to the Dungeons and Dragons 4.0 Edition.  

Season 4 - Episode 5

Dark Sun Campaign Ep 5 Article Link

• Jerry Holkins (Tycho from Penny Arcade): The Dungeon Master

The Players:

• Mike Krahulik (Gabe from Penny Arcade): Mantis Eaglehawk
• Scott Kurtz (from PvP): Tuzul "Bloody-handed"
• Kris Straub : "Two Coins"

Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by!

Identify Spell - Modified Also Differences Between Editions

Ever since d&d was released the identify spell has remained one of the more iconic spells that every adventuring group wizard's takes as soon as they can.  Its much easier, and cost effective, to just have your wizard cast the identify spell and tell you what wondrous or "not so" wondrous magical items, weapons, and gizmo's you've found.  Much easier than waiting to track down the local sage, paying his very high wage, and then having to wait the "two weeks" for him to discover the mysteries of the items.  It was a running joke that everything in our campaign took two weeks regardless of the actual time frame to cast the spell or have something constructed. The identify spell doesn't take that long to cast, but maybe the sage had a back log of work from other adventurers!  It could happen! he he.

I've always thought of casting spells taking a lot out of a wizard, sapping away their life force in exchange for powers in the arcane arts.  I also thought that discovering the secrets hidden in items would always take time and an amount of effort on the wizard otherwise anyone could do it!  I always thought that the old sage would perform alchemical tests, go to their library and research the items history or origin, another reason they have so many books, and may even consult with a spirit or two from a summoning circle.  

So i'm a bit disappointed with the current versions of the identify spell.  The spell has been regulated to almost a cantrip like spell where you can cast it once, everything about all the magical items you have on hand are revealed in exacting detail and the cost is negligible.  I'm also a big fan of spell components and I love it when the resident wizards, alchemists, and meat vendors (its a profession!) salvage pieces of exotic creatures they've defeated to use in their spells, potions or to sell on their meat cart. So to see components go from many to zero is also souring, plus the use of components allows for another area where you can inject a bit of role playing.  Did I mention that identify isn't even in Forth Edition Dungeons and Dragons as a spell...

The Unusual Suspects - Rogues Gallery Feature

I was always a fan of the "Rogues Gallery" which was chocked full of interesting characters to either use as PC's in a pinch or to use as colorful NPC's / Villains to spice up your encounters.  I enjoy Kenzer Co's Good, Bad, and Ugly section of the KODT magazine/comic, and I figure I should include some of my own creations on here.  So here is my version of the Good, The Bad, The Ugly called The Unusual Suspects!  Click on the images below save em to your HD, and set your printer to 300 dpi. The first is a half sheet of 8x10 paper for use with 3rd Edition and Pathfinder RPG, and the Second is a 2.5 x 3.5 playing card size that you can fold up and slip into a mtg clear card holder.  It looks like Wizards really simplified the familiar in 4.0 Dungeons and Dragons, which btw the rules for familiars is in the Arcane Powers Book.  So that's how I was able to use the smaller form factor. So without further ado I give you:

Pieroe (pronounced Pyro) -  The Zombie Homunculus!

3rd Ed DnD and Pathfinder RPG Printer Friendly Familiar - Pieroe

4.0 DnD Printer Friendly Familiar - Pieroe

Continue reading after the jump for a little background on this unusual familiar

Playing DnD with Penny Arcade, PvP, and guest star Kris Straub S4E4

Ok I have no idea what their release schedule is on these (I thought it was every Friday?)  However, Wizards again released another episode of the Penny Arcade, PvP, and Kris Straub DnD session where the guys are exploring the campaign setting of Dark Sun, now adapted to the Dungeons and Dragons 4.0 Edition.
Season 4 - Episode 4

Dark Sun Campaign Ep 4 Article Link

• Jerry Holkins (Tycho from Penny Arcade): The Dungeon Master

The Players:

• Mike Krahulik (Gabe from Penny Arcade): Mantis Eaglehawk
• Scott Kurtz (from PvP): Tuzul "Bloody-handed"
• Kris Straub : "Two Coins"

Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by!

Penny Arcade, PvP and Guest Star Kris Straub Play DnD Season 4, Episode 3

Wizards has released the next episode of the Penny Arcade, PvP, and Kris Straub DnD session where the guys are exploring the campaign setting of Dark Sun, now adapted to the Dungeons and Dragons 4.0 Edition.  

Season 4 - Episode 3

• Jerry Holkins (Tycho from Penny Arcade): The Dungeon Master

The Players:

• Mike Krahulik (Gabe from Penny Arcade): Mantis Eaglehawk
• Scott Kurtz (from PvP): Tuzul "Bloody-handed"
• Kris Straub : "Two Coins"

Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by!