The Gaming Bucket List

If you're anything like me, then you probably have a bunch of games that you've purchased in the past, intending to run, but never quite getting around to.

I have a bunch of games like this, and being the pack rat that I am, most (ok, all) are still in my possession. So, when I finalized my plans for GenCon this year, and realized that I would be in Indy with friends, some I haven't seen for awhile, I had an epiphany! I would dust off one of these never-played games and run a quick session during our time at the con.

The game I selected? A lesser known game called Legacy: War of Ages. It was basically a riff on the Highlander movies, with all of the film's IP thinly disguised. There are a few unique concepts in the game, and it expands the world by including Vampires, Warlocks, and a few other nasties to challenge the immortal characters.

Overall the original game never got great reviews, and while the few supplements that actually saw light of day were of dubious quality, the game still holds a soft spot for me (mostly from liking the original Highlander film, and the later TV series).

If all goes well, I go back and look over some of the other "bucket list" games I have and pull another one out at another time.

Currently the top games in my bucket list includes:

• ReichStar - What-if the German's won WW2 and now centuries later, the Third Reich was an intergalactic power.
• Deadlands - Horror meets the old west
• Noir - Pulp noir roleplaying

So what games are on your bucket list? Leave a comment!

My Woefully Past Due Gen Con 2012 Report: The Old and the New

As I start getting ready for GenCon 2013, I find myself thinking about last year's event, and since I didn't write a blog post about it at the time, here's...

My Woefully Past Due Gen Con 2012 Report

GenCon 2012 was probably my tenth GenCon overall, and my third in a row. While there's no point touching on any of the announcements or products available at the show, I do want to highlight a few things that really helped make this one of the most memorable visits ever.

Trying New Things

Every convention I typically sign up for a few D&D games, and 2012 was no different, playing in a few 4e events as well some D&D Next. In addition to this staple of the RPG field, I always try to sign up for something outside my comfort zone. In the past, it was trying new card games like 7th Sea or Death Angel, RPGs like Brave New World or Star Wars (back in the West End days), or board games like City of Thieves. In 2012, I was hoping to try out the new Marvel RPG game, but all the slots were sold out. In the end I went way out of my comfort zone and did a cardstock modeling class.

As someone who never thought he had the patience or skill, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I've been making cardstock buildings consistently since GenCon and now have enough for a small village, or parts of a large town. It doesn't hurt that I'm planning on running a few city-based adventures in the near future.

Make Travel Part of the Fun

Unless you live in the immediate area, going to GenCon usually involves some degree of travel. For 2012, I was going to the convention with some hometown friends and for a number of reasons, not the least of which was cost savings, we choose to drive out to Indianapolis instead of flying.

When you plan your travel, make sure to get the party started as soon as you can. That might include having a few quick and ready games for waiting at the airport or having some fun movies or audio books for the drive.

In fact a friend of mine routinely listens to the Lord of the Rings on audio during the drive to and from Indianapolis. And if your looking for audio books to check out, visit the new list of classic D&D audio books now on Audible.com

Bring Friends

I've done GenCon now both as part of a group and as a solo act, and while there were benefits to being on my own, the convention is 1000 times more fun when you share it with friends. With the new online friends tools available on the GenCon site, it's easier than ever to book your events and pick up an extra ticket or two for a friend.

In 2012 I ended up sharing at least half my events with the guys I traveled out with, and I'm hoping to do it again this year.

While it's great sharing various events with friends, don't pass up the opportunity to meet some new people. One of the great things about GenCon is we're all there to indulge our passion for games of all kinds and you probably have more in common than not with anyone you run in to at the convention. Take the time make a new friend or two, you wont be disappointed.

The Sights and Sounds of D&D

As I ramp back up to writing this blog on a regular weekly basis, here's a few other news items I meant to comment on a while ago.

In recent months, while many players eagerly await the release of "D&D Next", Wizards of the Coast has found numerous other ways to keep our interest in D&D going, including releases guaranteed to appease our eyes and ears.

Recently Wizards has released a number of classic novels in audio book format on Audible.com. Previously only a select number of books (mostly those from the most well known Wizards authors like R. A. Salvatore or Margaret Wies and Tracy Hickman) were released in audio book format, and even then, mostly in abridged format. Now, thanks to the last releases, all in unabridged format, D&D fans can fill their ears with the works of the above mentioned authors, as well as many other books set in the D&D worlds of Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun, Eberron, Ravenloft, and more.

Just check out the D&D book page on Audible.com for more information.

Around the same time that I heard about the Audible releases, I was even more pleasantly surprised to learn that after years of NOT releasing any products in PDF format, that D&D in all it's various editions was back on the digital market. In the past, Wizards had it's entire back catalog of product as well as new 4e releases available for purchase, but after rampant pirating, Wizards pulled all product of the virtual shelves, citing a need for better DRM tools. 

The recent re-releases, on a dedicated RPGnow site called Dungeons and Dragons Classics all feature Watermark technology, so while there are no limits to how many machines the document can be on, or printing restrictions, the watermark does at least identify the purchaser, and therefore someone who is liable should the document be shared illegally.

With prices ranging from $4.99 (for Basic and 1e) up to $17.99 (for more recent 4e products), this is a great way to get access to an old sourcebook or module without having to pay collector prices.

Dwarven Forge Kickstarter

As I've mentioned once or twice before, I'm a big fan of the Dwarven Forge terrain. Unfortunately, like many, the cost of Dwarven Forge is typically outside my budget, limiting my collection to a few basic sets.

That's why, when I heard of Dwarven Forge's Kickstarter project I had to check it out and ended up backing the project in the first day.

Like any Kickstarter project, there are a number of backer levels, from as little as $1 all the way up to $3500, but the $120 level is the minimum level needed to earn the various stretch goals that continue to be unlocked every few days.

Originally the project was looking to raise $50K, a goal reached in just the first few hours of the first day of backing. Now with about 10 days left to go, the project has raised almost $800K, unlocking all manner of stretch goals. Originally the stretch goals were additional pieces (more walls, floors, doors, etc), but after listening to the backers on the Kickstarter forum, they started adding unique pieces and optional add-ons.

With the current stretch goals, the $120 level contains about 125 pieces (higher levels offer an even greater piece per cost value), all of which are compatible with existing Dwarven Forge products. The equivalent set on the Dwarven Forge website runs $109 for 41 pieces. Clearly the best value for a Dwarven Forge set ever offered. Hopefully, based on the success of this project, Dwarven Forge will run future Kickstarter projects for their caverns style or sci-fi sets.

If you haven't checked out the project yet, click on the link above for product details and maybe consider backing this worthwhile project.

UPDATE: Since the original post, the KS campaign has passed the $1 million mark, unlocking even more bonus pieces, and some exciting add-ons, including accessories and large floor tiles. With just 5 days left, it's certainly worth looking at before the campaign ends!

Everything Old is New Again Part 2

It's been awhile since my last post, so it's only fitting that this post is really just a continuation of the last one.

Seems that while there were a number of reprints in 2012, in 2013 we can look forward to even more, including core reprints for 2e (Players, DM, and MM), supporting books for previous editions, including UA for 1e, and Spell and Magic Compendiums for 3e.

On top of those options, next year will also see legendary modules, like the S series and the A series getting hardback reprints for the first time ever. The A series hardback will also include a new prequel module, A0 - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry.

What I find interesting is that the A0 module will first be appearing in D&D Next format at Winter Fantasy in January of next year. Just goes to show how easily compatible next seems to be with earlier editions.

But the most interesting product to me on the Amazon schedule for next year is Storm Over Baldur's Gate: Sundering Adventure 1. Without enough details to know for sure, this looks like it could be either a D&D Next adventure or an edition neutral module. With all editions of the game having reprint books available by the time this module comes out, I can't say for sure what we'll actually get.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Everything Old is New Again--D&D 3.5 Back on the Shelves

A few months ago, WotC announced the reprint of the first edition D&D books, known back then as AD&D. In a way, it made perfect sense as proceeds from the sale were going to the Gygax Memorial Fund.

Just the other day, WotC announced another reprint. This time they are announcing reprints of the three core 3.5 edition D&D books. Actually these are updates as the books will include the latest 3.5 errata. I first heard about these books several months ago, when an astute fan found the pre-order listings on the Barnes and Noble site and a thread was started on ENWorld.

At the time everyone discounted the listing, and a few days later the listing disappeared off the site.

Even now as I read the announcement, I find myself scratching my head and wondering why? This reprint does not benefit the Gygax fund, or any other charity, it's not the follow up to first edition AD&D (that of course would be 2ed edition), nor is it the current edition of the game.

As WotC embarks on developing D&D Next, and trying to build support for what is supposed to be a game system that would allow for sessions that feel like any edition of D&D, it's interesting that they are restocking the shelves with the next to last version of the game, after a 4 year absence.

There are a couple of reasons why this should not be too much of a surprise.

WotC/TSR have been down the edition road before, and they've learned that once you announce a new edition, sales for the current game drop off, and demand for new product for what is seen as a "lame duck" system dry up.

Since they can't suspend their publishing schedule completely, in the past they've announced certain products as being "compatible" with the next edition, or products that are "edition neutral".

In that regard, it makes sense to fill up their schedule with the 3.5 books, since that version of the game is the root of the very successful Pathfinder system. On the other hand, Pathfinder is a complete game, and they've release enough books that cover and expand on the same content in these books.

Lastly, the publishing technology is probably such that it's relatively inexpensive to reprint these books, even with errata corrections. They probably still have digital files for 3.5 in QuarkXpress or InDesign, and can easily make the necessary changes and hand over the new version to a commercial printer. Unlike 1 and 2e, which probably aren't available in digital format, or if so, they are on some legacy system that commercial printers no longer support.

Overall it's not surprising to see products like this on the schedule. I wonder what more we'll see between now and whenever Next comes along.

DM Tools: Tiles and Stands

I've recently come across two sites offering some interesting accessories for my D&D games.

First on the list is Dapper Devil. They offer colored bases for D&D miniatures, in various sizes and colors. I think this was originally intended for use with the D&D skirmish games to help identify one person's minis from another.

For my D&D game I use them to help distinguish different versions of the same creature. If I have a bunch of lizardmen attacking, I can use the same mini, but each with a different color base to help keep track of hps and effects on each.

In addition to the miniature bases, the site also has a number of tiles that can further aid in a game, from various status effect tiles to spells, and even treasure tiles.

For character tiles, or paper standups, there are a number of companies that make plastic stands, from Steve Jackson Games, to Fantasy Flight Games. But I've found a solution I like more than those two for a number of different reasons.

RolcoGames sells pieces that can be used for a number of board games. The one product that I like for my game are the game stands. They are available in a number of different colors and at 3/4" x 3/4", they fit within a standard 1" space. Again, I like the color variety since I have multiple versions of the same creature with different color bases to track each independently. Also the price for these game stands is cheaper that the other companies listed.

If you use a lot of D&D minis or flat cardboard minis, check out these companies, I'm sure they have something you just might be interested in.