rpg

Rolling with the Wiki

Mar 4 2013

Rolling with the Wiki

So in generating a whole new world and series of campaigns for an upcoming D&D game I’ll be hosting sometime this month, I decided to create it using a Wiki on my local network. I’m interested to see if it will help with the creative process and cross-referencing everything from zones to NPCs to rare monsters and quests.  It certainly will help grow the campaign inside-out which, frankly, is the ideal way to build provided you can avoid ret-conning mid-campaign.  More

By • Blog, Dungeons & Dragons, Embracing The Geek, RPG, Strategic Thinking • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Mists Release Date

Jul 26 2012

Mists Release Date

So if you didn’t hear the big reveal yesterday, Mists of Pandaria, the next expansion in the World of Warcraft saga, will be released on September 25, 2012. In about 3 weeks time Blizzard will be releasing the CGI trailer (something I always look forward to) and I suspect the pre-patch will be available shortly after to prepare us for the storyline to come. It should be a lot of fun with the addition of the monk class, a complete overhaul of the talent systems and pet battles for all those companions collected over the years. The regular and Collector Edition are available to order on Amazon now (order now, pay when it ships – and you usually get it the day of release which is super nice!) and the digital version of these are available from the Blizzard store:

We’ll definitely be getting the CE version to add to our collection of deluxe box sets. As well as the pet and mount (that come with the Deluxe Digital Edition) the hard box set includes:

  • Behind-the-Scenes DVD and Blu-Ray: Learn about the creation of Pandaria with this two-disc set featuring over an hour of commentary, insider interviews, and developer roundtables.
  • Collector’s Edition Soundtrack CD: Experience 20 orchestral pieces from Mists of Pandaria.
  • The Art of Mists of Pandaria Book: Explore this 208-page hardcover tome featuring never-before-seen pieces from the expansion, from early concepts to final 3D renderings.
  • Chen Stormstout Mouse Pad: Equip your desk with this special-edition mouse pad featuring the legendary pandaren brewmaster.

Female Pandaren

I can say, without a doubt, that the art book and CD have always made the CE worth it. I just started using my Cata mousepad a couple of days ago and my wife has used her Wrath mat at home and Cata mat at work. The DVD (a Blu-Ray as well this time) has always been informational and worthy of a watch to get a peek inside the Blizzard HQ and it is fun to see the passion that the developers have for the game. You get a real sense that it isn’t just job but a hell of a lot of fun too! Check out the preview trailer from BlizzCon after the cut:  More

By • Embracing The Geek, Movies & TV, Tabletop & Video Games • 0 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Icosahedron

May 23 2012

The Icosahedron

I love dice – so do my kids. You cannot go wrong with bag of dice for both entertainment and educational fun. Those are just a few of my dice (pictured above) used for Warhammer, 40k, D&D, Gurps and other tabletop fun. Hands down, my favorite die (and it should come as no surprise) is the icosahedron – or d20 as it is colloquially known – which has 20 faces of equilateral triangles and the sum of opposite faces equaling 21. Rolling a 20 is considered in many games as a critical hit – a successful attack that deals more damage than a normal attack.

As an archaeologist, however, I am really fascinated by the 2nd century d20 as More

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