Off Topic => Off Topic => Topic started by: theANdROId on December 04, 2016, 07:05:58 PM
Title: D&D
Post by: theANdROId on December 04, 2016, 07:05:58 PM
So...I finally got to play D&D yesterday -- for the first time ever.
I'm trying not to act like a giddy little kid about it, but that was a ton of fun! :-D
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Claimh Solais on December 04, 2016, 07:53:51 PM
I've been binging a lot of ProJared lately and with the millions of videos he has on D&D (from his D&December events), I've really wanted to try getting into it. I just have no one to play it with. lol
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: TatteredSeraph on December 05, 2016, 03:00:02 AM
So...I finally got to play D&D yesterday -- for the first time ever.
I'm trying not to act like a giddy little kid about it, but that was a ton of fun! :-D
Woohooo! Which edition did you play? What sort of character did you go for?
Of the editions I've played, 3.5 is my favourite version. I wasn't keen on the power cards style of 4th, so haven't played that for a while. My favourite systems are Shadowrun (D&D meets Cyberpunk) and a modified version of Dark Heresy.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: X on December 05, 2016, 10:03:08 AM
I've played all sorts of tabletop RPGs and pretty much enjoyed them all. I can remember feeling giddy as well. You make your first character and step into another role that is not of this reality. It's like a long-needed break from the everyday. I started with advanced D&D (2.0), then eventually moved up to 3.0. I've also played Pathfinder, AvP (aliens Vs Predator), Star trek, Star Wars, Rifts: Phase world, Stargate, D&D Modern, Legend of the Five Rings, and of course, Project A-ko.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: TatteredSeraph on December 05, 2016, 10:52:40 AM
I find gaming very satisfying when you play long, in-depth campaigns where you get to really know your character, and find they go on an emotional development of their own that you don't always expect. Sometimes you find yourself also actually experiencing your character's emotions. I've ended up crying mess in a corner alongside one of the other players in the Dark Heresy game I'm in at times, such as when the GM decided to kill off the team's initial Inquisitor, who to his surprise we'd really taken a liking to. Even at this weekend's game several years of gaming down the line a reminder of Sloan turned the two of us left from that era of the game into blubbing messes. It's great fun, and when a real emotional reaction is evoked like that you get such a kick from it, if you're into character driven campaigns. I've played in various systems, from White Wolf's Vampire games and Scion, to Legend of the Five Rings, Wheel of Time (the first campaign I was ever in), Shadowrun, D&D, Eberron (a D&D spin-off), Dark Heresy, Kult (very dark, very grim horror), and a number of other systems over the years.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Flame on December 05, 2016, 11:58:48 PM
I play with some friends. We've played for ages, but since they've moved out of state, we play through Tabletop Simulator. I recommend it for DND
We've been doing ravenloft for a while now.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Shiroi Koumori on December 06, 2016, 01:46:45 AM
I really wanted to try these games but I have no one to play it with. Plus free time is always an issue with me.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Claimh Solais on December 06, 2016, 01:56:05 AM
I really wanted to try these games but I have no one to play it with. Plus free time is always an issue with me.
Yay, I'm not the only one! I've played a couple of the video games like the Capcom beat-em-ups and Neverwinter Nights (which was... well, whatever that was). But that's it.
Jokes aside, what would y'all think about getting a CVD group together, or something along that line? Playing it with some people I know would definitely be more fun than a bunch of randoms.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Inccubus on December 06, 2016, 10:24:39 AM
I play Pathfinder with a group on Fridays. It's a great time. ;D
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: X on December 06, 2016, 10:35:08 AM
Quote
Jokes aside, what would y'all think about getting a CVD group together, or something along that line? Playing it with some people I know would definitely be more fun than a bunch of randoms.
I remember this being mentioned in two other threads in the past. But I don't think anything really came of it.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: theANdROId on December 06, 2016, 06:36:39 PM
I think it was version 5? There were only 3 of us, plus the DM, and the story we played was a medieval-themed something that I think my DM friend had made up on his own. Then there was another friend in the same boat as me (video game experience but not D&D) and a coworker/friend who used to play a lot.
In nearly every game (if not actually every game) I always favor the magic user. Obviously the specific types vary from game to game. The DM friend suggested trying a Warlock since it was my first game and he felt they were a little easier to use. I went with Halfling for my race since they had a charisma bonus which was good for Warlocks. While I understood most of everything because of my gaming experience, I still felt like it took a fair amount of thought/explanation to understand how it worked for D&D. I think we took about 2 hours making characters before actually playing for another 2, but I enjoyed it all!
The whole idea of, as X put it, stepping into another role was pretty fun. My introverted side was very nervous about that at first, but once we began I think I slipped into it pretty well. I feel like I still need to get the hang of it a little more and develop a little bit of a history for my character to really make it interesting though.
Seraph, you said something about a Wheel of Time campaign...is that by any chance related to the Robert Jordan novels of the same name?
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Ratty on December 07, 2016, 04:29:38 AM
Yay, I'm not the only one! I've played a couple of the video games like the Capcom beat-em-ups and Neverwinter Nights (which was... well, whatever that was). But that's it.
Jokes aside, what would y'all think about getting a CVD group together, or something along that line? Playing it with some people I know would definitely be more fun than a bunch of randoms.
Neverwinter Nights used the 3rd edition ("d20 system") ruleset, I think NWN2 used 3.5 edition. With 4th edition D&D became much more board/card game like and many fans jumped ship to Paizo publishing's "Pathfinder" RPG, which was an evolution of the d20 system and is often dubbed by fans as "D&D 3.75".
The only game I've really gotten to play much at all is D&D 3.5, and while I eventually got the hang of it for the most part, I wouldn't recommend it for newbies. There's at least dozens of pages of rules for each player to keep in mind (unless you're running the game, in which case you have to keep in mind -hundreds-) all while you're still trying to learn the different shapes of the dice. Not to mention to play d20 games (and D&D 4th edition even more so) you really need a battle mat and miniatures, they're miniatures skirmish wargames first and foremost. If you want to take a look a the rules though most of them can be found for free (without the original art and flavor text) in the Pathfinder system reference document http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/)
I've not gotten to read it but by all accounts D&D 5e goes for a much more rules lite approach and eschews grid based miniatures combat for more "theater of the mind" style play. There's also a lot of even lighter RPGs out there, Savage Worlds Deluxe is a popular one I really want to check out, that being a generic system that you can use in any genre of game.
I remember this being mentioned in two other threads in the past. But I don't think anything really came of it.
It's possible to do, but it's still difficult to get everyone's schedules to link up. There are free programs like roll20 and others that make it easier though. One problem I have trying to game master online is that not everyone wants to voice chat, while I'm a fairly fast typist it takes a long time to try and type out all the detail you need to give to let the players interact with the world & set the mood.
I think it was version 5? There were only 3 of us, plus the DM, and the story we played was a medieval-themed something that I think my DM friend had made up on his own. Then there was another friend in the same boat as me (video game experience but not D&D) and a coworker/friend who used to play a lot.
In nearly every game (if not actually every game) I always favor the magic user. Obviously the specific types vary from game to game. The DM friend suggested trying a Warlock since it was my first game and he felt they were a little easier to use. I went with Halfling for my race since they had a charisma bonus which was good for Warlocks. While I understood most of everything because of my gaming experience, I still felt like it took a fair amount of thought/explanation to understand how it worked for D&D. I think we took about 2 hours making characters before actually playing for another 2, but I enjoyed it all!
The whole idea of, as X put it, stepping into another role was pretty fun. My introverted side was very nervous about that at first, but once we began I think I slipped into it pretty well. I feel like I still need to get the hang of it a little more and develop a little bit of a history for my character to really make it interesting though.
Seraph, you said something about a Wheel of Time campaign...is that by any chance related to the Robert Jordan novels of the same name?
Btw here's the system reference document, which includes many but not all of the rules for 5e, might be helpful to you for reference if you don't have the books http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/systems-reference-document-srd (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/systems-reference-document-srd) you can also find wikis
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: TatteredSeraph on December 07, 2016, 04:35:58 AM
Yup, indeed, it was a RPG based on the book series. The first campaign I was in was back before I'd read any of the boks (I'm currently stuck on book 4). It was one of the first campaigns I was ever in, so didn't really know what was going on. I've also played in another small campaign that never finished.
I've also realised that I've left off a homebrew version of Rolemaster from my list, that I was in for a couple of years. It was also one of the very first campaigns I was ever in. I did used to larp for a time, but ended up moving away from that into the SCA instead, thanks to the friends who I started gaming regularly with 11 years ago.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Claimh Solais on December 07, 2016, 05:08:17 AM
Neverwinter Nights used the 3rd edition ("d20 system") ruleset, I think NWN2 used 3.5 edition. With 4th edition D&D became much more board/card game like and many fans jumped ship to Paizo publishing's "Pathfinder" RPG, which was an evolution of the d20 system and is often dubbed by fans as "D&D 3.75".
I was more just referring to the fact that Neverwinter Nights, well... it just wasn't a good game. It was a serious snoozefest for the first six or seven hours because of the slow and floaty movement, pages and pages of dialogue you have to read through, the first couple hours of the game is a tutorial, and the combat system was pretty lame and overly slow-paced.
By the time the pace started to pick up, I was just so bored with it that I didn't want to continue, so I wound up uninstalling it.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Ratty on December 07, 2016, 05:34:59 AM
I was more just referring to the fact that Neverwinter Nights, well... it just wasn't a good game. It was a serious snoozefest for the first six or seven hours because of the slow and floaty movement, pages and pages of dialogue you have to read through, the first couple hours of the game is a tutorial, and the combat system was pretty lame and overly slow-paced.
By the time the pace started to pick up, I was just so bored with it that I didn't want to continue, so I wound up uninstalling it.
I've not played past the opening tutorial of NWN yet, but that doesn't surprise me. d20 combat is exceedingly complex, therefore exceedingly slow a lot of the time. Especially if you're playing with new players who don't know the system inside out. My experience with 3.5 combat is mostly sitting around watching other players go "No wait, does my tumble skill stack with this other modifier? Does so-and-so feat apply in this situation?" and then watching them and the Dungeon Master both flip through the book for 5 to 30 minutes. I've heard Pathfinder streamlined and improved things but it's still d20 system so it's still complex. On the upside, this combat system gives you a lot more time to eat pizza, drink beer (or the beverage of your choice) and goof off with other people at the table.
Yup, indeed, it was a RPG based on the book series. The first campaign I was in was back before I'd read any of the boks (I'm currently stuck on book 4). It was one of the first campaigns I was ever in, so didn't really know what was going on. I've also played in another small campaign that never finished.
I've also realised that I've left off a homebrew version of Rolemaster from my list, that I was in for a couple of years. It was also one of the very first campaigns I was ever in. I did used to larp for a time, but ended up moving away from that into the SCA instead, thanks to the friends who I started gaming regularly with 11 years ago.
Yep, it was one of the many many d20 system books released in the early oughts. There was kind of a goldrush there for a while after Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast let anyone publish material for the then-newest version of D&D under the open gaming license/OGL. A lot of people still play with these old d20 games and supplements, just usually with Pathfinder instead of D&D 3.0 or 3.5 now. Pathfinder being an improved clone of D&D 3.5, it's actually a product of the OGL itself. So ironically Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast created their own biggest competitor. Anyways you can still find used copies of the Wheel of Time RPG on amazon and presumably ebay. If you know the series well enough you could probably run a game set in that world without it though, using D&D or another more generic system. Though you might still find the "fluff" (setting info/story/flavor) in the book useful even if you don't use any of the "crunch" (game mechanics) https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Time-Roleplaying-Game-Fantasy/dp/0786919965/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481118012&sr=8-1&keywords=wheel+of+time+roleplaying+game (https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Time-Roleplaying-game-Fantasy/dp/0786919965/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481118012&sr=8-1&keywords=wheel+of+time+roleplaying+game)
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 08, 2016, 12:59:33 PM
5th Edition is by far the best in my opinion. But a few factors are behind this, in my view. Firstly, it is by far easier than 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, or 4e. It's relatively easy to learn, and doesn't have heaps of compounding variables needing to be calculated (or miscalculated) like 3rd edition rulesets.
The character classes (except ranger, which is being fixed) are all good, and backgrounds help to make the character "yours"
I have almost all of the 5e materials so far, and even a new 1-20 campaign from a 3rd party called "Legacy's Wake". And to add more fun, I am painting minis from Super Dungeon Explore to use for my 5e stuff. There is even a "Castlevania" module for Super Dungeon Explore that I plan on using for the "Dracula" world of DnD (Curse of Strahd).
I'll post some pics as soon as I get the Dracula SDE stuff painted. It's fun, definitely inspired by Castlevania. There is even a "Belmont" character with whip, and a vampire who shapeshifts into something that looks just like the shapeshift bosses from CV1/Rondo.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: theANdROId on December 09, 2016, 04:41:21 PM
I know I'm pretty hooked. If my gaming hobby wasn't already eating most of my spare cash (what little I have), I'd have another hobby to spend on now. I can hardly wait to play again, but sadly it'll easily be January before the 4 of our schedules align again.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 09, 2016, 07:48:54 PM
DnD and board games have pretty much replaced video games for me. Never thought I'd see the day, but I find all the recent video games I've tried to be pretty lifeless, especially MMO's, where it seems that there really isn't any meaningful story and/or goals. Quite ironic given the graphic superpower of modern consoles, I mostly play 16/32 bit era stuff....
I used to be quite the gamer in the day, won quite a few competitions in my state, so I am rather surprised myself that I seem to have moved to something else. I still follow a few things, Castlevania (or more aptly Bloodstained), but things like Final Fantasy seem to be rather....uninspiring...in their more current iterations.
So I enjoy DM-ing , making custom maps for dungeons in PnP, and in general immersing people in a new world.
What campaign were you doing for 5e, by the way? I hear you about conflicting schedules , it is such a pain to get a consistent group to play with. I think it would be easier if there still wasn't a bit nerdy stigma about this particular pastime, because I think people who otherwise wouldn't play it would find it quite enjoyable once they got into all the wonderful and infinite options available in the world of PnP rpgs.
Shadowrun was mentioned earlier, also quite fun indeed.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 10, 2016, 09:49:27 AM
If you ever need cheap minis for DnD, a lot of people these days(myself included) use the ones I mentioned above from Super Dungeon Explore sets. Really great bang for the buck, you can get quite a lot of minis for the price of what you'd pay for one from other "official" sources.
Here are some examples of the "Belmont" / Castlevania tribute the game has. The pack also has tons of skellies, which are also great since they are a staple of low-level DnD adventures.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Ratty on December 10, 2016, 12:43:55 PM
If you ever need cheap minis for DnD, a lot of people these days(myself included) use the ones I mentioned above from Super Dungeon Explore sets. Really great bang for the buck, you can get quite a lot of minis for the price of what you'd pay for one from other "official" sources.
Here are some examples of the "Belmont" / Castlevania tribute the game has. The pack also has tons of skellies, which are also great since they are a staple of low-level DnD adventures.
People pay crazy money for minis. Those are neat, would love to get the Belmont one. If you want to have minis though, and D&D5e doesn't require them like Pathfinder/D&D4e/D&D 3.5/3.0 do, probably the best deal I've seen is the Pathfinder Beastiary box series. Yeah they're cardboard cutouts, but they're entirely functional as visual aids. Though you would I imagine still want to scan them in so you could print out and duplicate more of a monster you needed. and organizing them after you've punched them out is probably a bit of a pain. Still, 250 - 300+ monsters for a little over 30 or 40 bucks isn't too bad a deal. https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Pawns-Monster-Codex-Box/dp/1601257171/ref=pd_sim_21_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1601257171&pd_rd_r=F0S47KE6BA0APG1NMYN0&pd_rd_w=BqOh1&pd_rd_wg=4sTMQ&psc=1&refRID=F0S47KE6BA0APG1NMYN0 (https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Pawns-Monster-Codex-Box/dp/1601257171/ref=pd_sim_21_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1601257171&pd_rd_r=F0S47KE6BA0APG1NMYN0&pd_rd_w=BqOh1&pd_rd_wg=4sTMQ&psc=1&refRID=F0S47KE6BA0APG1NMYN0)
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 10, 2016, 01:06:55 PM
People pay crazy money for minis. Those are neat, would love to get the Belmont one. If you want to have minis though, and D&D5e doesn't require them like Pathfinder/D&D4e/D&D 3.5/3.0 do, probably the best deal I've seen is the Pathfinder Beastiary box series. Yeah they're cardboard cutouts, but they're entirely functional as visual aids. Though you would I imagine still want to scan them in so you could print out and duplicate more of a monster you needed. and organizing them after you've punched them out is probably a bit of a pain. Still, 250 - 300+ monsters for a little over 30 or 40 bucks isn't too bad a deal. https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Pawns-Monster-Codex-Box/dp/1601257171/ref=pd_sim_21_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1601257171&pd_rd_r=F0S47KE6BA0APG1NMYN0&pd_rd_w=BqOh1&pd_rd_wg=4sTMQ&psc=1&refRID=F0S47KE6BA0APG1NMYN0 (https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Pawns-Monster-Codex-Box/dp/1601257171/ref=pd_sim_21_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1601257171&pd_rd_r=F0S47KE6BA0APG1NMYN0&pd_rd_w=BqOh1&pd_rd_wg=4sTMQ&psc=1&refRID=F0S47KE6BA0APG1NMYN0)
Yeah, 4.0 was built around the need for tiles and minis. I liked 4.0, but all those tiles and figures do take up a lot of space, whether in or out of storage...
My players still like minis , so I try to use those for smaller dungeons. It was also hard to find a brass dragonborn monk for my wife to use, so the super dungeon explore set actually had a scaly kobold that I could paint the appropriate color and it really matches to her role quite well.
And for maps, rather than tiles, I usually just hand-draw the map ahead of time and laminate it so that way I can use a wet-erase marker to denote locations. While theater of the mind has its perks, I do find that having a visual approach helps to determine line-of-sight and blast radii for fireballs a bit better as not to have a heated debate ensue as to whether a player gets hit by something or not.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Ratty on December 10, 2016, 01:15:18 PM
Yeah, 4.0 was built around the need for tiles and minis. I liked 4.0, but all those tiles and figures do take up a lot of space, whether in or out of storage...
My players still like minis , so I try to use those for smaller dungeons. It was also hard to find a brass dragonborn monk for my wife to use, so the super dungeon explore set actually had a scaly kobold that I could paint the appropriate color and it really matches to her role quite well.
Yeah I've heard that. You'd think as intent as Hasbro was on shoving the Dragonborn into the game as a core race (and into decades old campaign settings where they didn't belong) that they would've supported them with more/a larger variety of minis. To be honest I was immediately turned off of 4th edition as soon as I heard Dragonborn were replacing Half-Orcs (my favorite core race) in the players handbook. It was a really cheap way to force people to buy the player's handbook 2 just to get actually core classes and races. Demonstrating why 4th edition was too much "Magic the Gathering" and not enough D&D for many people, myself included.
As for the maps, I'm personally I'm planning on just getting a chessex wet erase grid mat if I ever get a local game going. That's what we always used when I was in college and they worked great.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: theANdROId on December 10, 2016, 01:32:36 PM
Dang! I might buy some of those minis just because of how awesome they look!!
I couldn't answer about what campaign we were using. I remember that at one point my friend said that since 2 of the players were new to the game, he was gonna do a story that he'd made up. I would guess that means we weren't doing a specific campaign, but I'm also not sure I have that firm of a grasp (yet) on everything D&D. I feel like what (I think) I understand is still only loosely connected until I get more opportunities to play.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 10, 2016, 03:11:54 PM
Ah. Home brew is also fun!
I haven't come close to painting everything from the sets that I have from SDE so far, but I've done about 20 so far. This red knight makes for a cool paladin/knight, and I can use the big purple dude as a bug bear.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Ratty on December 10, 2016, 03:28:36 PM
Dang! I might buy some of those minis just because of how awesome they look!!
I couldn't answer about what campaign we were using. I remember that at one point my friend said that since 2 of the players were new to the game, he was gonna do a story that he'd made up. I would guess that means we weren't doing a specific campaign, but I'm also not sure I have that firm of a grasp (yet) on everything D&D. I feel like what (I think) I understand is still only loosely connected until I get more opportunities to play.
Yeah I like homebrew campaigns because you're not constrained by the expectations of a module/adventure path, so the GM can improvise more if the party does something they didn't see coming.
Some terms (I don't know how much you've read or is spelled out in the 5e book so sorry if it's all redundant to you):
Campaign: The connected series of game sessions that tell a story. The term is a holdover from the war games that D&D sprung out of in the 1970s. Campaigns can last a few games or they can last decades. A game that only lasts one session is a "one-shot".
Campaign setting: The world the game takes place in. D&D 5e's default setting is the always popular "Forgotten Realms", but there are many other notable D&D campaign settings. (Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Ravenloft, Planescape, Eberron, Dark Sun etc.) I think most DMs just take what they want from the core books and build their own world though. But if you want to get immersed in a given pre-published campaign setting there's lots of stuff out there. Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance in particular have hundreds of books and games based in them.
When he said campaign though he meant an "Adventure Path" which is a pre-published campaign/story designed to take your whole party from the beginning of their adventuring careers to the end of them. "Adventure Paths" are as far as I can tell a relatively recent phenomena, with most pre-published adventures in the past and today being "modules". Modules are shorter (often stand-alone) adventures designed to only take your characters through a level or a few levels. An Adventure Path is or can be a sort of a compilation of modules. Not all Dungeon Masters use pre-published modules or adventure paths, many prefer for the story to come more directly from the player characters and/or the GM's own ideas.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 10, 2016, 05:55:56 PM
You'd think as intent as Hasbro was on shoving the Dragonborn into the game as a core race (and into decades old campaign settings where they didn't belong) that they would've supported them with more/a larger variety of minis. To be honest I was immediately turned off of 4th edition as soon as I heard Dragonborn were replacing Half-Orcs (my favorite core race) in the players handbook. It was a really cheap way to force people to buy the player's handbook 2 just to get actually core classes and races.
As for the maps, I'm personally I'm planning on just getting a chessex wet erase grid mat if I ever get a local game going. That's what we always used when I was in college and they worked great.
Yeah, that was rather strange forgoing the half-orc...I'd forgotten about that! But it was also weird with them throwing in Warforged in other handbooks...This wasn't Eberron. No explanation as to why WF suddenly are there, either.
The old dragonborn art was pretty ugly too...
I pretty much sold all of my 4e material as soon as I heard 5e was coming out. It was a gamble but I figured that WoTC had realized they had blundered big time and needed a fix. And they'd need something GOOD that evoked classic feel and kept people involved for many years--after all, people simply aren't going to fork over money for a new edition every couple of years, and the time span between 4e and 5e was pretty thin...
I'm glad I sunk heavily into 5e now that it's all said and done. It has the feel of 2nd edition, and some fairly good class building options--but none of the clutter of 3rd edition calculations.
And it's back in Forgotten Realms! Big plus!
I do like how in 5e they are finding ways to cross over to old modules/paths in other settings like Ravenloft and Greyhawk. Hence Temple of Elemental Evil and Curse of Strahd books that were released for 5e. I like those two a lot!
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Ratty on December 10, 2016, 09:35:47 PM
Yeah, that was rather strange forgoing the half-orc...I'd forgotten about that! But it was also weird with them throwing in Warforged in other handbooks...This wasn't Eberron. No explanation as to why WF suddenly are there, either.
The old dragonborn art was pretty ugly too...
I pretty much sold all of my 4e material as soon as I heard 5e was coming out. It was a gamble but I figured that WoTC had realized they had blundered big time and needed a fix. And they'd need something GOOD that evoked classic feel and kept people involved for many years--after all, people simply aren't going to fork over money for a new edition every couple of years, and the time span between 4e and 5e was pretty thin...
I'm glad I sunk heavily into 5e now that it's all said and done. It has the feel of 2nd edition, and some fairly good class building options--but none of the clutter of 3rd edition calculations.
And it's back in Forgotten Realms! Big plus!
I do like how in 5e they are finding ways to cross over to old modules/paths in other settings like Ravenloft and Greyhawk. Hence Temple of Elemental Evil and Curse of Strahd books that were released for 5e. I like those two a lot!
Yeah I've been debating over whether I should try pathfinder or D&D5e. I have mixed feelings about D20 but when you can wrap your head around it the customization is very rewarding, though I think it inevitably shifts the emphasis away from roleplaying into min-maxing for combat. I'll get 5e probably. Though I'll probably be a little nostalgic for the minis and grid combat even if it bored me to tears sometimes in college. Heck I'll probably wind up getting both. Since they released a lower cost paperback version of the Pathfinder corebook and beastiary ahead of the next Pathfinder game (Starfinder, Pathfinder IN SPAAACE!) you'll probably be able to get those for $15 apiece in a year or so.
Also hey speaking of minis, this looks like a pretty cute mini resource, especially for starting DMs. Some nice looking free printable miniatures. https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/5gpodp/oc_free_dd_paper_miniature_resource/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/5gpodp/oc_free_dd_paper_miniature_resource/) http://printableheroes.tumblr.com/ (http://printableheroes.tumblr.com/)
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 10, 2016, 10:38:20 PM
Yeah I've been debating over whether I should try pathfinder or D&D5e. I have mixed feelings about D20 but when you can wrap your head around it the customization is very rewarding, though I think it inevitably shifts the emphasis away from roleplaying into min-maxing for combat. I'll get 5e probably. Though I'll probably be a little nostalgic for the minis and grid combat even if it bored me to tears sometimes in college. Heck I'll probably wind up getting both. Since they released a lower cost paperback version of the Pathfinder corebook and beastiary ahead of the next Pathfinder game (Starfinder, Pathfinder IN SPAAACE!) you'll probably be able to get those for $15 apiece in a year or so.
Also hey speaking of minis, this looks like a pretty cute mini resource, especially for starting DMs. Some nice looking free printable miniatures. https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/5gpodp/oc_free_dd_paper_miniature_resource/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/5gpodp/oc_free_dd_paper_miniature_resource/) http://printableheroes.tumblr.com/ (http://printableheroes.tumblr.com/)
Cool resources on the paper minis! Look pretty usable!
Actually the ONE thing that I did keep from 4E were all the monster and npc tokens that came in some boxed sets. Those things were pretty good art, and I'd bet they are pretty dang cheap now on Ebay.
Pathfinder vs 5e may just as well be like comparing 3rd edition to 5th edition from what I hear. Although I haven't played pathfinder, I hear it is pretty much DnD 3.75 and lifted just about everything from the 3.5 mechanics and added a facelift. Maybe some theoretical "balancing" issues, but from what I've heard the "rebalancing" just shifted game-breaking features elsewhere into other classes. And if you are familiar with 3.0 or 3.5 rules, there's still all that 17 +12+12+4+8+22 (oh wait, I forgot the plus 2 circumstance bonus, we gotta add the numbers again!) malarkey.
The key term that 5e developers described when making the system is "bounded accuracy". So there aren't any insane calculation bonuses to apply. Characters get better over time, but there is a reasonable limit on how many mods you will be applying to rolls. In addition this new feature called Advantage/Disadvantage really makes for a great game mechanic that is very well balanced in the context of the game. If you have Advantage on a roll, you get to roll two dice and use the higher result ; disadvantage uses the lower roll. If multiple circumstances give both advantage and disadvantage, all of those circumstances simply cancel out and you just do a regular old roll.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Ratty on December 11, 2016, 09:42:31 AM
Cool resources on the paper minis! Look pretty usable!
Actually the ONE thing that I did keep from 4E were all the monster and npc tokens that came in some boxed sets. Those things were pretty good art, and I'd bet they are pretty dang cheap now on Ebay.
Pathfinder vs 5e may just as well be like comparing 3rd edition to 5th edition from what I hear. Although I haven't played pathfinder, I hear it is pretty much DnD 3.75 and lifted just about everything from the 3.5 mechanics and added a facelift. Maybe some theoretical "balancing" issues, but from what I've heard the "rebalancing" just shifted game-breaking features elsewhere into other classes. And if you are familiar with 3.0 or 3.5 rules, there's still all that 17 +12+12+4+8+22 (oh wait, I forgot the plus 2 circumstance bonus, we gotta add the numbers again!) malarkey.
The key term that 5e developers described when making the system is "bounded accuracy". So there aren't any insane calculation bonuses to apply. Characters get better over time, but there is a reasonable limit on how many mods you will be applying to rolls. In addition this new feature called Advantage/Disadvantage really makes for a great game mechanic that is very well balanced in the context of the game. If you have Advantage on a roll, you get to roll two dice and use the higher result ; disadvantage uses the lower roll. If multiple circumstances give both advantage and disadvantage, all of those circumstances simply cancel out and you just do a regular old roll.
Yeah 3.5 is the only one I've much experience at all actually playing back in the day. I never did get my head completely around the d20 system back then, and it's probably too crunchy for me to really enjoy playing now. Since as you said, combats in 3.x drag on forever as every player has to calculate a dozen different modifiers and look up rules in the book.
5e seems to be a much more rules lite, streamlined and modern system. Which is right up my alley. After all as is often noted, the fun of role-playing, as opposed to "roll-playing" (which I find more suited to board games anyway) is to use the power of your imagination. The rules should be a tool to aid you, not something to constrain you.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: theANdROId on December 11, 2016, 01:20:07 PM
The help is not redundant at all, so thanks! :-)
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: GuyStarwind on December 12, 2016, 11:28:54 PM
I love D&D. I would be 100% down for a CVD game. Heck, I could even DM if no one else wants to. I won't promise it will be the best but I know 5E rules pretty well. I've made almost 200 dollars writing adventures haha. Seriously I'm down to game. It seems that Jazz Paladin knows a lot too.
I'm also all for being a player too. I actually want to play as a paladin or cleric of Blibdoolpoolp.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 13, 2016, 09:06:21 AM
I don't mind being either a player or DM. The only difficulty I see is getting schedules to align, especially if we're all in different time zones.
From a GM perspective , I'd say the starter set is an easy entry point. I also am pretty familiar with a few of the other published campaign paths.la
I'd probably prefer being a player for once, though , but I have no objective to running things.
And GuyStarwind ---Paladins are probably the best class in my eyes these days. And for once martial types aren't completely useless at high levels, so I also have a soft spot for Barbs and Fighters.
Not too sure how I feel about some changes to rogues in 5e. On the one hand, in previous editions backstab was pretty useless against undead/constructs--but it was very cool thematically. 5e, they can do normal backstab damage equally well to all enemies, so more useful in combat situations, but it does lose a bit of that thematic essence.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: X on December 13, 2016, 09:51:28 AM
One of the other problems I find with online roleplaying is that it isn't very intimate. Like chat forums there's only so much you can do from behind a screen. A tabletop social gathering is a lot more fun and you really get to know the DM and other players, not just themselves but also their chosen characters as well.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: GuyStarwind on December 13, 2016, 02:09:15 PM
I'd be even down for Skype or Google hangouts. I have no problem showing my face and talking to people. Though I understand that it's not everyone's first choice. Also if we did do anything I don't own any starter adventures.
Yeah I agree about paladins. They've always been my go to class. In fact yesterday I was wearing a lawful good but not lawful nice shirt haha
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 13, 2016, 02:27:38 PM
I'd much rather play in person too, but I doubt that we all live in the same neck of the woods...
I think the reason doing it online is becoming so popular is that even in large cities it can be hard finding a dedicated group when everyone is still stuck on Magic:he Gathering
Here is one simple way to meet up and play online, though
https://roll20.net/ (https://roll20.net/)
Also, one thing to mention , especially if there are a lot of new players, is that the Starter Set has some good pre-generated characters that can be used in the story. Would save time on creating characters for those who don't have the PHB or would have a hard time making characters if it's their first character.
Here are some free ones for the official starter set :
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: X on December 13, 2016, 11:25:39 PM
Quote
I think the reason doing it online is becoming so popular is that even in large cities it can be hard finding a dedicated group when everyone is still stuck on Magic:he Gathering
I never got Magic. Couldn't understand it when it first came out, and still don't get it now. Though I'm assuming it's along the lines of that card game Marvel brought out several years before. Didn't quite get that one either.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: GuyStarwind on December 14, 2016, 12:22:32 AM
I was just telling my sister I couldn't get into magic. I love playing yugioh though. Actually one of my reasons of not getting magic is because I'm so used to yugioh.
Going to back to D&D. At the start of the year, I'll be on mountain time.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Ratty on December 14, 2016, 10:16:37 AM
Glad to help :) though I did notice some ambiguities left in because I was tired, most notably when I said "Campaigns can last a few games or they can last decades. A game that only lasts one session is a "one-shot"." when I should've said "Campaigns can last a few sessions or they can last decades. A game that only lasts one session is a "one-shot" or "one-off"."
If you start playing or talking about other tabletop games later on, you'll find that they will occasionally use different words for the same things, but not too much and just about every gamer will understand and probably still use the D&D terms anyway. The generic (and not trademarked) term for "Dungeon Master" is "Game Master" but some companies like to get fancy and call them something like the "storyteller" or go old school back to the 70s and call them the "referee". I've got one ("Terra Primate", an unofficial Planet of the Apes RPG) that wants you to call the GM the "Ape Master". Along with calling the GM the "the storyteller" White Wolf Publishing has a slightly pretentious term for the players to, "the troupe" as in a performing troupe.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 14, 2016, 12:37:13 PM
I was just telling my sister I couldn't get into magic. I love playing yugioh though. Actually one of my reasons of not getting magic is because I'm so used to yugioh.
Going to back to D&D. At the start of the year, I'll be on mountain time.
I had the misfortune of growing up in Renton, WA, where Magic and WoTC was born. So you might just understand if I'm a little sick of it.
It's not that it's bad--I just find it annoying to constantly have to upgrade and pay more money to get more cards as older ones becomes obsolete, or to "own" your strategy. Hence, as much fun as it might be, the cost is too inhibiting, much like Android : Netrunner
For what it's worth, I really am wanting to try the new 5e "Ravenloft" for DnD. Even though it starts out in Forgotten Realms, the party finds themself transported to the Ravenloft setting for this story.But Hickman, the original author themselves, had a part in this story--which is supposed to be very faithful to the original, but added a few more story elements.
Here's an interesting interview with Hickman. Should be of interest to those with a vampire fancy--I'd imagine there might be a few of those around here....
I had the misfortune of growing up in Renton, WA, where Magic and WoTC was born. So you might just understand if I'm a little sick of it.
It's not that it's bad--I just find it annoying to constantly have to upgrade and pay more money to get more cards as older ones becomes obsolete, or to "own" your strategy. Hence, as much fun as it might be, the cost is too inhibiting, much like Android : Netrunner
This is why collectible card games are not for me. I hate the idea of being forced to buy new cards all the time. And of never being able to have a "complete" copy of a game. Plus it's pure math. I did always wish they'd release an artbook of Merfolk art though. So much beautiful art trapped in a tiny tiny box on those cards.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Shiroi Koumori on December 15, 2016, 02:23:49 AM
Hahaha... in my case, I only know 4 people who play MTG and 3 are abroad. The last one and me are too busy to play.
I agree that collectible card games will burn a hole in your pocket. And the artwork on those MTG cards are gorgeous. I am partial to the artwork of the land cards.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 15, 2016, 08:44:30 AM
Yeah, while I personally don't buy into the whole Living Card Game thing, it has been stated many times that Magic : The Gathering is really the only thing keeping a lot of brick-and-mortar shops open. So at least it's doing something of good for the rest of the world, as I already hate seeing what online retailers like Amazon have done to small shops all around, they just keep disappearing...
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: GuyStarwind on December 16, 2016, 01:06:57 AM
Yeah, while I personally don't buy into the whole Living Card Game thing, it has been stated many times that Magic : The Gathering is really the only thing keeping a lot of brick-and-mortar shops open. So at least it's doing something of good for the rest of the world, as I already hate seeing what online retailers like Amazon have done to small shops all around, they just keep disappearing...
It really is sad and I own up to it and admit I'm part of the problem. In the case of yugioh I hardly buy cards from shops but buy individual cards themselves from ebay or amazon. We have two shops where I live in Oregon and they know me by name at one. I try to be supportive but at the same time I don't have the money to buy lots of booster packs. Though I have for sure spent my fair share there.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Ratty on December 17, 2016, 01:23:16 PM
It really is sad and I own up to it and admit I'm part of the problem. In the case of yugioh I hardly buy cards from shops but buy individual cards themselves from ebay or amazon. We have two shops where I live in Oregon and they know me by name at one. I try to be supportive but at the same time I don't have the money to buy lots of booster packs. Though I have for sure spent my fair share there.
Eh, the main benefit of "FLGS" (or so called FLGS, I'm never going to get back that money the last one I went to owes me) is that they provide a place to hang out to game/host tournaments. It's a symbiotic relationship, if they're nice buy a booster or pack or something every now and then to support them. If not don't worry about it.
Also found this amusing and relevant song. (warning it gets a little loud at one or two points)
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on December 26, 2016, 05:44:29 PM
So for even more nerdiness...
As mentioned before, I usually try to pre-draw maps for any adventures I run, which are usually pre-made/published. I will then usually paste the drawings onto cardstock of some kind, then laminate in case I ever need to somehow change or draw in the "environment" in a non-destructive way (adding fire to a specific area, traps, etc...).
For me the bonus perk is that if I ever want to run the adventure again, I never need to really prepare too much ever again. I just stick all my "encounter" areas into a binder with page-divider inserts, and I'm covered for years to come.
Just finished painting a few other figures today. I have an elf and a tracker with a crossbow now at the ready ;)
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on January 02, 2017, 07:20:00 PM
Here's what I did my New Year's eve : I painted a "mini-Richter" to use when I do the Ravenloft campaign/curse of Strahd.
I think I am going to make him a combinations of the new Kensai monk mod and multiclass to Paladin for the Holy attributes...
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Shiroi Koumori on January 02, 2017, 10:06:38 PM
I like it. It's so cute! :)
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: XombieMike on February 03, 2017, 05:32:26 AM
D&D is directly tied to my love of Castlevania. I ran a table top RPG for Castlevania using the Grim Tales rules and a modified Ravenloft adventure with Castlevania story, monsters and bosses. It was set in the time between LoI and where Dracula became known as Dracula. Good times.
Title: Re: D&D
Post by: Jazz Paladin Productions on February 03, 2017, 08:49:42 AM
Yeah, I so want do to a Ravenloft Castlevania...People might not "get it" when I break into my "Die, monster!" monologue, but I'm sure I'll have a blast no matter what...