Hyza was once an adventurer of renown and skill. His old bones tired, he surrounds himself with memories of times more glorious. Having accumulated one last haul of magic items from his final adventure, he decided to open up a magic shop.

Its glass dome shines in the sun, where inside, a stuffed troll stands as if ready to attack. Dragon skeletons hover, hung from the ceiling with fine wire. Shelves of curious pots and odd artifacts grace the shelves, from which a stuffed giant rat peers down. What secrets might old Hyza still keep? It's up to your adventurers to find out, now isn't it?

Discover the deadly secrets lurking in Hyza's Magic Shop

I bought some of the Dark Sun books back in the 90's.  The art had two varieties:

1. Art by Brom (phenomenal)
2. Art by some high school kid who works cheap

Most of the art fell into the last category, horrible ink drawings done by art hacks.  For this reason, it was with some great hesitation that I bought the Dark Sun Campaign Setting, hoping that the art would be better this time around.

I wasn't disappointed.  The art in the new Dark Sun Campaign Setting is fantastic.  Great job, WOTC!  The book is well-produced, like most everything in 4th edition so far.

Want to mix things up a bit in your next game? Try this new attack type... beam.

Beam attacks hit targets in a line from the attacker in any direction. It's a great way to make your players consider  their characters' placement.

It's also a lot of fun for the dungeon master.  It will challenge you to find new ways to keep your characters on their toes. Click the link below to learn how this new attack type can spice up your next combat encounter.

See How the Beam Attack Type Makes Your Monsters More Interesting... and More Deadly

Ever stuggle to find just the right name for your Roleplaying character or NPC? Well, it won't be a problem anymore. I compiled thousands of fantasy-sounding names, ready to drop into your roleplaying campaigns. 

No longer will you settle for something like "Randy the Destroyer," just because you can't come up with something better under pressure. Click the link below to discover thousands of great fantasy names.  Avoid the shame of a lame name.

Find a Great Fantasy Name

Why Miniatures Enhance Your Game

I just read a blog post here telling about a new system of playing D&D without miniatures.  The one thing I didn't really see a compelling answer for is "Why?"  I'm not really seeing an advantage to not using miniatures and a battle mat. For many, gamers, the consideration is cost, more than anything else.

Minis Rock!

Let's not mince words here. Minis are seriously cool! I don't get the same thrill of fighting little tics on a piece of paper as I do when the DM drops a huge dragon on the battle mat. Maybe you feel the same

Use Miniatures... on the Cheap

There are a lot of ways to enjoy the advantages of gaming with a battle mat and miniatures, without breaking the bank. Here's some ways to enhance your gaming on a budget: www.creative-role-playing.com/article-mi...

Cheap/Free Battle Mat Solutions

Rather than spending $30+ on a battle mat, here are some ways to easily make a battle mat on the cheap:  www.creative-role-playing.com/article-mi...

Use Tokens... Until You Can Afford Minis

Here's some inexpensive alternates to using miniatures while you're building your collection of minis: www.creative-role-playing.com/article-mi...

Don't Miss Out On the Full D&D Experience

If you're not using miniatures in your game, I think you're missing out on what your games could be. While I'd love to buy every mini available (my wife thinks I already have), we all have budgets to consider. Use the ideas in the links above to get started using minis without spending a lot, adding miniatures to your collection as your budget allows.

Learn to Paint and Customize Your Own Miniatures

If you'd like to learn to paint or customize miniatures to match your D&D character, consider giving this site a look: www.how-to-paint-miniatures.com/

When I started playing Dungeons & Dragons back in 1978, I couldn't afford miniatures. I learned to make do with paper and pencil, but even then, I could see how miniatures could enhance my game.

While I love to paint miniatures, I too am on a budget, so I'll show you ways to keep expenses down while still enhancing your roleplaying game.

Miniatures - When and How To Use Them

Maybe you agree. Using miniatures in your roleplaying game makes it more fun. It makes it easier to see what's going on. Maybe best of all, they help you better picture the battle itself, making them a more immersive experience.

Do You Need to Use Miniatures?

I grew up poor, jealous of those whose games included cool little "metal men." Maybe this is why I'm a complete miniatures addict now. Take a gander at my miniatures painting site at www.how-to-paint-miniatures.com to see how far this addiction has taken over my life.

But the point is that I played for years without miniatures. You don't really need them to play, as long as you have another way to represent the physical layout of encounters and the positions of players and their foes. Minis are just one great way to do this.

What DO You Need?

To represent a combat encounter, you need a few things. Others in the list below are optional.

• Battle Mat (required)
• Tokens - Miniatures or Counters (required)
• Props (optional)
• Adventure Tiles (optional)

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