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I have been engaging with some D&D regulars on Twitter over the possible outcomes of adventures and their story. In many regards, a lot of adventures and plots usually climax with a rigorous fight—one where success is contingent upon slaying the antagonist. But what if you want something more dynamic than that? What if success and failure revolved around something less defined? Let’s delve into this and more.


Image from SlyFlourish.com. Artist: Jared Von Hindman

I’ll be honest. In 1988, when my older brother first introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons, I was captivated by the idea of kicking butt with a sword, and slaying foul beasts with my physical might. Back then; I was a snot-nosed little kid that was inspired by movies like the Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and Willow.

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The second – and likely last – 4th Edition Adventure Path, the Chaos Scar, recently finished with the big Heroic-Tier-ending adventure: Heart of the Scar. Because the Path has just finished, I feel it’s a good time to assess the AP as a whole.

I was initially critical of said endcap adventure, as it was level 9-11 when there had only been a handful of prior adventures above level 6, making it seem unlikely players would be high enough to play in said adventure unmodified.

Was I right? How well did the AP work? Read on then judge for yourself.

Adventure Hook

The introduction to the Chaos Scar series can be found here, which includes the following map: 
 

The “mission statement” the Adventure Path, as outlined by the above article is:

If you’re

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OVERALL GOAL: PROVOKE JUDGEMENT & PARTICIPATION FROM PLAYERS
1. Put players into their characters' bodies. Show; never tell. Observations are clues, not answers. The DM is a window, not a character. Because players learn thru what they are shown, describe succinctly as many separate specifics as you can about what the PCs perceive going on around them. This gives the players something with which to work. Avoid multiple specifics about the same thing to avoid slow-down; if the PCs want to know more, they will inspect further.
    Making the world alive:
  A. Avoid game terms (ie hit, damage, hp) and automatically naming things encountered.
  B. Describe using multiple senses.
  C. Everything has an adjective (be evocative)
  D. Emphasize what is different about...

My idea of the PERFECT D&D Next release/character generation options (a conceptual discussion).

Initial Caveat:  The purpose of this discussion does not include, nor is it concerned with, how it relates to personal disposable income.  I know several gamers who cannot afford even the basic entry level into the game, regardless of edition.  While I cherish them and have compassion for their situation, I do not feel it is WotC's responsibility (or even within it's capabilities) to resolve the issues of personal economics.  For transportation, some of us drive this year's model of car, some of us buy used, some of us take the bus, and some of us use the good old fashioned size 10 all-season radial retread tenny pump (shoes).  Also, while I call this my idea of the

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Let’s talk DDI for a moment. And by “a moment” I mean about three pages of dense text, because writers in the fantasy genre (even bloggers) do not know the meaning of the word “brevity”. I believe it is a type of cheese.

5e is coming out, likely in twenty-odd months. And WotC is unlikely to end the cash cow that is DDI, nor is it likely to end the digital magazines. But, with a new edition comes the possibility of refocusing the magazines, a clean break from what came before and renewed sense of purpose.

So, with that in mind, what should they do?

More Adventure Paths

Paizo has really established themselves as “the adventure path people”. It’s time to challenge them and give them the run for money that WotC is capable of. There are some

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From the Better Late Than Never Department: Last month, I wrapped up a fortunate year of freelancing by appearing in Dungeon. The adventure, “A Knight in Shadowghast Manor,” is live on the official site – and better still, anyone can download it. To my surprise and pleasure, it became a grisly token of holiday cheer from Wizards of the Coast to everyone. No subscription to DDI content is required. So check it out! (Bonus: Tremendous illustration by Brian Valenzuela. I am a lucky man.)

Here are a few thoughts on the adventure’s development (without spoiling any key details for the sake of those who wish to play it), followed by suggestions for DMs on how to “spookify” it.

Like the Kas/Vecna “History Check” article a few months back, this

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By now many of you have heard the exciting news regarding the development of the next iteration of Dungeons & Dragons. If you haven’t already, take some time to read over the recent Lore & Legend article by Mike Mearls. wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/2...

Based on what we already know, and what possibilities lie ahead, what are some of the core intrinsic features of the game you would like to see enhanced? Are there any specific parts of the game that you feel contrast D&D from other popular tabletop roleplaying games? Why do you feel it is important to emphasize. Exciting times are ahead and with Wizards of the Coast’s inclusion of fans and customers alike, we are sure to find a equitable game to keep us gathered around the table for the next 40 years.

If you have

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Today I got a couple of reply emails to my Dungeon & Dragon pitches. I sent them on 11/23 and today is 12/23, so it took one month, which is much sooner than I expected. I was expecting more like 2 months since that seemed to be the window for some other would be authors.

I submitted eight Dragon articles, which were all between 1,500 and 4,000 words and five Dungeon articles between 1,500 and 9,000 words. All of my pitches were for the Dark Sun campaign setting. The replies to both emails (I sent one for Dragon and one for Dungeon) were from Chris Perkins.

In the Dungeon article email he stated that they're going to do a Dark Sun themed issue in the future and that one of my adventures had a similar bent to an adventure they were going forward with. He stated that if that adventure didn’t

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Being a successful Game Master is relative to an array of deciding factors: The makeup of your gaming group, the personalities involved, and the actual game being played all make this job difficult and demanding.

I have been playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons since I was very young—even before I really knew what roleplaying was. I often tout that I was a bushy-eyed 6 year old when my experience with gaming began. Some might be deceived in believing this would make me far superior in my storytelling ability. Well, what with my vast experience, surely I am a god amongst men! Honestly, this means crap. It should in no way suggest that I am better in my ability to portray a scene, or communicate the fantasy world that surrounds my players. It just means I might have potential.

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