Elemental Evil: A New Campaign Begins

Tonight, my Monday group will make characters for our Elemental Evil/Princes of the Apocalypse game.  My original intention was to run Temple of Elemental Evil, but since Princes of the Apocalypse is near release (at least for my store as a WotC Premiere Retailer), I think at the very least it will be mash-up of old and new.

While I am a fan of Greyhawk, I've really grown excited about the Forgotten Realms again (as the My Realms articles show).  I've really enjoyed what WotC has done with the Moonsea Region in the Expeditions adventures and if I'm really lucky my Friday game (set in Phlan) and my Monday game (set in Mulmaster) might even crossover!

I have one character already made (from a player who can't make it tonight), Branson Stout, a fighter who owns a tavern.

I also have three new players interested in joining and need to talk it over with my current players (its the only game I run with only 4 people and part of me wants to protect that).

I'll keep you posted.

Back This: Shadow of the Demon Lord Kickstarter

Back in the fall, I saw the blurb about Robert J. Schwalb's new RPG Shadow of the Demon Lord and then I saw his offerings to come to stores and demo it.

Then I signed Comic Book World up for it and Rob ran us through an awesome adventure and introduced us to the rules.

And because he's an exceptionally swell guy, he let my group playtest the game.  Let me expound on that a bit too, Rob, is the type of guy that you meet and your fast friends, he's great to talk to and an awesome gamemaster and top notch game designer.

My Hard Times in Jarlsburg posts have been about that game (which we just finished this past monday).  I ran an entire campaign, beginning to end--level 1 to 10 in just about 14 weeks.  And it was awesome.

One of the key tenants of Shadow of the Demon Lords is that at the end of every session, you level, so you finish a campaign.  AND ITS AWESOME.  My players were super excited to see what came next for their characters and narratively, well, it was as if as the mystery of the story began to reveal itself, that the player's characters weren't just a level higher, but because they understood the threat before them better, they were more effective.  Narratively, their increase in power plugged into and enhanced the story I was telling.  The more they knew, they more effective they were.  That's BRILLIANT, man.

I've already backed this game.  Its like a beautiful fusion of DnD and Warhammer Fantasy Role Play 1 or 2E, but only the best parts and carefully cultivated to let the good times roll.  The rules are fully fleshed out and supremely functional, but they fade into the background when they aren't needed.

I can't recommend this game enough.

BACK THIS GAME RIGHT NOW!

You have been warned...

Elemental Evil: Cthonic Circuit for D&D 5th Edition

CTHONIC CIRCUIT 
Ring, legendary  (requires attunement)

You gain a +3 bonus to armor class.

In addition, while attuned to this ring, twice per day you may automatically succeed on a saving throw.  

Finally, you may ignore one level of exhaustion each day.

This was presented by the Pitchsmyth to the Balpope as a gift for deigning to meet with him.  A simple ring that captured the very essence of earth, its sublime craftsmanship has paved the way for the terrible weapons born from his forge.

DnDClassics.com Releases for 3/10/15 + ELEMENTAL EVIL PLAYER'S GUIDE!

This week's new releases on DnDClassics.com are:

(A shout out to this great thread on RPG.Net).

Elemental Evil Player's Companion (5E)
Demonomicon (4E)
Dragon #373 (4E)
Dungeon #173 (4E)
Dungeon #174 (4E)
Dragons of Autumn (3E)

Also a big thanks to the terrific spreadsheet about all of the releases created and maintained by Jurgen Hubert (creator of Urbis)

My Realms: Flider

Lolth's desire to claim the silky strands of the Weave from the reborn Mystra has led her to make darkness and war in the Silver Marches. She has proven time and again that there is no horror to demoniac to unleash upon her enemies, especially the rogue Drizzt Do'Urdern!

Hard Times in Jarlsburg: In Cold Blood

The Hard Times is Jarlsburg's premier source of news (not necessarily truth) and routinely outsells it's competitor, The Cryer.

The march to Fort Kemp was long and arduous, we aren't really an army, merely men and women of the City Watch and Bronze Legionaires.  The cold seemed to aggressively attack us each step closer, but there were real Heroes amongst us, so we carried on.

I'd like to recount more of it, but marching, eating and sleeping (if you were lucky) was all I really remember.  And fear.  Fear that we would be attacked, fear that we wouldn't make it, fear that we would.  Marching and fear.  That's what I remember most.

Evan as the soldiers lined up on the battlefield and the drummers played and the commanders shouted.  Fear was my companion.  My lover.

Until the white dragon flew high above us and wiped out legions in a single attack.  Fear then became terror and then nothing.

Yes, I saw the Heroes attack the dragon.  I saw them fight and die and then I saw the Blizzard King.  I literally shite myself.  He loomed huge and powerful, a god striding amongst ants.  I witnessed him tear the heart of the dragon from its corpse and consume it in one terrible bite.  And then the white out occurred as I swear I saw him, it, Him grow to immense proportions.

I'm still not sure how we were saved.  One of the Heroes is a pyromancer and his quick thinking enough to protect us from the storm and eventually hurd us into what was left of the Fort's main building.

I pray for my beloved city, for Jarlsburg, but I can't shake the feeling that we are all doomed.

Pathos Gibraltar, Council Reporter
Morning Edition on the 25th Day of Fray in the Second Hundred and Twenty Second Year of Thronehold

RPG Cover Art Appreciation Day

This is how it ALL began for me, George Perez's fantastic pencils welcomed me to roleplaying from comic book collecting, reassuring me that everything was going to be okay.

And THIS is how where I began with DnD a few months later.

FINALLY, this is the culmination of all of my RPG hopes and dreams.  

I honestly feel like I can play this game for the rest of my life!