Category Archives: D&D

New D&D Module Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden Announced

D&D, news, RPG

Last night the D&D Live 2020 Roll With Advantage event kicked off. Unlike previous D&D Live events this years is a virtual event (we all know why).

These high profile events are used to announce and launch the new big module for the year. And like previous years (well last year for sure) there was a leak before hand. This time it was at the hands of WotC themselves when they mistakenly put a video live for a fraction of a second on YouTube. But that was long enough for some-one to get a screen grab and spread it around the internet.

What this all means is that the “big announcement” they make just confirms what everyone already knew.

This years big module that we will be getting from mid September is called Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden sees WotC revisiting the horror genre, but setting it in the icy wastes of Icewind Dale. When I heard this I instantly thought The Thing, 30 Days of Night. During the big reveal they mentioned there are around 40 stat blocks in this module, the most they have included in a module, They also mentioned that the module has been designed similar in approach to the Essentials Kit adventure. Which means you can dive in and out of the module and drop individual adventures into your own campaign, or run it as a normal campaign.

I’m pretty excited by this module. The horror genre is something I want to get to the table either in my campaign or running something like this or the Alien RPG.

Naturally there is the usual 3rd party tie in from Beadle and Grimm.

This box of props and handouts etc tied to the module is $499. A tad expensive for the majority of players and DMs. But still if this is something you can afford I’m pretty sure it’ll enhance the gaming experience.

There is also by now the standard and not surprising at all matching dice set.

I like these sets, but it’s getting a bit boring now. I think it’s about time WotC decided to be a bit more creative on the official accessories.

Plus there is the usual Wizkids minis support for the module. Which I find it hard to get excited about because they availability I found isn’t great, especially in the UK. Plus they are random packs, so you are not guaranteed to get what you want. A total turn off. Although the 2D standees and village paper craft stuff they briefly mentioned did sound interesting. Well the standees, I’m not sure about paper craft stuff.

Another big thing they were showing off was the footage and game play from the upcoming Baldur’s Gate 3, which was co-hosted/partnered by IGN.

WotC also announced a D&D cookbook.

I wasn’t overly impressed with the live demonstrations of a couple of the recipes. When they did the cocktail that seemed like jumping the shark for me. Cocktails in a medieval/fantasy setting doesn’t seem too authentic to me. And that was the kind of angle they were pushing. The Elven bread recipe that they demonstrated and put the page up on their website annoyed me. Well the recipe did. It measured stuff in cups. No weights. The melted butter measurement was given as half a stick of butter or half a cup. It’s obvious this is a US only type recipe book. But the recipes should have measurements in cups (for the yanks) and weight, ie 400g/2 cups (I’m not sure that’s right, it’s for illustration not use). The volume measurement is not very accurate and inconsistent. From my favourite cookbook Ratio by Michael Ruhlman, he wrote ,”A cup of flour can weigh anywhere between 4 and 6 ounces. This means that if you are making a recipe calling for 4 cups of flour, you might wind up with a pound of flour in your bowl or you might end up with 1 ½ pounds.” as an example of why he uses weight and not volume measurements. In the UK our butter is not sold as sticks and don’t equate to US equivalents. So the recipe is not very considerate towards an international audience. Bad call WotC in your new age of inclusivity not considering international customers.

Apart from the module, I found the whole online event and announcements underwhelming. A bit of a damp squib. I’m sure that many found the Baldur’s Gate 3 stuff exciting. But not something I’m not interested in as it won’t be on anything I own.

GM/DM Screens

Alien, D&D, Judge Dredd, Paranoia, RPG

To use a DM/GM screen or not to use a DM/GM screen? That is the question.

There’s not a right or wrong answer. It’s all done to your personal preferences.

Some prefer not to use them, and have everything in the open. Others like using them and keeping an element of surprise.

I fall in the later camp. I like them.

For me a GM/DM screen does the following. It firstly gives me access to handy tables that I use and refer to during a session. Secondly the side the players see with it’s art work helps set the tone etc for the campaign/session. Thirdly it allows the DM/GM organise and have things like miniatures, props, maps ready without being seen by the players and keep that element of surprise. Finally if you want to roll dice without the players seeing the result, and thus fudge the result if need be (but the discussion whether that’s a good thing or not is a whole different post all by itself.) I also like that a screen gives me somewhere to clip NPC character cards, or pictures relevant to the current encounter/location.

My personal preference is that a screen is landscape. It gives you the benefits I talked about above, without totally feeling you are cut off from the players.

It’s possible to purchase (or make) a generic DM/GM screen. These are blank screens that you can attach your own sheets of paper to that contain the exact information that you require. These are a bit more expensive than the dedicated screens you get for particular systems. I haven’t gone this route yet.

Naturally I have built up a small collection of screens for different RPGs that I own (which I may or may not have played yet). What follows is a brief look at the ones I own and my thoughts about them.

Official D&D DM Screen – This is a landscape screen that has four sections. The art the players see is cool, but generic D&D (image above ‘borrowed’ off the Internet). I really like this screen. For a noob DM like me it’s perfect. There is a lot of information on the DM side, such as status conditions, available actions, encounter distances (a very very handy table), DC levels, plus lots more. Information that you will use a lot during a session. I really do like this screen a lot.

Ghosts of Saltmarsh (GoS) DM Screen – When WotC release a campaign book usually a third party like Galeforce 9 get the licence to produce a DM Screen for it. This is by said licensee for the GoS book. Like the official screen this is landscape with four sections. The information naturally contained on this screen is geared towards running a GoS campaign or one that involves a lot of sea travel. We have tables for generating random ships, encounters on open water and hazards at sea. I love the art on the player side, and think it sets the tone and atmosphere really well for a sea based adventure. In fact to date that has been my main use for the screen! I have this in front of the official screen when the characters are at sea.

In an ideal perfect world I’d have this screen up along side the official screen.

Judge Dredd and Worlds of 2000 A.D. RPG GM Screen – this is a four section portrait screen. So it stands taller than the previous two mentioned and is not as wide. The player side of the screen has some great comic book art on it that definitely sets the tone, especially if playing judges. I like that it also has a handful of tables that players would find useful having access to for sentencing, and for their standard equipment the lawgiver and lawmaster. I’m conflicted with this screen. I feel that the publisher wasted a section by focusing on character creation. For me I’d preferred if this was replaced with information on creating dice pools and combat. Something a GM would use a lot more than the character creation information. I like the table listing NPCs and the page in the rulebook they can be found. The on patrol table is handy to have for generating on the fly crimes for players to handle. But the whole character creation stuff keeps niggling me from making this a must buy for the RPG. I hope that if they release a Strontium Dog version of this that they don’t make the same mistake.

Paranoia RPG – another portrait screen with four sections. This is a different screen to the others. The player side is designed to be used by the players! You actually need to keep the sheet of paper that comes with the screen as it has instructions and a table for when the players do use the screen. It’s very thematic. There are lots of tables on the GM side covering the cost of equipment, rewards, security levels, etc. Not the prettiest screen by far. Very practical with a fun player interactive element. I feel that alone is in keeping with the tone of the game. I think the only way this could be improved is to have a table of computer speak.

Alien RPG – my newest screen. This one is a landscape screen with three sections. So once again this is not as wide as the D&D screens. The player side art just oozes Alien, suspense and horror. The information on the GM side looks useful, there is the panic roll table, critical injuries, and other tables relevant to combat. There isn’t much I can say apart from this is a nice GM screen, and I’m glad I have it for the RPG.

There we have it, I hope you found this a helpful post.

Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica Extras

D&D, magic, MtG, RPG

With the digital version of Mythic Odysseys of Theros having hit D&D Beyond eight days ago, and the physical release still over a month away. I thought I’d look at the extras WotC released for the previous crossover between D&D and MtG, Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica.

First up is the themed dice set that was released.

I like the overall presentation of this dice set.

The dice set comes in a cardboard sleeve that shares it’s artwork with that of the sourcebook.

The tin is very pretty for a dice tin. I love the lid with the embossed guild symbols, and the artwork on the outside of the main tin.

Inside the tin we have the following dice: 1d4, 4d6, 1d8, 2d10, 1d12, 1d20 and a large d10 with the guild symbols on. You’d only use this to randomly select a guild, for instance during character creation, or for an NPC.

The tin itself is probably twice as deep as need be for the dice included. That extra space taken up with foam padding. Obviously you are not going to use this as a dice tray (which one or two of the later sets could be used for). However as a general dice storage box it’d be ideal.

At over £20 originally this dice set was in my opinion a tad on the expensive side. However in the last few months that price has dropped with some retailers and can be picked up for less than £15. At that price I think this becomes an affordable option that makes it worth considering if you are in the market for another dice set. But not if you only want that guild die.

The next extra is the Maps and Miscellany pack.

Once again the art used for the cover of the cardboard wallet that the contents comes in is the source book art work.

For the money you get 7 double-sided colour maps showing the precincts of the Tenth District with reference information on the back of each for that precinct.

There are also 11 double-sided maps of locations associated with the guilds themselves, and these too also have reference material on the reverse.

The contents are completed with two perforated sheets of cards (18 cards in total) that have character illustrations on one side and descriptions of guild charms on the other.

The guild location maps look like Dyson Logos maps. WotC have been using him for maps. And like many others I like his art style. I’m not sure who did the art for the district maps.

All the contents within the pack are A4 in side. Each map is card with a finish that is meant to be used with a dry eraser.

On the guild location maps the reverse information is made up with a smaller version of the opposite sides map with room labels (these are missing from the other version). A description of the location can be found along side a d10 Adventure Goal table.

On the district and precinct maps we get key location descriptions and a d12 table for people on the street of that district/precinct.

I like the summary information included on both map types. Although if using the location maps with the players if you have to keep referring to the labelled b-side I don’t think it’s very practical. I’m also not convinced about the A4 size for use during play. It seems too small.

The cards are useful for not only a campaign on Ravnica but for any D&D campaign to illustrate NPCs. And the guild charm side of the card a very handy reminder for players to have in front of them during a session.

Once again at £20 plus originally I felt a tad on the expensive side. However shopping around it can be found for a lot less. There are some nice touches. But I have doubts about the practicality of the maps during a session.

Using the DMs Guild it is possible to pick up a pdf of the two adventures that WotC did for two of the MtG Ravnica weekends. These were weekends tied in with the major Guilds of Ravnica MtG sets at the time, and used to introduce MtG players to D&D, and possibly less so D&D players to MtG.

Krenko’s Way is a reprint of the adventure you find in the Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica. Whilst A Zib For Your Thoughts is a new adventure that takes place weeks after the events of Krenko’s Way. And also comes with some pregenerated characters.

These two adventures are $4.99 on the DMs Guild with the money going to the Extra Life charity (something WotC supports each year).

Wizkids also released some painted miniatures for Guildmasters of Ravnica. But I don’t have any of them.

I think that covers everything. Hope you found the summary helpful, if not rather late. But then if like me you are only now just getting this stuff you like me saving money.

A tweak to up my DM Game

D&D, RPG

A couple of days back I came across this tweet (below) with some great advice for DMs.

Naturally there was a conversation/comments by others to this piece of advice.

The first was from the poster themselves pointing folks to the DMs Guild and a 77 cents document ‘11 Inn and Tavern Events‘. Which lead me to another document there (a pay what you want) called ‘10 Night Time Wilderness Camping Events‘.

Another commentator pointed people to a reddit thread ‘Vignettes, encounters, and bits of color‘ with some very handy tables of similar encounters for a variety of situations such as dungeons, villages, rotting cities, etc.

Naturally I will be printing out these and adding them to my DM folder. I can’t wait to start using this idea in my campaign whenever that happens.

Pre-order Mythic Odysseys of Theros Bonuses

D&D, MtG, news, RPG

I really like how WotC seem to have gone the extra mile for the FLGS with the upcoming Mythic Odysseys of Theros (MOoT) release for D&D.

Naturally due to current events the actual physical release of MOoT has had to be pushed back to the 21st July from the 2nd June. These things happen. I’m surprised it wasn’t longer.

However WotC are still releasing the digital version of MOoT on D&D Beyond on the original release date. So players really desperate to play using this source book will still be able to do so.

In the meantime when announcing the above a couple of weeks ago WotC also added how they were also supporting the FLGS with this release and encouraging people to buy from their FLGS.

Normally when WotC release a new source book or adventure for D&D if you buy it from your FLGS you have the option (if your FLGS is a member of the WPN) of having the alternate art work cover or the regular cover. It’s a nice choice to have, you can choose the art that you prefer.

But as I said at the top of this post, WotC have gone the extra mile for the FLGS for this release.

If you pre-order now from your FLGS (and they are a WPN registered store) and you are one of the first twenty to do so, you should receive a 50% discount code for the digital version on D&D Beyond.

Plus as a special bonus, the first 25 customers will also receive a double sided 19″ x 13″ laminated map, featuring 4 key areas of Theros.

I think these are brilliant incentives to get MOoT from your FLGS. It’s why I pre-ordered this morning as soon as my FLGS opened up their pre-orders. Within minutes my FLGS had messaged me my discount code. And just as quick I had used it to pre-order it digitally on D&D Beyond.

Personally I think this discount should be a permanent thing they do when you buy a physical copy of a product. They did it with the Essentials Kit. I think they would see a bigger uptake of physical and digital.

The laminated map is a great idea. Especially the fact that it’s laminated! For me an inspired little extra to give away.

If this floats your boat, it’s worth getting that pre-order in. Forget it about it, and then get that pleasant surprise in the post late July.

Random Dungeon #9 AND Random Character #2

#randomcharacter, #randomdungeon, D&D, RPG

A twofer in today’s post.

Yep a random dungeon and a random character.

The elf wizard Torgil Silverleaf has asked your party to venture into a nearby dungeon to stop a group of cultists summoning a demon. Torgil has promised you some of his treasured magic items if you are successful.

I see this as the first level of a two or three level dungeon. Naturally the cultists will be found on the bottom level. I think this dungeon would be found in the ruins of a monastery. The cultists are in fact what remains of the monastic order that once occupied the monastery.

That’s the latest random stuff. I really do like how quick and simple this stuff is.

Below is an example of some of my none gaming activities, sourdough loaves and shortbread biscuits.

Random Character #1

#randomcharacter, D&D, RPG

Finally my set of RPG Character Dice Set II arrived this morning. They had been ordered what now seems an age ago, back at the start of February.

I first heard about them whilst watching a YouTube video by Arcane Library about being a minimalist DM.

Basically these dice allow you to create an NPC on the fly during a game. And for the undecided whilst creating a character it could be used to help defeat that indecision.

Here is a quick character created by rolling them.

Meet Nura Westbrook a halfling druid, who is Lawful Neutral. I chose the name randomly using the joker card name table from the Deck of Many Dungeons.

Nura is a ghostwise halfling from Chondalwood and is a guardian of the nesting grounds of the giant owls that her clan use as warrior mounts.

An egg was stolen and Nura has ventured out to recover the egg and bring justice to those that stole it.

Random Dungeon #8

#randomdungeon, D&D, RPG

Back to using the Map and Dice Playing Cards to generate a random dungeon.

With the party entering this dungeon through the Grim Gate (Ace of Spades) I see this being a long forgotten dwarven outpost on the side of a mountain.

The path leading up to the Grim Gate is a small, worn trail, More likely to be dismissed as a goat path than once belonging to battle harden dwarven warriors.

I like the idea of stealing from Tolkien and Lord of the Rings and that famous door to Moria scene. So to get into the dungeon the party will have to work out how to open the Grim Gate. However each failed attempt increases the likely hood that some unseen horror will appear and attack the party. I’d use clues like the temperature starts to drop, they notice some rocks falling etc.

How do RPGs handle approach sensitive and controversial themes

D&D, RPG

Last Sunday’s youtubers video by Jamey Stegmaier (embedded below) was all about how “How Games Approach Sensitive & Controversial Themes”.

Apart from the theme of a game Deliverance not being what first came to mind (hill billies, river trips and squealing like a pig are not apparently what this game is about) this subject got me thinking about D&D. But not only D&D but other RPGs and settings.

RPGs can involve sensitive and controversial themes. For instance look at the Android settings and how bioroids and clones are treated. There are obvious parallels with slavery. In one of the FFG novellas there was even a story with the futuristic version of the underground railway for clones.

Then there is Vampire: The Masquerade an RPG that is for mature players because of its “…graphic and written content of a mature nature, including violence, sexual themes, and strong language.” (Taken from the warning https://www.modiphius.net/collections/vampire-the-masquerade).

So that’s just a couple of examples of official products that contain sensitive and controversial themes. Then we have the actual campaigns and adventures that a DM/GM come up with as well.

There have been a couple of high profile examples of where a DM/GM has abused a position of trust and chosen a subject that is controversial and in my opinion inappropriate for a RPG and has no place in a game whatsoever. Last year there was a GM at UKGE that made the headlines. Then just weeks ago an internet famous GM Adam Koebel caused the cancellation of one of his internet shows.

So how do we handle potential sensitive and controversial material in RPGs?

From an official setting point of view there is the warning about content. Such as that given by the publishers of Vampire: The Masquerade. Everyone playing the RPG should be made aware of that warning. If at an open gaming session at a con, at the start of the session. Or during the session zero.

Similarly EN Publishing give a warning about the content of a published adventure for the Judge Dredd and Worlds of 2000 A.D. called Nobody Expects the SJS! “This scenario involves themes of harsh interrogation and psychological and physical abuse. Please ensure you talk with your players before hand about their feelings in this area.”

As a gaming group the DM/GM during the session zero (that’s the session before any play starts where players create characters, and discuss the up and coming campaign) should be discussing the themes that the upcoming campaign will be touching on. But what’s more important is that the DM/GM makes sure that the players are comfortable with those themes, and giving the players a chance to indicate publicly or privately (because they may not be comfortable discussing in public) whether they are happy with those themes.

During play there is the possibility to use X cards. These allow players during play to discreetly indicate that the current subject matter is unsuitable and making them feel uncomfortable.

I think it also helps if a DM/GM “knows” his players. I knew for my D&D group that I had to avoid certain themes/subjects because of the beliefs of one of the group.

The nature of my campaign means that it is possible that new themes to cover crop up during the campaign as story ideas come along. So I’ve checked with the group that they are comfortable with this new theme. That was an open discussion before a session. Before I start using that story idea and theme I will once again bring the subject up with a bit more detail and give the players an opportunity to publicly and privately discuss this with me.

These two measures should stop incidents happening like the ones mentioned above. But that’s only if everyone follows them. They don’t stop it happening if the DM/GM doesn’t use them or ignores them. We can’t stop people being dicks.

That’s how RPGs handle sensitive and controversial themes.

A sleep deprived incoherent ramble

D&D, RPG

I awoke in the middle of the night to let the dogs out for a nature break. Upon returning to bed I decided I’d fall asleep again listening to Roll for Crit play the Chariots of God adventure for the Alien RPG.

That was a mistake.

I ended up looking at the pdf copy of the rulebook that I had. The game can be played in to modes. A campaign mode and a cinematic mode.

The cinematic mode is basically a one shot adventure. That the authors suggest be played with pre-gen characters. They liken this mode to being similar to a movie. It’s probably the only way I’d get to play this RPG.

However in the section of the rulebook there is a panel that has a list of inspiration for players and games masters alike. It wasn’t a big list, unlike the ones in the D&D Players Guide and DM Guide. But looking at it was another mistake I made.

I was soon on Audible spending some of the credits I had to get some of the recommended reading. Three of the books had been dramatised by Audible. Which was pretty cool. Especially when I saw the first had Rutger Hauer listed amongst the cast.

There was also some books listed that provide background info about the universe Alien is set in. They cover ship specs, vehicle details, weapon specs, etc. Great resources for a GM.

It got me thinking I love it when there are books like this available for something. They help provide a rich tapestry, a depth and life to the world the movie/book/game is set in. Especially when it’s an existing universe, and we are not waiting for the RPG publisher to release this sort of information.

From a GM point of view the stories, the books about the universe are great inspiration. They provide details that help bring a campaign/adventure alive. A location or event described by a single sentence might be enough to inspire a whole campaign or quest.

In my homebrew adventure I was inspired by the map of the Sword Coast and the islands that form the Moonshae Islands along with the smaller island clusters nearby. Heck we have spent our first seven sessions just around the Mintarn group of islands. The players haven’t even made it Moonshae yet.

Although sometimes it can get all too overwhelming. Information overload. It can get daunting. Just look at the amount of stuff out there for the likes of Star Wars and Star Trek. Where do you start?

You can let the characters back stories guide you. Pick a point on a map that looks interesting (that’s basically what I did above). Use a location in a story you enjoyed. Heck you could even just borrow the story itself.

But once you have that starting point it’s just a matter of following the advice from much much more experienced DM/GMs than me, and start small, start local, and spiral out.

Watching, reading other RPGs is usually a mistake for me because I want to get them to the table and explore the worlds they open a window into. I now want to explore the Alien universe. Tomorrow it’ll be Mega City 1. Not enough time, or players.