Ever struggle with vivid and fantastic descriptions of combat? Have trouble getting the playful banter and insults just right?
We all do, whether we’re GMing or playing D&D 4e, Pathfinder, or any RPG.
Have some cool descriptions of the action to help fellow gamers out? Head on over to RoleplayingTips.com and enter the contest!
Prizes? MyInfo software and some cool PDF GM books!
Two more days only, so don’t miss out on your chance to win.
Recurring villains are great in our favorite stories, books, movies or TV series. What separates recurring villainy in those mediums from tabletop RPGs is that it’s easier to execute villain escapes. The writers take some creative license and weave at least a mildly believable story or tactical reason for a villain’s escape. And that’s it – we’re not chasing them ourselves, so we don’t get that upset. (Well, maybe a little!)
In D&D, however, it’s just not that easy. Recurring villains don’t get to graduate to “Level 2: Recurring” often. Why? During first contact with the party, they’re usually pin downed and killed well before you can say “You’ll pay for this!” With the amount of truly debilitating effects that D&D 4e powers and attacks are capable of, it’s only become a bigger issue.
You may have read a bit about positioning in Encounter Start: Distance Matters, but now I’m here to break down one simple rule:
Time and positioning lead to tactical mastery.
Keep this idea present in your mind in all combats, and you will achieve tactical mastery. Why? Because every successful tactic in combat starts with time and positioning. Each offers powerful advantages in battle.
Leonine Roar loves its gamers because we’re all artists too! Movies, artwork, novels, theater, music and more – can’t get enough!
Speaking of musicians and singers – I doubt you’ve heard this beautiful a voice singing about D&D… ever!
Bonus points to SJ Tucker and her crew for for all sorts of Easter eggs in the video and song. How many did you notice?
My favorite?
The subtle and brilliant nod to Freaks and Geeks! Bursting with talented actors that are huge names today, this show was just a little ahead of its time. Even had its own episode with D&D in it. Did you watch the show or that episode?
Now I heard getting your eyes on the D&D Freaks and Geeks episode wasn’t an easy feat, but don’t worry – after all, we do have the new D&D classic from Community to call our own!
One of the most enjoyable storytelling tools you can put to use is to show a radically different perspective and scene in your campaign’s ongoing story.
Even better, one of the most engaging things you can do is play out that scene with your players still being the stars of the scene or encounter.
A monstrous vignette is also a great opportunity to unveil a few secrets of the story and world as well as an opportunity for your players to play a refreshingly different character – or monster!
Ever notice in 4e how some of us go to great effort to create characters with straightforward powers and feats? For example, I’m a big proponent of taking “always on” feats for my characters, as it’s one less thing to track or calculate during those long 4e combats. You and I both know how precious actual game time is!
When I DM, I take it a step further and make that same suggestion of choosing less complex powers and feats to any players in my playgroup who struggle with turn speed or rules mastery, which are more difficult to achieve on average in rules-heavy 4e.
It’s true, from Roving Band of Misfits and Sarah Darkmagic to CNN and Forbes, it’s true: Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition is coming!
I wondered (like a lot of you) where Rob Schwalb had been the last several months. Yes, he posted about getting back to living a more balanced, healthier life – something I’m absolutely huge on myself – but he also gave away the big secret: he’d been working on 5e!
Remember when Mike Mearls and Monte Cook began talking more and more about all the different editions of D&D? I especially enjoyed Mearls’ modular approach to D&D: it could truly be a wonderfully versatile thing.
See, D&D’s been around long enough, with polar opposite styles and complexity and everything in between. So a modular D&D 5th edition doesn’t come as a surprise. In fact, it could be quite awesome. But don’t talk my word for it – my favorite 5e snippet was this one from Robert Schwalb’s site:
Ever rush from one adventure to another, following shiny and wicked connections and surprises alike? The hooks come hard and strong, as do the monsters and villains you need to chase and cut down.
And then one day, you suddenly wonder how all your teen or 20-something heroes got to 20th or 30th level in just a few in-game months?
It happens to us all, and has in every edition. We gravitate towards heroics, whether we’re playing or DMing our D&D adventures, so it might seem strange to take breaks in the story and ongoing campaign.
After all, what about all those loose ends? The bad guys that got away? The treasure maps to places we’ve yet to explore? The mighty dragons, giants, mindflayers, and assassins that are always on our tail?
Miss a friend or GM on your holiday shopping list? Still hoping the combats in your gaming group speed up sometime this century?
Don’t worry, there’s still time to subscribe to Faster Combat! Our current holiday discount subscription, including gift subscriptions, lasts just a little bit longer: 3 more days till year-end.
So if you or someone you know would love to speed up and amp up their DMing or GMing game through 52 deep-dive GMing lessons complete with weekly interactive activities, tell them about Faster Combat or head right on over and grab yourself a heavily discounted subscription today – before the clock strikes 2012!
Watch our free Sneak Peak Video into the Member Area to see how Faster Combat will help you and your playgroup.
Thanks and Happy Holidays from Faster Combat and Leonine Roar!
-Kilsek (Tony)
P.S. Got questions? Ask me here in the comments, send me your question, or ask me on Twitter – I will get right back to you with all the Faster Combat info you seek!
I wasn’t sure what to write today except that I knew it had to include a few things that D&D and gaming have always brought us: joy, laughter, thanks and appreciation. The stories and characters, our fellow players and our DMs – we create and share a unique and inspiring hobby together, and in that I know I am not alone in feeling so fortunate and thankful.
While I love to write, and have always loved spelling, language and etymology, prose was always my strength. Poetry never came as easily to me, however. It was so different from prose. Sometimes its bizarre look and rhythm was crazy beautiful, and sometimes it was simply nothing more than crazy!
Yet with a new and exciting year upon us, here is a poetic gem I found to remind us about what really matters when we play – in D&D, in any game we play and in life:
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