The First Time Players and I

Oct28
by verycutegm on October 28, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Posted In: Dungeons and Dragons

I dm’ed Dungeons and Dragons Encounters at my local game store and a few D&D games at conventions. One of the things I love about running these games are the newcomers, people who have never played tabletop role playing games. These are individuals don’t know what they are getting into. Sure they may have spoken to friends, listened/watched to podcasts/videos of people playing, or read about it, but honestly one does not know what they are truly getting themselves into.

That’s how I felt when I started playing two years ago. I had listened to the Penny Arcade D&D podcasts and kind of knew what I was about to attempt, but playing it was different. The social aspect is one of my favorite things. It is different playing an MMORPG talking to someone through chat than playing a tabletop game and speaking to your coplayer. Unless you are really good, you can’t fake the expression on your face or the tone of your voice.

It is fun telling a first time player that their skin if dissolving because of acid and they are freaking out asking his buddies to help it. Granted it can be a little bit frustrating dealing with the new player (who has been attending for 3 months) that doesn’t know what to add to figure out his basic melee attack, but be patient they will eventually become a great player…Hopefully…I think…Don’t stare at me like that I’m not lying…sort of.

It’s a great feeling knowing that you are introducing this game that may lead to other games to this person. There is also the feeling accomplishment of teaching something to someone. That feeling stems from my old tutoring days I think.

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Travel Blog Game Review

Oct05
by verycutegm on October 5, 2011 at 12:11 am
Posted In: Board Games

Travel Blog was created by Vlaada Chvátil and is published by Z-Man Games. The object of the game is to get to your destination the shortest way and by spending as little money as possible. Players have their choice of either playing with the states or with the countries of Europe. Seven state/country cards are revealed then there is an eighth and ninth card, which is the starting place and destination. Players take their tokens and place them on a state/country card that can be reached by crossing the fewest number of borders to the destination. There are penalties if you don’t place your token first on a state and if you happen to choose a state bordering the starting state.

I didn’t like the game. It could be partially my fault, because I was expecting a map game like Ticket to Ride. Maybe it was the way I was playing it, but it felt as if the game was created in like a few days. The game’s presentation is very nice. The artwork is colorful. Unfortunately the game board is too small. Travel Blog is recommended for between 2-6 players. I can see 2-4, but 6 on the game board is cutting it close. There isn’t much to say about this game, because there isn’t much substance to it. Rating wise I would’ve given it a 3 out of 5 stars, dice…whatever.

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My Thoughts on 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons

Sep28
by verycutegm on September 28, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Posted In: Dungeons and Dragons

I just came home from dming another session of dnd encounters. This made me think a little bit. My tabletop journey started with 4th edition, more specifically the module Keep on the Shadowfell.  It was great. Never have I played anything like it before. To me 4th edition dnd was awesome. The system was great, my naive mind proclaimed. I felt like people that completely shut down 4th edition were just haters. These were just closed minded fools who didn’t give this new system the chance it deserved.

After my 4th edition group fell apart I joined a 3.5e game. It was different, but very fulfilling. The game’s mechanics were more complicated, but the homebrew story my dungeon master had created kept me enthralled. His campaign was a book. Unfortunately I felt more of a secondary character in his game  than the protagonist. Soon after much stumbling and helpful advice from my fellow players I was finally adept at 3.5e. I still wasn’t able to play a wizard, because spells still confused the hell out of me, but I became a competent ranger.

My third game was my own. Seeing other people’s stories made me realize how much I wanted my own, so I started my own homebrew 4e dnd campaign. My game is great! We are two years running strong. I must be doing something right, because my players keep on coming back. The role-playing aspect was missing though. I began to ask myself, was it the edition I picked or just the way my players gamed that contributed to this lack of roleplay? In the end the answer was both, but at the time I felt it was mostly my players.

I decided to try a pathfinder game,which is hailed to be nd 3.75.  My dm is amazing. He has a funny and entertaining way of presenting information. Being a semi-silly evil character is so good. Combat is fluid, everything is…so good. My eyes have opened a little bit more because of him.

I now see why people are so adverse to 4th edition. Granted I still like it, but it’s easy and I probably wouldn’t have gotten into gaming had I been introduced to something like 3.5e dnd or pathfinder.  4e is the gateway drug, but then you want something with a little more kick. When you make something easy you take away from other points. I’m trying to put those points back with house rules to make my homebrew game a little more complicated, but still fun. I can see myself migrating to pathfinder completely in the future. There has always been a little storyteller in me and she can’t use 4e to convey her ideas to their full potential.

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Why I am the Dungeon Master…

Sep21
by verycutegm on September 21, 2011 at 10:10 pm
Posted In: Dungeons and Dragons, Rifts, Roleplaying Games

I just came back dming Dungeons and Dragons Encounters. All the energy I possesed before I went to Pandemonium has ceased to exist. However there are endorphons buzzing around in this husk of a body of mine. To put it simply I feel high…

Whether it is an encounter written by someone else or my own story I try to give everything I can when I dm. When in the act arms go flailing, my voice becomes as loud as all hell, and  I cackle. I do everything in my power to make sure people have fun. And when I see the look on their faces, when they actually smile and laugh at stupid things I said it is awesome.

Often I come across posts about be the tyrant dungeon master and I just shake my head when I know they are actually serious. I play the part, but in the end my players know we are equals. Also I get off (hahaha mind in gutters) at their laughter.

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Chaotic Connections Review

Sep19
by verycutegm on September 19, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Posted In: Board Games

I had the opportunity to play Chaotic Connections at Gen Con this year. It is a map game base on the interstate highway of the U.S.If you are familiar with the game Ticket to Ride, it has almost the same game play.

 

The object of the game is to connect all the cities you aregiven with tiles which represent miles of road. At the start of the game aplayer is given 5 city cards and he/she must choose three cities they want toconnect. The person to their left then chooses one for that person. Each personis given three action cards from a deck. On a turn a person draws a card andplays one. Unlike Ticket to Ride a player is allowed to build off of another person’sroads. Also there are cards that allow you to play road blocks and detours to preventyour fellow players from completing their highway.

It’s a neat game, which requires strategy and the ability tonot feel too bad for fellow players you might screw over. A must have forpeople who like map games.You can pick a copy up here.

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