A large problem many groups have with 4E D&D is that 4E combat takes a very long time. Various methods have been proposed to fix this, such as reducing monster hp, but after some discussion we realised the best way of doing it is simply to revive the Morale system, used in 1^st and 2^nd Edition, but thrown out in 3^rd. The problem with these systems is, like the whole editions themselves, they were overly complicated; I’ve seen an attempt at adding Morale to 4E that mostly just put the 2^nd Ed system in… and it looked terrible. So, we decided to do it from the ground up: a complete, effective, and simple Morale system for 4E D&D.

Continue reading Speeding up D&D 4E Combat: Morale

Back in the old days of playing D&D 3.5 I was running a campaign with 8 players (yes, 8…). Amongst the usual set of crazy logistic issues that had to be faced (pallets of snacks for example…) we also had 8 different playing styles with 8 different motivations, backgrounds, educations, etc. I love my gaming group – and running a game for 8 people is a tough challenge I wouldn’t recommend just anyone trying out… A couple of members of the group are of the engineering background and this led to its own challenges as a GM (analysing buildings and traps for structural integrity for example). This would lead to amusing situations such as the players spending 30 minutes of game time trying to explain how a door couldn’t be opened by lifting the beam instead of just pulling it to the side with the attached ropes and getting on with the game.

Continue reading Do the laws of physics have a place in fantasy role-playing games?

Not so long ago, the 4^th Edition DMGII came out. With the general high quality of 4E splatbooks so far, this looked promising: but for those out there for whom “promising” isn’t enough, this in-depth review should give you everything you need to know about the book, helping with the critical decision of whether or not to actually go out and buy it.

Continue reading 4E Dungeon Master’s Guide 2: In-Depth Review

It’s reasonably well known that Fighters and Monks are the weakest classes in 3.5 D&D. Whilst this can be partially be fixed by extending to non-Core books, this doesn’t actually solve the problem, and for some, that simply isn’t an option, either due to DM restrictions or just unavailability of the books. However, it actually is possible to make decent Fighters and Monks in Core 3.5: you just have to be a little clever about it.

This article will start with stuff common to both Fighters and Monks (there’s a lot), and then splits off into separate parts. Some of the ideas in this article may be interesting for other characters, like Barbarians and Paladins.

Continue reading Powergaming: Making a Powerful Fighter or Monk in Core 3.5 D&D

Mike Pattee from Cordax Software has pinged us to let us know that his app i4e has been updated in the App Store to version 1.1.0 and is available now for download. The app allows you to store your D&D 4e character on your iPhone and we are quite fond of it around here. The new version adds character importation from D&D Insider Character Builder which satisfies one of the main requests we had for the app. The update also fixes a whole stack of other things as well.

Continue reading i4e Updated – Now you can import from D&D Insider Character Builder

It is very likely that if you are an iPhone owner and a D&D player there is one app that you have been longing for ever since you picked up the device from the store – a native application to store your D&D character on that understood the game. There have been other ways to store your character – pdf’s, spreadsheets, word documents, google docs, etc – but to have an actual app that assisted in the game – that was the holy grail. And now it is here – i4e.

Continue reading Finally, an iPhone app for keeping your D&D characters on: i4e

In 4E D&D, choosing your Powers is a critical part of your character. Especially since you get so few, it is essential that you choose Powers that won’t let you down. So, how do we decide which Powers to select?

Continue reading Powergaming: Choosing the best powers for your character

Starting off on adventure again, the Penny Arcade/PvP/Wheaton Campaign Series 3 has started with earnest (as of writing the first hour has been released). This campaign sees Mike Krahulik, Jerry Holkins (both from Penny Arcade), Scott Kurtz (PvP), and Wil Wheaton (nerd extraordinaire) return as Acquisitions Incorporated in a campaign GM’d by Chris Perkins (D&D R&D). The previous campaign was very combat heavy and was a good old fashioned dungeon bash, which, in my opinion, didn’t translate to a podcast particularly well (although it was still pretty amusing). So far, this series has been very story focused and has been very entertaining.

Continue reading New series of Penny Arcade’s, PvP’s & Wil Wheaton’s D&D Podcast Campaign

Following up on the Table of all D&D 4E Classes, we thought we’d put together a list of all the core player races that are available as well. With the release of both the Player’s Handbook II and the Monster Manual II, the information for the races has been divided across four books. The Player’s Handbook II added five new races to the original eight and the Monster Manual II included new sections on a few races already covered in the Monster Manual I. These means that races like ‘Human’ have entries in three of the four books, and as such, a table of where to find all of this information in the books is increasingly useful.

Continue reading Table of all D&D 4E Player Character Races

Today we begin the first of a series of (hopefully weekly…) articles discussing various powergaming strategies in D&D, both 3.5 and 4E. But what do we really mean by powergaming? How can we discuss details without understanding it? Well, that’s where this article starts. What is it? Is it good or bad? How far do you go?

Continue reading D&D Powergaming: Introduction