http://diceofdoom.com/blog The Dice of Doom is a blog about gaming, being a gamer and general interest content suitable for nerds. Tue, 01 May 2012 13:26:59 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 The Dice of Doom podcast is a lively discussion about role-playing games, focusing heavily on Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu and Warhammer along with many other gaming systems. We have been gaming for longer than we care to freely admit and we have a wide range of interests and experiences in gaming in general (everything from obscure games printed in the 1980's to the most recent tabletop wargames). We like to take a lighthearted approach to our discussions and mix them up with other nerdy news and content as well. RupertG yes RupertG rupertg@diceofdoom.com rupertg@diceofdoom.com (RupertG) © Dice of Doom Dice of Doom Podcast dnd, d&d, dungeons & dragons, rpg, roleplaying, gaming, roleplaying games http://diceofdoom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Podcast-Logo-New-SQ-SM.png http://diceofdoom.com/blog Sydney, Australia http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/01/confessions-of-a-roleplaying-book-collector/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/01/confessions-of-a-roleplaying-book-collector/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:00:09 +0000 Guest http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3608 Once again I was looking, lovingly, over my collection of roleplaying books. As I went through them, I discovered that there was a book I hadn't bought yet from the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition set. I immediately became anxious that my collection wasn't complete. It had become important that I had a set, a complete set and I had found that it was less than it should be. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/01/confessions-of-a-roleplaying-book-collector/feed/ 3 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/12/dice-of-doom-podcast-036-eclipse-phase-screwing-characters-tragedy-ecology-and-dwarven-womens-grooming-habits/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/12/dice-of-doom-podcast-036-eclipse-phase-screwing-characters-tragedy-ecology-and-dwarven-womens-grooming-habits/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:18:52 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3601 Eclipse Phase review, deliberately screwing with your players for plot, tragedy as a campaign genre, is a realistic campaign ecology important, and the age old question - beards and female dwarfs. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/12/dice-of-doom-podcast-036-eclipse-phase-screwing-characters-tragedy-ecology-and-dwarven-womens-grooming-habits/feed/ 9 Dungeons & Dragons, DnD, Roleplaying, Roleplaying Games, Eclipse Phase, Gaming, Tragedy, Dwarfs DoD Podcast 036: Eclipse Phase, Screwing Characters, Tragedy, Ecology and Dwarven Women's Grooming Habits As means of a Holiday Gift we decided to get off our butts and pause writing Goblins! long enough to issue forth this final edition of the Dice of Doom podcast for the year. Topics: * Our final thoughts on the Sci-fi Post Apocalyptic Transhuman Horror game Eclipse Phase. * Deliberately screwing with your player's characters for the purposes of plot. Is it OK to? * Tragedy as a genre for a Campaign Setting (Oedipus the Roleplaying Game, anyone?) * Realistic Ecology in Roleplaying Campaign Settings. Is it important? (Thank you HairyDM for the topic). * Beards on Dwarven Women. Yes or no? (Thank you PizzaKarin for the topic). RupertG yes 44:03 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/play-a-new-rpg-month-update/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/play-a-new-rpg-month-update/#comments Sun, 25 Sep 2011 21:01:24 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3528 It's less than a week till the official start of Play a New RPG Month so I thought I'd write an update on what has been going on in preparation for the month. It has been pretty humbling (and downright awesome) to see people that we don't know discussing PANRPG independently of our involvement. This means that the idea is spreading, and we couldn't be happier. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/play-a-new-rpg-month-update/feed/ 3 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/play-a-new-rpg-month/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/play-a-new-rpg-month/#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:05:47 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3495 After finding out how enjoyable and fun it was to play so many different games, we decided we would start a new project. So today we are announcing Play a New RPG Month. OK, we've been talking about it on the podcast for ages, but this is the hard, do it now, get out there and make it happen, announcement. We want to encourage as many gaming groups as we can to break the routine and try out something new. If you are a group that already plays a lot of games, we'd still like you to join us. Let's make a big show of it and see what happens. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/play-a-new-rpg-month/feed/ 3 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/07/so-your-players-have-gotten-too-rich-dealing-with-a-monty-haul-campaign/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/07/so-your-players-have-gotten-too-rich-dealing-with-a-monty-haul-campaign/#comments Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:00:57 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3373 We've all been in that position when running a roleplaying campaign. That moment when you realise that you have allowed your players to amass more wealth than is healthy. All of a sudden they are buyingtheir way out of the challenges that you place before them, there's no magic item they can't afford and all of a sudden they are building a huge palace or fortress on prize real estate. And then, when the locallord gets upset, they either buy him off or raise an army and go and crush him. Yes, we've all been there and had to deal with it in one way or the other. What follows are a handful of ways that I have dealt with it in the past as a GM, or experienced as a player. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/07/so-your-players-have-gotten-too-rich-dealing-with-a-monty-haul-campaign/feed/ 10 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/11/our-grand-gaming-experiment-12-months-12-games-6-games-masters/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/11/our-grand-gaming-experiment-12-months-12-games-6-games-masters/#comments Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:59:45 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=2649 The Dice of Doom roleplaying group is conducting an experiment where they will cover 12 games in 12 months using a total of 6 Games Masters. Suggestions are very welcome for games to try. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/11/our-grand-gaming-experiment-12-months-12-games-6-games-masters/feed/ 29 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/11/introduction-to-using-emotions-in-rpgs/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/11/introduction-to-using-emotions-in-rpgs/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 09:59:36 +0000 Ellisthion http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=2636 We, as humans, are emotional creatures. We enjoy experiencing emotions, and a lot of the media we have (games, films, books, etc) focus on using our emotions to tell a story or create enjoyment. Understanding how people react to stimuli has been increasingly important in game design lately. Creating emotional situations in RPGs is tricky, however, because the form of RPGs can restrict you a lot, but you need look no further than the horror roleplaying genre to see what you can do. In this post we’ll look at some of the basic emotions, and an overview of including them in games. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/11/introduction-to-using-emotions-in-rpgs/feed/ 1 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/10/masks-of-nyarlathotep-released/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/10/masks-of-nyarlathotep-released/#comments Fri, 29 Oct 2010 02:45:12 +0000 Cuchulain http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=2598 At last the stars are once again aligned, and the great campaign Masks of Nyarlathotep has been unleashed on the world!… Again. The prophecy has been fulfilled! Not only is it re-released, but you have your choice of different formats: … Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/10/masks-of-nyarlathotep-released/feed/ 0 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/10/breaking-news-dead-gentlemen-have-a-new-web-series/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/10/breaking-news-dead-gentlemen-have-a-new-web-series/#comments Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:32:56 +0000 Cuchulain http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=2491 The people who brought you "The Gamers" and "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising" have already made available the first two episodes of their new web-series, known as "Journey Quest." Yes, it's funny. Yes, it's zany. Yes, it's Fun! Seriously, what did you expect? Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/10/breaking-news-dead-gentlemen-have-a-new-web-series/feed/ 0 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/09/horror-roleplaying-part-6-cthulhu-mythos-2/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/09/horror-roleplaying-part-6-cthulhu-mythos-2/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:07:58 +0000 Cuchulain http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=2253 Having taken a look at the underlying philosophy and the basic theme of the Cthulhu Mythos in my last offering, I thought we might have a look at some of the other aspects of Lovecraftian Mythos stories and how you might implement them in your own game. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/09/horror-roleplaying-part-6-cthulhu-mythos-2/feed/ 0 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/how-8th-edition-warhammer-fantasy-effects-your-armies/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/how-8th-edition-warhammer-fantasy-effects-your-armies/#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:27:31 +0000 Ellisthion http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=2025 Following up on our summary of 8th Edition Warhammer Fantasy, today we’re going into how the new rules are affecting each of the armies in the game. With changes to the rules across the board, from movement, to magic, to shooting, to close combat and more, some armies have definitely improved, and some weakened. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/how-8th-edition-warhammer-fantasy-effects-your-armies/feed/ 0 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/dwarf-fortress-v-0-31-10-strike-the-earth/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/dwarf-fortress-v-0-31-10-strike-the-earth/#comments Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:01:59 +0000 Cuchulain http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=1987 A major update has recently been released to Dwarf Fortress which has altered the game significantly. So what changes have been brought to the table? Here’s a list... Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/dwarf-fortress-v-0-31-10-strike-the-earth/feed/ 4 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/warhammer-fantasy-8th-edition/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/warhammer-fantasy-8th-edition/#comments Sat, 24 Jul 2010 07:38:41 +0000 Ellisthion http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=2009 It’s upon us: the 8th edition of Warhammer Fantasy. With a new rulebook twice as thick as the old one, the new edition sports a lot of small rules changes which add up to a lot. I’ll be going through most of the important new changes to the game, and highlighting how theses affected the games of 8th Edition I’ve played so far. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/warhammer-fantasy-8th-edition/feed/ 4 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/horror-roleplaying-part-1-setting-the-mood/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/horror-roleplaying-part-1-setting-the-mood/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 05:35:47 +0000 Cuchulain http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=1969 Horror roleplaying is some of the most visceral, engaging gaming you can indulge in, yet it can be very hard to run well. In this post we look at a couple of ways to make a horror styled roleplaying game run more effectively. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/07/horror-roleplaying-part-1-setting-the-mood/feed/ 2 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/06/polarising-gaming-systems-into-left-and-right-to-better-understand-games-and-gamers/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/06/polarising-gaming-systems-into-left-and-right-to-better-understand-games-and-gamers/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:19:53 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=1847 One of the great pleasures that we enjoy in our gaming group is designing new game systems to play. Over the years we have designed tabletop wargames, collectible card games and, of course, role-playing games. One of our group even … Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/06/polarising-gaming-systems-into-left-and-right-to-better-understand-games-and-gamers/feed/ 16 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/05/google-celebrates-30-years-of-pac-man-and-yes-you-can-still-play-it/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/05/google-celebrates-30-years-of-pac-man-and-yes-you-can-still-play-it/#comments Mon, 24 May 2010 01:41:56 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=1833 If you want to continue playing the Google Pac-Man (and who doesn't), Google has kept it alive at Google Pac-Man (which you can find here...). Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/05/google-celebrates-30-years-of-pac-man-and-yes-you-can-still-play-it/feed/ 4 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/01/gamers-supporting-relief-efforts-in-haiti/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/01/gamers-supporting-relief-efforts-in-haiti/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:12:33 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=1785 With news of a 6.1 aftershock hitting Haiti today, DriveThruRPG is offering gamers a way to contribute to the relief efforts in Haiti by purchasing a “once in a lifetime collection of games” from their online store for only $20. … Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2010/01/gamers-supporting-relief-efforts-in-haiti/feed/ 2 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2008/11/monster-of-the-week-rakshasa/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2008/11/monster-of-the-week-rakshasa/#comments Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:01:02 +0000 Ellisthion http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=596 The fearsome Rakshasas, originally demons in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, are evil magical shapeshifting spirits. Fictional usage has developed far beyond the original myths, so much there’s a wikipedia page on it. In fiction, they are often humanoid with animal … Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2008/11/monster-of-the-week-rakshasa/feed/ 6 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2008/10/is-google-trends-predicting-the-end-of-dd/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2008/10/is-google-trends-predicting-the-end-of-dd/#comments Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:04:36 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=507 I was having a quick play with Google Trends the other day. Google trends, for those of you unfamiliar with the service, shows trends in keyword search volume. This can show you how many people are searching for keywords over … Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2008/10/is-google-trends-predicting-the-end-of-dd/feed/ 12 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2008/08/the-perfect-portable-game-collection-for-a-desert-island/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2008/08/the-perfect-portable-game-collection-for-a-desert-island/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:25:01 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=256 Going through a lot of the games that are being made available for the iPhone, many of them appear to be ports or remakes of classic games. On the weekend I spent quite a bit of time enjoying a fairly … Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2008/08/the-perfect-portable-game-collection-for-a-desert-island/feed/ 18