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?

Zombie Dice, a new game from Steve Jackson Games, has us pretty excited here at Dice of Doom. The premise is pretty simple – you are a zombie, hungry and desperately attempting to eat brains whilst trying to avoid the natural enemy of the zombie – the shotgun. While we are all left waiting for the game to be released early next year some time, they have kindly created a Flash Demo of the game to further tease educate us on the way the game is played – and we have to admit – it looks pretty fun. The Flash Demo is worth watching for the pure amusement value – think ‘Zombie narrator’…

Continue reading Zombie Dice from Steve Jackson 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

As many of you know, most of the writers for this blog live in Australia. And for that fact we have been subjected to one of the most backward and condescending ratings systems for computer games in the developed world. Whereas movies can receive classification up to R18+ – restricted to individuals aged 18 or more – the maximum rating allowed for computer games is, at present, only MA15 – that is, restricted to people above the age of 15. Anything which might breach that limit is therefore refused classification, and hence is banned from our shores. This has seen the watering down or total ban of various supposedly wonderful computer games in the last few years, having us local computer gamers disappointed and angry.

Continue reading Australian Government puts R18+ Rating for computer games on the table

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

DOOM is one of those games that helped to define a genre. From running around with a myriad of realistic and ridiculous weaponry, to the blood and gore, and even the occasionally questionable imagery, DOOM helped define the First Person Shooter for what it was going to become. If you want proof of the games importance, you just have to watch the video here to see Bill Gates deliver a talk about Window 95 from inside the game. The games popularity saw it ported to pretty much every system available at the time in various flavours and forms.

Now, John Carmack himself, has brought it to the iPhone.

Continue reading DOOM Classic now available in the App Store for the iPhone

If you are anything like us here at Dice of Doom HQ, the moment you got D&D 4E you rushed out and bought a stack of Dungeon Tiles once you realised how important (and awesome) they were. After collecting a whole box of these tiles though it can be hard designing dungeons based on what tiles you actually have in your collection. Fortunately Wizards of the Coast have you covered.

Continue reading Using the Dungeon Tile Mapper from WotC

Area of Effect powers, or AoE, are pretty common in 4^th Edition D&D. No longer are they limited to Wizards, but can be found in the arsenal of many non-spellcasters, such as Fighters, as well as being used by many monsters. It’s thus pretty important to a understand them… and once you have that, how to use Area of Effect powers in the most optimal way possible.

Continue reading Powergaming: Understanding Area of Effect in D&D4E