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/topics/games/ Sydney, Australia http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/05/dice-of-doom-podcast-039-goblins-fabled-lands-mutants-masterminds/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/05/dice-of-doom-podcast-039-goblins-fabled-lands-mutants-masterminds/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 11:33:16 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3724 In this episode we discuss our upcoming RPG Goblins!, review Fabled Lands, look at Mutants & Masterminds, and ask "Can you use skills on PCs?". Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/05/dice-of-doom-podcast-039-goblins-fabled-lands-mutants-masterminds/feed/ 0 Dungeons and Dragons, D&D, DnD, roleplaying, fabled lands, mutants & masterminds, Goblins DoD Podcast 039: Fabled Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Goblins!, Using Skills on PCs In this, admittedly belated, episode of the Dice of Doom podcast we discuss how you (yes you!) can be part of the play testing experience for our new RPG Goblins! We discuss the games that we will be playing this year (Fabled Lands, Mutants & Masterminds, Shadowrun, Mouse Guard, Ars Magica, The One Ring, Traveller, Deadlands). We also review Fabled Lands. For our discussion topic this episode we are asked the question by Michael S on our Facebook page "Should you be able to use your skills, like Diplomacy and Intimidate on other players?" We have to apologise to Michael S as we forgot to give him a shout out in the podcast. RupertG yes 44:27 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/03/and-its-official-new-games-workshop-citadel-paints/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/03/and-its-official-new-games-workshop-citadel-paints/#comments Sat, 24 Mar 2012 11:02:11 +0000 Ellisthion http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3713 Following up on our report on the cryptic teaser trailer, we demonstrate again that the internet doesn’t like: the new Games Workshop news is indeed a new paint line. It looks like they’ve got a pile of new kinds of … Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/03/and-its-official-new-games-workshop-citadel-paints/feed/ 0 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/03/games-workshop-145-teaser-trailer/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/03/games-workshop-145-teaser-trailer/#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:48:10 +0000 Ellisthion http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3706 Games Workshop has just released a somewhat cryptic trailer, revealing not much but the number 145. So what’s it all about? Well, news around the internet is that it’s probably a new line of paints. Yep, they’re revamping the Citadel … Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/03/games-workshop-145-teaser-trailer/feed/ 1 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/03/dice-of-doom-podcast-038-12-games12-months-wrap-up-lady-blackbird-review-and-spicing-up-character-generation/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/03/dice-of-doom-podcast-038-12-games12-months-wrap-up-lady-blackbird-review-and-spicing-up-character-generation/#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:53:30 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3696 In this episode we discuss our experiences of the 12 Games/12 Months Gaming Experiment, review Lady Blackbird and discuss ways to spice up character generation. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/03/dice-of-doom-podcast-038-12-games12-months-wrap-up-lady-blackbird-review-and-spicing-up-character-generation/feed/ 1 lady blackbird, dungeons & dragons, roleplaying, rpg, dnd, d&d, gaming, DoD Podcast 038: Gaming Experiment Wrap Up, Lady Blackbird Review, Spicing Up Character Generation In this, the final podcast recorded in 2011 (don't worry, we've started recording 2012 podcasts), we discuss the awesomeness of the 20th Anniversary Vampire: The Masquerade Ultimate Everything In It Leave Nothing Out 500 Bazillion Pages Edition (not its real name), we review Lady Blackbird and answer a question from Symatt on ways to spice up character creation. RupertG yes 46:14 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/02/warhammer-magic-guide-lore-of-death/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/02/warhammer-magic-guide-lore-of-death/#comments Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:00:29 +0000 Ellisthion http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3636 The Lore of Death is a very powerful offensive Lore, focusing on spells to assassinate enemy Characters, along with the almighty army-destroying Purple Sun of Xereus. It is popular amongst new and experienced players alike, and is undeniably one of the most powerful Lores in 8th Edition Warhammer Fantasy. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/02/warhammer-magic-guide-lore-of-death/feed/ 0 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/02/warhammer-magic-guide-lore-of-shadow/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/02/warhammer-magic-guide-lore-of-shadow/#comments Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:00:58 +0000 Ellisthion http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3630 The Lore of Shadows is a powerful offensive Lore, with a solid mix of Hexes, Augments, and Direct Damage. It can allow any army to take on solid targets such as Monsters, as well as permitting fancy tactics by moving … Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/02/warhammer-magic-guide-lore-of-shadow/feed/ 1 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/02/dice-of-doom-podcast-037-lady-blackbird-religion-in-rpgs-and-dealing-with-a-large-gaming-group/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/02/dice-of-doom-podcast-037-lady-blackbird-religion-in-rpgs-and-dealing-with-a-large-gaming-group/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:12:02 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3642 In this episode of the DoDcast we discuss our early impressions of Lady Blackbird, discuss the role of religions in roleplaying games and discuss ways of dealing with a large gaming group. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/02/dice-of-doom-podcast-037-lady-blackbird-religion-in-rpgs-and-dealing-with-a-large-gaming-group/feed/ 10 lady blackbird, dungeons & dragons, roleplaying, rpg, dnd, d&d, gaming, DoD Podcast 037: Lady Blackbird, Religion in RPGs and Dealing with a Large Gaming Group In what we hope is a solid case of better late than never we present episode 037 of the DoDCast recorded in mid October of last year. This episode we discuss our initial impressions of Lady Blackbird (the Ennie Award winning free Indie RPG), discuss the effective use of religions in your roleplaying campaigns (via Symatt) and we look at ways to deal with an extremely large gaming group (via Jrronimo). RupertG yes 43:02 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/01/dungeons-dragons-5th-edition-announced-dnd5e/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/01/dungeons-dragons-5th-edition-announced-dnd5e/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:12:31 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3617 Today, with very little surprise, Wizards of the Coast announced that they were working on the 5th edition of the venerable game Dungeons & Dragons. Rumours of the announcement have been swirling through the Internet for a while now, particularly after it was revealed that veteran D&D game designer Monte Cook had rejoined the R&D Team. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2012/01/dungeons-dragons-5th-edition-announced-dnd5e/feed/ 3 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/2011/11/warhammer-magic-guide-lore-of-heavens/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/11/warhammer-magic-guide-lore-of-heavens/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:51:00 +0000 Ellisthion http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3589 The Lore of Heavens is an averagely powerful spell Lore in Warhammer Fantasy Battles, with a mix of Augments, Hexes, and Direct Damage. It notably features the (in)famous Comet of Casandora spell. It has an interesting selection of spells for both defensive and offensive purposes. It is somewhat a jack-of-all-trades Lore. Whilst primarily used by those who have no choice, like Skink Priests, the Lore of Heavens has some interesting options available, particularly for movement control and area denial, and can perform well in the hands of Level 1-2 Wizards. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/11/warhammer-magic-guide-lore-of-heavens/feed/ 0 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/11/minecraft-pocket-edition-for-ios-review/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/11/minecraft-pocket-edition-for-ios-review/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 06:01:24 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3592 The port of Minecraft to iOS has been a long and uncomfortable wait for many. Despite an original announcement stating that iOS was going to be first off the rank, Android pipped iDevices to the post when Minecraft Pocket Edition was announced for the Xperia Play. Thankfully, for those of you with an iOS enabled device, the wait is over and you can now enjoy the fruits of Mojang's labour in the form of a much cutdown version of everyone's favourite sandboxed game. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/11/minecraft-pocket-edition-for-ios-review/feed/ 4 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/10/dice-of-doom-podcast-035-eclipse-phase-first-impressions-when-good-rules-go-bad-and-polarising-games/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/10/dice-of-doom-podcast-035-eclipse-phase-first-impressions-when-good-rules-go-bad-and-polarising-games/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:23:54 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3576 In this gripping episode of the DoDcast we discuss our first impressions of Eclipse Phase, debate what to do when good rules go bad (or, in Paul's case, what the hell to do when you stuff up) and we look at polarising roleplaying games into left and right. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/10/dice-of-doom-podcast-035-eclipse-phase-first-impressions-when-good-rules-go-bad-and-polarising-games/feed/ 2 Dungeons & Dragons, DnD, Roleplaying, Roleplaying Games, Eclipse Phase, Gaming DoD Podcast 035: Eclipse Phase First Impressions, When Good Rules Go Bad and Polarising Games In this gripping episode of the DoDcast we discuss our first impressions of Eclipse Phase, debate what to do when good rules go bad (or, in Paul's case, what the hell to do when you stuff up) and we look at polarising roleplaying games into left and right. This last topic is a revisit of an idea that I originally posted a while back in an attempt to help us better understand our players and the games that we play. We also take the time to thank our loyal readers/listeners for their kind generosity in shopping at Amazon through our link. Thanks guys for allowing us to purchase Pathfinder, Traveller, Basic Roleplaying and Hackmaster. RupertG yes 43:38 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/10/post-by-band-of-misfits-discussing-how-to-switch-up-your-skill-checks-in-dnd/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/10/post-by-band-of-misfits-discussing-how-to-switch-up-your-skill-checks-in-dnd/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:13:26 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3563 Recently, in one of our podcasts, we discussed the idea of rolling your skill checks first in response to a challenge and THEN roleplaying the resulting success or failure. For example, you would roll your diplomacy check, and then you'd roleplay the resulting success or failure based on the result. The idea has been picked up and run with by the guys at Roving Band of Misfits who discuss it at length, along with some very useful rule interpretations for implementing it in your D&D 4e game. It is well worth the read. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/10/post-by-band-of-misfits-discussing-how-to-switch-up-your-skill-checks-in-dnd/feed/ 0 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/10/dice-of-doom-podcast-034-dragon-warriors-review-tpks-whos-to-blame-and-win-your-character-a-set-of-steak-knives/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/10/dice-of-doom-podcast-034-dragon-warriors-review-tpks-whos-to-blame-and-win-your-character-a-set-of-steak-knives/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:13:33 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3553 In this episode of the Dice of Doom podcast we review Dragon Warriors through hopefully not particularly rose coloured glasses. We discuss the question "Total Party Kills:Who's to blame?" and what's more, identify exactly who it is. We also, as part of Play a New RPG Month, are offering you the chance to win your Character a set of Steak Knives in game. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/10/dice-of-doom-podcast-034-dragon-warriors-review-tpks-whos-to-blame-and-win-your-character-a-set-of-steak-knives/feed/ 0 Dragon Warriors, Dungeons & Dragons, DnD, Roleplaying, Roleplaying Games, Play a New RPG, PANRPG DoD Podcast 034: Dragon Warriors Review, TPKs: Who's to Blame? and Win your Character a set of Steak Knives In this episode of the Dice of Doom podcast we review Dragon Warriors through hopefully not particularly rose coloured glasses. We discuss the question "Total Party Kills:Who's to blame?" and what's more, identify exactly who it is. We also, as part of Play a New RPG Month, are offering you the chance to win your Character a set of Steak Knives in game*. That's right, we will write the rules, compose a short note to your GM and email you a certificate of authenticity that we scribble up if you let us know what your group is playing for the month of October RupertG yes 49:06 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/the-big-bang-theory-mystic-warlords-of-kaa-available-on-facebook/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/the-big-bang-theory-mystic-warlords-of-kaa-available-on-facebook/#comments Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:48:31 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3539 First introduced in The Big Bang Theory episode "The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary" in season 3, the (until now) fictional collectible card game Mystic Warlords of Ka'a has intrigued nerds as to how the game might be played and whether or not Enchanted Bunny is really that useless. Well, now is your chance to find out. The game has been released as a Facebook game. So far, it seems pretty polished, with tutorials, single play, duels, collectible cards (which cost Facebook Coins) and the ability to challenge your friends. You can install the game to your profile by clicking this link. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/the-big-bang-theory-mystic-warlords-of-kaa-available-on-facebook/feed/ 1 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/dice-of-doom-podcast-033-spirit-of-the-century-review-dragon-warriors-first-impressions-and-do-rules-support-descriptive-combat/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/dice-of-doom-podcast-033-spirit-of-the-century-review-dragon-warriors-first-impressions-and-do-rules-support-descriptive-combat/#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:24:27 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3525 In this episode of the Dice of Doom podcast we review Spirit of the Century, talking about our experiences with stunts and aspects. We also discuss our first impressions of playing Dragon Warriors which is a flashback from our gaming past. As part of our discussion on Dragon Warriors we get sidetracked (egads! who would have seen that coming!) and we spend quite a bit of time discussing how rules describe combat, should they describe combat? and whether it's up to the players to look after that aspect of the game or not. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/dice-of-doom-podcast-033-spirit-of-the-century-review-dragon-warriors-first-impressions-and-do-rules-support-descriptive-combat/feed/ 8 Dungeons and Dragons, D&D, DnD, roleplaying, spirit of the century, sotc, games mastering, dragon warriors DoD Podcast 033: Spirit of the Century review, Dragon Warriors first impressions and relying on rules to describe combat In this episode of the Dice of Doom podcast we review Spirit of the Century, talking about our experiences with stunts and aspects. We also discuss our first impressions of playing Dragon Warriors which is a flashback from our gaming past. As part of our discussion on Dragon Warriors we get sidetracked (egads! who would have seen that coming!) and we spend quite a bit of time discussing how rules describe combat, should they describe combat? and whether it's up to the players to look after that aspect of the game or not. RupertG yes 50:10 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/guest-appearance-on-roving-band-of-misfits-level-up-podcast/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/guest-appearance-on-roving-band-of-misfits-level-up-podcast/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:59:08 +0000 RupertG http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3520 I recently had the very good fortune to appear as a guest on the Roving Band of Misfits Level Up Podcast in a bonus episode to discuss the Play a New RPG project. A lot of fun was had by all. Click on through to the Roving Band of Misfits site to listen to the show. Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/guest-appearance-on-roving-band-of-misfits-level-up-podcast/feed/ 0 http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/dismemberment-and-permanent-injuries-in-dnd/ http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/dismemberment-and-permanent-injuries-in-dnd/#comments Wed, 07 Sep 2011 23:00:19 +0000 Ellisthion http://diceofdoom.com/blog/?p=3510 We recently had a great question on Twitter by IvPalmer: “Have you guys ever came across a dismemberment case in D&D? A player lost an arm last session and I'd like to give him options.” As it happens, yes, we have, and, like you, we wondered what exactly to do about it. The rules don’t give an answer… or do they? Continue reading →]]> http://diceofdoom.com/blog/2011/09/dismemberment-and-permanent-injuries-in-dnd/feed/ 24