Sunday, December 28, 2014

Busy, sorta...

I have been busy and haven't had much time for the blog, which does suck.  I loved blogging and I will get back to it in the new year.  And there might be a return of the podcast int he year ahead.

5E is starting to become the game of choice for me.  Love the books and I have found some rules to tinker with.  There is currently a strange mash-up of MERP and 5E D&D that my group is playing.  Yet, I can feel DM burnout coming and I might step aside so another friend can run a Stars Without Number game, which I am really looking forward to.

Catch you all next year.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

5E goodness and random thoughts...

I recently got the 5th edition D&D handbook.  It is a great handbook.  I love the art, the rules are pretty easy to understand and the group I play with have taken a shine to it.

Yet, because I like to tinker with the rules, I want to change things.

Let me start by saying awhile back, I got the reprinted Original White Box of D&D.  Though I was pissed because it took so long to get it in my hot little hands, I did love it when I finally got it.  One thing from the original texts I started to like was the idea of race-as-class.  Dwarves being tough fighters, elves being fighters that can cast magic, though in some rule variants the PC elf had to choose one class and stick with it for a day, and halfllings being sneaky fighters with a chance to hide away in forests and surprise people.

Now, combining that with some of the things I love about 2E, weapon and non-weapon prof. and how they are given out and then add on the 5E rules sets and I that is the basics of what is going on in my head.

Yet, what to do with some of these races that have come out since the white box?  Would they have to be pushed aside?  I don't think so.  I could see the gnome, the half-elf, half-orc, even the tiefling being allowed in as race-as-class.  I have some doubts about the dragonborn, yet I cold also bring in something from Dragonlance and the draconians.  Maybe...

Just some random thoughts I am throwing down here.  And, I seriously doubt I am ever going to try and make a campaign book or some type of game out of this, to publish at least.

Why weapon prof?  To me, I have always felt that this 3x stuff about "knowing all simple and martial" or "knowing all simple" weapons is kinda silly.  You might know how to use it, but to be proficient with it means you have had some training, you aren't going to cut your foot off, smack yourself in the head with your hand when you pull back the bowstring or know how to hold a flail and how to slow it down...FYI, I have one and those things are NO JOKE!  Hence, in 2E, you had to select which weapons you knew how to use.  For a fighter, that was up to four different weapons.  For a wizard, one.  It just fits better in my mind that characters can't pick up a short sword and know how to use it as well as a long sword.  Very different fighting styles, I have found.

But say the PC wants to pick up the glowing blue short sword of +2 glowing, if he commits to learning it, using it and maybe some instruction from someone who knows how to use it, in a level or three, that PC could mark it as a proficient weapon.

There is more, but I must go to bed, since I need to take a friend to the airport early tomorrow...technically today.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Well...might as well jump on the 5e "talky thing"

Well, the plan was to get on here and try to do this blog three days a week, and we see how well that turned out.

Anyway, I want to add my own voice to the uproar of 5e.  I downloaded the rules the day they came out, I even went out with a friend to look for the Starter Set that was suppose to drop on the 3rd of July.  That venture yielded a few finds of 2E fun, and another copy of the Temple of Elemental Evil for a very good price, yet no Starter Set.

However, my friend and I did pour over the rules from the download.  Is it a complete system, hell no!  I know some blogger with many proponents and opponents have claimed that Mike Mearls was saying THIS would be it, comparing it to the RC or B/X.  Yet, it is my thought--and take this with a fifty pound bag of salt--Mike was talking about what this online document WILL BE once the hard copies of the books come out and the online rules updated as things go.

I have also gotten my hands on the Starter Set, and I like what they have in there  Is it as rules crunchy as 3/.5?  No.  There is a departure from 3/.5 and 4E crunchy crunchy stuff.  Which I like.  As for those who don't know, when it comes to D&D, I like the older versions.  2E is my wheelhouse.  Granted, there can be ALOT of crunch there as well.  One need only look at the amount of splat books for 2E that some consider "core" and you can drown in a sea of rules and fiddly bits.

Back to 5e.  I have my own gripes with it.  Small ones that I think can be fixed by houseruling and using older versions ideas instead of the current ones.  At least certain things.  Many of the rules I do like, at least the ones that are there.  The advantage/disadvantage is a very good and simple mechanic.

I am also looking forward to trying to start a 5e campaign of my own soon.  The gaming group has one game going on on Monday, a 3.5 Ravenloft game which I am really liking.  I am playing a sorcerer from Faerun.  There is more but I will write that up later.

The other game slot is Friday.  There are two possible games that will occur.  One is my friend's own creation of Dragon Age.  I will be playing an Apostate Elf, should be fun.  The other idea is for me to run a campaign with the 5e rules.  I will be using the adventure in the Starter Set, but I have already plumbed the interwebz for other resources and even borrowed something from the DCC to use in this game.  It should be an interesting.  And, I just found something from Gygax Magazine that I want to use as well.  I will keep you all posted on what happens.

I just hope I post a little bit more often.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Long time no writing...

I know, the need to write and work on this blog faded for some time.  I haven't stopped gaming, and still looking forward to 5E D&D dropping soon.  I will try and come back to this when I can.  I think the best thing to do is to do it three times a week.  Monday, Wed. and Friday.  Make sure I put down something those days.  And, since today is Wed, seems like a good place to start.

Tomorrow, I should be heading out to get the new Starter Kit that is dropping for 5E.  I am really looking forward to it.  I was part of the beta test, though that fell by the wayside with others wanting to try other games.  And I also grew a bit bored with it.  But, I am also thinking of trying to restart that game or at least attempt to get the group to try it again.

We shall see.