Create Your Own Dungeons And Dragons Convention
In 2007, we skipped Gen Con.
You see, my Dungeons and Dragons gaming group is an interesting mix of folks. We’ve got small business owners, health care professionals, a college professor, IT professionals, fast food workers, an electrician, housewives, and even someone in the printing business.
Oh, and then there’s me, but you all know what I do. I’m a writer.
We have single guys, engaged guys, married folks with kids, and married folks without kids.
At any rate, the stars were aligned in 2007 such that most of us either couldn’t afford Gen Con or couldn’t attend because of work or family commitments.
We realized, by July of 2007, that we were really going to miss Gen Con. So, we came up with a stopgap measure: Cabin Con.
What is Cabin Con? Well, we decided that one of the best parts about Gen Con was the gaming. Specifically, gaming with our friends. So, we rented two small cabins at nearby county park for two nights in late August last year. We spent the better part of three days gaming. We played Dungeons and Dragons, Three Dragon Ante, and even some board games.
We cooked our food over a campfire, and made jokes at night about who was sharing a sleeping bag with whom.
We did all of this on the cheap; with food and everything, I think we all got away for about $75 a person.
Cabin Con was such a damned good idea that we’re doing it again this October. This time, we’re renting a vacation home for 4 days to the tune of $600. Split between a dozen or so of us, we’ll still be under $100 apiece including food. Gen Con or not, I think Cabin Con is going to become a tradition.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because it would never have occurred to us to do something like this if we hadn’t missed Gen Con in 2007. Maybe it’s something your group could do, too.
So, if you want to organize your own convention, here’s what you need to do:
- Figure out how many people you have going. Get as firm a commitment as possible.
- Find a good location. Depending on your budget, you could have your Cabin Con in tents in the woods, or you could have it at the Hilton. For me, I think the vacation home or hunting lodge type rental is the best way to go.
- Divide your weekend up into time slots for games. These can be 4-hour slots, or they can be shorter or longer depending on your group’s preferences.
- Get your friends to commit to running games. If you’re like me and usually are the DM, GM, or StoryTeller, a Cabin Con can be a nice opportunity to play on the other side of the screen.
- Send out the list of games, and have everyone sign up for the games they want to play.
- Plan a menu and buy the food. You can live on sandwiches and cereal all weekend, or you can cook full-blown meals. Here again, it just depends on your group’s preferences.
- Set up a KP duty chart. Give everyone a chance to help out with the cooking, cleaning, and whatnot.
I’d love to hear from others. If you’ve done your own gaming weekend, what advice can you offer?
What Makes A Spell Or Power Useful In An RPG?
I’ve had an article on the site for more than a year called The Best Wizard Spells in Dungeons and Dragons. On Saturday, I found this comment on the article:
ANY spell is useful. You just have to use your imagination and get creative. Just because DMs only know to to do adventures that involve killing the orc for the pie doesn’t make spells useless. A real DM knows how to tailor a game for multiple scenarios, only 30% of which should involve actual combat.
All the useful spells you picked were spells that involved simple-minded “dungeon bashing”. Just the type of dumb mentality that created stupid 4th Edition. Thanks you 4rons
I deleted the comment, of course, as I don’t particularly like to be randomly insulted on my blog.
Now, insults and creative punctuation aside, this comment got me thinking about something:
What makes a spell or power useful in Dungeons and Dragons?
There are, in my mind, a few possible criteria:
- It should have opportunity for frequent use. Decipher script is limited in its use, Charm Person is not.
- It should be useful to overcome a challenge. That challenge doesn’t have to be combat; it can be social, or it can be plot-related.
- It should be something that can’t be done with mundane means. Light isn’t nearly as useful when you have a lantern around.
I’m sure there are other things that can make a spell or power useful in Dungeons and Dragons. What do you think? What makes an ability useful, and what makes it worth choosing over another spell or ability in your roleplaying game?
3 Reasons Why I’m Not Running Pathfinder
One of the things that naturally comes about in a discussion of switching from D&D to another game system is Pathfinder. Because the community has embraced Pathfinder as a way for fans of 3rd Edition to continue playing their game while getting new product, there is this illusion that the whole world is in “D&D vs. Pathfinder” mode.
I think that perception may be a bit overblown. Let’s face it: most D&D players aren’t switching to Pathfinder (or anything else). They play D&D. That’s what they’ve always played, and unless it says “Dungeons and Dragons” on the cover, they’re not going to buy it.
On top of that, there are other choices. If you don’t like 4E, there are plenty of gaming systems out there. Pathfinder is one of the youngest, and it’s not the best-selling. Even without insider information, I guarantee that there are still more RIFTS players than Pathfinder players. That can, and probably will, change. But, my point is that it’s not a “D&D or Pathfinder” decision - it’s a “D&D or Non-D&D” decision.
So, why am I looking at another system instead of switching to Pathfinder? Several reasons.
Pathfinder isn’t yet a proven product
Here’s the fact: Pathfinder still sells less than most non-D&D RPGs, and it will for a long time. They’re only in Beta, and the full game isn’t due out for a year. Could the final product be better than 4E and wind up atop the market? Sure, it’s possible. But it’s not happening any time soon.
I’m not especially interested in playtesting someone’s game, and I’m certainly not interested in playtesting it for a year or more. Come talk to me when Pathfinder’s been in the game for a decade, and then we’ll talk about a long-term commitment. In the meantime, it’s a novelty worth exploring, but still a novelty.
Pathfinder isn’t D&D
Pathfinder is a fine product. It’s a good-looking game, from what I can tell. It’s certainly an offshoot of D&D. Most of the designers have professional experience designing D&D.
However, Pathfinder is not D&D.
What do I mean, exactly? I’m not writing esoterically. I simply mean this: Pathfinder is owned by Paizo. Paizo doesn’t hold the intellectual rights to Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve heard people say “4E is OK, but it’s not D&D.” They’re wrong. 4E, like it or not, is D&D. Pathfinder is not D&D.
If folks want to suggest that Pathfinder is somehow the “spiritual descendant” of D&D, that’s OK by me. But for me, the name on the box defines the product. Maybe I like the new D&D, maybe I don’t. No matter. It’s D&D.
For a long time, I’ve been a D&D player. If I’m going to switch to something else, I’m going to consider all possibilities, plain and simple. Pathfinder is one, Vampire is another.
You’ll carefully notice that I don’t hate Pathfinder or think Paizo is the devil. I hope the product does well alongside D&D. More good games make for a deeper industry, which means better product all around.
Pathfinder doesn’t solve any problems
I need a new set of rules. I’ve complained for a long time that I just can’t keep up with the sheer number of rules available for third edition. 4E solves that problem; so does Vampire. Heck, Toon: The RPG solves that problem. Pathfinder is the one product that doesn’t offer me a rules reset.
Add to that the fact that our gaming group has certain dynamics that center around D&D rules. That’s a nice way of saying I’ve got a couple of power gamers at my table. Power gaming is fine, but I’d like to see something new at the table. A rules reset is one way around that. For a while, at least, my power gamers will be on equal footing with one another (and with me as their GM).
What do you think? Are you going Pathfinder? If so, how do you see it?
Sunday Link Smashup for August 24, 2008
photo credit: disavian | Got Links?
Lots of amazing links for you today, in the wake of Gen Con. Let’s get started, shall we?
I want to take a moment to welcome Mike Mearls to the D&D blogosphere. Mike is one a handful of truly GREAT game designers, IMHO. Check out his inaugural post entitled In Praise of Wandering Monsters.
Speaking of designers, another favorite of mine is Jim Wyatt. Check out the podcast interview that the boys from Critical Hits scored with Jim: Critical Hits Podcast #7: Interview with James Wyatt.
I have to link to this post:YA5WKEPACLB*: What Gen Con 2008 meant for me from Chatty DM, only if it proves he can actually write a post with less than 200 words. He just doesn’t usually want to 
James at Capturing Fantasy offers us an excellent post on Letting Go of You When You Play. James tells us how to become immersed in our characters, and truly stretch our roleplaying muscles.
I got a link back from the Wired.com blog earlier this week when I pontificated on the McCain staffer’s comments on D&D. Check it out! I’m in the big time 
It occurred to me that maybe not all of my readers here are familiar with my writing blog, The Writing Journey. I mention it here for those of you who may have attended the RPG blogger seminar at Gen Con, or if you listened to the podcast of that event.
Back in July, Dante over at Stupid Ranger had an excellent piece on The Silmarillion. If you haven’t read that particular Tolkien classic, give Dante’s insights a look and see if he can convince you. I personally think it should be required reading for all game masters.
In light of my recent discussion on trying to rediscover my gaming identity, I offer you Yax’s thougts on My golden rule is more golden than yours - which describes, essentially, why Yax keeps coming back to D&D over other RPGs.
Finally, check out Gnome Stew’s First Contest: Win Custom Sound Effects for Your Game and, well, win custom sound effects for your game.
Make sure an visit these folks, and tell ‘em Bob sent you!
How Do You Foster Good Roleplaying?
When I was 13 years old, RPGs were all about killing things and taking their stuff. In a lot of ways, back then, D&D was a major precursor to today’s MMORPGs. Sure, we had some storylines back then, but they were usually pretty standard quests.
It was mostly “roll” playing, and less “role” playing. That was fine, for back then. Really, I didn’t mind.
But things changed. Eventually, I grew up, put off RPGs for a while. When I came back to them as a young adult, I found I’d changed. Suddenly, I was a lot more interested in the story than in the spoils.
Here’s the cool thing about RPGs: They are what you make of them. If you’re a 13 year-old boy who wants to slay dragons, go for it. If your a guy that wants to explore his feminine side by playing a female pixie sorceress, go ahead.
If you really must.
At any rate, my group today prefers roleplaying over hack-n-slash. Some days, though, hack-n-slash is all I’ve got in me as a DM. I’m sure you’ve had sessions like that, too.
So, let me put the question to you, both players and GMs: How do you foster good roleplaying?
I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve, and I’ll share those in due time. I’m curious, though, what you all can come up with first.
Sunday RPG Link Smashup- June 15, 2008
Just because I liked the pic so much, and because the photographer commented on my blog last week… Let’s make her the unofficial Sunday RPG Link Smashup mascot, shall we? Disavian, What do you say?
photo credit: disavian | Got Links?
Anyways, let’s move on.
So, what’s going on in the world of RPGs this week?
Well, for starters, Chatty has an awesomely funny post (at least it’s funny to me) about how he can’t seem to let a paladin live in his campaigns: I Don’t do Paladins Really Well… I have the same problem, but with any character played by my friend Phil.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet here, so I will now. If you don’t already Do Yax’s Sunday Morning Quiz right after reading my Link Smashup, you should. Just sayin’.
Bartoneous, who is fast becoming one of my favorite D&D blog writers, has another awesome post on the 4E/WoW question: How to Compare Birds to Fish
Greywulf is also quickly rising on my fave blogger scale. Check out Wolverine Is A Warlock to see why.
It’s amazing what 32 hours straight of 4E will do to a gaming group. Critical Ankle Bites has it here: Final thoughts after marathon 4e release day events.
All right, time to cash it in, folks. See you again real soon!
Reflections on RPGs, branding and the blog name
Good evening, all.
I want to cover a few things tonight, in no particular order.
First, if you don’t already get updates to RPGDigest, do it now. You can get updates via feed or via Email, and I’ll never share your addy with anyone, or send you anything except these blog updates. Pinky swear.
Next, I want to note a slight shift in this blog. To this point, I’ve focused on Dungeons & Dragons. Now, D&D is my #1 RPG and always will be, but as part of the move to a new name, I felt like it was time to expand the brand a bit. This allows me to blog about other RPGs, for example. It also gives me opportunity to feature articles from some folks who might play other RPGs or who play older versions of D&D.
I might even talk about a play by post World of Darkness game, from time to time.
Hence the “RPG” portion of the new name.
Not to worry; there will still be plenty of good ol’ D&D. I promise. After all, it’s the game that’s been kicking so much ass for so long.
I want to thank everyone who put in an entry for the contest, too. You all made it hard, damn hard, to decide.
In the end, I narrowed it down to four:
- RPGDigest (the winner, obviously, contributed by InShaneee)
- DnD4Ever (contributed by Ericc)
- RPGRenaissance (contributed by James of Capturing Fantasy)
- and RPG-Journey (contributed by… no one. It was a last minute entry by me, to try to keep things branded similarly to my writing blog - Writing Journey).
DND4Ever was cool - it even had 4E in it. However, I wanted to keep my options open just in case 4E were to flop.
I didn’t feel like RPG-Journey would be fair to everyone who worked so hard to come up with ideas. Plus, I couldn’t really pin down the value of sharing a brand with my writing blog (though I’m sure there is one).
I like the sound of RPGRenaissance, but it’s damned hard to spell. I just figured it out last week. It wouldn’t have done well for me to not known how to spell my own blog, would it?
Here were some of my other favorites, in no particular order:
- angrygoblinhorde from Greywulf
- ParagonGamer from Nate-Ball
- TenRanksDM from Arceo
- RoleForInitiative from Patriarch917
- NoHorsesinDND, Boccobsblessedblog, and mordysfaithfulwatchblog from Nevyn
- dispelignorance from Graham
- how-i-role from Geek’s Dream Girl
- RPGDungeonDragonDnD from Sage
- blogofscrying from Noctambulist
- fromthedragonsmouth from Kameron
- LettersFromHommlet from Thomas D
- DnDlicious from Shekaka67
- tavernpostings, attackingthedarkness, and undergroundadventuringsitesandflyingreptilianbeasts.com from Colin
So, there you have it. Again, many thanks to all that participated.
Economics in D&D: A Blast from the Past
(Good evening, all. I realize I still owe you all a post about my thoughts on the naming contest. Unfortunately, paying work has got in the way of goofing off here so far this week. I hope to have something soon. In the meantime, enjoy this post from January of this year. I’ve got a lot of new readers, so please chime in with your thoughts!)
Dante over at stupidranger.com raises some interesting questions today.
Dante’s point, which he makes so well, is that the economics of the D&D world are completely screwed up, primarily by magic items.
Let’s think about it: in our world, if there were wands that could cure diseases instantly, or if there were rings that could make you invisible, they would be the “gold standard” of the economy. Magic, rather than precious metals, would be at the heart of the stock market.
D&D has none of that. Hell, magic items are a regular commodity, as available as leather or wine.
There is another factor to think about in terms of D&D and economics. Just how much gold is there buried in all of those lost dungeons? And how much has been found? Wouldn’t the single dragon’s horde, discovered outside of a small town or village, completely decimate that town’s economy with the influx of all of that cash? Gold in the cities surrounding Myth Drannor would be so devalued as to be almost worthless, considering the thousands of lairs that have been raided.
These aren’t unique questions to D&D, either. The MMORPGs have the same problem, arguably on a much larger scale.
Having said all of that, there is still one question: does it even matter?
I say yes. We strive, as DMs, to provide players with a “realistic” fantasy world: a world that resembles our own in most ways, but has these supernatural, monstrous, and heroic elements. Those are what makes Dungeons and Dragons a fantasy role-playing game. Suspended disbelief.
But, economics? Having a completely unrealistic economic system doesn’t add to the fantasy element any more than having completely unrealistic geographic features adds to it (deserts and tundra can’t co-exist).
What’s the answer, then? Hell if I know. I was a philosophy major in college. But, I do think that there may be something on the horizon that helps: in 4E D&D, they’re talking about fewer magic items. That may be a step in the right direction.
Any professional economists out there who’d like to give it a go? That might even make a decent product for a 3rd-party designer: Economics of the Fantasy World.
Sunday RPG Link Smashup- June 8, 2008
The core 4E books are out, and reactions are starting to spread across the blogosphere. Here are a few of the most interesting articles on 4E That I’ve found this week:
Martin over at Gnome Stew does it again by recounting his first impressions of 4E. Some of the phrases that jump out at me: “Mercifully brief setup” and “Solid simplifications.” You may not may not like the idea of simplification or the rules convergence that leads to simplification, but you can’t deny it’s present in 4E.
photo credit: disavian | Got Links?
I missed Game Day due to the fact that we live waaay out in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, Chatty’s got a Game Day recap, along with his thoughts about 4E.
The boys over at Critical Hits have a couple of 4E Roundtable discussions worth taking a look at. Among the interesting concepts? Half-elves apparently blow.
Greywulf, who inspired my post on balance the other day, has a compelling final analysis of Core 4E. His take? 4E is a mixed bag, but an improvement.
I even have a couple of non-4E articles for you to check out too.
Ben Overmyer of Silver Gryphon Games has a guest post at Capturing Fantasy on the Four Types of RPG Players. These are the four player archetypes we’ve talked about for years, but Ben’s put them in an interesting context here. There’s also still time to get into the CF launch contest if you haven’t already done so.
Speaking of contests, Yax is giving more stuff away. This time, he’s offering up 3 Forgotten Realms books. Get over there and enter today!
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OK, I know I’ve overloaded you with posts today, but I wanted to offer one more thought. Several of us in the gaming blog world use Twitter on a regular basis, and it has proven to be a much more usable tool for me in finding good RPG links than my feed reader. Here are some of the folks I recommend following:
@WritingJourney (That’s me)
@GreyWulf (Um, that’s Greywulf, of course)
@ChattyDM (You know Chatty)
@MenwithPens (from Capturing Fantasy)
@VegasPenMan (Harry from Capturing Fantasy)
If you’re on twitter, feel free to post your ID in the comments to this post.
Tomorrow: Some talk about the new name, and discussion of who almost won. Don’t miss it!
DnDReviews.com is now RPGDigest
Welcome one and all to RPGDigest.com! I trust your trip was a safe one.
Congratulations to InShaneee for suggesting the winning domain name for the new home of DnDReviews.com! Check out the rest of the entries here. InShaneee, if you’re reading this, please shoot me an e-mail so I can get you your prize!
You’ll pardon the dust, of course, while everything settles for a day or two. On Sunday, I’ll have a Link Smashup as always, and on Monday I’ll reveal some of the cool new features that make up RPG Digest. I’ll also let you know what the other top contenders were on Monday.
Stay tuned, and in the meantime go weigh in on the question of Game Balance in Dungeons and Dragons 4E.
photo credit: Poppyseed Bandits
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Updates
