日常生活

It's been a few months since we took on the behemoth that is Dungeons & Dragons. We finished off the starter-set campaign and I bought a few of the books and boxes from the Essentials line. We then started out on a new journey to save the land.

But we didn't get very far. The roleplaying aspect of D&D turned out to be a little rough on all of us; too much were said and not enough got done, so to speak. And we found the character sheets and spells a bit hard to read out. All of us enjoy a good fight, but it got more complicated than it probably had to.

And that's where the D&D board game Castle Ravenloft comes into the picture -- It is a slimmed down version of D&D with the main focus on exploring the dungeons (in this case a castle) and fighting monsters. What makes it great is that no one is locked down playing the DM (which would always be my peril); everyone gets to control the monsters they reveal, which in my opinion is ingenious. I like that a lot, because now I can be part of the group of adventurers instead of hiding behind a DM screen.

I got the game a few days ago and my brother and I have played a couple of rounds to test it out. We both enjoy it immensely and I think Castle Ravenloft will be the favourite among my games for a long time to come. :-)

I'm planning on buying the "sequel", Wrath of Ashardalon which was released mid-Februari, as well as The Legend of Drizzt due for release in October.

We finished of the last bits of the D&D Starter Set campaign yesterday. During this third and final round things got a bit hectic. The challenge got steeper and people were almost killed (more than once in one case). On the whole, everyone had a good time.

The surprise I threw in last time around -- a Human Cleric (that I originally created for myself to use in case anyone else would want to be the DM) named Otigold Shieldheart that decided to join in the battle [in a sort-of NPC-way] -- was welcomed with open arms.

The gang got to control Otigold, deciding what actions he'd take. He saved both the day -- and the party -- many a times during the crawl. Thanks again for the idea, Cheryl. :-)

Both quests from the Starter Set were completed. Somewhat. The mysterious rider was found and subsequently slain. And the stolen box was retrieved.

However, the group decided against returning the box and it's contents to the merchant, [name?]; a measly 30gp wasn't enough of a reward to part with it. This decision worries me a bit, to be honest. It's just not set up for good times...

In an effort to further educate our silly butts on the subject of D&D(Essentials), I have ordered Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, Dungeon Master's Kit and Monster Vault. Let's see what the future brings... :-)

While I don't own a lot of games that require it -- for some reason, no matter what game we play, if a DM is required, yours truly seems to be the guy for the job. Every single time.

I don't know whether it's me doing a good job (not likely) or the others thinking they'd do horribly at it (more likely), but either way I'm not complaining. I mean, I would rather be a part of the "group", going through the bad-assery and maiming. But being the DM helps me work on my storytelling which is lacking, to say the least.

Anyhow, last weekend my brothers and a friend of ours set off on the adventure contained within the "Red Box" and I did my best to keep them entertained. Being new to this game meant a lot of flipping through the books trying to work out all the mechanics.

My superior die-rolls and the gang making the error of not bringing a healer to the party (two of them play Fighters, the other a Wizard) has caused them a lot of grief. I try to be a humble DM but the dice says otherwise. (I'm contemplating lying in their favour, just to see them get through the campaign)..

Today we'll continue the adventure and I have a little surprise in store for the gang. It'll be an improvised "encounter", going out of the box to try and help them out a little. The idea was a suggested by Cheryl, one of my Canadian friends. We'll see how it turns out. :-)

Oh, and the image - I've ordered Rules Compendium: An Essential Dungeons & Dragons Compendium and Player's Essentials: Heroes of the Fallen Lands, two books that might help our gaming experience.

The Essentials-line looks to be right up our alley. :-)

For the longest time I have feared this game. When I first heard of it many years ago, it seemed like a behemoth, its contents so vast that my mind would melt if I tried to approach it... Nah, maybe not really.

Honestly, I don't really know why I never bothered to check it out. I'll bet it's likely because of how much of the gameplay is in your head - my imagination's pretty poor. At least for "serious business".. ;-)

Recently though, a spark of interest has formed after my cousin linked me a page with videos where the guys behind Penny Arcade and PvPonline along with Wil Wheaton are playing a game together (with DM Chris Perkins). By the looks of it, they were having a lot of fun.

After watching that play (and listening to some of their podcasts [look for Penny Arcade/PvP]) I decided to buy the "Red Box" to try it out; take them first steps. None of us have played any 'paper'-D&D before, but a few (or all) of us have played at least one game on the computer, such as Baldur's Gate, that uses some rules from D&D. It'll be a blast, I'm sure. :-]