If you buy any of the Next Adventures (Such as the Dead in Thay adventure) they come with the playtest rules. I'd imagine they will continue to do something similar for the other adventures.
He's being much too coy. As I've said before, I'm kind of amazed that Hasbro's PR department lets the D&D Next team get away with as much poor use of social media as they do.
That they're being evasive rather than plain-spoken, speaks volumes. I have no doubt that the game designers are very excited about their product and very apprehensive about its marketing. While I might be willing to put down $20 for a good starter set, I'm not willing to pay anything for a well-packaged scam.
Seems it will be like the last pages of "Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle" adventure: there will be just pregenerated characters and what to change on your sheets when they level up from level 1 to 5.
Seems not perfect but AT LEAST it will offer more hours of gameplay than the Red Box of 4th Edition.
I was sold on the starter....I am now unsold. What can I do with the "starter set"? I bet there is a great paragraph in there explaining what a role playing game is.
I'm in the same boat. There's NO reason that "Starter" can't be "Basic", aside from poor decision making processes. I expected a product equivalent to the Pathfinder Beginner's Box, minus the flats and map mat to keep the cost low.
I'm seriously considering un-pre-ordering the Starter Box. I'll probably wait until we get more details about its actual contents.
Why would any of us buy a "starter set" when the real game is on its way? (Not that I'll buy that either.) Isn't a "starter set" aimed at someone who has never played and would like to start? Are you guys really interested in a starter set?
Basic D&D will be released the same day as the Starter Box for players. It will be a free PDF with character generation for Rogues, Fighters, Clerics, and Wizards with Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings from level 1 to 20. This way, everyone who's not a DM can make a character away from the table. This is fairly old news.
Random Notes & Thoughts for 5/10/2024
-
End of the weekdays means random stuff!
- So, this comic was exactly how I was running Handsome. Well, except for
spending money on bow-related stuff, he l...
Minimalist magic resistance (B/X)
-
As much as I love B/X, I often miss something from AD&D. I tried playing
AD&D but found it too complex. What I often do, instead, is simplifying
AD&D ideas...
Friday Fantasy: The Jovian Visitor
-
A year ago, the astronomer Giovanni Conti died and his student, Vincenzo
Costa, set out to fulfil his last oath to his master. That is to protect
his mast...
Kickstart Your Weekend: SciFi Fun
-
Lets hit some stretch goals!
*Thirteen Parsecs*
[image: Thirteen Parsecs]
http://tinyurl.com/13psignuptim
Thirteen Parsecs is funded!
We want this game...
Fuccubus Friday - Haarlep
-
Though you cannot romance or sleep with Baldur's Gate 3's Raphael there is
an interesting twist if you'd like to. Through a series of choices while in
Aver...
OSR: 1d20 Dungeon Merchants
-
Another excerpt from the Treasure Overhaul, but formatted for a blog post. Arnold
K's dungeon merchants are, as usual, well worth reading.
In the depths ...
The Hunt for Gollum
-
When I learned last year that Warner Bros would be coming out with some new
movies set in Middle-earth, I was pretty sceptical. But I am now cautiously
opt...
MAC Attack x Epic 40k
-
*MAC Attack* is back on the menu!
Well, it was never really off for me. I've been tinkering away at it behind
the scenes since I last wrote about it. Sin...
The Greydeep Marches
-
By Peter SchweighoferGriffon Publishing StudioGeneric/Universal Three
hundred years ago adventurers from the Vilburg Kingdom forayed into the
untamed borde...
Interwar Micros
-
I've been revisiting a bunch of my interwar vehicle models, rescaling them
to 1:285 for micro gaming, and I've put them up on wargaming3d.com in packs
of...
Teasing Out the Wargame...
-
OK, so I apologize in advance for what might seem a pedantic post about the
little things residing within our various inspirations. Longtime readers
know...
Monstrous Mini-Review: The Killer Shrews
-
Well...I guess I just feel like reviewing an old monster movie...
*The Killer Shrews*
1959, 1 h 9 min
Director: Ray Kellogg
Trailer:
*The deal: **The Kil...
Deconstructing Healing, Potions, and Shrines
-
Potions kinda suck and I can prove it.
*Potions Suck #1*
Healing potions kinda suck the fun out of the game for me. I know most OSR
games don't allow t...
It started with Blackmoor - Firsts
-
Apparently there is a shirt for sale with the logo "It started with
Blackmoor - 1975". The date indicates they are referring to Blackmoor
supplement II...
Draft Two-Step Status rules
-
Hey, we're trying to remove a saving throw penalty in here!
The basic deal here is that the first status of each pair has *no direct
mechanical effect*. G...
Lawman: western scifi silliness
-
I got pointed to this game by my bro Bill and honestly I am just loving
it. Western bounty hunter space zooming around space to apprehend
criminals. What ...
Why the dearth of 'other world' campaigns?
-
JRR Tolkien was a crucial 'break' between two conceptions of the fantasy
genre. Before him, most (though not all) fantastical tales either involved
people ...
Session #12 & Adventure Sites Compilation
-
Firstly, I wanted to let everybody know that Adventure Sites I by Coldlight
Press is now available as a free download on DriveThruRPG. It includes my
own...
Clerics of the Flanaess, Part 2
-
Sorry it took so long to get to the next article in this series, but here
we are! This continues the details of specialty clerics for the World of
Greyhawk...
On the Sector Turn
-
It's very simple.
There are many important things cybertechtronically enhanced secret agents
need to do: Buy illegal tanks with railguns. "Convince" the...
The Light Dawns
-
THIS!!! Yes, a thousand times, this!
Back in the day, I referred to this as “neo-classicalgaming,” which is to
say, the sorts of games that came ou...
Improvised Awful Lights Missions
-
Asking about The Awful Lights, a commenter asks:
*I'd love to hear about how this is run - with the Handler determining
mission location and objectives ...
Jim Ward's Adventure in Gygax's Wonderland
-
Last weekend at GaryCon, many of us raised a glass to the memory of Jim
Ward, who passed away just days before the convention. Ward was very
helpful to m...
Osr anchorites?
-
It's been a long time since I listened to any osr podcasts. Anchor was a
lot of fun. I'm not sure if the community is still going? I deleted the
app ...
Chaos War Dogs
-
Welcome back to the Vault! My gaming partner and I had a fun day at the
Meme Team doubles last weekend, placing mid-table results wise. My eye is
now lo...
ShadowDark Magic Items
-
The next campaign I run will use the ShadowDark RPG. I'm not sure when
that'll be (I'm hoping a little later this year), but ShadowDark is my
choice. I'v...
The Economy Engine, v0.2
-
I made a thing. For D&D 3rd edition, so it might not be that interesting to
a lot of people. But I made it and I think it’s cool. The 3rd edition
Dungeon M...
*'s in SpaaaaaAaaaace
-
A lot of SF (including a certain 2D6 RPG grandaddy) deal with ancient
aliens taking humans from Earth and dropping them, fleas and all, on one or
more w...
What Else Have I Got in Me?
-
Brechewold's been done for a little while. Still incredibly pumped to have
this labor of love out in the company of LotFP's marvelously creative body
of ...
Last move - to self-hosting!
-
As my vote regarding Substack in the “marketplace of ideas”, I’m moving to
self-hosting.
I’m now at (and hopefully staying for a long time at)
Blog: ht...
Time Rolls On
-
Today is December 31, 2023, in the mid-afternoon. In less than ten hours it
will be 2024. 2023 2023 was a good year. But all years are good years. Both
goo...
Play Report: Skull Mountain
-
At the end of the last Skull Mountain session the PCs had retreated to
safety at Owen's redoubt, met with visiting elves, and recovered from
injuries ...
-
Heya folks, the 21st Salt Mine book, Import Export, has hit the digital
shelves! In the 21st book we follow Aaron Haddock-codename Stigma-as he
tries to ...
Moving On...
-
So, my D&D 5e experiment has blown up the lab in a puff of green smoke
leaving my face blackened like Wile E. Coyote after a failed roadrunner
Acme trap...
How to Keep Megadungeons Fresh
-
People often consider megadungeons boring. Not because the play style is
boring, but because they are in the same locale for a majority of the
campaign. If...
The Blade Itself
-
I just finished listening to the audiobook of The Blade Itself, volume one
in Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law trilogy. This was my first exposure to
his wo...
Genteel Magistrate at FenCon XVIII
-
Victorious author Mike Stewart will be a guest at FenCon XVIII this weekend
at the Sheraton DFW Airport hotel, 4440 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Irving,
TX, ...
This is an Important Game Mechanic
-
*"That's the GM's Regional Map from my AOWG. And it's a damned good
regional map. It's not a good map for a Simple Homebrew Campaign. It does
some s$&...
Clean Your Room
-
Looking back at my little blog here. That last post… wow, I was having fun
playing WOW Classic! That was August of 1999 and I was having a blast… it
was ...
My RPG Zine Trilogy is on Kickstarter!
-
I can't believe I didn't post about it here!
The Dead are Coming, Screams Amongst the Stars and Running Out of Time are
on *Kickstarter right now!* Thes...
Maximum HP 004, one week to go
-
Just one week to go for Maximum HP issue #004, the undead. We are pushing
through stretch goals and wracking up contributions for the best issue yet.
We...
Steve Jackson Interview
-
James Maliszewski recently did an interview with Steve Jackson over on his
Grognardia blog. Steve chats about the beginnings of The Fantasy Trip and
upcomi...
Undermountain Map Origins
-
As documented on the Ruins of Undermountain sales page, "TSR didn't
actually use Ed Greenwood's original maps," at least not in their entirety.
This post d...
WB:FMAG Total Print Sales
-
Hello Folks,
The last time I did a quick sales report was in September 2018.
I pulled reports from Amazon, Lulu and DrivethruRPG from October to current
fo...
The Minotaur for Old-School Essentials
-
*Minotaur*
*Requirements:* Minimum STR 9, Minimum CON 9
*Prime Requisite:* STR and CON
*Hit Dice:* 1d10
*Maximum Level:* 8
*Armor:* Leather, including shield...
WIZARDS OF POHJOLA
-
Init +0
Melee Atk
• sword or dagger +1 (1d5 or 1d3)
Ranged Atk
• hot iron sparks +3 (1d4+2 to two targets within 20' but not closer than
5')
AC 14
HD 12d...
Dungeons & Dragonmead Fall Schedule
-
*As you know, I run public classic Dungeons & Dragons games at **The Loaded
Die**/Metro Detroit Game Night's Board Game Nigh at **Dragonmead**, in
Warren...
D&D Sling Damage vs. Large Targets
-
In many early editions of D&D, weapons were assigned two damage values: one
for small/medium targets (i.e. man-sized) and one for large targets (giants
and...
James A. Smith, Jr. Memorial Video
-
A beloved father, devoted friend, and D&D Dungeon Master extraordinaire. We
miss you! To view video, click here Memorial Video
Note - The original video...
Let's Talk About Pacing!
-
The idea, I think, is that the RPG is ultimately about the long game. Even
rolling back to the early days of Basic & Expert, the goal of the player
was...
Profane and Profound Prep Part 2
-
This is part 2 of my work to edit my magic items for a DMsGuild release,
along with adding cursed items along the way. Here is part 1. Bone of a
Saint 8000...
SHORT BREAK.
-
I'm going to take a break for a week or so and will start up again in the
New Year. Thanks for reading and we'll start with Level 6 when I get back.
Iain Lovecraft, 3D Sculptor
-
Nope, it's got nothing to do with Cthulhu. I just did a video conversation
with Iain Lovecraft, who designs 3D miniatures and terrain. If you're not
doi...
New website!
-
Slowly but surely, all the content here will make its way — in updated
form! — to my new website: timbannock.com. For fairly obvious reasons, that
site wil...
Please Update Your Link!
-
If you're seeing this, it means your link to the Greyhawk Grognard blog is
out of date.
Please update your link to www.greyhawkgrognard.com (RSS feed is
h...
Mord Mar - Session 6
-
We weren't able to play Mord Mar last week, due to a family funeral. This
week we played on Monday for the first time, due to kids returning to
school and ...
A Small, Quiet Plea
-
There has been a great deal of discussing political agendas, social
grievances, and personal attacks within the little corner of gaming that is
my hobby....
Don’t Sleep It’s Broken
-
Expanding/editing my comments from What Makes Something Broken G+ thread:
“Broken”, for me, is anything that makes normal character choices, tactics,
or ro...
Swords & Wizardry Light-Themed Birthday Party
-
Last month, my wife and I helped our oldest to celebrate his birthday in
style. Ever since 2013, we have hosted a themed birthday party for our
now-15-ye...
Alright, so I'll buy absolutely nothing of your precious 5e stuff. Well played WotC marketing department, well played indeed.
ReplyDeleteBet you can use char gen from the playtest packet.
DeleteAnd for the people that didn't playtest? Where do they stand?
DeleteIf you buy any of the Next Adventures (Such as the Dead in Thay adventure) they come with the playtest rules. I'd imagine they will continue to do something similar for the other adventures.
DeleteBet you can figure something else to do while the other books come out if it's so rough for.
DeleteNo Character generation in the Starter set, well they f'd up. Not worth the purchase price now.
ReplyDeleteThis is confusing. They have a starter set, but not putting basic character creation. That's not a starter set to me, but what do I know.
ReplyDeleteHe's being much too coy. As I've said before, I'm kind of amazed that Hasbro's PR department lets the D&D Next team get away with as much poor use of social media as they do.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Twitter here is demonstrating just how much it can be abused. Someone make the guy stop and write a complete paragraph, for gods' sakes.
DeleteThat they're being evasive rather than plain-spoken, speaks volumes. I have no doubt that the game designers are very excited about their product and very apprehensive about its marketing. While I might be willing to put down $20 for a good starter set, I'm not willing to pay anything for a well-packaged scam.
ReplyDeleteIt tells me character creation can't fit in a starter box set. I really wanted that, perhaps an SRD? or ...ugh...an online generator?
ReplyDeleteChargen well-explained runs about six pages.
ReplyDeleteSo... They couldn't charge another dollar for it? Troubling.
"Break out the AD&D 1e Player's Handbook?"
ReplyDeleteAnd play that instead? Great idea!
Ha! I'm with you, Lamont.
DeleteThey really should have included levels 1-5 for char gen, not just pregens. Sigh. Concerning that they couldn't figure even this basic bit out.
ReplyDeleteSeems it will be like the last pages of "Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle" adventure: there will be just pregenerated characters and what to change on your sheets when they level up from level 1 to 5.
ReplyDeleteSeems not perfect but AT LEAST it will offer more hours of gameplay than the Red Box of 4th Edition.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone here is equating Starter Set with Basic Set.
ReplyDeleteThis product seems to be an intro to the game and not a standalone without ever buying the books product that you all want.
I was sold on the starter....I am now unsold. What can I do with the "starter set"? I bet there is a great paragraph in there explaining what a role playing game is.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same boat. There's NO reason that "Starter" can't be "Basic", aside from poor decision making processes. I expected a product equivalent to the Pathfinder Beginner's Box, minus the flats and map mat to keep the cost low.
DeleteI'm seriously considering un-pre-ordering the Starter Box. I'll probably wait until we get more details about its actual contents.
Dan, it is equivalent, but only for the DM and $15 cheaper. The player's section is a free download and is better since it goes to level 20.
DeleteWhy would any of us buy a "starter set" when the real game is on its way? (Not that I'll buy that either.) Isn't a "starter set" aimed at someone who has never played and would like to start? Are you guys really interested in a starter set?
ReplyDeleteBasic D&D will be released the same day as the Starter Box for players. It will be a free PDF with character generation for Rogues, Fighters, Clerics, and Wizards with Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings from level 1 to 20. This way, everyone who's not a DM can make a character away from the table. This is fairly old news.
ReplyDelete