http://arthroval.com Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:28:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Dungeon Mastering recently published a good article about the art of the short campaign. As someone working on both the theory and design of a long campaign I was excited to read a fresh take on the topic of campaign length: it reminded me of my successes and failures running ... http://arthroval.com/campaign-design/four-tips-for-short-campaigns/ Episode 8 of Happy Jack's Podcast (one of my favorite RPG podcasts) discusses the idea of character death at great length within the context of multiple systems. I highly recommend this podcast to any role-player, and I hope that those who enjoyed my brief notes on character death enjoy the ... http://arthroval.com/dm-tips/more-thoughts-on-character-death/ Before you even decide to serve as Dungeon Master (or Game Master, or Storyteller, as the case may be) you need to take stock of where your group stands and what you hope to accomplish. According to Making the Campaign, our goal is to create a "series of encounters and/or ... http://arthroval.com/campaign-design/making-the-campaign-part-2-comprehension/ Miniatures are pretty much essential for 4th Edition play; they were only slightly less important to 3rd Edition play, and having used them in 3E and 4E I can see how they would have greatly improved my 2E games. But miniatures can be expensive and time-consuming at the high end, ... http://arthroval.com/game-aids/the-best-paper-mini-idea-ive-seen/ In Dungeons and Dragons, the specter of death supposedly looms over every character. Prior to 3rd Edition a 1st Level character was very often in danger of dying after taking a couple of hits. This high "character mortality rate" was long a part of D&D culture and, in some circles, ... http://arthroval.com/dm-tips/everybody-gets-one/ In a previous post I extolled the virtues of well-developed NPCs who have clear motivations. Composing a rich backstory and complex motivations for your campaign's most important heroes and villains is an no-brainer, but some NPCs aren't destined for greatness: they buy gems from the player characters and sell them ... http://arthroval.com/dm-tips/uncommon-approaches-to-common-npcs/ Great NPCs make for great games. If you don't believe me then try this experiment: the next time your player characters get into a fight with, oh, say, some kobold, and only one is left standing, give that kobold a name. Have him throw down his weapon, beg for mercy and ... http://arthroval.com/dm-tips/the-key-to-great-npcs/ I started my gaming career with the red D&D Basic boxed set but AD&D 2nd Edition is where I spent most of my time as a gamer. Under 2nd Edition rules, a Fighter requires 2000 Experience Points to reach 2nd Level. A Kobold slain in one-on-one combat is worth 7 Experience ... http://arthroval.com/rules/leveling-up-the-hard-way/ Welcome to Making the Campaign: my goal is to help fellow campaign designers design a successful campaign. For the purposes of this discussion "campaign design" refers to crafting a setting and series of encounters and/or adventures using the 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons rules which will provide a satisfying long-term ... http://arthroval.com/campaign-design/making-the-campaign-part-1-the-seven-cs/ I couldn't tell you the exact year that I first saw a Chessex advertisement, but I began reading Dragon Magazine in 1990 and it wasn't long after that time that I first saw the Chessex logo in that magazine's pages. I recently sought out new dice for use with my ... http://arthroval.com/product-reviews/chessex-dice-review/