digitaldraco unboxes: The Witchlight Fens Dungeon Tiles

After talking with @digitaldraco on Twitter and in the at-will web chat, we're collaborating on a video series called...

digitaldraco unboxes

The Agile Gamemaster: The Stat/Initiative/Combat Tool

Welcome to the Agile Gamemaster series. In this series, I will talk about some tools and concepts that gamemasters can use at the gaming table to respond quickly to whatever comes along.

As a gamemaster, you are the single most important element at the gaming table. You are responsible for a large part of the creative energy that happens during each session. You must be ready with plots, adventures and information about the world in which the characters exist. Being an agile gamemaster, then, means that you are prepared, quick with information and able to adjust to whatever is happening at the gaming table. You should not be a hindrance to what is happening, but rather be a driving force at all times. Being agile also means that you are not content with where you are as a gamemaster but are constantly trying to improve your gamemastering skills and the tools you use.

When you sit down in the gamemaster’s chair you assume a number of gaming responsibilities that are easily identified, things like designing in-game locations and events, portraying non-player characters and running combat. There are also a number of things that are not immediately obvious that are just as important and in a few cases more so.

One of those hidden items is in the area of combat management, specifically the tracking of combatant stats, initiative and effects. Without a solid, manageable way to control this area of the game, you will quickly find yourself spending too much time juggling notes and scrambling for room on the table. You will miss some of the things that are the very reason you game in the first place: the action that is happening right in front of you. What you need is a tool that can give you quick access to character and NPC stats; easily display initiative; track the effects that are applied to each combatant as they happen; and not take up a lot of extra space at the gaming table.

As a weathered gamemaster, I have tried over a dozen tools with mixed results. Sticky notes, 3x5 cards, custom-made tracking sheets, notebook paper and even digital devices. Each has great points but is lacking in others or has major drawbacks. Some give volumes of information but take up too much room. Others are small and compact but lack flexibility. The digital tools distract me with their multiple layers of functionality and too often take my eyes and attention away from the table. Some of the things I tried were just plain bad ideas.

Recently I hit on a tool that has minimal drawbacks and outstanding results. Have you ever noticed those little sales displays that sit on your table at restaurants? The ones that stand tall and in the way while you eat so that you will notice the desert selections and maybe spend extra money on your meal. What if, instead of deserts, they held all those important stats about your characters and NPCs right where you could see them easily? I call it the Stat-Initiative-Combat Tool or SInC for short (pronounced sync). SInC has high visibility but allows me to keep my eyes and attention on the game. It is easy to use, stays in place and takes up very little surface area on the table. I can quickly adjust the amount of information displayed. Effects and status markers can easily be added or removed. And they allow the initiative order to be displayed to everyone at a glance.

 

[caption id="attachment_1695" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Stat-Initiative-Combat (SInC) Tool"][/caption]

In this single tool, I have finally found something that is game system neutral and has a permanent place in my gamemastering tool box.  This close up of the tool in action is from one of my groups gaming sessions.

What follows is a set of instructions that will help you to create your own version of the SInC tool.

To make your own, you will need the following items:

• Table top menu stands. The shorter ones work well because they have a heavier and more stable base. You will need to get these from a restaurant supply store, which you can find online by searching for “tabletop menu card holders.” They range from $.50 to $2.00 each. Get as many as you think you will need. I used the 2¼” clip-type stand with 3” base.


• Large craft sticks, tongue depressors or long Popsicle sticks. One for each base you are going to make. Available at any craft store in packs of 50 for about $3.00.


• Miniature clothes pins. Also available at craft stores. A bag of 50 for about $5.00.


• Rubber bands. You will need one for each stand.


• Black magic marker or black model paint.

Steps to create your SInC tools:

1. Paint or color your craft sticks black. This will help them to visually disappear when you use them.


2. When they are dry, slide them into the holder portion of the stand in an upright position.


3. Wrap a rubber band around the base of the clip. This will firmly hold the sticks upright and add a little more weight to each base. You can also disassemble them easily for storage and transport.


4. Now take printouts of your preferred method of displaying character and NPCs stats and clip them to the stand. I used Wizards of the Coast DDI monster tool to print out creature stats and a custom Excel worksheet that formats all of the character information for the party and mounted them as you see in the pictures below.


5. I painted one of the miniature clothes pins green to indicate which combatant is currently active in initiative.

You are now ready to game, and hopefully you are a just a little more agile.

Here are a few shots of the SInC tool in action.

[caption id="attachment_1696" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="SInC tool gamemaster view"][/caption]

You can see in the picture above the green clothes pin indicating the character whose turn it is and a small stack of monster and trap print outs waiting for their encounter. You can very easily create your own stat sheets or use what is available from whatever game system you group uses.

[caption id="attachment_1697" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The Throne Room battle "][/caption]

This was the battle of the throne room. There were 5 characters and 6 different types of monsters in this encounter. It was easy for me to manage the almost 60 combatants shown with no confusion or missed information. You can see many of the different game aids from Wizards of the Coast and Dark Platypus that we use here.

January Contest: Monster Mash Mania

I want to start 2011 off with a contest, and hopefully we can continue to run various contests every few weeks here on the Wastex Games website. So, without further ado, I present the first contest of 2011!

Monster Mash Mania!

Last year I ran a 4 part series called Monday Monster Mash where I would take one monster from each of the three monster manuals, combine them together in a short story and discuss their various attacks and powers. To enter this contest, choose at least two of your favorite monsters, put them together in a short story, and discuss how they would use their powers together against a party of adventurers. There is no minimum or maximum word count required. Submit your entry below and tweet the following on Twitter: I just entered the Monster Mash Mania contest at @WastexGames! http://ow.ly/3AeSt #dnd #rpg

The winner will get their choice of one of the two following items:

Dungeon Tiles Master Set - The Wilderness


OR

Dungeon Tiles Master Set - The City



Use the form below to submit your entry, submissions will be accepted until Friday, January 14th at 11:59 PM EST. If you have any questions or comments, ask away here in the comments! Good luck!

This contest is no longer accepting entries.

Happy New Year from Wastex Games!

We want to wish everyone a Happy New Year from all of us here at Wastex Games. There is a lot of new stuff coming up in the new year with new products, product reviews, contests, and post series! Stay tuned for a big contest announcement later this week!

D&D Essentials Explained

I was wandering through YouTube during lunch today and came across this set of videos from Wizards of the Coast. Paul Bazakas, National Account Director and Mike Mearls, Group Manager of D&D R&D explain not only the content but also the reasoning behind the Essentials line and how it fits together with the fourth edition of Dungeons and Dragons. I'll reserve my comments until the end of the 3rd video...









Wow. Well, I must say, all of my worries and misconceptions are gone. The Essentials line is an addition to fourth edition D&D just as if a new Players Handbook or Monster Manual was released. It is not to replace anything! This is great news! I'm willing to embrace expansions on the current system (especially at the lower price point) easier than if Essentials really was a different version of 4E. Thank you Mike and Paul for filming this and putting me at ease.

Personally, I'm not interested in the tokens (I have over 350 miniatures) but I can see how new players would not have the same kind of existing resources I have collected over time.

Product Review: Dungeon Tiles Master Set

So there I was, standing in my friendly local game store (FLGS)...on pay day, no less. Funny how that always seems to happen. I my eyes panned across the bookshelf, my eyes were caught by the glimmer of light off a shrink-wrapped box off to the side. Yes! Today, the Dungeon Tiles Master Set - The Dungeon: An Essential Dungeons & Dragons Accessory (4th Edition D&D) would be mine!





I love dungeon tiles, grid maps, gaming paper, printed maps, purchasable 3d terrain, and even homemade 3d terrain. No matter what it is, I feel the tiles and terrain can always help increase the fun factor of the game. Now, just because I enjoy those things doesn't mean I'm willing to just throw money away on lots of low quality gaming aids. I became excited as I read the promotional material plastered around the Dungeon Tiles Master Set box: "This accessory contains 10 double-sided sheets of illustrated, die-cut terrain tiles printed on heavy cardstock, allowing you to create dungeon rooms, corridors, and outdoor locales. The product box is designed for tile storage and can be used as a terrain element in the game!" Sounds like a match made in heaven!

Overall Product

PROs Price $19.99 at FLGS $13.59 at Amazon.com The Box It is nice to have an actual container for the dungeon tiles for a change. The box is made in such a way that it can be used as terrain as well.

CONs The Box The box is big but only comes with 10 sheets of tiles and a cardboard insert that takes up half the box. Of course, this could be a PRO since it is bigger than the tiles and other tiles can be stored in the box as well.

The Tiles

PROs There is a nice selection of different sizes. Most tiles are reprints of older set that are not available anymore. The tiles are made of thick, durable material and not just thin sheets of paper.

CONs No real CONs here.

The Art

PROs The art is nicely illustrated, as expected from WoTC when it comes to tiles. Several varying pieces including rough terrain, doors, stairs, and prison bars. All large pieces and most smaller pieces have just empty, stone floor squares on the back.

CONs All large pieces and most smaller pieces have just empty, stone floor squares on the back. Yes, I listed this as a PRO, but it seems like the easy way out of providing more detailed pieces. A handful of tiles are just blank on the back, even more empty, stone floor squares are better than nothing. 2 of 14 2x4s are just black on one side 3 of 12 2x2s are just black on one side 1 of 10 2x1s is just black on one side 2 of 8 single square tiles are just black on one side

I'm Bored With My Treasure Parcels...

After the first few sessions of my current D&D campaign, I was unhappy with how the loot was turning out. I was following the information in the Dungeon Master's Guide on setting up the parcels, but it felt too generic and was easy on the players. On my next visit to my Friendly Local Game Store, I came across something that changed all that: GameMastery Cards.



These cards are great! I still give out the parcels but do not include all the gold or artworks that are expected. I replace those items by dealing out one treasure card per PC. Once the party starts checking out the goods and rolling Arcana checks, I roll a d20 to see if the item in question has magical properties (DC 15). Sometimes, depending on the actual item, I may "take a 20" if I come up with a good idea for it, but most of the time the magical properties are determined on the fly.



The party loves these cards and have even worked some of them into their back stories. Our Ranger has been looking for his father who had went away to war but never returned. One of the item cards was a military medal and upon seeing it, the player exclaimed "Hey! That's my dad's medal!"



Even though I have given these treasure card items values worth what should have been in the parcels, the players were not just happy to sell the loot and move on. The campaign is based around the merchant town of Everlund and like all good adventurers, the party wants the maximum payout for the stuff they bring back to town. So, instead of selling the loot, they've setup a shop in the market square and left the Dragonborn behind to run the shop (read: the player of the Dragonborn PC's work schedule changed and can't play but we didn't want to kill off the character). They check-in on the shop periodically to restock it with strange things found while adventuring, pickup their cut of what has sold since the last visit, and gather any new information the Dragonborn may have procured in their absence.



If you're ever in Everlund, be sure to stop by Thunderheart's Oddities and Antiquities in the market square. There's always something interesting to find and the old Dragonborn Paladin has some great stories to tell anyone willing to listen.

• Are you content with the way the treasure parcels are setup in 4E?


• What have you done to spice up your treasure parcels?


• Have you used other decks or cards for anything in your games?

Let me know in the comments!

You got Role-Play in my Hack and Slash!

My players consist exclusively of theatre majors. It's strange, though, that it is incredibly difficult to get them to role play. Any time I try to get them in a situation where they don't need to use their powers or skills they scratch their heads and wonder why they aren't killing anything. There are three techniques that can be used to engage those players that can't quite get into the role play portion of a role-playing game.

1. "Is this what your character would do?"
I ask this question when the player is using too much metagame thinking. Sure, Patrick knows that there's an enemy around the corner, but does Rune, his warforged warden? This also comes in handy when players are doing morally dubious things.

"The shopkeeper isn't being receptive to your haggling; you'll pay full price"
"Then I kill the shopkeeper"
"Really? Is your character so morally corrupt and socially inept to kill someone for such a trivial reason?"
"I pay full price..."

Situations like this happen when players think too much along the lines of "this is a game" and less about the role their character plays in a larger world.

2. "What does that look like?"
Another easy way to get your players thinking as their characters is by asking them to describe their actions. This is a great way to get players started in roleplaying. Model the behavior by describing enemy actions, then tell the player to elaborate their action. "I use Magic Missile" doesn't sound as good as "Green jets of energy shoot from Thuul's wand. They arc through the air as they seek Thuul's target. When they strike, a light green plume leaves the Wraith's body." Small steps like this, and during skill checks and skill challenges, creates an environment where you can continue to push their role-playing.

3. Mouseguard up the place a little bit.
I just started a SWSE game with a couple of people from my DnD4e group. As we did our cooperative character creation (ala DM Samuel), I asked my role-play light players what their character's instinct and belief were. Then, right before their mission, I had them create a goal. I rewarded the players with role-play xp. These Mouseguard-esque elements really show players that their characters are not super-versions of themselves; they are different people with different thoughts, beliefs, and skills than their players.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these three ways have really upped the amount of role play in my sessions. If you have any other suggestions, or plain 'ol questions or comments, feel free to drop them off in the comments section!

From the Bookshelf - Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene

There are many different Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings out there created by other companies besides Wizards of the Coast. Some of these settings are more popular than others and one that gained quite a bit of a following with D&D 3.5 was from Kenzer & Company, the makers of HackMaster, called Kingdoms of Kalamar. What does this have to do with D&D 4E? As my current campaign revolves around a pending war with a huge Orc army, I turned to a book from ages past (2008) titled Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene.

The books...

Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene
Number of Pages		120
Number of Chapters		11
Number of Appendices		3
Text Layout		2 columns per page
Font Size		Smaller than the 4E manuals
Artwork		High quality black and white drawings
Easily to Readable		8/10
Comprehensible and Well Written		9/10
Use of Images, Headers, and Sidebars		7/10
Overall Rating		8/10

 

The author...

Paul "Wiggy" Wade-Williams is currently listed as the Creative Director of Triple Ace Games and has previously written under many different companies. His biography information from the Triple Ace Games websites says the following:
 

Wiggy is the Creative Director of Triple Ace Games and brings with him over 25 years of roleplaying experience. He's been a published author since 1998 and has written for Atlas Games, Eden Studios, Britannia Games Design, Kenzer & Co., Pinnacle Entertainment Group, and Green Ronin. When Wiggy isn't working he's usually plotting something he can write up later. He's married and lives in the wild north of the UKUK, in the land of little ponies and constant wind.

There is also a more personal interview of him over at Tales from the Savage Troll, dated April 24th, 2010, providing an interesting look into the author's gaming habits, personal life, and other parts of his life.
 

The material...

Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene starts off giving the legend of how Orcs came to be, created by the gods of darkness so long ago "that even the elves and dwarves have no true memory of their creation." It goes on to present a translation of the Codex of Doom detailing a fierce battle between Light and Darkness, ending in a truce between the equally matched foes. "The Gods,those lesser power of Darkness and Light" then began creating and shaping the world of Tellene. The Creator of Strife took characteristics of each of the three Races of Light (Elves, Dwarves, and Humans) to create the most horrid race: Orcs.

Chapter 2 goes on to described the 5 sub-races of Orcs, including their physical and psychological similarities and differences, including each subraces' name in the Orc's own guttural language. This section has become a great aid to me as I prepare my campaign story. I do not want my Orcs to be bland, but want a greater amount of variety much like there is in real-life humankind.



Chapters 3 and 4 cover the social structure and culture of the Orcs. These chapters have been great tomes of knowledge to me as well. The Orc leaders, warriors, casters, workers, servants, and breeders are all described in great detail, allowing for parallel inter-structural hierarchies. Tattoos, medicine, recreation, habitat, and the diet of the Orcs are worked through in detail, which has allowed me to create many different skill challenges, dice checks, and side quests based on the intricacies the Orcish culture.

Chapter 5 is all about warfare. Warfare is the center of my campaign and this chapter gives extremely valuable information about not only the Orc's weapons and armor, but their military organization, tactics, and strategies. A battle lead by an Orc commander is brutal and the attacks are very pointed, contrary to many beliefs. Orcish commanders will have casters and archers targeted first, cavalry is to be fought against from favorable ground, and ground troops are to be swarmed, flanked, weakened at key locations. My favorite section of this chapter goes into details about how the Orcs would setup and execute an ambush with ranged troops above on the rocks and concealed warriors on the ground. These are not your typical beasts only fighting to survive.


Chapter 6 covers the Orc Religion. I read through the chapter and enjoyed the insight but will not be consuming any of the information there for my campaign.

Chapter 7 takes a look at several misconceptions that exist. These were a short, but interesting list of great rumors I plan to spread, sprinkled with truth, to my party through the local townsfolk. My favorite misconception has to do with sunlight:

Everyone claims to know that orcs fear sunlight and are weakened by it, for as a subterranean race they are unused to its glare, similar to drow elves and deep gnomes. Common myth also states that so long as the sun is shining, you will be safe from orcs. Sadly, both statements are, for the most part, incorrect.

Chapter 8 describes the major Orc tribes of Tellene. This chapter details out extremely useful information on not only tribal symbols and land area controlled by each tribe, but includes information on tribal resources, religious biases, their latest raiding targets, and recent events that happened within the tribe. With 14 different tribes represented, the shear amount of information and detail is overly abundant.

Chapter 9 presents 10 sample Orc personalities, what tribes they belong to, their background, appearance, personality, and 3.5 stat block. Many of these are notable and make fine templates for creating unforgettable Orcish friends, foes, and everything in between.



Chapters 10 and 11 include how to create Orc PCs and several interesting adventure hooks. These chapters, although very good reads, did not pertain to my situation as I am not allowing Orc PCs in my game at this time (even then, the powers would need to be adjusted for 4E) and my campaign specifics are already mapped out.

The best and most fun parts of this book to read, from just a reader's standpoint, are the quotes from various adventurers though the book. Each chapter and sub-section starts off with a quote pertaining to the section. My favorite, by far, is in Chapter 2's Brown Orc sub-section:

"In the desert, the line between man and beast is impossible to distinguish. That is what makes the brown orcs so dangerous." - Saryf, Dejy ranger of Thygasha

In conclusion...

This book has proven to be very helpful in my search for Orcish lore, habits, sub-races, and other details not available in the Monster Manuals. As with all things D&D, regardless of the edition being played, any information from any source can make its way into your campaign and ongoing setting. My campaign just happens to be based in The Forgotten Realms, but that does not make the information from the Kingdoms of Kalamar books any more or less relevant. D&D is all about having fun and enjoying time spent with friends while trying to do your worst, as a DM, to those friends' characters.

I've enjoyed reading through the book and will continue to go to it as I'm creating the story and encounters for my current campaign. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a good source book on Orc lore and more detailed information than is available in the Monster Manuals. If you would like more information, I suggest picking up the book from Amazon or Lulu.

 
What other sources have you used or would you suggest for aiding in story and campaign building ouside of the ofical D& D4E manuals?

Me? DM? Surely you Jest!

Planning and running a Dungeons and Dragons game is hard. We all know that. We scour the interwebs for ideas on how to make it an easier process. We look at the wizards site, friendly gaming blogs, and even mass RSS feeds. There is a simpler solution, though. Simpler than any of the above options: You pawn it off on someone else. That’s right; today I’m going to talk about ways you can convince another person to run a game. That way, when the stress of the world hits you, you can just tell someone else to run the game this week.

1. Plant the Seed

The first thing you have to do is find a sorry sap to put the yoke of DMing on. Discussing game building with your party off-handedly at the end of a session lets you thin the herd. If they seem interested in what you were doing with the session, they probably have a desire to run a game. Keep this idea in the back of your mind when you start a session or are planning a session and you have only a couple of players. This is a great time to throw out, “hey, why don’t we switch hats today, John, do you want to take a shot at running an adventure tonight?”

2. Stoke the Fire

It takes a leap of faith to run an adventure in front of your friends. There is a lot of pressure when you are showing your creative powers, and you really want everyone to have a fun time. Add on the fact that the main DM is playing, too, and there is an incredible amount stress on this new player. It is your job as a seasoned DM to give guidance (not rules-lawyering) and to give lots of praise and encouragement. The goal is to give them enough confidence to run another game later, giving you the chance to take a breather.

3. Pull the Bandage

It’s difficult to do, but if you really want your future DM to want to continue DMing, you’re going to have to force the issue. You can do this one of two ways: skip and have another player convince the prospective DM to run a game, or set up a splinter game and have the new DM run it. You have to move them into a position where the pressure to DM is there and a true test of whether or not they want to do this long-term. If they make it through this step they’re ready for anything.

There it is, the three-step process to pinning some other poor sap with the horrible burden of being a Dungeon Master. Soon enough, your victim will be talking about the use of fantastic terrain, the advantages and disadvantages of lowering HP and increasing damage, and whether to railroad or sandbox. And we, the happy few who do the same, will never be more proud. Feel free to leave me a note in the comments, and stay tuned for some more changes.

The Loot Scootin Boogie

It's the elephant in the room. It can be a welcome addition or a jealousy-inducing roadblock. It can help you out or turn you into a snide douche. I'm not talking about bringing a girlfriend to game night, I'm talking about loot. As a DM, I think that giving loot is more difficult to plan than an encounter, skill challenge, or even a campaign story. I've run the gamut: wish lists, planned rewards, straight gold-buy, and random table. These strategies all hold pros and cons, and I’m going to give some helpful tips on using each.

Wish List

Wish lists are great for players getting exactly what they want when they want it. The only thing the DM has to do is drop the items in a chest in the cavern. The characters have to do all the footwork, because they have to figure out what items at what level they want, and just wait with hands held out waiting for their items. The main problem that this type runs into is verisimilitude. What are the odds that this particular Goblin party just happens to be holding the exact sword, out of hundreds of swords, is the one you wanted? It’s a little bit of a stretch, but of course who cares about verisimilitude when there’s an anthropomorphic dragon breathing fire right next to you? The way that I work the Wish List into the game is making it a literal wish list. Your characters aren’t lore-masters on every magic item in the universe (at least not until Epic). The only way your characters know about the items is by hearing about them. You want a legendary warhammer? Of course you do! The hobgoblin chieftains have been passing that item down for generations, and it even killed your little cousin when you were younger. What better way to get revenge than getting that item and killing hobgobs with it? This segways into my other use for loot: there is little to no chance that magical items are hoarded by most creatures. Even if you are battling goblin cutters, if they have a magical greataxe that sets things on fire they will use it. Edit a creature to be wielding the magical item. If it’s an item that they aren’t used to using (archer using a longsword) give it a -2 to attacks using it. If it’s an item that makes no sense being used by that creature (goblin cutter using a greataxe) give it a -5. This will give some flavor to the items, and can lead to characters running off without checking bodies for that item. This takes a lot of planning by the DM, which brings up the next list. PRO: players get what they want, and do all the work. CON: makes the game (more) unrealistic.

Planned Rewards

Planning a campaign is tough and time-consuming. It takes a lot of work to weave a story of intrigue and adventure with the struggles of life upon you. Adding treasure seems like the last thing to think of. “I’ll just throw in a magic item of plus two level and move on.” This leads to the worst of contrived adventuring, and eventually leads to the wish list approach. Using a planned rewards type of loot placement requires time and thought. To make it work, you have to think “why is the item there, is it being used, and if it isn’t, what will drive it’s hoarders to use it?” This type of planning could be your greatest asset, though, creating loot that is highly connected with your characters and story. Some encounters can be built around the treasure first, and the monsters and traps second. Kobold warriors have been worshiping a Dragonborn-styled Flame Sword. They have built traps to emulate the flames that lick off of the sword, and they have adapted their breath weapons to match its fiery nature. They would never use the item unless it were directly threatened to be used by infidels, and then only by the Kobold highpriest. A pack of bulette’s could hoard healing potions, but may have no idea that they heal injuries. They look like the shiny red baubles that they tried to eat once and broke a tooth, and collect the items to illuminate their caves. Using planned rewards can create more deep storytelling, but require a fair amount of (you guessed it) planning to work well. PRO: can aid in encounter and story creation. CON: takes additional DM work to make the items fit into the story instead of looking like a band-aid.

Gold-Buy System

Money makes the world go ‘round. There’s bound to be tons of it around the world, and tons of it hoarded away by evil hands. The gold-buy system takes all the itemizing out of the hands of the DM and the players, and allows PCs to go on a huge shopping-spree the next time they get to town. This is great for a DM, because all they need to do is look at the average gold cost of an item, plug it into a treasure chest or on the body of a raider, and you’re done. Lather, rinse, repeat. This can be problematic for PCs. 20 pounds of gold is great, but I’m in the middle of a delve. I can’t drink molten gold to regain 10HP, and I definitely can’t use my gold to add three to my AC once a day. When I get back to town I’m great, but I’d really like to live until I get to town. Another thing this can cause is PC hoarding. They keep their cut for the first two or three levels, then takes their entire hoard of gold and buy one super-powerful item. This can create an unbalanced player and an eventual unfun experience. The way to make this type of system work is in parcel management. Instead of giving out four magic items a level, give only one or two and convert the rest into gold. Give more healing potions (to make up for the lack of magical support) and give non-magical baubles (like art and jewels) that can be melted down and used for magical items when in town. This, I feel, is the most realistic form of loot distribution. There’s sure to be tons of gold in the world, but probably few magical items. When you get back to town, you drop a large bag of gold onto the blacksmith’s lap and commission a magical item. The item then has personal value to the PC. It’s not just A +1 sword, it’s YOUR +1 sword. Never underestimate the power of sentimental value, even with a min/maxing player. PRO: most realistic, and least-thought taxing for PCs and DMs. CON: can put PCs in a bind in the middle of an adventure, and may cause PC hoarding and un-balancing.

Random Loot System

Variety is the spice of life. What DM doesn’t want the pressure of loot distribution off of their shoulders? The random loot system takes all the pressure off of the DM. “It’s not your fault you didn’t get a shield this time around, it was the loot table. I rolled right in front of you; you see the chart, that’s how it worked out.” This system, more than any other, will require DM adjustment to make the game enjoyable for everyone. I find that this system is the best for a non-magical item campaign. I create a 100 item list in Excel of mundane items, gold, healing potions, and divine boons. I then randomly scramble the list and save it. Then, I have written down in my notes how many items I need to roll for, then roll a d100. This type of system takes the most forward work, but after you have it built you can use it indefinitely (or if you don’t allow repeats it will last the number of parcels you use). This also limits the stress of creating parcels. You just write down the number of rolls you do and refer to your table. Sometimes you get really lucky PCs, which is where the best laid random loot system sometimes goes awry. Overpowered and underpowered PCs are most likely in this system, and lucky PCs can get the upper hand in the random system. The final disadvantage to this system is that it sucks all the verisimilitude out of a game. Rolling loot after an encounter will make it look like there was no planning at all in putting treasure in a delve. The items have no logical place to be in there, and the specialness of getting a magic item is diminished when it just magically ‘poofs’ in there. The way to make this work is to combine this strategy with the planned loot system. Roll your prizes beforehand and let that be a guide to creating the reasons why the loot was there. PRO: least amount of preparation after the creation of the chart; completely random to reduce player ire. CON: over and under-powered PCs can occur very quickly; realism becomes almost zero.

How do I give PCs Loot Then?

Personal preference is always the way to go when considering how you will give PCs loot. Most will mix and match different ways of doing this. Hopefully many DMs will look through and decide which is best for them. Things to consider when making loot distribution is thinking about how much time you have to plan, how much realism you want your game to have, and how much you want your PCs to be involved in the loot creation process. Hopefully this guide would help you in deciding how to distribute items. So the next time you are sitting at the table, and the PCs finish an encounter, take a look at the elephant in the room square in the eyes, and ask her if she could pitch-in on the pizza. Then tell the PCs what they’ve earned from their encounter, because you had no problem trying to hand out loot to your players.

Dungeon Delves #1

In May of 2009, I started my current D&D campaign. I created some 3D terrian for the very first session and documented the work I did.  I had intended on posting on a wordpress blog each month with information about the campaign story, allowing the various players to post from their character's point of view. Well, things fell through with all of that, but I wanted to repost a few of my old posts from the old blog that never became anything. So, without further ado, I present: Dungeon Delves #1 (parts 1 and 2 combined in a single post).
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Well, I've begun working on some 3D terrain pieces for the first delve listed in the dungeon delves book. Take a look at my (admittedly slow) progress. These pictures are from my iPhone and auto-resized by wordpress, so I hope they turn out alright.

Ah...the unadulterated piece of foam. An empty canvas for the taking.



I started by marking off the 1" squares to help me keep perspective while cutting.



Next I started working on the corners. There's supposed to be a lot of rubble here in the end, so I roughed it up a bit and will add rubble-y pieces to it later.

 



Here's an overhead shot showing both corners.



Next, I either forgot I was taking pictures for this blog, or decided I didn't want to share my hole cutting secrets...because the next picture is from about an hour later. I cut out the center piece, made and glued stairs in and added the hole (entrance to the underground dungeon).



I still have quite a bit of refining to go but in the end I'm hoping to have something pretty close to this:



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I have to be honest, I was disappointed with the progress I showed in my last post...even though building the 3D terrain is all new to me and I am learning as I go. I feel much better and more encouraged by tonight's update! Woo hoo!

Ok, now the jubilation is out of the way, here's the update! If you recall from my previous post, I ended with this pieces:



As I was looking at it tonight I was thinking about the different places where an athletics check would apply. According to the Dungeon Delve book, there is a fence (obviously not on my terrain yet) that requires an athletics check if you hope to hop it. There is also another check if you jump down into the pit instead of taking the stairs. It is a 5 foot drop after all. Since my brain works in very literal way at times I would then - if strictly following the rules - need to require an athletics check to actually get the player's miniature onto the this terrain piece. Now I know, you're probably thinking "...that's stupid, it's just a prop for the game! Why ruin all the fun for the players with needless checks?!?!" Yeah yeah, I know...but like I said, my brain...

So, what to do? Well, supposing this terrain piece is truly raised 5 feet from "game table level" I need more terrain that has an incline to allow the players to walk up to the terrain level without any undue hinderances. To do this, I decided to cut me out another piece of foam:



I then measured it out into 2 inch pieces and cut it up.

 

So now I have 2 pieces that nicely fit around the main terrain piece (it is technically a corner piece). Then, using clay modeling tools on borrow from my wife, I shaved and cut and whittled and shaped the foam into a ramp.

 

 

That turned out rather nicely, don't you think? The 2nd ramp I did a little differently since they have to meet at a corner. it would be silly for these pieces not to match up!

 

The slant is at a steep enough angle to reach the main terrain piece but not too steep that the miniatures can't stand on it. My brain has been satisfied. :)

Now it's time for some detail. Obviously if I went through all the trouble to build little ramps, I don't want to leave these terrain pieces an ugly blue-ish green color. I really don't have a lot of painting materials right now, but any little bit will help so let's see what I have...



This will do nicely. Next I laid out some trusty local newspaper and began spraying down my pieces. A few light coats and things are turning out nicely. I also sprayed down some rubble pieces for the corners.

 

 



Let's see how it looks all together again!



Sweet! Now for MORE detail! It just so happens I have some special water-based glue spray and this....



BAM! I love this little grassy stuff. After a few layers of glue and grass and glue and grass, we now have...

 
 
 
 

I still need to find a nice cardstock to glue these terrain pieces onto and a green felt or something to serve as grass as the players approach the cave entrance.

Well, that was fun! With the addition of the rubble and trees, I think this turned out waaay better than I expected. Please let me know what you think here in the comments!