Friday, October 31, 2014

A Quick Thought on Dungeon Mastering (DM'ing)


Hi folks, time to change gears for a moment and talk about something outside of the Grim Dark. Recently I started putting together some elements for a D&D campaign which takes inspiration from several sources, and mixes them together into the core ideas that make up the setting and the mechanics for my party.  One of my favorite parts of Dungeon Mastering is the sheer freedom of creation available to you before you even have the party members selected.  Creating a world, often from scratch, is such a test of creativity that I find fascinating each time I delve into it.  I myself tend to take bitz and pieces from one source or another and merge them into a whole new universe for my players.  While this can have it's own challenges, it can often have heightened rewards.  But it's a delicate balancing act no matter which way you slice it.

This campaign marks the first one I have officially run in quite some time, and if you don't count the last one, which was more or less a last minute decision, it's been a solid few years since I have had the joy of putting together a full blown campaign of my own.  But unlike my previous adventures into the realm of DM'ing, I thought I'd challenge myself with something different this time, and it's the source of my thoughts here.  The challenge is that while I have put together a fair number of background elements and an exhaustibly large amount of time into mechanics alterations (which I feel are necessary for any DM wanting to introduce their players to a unique world of their own creation), I intend to run this game off the cuff.  Sessions won't be planned, nor will the layouts of buildings or the consistency of enemy ranks for combat.  With the exception of a lose, somewhat ad-hock plot that will be seen more and more as the game progresses, the goal here is to produce a game without really planning ahead.  It's an endurance test of pure imagination, where the possibilities, and of course the pitfalls, are endless.

But before I go on, I want to stop for a moment and compare these styles of Dungeon Mastering, both of which I have utilized to some extend or another.  However, no matter what conclusion I reach, or the pros and cons I find with each... I don't think there is a right way to DM.  These methodologies of approach will not fit everyone's taste, as everyone will tweak things differently for a variety of reasons.  I'm merely presenting the methods I have used over my many campaigns, and commenting on what I enjoyed and didn't care for along the way.  So with that, let's jump behind the screen and see what awaits us there.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Heresy in the Library - Rebirth

Greetings good people and welcome back! Trooper here with another installment of "Heresy in the Library", where I review Black Library publications and let you, the reader at the other end of the data-slate, know how it is! Up for review is the new Nick Kyme novel, Rebirth, the first in the "Circle of Fire" trilogy detailing the Salamanders chapter and their "legendary" war with the Sisters of Battle against the Black Legion. While I don't know what exactly is so legendary about the "Promethean War", Kyme has seen fit to make another Salamanders trilogy on the matter. So sit back, grab some amasec, and enjoy my review of Rebirth.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Podcast #15 - The Orkiest Codex Review!


Oi Ya Gitz!  Godfrey here bringing with me the Orkiest book 40k has for our newest codex review. Not unlike the Grim Dark, Orks is here ta stay, and so with my love for the army finally able to be shown by playing the army, I think it's only fair to let you guys know what I think about the codex.  It's a roller coaster of thoughts from ranging from the high notes to the low notes of the book.  I do go on a little at the beginning about 7th edition codex mechanics as it was the first of the new style, but I do take it to review the book more or less cover to cover.  So grab a brewski and listen up as I review the Bestest Codex!





Cheers!

Monday, October 6, 2014

Heresy in the Library - The Talon of Horus

Greetings good people and welcome back! Trooper here with another installment of "Heresy in the Library", where I review Black Library publications and let you, the reader at the other end of the data-slate, know how it is! Up for review is The Talon of Horus, the first in a new trilogy to come out Black Library. Following the origins of the Black Legion, author Aaron Dembski-Bowden begins the trilogy to explain just how and why the Black Legion came about and the trials they faced. It's...different...that's all I am going to say. So let's dive right in to The Talon of Horus!