Back to Basics: Where My D&D Journey Began

Posted on November 18, 2019 by

Return of the Dungeon Master

I’ve been reading a fair bit of the core Dungeon World rulebook recently. I like the fact that it feels both old and new at the same time. As if it has captured the essence of the early versions of D&D but somehow managed to add a fresh twist. I’ve also been very impressed, as previously noted on this blog, by Dungeon Crawl Classics.

Both of these games stir something within me. A nostalgia for the time when I first fell in love with Fantasy Role-Playing games. D&D 5th Edition rekindled that love. I doubt I’d have immersed myself back in the hobby to the extent I have if it wasn’t for the fact that 5e feels so much like the D&D of my teenage years.

I wanted to use this post to talk about where it all started for me. Back in around (I think, but the memory…

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Countdown – My Personal Top 10 Video Games List

Posted on November 18, 2019 by

TL;DR Movie Reviews and Analysis

Countdown
–

Because of circumstances in my personal life, these last couple of weeks have
been a real drag, to say the least. So I have been struggling to find the
motivation to write anything of late as I binge cooking shows on TV. However,
you can’t stay stuck on the couch forever, and I thought if I was going to
write it should be on something I care about a lot, so bring on those video
games. Much like my personal
top 10 films list I needed to come up with some criteria to be able
to sort through all the really good games I have played in my life.

  • Games that are beautifully constructed
    (art, story, etc)
  • They have to mean something to me
  • Video Games that are re-playable
  • Games that engaged me emotionally

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Return to the Ziggurat with Dyson Logos!

Posted on November 18, 2019 by

Dyson's Dodecahedron

Many moons ago we discovered the Ziggurat of Rhissel the Morning Lord. Finally we have arranged the backing needed to explore said structure, lost until recently in the Valley of the Red Apes. Ziggurat, keyed

This classic-feeling Dungeons & Dragons adventure is not for the faint of heart nor those new to exploring the lands of the Fallen Empire. I would not allow any below level 5 to join my expedition. But there are many who seek out the treasure of the Morning Lord, and I would be a fool to not bring along those who could aid in this endeavor. This journey, however, is truly best suited for those between levels 6 and 8.

The stories of Rhissel, the Morning Lord, are known across the lands, although sometimes his name changes. It is said that he fought with great mind magics against invaders from another realm, harnessing even the sun…

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Mini Melee Arena for The Fantasy Trip

Posted on November 17, 2019 by

Dyson's Dodecahedron

Since I have a ledger-sized printer, I’ve been experimenting with maps for the Fantasy Trip that fit within the 11 x 17 inch page. This map is drawn using the Legacy Edition 1.5 inch hexes (the same scale as the nice big floppy mouse-pad style maps and the megahex boxes). If I switch to the classic Fantasy Trip 1″ hexes I could manage some significantly larger and more complex maps in the space provided.

Mini Melee Arena Mini Melee Arena

Adding a few tiles from the various megahex boxes also allows this to expand in just about any direction.

While I’ve got you here for this The Fantasy Trip map, if you are a supporter of my Patreon Campaign, you can also find a whole selection of Legacy Edition sized hex pages (up to a full 36″ x 48″ poster page) that you can download and print – Patreon Exclusive Hex Selections.

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Old School Essentials: What’s Old Is New Again

Posted on November 17, 2019 by

Return of the Dungeon Master

I’ve made no secret in the past about my love of B/X D&D. Other than 5th Edition I think it’s the best edition of the game. I’ve dabbled with games inspired by it like Basic Fantasy but ultimately I wanted B/X in it’s purest form. At the same time though, my original Moldvay Basic rules are already well thumbed and I certainly don’t want to cause any further deteriation to that classic tome.

With that in mind, I backed Necrotic Gnome’s “Old School Essentials” Kickstarter so that I had a new copy of the classic rules to use at the table and I have to say it’s an absolute winner. It’s probably the finest version of the B/X ruleset that I own.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with Old School Essentials, it’s important to stress that it’s not an B/X clone like Basic Fantasy or Labyrinth Lord. There are no…

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Shadows of the Ruinous Powers – Session 6

Posted on November 17, 2019 by

Dyson's Dodecahedron

(Being a series of quick game notes trying to account for the events of many sessions of playing through The Enemy Within using the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1e rules.)

Session 6

The Enemy Within & Shadows over Bogenhafen

  • Martin [Muleskinner]
  • Larry [Bodyguard]
  • Gottlieb [Hunter]

As we begin this episode, Larry has moved on from his career as a bawd to become Othmar’s full time bodyguard in order to help his disguise as Herr Lieberung.

While most of the group heads to the inns in order to enjoy spending some of the money they earned in Regensdorf, Martin, Larry and Gottlieb head out to the Happy Man to learn more about this mysterious bounty hunter named Adolphus.

At the Happy Man, they don’t find any sign of the man or his hardware, but the owner of the Inn recalls a man of his description coming in this morning, talking to and…

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6 Weirdest Product Placement in Video Games

Posted on November 16, 2019 by

Tristan Zelden

Hideo Kojima’s debut title for his new studio, Death Stranding, is one of the biggest games of the year. Everyone is talking about its artsy style, bizarre story, and whether or not it is fun. The other thing that has popped up is the hilariously random product placement of Monster Energy drinks, but DS is not the first to put real-world goods or corporations inside of a digital world.

#6: Final Fantasy 15 Cup Noodle

Not only can you find Cup Noodle throughout Final Fantasy, but you can also even get a hat of Nissin’s well known easy to cook soup. You know you reached peak product placement when it is built into the game, and the option for DLC comes for hungry gamers to spend their money on a cosmetic item of their favorite junk food.

maxresdefault (1) Image via Nissin/Square Enix

benefit_dlc.0 Image via Nissin/Square Enix

#5: Alan Wake and…

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12 Playstation 4 Games Releasing in December 2019

Posted on November 16, 2019 by

The Listerzine Blog

With Christmas just around the corner it’s the perfect time to start your holiday gift shopping and there will be plenty to choose from this holiday season as far as video games go. Whether you’re shopping for friends, family or yourself it’s always good to plan ahead, so let’s take a look at some of the Playstation 4 games coming out next month.

Arise: A Simple Story

Arriving on December 3rd the cute little unique platformer Arise: A Simple Story will put gamers in control of time and give us a unique kind of gameplay revolving around this concept. Players will be in control of a man that has died and must journey through the moments of his life on a 10 level journey through a beautiful landscape with a wonderful art style. The game is due to be released for PS4, Xbox One and PC at the beginning of…

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Summerthorpe

Posted on November 16, 2019 by

Dyson's Dodecahedron

Summerthorpe is a very small community nestled near the main trade road between two major cities – giving it enough traffic to support it, and enough protection that the worst thing the locals usually have to deal with is a few highwaymen looking for cover after messing with the wrong travellers.

What makes the location notable to most is that unlike most small farming communities, the population of Summerthorpe and the surrounding farms is almost entirely dwarven with nary a blacksmith or mine to be seen. The structures in town are all a mix of stone and wood.

Summerthorpe Summerthorpe

The centre of the community is the church just north of the graveyard – dedicated not to one of the common dwarven gods, but to a god of harvests and animal husbandry. The church serves as the town hall and also the public house where the locals keep and drink the…

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Why I Play Video Games

Posted on November 15, 2019 by

Sarah Chaney Gaming

When I was younger, the biggest games I played were Wizards 101, Toontown, Runescape, etc. I loved playing them with my dad; video games and binging TV shows were two of the best ways my dad and I bonded growing up. I also vaguely remember playing The Simpson’s Hit & Run game and a few racing games, but nothing specific. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve branched out and now I have a more diverse library of games I play as well as a variety of consoles. 

My reasons for playing video games when I was younger probably would have included “because it’s fun,” “to procrastinate doing chores,” and “because it’s fun.” I never really thought about it as a kid because I didn’t have to. I don’t really have to now either, but I think that realizing and thinking about the reasons why you do something, even something as simple…

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