Month: November 2018

DDO: Flying cats and other monstrosities

Bio Break

Any MMO that lets me jump up, grab a ledge, and then hang there like I’m attempting a pull-up in gym class is an MMO that I can get behind.

As our DDO group neared level 8 — actually holding ourselves back from taking the level until everyone was ready — we infiltrated House K and did a trio of quick quests last Sunday evening. Not everyone in our group has all of the content, so we have to work around that and pick missions that all six of us have unlocked.

As we waited to form, I played around with the cosmetic pets in my inventory. While I’m usually a big pet person in MMOs, I haven’t fiddled with them muchly in DDO. Once you collect a pet, it sticks around on a character sheet tab, along with its various “tricks.” These are basically pet emotes, and DDO smartly…

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Now Arriving: Games of December 2018

Gamer Crash

Ladies and gentlemen, the rollercoaster ride of releases for 2018 is quickly coming to an end. October and November were stuffed with games and while December traditionally doesn’t follow suit, there are some major names launching this month. Let’s have a look at what’s launching in December 2018.

In my eyes, Nintendo leads the way this month as they’re getting ready to launch one of their most content rich games I can remember: Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Not a port, not a remaster, Ultimate brings nearly everything back from the past games while adding plenty of new content on top of it like characters, stages, a new campaign, and so much more. This game is pretty much a must buy for any Switch owner.

Not a Switch fan or owner, well, alright there’s still some good stuff to look forward to as well. If you’re in the mood to…

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D&D Dad: Prepping for a HUGE Adventure

Michael Jasper

Hello again. Sorry it’s been a while, but I’ve been busy prepping a new adventure that’s going to be huge — literally! It’s my first time tackling a full-size published campaign, and I chose Storm King’s Thunder, where my players are going to take on giants.

To help me, I have a huge map and all sort of resources, as you can see below:

2018-11-28 21.34.51.jpg

Wish me luck, and happy gaming!!!

NOTE: I used Vivyx Printers (Signs and Banners, Vinyl Banner, 31″ x 48″) and used this hi-res map from Mike Schley ($5), which has locations from Storm King’s Thunder. You might also prefer this map from Wizards of the Coast.

DnDDadThanks for reading! If you’re enjoying this blog, feel free to take a look at my books at UnWrecked Press and Amazon. If something I wrote here improved your gaming experience or you just want to say thanks…

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Gaming press’ condescension toward MMOs

Bio Break

One of my ongoing pet peeves in regards to MMORPGs is how the wider gaming press tends to demean, ignore, or hypocritically attack these games. Since about 2008 or so, it’s become pretty common to see gaming journalism make snide comments about or act condescending toward MMOs. Some of it is the console bias, some of it is personal burnout, and some of it is simply ignorance and an easy target.

Probably the most aggravating type of article is the one where a writer who has never played an MMO in his or her life reluctantly covers a story on one of our games. Nothing good tends to come from this. As one person wrote, “Why is it nearly impossible for people who don’t play MMOs to write any article without sounding like they’re an anthropologist recording lost tribesmen?”

The thing is that pretty much any criticism or snark levied…

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From the DM’s Chair, Session 20: Probable Causes.

Shadowonthewall

Cutscenes are an important part of all video games. They allow for chunks of plot to be easily dispensed and essentially amount to mini movies which break up the gameplay experience and allow for plot to be told in a convenient manner. In terms of the battle between narrative and gaming, a cutscene is when a creator wrestles control from the player and places it firmly in the hands of the game’s narrative. Usually in video games, there isn’t a real issue with this. Players in video games, after all, still remain at the mercy of the gaming system and the limits of such a media. D&D, as a roleplaying game, doesn’t have this same built in method for dispensing narrative. Taking away a player’s agency never works well, especially in cutscenes as players will always wish to have a baring on the plot in front of them. It is…

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Madness to the Method

Return to House of Grouse

Well writing this a little differently, normally I go through a couple of drafts before putting the blog together. However this time writing from scratch no draft no rewrites. Not sure if it will flow better or not but hey we got to try these things.

So madness to the method is all about Grouseman, who is the character I have made most effort it building. He has his heroic class completionist and will be working on his racial reincarnation and epic as well. He already has four past racial lives but that leaves 28 more racial reincarnations. And that is madness considering I flit between different characters. Those lives are three warforged and one Halfing, currently on his second Halfing life.

I have invested a lot in Kukris for him so he will either end as Tempest Ranger or Assassin Rogue. Got so many lives I will be alternating…

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