The Frothy Friar

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2011-12-25T13:41:00.001-08:00

Monthly Poll - Favorite Old School Module Round 3

2011-12-13T06:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm way behind on this, so I should get right to the results...

For round three, you have chosen S4 - The Lost Cavern of Tsojcanth as your favorite old school module with a hefty 33% of the votes

In second place with 18% was B3 - Palace of the Silver Princess

3rd place was a try between the surprising underachiever D1-12 - Dragonlance Saga and I1 - Dwellers of the Forbidden City

4th place was held by N1 - Against the Cult of the Reptile God

For 5th place we have our first ever three way tie between H1-4 - Bloodstone, UK1 - Beyond the Crystal Cave and WG5 - Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure each with 3%

and in last place, sadly with 0.0% is EX1-2 - Wonderland Adventures. Clearly this was not one of TSR's more popular adventure concepts.

Be sure to vote in the Final Round of Favorite Old School Module to determine who the ultimate winner will be.

Audio Book Review: The Elfish Gene

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

As I have little time to actually sit and read books anymore, I am "forced" into the world of audio books.

I say forced because I lack the time it takes to just sit and enjoy reading, but I really do enjoy audio books. I do a lot of driving and therefore have a lot of time to sit and listen to things, so why not a good book?

I recently found a book called The Elfish Gene by Mark Barrowcliff (an outstanding D&D surname btw). It's a recollection of the authors youth spent playing Dungeons & Dragons, from his discovery of the game through his teenage years and his eventual turning away from the game.

First, let me start by saying Mr. Barrowcliff is English and grew up in England so he uses local slang as you might guess, but for some inexplicable reason they got an American to read his book for the recording. This was a little unusual hearing him explain "football" to Americans spoken by an American. Also, the person reading kept mispronouncing words. He kept pronouncing breeches like "breeks".

Anyways, small annoyances.

The book overall was very interesting to a point. It was a very detailed recollection of his life growing up with little direction and the social awkwardness that being a young boy brings. He talks about his growing D&D obsession as if it was his best friend and it slowly begins to consume his entire life. I could relate to a lot of what he was saying as I can remember when I was 9 and first discovered the game that would be a major part of my life to this day.

Of course, he took it to further extremes than I ever did (LARPing and dabbling in the occult), but I could still relate to how he felt and thought about the game and how it can infiltrate your mind and you can spend hours every day thinking about it and reading about it and playing it. It almost scared me at points making me wonder if I was TOO obsessed, and maybe back then I was, but I always refer back to the old adage "everything in moderation". So long as you don't take any one thing to extremes, you should be ok. I don't think he ever realized that and sank deeper and deeper into the game.

I really enjoyed listening to the book. It brought back a lot of nostalgia and some good feelings about gaming that I long forgotten, but then he draws near the end and his attitude about gaming in general turns. He begins turning on games as a whole as if they were the cause of his problem. It almost started to sound like the old D&D protesters back in the 80's, implying that it is the cause of his obsession and lead him into other things like drugs and the occult. In fact, late in the book he even says "If you're older than 20 and still playing, you're an addict"

This I took offense at. Just because you enjoy something and enjoying doing it most of your life doesn't make you an addict. Being consumed with that "thing" and doing it to the exclusion of other "things" or even just your normal life, THAT is an addiction. My wife loves to drive and always has, does that make her a driving addict? If you go out once in a while and have drinks with your friends, does that make you an alcoholic? No, it doesn't.

I've been playing RPGs since I was 9, I'm 41 now and still playing. That doesn't make me an addict. Maybe if that's ALL I did. Maybe if I walked around in a cloak and talked like I was at the Ren Faire all the time and only talked about gaming regardless of the company I was in, but that's not moderation. I do love playing and doing stuff like creating games and adventures, but I certainly have a ton of other interests.

Overall, I liked the book quite a bit and would recommend it to others, but the last chapter left me with a sour taste in my mouth.

A Three Hour...Life Span?

2011-10-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

I don't often play single player video games, I enjoy the group atmosphere a lot more, but I just had to get Dead Island. Since the dead are stubbornly refusing to rise and consume the world I have to content myself with pretty pictures on a tv screen.

Anyways, I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying this game. If you like zombies and the apocalypse as much as I do (and honestly, who doesn't enjoy a good, wholesome apocalypse now and then?), then I think you'll definitely like this game. It has just the right amount of atmosphere and foreboding to scare the hell out of you if you're playing alone in a quiet room and it has enough zombie head smashing to entertain the action junkie in all of us.

The story line is simple enough: You're on vacation on a tropical island and wake up to a nightmare scenario. A zombie plague has struck the island, turning nearly everyone into the walking dead. There are, however, numerous survivors that you'll need to help along the way as you struggle to find the source of the plague and find a way off the island before a monsoon hits.

The game is very open and sand box-y allowing you to wander almost anywhere you like, often stumbling on side quests or survivors to assist, but it also has an over-arching storyline to follow at your convenience. Of course, some of the side quests are a little hokey or head-scratch inducing, but you quickly forget about that when a band of zombies shamble out of a bungalow and try to eat your brains with some fava beans and a nice chianti!

I have to say, I jumped more than a few times when suddenly attacked by zombies I didn't see coming, or looking down to pick up an item and suddenly spotting a strange shadow behind me.

The game mixes fast and slow zombies to good effect. The slower one are fairly easy to handle in small numbers and I think that would get tiresome after a while if they were all slow. Luckily, if you want to call it that because they freak the hell out of me sometimes, they added "Infected" which are basically maniacal running zombies that seem to burst out of nowhere to bear down on you faster than you can say What the Fu...

Pictured Above: What the Fu...!

On top of those, they add in what I guess you could call "boss monsters" that are tougher or have non-standard zombie abilities. A Thug is a super tough, super strong slow zombie that will knock you on your ass if you get too close, a Butcher is a creepy fast zombie with no hand but sharpened bones for arms, and a few others that are better discovered for yourself.

There is a level system with a skill tree that you can select from with each level you gain and equipment (read: weapons) that scale up as you level. And the enemies also scale up as you do to keep things fair. I'm not a big fan of the level system, but I guess it gives you a way to get new skills and enhancements

There are a few quirks to the game that were unusual, but not really game breaking, such as: every time you leave an area and come back later, all of the items and containers that you looted will be restocked and monsters will be replenished. I suppose you can justify the respawning of monsters by saying new ones have wandered into the area, but who is going around refilling all of those suit cases I just ransacked?

Overall, I would definitely recommend this game to anyone that likes any of the following: Zombies, action shooters, exploding heads, horror, post-apocalypse, shooting propane tanks, being scared by a video game or curb stomping the undead.

And for your nightmare-inducing pleasure...

Classic Dungeon Trivia 10: The Return

2011-10-21T06:00:00.001-07:00

I'm back and so are the obscure D&D module references. You know the rules, first one to guess which module I pulled the following excerpt from gets...well, nothing really...except for the honor of telling their family and friends that they knew an obscure D&D fact faster than anyone else!

Good luck...yer gonna need it

12c. Human Female (11th level thief: HP61; Strength 15; Intelligence 15; Wisdom 8; Dexterity 18; Constitution 16; Charisma 17) chained to the wall. She will gladly admit to being a thief caught trying to find the King's treasure room, and volunteer to aid the party faithfully for a chance to escape. If opportunity presents itself, she will heist as much in gems and magic as she can and then slip away, but until then she will actually help the party. Of course, during this time she will be casing each character to learn what he or she carries.

BTW, the winner of the last Classic Dungeon Trivia was Zandari in 8hrs 59 minutes

Halflings of Golarion

2011-10-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Does this guy look familiar to anyone else?

Yeah, me too...

Ronnie James Dio

Products for a New Generation

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Continuing on our Halloween inspired posts this month, there is a new product out by Hornady, an ammunition manufacturer: ZombieMax ammo!

Now I'm not an avid shooter, nor an active zombie hunter (although, I would like to try my hand at both someday) so I'm not sure what makes ZombieMax ammo more efficient at killing the living dead than other ammo, but I sure as hell want to find out!

Now if they'll just come out with a line of incendiary "cherry pie" ammo to really light up the night!

Maybe it's just me but...

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

I don't really like Jeff Easley's art.

Don't get me wrong, he's done some iconic and genre defining work, but at it's core, I don't like his style. Not that I could do any better or even anything resembling art, but I don't like the way substitutes blur and swirl for sharp and crisp detail. It's mostly when he does flesh and clothing, but it's always sorta irritated me. I have a weird OCD habit of analyzing fantasy artwork to look for little hidden gems that you don't always catch with a casual glance. Believe me, I haven't found any of that in his work. I'm not even saying he's not a great artist. It's not about that. Hell, I love Erol Otus' work and that's as campy and cartoonish as you can get, but I just don't like his style.

Eh....probably just me...

Now why didn't they just do that?

2011-10-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Woulda saved a lot of hassle

I said War, huh, good God ya'll

2011-10-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

yeah, sorta like that...

Does it seem odd to anyone else to have someone standing off to the side during a battle and singing while everyone fights? Do they orcs and trolls just stare at the completely bizarre hummie ritual of strumming a lute while there's killing to be done?

Has anyone ever tried creating an entire party of Bards? Maybe a nice 5 piece ensemble. They would be the most awesome fighting force known to man because of all their bonuses, but none of them could actually fight because they would be busy at the time.

And what if your Bard is a pianist or a drummer?

Although, I could definitely see myself fighting better if either of these guys were in my party...

Artwork Appreciation

2011-10-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pieces of work...
Who's side is that dwarf on? He looks like he's being shielded by the dragon and is wearing armor just like the dragon's scales, but it seems like he should be an adventurer helping to defeat the beast.

Zombie Preparedness

2011-10-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you've read World War Z, you know about the Lobo.

If you haven't, why are you here? Go read the book and then come back!

ok, now that we're all on the same page, the Lobo is a melee weapon developed by marines during the zombie wars out of old car parts. Its part shovel and part battle axe with a steel haft. Looks like someone might have been inspired by the concept. As soon as I order one, the apocalypse can begin.

Lets see Home Depot compete with THIS

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Westlake Ace Hardware

Zombie Preparedness

2011-10-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

What? No bottle opener?

Ultimate Zombie Defense or End of a Three Hour Tour

2011-10-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

You decide...

So this seems interesting...

2011-10-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

I've been an on-again, off-again comic book fan since I was a little kid. I've always been a fan of the team comic books because I could see lots of super heroes doing super-hero-y things all at once. So when I first heard they were thinking of doing an Avengers movie I figured "There's no way they can make that happen!" well it is and the first teaser looks pretty awesome.

Still not a fan of the new Captain America costume, but it is what it is...

Backstreet's Back...Alright!

2011-10-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

Another long hiatus and this time a lot of life changing events to go with it.

So what's new? Well...

Back in March I lost my job after 12 years. A co-worker (someone I thought was a "friend") took a picture of me resting on my lunch hour and sent it directly to HR who promptly, and without inquiry, terminated me without asking questions which was perfectly alright because California is an "at will" state. Meaning they can fire you at anytime for any reason and get away with it. This forced my wife and I to have to move out of our home because the mortgage payment was way too high for one salary and unemployment (which I had to fight with HR and a judge to get because I was fired).

However, we have definitely made the best of a very bad situation and are getting back on track again. We were able to cash out most of my 401k and put a substantial down payment down on another house that is 1000x better than the one we were in and it's in a fantastic neighborhood. This brought our mortgage payment down to a more than reasonable amount that allows us to survive on just one salary if need be. And now I have a new job that I am starting on Monday that has a lot of good potential for growth and advancement which I am VERY excited about. So now that that stress is behind us, I feel like I can get back to normal and do something fun other than search for jobs and worry about the bills. And here I am...

So lets get right to something interesting. Is Wizards of the Coast working on 5th Edition already?

I stumbled on an article that may imply that something "big" is going on over at WOTC and with such mixed reviews from 4th edition, could it be the latest iteration? Will they continue with the current rule set or go back to a more traditional RPG format? If they do go back to traditional style rules, would they feel it was an admission of a failed experiment or just an attempt to recapture the share of the marketplace they are losing to other companies such as Paizo?

I haven't look at any sales number so I don't know if you can call 4th Edition a success or not compared to earlier editions, all I can say is that personally I didn't care for what they did and I stopped purchasing their products. Now Paizo gets my money and I'm sure a large number of others as well. I can't tell if the 4th Edition detractors are the majority of gamers or just a vocal minority. I would hate to see any company change just to please a small, yet very vocal, group of people at the expense of a solid business plan but at the same time, I feel weird talking about being a "D&D" player when I don't like their current product.

To me "D&D" has become synonymous with RPGing. Sorta like how cotton swabs are usually called Q-Tips because that's what most everyone is most familiar with and everyone knows what you're talking about when you tell them you have a Q-Tip stuck in your ear. It's generally easier and quicker to refer to yourself as a D&Der or D&D player than an RPGer. If you tell someone you play D&D they automatically know what you're talking about, just before they laugh at you and try to stick your head in a toilet. If you say you play RPGs, it takes a lot more explanation and eventually you just say something like "You know, D&D" to explain it. And then they laugh at you and try to stick your head in a toilet.

So while I would like to go back to Dungeons & Dragons as a product line because I miss what it used to be, I don't like what it turned in to with 4th Edition so I am torn on what I hope a possible 5th Edition might be.

Of course, I might actually play this version...

Any thoughts?

Monthly Poll - Favorite Old School Module Round 2

2011-03-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

I got a couple of emails asking why I left out this module or that so I decided to do a little playoff between modules.

But before we get to that, we need to learn who won round 1.

Lets face it, this time it was sort of a run away win for your number 1 choice for Favorite Old School Module.

With more than twice the number of votes that any other module got, B1: Keep on the Borderlands walked away with the number one spot.

Tied for second with 13% is A1-4: the Slavers Series and D1-2,3: the Descent into the Depths Series

In third we have S2: White Plume Mountain with 11%

Forth place goes to G1-3: Against the Giants with 10%

Fifth place is another tie at 6% with S1: Tomb of Horrors and T1: The Village of Hommlet

Sixth place went to C2: The Ghost Tower of Inverness with 5%

and in last place for this round with only 3% is I3-5: The Pharaoh Series

Now, lets see who will win round 2 and face off against the current favorite for the Favorite Old School Module.

Empire Gaming RPG: A Pictures Worth A Thousand Words

2011-02-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

I was reading a post over at Tenkar's Tavern about PDF's and artwork and it got me thinking...which may be a first for me.

I've been writing a game system for quite a few years now and I'm getting close to completion on it. Which in turn is causing me to think of a lot more things I need to do if I ever want to try and publish it. And Tenkar brought up a good point which may be a problem for me. What do I do for artwork? Since stick figures are difficult for me to draw, and I know that art can make or break a publication based on first impressions, what should I do?

I don't know any artists. I don't know where to find artists or how much they cost if I do find one. I can buy clip art, but as I've never publish anything in my life or even attempted it, I'm not sure what I have to do to use them legally. I would hate to finalize this thing and then get sued because I forgot to get permission for a picture.

Anyone out there that has ever published something have an opinion or advice?

Classic Dungeon Trivia 9

2011-02-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

As the doors to this magnificent room clanged open, the party barely had time to register their surroundings before Sir Vincent of Diakuw charged forward through the flames. Having recognized the danger immediately, and seizing on an opportunity to finally use his broadsword of Iron Phoenix Slaying, he did do battle with the abomination and stuck down the fell beast in an hour and 49 minutes. And in the wake of the epic battle, Vincent claimed his reward: the fabled Chocolate du Hershey...in bar form.

Cursing the intrepid adventurers for so cleverly defeating his well laid plans, the Dungeon Overload is forced to rethink the ingenuity and guile of his quarry. With a wicked grin, he devises his most insidious room yet. "Try this on for size" he whispers...

Although the walls are the same as elsewhere (rough blackish stone), the floor of this room is covered with ceramic tiles arranged in mosaic fashion. The majority of the thousands of tiles are golden brown in color, but patterns of white and black tiles appear in various places to enhance the effect of the very striking designs thus formed. The designs (various flowing lines, etc.) are purely decorative, and carry no mysterious message or meaning.

Arrayed throughout the room are fourteen different pools, each about ten feet in diameter, with sides sloping to a maximum depth of five feet in the center. This mystical arrangement is doubly amazing, since all the contents of the pools are different. . .

DM's Corner: The Devil's in the Details

2011-02-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

How much detail should you go into in a game before the whole thing collapses under it's own weight?

Do you track food and water for the party?

Does each character have to keep a running tally of encumbrance?

They may seem like minor details, but I find they can be a great source of plot hooks and sometime necessary information.

Lembas, part of this good, nutritious breakfast

Lets talk about food and water first. Granted, you can easily assume that the party can hunt and forage for food and water. Or you can take for granted that they stock up on food in town before heading off into the wilderness to avoid the tedium of tracking how much they have on a given day, but that can also do a dis-service to your game. Say you want to surprise the party with a little "survival" adventure where they are lost in the desert and need to use their wits to survive, but not for a few days. If you have never tracked food and water before, and are suddenly asking them to do so, would it ruin the surprise? Would you have a party of adventurers who now know they are going to be starving and dehydrated pretty soon? Of course. Now, it may not be a huge problem to suddenly say "By the way, you've been in the desert for 6 days now, and you're out of food and water" to get the survival ball rolling, but would the players then feel slighted that they weren't allowed to prepare properly?

By keeping track of food and water, even if it is at a cursory level, at least they have the opportunity to be prepared at all times and maybe that will alleviate the feelings of "railroading" that they may have.

Where's he gonna carry all the loot?

Now, lets talk about encumbrance. I think this is the most overlooked, or flat out ignored, aspect of RPGs. No one wants to keep track of how much every little piece of equipment weights at all times. What if I use up a candle or a flask of oil? Do I really need to keep track of how much my chalk and hand mirror weight? but what happens when they slay the dragon and are faced with a massive treasure horde? Do you NOW expect them to calculate how much they are carrying to determine how many copper pieces they can take home with them? It would almost feel like a punishment to balance their reward. What about the dreaded river crossing when one of the party inevitably falls in and you have to decide if he's sinking or swimming? Do you wait till that moment to decide how much his gear weights and if he's strong enough to dog-paddle to shore? Couldn't it be more of a team building exercise to have the party do a little prep work BEFORE they leave town to determine who is carrying what? And maybe those strong fighter types can help alleviate some of those pesky items that the wizard has to carry so he can bring an extra spell book. After all, isn't that what you would do in real life before going on a hiking trip? And all of this can add to adventure tension when the party gets split and one character has the vital piece of equipment that the other half needs.

Note the lack of actual gear

I am as guilty as anyone of skipping these important details. Brushing them off as "too realistic" for a fantasy game. This is supposed to be fun, not work. But part of the fun, to me anyways, is making it feel a little more realistic. Let the party sit for a few minutes before they set off to determine a few things like: How long they will march each day, what they will do before camping for the night, who will be on watch and when, who is carrying the extra bandages and oil flasks they'll need once they get to the dungeon. It may seem like over kill, but I've always found that they gain a sense of camaraderie by all taking part in planning their trip and not just rolling dice once they get there. Plus it makes for some good player/ character interaction that sometimes goes missing in games.

Hey Peter...Whuuut's Happening?

2011-02-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

Seems we have a bit of a problem. Ya see, we're putting the new cover sheets on all of our TPS reports.

Did you get the memo?

Classic Dungeon Trivia 8

2011-02-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

When we last met our stalwart adventurers, they were on the long and perilous Journey to the Rock, and the powerful, but grim, barbarian Daddy Grognard led the way.

In TWELVE #$%@ing minutes!!! I had barely finished typing and he already guessed right. Oh well, chocolate for Big D.

This week, our hearty band has arrived at an unusual chamber...let's see how they react

Light and flame fill your senses. Before you is a 110-foot square room filled with fire. Polished black glassteel reflects the flames into a seeming eternity. Jets of fire soar 100 feet above you into the domed ceiling from four deep pits.There is a set of golden doors in the center of each wall. There is another door in each wall on each side of the double doors. There is a platform in front of each set of doors. A glassteel pathway goes all the way around the room, connecting the platforms. Two 10-foot wide pathways cross the room and meet in the center of the flames at a round platform. This middle platform is 30 feet wide, with a smaller ring in the middle of it. Hanging from the ceiling is a black frame that sits like a tent over the central platform.An Iron Phoenix sits stately on the frame.

Glutton for Punishment

2011-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder why it is I prefer DMing to playing RPGs.

Anyone that has run a game knows how much time and hard work are put into a game long before anyone is sitting on the other side of the screen from him/her. You spend hours upon hours organizing maps, reading background material, brushing up on encounters so they run smoothly, getting into the mood so you project the right atmosphere, gathering appropriate music (if you're into that, which I am) and printing out page after page of information vital to making a game as enjoyable and involving as possible. All this on the hope that it will entertain a few Mountain Dew swilling critics that just showed up to kick ass and eat pizza for the night.

Yet somehow, that is so much more fun than just being a player. I have spent weeks preparing games and doing research to be ready for my players. And the time just flies by because I am having so much fun delving into ancient tomes of forbidden lore, summoning images from the interweb that once seen, they can no longer be unseen, and telling stories that chill the spine and raise the hairs on the most hardened adventurers neck all for that moment of triumph when the party explodes in cheers of victory after successfully navigating a quest *I* was able to bestow upon them.

There is a great satisfaction in being an entertainer for just one night a week.

I Take My Throwing Knife, and Throw It...Knife Style!

2011-02-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

I finally got to watch the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons episode of Community. I haven't seen the show before, but I saw the commercials and had to find this episode at least.

I didn't go into it with much hope, just because most people that "make fun" of D&D don't really understand it so it just comes off as awkward and sorta lame, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. They had a fairly good idea of what the game is about and played it fairly seriously...well, as seriously as any of my players have ever played.

I feel like a total nerd because I recognized the map in front of the DM as the map of the demonweb from Q1: Queen of the Demonweb Pits.

Side 1

Side 2

"I won Dungeons & Dragons...and it was Advanced!"

edit: Part 1, Part 2