Open Game Table Review

Monday marks the release of the Open Game Table Anthology.  As an assistant editor on this project, I have had the great opportunity to read this collection, and there's a lot of good in here!

Jonathan from The Core Mechanic organized this project.  Here's a brief description of the book that he posted earlier this week:

Open Game Table aims to bridge the gap between the RPG blogging community and the broader table-top gaming fan base by showcasing the best talent in the RPG blogosphere. Within its pages are 47 blog posts from 32 top-quality RPG blogs, plus a Foreword written by RPG luminary Wolfgang Baur. Packed with juicy content and over 60 illustrations, this book is Pure Gold.

He's absolutely right; this book is Pure Gold.  It doesn't matter if you're a player or a GM, there's plenty in here to enjoy.

For the GMs

There's great stuff in here for you GMs out there.  From techniques to maximize your prep time to ideas for encounters or NPCs, there's a little bit of everything.  There are several great articles on managing your game play and timing.  There are a couple of articles with some great ideas on jazzing up your tavern scenes.  There are some great ideas on developing your campaign setting.  And a whole chapter we call the RPG Toolbox, with great ideas and products to improve your gameplay.

For the Players

I found a lot to love as a player in this book.  There are a couple of really good articles on improving your game experience.  There are also some great articles on character development, including some new class options for the 4E players out there.  Plus, there are several articles written for both players and GMs, with advice for both sides of the screen.

As an anthology, I feel that this is a good mix of various elements.  It's a must-have for anyone who loves RPGs... you won't regret adding it to your bookshelf!

The Open Game Table will be available for sale on Monday at Amazon, Indie Press Revolution and the Lulu Marketplace.  You can also check out The Core Mechanic for more information.

Review: Blue Dragon Plus (Nintendo DS)

We here at Stupid Ranger were recently fortunate enough to recieve a review copy of a brand spankin' new DS game! And then I got busy at work and my kid got sick and then two weeks later I realize oh noes I have not done my review yet! Vanir sorry. Please excuse me while I rectify this situation.

Blue Dragon Plus is the direct sequel to Blue Dragon, a game that came out here in the States in late 2007 on the Xbox 360. Unfortunately, I'd never played Blue Dragon before, and it would have been a big help. Blue Dragon Plus plops you down right in the middle of things from the very start. You get a vague paragraph as each character appears about what they did in the previous game, but it's all to the effect of "helped out to defeat Nene". I felt like I was supposed to know more than I did to get what was happening, and that if I had played the original I would be perfectly comfortable.

The game's visuals didn't appeal to me much at first. Not that they looked terrible, far from it. The style in which the characters were drawn seemed somewhat kiddy, which put me off at first. (Which is weird for me, considering how many cartoons I watch.) I got the same impression at first from some of the characters, most notably Marumaro. I think maybe I was expecting something else.

The screenshots I'd seen made this look like a turn-based strategy game like Final Fantasy Tactics. It was a bit jarring at first when I discovered everything worked like that, but in realtime. I was having a lot of trouble figuring out how to keep track of my characters and make them move sensibly.

Admittedly, it took some willpower to get me through those first few minutes. And here's my advice about Blue Dragon Plus: don't give up on it too easily!

A few battles later, I'd discovered the buttons that select all your characters and figured out how to work the camera. There's also a very helpful map on your top screen if you can't find one of your guys. The game isn't so much big on overt tutorials (the ones it does give are a little confusing), but what it is good at is putting you in situations where you learn the skills you need as you go. For instance, I got tossed into a really fun battle where four robots with different strengths and weaknesses attack all at once, and that helped me learn the individual capabilities of my party members.

I was very pleased to see that there are things to do on the battlefield besides beat people up. There are things on the battlefield to interact with that get used either in combat or as puzzles. For instance, I had to move one of my characters to a lever that controlled the flow of steam from a pipe, and then use my other characters to goad a bad guy into the steam to disable him. I really enjoyed that, it sets this game apart in my mind from your standard FIGHT MAGIC HEAL dynamic used in so many RPGs over the years.

The story also started getting better as I got through the game a little. I personally have trouble giving a crap about a story unless I get invested in the characters. Let's just say until my robot friend is turned back from the dark side and we're playing awesome robo-baseball back at the castle, I won't be putting this game down anytime soon.


VISUALS: 7/10
As I said before, the characters seem a little kiddy at first but you get used to them fast. Most everything is 2d sprites on top of 3d backgrounds, which works really well on the DS. I've hated this before on larger screens because it looks weird, but smaller it seems to blend well. Nothing blew my socks off but it's a good looking game. (And if you're into cutscenes, this game will NOT disappoint you.)

MUSIC: 8/10
It's Nobuo Uematsu. Of course the music is good. Prepare for it to be stuck firmly in your head.

GAMEPLAY: 8/10
High learning curve at first, almost frustrating enough to make me quit. Glad I didn't! Non-combat objectives make me very happy.

STORY: 7/10
Admittedly, I'm not all the way through the game yet. But it's keeping my interest, and the aforementioned non-combat objectives during battle help drive the story home for me.

OVERALL: 7/10
Yeah, I know the scores don't average. It's my review, I can do it however I want!
Basically what we have here is a good RPG that I'm a bit worried people are going to overlook. I wouldn't wait in line out in front of Gamestop all night to pick this one up, but would I like to have this with me at the airport for 2d4 hours in between crappy airline snacks and flight delays? You bet.

Here's a little widget with some Blue Dragon Plus stuff on it if you'd like to learn more about the game. Of special interest is the "Characters" button, which would have saved me from all sorts of confusion at the beginning.

PHB2 Release Day is upon us!!

Today is the big day! In addition to being my birthday (woot!), it is the auspicious release day for the Player's Handbook 2! Today, I'm going to outline my favorite parts.

Favorite Race: Goliath

As I mentioned Saturday, I really like the Goliath. Not a popular pick, I know... but their strong, competitive, daring nature really paints a picture of an authentic natural addition to the D&D racial fold. These guys (and gals) exude the confidence that only those bred for a fighting lifestyle possess. There's a lot to like about this class, their Stone's Endurance (basically, stoneskin) racial ability is great.

I am very impressed with the color and detail provided within the pages of the Races section of the PHB2. The authors did an excellent job of painting a very clear portrait of each class, as well as selecting compelling racial abilities that make for some exciting character choices.

Favorite Racial Paragon Path: Scion of Arkhosia

As part of the process of reviewing the PHB2, I rolled up a Dragonborn Sorcerer named Ash (original name, I know). I hadn't really explored the Dragonborn race prior to this, however my interest was buoyed by the Scion of Arkhosia racial paragon path.

The neat thing about this paragon path is it lets you improve the areas of your Dragonborn heritage that were fixed when you entered the larger world. Over time, your dragon breath becomes a powerful area of effect attack, and later gains the ability to cling to your enemies and consume them. The coolest path feature is Dragon Wings. That's right... you gain the ability to fly equal to your speed as a movement action. Thankfully, the wings are only strong enough for one movement worth of flight... I can tell you from experience that extended flight is disruptive.

Favorite Class: Bard!

I'm not just saying this because it made Stupid Ranger the happiest girl on the block, I truly like the changes they've made to the bard. They're funcitonal, powerful, and truly fill the Leader role that they deserve.

The addition of songblades and other bardic instruments really add some interest. As I was reading through the Bard chapter, all I could think about was reincarnations of Bat Loaf running around singing Slayer's Song to inspire his allies to greater rock while he layed down significant amounts of pwnage.

So go get it already!

I was excited about this book before I got the opportunity to preview it, and if I hadn't been afforded this rare opportunity I would be at Border's tomorrow buying one. If you're still sitting on the fence, check out the additional coverage at our RPGBlogger pals: Atomic Array, Game Cryer, Gnome Stew, Critical Hits, Campaign Mastery, Uncle Bear, Critical Ankle Bites, Kobold Quarterly, The Core Mechanic, Flames Rising, and Musings of the Chatty DM.

We also had the opportunity to participate in a fun PHB2 Roundtable over at Critical Hits, so be sure to check that out!

Proper Villany Profiles: Watchmen Edition

Last year at Gen Con, I decided to buy a copy of Watchmen by Alan Moore. Despite being an avid reader of comics since childhood, this one had slipped past my radar but all my comic book nerd friends were all ranting that the movie was going to come out and ruin it so I'd better read the real version first.

I read it, and was blown away.

I AM ABOUT TO SPOIL EVERYTHING. DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE COMIC OR SEEN THE MOVIE.

NO, SERIOUSLY. DO NOT READ FURTHER. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

OK, I trust all of you reading now know the entire plot. Now I can discuss why this story makes me titter (evilly) with excitement like a schoolgirl.

Back in the early 90's when I was in high school, I had an issue of Dragon magazine that featured a little article for DM's on how to play monsters with very high INT scores. The main gist of the article was that you can't really play an ancient demon with an intellect that dwarfs any mere mortal's. You have this limitation called the brain of a mere mortal that keeps you from doing so. It is very troublesome, but these are the limitations imposed upon us until someone develops cheat codes for humans. The way the article suggested to play such characters was kind of a new concept for me: in short, cheat. Roleplay the NPC as if he had access to knowledge he ought not to. It might be as simple as knowing parts of the PCs' plan to stop him (and setting traps accordingly), or something as specific as knowing the fighter's magic shield has a weakness against ice attacks.

While I can appreciate this method in terms of game mechanics, it did strike me that the players might think you're being... well, let's just say the more evil of you DMs out there are probably rubbing their hands together evilly thinking of the possibilities. However, this method feels a bit like being the guy who has a hammer, and to whom everything looks like a nail. It's clumsy, the players are going to call you on it, and your only excuse is going to be "er um he is very smart and figured it out". I bear no responsibility for injuries you receive from blunt PHB2 trauma. (However, we here at Stupid Ranger can assure you that these injuries will be very exciting and no doubt an invaluable companion to your existing PHB wounds.)

Why I Believe Alan Moore To Be A Mind Flayer

I found a much more elegant solution to this problem when I read Watchmen. If you will recall, Ozymandias is referred to as the smartest man on Earth. (I will now also refer to him as my favorite villain.) If you'll recall what you learned in Evil 101, "hero" and "villain" are all relative. Surely he's a bad guy because he mass murders millions of people. Right? Except he's not doing it for money, or power, or glory. He's doing it to distract the nations of the world from nuking each other into the stone age by faking a devastating alien invasion, saving humanity as a whole! My god, the man is basically a masterclass in Proper Villainy. I almost wept.

My favorite part, though -- and this is where the whole "smartest man on Earth" bit comes back into play -- is HOW he accomplishes his goals. Let's review:

• Step 1: Neutralize those who can expose or stop you.
  The Comedian figured out what he was doing, so he got thrown out a window. Dr. Manhattan, being all superpowerful (and smart, too), needed a bit more special care. Like a decade-long plan to make him feel inhuman and isolated (enough to go hide on Mars) by giving people close to him cancer. He's smart and patient -- a deadly combination!


• Step 2: Clone the brain of a psychic and put it in a giant squid. Wait, what?



• Step 3: Teleport the squid into the middle of NYC, causing it to blow up and send out devastating psychic shockwaves, simulating a catastrophic attack by aliens.
You know, because teleportation works but living creatures blow up without Dr. Manhattan working the controls and NGGGHHHHHAAAA WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT LEAP?

I'll tell you how. You're the smartest guy on Earth, that's how.

Here's the box. And here's outside the box, where Ozymandias is thinking. Farther than that. Keep going. I'll tell you when to stop, just keep going. Five light-years away, and that's how far out of the box this is.

Why is this awesome? Because he's so smart that nobody could have seen this coming. Our poor little normal brains wouldn't have gone there. Sure, we can try to wrap our heads around it once it's there, but I'd be willing to bet 89% of the people who have read Watchmen paused, furrowed their brow, and had to reread that part just to make sure they weren't going mad. (10% of the people skimmed over that part and scratched their heads on the next page when the squid was lying there in the ruins of NYC. The other 1% are supergeniuses like Ozymandias and need to be closely observed by the government.)

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I think Alan Moore is a mind flayer.

How To Be Super-Smart

How, one might ask, is this useful for DM's trying to roleplay superintelligent NPC's? Did I not just mention how we had measly human intelligence and cannot comprehend such plots? Well, you have a secret weapon even Ozymandias did not: you're omnipotent in your little world. You get to make the rules. The supersmart Big Bad in your campaign can make plans that accomplish his goals but seemingly make no sense. You've also got another ace up your sleeve if you're running a fantasy setting -- you've got magic. Magic, especially at ridiculously high levels, is not obligated to make sense. Especially high level magic that the DM handwaves the details. But here's the point. The plot doesn't have to make perfect sense to you or to your players so long as it makes sense to your villain.

I know what you're thinking. Didn't you just talk earlier about having to explain yourself to the players, and having them think you're evil for doing this? Well, yeah. But this lets you roleplay him being smarter instead of the players simply wanting to know how he found something out. I won't lie -- this can be a uniquely frustrating experience for players. Few things make me want to kill a DM more than when "because I said so" is the reason. That's why you use this thing sparingly and only for a purpose.

I see this as great for two purposes -- the first being you've got players who routinely unravel your plots well before it's time. This isn't revenge, it's just to keep things exciting. (Okay, it is revenge too.) The second is when you want to pull an Ozymandias, and by the time you reveal your evil plan to the PC's, it's 35 minutes too late. Use it as a plot device. It may seem a little hamhanded, and can be if misused, but if you plan to use it beforehand and weave it into your storyline, it can be a story-building tool instead of a bulldozer to push your players where you want them.

And The Movie???....

I saw the Watchmen movie last week and thought it was absolutely fantastic and (with one notable exception) very faithful to the book. I give it a 9 out of 10, and that 1 is just because I love the squid so much. The new evil plan that makes more sense is boring by comparison. But what wouldn't be?

Until next time...... <evil laughter of squids>

Striking a Musical Chord

I took the exclusion of the bard in the PHB as a personal insult, and I've been waiting (somewhat impatiently) for the Players Handbook 2 in order to bring out my lute again.  And while it was a hardship to wait so long, I think the new bard was worth it.

The Combat Stuff

I have loved the bard since my first character back in 3.0.  But one of the difficulties of the 3.0 bard (and 3.5 to a certain extend) was trying to stay alive in combat; bards weren't always ideal for melee and not always effective as ranged.  And while I had many great moments with my various bards, my group members will tell you what they remember: the bard sitting in a corner playing her lute for the Inspire Courage bonuses, because giving others +2 was the best she could do.

The new 4E bard seems to have a lot more opportunities in combat.  Many of their first level spells deal additional weapon damage.  So they are not quite as weak in the combat department.  But bards as also Leaders; they inspire and heal their comrades, and that concept is very obvious as you read their powers.

There are two "virtue" paths for the bard: Cunning and Valorous.  The Cunning bards prefer to use their wits and personality to overcome obstacles; they tend to use ranged attacks, overseeing the battle as opposed to joining it.  The Valorous bards remember the stories of heroes who fought bravely in combat, and those bards relive the old tales by entering into the fray.  I'm currently playing a Valorous, which gives healing benefits to your or an ally.

One of the changes here I really enjoy is just the change in the bard's activities in combat.  I always thought it was kind of silly to pull out a valuable instrument in the middle of combat.  Who really wants to take the risk of it breaking?

So, Why Do You Need an Instrument?

Without the Inspire Courage during battle, why does the 4E bard need an instrument?  Besides the obvious "You can't be a bard without some sort of music," the instrument comes into play for specific performances.  The Song of Rest is a great opportunity to tune your lute for a great, quick performance.  This Bard Class feature helps the group's healing efforts during a short rest.

Rituals also give you opportunties to play a song.  Bard rituals usually involve a material cost and a focus cost, which is generally an instrument of a specified value.  So you play a song to cast a ritual.  One of the cool tricks of rituals for bards is that once a day, you can ignore the material cost of a bard ritual (increases to two per day at 11th and three at 21st).  One of my favorite first-level bard rituals is "Create Campsite," which causes a campsite to be created, then broken down 8 hours later.  Combined with the "ignore materials" option, once per day, a first level bard and just play into being a campsite; how wonderful at the end of a long, grueling day.

I love the new bard, and while my bard, Rynna, is only first level, I'm excited about her potential.  If you've ever been a fan of the bard, you should check out the new PHB2.

You can also read Uncle Bear's review of the bard, as well as other class reviews from any of these other sites participating in the Player's Handbook 2 online release event:

Atomic Array, Game Cryer, Gnome Stew, Critical Hits, Campaign Mastery, Critical Ankle Bites, Kobold Quarterly, The Core Mechanic, Flames Rising, and Musings of the Chatty DM.

Be sure to check them out, and stay tuned here for continuing coverage through the official release on Tuesday!

PHB2, Races New and Old!

I was rather surprised when I began paging through the Character Races chapter of the Player's Handbook 2. I had heard rumors of the return of the Gnome and Half-Orc (all true!), however I was happy to see a few new (or at least revised) dimensions to the core character races. Today we'll take a look at the new kids on the block (the new races, not these guys).

The Deva - So That's Where I put my Celestial...

For those who want to play refined, polite, moral characters who have apparently lived thousands of past lives in near immortality prior to cramming themselves into a fleshy jumpsuits to adventure, the Deva is your race of choice. The best part about having all of this hazy, latent experience is that it gives you a racial ability to add a d6 to certain rolls that "you don't like." Now that's pretty neat stuff right there.

The Deva appears to be a haughty, good aligned corollary to the tiefling. The part of me that loves to develop balanced battles between good and evil is very relieved to have the Deva at my disposal.

The Goliath - Like a rock!

The Goliath is an 8 foot tall behemoth built for breakin' stuff, and I really enjoy the honest attempt at not copping out and calling them a half-giant. They are skilled athletes which grants them some extra goodness when jumping or climbing. They also have very interesting stony protrusions on their skin that grants them Stone's Endurance, allowing them to resist 5 points of damage with the added benefit of increasing their resistance as the Goliath's skills improve.

The Goliath race is competitive, daring, and lovers of all things nature. That is good, since they are spec'ed around the size and stature of a small mountain. I can't wait to build a Goliath barbarian, it sounds like a great fit!

The Shifter - Nothing like Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf, I swear.

OK, they really are. They're shapeshifters, which take on the countenance of a wolf-like or cat-like form due to touches of lycanthropy in their family tree. The Longtooth variety of Shifter gains some extra damage and regeneration when bloodied (sweeet!), while the Razorclaw variety gains speed increases and bonuses to reflexes and defense.

The character listing paints a very vivid picture of the traits and histories that are common in these different types of Shifters, and that gives them a bit more specific detail than some of the other races presented in the PHB2. The concept of having a lycanthrope in your character's bloodline provides some excellent pushing-off points for roleplaying and character development; in fact, it would be neat to have a whole campaign focused around a pack of Shifters exploring their bloodline. That might be an idea for a later time...

And the rest!

As mentioned briefly before, the half-orc and gnomes have returned to canon once more. Gnomes have a racial ability to blink away when taking damage, which is really great... however they have been characterized with large black eyes that made them look a bit odd. They also have a few additional racial abilities that cement their penchant for stealth and trickiness, but they feel very much like the gnomes we all know and love. I'm sure all the guys over at Gnome Stew are happy to have 'em back! Sadly, the PHB2 does not inform whether or not gnomes taste like chicken.

The PHB2 re-introduces the half-orcs and grants them the notable ability to do an extra 1[W] damage, or an extra d8 if it's just fisticuffs. Most of the additional description relating to the half-orcs (like the gnome) feels very much like their previous 3.5 incarnations. I actually like that they didn't mess with them very much; it brings a little familiarity to the fold of new characters.

The Paragon Paths

The PHB2 provides some pretty excellent racial paragon paths, which can be taken in place of a class-based paragon path. I'm not going to spoil all the surprises, but suffice it to say that these paragon paths stand up quite well to the class based options.

The racial paths represent the highest example of a race's defining characteristics... they're the best of the best that their race has to offer. Speaking of the best a race has to offer, the Twilight Guardian's portait on page 29 is pretty excellent. Just sayin'.

The racial additions in the PHB2 really round out the very obvious omissions from the standard Player's Handbook. The racial paragon paths provide different directions to take your characters. The evocative descriptions of each race paint a clear picture of how these races interact with each other and the world around them, which made ideas for new characters jump immediately to mind.

More PHB2 goodness!

The following sites are participating in the Player's Handbook 2 online release event:

Atomic Array, Game Cryer, Gnome Stew, Critical Hits, Campaign Mastery, Uncle Bear, Critical Ankle Bites, Kobold Quarterly, The Core Mechanic, Flames Rising, and Musings of the Chatty DM.

Be sure to check them out, or stay tuned here for continuing coverage through the official release on Tuesday!