Blog Feed: The RPG Athenaeum

New 4e item: The Looking Glass of the Ixenos

Published on 2012-06-10 09:57:07

While reviewing some old campaign files, I happened across the following description of a magic item I invented for a 4e campaign a few years ago. The item has more of an old-school feel; it doesn’t really qualify as a 4e trap or hazard, but i

New 4e item: The Looking Glass of the Ixenos

Published on 2012-06-10 09:57:07

While reviewing some old campaign files, I happened across the following description of a magic item I invented for a 4e campaign a few years ago. The item has more of an old-school feel; it doesn’t really qualify as a 4e trap or hazard, but isn’t a magic item or relic a character can take or use, [...]

Game Night Blog Carnival: Scallywags

Published on 2012-05-29 06:17:02

Scallywags is a card game for two to four players ages 12 and older, published by Bent Castle Workshops. As the name implies, the game has a pirate flavor; the object of the game is to be the first to assemble a pirate crew from dozens of interchangeable pirate parts; the number pirates required for victory [...]

Game Night Blog Carnival: Scallywags

Published on 2012-05-29 06:17:02

Scallywags is a card game for two to four players ages 12 and older, published by Bent Castle Workshops. As the name implies, the game has a pirate flavor; the object of the game is to be the first to assemble a pirate crew from dozens of interchangeable pirate parts; the number pirates required for victory [...]

Recruiting 101 for an RPG villain

Published on 2012-05-25 23:49:52

Many Dungeons & Dragons villains have entourages of evil humanoid followers, especially at low experience levels. That circumstance may not matter much in combat-heavy campaigns – knowing the humanoids are evil is generally considered sufficient cause to kill them and take their stuff in most hack/slash games – asking that questions that focus more on role-playing and parley before combat [...]

Choosing a defensible camp site for your D&D party

Published on 2012-05-19 20:00:57

What follows was initially part of the Athenaeum’s recent post on bringing wandering monsters into the fourth-edition (4e) Dungeons & Dragons game; the discussion of choosing, preparing and defending a campsite to defend against overnight random encounters quickly became large enough to warrant its own posting, published below. Heroes in the D&D game spend a great [...]

1e to 4e: Bringing wandering monsters back into D&D

Published on 2012-05-16 12:05:05

While perusing some old .pdfs of legacy edition Dungeons & Dragons modules, I was struck by how common random monster encounter tables were in the old adventures, and was reminded of the prominence of random encounters in the rules themselves. The first edition (1e) Dungeon Master’s Guide had an entire appendix devoted to such encounters, and the 1e Monster Manual [...]

Video: ‘A Walking Song’ from Tolkein

Published on 2012-05-15 10:04:51

I recently came across the video below, produced by the immensely talented Shadowcat. It is a musical arrangement of part of the Poem, “A Walking Song” from Tolkein’s Fellowship of the Ring.

Use downtime to level up your hero’s D&D combat skills

Published on 2012-05-08 21:29:54

In the introduction to classic first edition Dungeons & Dragons module Against the Giants, author Gary Gygax cautions would-be players that the module wasn’t just designed for high-level characters; it was also designed for highly experienced players. The author explained that novice players who simply rolled up powerful characters wouldn’t have the tactical expertise necessary for [...]

Wizards getting back into the miniatures game – sort of

Published on 2012-05-05 11:32:28

While this may already be common knowledge across cyberspace, I hadn’t heard about this product release yet, so I’ll mention it here in case any readers live under rocks adjacent to mine. Contained in this summary of events planned for the upcoming Origins Game Fair is an entry for a demonstration of Dungeon Command, a new [...]

Should ‘townsfolk’ be synonymous with ‘weak’ in D&D?

Published on 2012-05-04 20:48:58

From the earliest days of Dungeons & Dragons, there have been townsfolk in need of heroic rescue. From an adventure design standpoint, their presence and relative weakness force the heroes into the spotlight; since the townsfolk cannot help themselves, only the valiant heroes can save the day and, since the game is about players being [...]

Own any D&D Minis? Now might be a good time to review their value

Published on 2012-04-29 13:43:21

The now-defunct D&D Miniatures (DDM) line was useful in many ways: the figures from the line were pre-painted, saving the dungeon master valuable preparation time; they were made from a nigh-indestructible, rubberized plastic; the figures depicted actual game monsters, having either been taken directly from the books or introduced into the D&D roleplaying game by virtue of a stat card; [...]

Medieval Professions IV: more NPCs you won’t find in published adventures

Published on 2012-04-27 14:39:01

While it isn’t necessary to conduct extensive research into Medieval daily life to create an exciting Dungeons & Dragons game, bringing real-world history and anthropology to the game can bring a level of “background realism” that players will appreciate. To that end, the RPG Athenaeum has thus far outlined nine important Medieval occupations, which never [...]

Game Night Blog Carnival: Memoir ’44

Published on 2012-04-25 19:55:14

This post represents the Athenaeum’s participation in Game Night Blog Carnival, through which RPG Bloggers post a review of a non-RPG game once each month. Memoir ’44 Memoir ’44 is a two-player board/war game which uses the Command and Colors mechanics developed by Richard Borg; the game was named the official game of the 60th [...]

Keeping civil order in D&D – without heroes or magic

Published on 2012-04-20 22:03:52

The fact that most Dungeons & Dragons campaigns are loosely based upon Medieval history and culture is both a benefit and a liability. The benefit can be found in relying upon player expectations in order to enhance suspension of disbelief; since most players aren’t medievalists (which is a pity), telling them that there are knights and castles and [...]

Creating an RPG campaign for children, Part III

Published on 2012-04-18 09:48:55

This is the third installment in a series about designing and playing an RPG campaign with my 7-year-old son, from setting design to playing out battles. The first article in the series can be found here, while the second is here. After three sessions of play using the free Dungeon Squad! rules, the lad’s campaign [...]

Please vote today in the Site of the Year contest

Published on 2012-04-17 06:25:12

Greetings all, As many of you know, Stuffer Shack is holding a site of the year contest, and voting will be held every day this week. The RPG Athenaeum is one of today’s competitors, so please consider visiting today’s voting page and casting a ballot for this blog if you feel led to do so. I’d [...]

When historical accuracy makes for better fantasy

Published on 2012-04-16 14:13:15

One of the most appealing aspects of the Dungeons & Dragons game is that players don’t need advanced degrees in history in order to have a playable fantasy. In fact, not being historically accurate (at least about the historical Medieval society most D&D campaigns mimic) can sometimes be an advantage, as fantasy gaming is less about how things [...]

Six aspects of legacy D&D that should make a comeback

Published on 2012-04-14 00:50:33

Many bloggers have posted on the topic of what features they hope to see in Wizards of the Coast’s next edition of D&D; the act of reading them tends to lead viewers to consider their own opinions about what they would like to see, based on their gaming experiences from prior editions. Fortunately, it isn’t necessary to [...]

Please consider voting in the Site of the Year Contest

Published on 2012-04-11 21:59:05

For those who may not have heard, the folks over at Stuffer Shack are hosting a Site of the Year contest, and the RPG Athenaeum is honored to be one of 34 entrant sites for consideration. Voting will be held during the week of April 16 to 20, with a small group of blogs to be [...]

Describing zombies: a dungeon master’s reference

Published on 2012-04-06 10:04:11

Author’s note: if you are having a meal or snacking at your keyboard or smart phone as you read this, you may want to finish eating before proceeding. This post describes the natural decay of human remains in a rather graphic manner, which could affect a reader’s appetite. Zombies are a staple of most fantasy and horror role-playing [...]

D&D villain concept: the ‘good’ heretic

Published on 2012-04-02 10:31:47

While doing some historical research for an unrelated project, I happened across this interesting quote from U.S. statesman Benjamin Franklin, excerpted from a letter to Benjamin Vaughan dated Oct. 24, 1788: Remember me affectionately to good Dr. Price and to the honest heretic Dr. Priestly. I do not call him honest by way of distinction; [...]

‘Fake War Stories’ a collection of humorous RPG narratives

Published on 2012-03-26 12:47:06

Another quick aside: a friend sent me a link to this site – Fake War Stories, which is a collection of humorous, viewer-submitted narratives from RPG adventures. It’s well worth a look.

1e Campaign flashback: adventuring as ‘commoners’

Published on 2012-03-09 07:46:38

Reading this post over at the Trollish Delver about common people (i.e., those without class, level or other adventuring skills) taking part in adventures brought back some memories about a first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons campaign I ran about 25 years ago. Of course, this isn’t an exact comparison; the original post over at Trollish Delver dealt [...]

Miniature Gallery Page Updated

Published on 2012-03-04 13:58:03

While toying around with a new point-and-shoot camera last week, I snapped 20 images of other minis I’ve painted. They’ve been uploaded to the Miniatures Gallery page, accessible through the navbar across the top of the page, or by clicking here. A few of the images are retakes of miniatures that were previously posted to the page; if I liked the way [...]

An invitation to take part in ‘Read an RPG Book in Public Week’

Published on 2012-03-03 19:12:14

For many of us, taking part in role-playing games is a “closet” hobby. After all, not everyone understands what these games entail, and explanations can often backfire (It’s easy! All you have to do is sit in the basement for a few hours, pretending you are an elf!); from there, it is easy for people to [...]

Game Night Blog Carnival: Carcassonne

Published on 2012-02-28 07:00:58

This post represents the Athenaeum’s participation in Game Night Blog Carnival, through which RPG Bloggers post a review of a non-RPG game once each month. Carcassonne: flagship of the ‘Eurogames’ genre The terms “Eurogame” or “German Board Game” are often applied to a genre of games that aren’t restricted to the traditional model of moving [...]

RPG Athenaeum rated ‘G,’ in spite of posts about poisoning, genocide, murder and sacrilege

Published on 2012-02-27 05:29:46

Earlier today, I was visiting the I’d Rather Be Killing Monsters blog and noticed a text widget depicitng a movie-like rating for the blog. Intrigued, I clicked the rating box and, after declining a request to visit the dating site which created this code, submitted my own URL for evaluation. Apparenty, the script associated with submitting the URL scans [...]

Applying 4e mechanics to 1e adventure design: skill challenges

Published on 2012-02-25 06:56:09

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This posting continues the line of reasoning from this post on applying mechanics from the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons to first edition adventure design. In a way, this is a deconstructivist experiment, pulling mechanic fragments piecemeal from one edition and adding to another; at the same time, though, Dungeon [...]

Free online flash game, ‘Dungeon Escape,’ a Dragon’s Lair Tribute

Published on 2012-02-18 08:05:12

Older gamers may fondly remember the arcade video game Dragon’s Lair which, due to its picture disc technology, placed it far ahead of any of its contemporaries. From that same sense of nostaligia, programmer R. Hunter Gough started the Dungeon Escape project in 2003, and finished it seven years later. The game plays in much the [...]

On ‘What to do about the Orc Children’

Published on 2012-02-13 10:17:20

This post initially started as a comment to this post on Hack & Slash, regarding what to do with the noncombatant offspring of evil humanoids, but it grew too lengthy to be a comment, so it is presented as a post here. It was a rather short post, but the comment discussion that follows really develops the topic [...]

Product Review: Song of Blades and Heroes

Published on 2011-06-29 14:39:25

Song of Blades and Heroes offers a refreshing alternative to typical RPG fare – especially for the “hack and slash” crowd. Song of Blades and Heroes (SBH) is a generic set of fast-play fantasy skirmish rules, published by Ganesha

Free download: the Rusty Dwarf Inn

Published on 2011-02-26 11:18:56

Not all readers are aware that this blog has a  free downloads page, where all .pdf resources produced by the Athenaeum are posted for reader use. In addition to the popular “100 lists” available there is The Rusty Dwarf Inn, an edition-

What the tokens vs. minis issue bodes for D&D

Published on 2011-02-10 10:12:54

This recent post over at Critical Hits, an eloquent eulogy for the soon-to-be-defunct Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures line, echoed the sentiments of many gamers who have found the minis to be useful gaming aids, and speculates (with some merit, in my

Five tips for villainous resource management

Published on 2011-02-03 15:39:08

It is certainly possible to play Dungeons & Dragons without giving a single thought toward how monsters and villains end up awaiting heroes in elaborate lairs; if the primary point of the game is to defeat the villains in combat, deciding the par

Do old-school strongholds have a place in a 4e game?

Published on 2011-01-26 07:19:01

This posting initially started as a comment on this post over at GM Oracle, which was the last in a series on legacy edition rules for creating player character strongholds, but its length quickly became unwieldy, so it became a post here instead.

New site feature: Post Index

Published on 2011-01-22 06:17:17

In keeping with this site’s mission statement, which is geared toward making utility a priority, and in order to make accessing information on the Athenaeum easier, all 150 posts on this site have been organized into a post title index. The i

You gragdok! The evolution of setting-based swear words in RPGs

Published on 2011-01-20 12:44:34

While reorganizing Athenaeum content into a forthcoming post index, this writer happened upon this post, which dealt with creating a unique flavor in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign by developing slang words for the common tongue. One area of langu

Using the Aboriginal Dreamtime as inspiration for Primal 4e characters

Published on 2011-01-15 04:45:29

Virtually every culture, whether real or created for a fantasy role-playing game like Dungeons & Dragons, has a story about how the world was created. While the fourth edition (4e) Player’s Handbook gives some hints about how some of the st

Bring a little 1e lethality – and some background- to your new 4e character

Published on 2011-01-12 22:48:00

Years ago, when opening the fourth edition Player’s Handbook for the first time, this writer discovered some good news and some bad news. The good news was that, since heroes began play with 20 to 30 hit points at first level, one solid hit fr

Looking for a change of pace in your D&D game? Switch sides!

Published on 2011-01-10 11:06:05

In this writer’s estimation, one of the high points of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons history was the publication of Reverse Dungeon module in 2000. As the title implied, the module reversed the roles of players and Dungeon Master (DM). The play

Converting a D&D economy to the silver standard

Published on 2011-01-08 20:16:42

          Inside the treasure chest are 3,500 gold pieces, a silver bracelet inlaid with ivory worth another 50 gold, and an amethyst gem worth 100 gold pieces. That phrase, or others that are practically identical to it, can be found in almost

Interrogating prisoners in a D&D Game

Published on 2011-01-05 00:00:29

Essentially, there are two situations where interrogation might take place during a Dungeons & Dragons adventure: when the heroes are captured, or when the heroes capture an enemy. Both situations turn the game from a battle of might to a battle

Up, periscope: some surprising numbers, and a reason to write again

Published on 2011-01-02 14:29:40

Greetings, Gentle Readers. My apologies to those who visited this blog during the past several months and found nothing in the way of updates. To make an otherwise long posting short, the obligations of parenting, work and returning to school proved