Mar 28

An Unhappy Trend

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The article below was written several months ago by Derek Lloyd, owner of Battleground Games, as the start of an article bemoaning the use of magic items in Dungeons & Dragons. Unfortunately, Derek was unable to finish the article due to other responsibilities.

With 4th edition fast approaching we have decided to share this unfinished piece for its relevance. Normally, we would never do this. We wish to only share finished pieces as it is unfair to you, the visitor, and the author to make incomplete thoughts available to the public. We apologize to you in advance. We also hope to have Derek come back and write on D&D for you in the near future. Until then we hope you will enjoy this article.

There is an unfortunate trend that has infiltrated the Dungeons & Dragons community over the past few years that I believe has had some serious ramifications on the game as a whole. It is the issue of player control into areas of the game that were formerly the providence of the Dungeon Master. I realize that as a game evolves certain things must change, but this one seems to have rather sneakily wormed its way beyond what was the original intention of the 3rd Edition designers. This shift is most apparent in the recent book, the Magic Item Compendium.

Compare these two passages from different versions of the game. The first is from the 1st Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide by Gary Gygax: “Just as it is important to use forethought and consideration in placing valuable metals and other substances with monsters or otherwise hiding them in dungeon or wilderness, the placement of magic items is a serious matter. Thoughtless placement of powerful magic items has been the ruination of many a campaign. Not only does this cheapen what should be rare and precious, it gives player characters undeserved advancement and empowers them to become virtual rulers of all they survey. This is in part the fault of this writer, who deeply regrets not taking the time and space in D&D to stress repeatedly the importance of moderation.”

The second passage is from the 3.5 Edition book, the Magic Item Compendium by Andy Collins, Eytan Bernstein, Frank Brunner, Owen Stephens and John Snead: “A player points to an item published in this book or the Dungeon Master’s Guide and asks, ‘Can I buy this?’ The answer should usually be, ‘Yes.’”

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written by Derek Lloyd

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Mar 05

Episode 34 with Jonathan as your host discussing Gary Gygax Dies, News, White Dwarf Magazine, and BG Weird War 2.

Show Length: 41:50

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00:00 Theme, Zombie by Devin Anderson (Electronic)

00:54 News

00:54 Gary Gygax Passed Away

An homage to the man behind Dungeons & Dragons

Gary Gygax on Wikipedia

05:06 Dawn of War Soulstorm

Released this week

06:04 Event Countdowns @ CWF

War @ Sea at Battleground Games on Wednesdays

‘Ard Boyz Tournaments for 40k

WordPress 2.5 Releases in 5 Days

Anime Boston in 16 Days

Quake City Rumble’s Warhammer Fantasy GT in 20 Days

Total Confusion XXII Presents All Day Boardgaming at Rising Phoenix Games in Leicester on April 19th

10:35 Battlegrounds Special Offers

D&D 4th Edition Offer - Pre-order & pre-pay all 3 core books and be entered to win a free case of D&D minis.

Battleground d20 20% Off Coupon

12:00 CWF March 2008 Newsletter Available

Read Issue #9

15:40 Music to Game By Check Out “Downtown” by Matthew Ebel.

21:07 White Dwarf #338 Quick Picks

White Dwarf #338 Quick Picks Article

31:31 High Orbit Podcast Promo

33:16 BG Weird War 2

Take 2: What The?! Miniatures to Sell First Custom Figs

39:50 Please send us feedback. E-mail it to cwfgamecast [at] wargamingforums [dot] com. Use the Contact Us Page. Go to iTunes and leave a comment. Send an IM to cwforums on AIM.

40:51 Next cast will be Thursday March 13, 2008

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written by ^Raven^

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Sep 11

A new member who came to us from Griffon Games prompted me to peruse their site. I came across a fun article showing the video of the DnD 4th Edition presentation at GenCon. Its on YouTube but here’s for easier viewing.
Enjoy Parts 1-4.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

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written by ^Raven^

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