Tabletop RPG Essentials

Welcome to this week’s feature on Tabletop RPG Essentials. Everything included in the body this article is a MUST for anyone looking to getting into playing any RPG, depending on play style; some of these items are so important that they will require (or have already) their own article. In the last paragraph I’ll touch on some items that are more optional than essential, as well as some for sure unnecessary items, no matter who or what you play. Let’s get into it!

For clarification, ^^^THIS^^^ is NOT what this article is about!

First off is the character sheet for your current game. This is pretty self explanatory, especially as to why; which is basically if you don’t have this, you really can’t play your character. I have yet to meet anyone who’s been capable of recalling from memory every single stat, inventory item, wealth amount and aspect of the character they play, on a whim. If you can’t do this, you need the sheet because you won’t be able to do it when you’re playing either; like when it will count and something or someone may be on the line. So if you don't have one, get one!  You’ll also want a pencil with an eraser to mark any changes or additions/revisions during the course of the game; (i.e. marking HP, damage, or XP) only bring a pen if you want to earn the ire of your DM/GM and the continuous heckling from your fellow adventurers! (Insider tip: you might earn bonus points for bringing extras for your group) 

Next up may cause some debate, and that’s the Player’s Handbook or equivalent for your game. I know there’s a lot of people out there who are quite hardcore when it comes to TRPGing, and in order to prove yourself to a DM/GM you may need to be able to recall common information from these books from memory in order to be allowed into a game with them. However in actuality, regardless of anyone that makes you do this, they still reference directly to these books, and often, during gameplay. The most well-prepared DM/GM or player will have most relevant information to their quest/character noted elsewhere in advance of any game night, but they will also have a stack of books within arm’s reach of the table as well. Do yourself the favor of picking one of these up and learning from it religiously prior to your adventure, the last thing you want to do is to rely too heavily on others’ knowledge. All in all, and I speak from experience on this; by knowing the info yourself you’ll make for a better gamer, and you’ll have more fun playing as well. 

Required Reading!

Dice are a huge, HUGE necessity for any game, regardless of what TRPG you play! If you don’t have your own, you’re gonna be in trouble. Seriously, there is no better feeling than rolling critical damage with your own dice, or showing a newly acquired set with your fellow adventurers! For me, and especially my collection, this item is an article in and of itself, seriously. If you want a primer, go [here] for a rather lengthy explanation of the best kinds, the worst kinds, and the worthless dice out there. Also included for your amusement are how to roll properly without a boot/tower. I will cover more on dice and dice accessories in my article next week!

These are so important to a successful campaign!
More on them later!

Now, of course you’re going to want something to carry everything in, and there are plenty of options here. I’ve seen everything from beat up, old gym bags to shoeboxes and then some. But really, this comes down to personal preference and how much you are bringing with you to game night. For instance, I put to good use the crate from the Call of Duty: Black Ops II Prestige Care Package for ALL of my books, plus a couple decks and a few extras and essentials, but this is typically either for one-off games I’ll run or when my DM says to have as much on deck as one can bring with with them. (In other words, we’re gonna get screwed, and will have a “race to find the info” during our game that night.) Otherwise, I had been using a messenger bag that was just too small for what I want to bring every game night, and recently received a Backpack of Holding as a gift! ThinkGeek also sells the Handbag (purse) and Bag of Holding (messenger) bags as well, never has a bag been more appropriate for any RPG setup!

"I know my dice are in here...somewhere..."

Finally, are a few “optional” items you may want to have on hand. Basically, these are all dependent on the style of gameplay your group favors. If you’re using miniatures and a large map, having your own mini in your possession will only ensure that your character’s continuity on board remains from night to night; just make sure you mark it in a way that it can be identified from any others, this again comes from experience. Props are only good for LARPing, and there are often very stringent rules regarding them; otherwise if you want to show off your latest armory acquisition, do so and take it out of the game area prior to the start of the game that night to preserve as many appendages and furniture as possible. In other words, just save it for a non-game night. If you want to keep your character sheet(s) as neat as possible, I would also recommend a folder or clipboard to keep them with; not only will either protect your paper, but it’s also a great portable surface as well! Depending on how many people are gaming with you, including the DM/GM, you’d better believe that precious real-estate will be slim to none once the game gets started; so a clipboard/folder to write on is really more handy than you’d anticipate, and having one will only help to keep the table as neat as possible. Lastly also comes down to how you and your fellow adventurers roll; snacks. For some, this is an all out do not do! Others will chip in for pizza and eat prior to sitting down and getting in-character, and even some will make full use of one’s kitchen and cupboard stock during the game breaks. (No kidding, I had a friend make us omelets mid-game before, it was nuts!) My only suggestion here is this, find out the plan before you even meet up, that way you aren’t doing something you shouldn’t or excluding/including others prior to everyone’s knowledge. Chip-in, share, bring extra if you’re going to feast and game. After all, even Vin Diesel agrees, “You gotta have snacks!” and he's been playing for a while!

So that about wraps it up for this week! Is there something I forgot/didn’t mention, or maybe something that I included that you didn’t think of? (Most are pretty reasonable to assume coming to mind for every game, though) Let me know in the comments below, and come back next week where I’ll preview the Rise of Tiamat and go in depth with what makes for good dice, how many one really needs, and how to go about carrying them!

Until next time, roll true fellow adventurers!

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Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition Player's Handbook Review

Dungeons & Dragons 5^th Edition Player’s Handbook Review

Come one, come all! Gather and hear! We have a review of the recently released Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition Player’s Handbook right here!

Since this game has been in existence for nearly a full decade prior to my birth, I do not even remotely claim to be an expert for two reasons; 1. where there are those whom have been playing since the game’s inception from TSR and the legendary late Gary Gygax first printings were released in 1974, and C. while I have played, I’ve not yet ever completed a single game. Ever since I was introduced to the game and the genre of tabletop RPG I have been enthralled. To my dismay, nary a single chronicle, campaign, or adventure have ever fully been seen through from beginning to end however. From lack-luster, disorganized and unimaginative (reads: boring) DM’s, to poorly timed IRL happenstance, for one reason or another I have still yet to play a full game of any tabletop RPG to completion. One can only hope that I may soon find some willing companions in the mood to guest for honor, treasure, and glory! But I digress...

Despite the lack of a full campaign and the wealth of XP that typically accompanies it under my belt, what I do know of D&D is that the current iterations of D&D are more re-tooling of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons that have been packaged and worked into such a manner that literally anyone can get a hold of the materials necessary for a campaign and dive right in after some familiarity. On the advent of 3^rd edition, AD&D ceased to exist in a “new format” under its original name but continues on in a more widely approachable and accessible series. A few short years later, we received arguably the best set of comprehensive rules and resources with v3.5, which were then replaced by Fourth Edition in 2008. Most gamers and fans of the game abhor this edition as over-simplified and too stripped-down, so it’s no surprise that 4e is hailed by most as an utter failure. Now, six-years later we see the release of Fifth Edition (originally called D&D: NEXT while in-development) products hitting the shelves. A new format, with upgraded and shiny-new styling, plus an all-new story.

Just check out that ampersand! Ain't she a beaut?!

Of course, when I heard that Wizards was offering the Basic Rules for free via pdf from their website, I was on that download faster than a dragon to its treasure hoard just to see what we would be dealing with. Inside we find that three of the 110 pages are a blank character sheet, the rest are exactly what you would expect, the basic rules and information needed to get any D&D neophyte started in the game. Come to find out, week’s later they released the 5e Starter Kit; complete with everything you need to start a campaign including ready-made pre-generated characters, as well as the newly-designed blank character sheets, a 64-page booklet for the DM which includes a sample adventure ("The Lost Mine of Phandelver") and all the info you’d need to play in that adventure, a 32-page booklet for playing levels 1-5, and a shiny set of blue dice. The differences between the free pdf and the Starter Set are significant but here’s the catch; if you’re looking to get into D&D for the first time or are playing with new people who have no experience playing the game - and have decided to start with 5e - I’d recommend getting your hands on both for the amount of included info that’s especially geared toward beginners; contrarily if you are quite familiar with D&D already, just pass right by them and head onto the books. Which brings us right back to our topic at hand!

It comes of no surprise to my friends that I was quite eager to get my hands on this new tome in the hopes of creating a new game for us to at least try out, but while the ultimate plans have since been squashed I am still excited to at least receive the new books of fifth edition moving forward. I kind of event went all out at this release, in addition to the Player's Handbook I also picked up the Horde of the Dragon Queen (the first supplement to the Tyranny of Dragons storyline for 5e) as well as a set of Moleskine graph notebooks for mapping and not one, but TWO new sets of dice to celebrate. (I’ll dive deeper on RPG essentials in a later article.) I have to admit, I’m pretty impressed with some of the updates WOTC has done with this latest edition. They said “streamlined” ad nauseam in the press leading up to the release, and they meant it every time. With a whopping 25/300 pages devoted to the most important, hard-set rules, the rest of the Player's Handbook is geared toward getting an adventurer ready to play the game as it’s namesake intends; roleplaying. While roleplaying and getting into character really ultimately depends on how your group plays, building a solid backstory on your character in 5e is integral to how the game is played. Case in point, if you build a good backstory for your new character, the game rewards you for it; offering skill proficiencies, related equipment, and other bonuses right out of the gate.

In Soviet Dungeons, Dagrons Roleplay YOU!

Lastly, I want to touch on what's really brought me into the life of a card-carrying geek; the artwork. Imagination printed and bound for all to see and admire, the stuff of legends made just that much more tangible. Rangers and wizards, elves, dwarves, and men who battle skeletons, orcs and goblins, and of course, DRAGONS! Well, 5e does not disappoint. From the cover design, which is less of an archaic grimoire and almost more of a graphic novel in style, and two-toned both in high gloss and flat textured printing, to the interior illustrations provided by 60+ artists and ranging from small line and shade vignettes to full-page, full-color illustrations, the Player's Handbook and Horde of the Dragon Queen do not disappoint artistically. I am really looking forward to the future releases of the Fifth Edition, and hopefully getting some play in with the new ruleset! For those yet unaware, the remaining schedule for 5^th Ed. releases are as follows, all are available for preorder from Barnes & Noble, amazon.com, or your Wizards Play Network supported LGS;

September 30 – Monster Manual, that’s TODAY?!?

October 21 – The Rise of Tiamat 

December 9 – Dungeon Master’s Guide (originally Nov. 18)

January 20, 2015 – Dungeon Master’s Screen (expected, originally Jan. 6 '15)

And I'll be here at NGP to review and share my opinions of each release with the masses! So come on back this Thursday, where I’ll have a break down and review of the 5e Monster Manual with how it stands up agains previous editions. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I hear the sound of dice rolling and weapons clashing in the distance!

=Opaque=

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Border Jumping - A Design Review of Core M15's New Card Frame

Border Jumping - A Design Review of Core M15's New Card Frame 

Welcome gamers and geeks from all corners and backgrounds! Today, lets take a look at the recently released new Modern card frame update for Magic: the Gathering that was announced this January and premiered with this summer's release of this season's M15 Core. While this topic has been touched on other sites since the announcement of the change, some to the chagrin of the author writing their article, I'm going to take a more in depth look at the elements that stand out, my opinion on why WOTC made the change, and what it means to gameplay both in the current season and speculating on the future of the game - if at all.

1.21 jiggawatts²! My "insurance cards" from my M15 Game Day deck,
both versions were featured in the build. 

First and foremost what stands out in this major change to the Wizards cornerstone; the font. Wizards last changed the font to create Magic's "Modern" border in 2003 with the release of the 8th Edition Core Set, so we were over due for an update with the game's 20 year history. Originally when the game released, the cards were titled using Goudy Medieval in the header while MPlantin was used in the text box. The problems with Goudy were done away with by the many updates to the previous-Modern, which utilized Matrix Bold for all of the title text in every core and expansion moving forward to date, including several updates along the way. Now, Wizards debuts their own proprietary font developed in-house for use specifically with the Magic brand, "Beleren." Adapted as an updated appearance from Matrix Bold, this font looks sharp, literally! Ligatures and extensions on the letters have been created in sharp lines and angles with little flourish, creating an almost neo-mystical feel that has been missing from gameplay until now. Aside from the much needed update, this is the first step against counterfeiting WOTC is taking to protect their product (and subsequently, the Magic community) moving forward. I really cannot stress the importance of the moves taken by Wizards here to guard against the counterfeit market. While I myself have not been burned by purchasing a bad card, I know plenty that have, and this has been a HUGE issue ever since the secondary market has existed. (Especially in recent years since the Matrix font family went to the free market) Counterfeiting literally steals money from the uninformed consumer that didn't know better. There are cards already printed that are worth hundreds, even thousands of dollars; and if you don't know how to spot a fake card...well, there's a reason the phrase "there's a sucker born every minute" exists. By using a proprietary font that cannot be bought or found on the market currently, (yes, admittedly I have gone searching for said font for my own personal, non-counterfeit purposes, and while I’ve come close it just doesn’t quite hit the mark) Wizards protects the high-value property in the first way to ID a fake. Moving forward, this new font safeguards against would-be counterfeit cards entering the market, plus it looks certified badass!

Planeswalker Jace Beleren lends his namesake to the
newly designed proprietary font that is being
utilized on the new card frame moving forward.

Moving on to the rare and mythic rare cards, we find our second update in the redesign; the foil stamp. While Wizards has been utilizing foil alternate printing for chase cards since Urza's Legacy released in February 1999. (Or if you wanna be technical, the prerelease foil promo of Lightning Dragon for Urza's Saga, Oct '98.) These two rarities obviously carry a higher value for trades and sales, so it makes sense that they should be extra-protected from those looking to exploit and steal from within the community, right? Stamp these high value puppies with a little bit of holographic foil in the center at the bottom of the card and you can be pretty sure you're holding the real deal. While posing no real change to the gameplay itself, this little bit of flash can be a nice touch to winning; just as you tap that rare/mythic rare to deal the final blow, the foil catches a reflection off the lights above, and adding insult to injury blinds your opponent! Maybe not, but we can dream.

"Take a look at my FOIL (Foil)…You can call me Queen Bee!"
(Note the new stamp in the bottom center of the card on the right) 

Probably the biggest update all around is the card frame as a whole. While still retaining the black edge border the cards have enjoyed continually since the release of Ravnica: City of Guilds in October 2005, (cards released in the 9th Edition Core Set that July had a white edge border) this new card frame features a few new updates of itself. First, the border and frame are thinner than the previous modern. But why? Essentially it comes down to esthetics and real estate; they needed to continue to have the easiest way to be able to identify the color of a card, while they wanted to place more emphasis on the cards' art and text. To create this emphasis while keeping identity intact meant reducing the colored framing and the edge border width, allowing the art and text box to be made larger. Second, the base of the border rounds "behind" the text box. Again, this is not only an esthetic choice which adds a new design element to the cards as a whole, but also increases real estate at the base of the cards; allowing Wizards to add a second line to the text here and even increase the font size for legibility. This way, instead of a long line of tiny text that stretches from corner to corner of the card frame, we can now easily see the card collector number (along with the addition of the single letter M/R/U/C rarity ID) over the three-letter set code, two-letter language and the illustrator's name all in the card's lower left corner, and the copyright info in the lower right corner. Also worthy of note is the addition of a “designer credit” that is featured inside the text box for cards that the developers at WOTC reached out abroad to create. (Such as with Waste Not “Designed by the Magic community” or the hilarious and offbeat Hot Soup “Designed by James Ernest”) These last detail updates don’t really affect gameplay as it does the collector, aside from the better separation offered the Power/Toughness pane – which now gets to stand out against the black edge border instead of the similarly colored shade of the card frame it was once contained within.

There's starving imps in Dominaria who don't have any soup, so don't spill it!

These three update groups make some pretty big strides in updating the look of the cards overall as well as gameplay; but why did Wizards do it, and why now? As I mentioned above, the border was overdue for an update from the previous update (which also could have been considered overdue at the time, given that that post-8^th ed. border had been in development for three years by the time it was released). With this in mind the "when" was important as well, so when better to introduce a new border than with the new Core release? Though it’s true the Planeswalker card type was introduced during the Lorwyn expansion October 2007, it makes more sense to debut a set of redesign elements at the release of the Core which generally sees more new players coming in than at the expansion releases. (Never mind that I started playing when Ice Age released…and now I just dated myself!) Also, as previously stated are the anti-counterfeiting measures taken for all cards and especially the higher value/rarity cards. Now, what does this do to the future of the game, right? While a good question, mum’s been the word from WOTC on any changes to the current landscape of the game. What we should keep in mind is, while following the debut of what came to be known as the Modern frame in 2003, and the new formats of play being created for competitive players differentiating what would be seen in the formats; these formats weren’t created essentially because of the new frame, but rather because of the change in power levels of the cards and certain mechanics – or more so, cards that stated obsolete rules. The Modern format merely allows a player to build a deck using any card that’s been printed so long as it has been printed with a Modern (post 8^th ed.) card frame, a good example here is Swords to Plowshares which recently saw a modern printing with Conspiracy; short of printings in preconstructed collectors product, this card hasn’t been run in any set release since June 1995’s Ice Age. Standard won't likely change anymore than it already does with each release, and the end of rotation that comes every play year following the Core Game Day - just before the first release of the new expansion block comes out.

Come, son of Jor-El! Kneel before-- wait, that's not right…
But these improvements are!

So there we have it in a very large nutshell. Ultimately, while often received with friction from the audience, design changes are inevitable and necessary for the evolution and continued development of the game. People will whine and complain to their heart’s content until they get used to the change or move on. For my money, since these changes do very little to change gameplay I’ll be one that sticks around – hell, I’ve been around this long anyway! – and I’ll enjoy hearing the comments, remarks, and conversations spurred while everyone adapts in the mean time. Thanks to Gatherer and WOTC for the images, paired up and edited by yours truly.

Next week I’ll be switching gears to another topic of high geekery; reviewing the new printed releases of the books for Dungeons & Dragons: 5th Edition. Until then, shuffle well and trade fairly my friends.

-Opaque

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