Posted inReviews

Review: Mordankainen’s Magnificent Emporium

I'll admit, my first impression of Mordankainen's Magnificent Emporium was less than great. I excitedly opened its pages and thumbed through to only stumble over the few items I'd already seen from within DDI play test articles and a magical items that seemed pretty lackluster (flaming swords, wand of frost, gauntlets of ogre power etc), making me wonder why anyone would pay $40 for a book full of stuff they'd already seen?
Momanatrix’s Musings: Don’t Tell Me I Can’t Be A Fairy, Damnit!
Posted inDreadPixie's Musings Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)

Momanatrix’s Musings: Don’t Tell Me I Can’t Be A Fairy, Damnit!

So the other day my husband was bitching about the new races that are coming out in the Heroes of the Feywild book. He was going on about how “back in the day” there were only a few races and nowadays there are all kinds of different creatures you can be. I find this funny coming from a guy who wasn’t really around “back in the day” as far as D&D goes.
Kill Em’ All and Let Strahd Sort Them Out
Posted inDungeon Master's Musings Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)

Kill Em’ All and Let Strahd Sort Them Out

I think it's time for a bit of purging by fire, or in the case of my campaign: vampiric slaughter. When I first started my game things were relatively simple and everyone was happy with their character. Sessions were met with anticipation and enthusiasm, plot points were pondered and everyone had a strong character concept. This isn't the case anymore, and it's becoming very un-fun for my two most important players: my wife, and myself.
Those OTHER Dwarven Utility Powers
Posted inDread Compendium Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)

Those OTHER Dwarven Utility Powers

Well I'd hoped to bring these cool Dwarven Utility powers to you through other means than my blog, alas there are times in life when a cast iron stomach comes in handy and so this seems to be the only way any of you will ever see them. I do hope you like/use them and I also hope they stand up in cool factor against Rob Schwalb's newly published ones via DDI! You'll find 4e stat block images of each power after the rich text at the bottom of this post, enjoy!
The Science of Selling Yourself Short
Posted inDungeon Master's Musings Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)

The Science of Selling Yourself Short

I find that I’m constantly comparing myself to other DMs. This is an aspect of my personality that I’ve never quite been able to avoid, my whole life I’ve walked around comparing my life to that of my friends, and now I’m even comparing myself to other gamers I read about online? I read about, see videos of or have actually had the experience of playing with them and I somehow always walk away feeling like a chump that can’t run his game worth a shit.
Review: Conquest of Nerath
Posted inDungeons and Dragons (D&D) Reviews

Review: Conquest of Nerath

Conquest of Nerath is the latest board game from Wizards of the Coast - but it's not your typical D&D dungeon crawling fare as it compares to games like RISK or Axis & Allies. I wasn't interested in the game at all when I'd first heard about it, yet after mounting curiosity and an ever-widening strategic wargame hole in my soul, that changed. I'm very pleased with the outcome because it's fun game with simple rules yet provides a good strategy experience and in a short amount of time too.