“The Passenger” – Out of the Box #22 D&D Encounters
movies, Horror follows this the most. Good horror has a bait and switch, or a surprise hook, that takes the viewer by surprise. There are many foes within the Monster Manual capable of this with the right delivery. What should follow is the generation of tension, and perhaps a little player paranoia, to add depth to the next few encounters. The right moment or delivery of this “bait and switch” can set the tone and give your players pause.
Blast from the Past: Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series
The first 9 episodes only cost me 99 cents. May you be so lucky, if you choose.
1983 was a big year for me. Over the summer I turned 14, and in the fall I would begin ninth grade, kicking off my high school years as a freshman. But more importantly, it was a big year for my role-playing habits.
TSR’s sci-fi game Star Frontiers had been out for a year and was coming out with new products left and right. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was riding high with a ton of new modules, including the original Ravenloft module (the maps!), and even the D&D Basic Set was getting a slight reworking with a new boxed set. Then towards the end of the year there hints of something major coming from TSR in 1984, and eventually that would be known as Dragonlance.
So, 1983 had a lot happening in the worlds of D&D. But perhaps the most noticeable, at least for the 13-soon-14-year-old me was the Dungeons & Dragons animated TV series.
Our heroes. Yep, that’s Bobby the Barbarian at center.
Saturday morning cartoons were a huge deal then, and TSR big shot Gary Gygax had pulled off the unthinkable when he traveled to Hollywood and got Marvel Productions (yes, of the comic book Marvel company) and Teoi Animation of Japan involved with this new animated show.
“Counting Sheep”- Out of the Box D&D Encounters # 21
Introduction: I can’t speak for every table, but a touch of the ridiculous can often turn a normally staid affair into one that hooks players into memorable encounters. Even darker humor is often better than none. If you can add a description to that...
Character Progression – Awarding Experience and Rewarding Players
There are about as many different ways to handle character progression as there are role-playing systems, but most commonly they revolve around one tantalizing resource – experience points. It might go by different names or work differently from system to system, but at the end of a session most players are excited to rack up some XP. Loot and items may come and go, but XP is a permanent reward, one which drives the game forward and works as a proverbial ‘carrot on a stick’ for your players.
So how, as GMs, do we hand out this resource? Some GMs meticulously calculate exactly
how many points each character receives, while others eschew the XP system entirely and
give out levels at narrative milestones. There’s no right or wrong way to handle character
progression, but it is important to make sure that whatever method you’re using is right for
the players in your group, and that everyone’s on board.
Keep track of it all with Digital Character Sheet
Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Nathan Thurston, the creator of Digital Character Sheet, in order to learn about his product. Instead of me telling you about it, I thought I’d let him fill you in. My questions for him are in bold, followed by his answers.
What exactly is Digital Character Sheet?
Digital Character Sheet is software that replaces or supplements a Tabletop RPG player’s character sheet. It was created out of a desire to break away from the sometimes hard to fill, awkward form-fillable PDF character sheets, and provide a more elegant and sensible avenue to store character information.
“The Menagerie”- Out of The D&D Encounters Box #20
Tabletop Roleplaying Games – Cypher System by Monte Cook
Tabletop Roleplaying games have been around a while. In the last years many different games have
English: Monte Cook at the 2007 ENnies. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
been made. Some have fallen and and others have thrived. The hobby of sitting around a table and rolling funny shaped dice is possibly the biggest it has ever been.
Some might say that is because of Monte Cook, and other game designers like him. Nerdarchy had the pleasure of interviewing him just the other night and it was a REAL pleasure to do so. Monte Cook has been designing games since he was in college and, if my math is correct, approaching 30 years, designing in the industry.
The Cypher System is a tabletop roleplaying game built on the back of other games, also made by Monte Cook. Numenera was first and was highly acclaimed for its approach and unique fantasy setting. Next came The Strange. This used the core mechanics from Numenera but offered a new setting and different options for character creation designed for that specific world.
It then occurred to Monte Cook that not everyone wants to play in a specific setting and the core rules that these system used could be expanded upon to make a system that was setting universal and in addition could handle any genre of tabletop roleplaying games.
And so The Cypher System was born. The Cypher System offers things that many other games do not and truly rivals the other games as you can make anything you want.
Major Advantages of the Cypher System
Want more 5E D&D potions? Look No Further Than The Emporium of Uncanny Magic
For those who played Dungeons & Dragons prior to fifth edition they might have noticed some old, favorite potions no longer appearing in the 5E D&D Dungeon Master’s Guide. This makes sense as 5E D&D is the most streamlined version of the game so far. What to do, then, if you want to include those potions in your current 5E D&D game? Simple. You turn to The Emporium of Uncanny Magic – Lost Potions from Insane Angel Studios.
“Shell Game”- Out of The Box D&D Encounters #19
show up and be willing to have a good time. “Shell Game” is one such encounter. It uses the resources on the table as the encounter starts, and uses those limited resources to maximum effect to create an oddball moment that might come up in later conversations. And really, isn’t that what it’s all about?5th Edition Tome of Beasts – Aberrations
Hello again I am guess you can tell from the title that Nerdarchist Ted is here to talk more about the 
awesome monsters found in the Tome of Beasts. Last week I touched on the Devils in the book. You can check out that article here. Today we are going to look at some of the Aberrations that can be found within its pages.
Aberrations are creatures from beyond. They are nor of this world and are the things of nightmares. This time Kobold Press brings you 20, if my count is right, new aberrations for use in your 5th edition game. I can assure you that with this spread you get challenge ratings as low as 1/4 with the map mimic and as high as 19 with the Shoggoth
The Map Mimic is cool because it allows dms to use those nasty surprise creatures at the earliest levels. And who does not want to have them find a map that leads to another mimic? Think of all the fun you 
can do with such a thing.
Shoggoth, I believe is right out of Cthulian Horrors. With a challenge rating of 19 I would imagine it would be so. This is the type of monster that could have a campaign leading up to it as the major adversary. And since the tome of beasts gives you so many more options you have enough aberrations to make that type of game happen
The Arboreal Grappler is an awesome Ape with limbs that are at least 10 foot long. Encounter this guy on the plains and you are all set, but meet this guy in the jungle with heavy tree cover and they might just pull you up into their world and let you fall to your death.
Comic Book University: YouTube for the super hero in all of us
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="326" class="zemanta-img"] The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962). Cover art by Jack Kirby and Paul Reinman. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption] I don’t normally do a shout-out for a solitary YouTube channel, especially one that is fairly new, but the channel called Comic Book University...
“The Albatross”- Out of the Box #18
listening to the radio in my car, or a playlist on my phone while showering, can lead to outbursts of “I have to write that down!” Songs inspire character concepts, back stories, encounters, scenes I want to lay out for my players, or images that lead to character sketches and other artwork. This encounter was inspired when I heard “Albatross” by Big Wreck.5th Edition Tome of Beasts – Arch Devils and Devils
Last week I delved into the Tome of Beats and the Rulers of the Fey Court. You can check out that 
Article here. This week I have torn through the devils and lets see what we get.
Not only does Tome of Beast give us some new lower tier Devils to play with but some Upper tier Arch Devils that can be a source for an entire campaign arc. If you have not pre-ordered you own copy you can do so here.
We get 4 new Arch Devils to inspire us in new ways. Kobold press did an excellent job of creating foes with goals and agendas. They also added a new format of damage requiring weapons to be silvered to damage certain foes.
Arbeyach is the first Arch Devil we get to explore and he is literally made of a swarm of insects. His greatest weapons is to cause people to be poisoned and he removes resistance and immunities from those close to him. Be warned. Though his power wains through inaction he has many that serve him.
Ia’Affrat is actually the offspring of Arbeyach. While his father is a swarm of insects, he is a swarm of fire. He is composed of tiny elementals. So removed from flesh and blood he is immune to weapon damage of any kind. Do not get into a fight with him unless you are prepared.
Fan2Sea: Comic Con Goodness on the High Seas
No longer do you have to just dream of setting sail on the seas of high adventure. Now you can do the real thing. Coming in January 2017, with the Fan2Sea Cruise you can take the ultimate comic book and pop culture vacation aboard Royal Caribbean...
“Fountain of Fortunes”- Out of the Box D&D Encounters #17
see value in monetary things, but this may simply a pragmatic outlook and not greed. The reality is that things generally cost money. However, many others place value on the intangible. Some place value in concepts or ideals. Love, honour, faith, hope, justice, and freedom…, or even death, carnage, corruption and tyranny. Add to that a bit of flavor text I read in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, and we have an encounter.