Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #36 – “Ouroboros”
Out of the Box introduction
D&D Beyond Publishes Inaugural Post by Lead Writer James Haeck
Coming on the heels of their recent announcement of hiring James Haeck as lead writer under content manager Todd Kenreck, D&D Beyond published their first post of this new endeavor on Monday, March 5, 2018. Along with staff writers James Introcaso and Mike Shea, DDB will begin producing written content on the site to compliment the wonderful video content produced by Kenreck. The first post to usher in the new featured content takes a look at one of fifth edition’s most often discussed and debated class features – the Beast Master ranger archetype.
D&D Beyond Goes Beyond ‘And Beyond’
Whether you use the digital toolset’s robust free resources, went all-in with a Legendary Bundle and Master Tier subscription, or remain skeptical of the whole affair, D&D Beyond is without a doubt part of the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons culture and conversation. Here at Nerdarchy, we are big fans and advocates of DDB. We use it for our games in-person and live streamed, for research and reference with its fantastic search features and filters, for tinkering with homebrew creatures, items and spells, and basically everything. Don’t get us wrong – we still cherish our physical books, dutifully adding them to our bookshelves and flipping through them in equal measure. But as DDB continues to evolve, the already indispensable resource establishes a firmer foothold with the upcoming mobile app, the fantastic video content from Todd Kenreck and, most recently, the announcement of a writing team to create even more D&D content.
Strongholds & Streaming Kickstarter from Matt Colville Raises the Bar
Just over two years ago, John Wick’s 7th Sea: Second Edition Kickstarter smashed through the barriers of roleplaying game potential, becoming the first campaign of its kind to surpass the $1 million mark. Among contemporaries in the RPG space, consistent hits from Monte Cook Games and Richard Thomas, along with extraordinary successes from Evil Hat Productions, Modiphius, Kobold Press, Frog God Games and others illustrate the possibilities of crowdfunding. And with the meteoric launch of Strongholds & Streaming, the first Kickstarter project from Matt Colville, we will almost certainly see the bar raised even higher.
Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes Reveals Conflicts of D&D Multiverse
We can thank Wizards of the Coast senior director Nathan Stewart and franchise creative director Mike Mearls for revealing the next fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons book during the Fireside Chat on the D&D Twitch channel Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. And today we got the official announcement from WotC about Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes!
Kickstarter Korner for Feb. 2018, Week 1
Each week during the Quests & Adventures live chat, Saturday at 2 p.m. eastern, Nerdarchists Dave and Ted and Nate the Nerdarch hang out live with fans from the Nerdarchy YouTube channel. It’s a chance to share announcements and news, answer questions from the live chat and generally just hang out and talk nerdy with the Nerdarchy community.
In the description of each weekly video, Nerdarchist Ted compiles a list and links to all the videos and website content from the week. But he also shares a selection of cool Kickstarter campaigns. As an avid Kickstarter supporter, he’s happy to share his favorite RPG and gaming-related Kickstarters with you, the Nerdarchy community. Enjoy!
Marvelous Phile: Character Creation
Hey, guys, Professor Bill of Comic Book University (where tuition is always free) and I’m bringing you the tenth article of the Marvelous Phile, an homage to the excerpt in Dragon Magazine back in the ’80s.
D&D Beyond Gets Unearthed Arcana Content
Hello! Nerditor Doug here with Nerdy News.
Unearthed Arcana playtest material for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons is now available on D&D Beyond.
Live Stream D&D is a Playstyle All its Own
Back in 2010 the notion of Dungeons & Dragons, or any roleplaying game, as a spectator event would draw incredulous looks – even from dyed-in-the-wool players. There were a few videos floating around from Wizards of the Coast to show examples of D&D being played, and some podcasts of people playing or talking about the gaming hobby. Fast forward to 2017, and live stream roleplaying games have grown into a viable form of entertainment. The big dog in the room, Critical Role, generally draws audiences in the 30,000 viewer range for their live games on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. pacific. The VOD on the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel dwarfs these numbers; the first episode is sitting at 6.1 million views. The new campaign just started too – were your #silhouettewatch predictions correct?
Fantastical Mounts: Ride into Legend with New Creatures for 5E
No terrain too difficult A dragonborn warrior, you are proud of your heritage. When your family came to Ulthe-Gana from the Dragon Realm, you were eager to explore the new lands and represent your kind among the people native to the world. As an...
Keep Your Campaign on Track: Dead End Plots in D&D
A campaign in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, or any roleplaying game, turns on the words and deeds of the characters whose actions move the narrative forward – usually in ways the Game Master never expects. I’d say quite a few D&D adventures go in different directions almost immediately upon starting play. A GM can consider and plan for a million possibilities, and I’m never surprised when players do the million and first thing. Giving players agency in your game is vital, but what do you do when the adventurers venture far afield of the quests you prepared, or get stymied by obstacles, puzzles and other challenges impeding progress? Did the adventure hit a dead end?
D&D Customized Content Creation: From Modules to Modular
I’ve been ruminating a lot lately about the evolution of Dungeons & Dragons. From early days playing through adventures like The Keep on the Borderlands and Palace of the Silver Princess to running fifth edition D&D quests like Curse of Strahd or careening through a slapdash Spelljammer campaign the game – and the people who play it – have changed a lot.
One of the ways D&D cleaves to current day sensibilities is through individualized customized content. This isn’t to say D&D wasn’t personalized for all the groups out there rolling funny-shaped dice back in the day, but the way folks play and the content we use to make the magic happen at the table has undergone a sea change.
Stuff Your Digital Stocking and Help a Charity with Frog God Games and Kobold Press Humble Bundle
Is it Dec. 6, 2017 at 11 a.m. PST already? You’re in luck, roleplaying gamer! While you’re getting ready to stuff your stockings this holiday season you can stuff your digital bookshelf full of a dragon’s hoard worth of awesome books – and help out a charity for doing it!
Bill Webb, co-founder of Frog God Games partnered up with Wolfgang Baur and Kobold Press to create the first ever fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Humble RPG Book Bundle. The offering is live for two weeks and the clock is already ticking.
D&D Beyond Updates, Cyber Monday Sales and Adam Bradford Live Chat
The November Live Development Update and Q&A from D&D Beyond went up recently, and product lead Adam Bradford once again delivered a robust discussion covering a wide range of topics encompassing the fantastic digital toolset. The latest updates highlights new homebrew background and feat creation, showcasing the Honorable Hood and Dagger Master content to illustrate how creators can use these tools. There’s also refined monster listing descriptions that adds compendium info, official errata updates and an overview of how the Xanathar’s Guide to Everything preview videos as well as new videos might be integrated further into the content on the site.
Gazing Into Eye of the Beholder: The Art of Dungeons & Dragons
Whether you started playing Dungeons & Dragons out of the original woodgrain-colored box and the three little brown booklets inside or you’re new to the hobby and go completely digital with D&D Beyond, before you make a single die roll, you’re drawn in by art. From Greg Bell’s Doctor Strange “inspired” mounted warrior on the original 1974 box cover to Tyler Jacobson’s depiction of an adventurer battling King Snurre on the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook, fantasy art’s history and influence on D&D is woven into the fabric of the game.
The stories behind the art, helping to create the worlds we play in, are the focus of the new documentary Eye of the Beholder: The Art of Dungeons & Dragons from the team of X-Ray Films and Cavegirl Productions. The film profiles artists who contributed to the rich world of fantasy D&D art and features insiders, designers, writers and fans sharing the impact of art on their games and lives.
