How to Find a Gaming Group for Tabletop RPG Games
Hey folks Nerdarchist Dave here to talk about the age old question: how do I find a gaming group? This can be super easy or a Herculean task especially among us tabletop RPG gamers. Let’s face it, inside the gaming community there are more socially inept people than you can roll a d20 at. I feel like can say that, being one of the inept. I personally have always gotten anxiety when placed in large social gatherings with people I don’t know.
Custom 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons Races — Reptilians
Hello gaming fans, Nerdarchist Ted here. I know Nerdarchist Nubz has been doing a series called Savage Species and many of you have liked it. So I have decided to give it a go and give you a couple of my favorites written from my point of view. Let me let you in on a little secret. I am a huge fan of playing monster characters. For you old hats out there my favorite book from second edition Dungeons & Dragons was clearly the Complete Book of Humanoids. Once I got a hold of that I saw no reason to play any other race unless the Dungeon Master forced me to. All right, with my background covered lets get to the fun with my take on some 5E D&D monster races! Please consult with your DM ahead of time before you make a character with these rules.
Exploring Spelljammer for 5E D&D
Flashback to 1995 — Spelljammer. The second edition campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons I liked playing. Flash forward some to 3E D&D, an edition I enjoyed for many years but an edition I will not be playing in the foreseeable future. Will I ever get to play Spelljammer again?
Build a Better Adventure with Terrible Terrain in Your RPG
Nerdarchist Dave here and it’s time to talk about some RPG encounter building. I’m going to make this a miniseries article containing four parts. On Nov. 15, 2014 Nerdarchy took part in the online convention called Brigade Con. Brigade Con is dedicated to tabletop roleplaying games. There was a ton of online games and discussion panels going on for just over 24 hours. Terrible Terrain was the name of the discussion panel we ran. Later in this article you can check out the video. In the meantime I’m going to elaborate on our discussion and break down the encounters more in depth.
Running a Game of 5E D&D
Hello, Nerdachist Ted here to talk about fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. With each edition of D&D there are changes in perception and rules to challenge Dungeon Masters. With the Player’s Handbook and Monster Manual now completely available, running a game is easier but we have yet to get the Dungeon Master’s Guide. I wonder what new secrets or bits of information lie in those pages. I have run two sessions of 5E D&D for the Nerdarchy crew and friends and in just those two sessions it has changed my perspective of being Dungeon Master.
The Desert World of Athas — Dark Sun Campaign Setting
Hello friends, Nerdarchist Ted here to talk about Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings. Today I would like to talk about Dark Sun or the desert world of Athas. With most D&D campaign settings the world is mostly good. That is not the case in Dark Sun. In most campaign settings magic is prevalent and not harmful at its core. In the desert world of Athas magic destroys life just by being cast.
Finding Inspiration for 5E D&D Campaigns
Hey friends, Nerdarchist Ted here. Running a campaign in fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder or any other tabletop roleplaying game is hard and writing material for said campaign can be even harder. When doing so you have to predict possible actions your players will make and be prepared for the most obvious options but as as Dungeon Master where do you come up with the ideas?
5E D&D Character Build — Gnome Illusionist
Nerdarchy recently did a video on fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons races — the gnome. Which has led me to want to play one. For me gnome illusionist was one of the iconic characters from AD&D. The great thing about gnomes to me is they share a lot of the cool traits of dwarves when it comes to their industrialness, but lack the dwarven somberness. They are fun loving and gregarious by nature easily lending themselves to a comedic role without taking away too much from a serious game. One of the things about these guys is they’re practical jokers and jovial by nature. I think this adds a great dynamic to a group of adventures. When you combine their nature with their affinity for illusion magic in the case of the forest gnome or tinkering when it comes to the rock gnomes it’s the perfect storm for creating a trickster character.
Constructing a 5E D&D One Shot
Last Friday night I was home alone and not an RPG game to be played in sight. My regular group wasn’t available yet and I still wanted to drop some funny shaped dice. So what is a gamer to do? I’ll tell you what I did. I reached out to the online RPG game community and some of my fellow Nerdarchists via Facebook. On Facebook there is this group called the Tabletop RPG One Shot Group started by fellow YouTuber GM Juce. He started it to bring gamers together and help people game. A while back I did an article on that FB group and how it’s helping gamers to game.
First Look at 5E D&D Monster Manual
Hello fellow gamers, Nerdarchist Ted here. Today I want to talk about the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. I have been playing D&D since second edition AD&D. There have been many changes in style layout and information contained in each edition’s Monster Manual. The art styles of each edition of course change as styles, techniques and tools to create art change with the times. The rules for all the monsters of course change to take into account the actual flow and dynamics of the new rules.
Willing Suspension of Disbelief Creates an Immersive RPG Experience
Even with the light from your torch the stairwell’s end cannot be seen. As you cautiously make your way down each step, the cracks and crevices on the sides of the wall quiver and writhe in time to the torch’s flickering flame.
Unseen cobwebs flutter against your eyes and face. There is a rushing sound like one unending breath that you hear too close to your ear. You see something move in the shadows just outside the torch’s glow. You hear a scratching, chattering cacopho-
*crackle, crackle*
*crackle, crackle*
” Hey pass over those Cheese Puffs”
Sigh… The dreaded words that quell the willing suspension of disbelief in an immersive RPG.
“Pass me the ______” ( food or beverage )
As a DM, if that blank is not filled by the words “Holy Avenger” or some other fantasy item, it really deconstructs the built up tension.
Thus undermining the work that we, as DMs, put into setting the mood of encounters.
While experienced players can still hack it when it comes to mood disruptions they still lessen the overall experience for everyone.
Why is that the case?
Are 5E D&D Tieflings Misunderstood or Soul Eating Hellspawn?
Hello Nerdarchy Fans and fellow gamers. Nerdarchist Ted here to talk Dungeons & Dragons races, specifically the tiefling. This devilsh race made its debut in Planescape and those who did not really play in that setting got to see them make a rise into the standard Player’s Handbook, or PHB as we all lovingly refer to it as, in fourth edition D&D. The tiefling is a humanoid with demon or devil blood or who has a infernal heritage depending on the edition being played. Fiends like these are typically evil and tieflings sometimes face prejudices because of this heritage. Creatures and potential allies might question where their loyalties are going to lie. Are they going to assist you or profit from your demise? These are the risks every one has to face as views from the outside if you are playing a tiefling in 5E D&D.
5E D&D Character Build — Human Cleric
Hey guys Nerdarchist Ted, here to bring you a new type of Article. I hope you like it. Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition character builds. Today I want to talk about a Human Cleric.
Now many of you with lots of years chucking dice might sit back and question how boring is it to make a human cleric.
Well I am here to tell you that at least in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition you are wrong. With a back ground to choose. a domain to choose and going with the variant human you get extra skill proficiencies and a feat.
Dungeons and Dragons — The Dastardly Dungeon Crawl
Hello fellow gamers out there. Nerdarchist Ted here to talk about that necessary component of tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons, Dungeon World and Dungeon Crawl Classics. That’s right: laser guns. No, of course not laser guns it’s the dungeon crawl.
Customization of 5E D&D Characters with Fabulous Feats
Hello my fellow gamers, I’m here with some more info for you. Today I want to talk about Dungeons & Dragons character customization and feats. Throughout the evolution of D&D there have been many ways to add flavor, backstory and character customization. In second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons you had proficiencies both weapon and nonweapon and these translated mainly to weapon proficiencies and skills in third edition D&D and beyond.
