Sixth Edition D&D — Visions of the future
Dungeons & Dragons has had a long life with many iterations and there is no reason to believe the trend will end with fifth edition D&D. When a new team comes in, they will inevitably have a different vision than what was handed to them. Nerdarchists Dave and Ted have been speculating on what sixth edition D&D might look like, whether it will become a more modular system or something different entirely. While I don’t have a vested interest in a new edition, it can be fun to examine what we have and what it might lead to. My prediction relies on two variables: the form and success of Pathfinder Second Edition and if the current trend continues or turns around.
Bubblemancer – A Different Take on Mist Walker from Taking 20
As with many out there in RPG hobby who have taken to the interwebs, I’m a fan of quite a few different content creators out there. Shocking, I know. While my love for Nerdarchy is evident, I do occasionally peek into what other channels are doing. My series-of-tube-lurking has brought me to Taking 20 this week. The ever kind Cody has released his new class the Mist Walker for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, and while I find the class chocked full of flavor, I like to take that flavor, twist it and turn it to eleven. Allow me to introduce you to: Kurugame, the Bubblemancer!
D&D Character Creation is More Than Numbers and Abilities
Developing an interesting character for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons can be tricky for some, especially those newer to the RPG hobby. What I’ve found over the years is that interesting characters come not from the big stroke events of their past, but instead the small habits, looks and decisions attributed to your character. D&D character creation involves making mechanical choices certainly, but beyond the numbers and abilities there’s a character waiting to be revealed.
Kickstarter Korner for June 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...
Using Fantasy Tropes and Player Expectations in D&D
Everyone knows the standard fantasy tropes, the cliches and traditional storytelling elements that make up our favorite stories. The knight fighting the dragon, wizards studying dusty tomes, the kingdom-saving enchanted sword — they’re all pretty standard, but when you take fantasy tropes and turn them on their head against player expectations in Dungeons & Dragons you’ve got something recognizable, but new.
Cults of the Demons and Devils of the D&D Blood War in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
The Nerdarchists continue their excavation into the world of demons and devils with part two of the D&D Blood War in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. This time we’re talking about demons. I have long found demons and devils themselves to be a bit boring as villains themselves, but the idea of a mortal cult that worships a demon, now that is something that ignites my interest. When you really think, it can be a complicated concept. A group of mortals that are so devout in their beliefs, they are willing to sacrifice themselves, or at the very least risk themselves, in service to an extraplanar being. Getting into the psychology and trying to parse it all out is a lot of fun and with the great tables in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, the creativity flows so easily. Using these tables, let’s start a cult together… for you next adventure arc, that is.
Using the Corpse Rook- Fifth Edition Foes from Frog God Games| Dungeons and Dragons Monsters
What has brilliant feathers as dark as night, a massive wingspan and heads that’d make a Doduo jealous? Why, the corpse rook. Frog God Games was nice enough to include this beauty in their Fifth Edition Foes compendium and just like every other entry in the book, I love this monstrosity. Let’s jump into what I think is a great way to use this fantastic creature.
D&D Character Delve – Great Old One Triton Warlock for RPG Crate Adventures on the Open Road
It is time for another fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character build. This time we will look at P’Saden, the Great Old One triton warlock character I played in the RPG Crate sponsored game, Adventures on the Open Road: Anchor Head Cave. As we were playing a seafaring adventure I wanted to use a triton. Ever since they came out in Volo’s Guide To Monsters I wanted an excuse to use these not-quite-mermaid people. I had no particular interest in the mechanics of the race, just the concept. I can honestly say I have never played a character like this before. Not that I haven’t played a wily swashbuckler, but not one with the superiority complex inherent in triton. It was kind of like playing an elf rogue. I had to figure out how he got from uptight xenophobe to smarmy spell slinger.
New 5E Player Race – Goatfolk, Getting Down with these Baaaa-ad boys
Goatfolk. The Beastmen. The Faun. They come by many names across many mediums. The Nerdarchy crew was inspired to create a stubborn, bearded race that wasn’t dwarves. This lead them to write us up a goatfolk 5E player race for your Fifth Edition games and I think we can christen these cloven-hoofed creatures with a proper encounter idea.
Bring on Sixth Edition D&D — Modularity, Dynamics and Live Stream Play
The immense popularity of fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons is undeniable. The streamlined 5E ruleset coupled with Wizards of the Coast’s dedication to engagement with the RPG community and embrace of social media and streaming culture has propelled D&D both up and out. Longtime gamers who’ve been with the hobby since the first days or any edition along the way, as well as incredible numbers of new players, have cottoned to today’s D&D experience. The upcoming Stream of Many Eyes, June 1-3, highlights how all these elements come together in a three day spectacle of live stream D&D games, cosplay, elaborate sets and celebrity guests. With the amazing success of the fifth edition of the world’s greatest roleplaying game, will we ever see a sixth edition D&D?
Worldbuilding: Different Styles of Monarchy in D&D Political Campaigns
Salutations, nerds! I’ve been giving a lot of thought to fantasy governments and how they tend to be portrayed in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Most of the time you’ve got a pretty standard monarchy in D&D set up and that’s all right if you’re playing a kick-in-the-door style game, but sometimes you want more out of a D&D political campaign than that. Today, we’re going to talk about monarchies (by which I mean ‘one ruler’ more so than the specifics given in the Dungeon Master’s Guide) and a bit about feudalism for worldbuilding.
Hoof It Over to Unearthed Arcana for Playing Monsters in D&D — Centaurs and Minotaurs
It’s tough to think about fantasy without the image of fantastical beasts and foes of legend coming to mind. The mighty minotaur and the mysterious centaur are just two of these creatures brought straight from myth to our tables. The Unearthed Arcana exploring and even updating these monstrous races for those interested in playing monsters in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons has come out and while Nerdarchists Dave and Ted are reviewing the document, I figured I’d take the chance to talk about these interesting creatures and a couple of experiences I had with centaurs and minotaurs in gaming.
Kickstarter Korner for May 2018, Week 4
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.
Player Agency and Cooperative Stories Make a D&D Game Belong to Everyone
Its a very common phrase in the roleplaying circles that its “the Dungeon Master’s Game.” As with most aspects of this hobby, its not always so cut and dry. In your D&D game, you might find infusing some player agency through cooperative storytelling might get a you a new level of engagement from your players. This player agency can take many forms, to include working together with your players to collaboratively create the setting and world.
Win Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes for 5E D&D — First Look and Flipthrough
Friday, May 18, 2017 was the Wizards of the Coast release of Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes to specific FLGS and digitally through D&D Beyond. This is the newest D&D book from The Wizards of the Coast team. Wide release for this 5E D&D book will be on May 29.
The folks over at the PR company for the WOTC team, 360 Public Relations, is always good about getting us early copies so we can show them off to the fans. We always give them away. It’s still nice to get the free 5E D&D swag even if we don’t keep it most of the time. Speaking of which you can get in on a give-away running to May 31 for one of five copies of Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes.
