Critter Corner: Discussing Critical Role Episode 5
Hello! Nerditor Doug here to welcome you to the next installment of Gin’s musings and thoughts on the new campaign of Critical Role, Geek and Sundry’s mega-popular live stream gameplay starring Matt Mercer as Dungeon Master with a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors playing D&D. New episodes stream every Thursday at 10 p.m. eastern. Viewers can watch through Alpha Project, Twitch and YouTube live as well.
Era of Digital D&D Homebrew and Worldbuilding
Over the last few years Dungeons & Dragons has started to evolve into the digital landscape. It started briefly with fourth edition D&D with the hope people could game over farther distances but the project was never completed. Games can now be played online with people across the globe thanks to programs like Fantasy Grounds and websites like Roll20. Today I want to look some of the tools that have come to us for worldbuilding and designing homebrew games. Since Critical Role has become a flagship for geekdom, homebrew games have become more and more popular. Here are a few sites and programs that can really help ease most burdens in the world building process.
Critter Corner: Discussing Critical Role Episode 4
Hello! Nerditor Doug here to welcome you to the second installment of Gin’s musings and thoughts on the new campaign of Critical Role, Geek and Sundry’s mega-popular live stream gameplay starring Matt Mercer as Dungeon Master with a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors playing D&D. New episodes stream every Thursday at 10 p.m. eastern. Viewers can watch through Alpha Project, Twitch and recently YouTube live as well.
All Aboard Izzy’s Slightly Used Airships for 5E D&D
Izzy’s Slightly Used Airships got put on my pile by a very eager creator, BrightShield on the Dungeon Master’s Guild. This may not seem like an important detail but it is. BrightShield has shown a propensity toward being his own biggest critic time and time again. Before I even got the product, he had been through several rewrites and several more occurred after I got it. BrightShield has accepted and even eagerly welcomed all criticism with grace.
This observation is not normally part of my review but this becomes a factor when it means the product is only getting better as time goes on. I was given version 1.3 to review. So be aware the product you can get is even better. In fact, while writing this I had found a typo, pointed it out to BrightShield, and was told it had already been seen to in 1.4. Izzy’s Slightly Used Airships for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons is available at the Dungeon Master’s Guild.
The Lost Kenku: A D&D Adventure Review
Today, we’ll take a look at The Lost Kenku. This is a short nine page adventure for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, which can be purchased for $4.99 on Dungeon Masters Guild. Both the writing and illustrations were done by Shawn Wood, in house concept artist for D&D who you may know from some of the illustrations in The Tortle Package, Encounters in the Jungles of Chult, and The Risen Mists, also available on Dungeon Masters Guild.
Critter Corner: Highlights from Episode 3
Hello! Nerditor Doug here to welcome you to the second installment of Gin’s musings and thoughts on the new campaign of Critical Role, Geek and Sundry’s mega-popular live stream gameplay starring Matt Mercer as Dungeon Master with a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors playing D&D. New episodes stream every Thursday at 10 p.m. eastern. Viewers can watch through Alpha Project, Twitch and recently YouTube live as well.
Examining Xanathar’s Lost Notes To Everything Else for 5E D&D
After a week of exceedingly bad health followed by a week of recovery I have returned, undeterred from my task of bringing to you honest reviews of the homebrew content so popular among gamers of all generations. Today we will be reviewing the little gem known as Xanathar’s Lost Notes To Everything Else for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, available on the DM’s Guild. I’ve had this little badboy in my hands since December, and what is significant is this one I sought out on my own. This D&D content comes from the minds of Ruty Rutenberg, Lysa Chen, Will Doyle, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Rich Lescouflair, Shawn Merwin, Cindy Moore, and the one-of-a-kind Satine Phoenix. And Nerdarchy has an exclusive coupon code for when this book finds it’s way into your shopping cart too.
Rot From Within D&D Adventure Trilogy Review
Salutations, nerds! Over the course of the past three weeks my Saturday group and I have had the pleasure of running the Rot From Within trilogy, an adventure trilogy for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons designed by James Introcaso, Lysa Chen and Cindy Moore.
Part one is called Fester and Burn, part two is Rotting Roots, and part three is Putting the Dead to Rest and all three of these D&D adventures can be found on the DM’s Guild for a paltry $2.99 each (though I believe Fester and Burn is currently marked down to $2.24 if that sweetens the pot for anyone).
Critter Corner: Highlights from Critical Role Episode 2
Hello! Nerditor Doug here to welcome you to the second installment of Gin’s musings and thoughts on the new campaign of Critical Role, Geek and Sundry’s mega-popular live stream gameplay starring Matt Mercer as Dungeon Master with a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors playing D&D. New episodes stream every Thursday at 10 p.m. eastern. Viewers can watch through Alpha Project, Twitch and recently YouTube live as well.
Critter Corner: Discussing Critical Role Episode 1
“Welcome to Wildemount. The year is 835 PD, or Post Divergence.” – Matt Mercer
Hello, Critter darlings. Have you wandered my way because you haven’t yet caught the first episode of the Critical Role new campaign? Or were you perhaps one of the 100K+ plus live viewers, but now you’re out amongst the interwebs looking for analysis, fan theories, and/or gossip? In any case, I hope you’ll find something interesting here. Fair warning, this isn’t really a ‘highlights’ kind of article. I do give some character overviews and a session summary, but my main purpose is trying to build a case for a theory I have about the overall story arc we might see as the new season unfolds.
*mild spoilers for Critical Role, Campaign 2 Episode 1 ahead
Invoking Emirikol’s Guide To Devils for 5E D&D
Here we are again, doing another Homebrew Review. This time we are tackling Emirikol’s Guide To Devils from Sean McGovern. Like the last review, we aim to be honest for good or ill, and this one really took a good long time to review. Why you may ask? Because Emirikol’s Guide To Devils is a mighty big book of baddies for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons (240 pages!), available through the Dungeon Masters Guild. Anywho, we will be using the same scale as last time, and will be measuring it with the same school grading system. Let’s delve in and see how this one rolls out.
Perusing D&D Player’s Companion for 5E D&D
Welcome to the trials and tribulations of a new series. In this one, I will be scouring the Dungeon Master’s Guild, StoryTeller’s Vault, and the net itself to review homebrew content of all levels of skill and professional build. I decided to open up this series with the current, as of the time my fingers hit the keyboard, No. 1 searched item on DM’s Guild.
Is the Netflix Movie ‘Bright’ Basically Diet Shadowrun Soda?
Many mainstream critics, including David Ehrlich at Indiewire.com are hailing “Bright” as the worst movie of the year! Heck, before I watched it, I thought I’d hate it being it seemed on the surface to be a complete Shadowrun ripoff. Turns out the Netflix movie is actually a solid effort in which critics such as Mr. Ehrlich may simply be defending the outdated theatre business model.
How Star Wars: The Last Jedi Ruined My Childhood, and How I Came to Terms with it.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is like the first time I ate sushi. I didn’t like it… But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Now I love sushi. I don’t love The Last Jedi, at least not yet, but I can’t stop thinking about it. It deserves another watch from me, one less entangled in my biases and preconceived notions. [NERDITOR’S NOTE: Warning – mild spoilers ahead.]
Review: Creature Components vol. 1: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Creature Components Vol. 1 from Playground Adventures is a supplement detailing the use of spell components taken from fantastic creatures to power spells and magical items for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder. The supplement gives rules and examples for the effects that components taken from many creatures may have in spells as well as new feats and magic items that emphasize the benefits of collecting components from creatures.
If you have watched Critical Role, you may have seen Vox Machina hunting monsters such as a white dragon for the Slayer’s Take and harvesting their remains. Looking into the Dungeon Master’s Guide or Player’s Handbook you might ask yourself why they would do this. Now you can bring those ideas into your game!
