D&D 5e weapons nomenclature: When a longsword is not always a longsword
D&D and weapons
Weapons have always been a big part of Dungeons & Dragons. This makes sense considering combat has played a large role in D&D since the game’s earliest days. True, a Dungeon Master and players can enjoy tabletop roleplaying without combat, but usually there is some kind of conflict. Even for the most non-violent-oriented RPG players, often those interested far more in the RP aspects of the game than combat, there tends to be some form of conflict as this creates tension, and without this tension the characters within the game are living rather humdrum lives and the game itself can become quite dull.
So, conflict ensues, which often enough leads to physical conflict, actual combat. Despite the fantasy aspects of D&D, the magic and the monsters, weapons tend to make an appearance, usually weapons that are taken from the real world and history.
E40 YR1- Tabletop Fantasy RPGs Pros and Cons of RPG Genres Podcast
Episode 40 of the Nerdarchy Podcast Year One. This was the first video n our pros and cons series for RPG genres. Fantasy seemed to be the appropriate place for Nerdarchy to start. It's what we know best and have played the most of. It...
Dungeoneering 101: Dungeon Design Basics
Back on April 24, Nerdarchy released a video about Dungeon Design Basics.
This was a sponsored video by ArmorClass10.com, who happen to be the vendors of the shirts our illustrious Nerdarchists are wearing in the video. By the way, it’s not all D&D stuff over there, they’ve got at least one Doctor Who reference and one about not stepping on a Lego that gave me a good chuckle.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #1: Stick in the Mud
Magic items as encounters has become an accepted option within this series. However, there’s one particular dynamic that has yet to be really explored fully – sentient items. Sentient items allow for a completely new approach to magic items as it not only allows the introduction of some cool magical effects, but essentially allows for the introduction of an unusual NPC into the group. Moreover, this NPC will enter into a special relationship with its owner/wielder. This relationship is somewhat symbiotic, as the sentient item will have its own motivations, personality, and “mental attributes.” When its motivations are subverted, a contest of personalities may occur whereby both the item and the possessor vie for control of the wielder. The winner of this contest then decides how the wielder acts for a time. This sort of relationship can open up a whole series of role-playing opportunities. However, if a potential player may take offense at such loss of control over their character concept, I would advise avoiding this sort of encounter.
E39 YR1- D&D 5E Gameplay Set in the Planescape Meat Grinder- Recap Podcast
Episode 39 of Nerdarchy the Podcast Year One. Here we recap a D&D 5E game we played in for the first Brigade Con. The game was run by Andrew Knapp of YouTube Channel SR2Joker. It was set in Planescape and was designed to be a meat...
The Virtues of an Epic Failure: Really Critty Stories
On April 17, Nerdarchy released a video about Critical Failures and why to use them.
Gaming Elitism Isn’t Dead
This probably isn’t news to you, but no matter how many times we sit down and have the discussion of “this is a game and there isn’t a wrong way to play it,” there are still going to be people who will be glad to tell you exactly how you’re having fun wrong. Most of what I end up seeing personally are hardcore roll players getting upset because people aren’t min-maxed.
Stream of Annihilation highlights what’s fantastic about D&D
It’s no fluke that an enormous and continually-growing slate of streaming game play has emerged alongside 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons. When Greg Tito joined Wizards of the Coast’s marketing team a couple of years ago as communication manager, adding more streaming programming to their schedule was one of his goals to expand the audience for D&D.
Postmodernism in Dungeons & Dragons
Recently, Megan posted an article about how to reconsider evil characters the same day a video with Nate, Scott, and Kyle talking about whether the alignment system was still viable was uploaded. Along with a conversation I had with the Nerdarchy staff writers about postmodernism, I was inspired to write an article about applying postmodern principles into Dungeons & Dragons.
E38 YR1- Role-Playing Tips- Getting Into Character with Nerdarchy and Friends Podcast
Episode 38 of Nerdarchy the Podcast Year One. This time we bring in all of our gaming buddies from the game I Dungeon Master. We all give our role-playing tips for getting into character before a gaming session. https://soundcloud.com/david-friant-458990853/e38-yr1-role-playing-tips-getting-into-character-with-nerdarchy-and-friends Role-Playing Tips- Getting Into Character with Nerdarchy and...
Satine Phoenix is living the nerdy dream
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ5Hts-8VQY&w=560&h=315] Nerdarchist Dave got three special guests for the cost of one when he welcomed Satine Phoenix to the Nerdarchy live chat. Hanging out on her birthday from her home/studio in sunny Los Angeles, Phoenix shared her morning chatting live and answering questions. Nerd culture...
Spelljammer ship combat primer for 5E D&D
You can’t throw a d20 in 2017 without hitting a space fantasy RPG. Tabletop gamers looking to combine swords and sorcery with science and starships can take their pick of several products hitting the market this year. Starfinder utilizes the Pathfinder engine to explore fantasy...
Absolute Tabletop takes the Oath of the Frozen King with Nerdarchy
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPJk2Taia9c&w=560&h=315]
Nerdarchist Dave welcomes Matt Click and Tim Kearney from Absolute Tabletop to live chat #45 to talk about Oath of the Frozen King, their latest Kickstarter project. With a solid history of RPG content creation, AbTab’s latest offering is the Adventure Kit, which they describe as “versatile, flexible frameworks for roleplaying game adventures.” The modular presentation allows for minimal prep time for GMs, enabling you to run adventures for your players at the drop of a hat.
E37 YR 1- Nerdarchy Presents Terrible Terrain at Brigade Con an Online RPG Convention Podcast
Episode 37 of Nerdarchy the Podcast Year One. This is our very first ever live stream with a questions and answers format. At this point we had streamed games using Google Hangouts. Most of which were Dungeons and Dragons, but we hadn't ever did one...
Blind characters not unknown in film, books, comics
On Last Monday’s “Nerdarchy: Live Chat,” the chat itself talked for more than a half hour about different kinds of blind characters. I figured I’d expand on the lore a bit more.