d&d
The Childhood Roots of Game Design
6:30AM Maggie Greene | Noah Falstein has an interesting article over at Gamasutra, looking at how a selection of game designers got to where they are today — unsurprisingly, a great number displayed an interest in designing games from a young age, an obsession with rules and mechanics (though frequently on paper), and an influence from and interest in one very, very important game: More »
D&D: Tiny Adventures? Where Are My 4th Ed Tools?
4:00PM Logan Booker | Wizards of the Coast’s Tiny Adventures has me a little confused. Sure, it’s a neat little distraction, but it makes me wonder if WotC’s online dudes have lost sight of the bigger picture:
The most galling aspect of the game, from a pen-and-paper player’s perspective, has nothing to do with its mechanics at all. The mere existence of the app raises the question: Why is WotC’s online team taking time to code a Facebook game, when the promised
DM and player tools for 4th Edition remain in a state of limbo?
Frustration aside, I also found the time to do a mini-review of the game, which you can read at the link below.
Play day: D&D Tiny Adventures [Playwrite] More » Druids, Paladins & Shamans, Oh My: Why Hybrid Classes Don’t Work
1:30PM Logan Booker | I should preface this by saying the idea behind a hybrid class is fantastic. I’m the sort of player that can’t stand being pigeon-holed. I like flexibility. To be stuck in the same role for months, even years, in a massively multiplayer online game sounds like torture – the sort you’d endure if someone were to swap your butt with your gonads and force you to sit the same way you always have.
Ouch? You better believe it.
No one likes being sidelined, underpowered or having their class poorly understood by their peers, but these are the issues hybrids have had to endure since the dawn of massively multiplayer games. Is there a solution to the hybrid problem, or should players of classes like the Druid, Paladin and Shaman face the fact that they will never be balanced? More » D&D Alignments in the TF2 World
7:00AM Owen Good | Spot on and speaks for itself. I really can’t disagree with a one of these. Plus it’s nice to see Heavy as something other than the butt of a joke. He has feelings, too. Full size version is at the link. TF2 – D&D Alignment Chart [Halolz] More »What Games Can (Continue to) Learn From D&D
2:30AM Maggie Greene | Gamasutra has an interesting piece up that celebrates the art of thoughtful thievery — based around the idea that there are “no new ideas,” so picking and choosing your sources wisely can at least lead to interesting new creations. Going off the recent release of the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons, Tom Smith looks at a couple of areas where game designers could take some lessons: More »D&D 4th Edition Called Forth From Fiery Pit
3:40AM Mike Fahey | The game that launched a thousand role-playing games toady celebrates its latest incarnation as Wizards of the Coast announces the release of the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Rulebooks. The new set of rules not only herald a more streamlined D&D experience, but also the first true joining of pen & paper D&D to the online world with the introduction of the D&D Insider service, which gives players and Dungeon Masters alike access to online tools for character creation, dungeon building, and even a digital game table to play on. In honour of the release of the three books – The Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide – the D&D Insider service will be available for a free promotional period, after which a subscription will kick in. The books are currently available for $AU 36.29 a piece, or in a bundle for $AU 108.98. In addition to the Insider promotion, Wizards of the Coast is sponsoring a Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day tomorrow, Saturday June 7th, during which locations around the world will be hosting special events to help ease players into the new ruleset. Hit the jump for to find out more about this worldwide celebration!
Krome’s Steve Stamatiadis Is Going To Gen Con Oz
12:00PM Logan Booker | Video gaming has roots in ye olde pen and paper and tabletop games. Dungeons & Dragons. Cyberpunk. Warhammer. Bubble Bobble.
Okay, maybe not that last one. But for the others, Gen Con is the place to be if you love the scent of sweaty dice and hot graphite. Sadly, the expo has been a purely overseas shindig, leaving Australians with little recourse but to cough up a few thousand for return air fare.
This year, things are different. Gen Con has made its way to our shores and, from June 3-6, the Brisbane Convention Centre will be geek central. Damn shame it’s not in Sydney, but what can you do?
If you register online, a full expo ticket will set you back $55, $66 if you buy on the day. Alternatively, you can get a single day pass for $16.50, or $22 at the door. There’s more pricing details on the site.
Even if you’re not interested in tossing around magic missiles, there’s much on offer for the excitable video gamer – a 200-person LAN tournament; previews of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed; recruiting by THQ and an appearance by Krome’s Steve Stamatiadis.
Big, fat action-filled press release after the jump. More » 
TrackWork: D&D Combat Tool For Initiatives, HP and More
3:00PM Logan Booker | Last year I posted a small program I coded for my monthly sessions of D&D. I wasn’t happy with any of the freely available tools for keeping track of initiatives in combat and decided a custom app would be best.
Yes, I’m a huge nerd. Yes, this is a bit off-topic. As such, interested parties can keep reading after the jump, while everyone else can enjoy their social lives. More » 
D&D Readies Another Kind Of Online Roleplaying
12:25PM Mike Fahey | The 4th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons is heading our way in June, and Wizards of the Coast is gearing up to bring the game online in a big way. They’re readying Dungeons and Dragons Insider – a suite of online software tools for the game – for release along with the new rule set, and it could change the way people play Dungeons and Dragons…for a price. More »
