Origins 2008 Blog! Entry Two

Alert! Blog entries this week were written one week prior, on Thursday, June 26!

Last year, I promised myself that I wouldn’t wake up so damned early for games. That…well, doesn’t seem to be the problem. Last night was a long one, and after today’s sessions, I’m utterly bushed!


Burn the heathens! In the name of the Emperor!

Dark Heresy last night was an absolutely pleasant surprise. I had somewhat been expecting something of a heavily tactical, minis-driven firefight, but the investigation elements of DH really came to the fore. Playing a Tech-Priest for the first time, as well, proved to be interesting, particularly when I managed huge successes on Tech-Use when trying to open our “mysterious device” and access its contents.


The mysterious device...oooh!


The device finally opens!

The highlight of DH, though, was Ebbs’ transformation: using his Psyker’s “Firestorm” ability, he rolled heftily on the warp chart…and became a Daemonhost! The game ended with him annihilating most of the party in warp-flame, amidst much Chaos. Tons of fun, all around.


Guess who likes the warp effect chart!


Tech-Priest Celadon stays to the rear...

From the end of DH, Lionel and Ebbs retired, as Dan and Jules joined me in waiting for El Willy and his crew for some Dungeon Slam! Only problem was…we didn’t count on the tornado! Herded by security, we were herded into the lower levels of the convention center where we waited out the storm.


"Dungeon Slam!" at Origins 2008


Watching the chaos as the WegsHogz throw down...


Turning the tables on Jules and the WegsHogz

By the time El Willy and his crew wrapped up, it was nearly 2:00 am, so our session with the Mad Mage was an utterly short one. I do think, though, that a reprinting will soon be in order—my cards are getting pretty well marked up!


"So, let's add that Luck bonus in..."


The Mad Mage's tower is tiring at 3 am!

The morning today began with a quick breakfast with a compadre from Wright State’s Adventurers’ Guild and a trip off to play Hell Rails. Unfortunately, I was the only player! As such, the organizers sidled me into a game of Union Pacific—a rather bland, PvP railroading game. I ended up winning the game, but I felt like it had much less to do with strategy and much more to do with simple utter luck of the draw.

Immediately thereafter, I trucked on over to the Rogue Cthulhu room for Beyond the Sea, a 1960s investigation, where I played Police Detective Dom “The Bug” Coccinello, who was looking into some mysterious murders surrounding a new casino opening. I love the style of the Rogue Cthulhu games, and this was no exception.


The Rogue Cthulhu Banner


The Great Cthulhu rises from the RC room floor!

Our GM—an old vet, Jennifer—ran us through a fantastic story, which ended in full Cthulhian style…with my character insane, and his private eye counterpart both insane and dead (by my hand, no less!). Fantastic session, made only better by the familiar Rogue Cthulhu faces.


"How much Sanity am I losing?"


Smiles from the Rogue Cthulhu game--"Beyond the Sea"


"We're stranded, going crazy, and probably going to die...there's nothing like Call of Cthulhu!"

Dinner was rushed, though I can’t help but mention North Market. It’s so easy to get sick of the fast food in the Convention Center Food Court, and the freshness at the Market is such a wonderful difference. I was running pretty ragged by the end of CoC, so a quick curry was really refreshing for me, before heading back to Hommlet in 4e.


Dan, Rachel, and Emily in the dealer room


Andy and Dan, being fabulous


The crew at North Market--Dan, Emily, Maranda, Lionel, Ebbs, and Rachel

After my earlier difficulties with the RPGA, I wasn’t sure what to expect with Return to the Moathouse, since it was being coordinated by the same people. That said, my first impressions of the game soon dissipated as we delved into a new version of the Temple of Elemental Evil’s Moathouse. The throwback was really fantastic, and the guys around the table were much more sociable than the last RPGA group that I had run with at Origins. I did feel a tic out of touch—all but one of the other players was from the Arlington area, in Texas—the jokes were flying and good tactical suggestions were offered on all sides. I’m not sure if this will cause me to re-evaluate my feelings on the RPGA—there’s still way too much paperwork and bureaucracy—but it’s a start, at least.


Fireball!

That said, playing my Tiefling Wizard was an utter blast, and my earlier opinion on 4e stood up to a higher-level game. Flaming Sphere is sheer fun, rolling around a boulder of fire across the battlefield, running over enemies. Brilliance!

As for tonight, I’m ready for a long nap. I feel like I have a long day tomorrow, with two games of WEGS (including the Friday Midnight Special!) and another Rogue Cthulhu journey, but I’m not the only one. Within two hours, Dan, Maranda, Rachel, and Ebbs head off to Mutant Academy…from 2:00 am till 5:30! Oi! They’re troopers…I’ll be sleeping by then.


Lionel feverishly sorts his new cards

Till tomorrow, fellow gamers…stay tuned!

Origins Blog 2008! Entry One

ALERT! Blog entries this week were written one week prior, on Wednesday, June 25

After a long and chaotic Tuesday, we arrived at Origins around 6:30. Lionel, Ebbs, and the gang had already signed into the rooms and had gotten registered, so the PlatinumChick and I were running behind, picking up our badges that evening and all but collapsing on Ebbs and Co.’s floor.


The Entry to Origins at the Greater Columbus Convention Center


The Wednesday Registration Line--Glad that we avoided this!

Wednesday, though, has had me up early—my first game of the con: none other than 4e D&D, in a revamped run-through of “Keep on the Borderlands”, courtesy of Amorphous Blob games. Having not had a chance to play 4e yet (or, for that matter, play with the AB group!), this was quite the opportunity.


"Keep on the Borderlands" with DM Andy

And, speaking of, it very nearly became something quite memorable. As we were sitting down, reading through our pre-gens, who showed up but Mike Mearls—senior brand manager for 4e! Because of the game, I didn’t get a chance to speak with him (nuts!), but the people who were there on generics really got a treat—noting the lack of DMs, and the number of wanting players, Mr. Mearls sat down and started rolling up an adventure for them! Man alive! Nothing like getting kicked out of a game, only to pick up another one with the creator of the bloody game!

I was honestly really impressed with that. As not only a busy lead designer and an Origins Guest of Honor, Mearls was probably busy beyond belief, but the fact that he’d set aside some time for people he’d never met, who weren’t even registered for a game in the first place really speaks to his character. Kudos to him.


"More bandits, eh?


"Attack!"

As for 4e? The system sparkles. I ended up playing a female tiefling warlord—Rubella—who was nothing short of a combination of Miss Piggy and Red Sonja. Because of this, I ended up spending most of the session hitting on the poor fellow playing the hunky half-elf cleric! Luckily he (and the rest of the group, as well!) were good-humored sports, and the role-playing was taken with the humor with which it was intended. Anyone who says you can’t role-play in 4e is sadly mistaken—it’s all in how you use the system.


Rubella's ready for action!"

Speaking of, the fun just kept rolling. Every round, I felt like I could do something where I could contribute—whether it was just providing an ‘Inspiring Word’ to heal a comrade (or myself, after nearly being taken down by a kobold!) or moving comrades around the battlefield with Wolf Pack Tactics. The system transition, which was something I had worried about, was all but nil; the powers were easy to pick up and just as easy to use.


The party skirmishes with some kobolds..."


"Are we really sure about this?"

Surprisingly enough, I was shocked to see that Amorphous Blob had their own prize table, much like Rogue Cthulhu last year…and even more so, when my fellow gamers nominated me to pick something out. I came away from my first game at Origins 2008 with a free copy of Mutants and Masterminds 2e, free of charge! Not a bad deal!

I left AB Games just in time to catch up with the rest of the Witt-Weggers en route to their Call of Cthulhu game, and left them to catch some lunch, luckily with Scott from Wright State’s Adventurer’s Guild. Scott and I chewed the fat about his own D&D PvP event here at Origins, then parted ways as he headed off for registration.

After a filling dinner with the Witt-Weggers at BD’s Mongolian BBQ, we were lucky enough to run into El Willy and his crew, just about to head to dinner. That saved us a call, as we were able to set up our plans to test Dungeon Slam! later tonight, after El Willy’s game!

Well, with that, I have to get prepped for some Dark Heresy, and then get primed to lay the smackdown on the WegsHogz in DS. There’s more to come, cats and kittens! Stay tuned!

Back from Origins!

So, Jules and I rolled in this afternoon, and are dead exhausted after a crazy week in Columbus.

Expect the blog entries--and with them, my post-con wrap-up--to appear this week, in chronological order! Cheers!

The Warlock's Official Origins Game Fair Schedule!

Wednesday, June 25:

Keep on the Borderlands--Dungeons and Dragons 4e--9:00 am to 12:45 pm

Hunt for Heresy--Dark Heresy (Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay)--7:00 pm to 9:45

Thursday, June 26:

Hell Rails--11:00 am to 12:45 pm

Beyond the Sea--Call of Cthulhu (BRP)--1:00 pm to 4:45 pm

Return to the Moathouse--Dungeons and Dragons 4e--7:00 pm to 10:45 pm

Friday, June 27:

Dungeons OR Dragons--WEGS (GameWick Games)--10:00 am to 1:45 pm

Byhakees in Toyland--Call of Cthulhu (BRP)--6:00 pm to 11:45 pm

Friday Midnight Special--WEGS (GameWick Games)--12:00 Midnight to 3:45 am (Saturday)

Saturday, June 28:

Getting Started in Game Design--Seminar--9:00 am to 10:45 am

Fallen Angels--Dark Heresy (Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay)--8:00 pm to 11:45 pm



If you're in the neighborhood next week, come and join me in some geekery! I still have some slots open, if you want to throw some dice!

In Which The Warlock Jumps The Gun (and Possibly The Shark)...

I've genuinely been debating on whether or not to do this. After receiving the books last Friday, I've been reading through the 4e core books, but have not (alas! alack!) been able to put together a game with the Witt-Weggers. As such, the opinion on them is still somewhat unformed.

Right now, I'm sure that very few people (relatively speaking) in the roleplaying world have actually played 4e. Many have, no doubt about that, but with the two mega-cons still coming up and the books only (officially) a week old, it's really difficult to provide an intelligent, well-researched review.

However, I'm a geek. One with regular Internet access, no less! Opinions are getting tossed back and forth like cannonballs across the D&D blogosphere....boy, now that's a phrase I never thought I'd type. People on ENWorld are very 4e friendly, already building fan creations and running play-by-post games. Paizo, on the other hand, has become a refuge for 3e grognard-ism, with some waiting for their Pathfinder release and others swearing that they'll never switch editions.

And me? Well, I'm here...waiting for Origins, for my big shot to play. But, in the meanwhile, I guess I'll give my two copper, as usual.

Let me put this out there, nice and clearly: This is only a "first impressions" review. This is in no way a playtest review. I have not yet played 4e, and all opinions that I'm about to divulge are based only on having read the books. Take that as you will.

Okay, legal-ese out of the way, here we go!

When 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons was announced, I was genuinely pissed off. I had a feeling it was coming--rumors had abounded about delays in Wizards of the Coast's product schedule and gaps in their release dates, but little was certain. When their site went all "4 Adventure!" during their stint at Gen Con, "my doom was nigh!" as I tell the wee ones at Summit.

If you've been reading this blog at all--you few, pathetic souls that do--you know I've been on the fence for a while. Well, based on actually sitting down and reading the books, I've finally picked a side--if 4e plays out half as good as it looks to, I won't be playing 3.5e again for a long, long time.

While 3.5 revolutionized the way that D&D worked, streamlining it in ways that were unfathomable to even the most veteran game designers, it seemed to be a victim of its own success. Simply the idea of a unified dice mechanic (d20 + ability + training vs. Difficulty Class) brought the whole gaming culture under its wing. Yes, others have done it before, but this is D&D we're talking about--it's so head and shoulders above everyone else in terms of sales, that they're not even on the same chart!

The problem with that with the streamlining came massive discrepencies. While 3e was massively playtested (with incredibly positive results), later products were put out with much less playtesting, including entire new rulesets which did not always mesh well with the model 3.5e was putting forth. The Psionics rules, as well as the rules set down in Tome of Magic come immediately to mind.

In addition, 3.5e was very much centered around optimization--regardless of what you did, you wanted your character to be "Teh Best Evar!" at it. As such, we saw builds arise that utterly defied logic. One of my biggest complaints about the D&D play at Origins last year--particularly through the RPGA--is that it utterly rewarded those who min/maxed their little hearts out. The guy playing a Str 22 Half-Orc Rogue/Fighter, comes to mind, particularly as he utterly demolished my Str 16 Paladin, wielding a polearm. Don't even get me started on any magic users--particularly clerics and druids, who were known to beat other classes at their own schtick without even trying.

But, that was 3e. This is 4e.

4e took a somewhat radical approach in deciding "Hey, wait a minute. D&D is meant to be a party-style game. How about we focus on a group, rather than each individual in the group?" As such, they finally took the veils off of their readers and gave each class a "role". Fighters and Paladins are "Defenders," for example--their role is to soak up hits that others can't take, deal moderate damage in melee, and provide a central point for others to move around.

Simple thinking, I know, but it sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. With all of the optimized builds out there in 3e, the idea of "what you're supposed to be doing to help the guys around you" got utterly lost. Did you hear about the charging paladin that could deal 16x his Strength mod on a lance-Power Attacked-Charge? Yeah...no more of that.

The decision to drop half-orcs and gnomes as races didn't quite bother me so much, though I was disappointed to not see Orcs as a fundamental player race. Dragonborn, though I loathe to write this, aren't really that bad, though the Tieflings seem somewhat out of place in what's supposed to be a "points of light" setting where civilization has been living in fear of demons and the like. That said, they are still a breath of fresh air into a particularly run of the mill set.
I was pleased to see that no race gets penalties to stats any longer--I can't count how many times that -Cha penalty has hurt my ideas for a Dwarven Paladin or Sorcerer. No more!

Classes are much the same, and I was not sad to see Bard go the way of the dodo. Seriously...bards? Little sing-y lute-players? This is a dungeon, man! Give me something serious!

Replacing Bards are the Warlords, martial captains based on the 3e idea of the Marshal. He fulfills the "leader" role, along with the cleric, as a light tank who buffs the party and can provide healing. Curious about this class, with which I had no prior experience, having not purchased the 3.5 Miniatures Handbook, I statted one up--as written, the idea is particularly unique. My warlord is particularly good at granting extra movement to allies, temporary hit points, and can trigger "healing surges" in a pinch, allowing allies to heal themselves.

Accompanying the Warlord (and replacing the Sorcerer, who is set to come out in a later supplement) is the Warlock, complete with 3 types of pacts--fae (from the realm of Faerie), infernal (typical deal with the devil), and star (holy Cthulhu, Batman!). Curious about this one, as well, I immediately statted up a warlock, as well. Ironically, this may in fact be my favorite class so far--the simple fact that I can drive foes insane by flinging them into Ry'leh (or whatever the D&Dism that matches it is) makes me a happy person.

Something new this time around is the idea that every class has "powers", which is peeled right from the earlier 3.5e release (and 4e harbinger) Book of Nine Swords. While I had feared that this might give a little more of the kung-fu flavor found in Bo9S, I was pleased to see that this wasn't the case. Rather...

...in 4e you get a unified progression of powers that all classes are able to follow, which keeps the classes balanced against one another in terms of ability.

No more do we have Wizards who can annihilate the battlefield in 2 rounds, then have to rest to refresh their spell slots. Similarly, no more do we have a Fighter or Paladin who's stuck with his +1 Longbow at 21st level, simply because the enemy's flying. While having a hard and fast limit on abilities seems somewhat contradictory to choice, the ability to retrain powers and feats at each level allows for customizability options par excellence. Find your group doesn't benefit from that one encounter-power? Change it out for something different next level. It's that simple.

I realize this post is starting run long (really long! oi!), so I'll highlight the next few important issues very briefly:

1) The skill system has been massively overhauled and is much simpler. The skill list is fully 1/4 of what it used to be in 3.5, which is spectacular. The skill challenge system, as put down in the DMG provides for great non-combat encounters that are still challenging for players.

2) CR, for all intents and purposes, has been scrapped. Instead, we get an even more customizable system--simply pick the level of encounter you want, and you get an XP budget based on the number of players you have. Buy the monsters you want, and let it rip. Simple, streamlined, and easy to keep track of.

3) Monsters are cool again. While they've dropped much of the "ecology" section, it's been replaced with combat advice and restructured versions of several monsters, which keeps them viable at multiple degrees of play--called in 4e "tiers". I will admit, the Monster Manual has been the least favorite of my new reading material, but it's had to compete with the PH, which is no easy task.

4) The amount of bookkeeping, overall, is much, much lower. The conditions chart, which was 4 pages long an edition ago, now takes up 2/3 of a page. The combat rules, which were a massive section in 3e, is maybe half of the size. The massive amounts of "out of combat" spells that were in every supplement--they're rituals now, and much easier to deal with.

5) Yeah, no more Great Wheel. :( Maybe they'll have a Planescape setting come out sometime...

6) 4e's tactical and movement focus seems to heavily push the battlemat. Then again, the same thing was said about 3.0 and 3.5e when they came out. That said, 4e makes me want to use a battlemat. That's saying something, considering that I've been gaming for 15 odd years with only sparing use of one. The abilities in terms of terrain and movement just seem to mesh with it so well, particularly as a DM.

I guess, all told, my verdict is massively positive. The things that drove me nuts about 3.5e--the prep time, the massive stat blocks, the rules bloat--have all been tossed out the window. That said, 4e really reminds me--bear with me here!--of WEGS! Simple, quick character creation...powers for every character...tactical combat...Eerily similar, no? Now, if only I could find some time to play!!!

Oi! In Which The Warlock Has a Bowl of Motza Ball Soup...

On a whim this past Saturday, the Witt-Weggers stepped out and caught another of the big summer blockbusters--one which I really hadn't factored in, when I ran down my big-ol'-list earlier in the summer. As such, here's my review of Adam Sandler's You Don't Mess With The Zohan:

Imainge if you will, the most farcical face of a Rambo flick you can possibly farce your way through. Now add in about 16 gay jokes and the additude of the immortal Charlie SheenHot Shots! (or, for that matter, its even better sequel Hot Shots! Part Deux!). Wrap those into a thinly veneered Israeli-Palestinian conflict and you have You Don't Mess With The Zohan: Adam Sandler's latest self-produced comedy vehicle.

Sandler stars as The Zohan, an Israeli counter-terrorist who's about two points away from being Neo in terms of impossible stunts. Within the first 5 minutes, The Zohan's already catching bullets in his nostrils and playing ping-pong with hand grenades against his newly released nemesis, the Palestinian "Phantom".

However, The Zohan isn't satisfied with the life of a sex-crazed kill machine--all he wants to do is style hair, as he cries alone in his room, clutching his 1980s Paul Mitchell catelogue like a pre-teen journal. Faking his own death, Zohan escapes off to New York City, in the hopes to achieve his dream.

The action centers around Zohan's escapades in a Middle-Eastern NYC neighborhood, as he works in a Palestinian salon for Dalia (the absolutely gorgeous Emmanuelle Chriqui). However, his secret identity is soon revealed, and his Palestinian foes come calling. However, as both ethnic groups are being forced out of the neighborhood by a wealthy industrialist, they must find a way to join forces against him, in order to keep their businesses afloat.

Let me be nice and blunt for a moment. ...Zohan is not a movie that you could possibly go into seriously. It's Zoolander meets Hot Shots!, and is absolutely absurd. The special effects are cheesy, the running gags are continual (just look for all the hummus!), and the bad accents are everywhere.

That said, ...Zohan is absolutely hilarious. The writing snaps and pops, put forward by Sandler himself, Judd Apatow, and SNL writer Robert Smigel. The dialogue is rife with constant gags and one-liners, which keep you laughing throughout the duration. That's a good thing, because ...Zohan runs for a solid 2 hours--it's long for a comedy, but it works.

The biggest difficulty with ...Zohan is the fact that it takes no risks. There's nothing here that we haven't seen before--how many times already have I mentioned other movies? It's funny, which means it set out what it was meant to do, but it really isn't that groundbreaking. Even the casting shows this, as Adam Sandler strings along Rob Schneider for another go-round. Schneider, predictably, is a lull in the laughing.

All in all, ...Zohan is a good movie, and worth a rental, but I'm kind of glad that I didn't pay for my ticket. Hang onto your ticket money, and catch it on DVD.

In Which The Warlock Enjoys 4e!

Well, friends and neighbors, I've made my decision. 4e rocks on toast. The problems found so frequently in 3e--the rules bloat, the necessity of prestige classes, the bizarre feat trees and prerequisites--are gone. Classes are but perfectly balanced, and I'll be happy to play any of them. I still miss things like the Great Wheel and the like, but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

So, on that note, here's a eulogy for the fallen system...

Friends, Gamers, geeks, lend me your ears;
I come to bury 3e, not to praise it.
The evil of any edition lives after it;
The good is oft interred with its bones;
So let it be with 3e. The noble designers
Hath told you 3e was broken:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath 3e answer'd it.
Here, under leave of WotC and the rest--
For WotC is an honourable corporation;
So are all the designers, all honourable men--
Come I to speak in 3e's funeral.
It was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But the designers says it was broken;
And WotC is an honourable corporation.
3e hath brought many joyous nights in dank basements
With many an orc slain and princess rescued:
Did in this 3e seem broken?
When with a character concept you were so inspired, 3e did abide:
The meaning of broken should be more closely defined:
Yet WotC says 3e was broken;
And WotC is an honourable corporation.
You all have rolled dozens of characters if not more,
With profession, craft, and knowledge skills,
Each character having his own alignment : was this broken?
Yet WotC says 3e was broken;
And, sure, it is an honourable corporation.
I speak not to disprove what WotC spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love 3e once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then, to mourn for it?
O Player base! thou art fleeting to a new edition,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with 3e,
And I must pause till it come back to me.

I can't (and won't!) take credit for this great transciption--it's from a guy named “ElDragon”, found on ENWorld.

In Which The Warlock Finds a Lost Post!

(Note--This was actually set to be posted right before 4e came out, but somehow got lost in Blogger somehow! Weirdness! At any rate, here's some humor for ya!)

It's official--The Warlock is changing over to 4e. The system just drips systematic coolness, and the streamlining efforts that were made have paid off in dividends. There are still some problems, but by and large, the difficulties made present by 3e are all but gone.

In light of this, here's a eulogy!

Friends, Gamers, geeks, lend me your ears;
I come to bury 3e, not to praise it.
The evil of any edition lives after it;
The good is oft interred with its bones;
So let it be with 3e. The noble designers
Hath told you 3e was broken:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath 3e answer'd it.
Here, under leave of WotC and the rest--
For WotC is an honourable corporation;
So are all the designers, all honourable men--
Come I to speak in 3e's funeral.
It was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But the designers says it was broken;
And WotC is an honourable corporation.
3e hath brought many joyous nights in dank basements
With many an orc slain and princess rescued:
Did in this 3e seem broken?
When with a character concept you were so inspired, 3e did abide:
The meaning of broken should be more closely defined:
Yet WotC says 3e was broken;
And WotC is an honourable corporation.
You all have rolled dozens of characters if not more,
With profession, craft, and knowledge skills,
Each character having his own alignment : was this broken?
Yet WotC says 3e was broken;
And, sure, it is an honourable corporation.
I speak not to disprove what WotC spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love 3e once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then, to mourn for it?
O Player base! thou art fleeting to a new edition,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with 3e,
And I must pause till it come back to me.

P.S. I can't really take credit for this whatsoever--this is courtesy of “ElDragon”, as found on ENWorld.