Dragonquest Frontiers eviction notice, Dungeon World flashy new roommate

Alas, sometimes one has to make a decision they don't want to make, but shelling out cash for a website that is underutilized is a pointless reoccurring bill.  The old girl had a good 15 year run but she enter the arena of financial scrutiny and suffered a grievous. 15 years was a pretty good run.  While I still highly recommend Dragonquest for anyone who want to play a great tactical RPG with some really cool features, the website for it will be closing.

Meanwhile the new girl on the block has been getting more attention. Getting ready for my third session of Dungeon World and I am really liking the system more and more.

At 40 Years Old, Dungeons & Dragons Still Matters - Boing Boing

At 40 Years Old, Dungeons & Dragons Still Matters - Boing Boing

New players, new group & a new game.

       Last night I introduced a new group of players to the wide-world of RPGs. One of the players has played with me before, the other 4 were new to the game and to the concept of role-playing. Since this is my first venture outside of Dragonquest in ages, it was a slower then normal process in character creation.
       Sadly i left me bag of dice at home, but thankfully a Yatzee game had enough d6s for character creation. I did think about using the pre-generated stats for Dungeon World, but rolling up characters is part of the fun.
THE CAST:
        Yuki - The elven druid. With wild eyes, braided hair and weathered hides, Yukie is born of the great forest and has roamed the frozen north. She is thinks that Ceridwyn the bard smells more like prey than a hunter. She is worried about the danger that seems to follow Yori the arcane duelist.  During her travels she has revealed one of the secret rites of the land to Titanius the paladin. Her pack mate Mori travels with her and they are bound by blood.
       Mori- The elven druid.Wild eyes, messy hair and practical leathers adorn her. She too was raised in the great forest, but has roamed the whispering plains. She is thinks that Titanius the paladin smells more like prey than a hunter. She is worried about the danger that seems to follow Yori the arcane duelist.  During her travels she has revealed one of the secret rites of the land to Ceradwyn the bard. Her pack mate Mori travels with her and they are bound by blood.
       Yori - The human arcane duelist. Firey eyes stare at the world from beneath a hooded head. Her threadbare clothing and lithe body testify to the demands of life she has faced. She is grateful to Yuki the druid for breaking up a fight that was not going well for her, but she tries to conceal that detail from her. She is a regular training partner with Titanius the paladin.  She is worried that at some point in the past she may have killed a relative of Mori the druid. She does not trust Ceridwyn the bard to remain steadfast in a fight and fears she will fold at the first sign of trouble.
       Ceridwyn - the human bard. Her joyous eyes, wild hair and well used traveling clothes indicate how widely traveled she is. Ceridwyn is welcome in many towns because of her charming personality. She has adventured with Yuki in the past but often makes Mori the butt of her jokes.She realizes the Yori does not trust her and for a good reason. Ceridwyn's training has made her very knowledgeable about the dead and undead.
       Titanius - the human paladin. His glowing eyes, styled hair and fancy holy symbol reveal his passion for serving his god. Titanius is concerned that Ceridwyn the bard's misguided behavior may endanger their very soul. He has a deep trust of Yori the arcane duelist who has stood by him in past battles. While respecting Mori the druids beliefs, he hopes she will one day see the true way.  He admires the bravery of Yuki and hopes to learn much from her in their time traveling together. He has yet to discern his quest and the blessing he seeks while on it.

Well there you go.  Hopefully you will hear more about them as we begin play in the next week or two. I do find the various bonds interesting and look forward to weaving them into play.

Ed Greenwood on the 40th Anniversary of D & D

One piece at a time - Retooling the most recent campaign

This song/video pretty much captures the hopes for taking the current Dragonquest Campaign and turning it into a Dungeon World Campaign. While I am not fan of games that force someone into taking a class, I am not completely opposed to it. I am looking forward to seeing how the first couple of sessions play.  We are hoping for less then 60 pounds of paper.

Home Brewed Dungeon World

       Knowing that I cannot leave behind the 30+ years of gaming that has been part of my history. Home Brewing a Dungeon World Campaign seems to be in my future. I think the main point of departure will be staring hit points and potential racial moves that a play may earn for their character. I am looking forward to playing a session where combat does suddenly slow down the pace of the game.  I think Dungeon World has the power to do that.

If, when and less

        More delving into Dungeon World. It looks like I will be rolling a lot less dice as a GM in Dungeon World.  Most of my work will be setting up the event/move/encounter/incident and then see how the characters react. Their choices and subsequent dice rolls will move along the event.  Not really all that different then what I have done in DMing any other RPG, just a lot less rolls involved.  I tend to let the dice determine a lot in Dragonquest, I will have to reform some of my gaming habits but I don't think it will be that difficult.
       (The fighter getting crushed by the d20 is pretty awesome.)  Now it is just a question of if and when I actually get to play the game.  Will it be like so many other RPG's that I have purchased, read, and shelved?  We hope not, but if and when must happen before less rolling will occur.