Wednesday, April 18, 2012

1st Edition AD&D Reprints to be available outside North America

Good news for those outside North America who were hoping to get their hands on one of the upcoming 1st Edition AD&D deluxe reprints.

The product description on WotC's site has been changed - it no longer says North American hobby retail channels only.

In addition, the books have popped up on both


You can read about the reprints here, and see the new book covers here. Some of the profit from these books goes to the Gygax Memorial Fund.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

WotC play April Fools


Wizards April Fool's article for Dungeon magazine. I really didn't find much of it funny.


Greyhawk 2023 Mini-Campaign
By John Rossomangno
Imagine the world of Greyhawk in the distant future, where the clones of Bigby, Melf, and other legendary heroes wage war against tyrannical dragon-cyborgs, Far Realm invaders, and other threats. This mini-campaign gives you everything you need to get your new campaign started!

Mordenkainen’s Futuristic Adventure
By Bruce R. Cordell
The city of Greyhawk is a smoldering crater, but all is not lost! In the dungeons below the ruins of Castle Greyhawk, Mordenkainen’s clone has discovered a portal to a “lost level” and clues to a time-travel machine built by the archmage Zagyg. A D&D adventure for characters of levels 10–14.

Module V1
By Tracy Hickman
A year ago, a small group of Wizards employees visited the old TSR warehouse in Lake Geneva. Amid the boxes of old files and contracts, they found an unpublished adventure manuscript by Tracy Hickman combining the tropes of Vikings and Norse mythology with old-school tomb exploration. An AD&D 2nd Edition adventure for characters of levels 8–10.

Last Voyage of the Princess Ark
By Robert J. Schwalb
The Princess Ark, a legendary flying ship, has crashed! Explore the wreckage to find out what happened, and loot the bodies of the dead. A D&D adventure set in the world of Mystara for characters of levels 1–3.

Unearthed Arcana: The Truth Is Out There
By Randall Walker
Aliens abducted your star-pact warlock, which explains the alien probe he wields as a rod. You thought the Far Realm was scary before? Here’s a version inspired by The X-Files.

The Ecology of the Vegepygmy
By Téos Abadia
What’s short, mean, and tastes like the lettuce-wrapped meat at P.F. Chang’s?

D&D Alumni: Owlbears are Dumb, Or Are They?
By Chris Youngs & Bart Carroll
Chris Youngs explains why owlbears are dumb and why they shouldn’t be allowed in the next iteration of the D&D game. Bart tells Chris he’s a boob. Decide the owlbear’s ultimate fate in a special D&D poll.

 Maybe I'm just taking it the wrong way, but if they're trying to win any points with the old schoolers this ain't it. Its seems to be trying to be self deprecating but it just comes across as mocking TSR and earlier versions of D&D, in my opinion.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

What Kind of D&D Character Would You Be?

While not strictly AD&D 1ed this test (while long) came up with rather amusing  results. I must admit I usually do play Fighters or Magic Users but tend to stray more towards the choatic end of the spectrum in game, mostly because of the group dynamic and the way we interact during game play. While I tried not to fudge on my answers, it's much easier to give the "right" answer on a quiz than during real life interactions. So, as with anything on the net "take with a grain of salt."


-------------------------verbatim results-----------------------------
(Take the quiz here.)

This is what it came up with for me:

I Am A: Lawful Good Human Paladin/Sorcerer (4th/3rd Level)
Ability Scores:
Strength-18
Dexterity-17
Constitution-17
Intelligence-16
Wisdom-15
Charisma-14

Alignment:
Lawful Good A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. He combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. He tells the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines honor and compassion. However, lawful good can be a dangerous alignment when it restricts freedom and criminalizes self-interest.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Primary Class:
Paladins take their adventures seriously, and even a mundane mission is, in the heart of the paladin, a personal test an opportunity to demonstrate bravery, to learn tactics, and to find ways to do good. Divine power protects these warriors of virtue, warding off harm, protecting from disease, healing, and guarding against fear. The paladin can also direct this power to help others, healing wounds or curing diseases, and also use it to destroy evil. Experienced paladins can smite evil foes and turn away undead. A paladin's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that they can cast. Many of the paladin's special abilities also benefit from a high Charisma score.

Secondary Class:
Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no theories just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through, they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with simple weapons. Charisma is very important for sorcerers; the higher their value in this ability, the higher the spell level they can cast.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)