Alignment in Eberron

Using the traditional alignment system found in Dungeons & Dragons is a difficult chore for those looking to adventure in the world of Eberron. Unlike the world of Greyhawk, where the world is constantly trying to find a balance between good and evil, law and order, the world of Eberron is more often seen in…

Languages in Eberron

One of the first things that Eberron really does to distinguish itself from the traditional understanding of race and language in Dungeons & Dragons games is in how it deals with language. In previous versions of the game an Elf almost always knows the elvish language and is able to speak it fluently from the…

The Eberron Project

This week I’ve been spending a lot of time with the new Eberron book: Eberron, Rising from the Last War. The more time I spend with it, the more I find myself intrigued by the setting; so I’ve decided to start exploring it a bit more deeply here on the blog. To do this I’ve…

We Are Alone Among the Stars with Friend Computer

This week I discovered a new game, well, new to me at any rate. Alone Among the Stars by Takuma Okada is a solo play game that is designed to help you simulate space exploration by using a deck of cards and a d6. The rules for the system are simple to understand and fit…

A Few Quick Impressions on the New Eberron Book

1.) This book is relatively short. From beginning to end we're looking at 326 pages - and around 30 of those pages are monsters and non-player characters that you can use in your games. 2.) The artwork is very, very good. I've only done a casual sweep through the book but so far every illustration…

d8 Street Pamphlets

1. Tax Season: 12 recipes on cooking for mole-men, the beauty of mollusk monuments, and the etiquette for guests at virgin sacrifices. +2 diplomacy at sacrificial ceremonies. 2. Games for Two Pigeons: A pamphlet on the raising, training, and racing of gigantic pigeons. It details the various breeds and their propensity for fighting the patriarchy…

The Combat Round in ADnD 2e

I know that I've mentioned several times that there are drastic changes between AD&D 2e and D&D 3e but no where is this more apparent than when we're talking about combat. So please forgive me if this sounds a bit over the top: but the AD&D 2e combat round is 1 minute long. Let that…

THAC0, or How I Learned to Love Descending AC

When it came to the Combat chapter of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition (AD&D 2e) I found myself struggling to understand the way that THAC0 (To Hit Armor Class 0) worked. In large part this is because D&D 3e, and the subsequent editions, all worked in a significantly different manner. In D&D 3e the…

Where to Start with the World of Greyhawk?

Learning a new setting, especially one as old as the World of Greyhawk, can be a daunting task even when there’s only a single setting book to read; but when you’re looking at over fifty years of published material and different eras for the setting it can become paralyzing. Where do you start? What counts…