I didn't listen to myself and so I decided to join some old friends in a D&D campaign. I've known some of these folks for over a dozen years. How could I decline when they decided to run City of the Spider Queen? So after getting some original ideas for my next character, I originally planned … Continue reading The Raven and the Spider
After finishing reading The Hobbit with my son, we've moved on to The Fellowship of the Ring. It's such a joy to explore this with him and see how, in some ways, he already knows much of the story because it draws on elements of stories and myths embedded deeply into our culture. The physical pleasure … Continue reading Summer reading thoughts
The Quest of the Week schedule for Adventurers League got an update today, and it has something special in it... Tomb of Annihilation modules! They'll start running in September, and some of them have some particularly evocative names: DDAL07-01 City on the Edge - Tier 1 (lvls 1-4) DDAL07-02 Over the Edge - Tier 2 (lvls … Continue reading Tomb of Annihilation: AL campaign planning
I started playing in a new Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign tonight. It feels good to get to enjoy it from the other side of the screen for once! I have run the campaign before and thus know most of the goodies, modulo whatever the DM changes. However, I see my role as primarily supportive, … Continue reading Playing with my kids in somebody else’s game
My Rage of Demons campaign moved on to DDEX3-02 Shackles of Blood. This adventure continues the theme of "The Deep Threat" in the Rage of Demons storyline. This is a more traditional adventure in which the characters investigate some missing halflings near Hillsfar and run into some complications from the local tyrant's enforcers. If you run … Continue reading Review: Shackles of Blood
This post will have spoilers for the first level of Sunless Citadel. If you don't want that for any reason, then don't read. I strongly urge anyone planning to play in this adventure to avoid spoilers. Preserve the fun for yourself! But if you have already played it or otherwise don't mind, this session included … Continue reading Sunless Citadel: Dragon Rodeo
Playing Adventurers League with my kids (we're the trio in the lower left) has proved lots of fun. Yes, the group up there was far too large. We just didn't have enough DMs to go around despite having some extra on hand to compensate for the primary organizer being unable to attend this week. … Continue reading FunLGS
Normally, I don't really have to deal with rules at a detailed level. As the DM, everything in the rulebooks and subsequent clarifications from the authors are still just guidelines, and I can make a call and run with it. Similarly, when I play in other people's games, I try really hard to rein in … Continue reading Thieves’ Tools and Lockpicking
Technoskald's Forge 