Since becoming a full-fledged warcaster®, Tristan Durant has been elevated to high station as a sovereign of the Protectorate. He serves the Creator by spreading the word of Menoth to all who would hear it. Though compassionate, Durant does not hesitate to unleash holy wrath in Menoth’s name upon his enemies, particularly when such foes threaten the safety of the growing flock under his protection.
SYRINSCAPE RELEASES UPSIDE DOWN SOUNDSET FOR 1980S-STYLE STRANGER ADVENTURES
January Releases Also Include the Addition of Hell and Wyrmwraith to the Ever-Growing Syrinscape Library of Sounds
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (January 23, 2017 – Syrinscape, creator of the award-winning apps that bring tabletop games to life with movie-like sound, releases today the Syrinscape: Upside Down SoundSet, along with its partner SoundSet Government Facility, to bring authentic 80s sound to tabletop roleplaying games.
In homage to Netflix’s hit show Stranger Things, Syrinscape, along with Christian Körding and Steffen Waschul, has created two SoundSets, Upside Down and Government Facility, featuring all of the sounds needed to play a Stranger Things-style game with the Upside Down, helicopters, trucks, battle music, breathing masks, whispers, the fearful Demogorgon and more.
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Out of the Abyss
Adventure
255 pp.
Retail 49.95
Published by Wizards of the Coast
Being the fourth adventure book for Dungeons and Dragons 5th ed., it has a lot to live up to. Like Princes of Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss is also a full blown campaign for characters from levels 1 through 15. While it’s set in Forgotten Realms, it gives us a totally new look into this game world. It is the first look we get into the Underdark in 5th edition.
The first thing I noticed when reading this book was that it felt different or unique while still preserving a connection to Forgotten Realms. They did a good job of making the Underdark have a personality all its own. So many things they did make it a character that is dangerous, creepy, and weird. There are hints and reflections of psionics throughout the book, which brings a rising anticipation to the traditional Underdark motifs that we are used to, but with new interpretations and mechanics.
I have to apologize to all of you, I scheduled this to post back in September of 2016, but for some reason it didn’t and I missed it.
I had another great time at Alliance Open House this year. But before I go any further I have to admit that I have lost about thirty percent of my video content – well the video lacks audio. James took a lot of time walking us through a great demo of the new Warmachine rules but with out the audio it’s not very good.
This year was a little different from last year because I feel there was a larger focus on the social aspect of gaming. I mean it felt like we were there to play games with the manufacturers and experience the community. This year I had the chance to play so many games that will be coming out soon like Blood Bowl, Escape From Colditz, Happy Salmon, Warmachine, Star Realms, and more. I guess not all of those are new, but at a shor like this things kind of blur together. Plus I did a handful of interviews.
If you a re a retailer and you have never attended a trade show before I highly suggest it because it gives you the chance to experience future releases first hand. You get to share your experiences with your peers and profess your concerns to manufacturers. Plus, there are several workshops that are available throughout the day they can grant you more insight into which games might be best for your store.
Ultimate Intrigue
Published by Paizo Publishing
The latest of the Ultimate series books is packed with a ton of themed information. This is a gem for any espionage player or GM. Ultimate Intrigue features the Vigilante base class, new archetypes, feats, intrigue systems, social combat, new spells, and gear.
Vigilante base class has some pretty cool perks. The first and the coolest is the ability to have dual identities – like Batman! The class has the option for each identity to have a different alignment. My GM would have a lot of fun with that concept, and as a player it would be a great challenge to role-play. Beyond that you get to pick a path of specialization as an avenger or a stalker. An avenger gains an attack bonus equal to the character level, while a stalker capitalizes on stealth to gain 1d8 precision damage on flanked, flat-footed or otherwise unaware foes. This increases 1d8 every two levels. There are also several Vigilante talents. My favorite has to be Blind Spot. It allows the character to hide from creatures with special senses like Tremor Sense. That’s something I could have used in my last adventure.
There are of course several new archetypes in Ultimate Intrigue, and while many of them are specialized most can be used without too much difficulty. My favorite is the Guild Breaker, a Ranger who specializes in taking down an enemy organization. The difference is that the bonuses they get are applied to an enemy organization instead of to a favored enemy. This archetype also gets Deep Cover, which allows bonuses to Bluff and Disguise against the enemy organization.
Matt takes a look at Let Them Eat Cake. Let Them Eat Cake is a game of committees, medals and cake. Players elect officials, earn medals, raise generals , and most importantly eat cake.
I haven’t played Let Them Eat Cake, but I’m a fan of games that involve bluffing, and I’m a bigger fan of cake.
In this Flip Through Matt takes a look at the Pocket Bestiary and the Pocket Core rule book for the Pathfinder role-playing Game. When I first heard about the pocket books I didn’t know what to think, but I have a good idea now.
Stop back soon for my Flip Through on the Curse of the Crimson Throne.
In this episode of Role-Play Ramblings Matt talks with guest Jason Bulmahn at Gen Con 2016 about how to introduce romance into your game sessions.
I always have a good time talking with Jason Bulmahn. This was certainly no exception. Being a GM for my teenage boys you can only imagine what kind of trouble I’m stirring up with potions of love.
In this episode of Role-Play Ramblings Matt talks with, his guest, Jason Hardy of Catalyst Game Labs about social tension and how it can be applied to role-playing. Filmed at Origins 2016 this is one of my favorite episodes of all time. This episode was inspired by the transgender bathroom debate that was socially prominent early in 2016. Jason and I don’t actually debate an issue here; we discuss how to apply an issue appropriately with your community.
This is a really great episode for thse who truly want to create an extremely rich game world. Thank you Jason Hardy for making this topic make perfect sense
In this episode of Role-Play Ramblings Matt discusses spotlighting. Which is the art of allowing player characters shine at the right point in time for them to become integral to the story.
I have been GMing for about 30 years and I still find this to be one of the most difficult things to do!
