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[shoplifter]

We play every other week. Would I *like* to play every week? Hell yeah, but unfortunately when you have kids and a wife, and everyone else has stuff going on it's very easy to have attendance issues. We've found that scheduling every other Sunday has been a big benefit, since it makes it harder to skip.

Plus it gives me two weeks to prep, so I don't end up feeling so burned out. I still use my message board for 'downtime' activities between sessions, so things can happen for characters (what they do when they're not adventuring: buying equipment, learning new spells, carousing, etc - so we don't have to waste in-game time on trivial stuff)


\/\/\/\/ we have generally 4 PCs + me. It may go up to 6 pcs or as low as 3 pcs if we have a week where people can't make it. If we have 3, we usually play, but may cancel depending on what I had planned.

 

[sk3tch]

How many people are in your groups, guys? When I hear that you're aiming for a minimum of 3 PCs (and 1 DM) that scares me a bit...since so far I've only managed to recruit a total of 3 of us. :lol However, I do realize that in order to get a quality local game going I will need to go elsewhere (local gameshop, meetup.com, whatever). What's a good number to shoot for?

EDIT: more info on D&D Insider has been published by Wizards. Still no way to join, yet (i.e. pay).

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/insider

 

[CPaladino]

From what I've gathered on DNDI, it will launch today (the 6th) with a limited set of tools (they are aiming for the Character Creator, and the Dungeon Designer according to their forums). They will be adding tools as quickly as they can, and it will start as being free/beta.

When the full set is available DNDI will get a monthly fee of $15. (Which is too much for me, I just don't have the time or group to play enough to warrant the money.)

As far as the amount of players, we've always done 4-7 (including a DM). From what I've read of 4th Edition, it's more role-defined, and tweaked so that 3 players could do it, but 4 players would be better. It seems like it's been heavily influenced by MMOs.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Ok I gotta laugh at the thread title. Funny thing is the local D&D nerdcore runs off their basements.

 

[sk3tch]

When the full set is available DNDI will get a monthly fee of $15. (Which is too much for me, I just don't have the time or group to play enough to warrant the money.)

It's $15 on a month-by-month basis but if you go yearly, it's $10/mo.

From the link I posted above it looks like quite a nice suite of tools. My only concern is how easy (or difficult) Wizards is going to make it for someone like me to DM (and pay for DNDI) and then allow my PCs to access our game/content without fees. If there's even a hint of a roadblock to ease-of-use, I'll stick to the open source (and likely better) tools available (i.e. OpenRPG, PCGen).

EDIT:

vvvvv

Even if I *did* find a group, it's been so long since I played, that I'd need to be basically treated as a n00b. I'm not sure any established theoretical groups would want to do that. :S

I think you'd be surprised! At least I hope so. I think being a noob at this time is one of the best. 4th edition is streamlined for getting new people involved.

Anyway, I'm a real noob...I've never played before. So I've been doing my best to get educated before I give it a go. It all culminates with going to D&D Worldwide Game Day on Saturday with my buddy at our local gamestore!

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Even if I *did* find a group, it's been so long since I played, that I'd need to be basically treated as a n00b. I'm not sure any established theoretical groups would want to do that. :S

 

[Branduil]

Today we are all noobs.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Today we are all noobs.

True enough. The DDInsider looks really interesting, but I have a feeling it won't be OSX compliant.

Hell, you know, originally when MMORPGs were first being made, I was convinced they'd be essentially D&D on steroids, with DMs basically guiding story arcs. Needless to say, I was terribly disappointed.

So, I'd pay for this, monthly, though I don't really see a reason why you'd have to... (you create your own P2P groups after all).

 

[Vagabundo]

How many people are in your groups, guys? When I hear that you're aiming for a minimum of 3 PCs (and 1 DM) that scares me a bit...since so far I've only managed to recruit a total of 3 of us. :lol However, I do realize that in order to get a quality local game going I will need to go elsewhere (local gameshop, meetup.com, whatever). What's a good number to shoot for?

EDIT: more info on D&D Insider has been published by Wizards. Still no way to join, yet (i.e. pay).

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/insider

I find 5 to be optimal, we have four regulars and one intermittent (intermittents are pain for story reasons). I've DM for 6 and 7 people but it gets a little hard with crowd control.

Four players is a nice buzz, but you could definitely run 4e with two players. 4e has a nice flexible encounter system and it is easier prep for the DM. Keep it nice and light and focus on having a good time and telling an heroic story.

 

[Vagabundo]

True enough. The DDInsider looks really interesting, but I have a feeling it won't be OSX compliant.

I think you need to be given a medal for prescience.

I believe you are right, not OSX compliant:

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=224559&page=1

As to the noob comment; baring social issues most groups looking for members only require interest. Your computer RPG background would be more than enough to pick up the rules in a night.

 

[firex]

I'd consider playing this but I don't have the funds right now (or for the forseeable future) to buy the books, sadly. But if the DDI is actually worth using...

 

[Dragona Akehi]

I think you need to be given a medal for prescience.

I believe you are right, not OSX compliant.

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=224559&page=1

It's a friggin GUI. This is beyond stupid, as usual. Shit, the BIGGEST ONLINE RPGEVER runs on OSX.

 

[Dyno]

Amazon said my order was shipped! Yippee!

Feel my pain people. Here is my situation:

Around seven years ago 3e came out and I fell in love with the new system. I created a brand new campaign and with it I wanted to go big, really big, and tell a unique and epic story.

Players were gathered and 1st level characters were rolled up. To make a long story short it worked out better than I thought possible. Players have come and gone (and even come back again) but the group and story has remained tight.

The characters are currently 28th - 31st level in the main group. They lord over civilizations of their own creation, are beginning to confront and kill evil demi-gods, and are about 2/3 the way through the main plot that I cooked up all those years ago. Everyone is very invested in their hero and the story. There is no way they are going to give this up.

I am loving what 4e looks like and I am always interested in new things over holding onto sacred cows. The rules look exciting but there is no way I can update my campaign, there are just too many incompatibilities. Heck, last night's session revolved around alliances of the Lawful factions in the campaign. That alignment doesn't even exist in the new game! How to do switch over a game where The Great Wheel cosmology is so fundamental to the story when in 4e that cosmology has been done away with?

So I'm going to get these books and I'm going to salivate over all the ideas and artwork and ideas for a new campaign will come, but ultimately they are going to sit on the shelf for a long time, until this campaign is properly finished.

Madness may set in; a sad, pathetic nerdy madness.

 

[Vagabundo]

I'd consider playing this but I don't have the funds right now (or for the forseeable future) to buy the books, sadly. But if the DDI is actually worth using...

You get all the rules online if you subscribe DDI.

 

[sorryaboutdresden]

Shipping estimate is still June 6th.. Still hasn't shipped yet though. Don't fuck me amazon.

About DDI, I'd definitely love to get it, but the only way I will is if my group will throw me some money for it.

 

[sk3tch]

It's a friggin GUI. This is beyond stupid, as usual. Shit, the BIGGEST ONLINE RPGEVER runs on OSX.

Market research dictated that the PC version go first and be concentrated on (according to an interview at enworld.org). The 3D elements are entirely DirectX (unfortunately for Mac users) and not something more portable like OpenGL.

More information:
http://www.enworld.org/index.php?page=4e#insider

 

[Haly]

Madness may set in; a sad, pathetic nerdy madness.

Retcon time!

Have them kill X god(s) only to find out that he/she/it/they magaed the laws of the universe. In the aftermath of what surely will be an epic struggle, the fabric of reality is unraveled, only to be put back together, thus resulting in a universe that runs on 4e.

 

[Vagabundo]

Here is a quick run down on the rules for interested peoples:

http://dnd4.com/phb

It's a friggin GUI. This is beyond stupid, as usual. Shit, the BIGGEST ONLINE RPGEVER runs on OSX.

Time to run parallels, no?

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Market research dictated that the PC version go first and be concentrated on (according to an interview at enworld.org). The 3D elements are entirely DirectX (unfortunately for Mac users) and not something more portable like OpenGL.

More information:
http://www.enworld.org/index.php?page=4e#insider

No of course, I realise that. But if it means "PC first, Mac later", I don't mind waiting. It's the "MAC NEVER" bit that pisses me off.

 

[firex]

So am I reading this right and they cut out lawful neutral/evil and chaotic good/neutral? Or was that just the broadest spectrum and they're keeping the whole alignment scheme? And what's the warlock like? It doesn't sound too different from the 3e warlock, but I wonder what other abilities it's going to have and how different it is.

 

[Speschal K]

So I guess I'll be playing this at my local comic store for the first time either today or tomorrow. Are there any dos/donts that you vets would recommend to a newbie? I'm a tad confused about how much "in character" I have to be, but I guess that varies on a group-to-group basis. I have played my share of RPGs, but never a pen/paper one and D&D seems like the right place to start.

 

[shoplifter]

'in character' stuff does vary from group to group, everyone eventually gets a feel for what everyone else is comfortable with. My advice is to wear period clothing.

Don't touch anyone else's dice unless they're offered. Gamers can tend to be really superstitious about dice.

So am I reading this right and they cut out lawful neutral/evil and chaotic good/neutral? Or was that just the broadest spectrum and they're keeping the whole alignment scheme? And what's the warlock like? It doesn't sound too different from the 3e warlock, but I wonder what other abilities it's going to have and how different it is.

Yeah, they're gone. The designers felt that oftentimes there wasn't enough of a differentiation between what NE/LE and NG/CG were to really justify having the extra confusion. Additionally, there are no alignment based spells anymore, and alignment isn't used as a game mechanic. It's now a guideline for roleplaying.

If you’re a good character, you believe it is right to
aid and protect those in need. You’re not required
to sacrifice yourself to help others or to completely
ignore your own needs, but you might be asked to
place others’ needs above your own . . . in some cases,
even if that means putting yourself in harm’s way. In
many ways, that’s the essence of being a heroic adventurer:
The people of the town can’t defend themselves
from the marauding goblins, so you descend into the
dungeon—at significant personal risk—to put an end to
the goblin raids.

If you’re lawful good, you respect the authority of
personal codes of conduct, laws, and leaders, and you
believe that those codes are the best way of achieving
your ideals. Just authority promotes the well-being of its subjects and prevents them from harming
one another. Lawful good characters believe just as
strongly as good ones do in the value of life, and they
put even more emphasis on the need for the powerful
to protect the weak and lift up the downtrodden. The
exemplars of the lawful good alignment are shining
champions of what’s right, honorable, and true, risking
or even sacrificing their lives to stop the spread of evil
in the world.

Evil characters don’t necessarily go out of their way
to hurt people, but they’re perfectly willing to take
advantage of the weakness of others to acquire what
they want.
Evil characters use rules and order to maximize
personal gain. They don’t care whether laws hurt other
people. They support institutional structures that give
them power, even if that power comes at the expense
of others’ freedom. Slavery and rigid caste structures
are not only acceptable but desirable to evil characters,
as long as they are in a position to benefit from them.

Chaotic evil characters have a complete disregard for
others. Each believes he or she is the only being that
matters and kills, steals, and betrays others to gain
power. Their word is meaningless and their actions
destructive. Their worldviews can be so warped that
they destroy anything and anyone that doesn’t directly
contribute to their interests.

 

[Vagabundo]

So I guess I'll be playing this at my local comic store for the first time either today or tomorrow. Are there any dos/donts that you vets would recommend to a newbie? I'm a tad confused about how much "in character" I have to be, but I guess that varies on a group-to-group basis. I have played my share of RPGs, but never a pen/paper one and D&D seems like the right place to start.

Whatever your comfortable with is usually cool, although it varies from group to group. Narrate in the 3rd person if you like or when it is your turn say I do this and that. Really it varies.

If the DM talks to you in character you can talk back in character. Dont do a silly accent, usually very difficult to pull off and even in "serious" games joking around is allowed in moderation.

But most of all have fun and enjoy the stories, DND is one of those things that you'll get more out of it the more you put in. So attention on your character, background and personality will usually get you more enjoyment.

Remember: playstyles can vary a LOT, so even if you dont jive with what happens the first time, try a few different groups.

Spoiler

kinda like swinging really

 

[Vagabundo]

No of course, I realise that. But if it means "PC first, Mac later", I don't mind waiting. It's the "MAC NEVER" bit that pisses me off.

DirectX pisses me off, bigtime. Once it is in directx you never hear of it again on the niche platforms.

I'm an ubuntu guy, I do have a windows partition for emergencies though.

 

[Haly]

'in character' stuff does vary from group to group, everyone eventually gets a feel for what everyone else is comfortable with. My advice is to wear period clothing.

Don't touch anyone else's dice unless they're offered. Gamers can tend to be really superstitious about dice.





Yeah, they're gone. The designers felt that oftentimes there wasn't enough of a differentiation between what NE/LE and NG/CG were to really justify having the extra confusion. Additionally, there are no alignment based spells anymore, and alignment isn't used as a game mechanic. It's now a guideline for roleplaying.

It's awkward like this, if they wanted to reduce it down to 4 alignments then it should've been CG/LG and CE/LE. Parallelism is important for rulesets, even if it's superficial.

I'm guessing CE/LE and true neutral are gone too?

 

[Ferrio]

Oh wow, anyone can identify items... in a couple minutes. I like that change.. always sucked finding shit and carrying it around no idea what it did.

 

[firex]

Lawful evil was fun to play, mainly because lawful evil always came across as autocratic to me. Makes for interesting NPCs (arguably any king/ruler is LE). and lawful neutral was also pretty cool imo since it meant you were one of those crazy "law must be upheld to the letter in all situations" sticklers. Not that LG isn't like that, too, but at least LN had the feel of being something more ideological. Chaotic good was always fun to play, too. It sucks that they've taken away those alignments just because they were too confusing for people.

I guess as long as classes aren't restricted to specific alignments then it doesn't matter.

 

[Vagabundo]

It's awkward like this, if they wanted to reduce it down to 4 alignments then it should've been CG/LG and CE/LE. Parallelism is important for rulesets, even if it's superficial.

I'm guessing CE/LE and true neutral are gone too?

No, not quite, the alignments are Good, Lawful Good, Unaligned, Evil and Chaotic Evil.

The fluff with the alignments is pretty good, I like the new alignment set, it also gives a lot of good info on personality and building your characters background and the rest. You need to have a good look at the fluff in the PHB before making a judgement on it.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

DirectX pisses me off, bigtime. Once it is in directx you never hear of it again on the niche platforms.

I'm an ubuntu guy, I do have a windows partition for emergencies though.

I'm not exactly sure why it has to be DirectX anyway, the damn thing looks like it could run on fucking Java.

Hopefully someone will get an OSX client. It's highly ironic that this is one of the few games I'd be willing to pay a monthly fee for.

 

[Dyno]

Retcon time!

Have them kill X god(s) only to find out that he/she/it/they magaed the laws of the universe. In the aftermath of what surely will be an epic struggle, the fabric of reality is unraveled, only to be put back together, thus resulting in a universe that runs on 4e.

Yeah, but that means they won't be playing their current characters. They are at/near 30th level where the 4e game ends. That would be... weird.

4e will have to be a brand, spanking new campaign, something that utilizes the strengths of the new system. My 3e/3.5 campaign is a result of me reading those rules and forming a new world from those thoughts. I'm thinking the new books will do the same thing.

I'm actually glad that 4e is so radically different. I won't feel like my old books are wasting space because really it is an entirely different game.

 

[Dyno]

Lawful evil was fun to play, mainly because lawful evil always came across as autocratic to me. Makes for interesting NPCs (arguably any king/ruler is LE). and lawful neutral was also pretty cool imo since it meant you were one of those crazy "law must be upheld to the letter in all situations" sticklers. Not that LG isn't like that, too, but at least LN had the feel of being something more ideological. Chaotic good was always fun to play, too. It sucks that they've taken away those alignments just because they were too confusing for people.

I guess as long as classes aren't restricted to specific alignments then it doesn't matter.

I liked the old alignment system too because it could bring unlikely people together. You may be good and I may be evil but our outlook on Law or Chaos could potentially make us ideological allies in certain situations.

Also, I really dig the alignment based spells. It was an angle of attack that added a new dimension to combat.

Looks like the new system equates to: Really Good, Good, Not Good or Bad, Bad, Really Bad.

 

[hiryu]

My set shipped yesterday from Amazon or should I say sets since I accidentally ordered two. I'm starting my game in July after Origins, probably will be bi-weekly because we usually alternate what game we play every week. Right now we play Mage and Burning Wheel but the Burning Wheel game is ending soon.

 

[shoplifter]

^^^ Lucky you! BW is too 'Forgey' for my friends. I love it though.

Lawful evil was fun to play, mainly because lawful evil always came across as autocratic to me. Makes for interesting NPCs (arguably any king/ruler is LE). and lawful neutral was also pretty cool imo since it meant you were one of those crazy "law must be upheld to the letter in all situations" sticklers. Not that LG isn't like that, too, but at least LN had the feel of being something more ideological. Chaotic good was always fun to play, too. It sucks that they've taken away those alignments just because they were too confusing for people.

Now you're just 'evil' if you were LE before. There's no functional difference. Nothing was 'taken away' it was just folded into what is currently there. If you were LN, pick 'unaligned'.

I'd have preferred they just dump alignments altogether anyway, but its one of those D&D sacred cows that they cant' throw out, just modify. I'll probably be using something like WoD's nature and demeanor.

 

[sorryaboutdresden]

I'm not exactly sure why it has to be DirectX anyway, the damn thing looks like it could run on fucking Java.

Hopefully someone will get an OSX client. It's highly ironic that this is one of the few games I'd be willing to pay a monthly fee for.

I'm getting a MBP so I'll be fine with DDI, I'll just bootcamp that shit

 

[Vagabundo]

Alignments have had zero effect on my game, but I know that they are fairly important to some peoples settings.

✦ Good: Freedom and kindness.
✦ Lawful Good: Civilization and order.
✦ Evil: Tyranny and hatred.
✦ Chaotic Evil: Entropy and destruction.
✦ Unaligned: Having no alignment; not taking a stand.

Most systems in 4e are fairly compatible with 3e, you could bring the 3e alignment system to 4e without any ill effects on the game.

 

[Keru_Shiri]

I was hoping they would just throw out alignments all together with this edition. Then again, I always played Chaotic Good heroes, so maybe I'm just a tad bitter.

 

[firex]

it's not so bad now that I see that there's no stupid alignment restrictions on classes. I was afraid it'd be like 3e but with less choices is all. Plus, I feel like sometimes picking an alignment that suits me makes it easier to play as the character.

edit: forgot to ask, any specific details on Warlock or Warlord? Warlord because it's new, Warlock because it sounds like it could either be almost the exact same was it was in 3e or stronger.

 

[Chairman Yang]

I was hoping they would just throw out alignments all together with this edition. Then again, I always played Chaotic Good heroes, so maybe I'm just a tad bitter.

They've designed alignments so that you can completely discard them with no ill-effects or readjustment. That's what I plan to do.

 

[sorryaboutdresden]

Fuck me, my books still haven't shipped and no news from Amazon..

 

[sk3tch]

^^
Mine says shipping soon. So they should go out today.

 

[shoplifter]

HAHA SUCKERS

I have 3 phbs 2 dmgs and 2 mms on my kitchen table!!!!

 

[sk3tch]

I've got everything else setup...just no books.

 

[Lonewolf_92]

Amazon said my order was shipped! Yippee!

Feel my pain people. Here is my situation:

Around seven years ago 3e came out and I fell in love with the new system. I created a brand new campaign and with it I wanted to go big, really big, and tell a unique and epic story.

Players were gathered and 1st level characters were rolled up. To make a long story short it worked out better than I thought possible. Players have come and gone (and even come back again) but the group and story has remained tight.

The characters are currently 28th - 31st level in the main group. They lord over civilizations of their own creation, are beginning to confront and kill evil demi-gods, and are about 2/3 the way through the main plot that I cooked up all those years ago. Everyone is very invested in their hero and the story. There is no way they are going to give this up.

I am loving what 4e looks like and I am always interested in new things over holding onto sacred cows. The rules look exciting but there is no way I can update my campaign, there are just too many incompatibilities. Heck, last night's session revolved around alliances of the Lawful factions in the campaign. That alignment doesn't even exist in the new game! How to do switch over a game where The Great Wheel cosmology is so fundamental to the story when in 4e that cosmology has been done away with?

So I'm going to get these books and I'm going to salivate over all the ideas and artwork and ideas for a new campaign will come, but ultimately they are going to sit on the shelf for a long time, until this campaign is properly finished.

Madness may set in; a sad, pathetic nerdy madness.

Go look for the D&D Cyclopedia, it's a book containing all the Pre-first edition D&D rules, basically a PHB, DMG, and MM for classic D&D bundled into one book. Drop all references of "good" from "Lawful Good" and "evil" from "Chaotic Evil" from 4E alignment and it pretty much the same thing as classic D&D alignment (which ironically, was considered more of a straitjacket than the 9 alignment system ever was). Just go with the Cyclopedia's layout for the Great Wheel cosmology. In fact, most books from that period could be useful with the new D&D in helping conversion of existing campaigns over to 4E due to the similarities.

 

[Ferrio]

Got the books today.

2 friends of mine rolled up characters and I threw enemies at them so we could work our way through the combat system. Lot of neat changes, but it'll be awhile before I can digest it all.

 

[Vagabundo]

Got the books today.

2 friends of mine rolled up characters and I threw enemies at them so we could work our way through the combat system. Lot of neat changes, but it'll be awhile before I can digest it all.

The new edition has a lot a fibre...

 

[sorryaboutdresden]

PISSSS my books aren't shipping till the 9th. Better not be delayed again..

 

[sk3tch]

PISSSS my books aren't shipping till the 9th. Better not be delayed again..

Yeah, there have been some serious shenanigans over at Amazon with respect to shipping out those books. I placed my order May 30th with overnight shipping, and my books shipped on Friday. My buddy placed his order at least two weeks before me with standard shipping (one level above the free super saver stuff) and they're predicting a July 2nd date for him!

 

[sorryaboutdresden]

Yeah, there have been some serious shenanigans over at Amazon with respect to shipping out those books. I placed my order May 30th with overnight shipping, and my books shipped on Friday. My buddy placed his order at least two weeks before me with standard shipping (one level above the free super saver stuff) and they're predicting a July 2nd date for him!

Ouch, I want my books soo bad

 

[shoplifter]

I'm stuck...can't decide if I want to run my game in Kalamar or Eberron. I love both.

 

[Dyno]

I've got to give Canadian Amazon some props. My books arrived on Friday at 4:00. They were waiting for me when I got home. You can't do any better then shipping and arriving on the day of release.

I've browsed through all three books, eager to look at the artwork and gather first impressions. Overall they are outstanding.

Players Handbook

- The overall layout is very good. Things appear where they should be. The ruleset has been simplied and yet still retains strong style.
- The artwork is even better than previous books. William O'Connor does a lot of work here.
- The thirty level progression is the same for all classes. What makes classes unique from each other is the powers they have. Ability scores go up much quicker. Some levels give you a +1 on ALL abilities, others give +1 to two abilities. Characters end up with way more feats than in 3e (18 by level 30 as opposed to 11 by 30 in 3e.)
- Mulitclassing seems to be handled with feat options and class power swapping rather than taking levels in a separate class.
- Only 17 skills. They do more. Feats divided into Heroic, Paragon, and Epic.
- Class powers are interesting and serve a wide variety of roles. Certain powers activate healing surges; you strike an enemy for damage AND can then use a healing surge if you wish. Some powers allow nearby allies to use a healing surge too.
- Melee fighter types have powers that allow you to hit multiple targets at once, a melee burst attack, if you will.
- Combat seems defined by success being determined by the aggressor. If my spell beats your Will/Ref/Fort then you are blinded/paralyzed/slowed ect. There is no immediate save given to resist the effect. You are affected until you take the time to make a save and remove the effect. Certain powers allow afflicted characters to make saves, much like getting free uses of healing surge.
- The equipment section is AWESOME. The Players Handbook has all the magic items so players have easy access to all the good stuff they want. Magic items simplified as well. Level 1 magic items cost X gold pieces, regardless if its armour, weapon, ring, item ect. Level 30 items cost over 3 million gold pieces each!
- Implements are neat. Holy symbols, staves, wands all have pluses like swords and they add to attack and damage when using them to turn undead/cast a spell ect.
- Magic weapons and armour go up to +6 enhancement and they are no longer modular. Building a +5 Holy, Ghost Touch, Keen sword is out. Now weapons and armour do just what they do and that is it. Again it's a simple system that prevents a character having a weapon that is great for every fight.
- Scrolls are used for rituals now; powerful one-time effects like teleportation circles back to civilization or raising dead. They are expensive and valued items.

Dungeon Masters Guide

- Encounter building made simplier. DMs have XP to 'spend' based on party level and numbers. Ten encounters of equal XP to the party = gain a level. Quest XP rewards by level are now spelt out too.
- Treasure packets make doling out riches easier too.
- Traps have level and XP costs now. Surviving them is like defeating a monster.
- There is a small section on snacks - as if gamers need to be told to eat (lol!)
- A full section for non-combat encounters. More guidelines for roleplaying through social situations (Diplomacy, Bluff, ect.)
- Comes with a sample city to start playing out of right off the bat.

Monster Manual

- ORCUS!!! There is a good selection of monsters from Level 1 to Level 30 and then right out of no where - BAM! - Orcus, a Level 33 monster. Bascially they give you a big, bad final fight/end of campaign villain all stated up and ready to go. Nice touch that.
- Minion monsters all have 1 Hit Point regardless of their level. Bascially any successful attack kills a minion but all minions survive failed attacks. I guess it allows players to mow down hordes of creatures who can still be a threat to them. Minions can dish it out but they can't take it. Weird concept but will have to play to see how it works.
- 1 solo monster (like a dragon) is the same as fighting 5 regular monsters. Solo monster hit points and extra attacks reflect this.
- There are four dragon age catagories. Bascially they are young, adult, old, ancient.
- Most monsters have multiple stat blocks. There are weak and powerful versions of many monsters.

Definately want my friends to make some characters and have some arena fights.