Do You Believe in Magic? – GGG Reviews the Re-released Spell Compendium

Spell Compendium

Before the days when the only spells wizards were worried about getting in their spellbooks were rituals, D&D 3rd edition had spells…a lot of spells. There were spells in modules, spells in handbooks, spells in sourcebooks, and spells in monster manuals. Spells were everywhere, and it was very difficult, when you were playing a spellcaster, to have every book that contained all the spells you wanted. In their great wisdom (and no, I’m not being sarcastic), the good people of Wizards … [Read more...]

She Kills Monsters – GGG Reviews a New Piece of Geek Theater

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I had a completely different article I intended to share, but then, yesterday (April 26), I saw a performance that made me stop what I was doing and write this article. The performance was of She Kills Monsters, a play by New York playwright Qui Nguyen. This was a great play and a fantastic performance. It’s been a long time since I laughed out loud so hard at a play, and I also found myself choked up a couple of times. The play had some twists and turns that were predictable, and others … [Read more...]

First Love – GGG Reveals His Favorite Classic D&D Modules, Part 2

tombhorrors

Last week, I began to tell you all about the 1st Edition D&D modules that hold a special place in my heart. I detailed 3 and held 3 back, saving them to share with you this week. Here then, without further preamble, are my other 3 choices for 1st Edition modules that still live for me. Many Years Ago, Rumor Has It… I’m cheating a little with this inclusion, as it’s not a 1st Edition module, but B1: In Search of the Unknown was literally the first module for D&D that I ever … [Read more...]

Plan & Adjust – GGG Shares Some Tips for Making Adventures More Hair-Raising

Adjustments

My latest D&D game ended with the defeat of Auntie Mengybone, the Elite Briar Hag that has been causing the PCs trouble for a while now. One of my players looked down at the carnage on the map. “That was really touch and go for a while there. I honestly wondered if we were going to win.” In truth, so did I. Or at least, that was my worry the week prior. The truth is, my players seem to think I have an uncanny ability to judge exactly how much they can take to make it seem like all … [Read more...]

Back in the Swing of Things – GGG Looks at Recovery from a Gaming Hiatus

Calendar

Hullo, gentle readers. I did something last night I haven’t done in a while. I ran a session of my Seowyn’s Crossing 4E game. But GGG, I hear you exclaim, you tell us about your games all the time! Well, yes, gentle readers, that’s true, but, between a Disney trip in early October, prepping for an Isles weekend in late October, prepping for my Lovecraft LARP at the end of November, and then the holidays, the truth is that my game went on a hiatus that kept being pushed on and on and on. … [Read more...]

My Geeky Resolutions – GGG Reveals His Intentions for 2013

NYE

Hullo, gentle readers. As I write this, I’m relaxing in my husband’s old home in San Ramon, CA. There have been a lot of stories told about beloved restaurants from his childhood, old friends much missed. And of course, there’s been plenty of talk about the upcoming year. Something I’ve realized is that my various plans/intentions/resolutions fall into two major categories: Geeky and Not. I want to continue to lose weight. I want to work on a novel. I want to work on a book of … [Read more...]

Not Just the Underdark – GGG Reviews Into the Unknown: the Dungeon Survival Handbook

Dungeon Survival

Hullo, Gentle Readers. It will come as no surprise to anyone that Dungeons are a major part of the Dungeons and Dragons game. For the uninitiated, I’m not talking about someplace that a king sends people to be forgotten (although that’s one possibility). I’m talking about fortified underground defense installations. I’m talking about perilous lairs and macabre vaults…dungeons deep and caverns old, as it were. As a big fan of D&D, I am also a big fan of dungeons. I’m always … [Read more...]

D&D Blasé – GGG Ponders Why He’s Not More Excited About the D&D Next Playtest

Bored

Hullo, Gentle Readers. As I’m sure you’re all aware, the good folks at Wizards of the Coast have entered the public playtest phase of gearing up for what everyone’s calling D&D Next. I got to participate a bit in the D&D Next playtest by running 2 games of it at PAX East (as previously related), so I already had a pretty strong idea of what I would see when I downloaded the updated playtest packet. Now, as I said before, I enjoyed the playtest. I feel like the new version of the … [Read more...]

The DM’s Little Helper – 4 Ways My iPad Has Improved My Game

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When my housemate got an iPhone, I played with it a little (when he wasn’t looking) to see what it could do. Seemed pretty cool, I thought, but it was too small for my tastes, and I had no desire to pay $50+ per month. Besides, I reasoned, I hated cel phones; I carry an ancient, crappy one just for emergencies, but that’s about it. I concluded that this device was of no interest to me. But when the iPad came out, I eyed it with more interest. I liked its larger size. Sure, I couldn’t … [Read more...]

For the Love of Money: Adventure to Dice Castle

By now you should be getting the hang of the skills necessary to write and some of the things you can do to be a professional in the industry. For the next two articles, I’m going to explore the part of freelancing that has to do with your flow of assignments -- what you decide to take on and when you get paid. There are four things that affect your ability to deliver an assignment on time and in the condition that a game company is happy with: how fast you write, how well you know the … [Read more...]