PAX 2010 Celebrity Game

In my very first post, I mentioned that the Penny Arcade/PvP Podcasts introduced me to D&D. At this years Penny Arcade Expo, the group got together once again and recorded their session in front of a live audience -- this time as video! Watch and learn as Chris Perkins DM's for Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik, Scott Kurtz and Wil Wheaton in the PAX 2010 Celebrity Game.

Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game Starter Set

Wizards of the Coast recently launched a new line of products for D&D 4th Edition called "Essentials". The ideas behind the product line are explained by Wizards of the Coast here: Countdown to Essentials

The specific product that caught my eye, was the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game Starter Set. The red box and artwork are a throwback to the original D&D Basic Set from the early 80s, long before I began playing. While D&D veterans may find the design nostalgic, the contents seem to be designed for players new to the game - or at least new to 4th Edition.

The Starter Set is almost like a board game in that it contains everything you need to start playing; a 32-page book for players, a 64-page book for Dungeon Masters, 2 sheets of tokens for characters and monsters, character sheets and power cards, a set of dice and a double-sided dungeon map.

Compared to the Core Rulebooks, the 2 books within the Starter Set are obviously simplified and focus only on levels 1-3. The book for players utilizes a solo adventure, in the style of Choose Your Own Adventure books, to guide the player through the character creation process and teach them the basics of gameplay. The book for Dungeon Masters includes an adventure for the whole party along with the usual rules and advice on running a game.

Due to the newbie friendly books and the fact that no additional purchases are required to begin playing, the Starter Set is perfect for anyone looking to get into D&D for the first time. Veterans of the genre or players that already own the 4th Edition Core Rulebooks probably won't need this Starter Set, though it would still be an excellent tool for introducing friends or family to the game.

Dungeons & Dragons can be quite an expensive hobby to get started with; the combined prices of the Core Rulebooks, dice, miniatures and such can scare people away before they even try the game. The Starter Set is surprisingly inexpensive: much cheaper than just a single core rulebook (at the time of writing). Considering that the Starter Set contains everything you need to start playing, the value for money is impressive.

I wish this Starter Set had been available when I began playing; streamlining the learning process while throwing you directly into the action would have been perfect. Anyone wanting to try D&D should definitely consider this Starter Set before looking into the Core Rulebooks.

Puzzles in D&D

Puzzles in role playing games can be quite controversial. Personally I feel that they can encourage communication, provide a nice change of pace and are rewarding for players to solve. There are, however, some pitfalls to watch out for.

Every player has different tastes, and the first thing a dungeon master should consider is whether puzzles would appeal to them. Some players just don't enjoy puzzles. You can never please everybody all of the time, but try to make sure that the majority are interested. It doesn't create a good playing atmosphere if most of the players are sitting back and waiting for others to do all of the work.

One issue with puzzles in a role playing game is that players are supposed to be playing a character, but the character isn't really the one solving the puzzle. It's not good for immersion if an intelligent and wise wizard is unable to solve a simple logic puzzle while a dumb barbarian solves it effortlessly. This problem can be alleviated somewhat by granting bonuses (or penalties) based on a character attributes. For example, a perceptive character may notice that a forgetful guard has scrawled some basic instructions on the floor in chalk.

Remember that while your puzzle may seem perfectly logical in your mind, other people may not interpret them in the same way. Riddles, especially, have a tendency to have multiple correct solutions. Players won't be very happy if you disallow an answer that is technically correct, just because you hadn't thought of it beforehand. Try to find someone outside of your group to test puzzles with and be lenient with good answers that you may not have anticipated.

Requiring the completion of a puzzle to progress can quickly kill a session if it is badly designed or too difficult for your players. Give the party incentive to complete a puzzle, but failure should never stop a game. If your players are making no progress but are particularly stubborn and don't want to give up, then consider setting a time limit or having a patrol interrupt them to keep the session moving.

Try to make sure that your puzzles make sense in the context of the game. Finding a sudoku puzzle in a natural cave full of spiders is quite silly, whereas deciphering a set of runes in a wizard's tower is believable. It can be challenging to create or find good puzzles, so don't waste them; wait for the right time and place to use them and they'll be far more memorable.

Despite so many potential problems with puzzles in role playing games, I feel that when implemented correctly, they can really enhance a game. Just try to know your audience, test the puzzles in advance, and be fair.