Archive for Blog

What’s in a (Spell) Name?

February 15, 2012 Dragonhelm Blog, D&D Next

The following is my response to a poll posted on WotC’s site.

When I first came to D&D back in 2nd edition, I was enamored with the named spells.  Melf’s Minute Meteors, Tasha’s Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter, Tenser’s Floating Disc, and who could forget the various Bigby spells?  It was a time of discovery for me, before we had the internet, when I first discovered the likes of the Circle of Eight.  This, in turn, led me to learn about the city of Greyhawk and their role in it.

I know some people want to divorce the names from the spells.  That’s something people have done for years.  Want to take those spells into another world?  Then switch out the Greyhawk names with ones from the Realms, Dragonlance, Pathfinder, or whatever world you are playing in.  Or, you can port those wizards into your favorite world.  Coming up with a conversion chart can lead to all sorts of fun.  You may find your world full of a host of new NPCs.

To me, those names led to a greater understanding of the game’s lore and backstory.  Who would know that Drawmij is Jim Ward’s name spelled backwards?  Each of those names has a story, and to take that story away would be to rob D&D of a cherished part of its history.

So I implore the Wizards to keep this rich portion of D&D history.  You’re doing so good at getting the flavor back in the game.  Do not falter now.

Oh, and feel free to add some new ones. Malhavoc comes to mind.

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Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor The MMRPG downloads to be rescued

November 16, 2011 David "Big Mac" Shepheard 3rd Edition, Blackmoor, Blog, Gaming

Dave Arneson's Blackmoor The MMRPGDave Arneson’s Blackmoor The MMRPG sounds a bit like a computer game, but it was actually Blackmoor’s answer to games like Living Greyhawk, Living Jungle and Living Forgotten Realms.

A number of adventures (or episodes) were created for the campaign. After the campaign ended, these were made available on the official website for the campaign. Sadly that website (like so many other D&D websites) fell off the Internet. And so the episodes of the MMRPG were lost…

…until now.

Dustin Clingman from Zeitgeist Games has given Havard, from the Blackmoor Archives, permission to put them back online.

So far only the first five episodes have gone online, but more will follow.

For more information (and to find the download links) see Blackmoor MMRPG Season 1 Available on Havard’s Blackmoor Blog

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Theory on the Origins of Nentir Vale

November 9, 2011 Dragonhelm Blog, Greyhawk, Mystara, Nentir Vale

I have kind of a theory about what’s going on with the Nentir Vale setting, particularly in regards to Greyhawk and Mystara. Some of this is based on conjecture and theory, not actual knowledge of events, as I began my D&D fandom during the 2e days.

My understanding of the early days of D&D is that it diverged into two paths. Greyhawk would become the world of the AD&D modules, and Mystara would become the world of the basic D&D modules. I suspect that the modules each added onto the known worlds, but that there wasn’t a cohesive world from the beginning.

So why create a new setting, then, when we have 3 settings (Greyhawk, Mystara, and Forgotten Realms) that are fully capable of being the basic D&D world?

I think WotC wanted a fresh start. Consider that WotC wants an easy entry point to D&D, not a setting with 30 years of continuity. I think they wanted a clean slate, so they could work in things like the dragonborn and tieflings without any repercussions from existing fans. Imagine saying that dragonborn were always in Greyhawk!

Ah, but WotC wanted to also include some iconic modules in the new world. This was their chance to integrate them in a way that made more cohesive sense. After all, why go from one setting to another to allow your players to travel between classic dungeons when you could have them all in one setting?

Consider as well that Nentir Vale/Nerath is the world of Dungeons & Dragons. It’s the implied setting, much as Golarion is the implied setting for Pathfnder. Shouldn’t all of the iconic adventure sites of D&D be in the world of Dungeons & Dragons?

I could be totally off-base, but I think it’s a theory worth considering.

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City of Greyhawk Campaign Setting (a la Neverwinter)?

August 20, 2011 Dragonhelm Blog, Greyhawk

One of the big criticisms I hear about bringing Greyhawk back as a setting is that it’s a “generic fantasy setting” and would compete with some of the same real estate as the Forgotten Realms.

It occurs to me, though, that maybe the approach is wrong. Maybe, rather than bringing back the whole setting, we should focus on the City of Greyhawk itself.

I was thinking that maybe a sourcebook a la Neverwinter would be the way to go. And while it can still be a part of the greater Greyhawk setting, it could also be a standalone city that could be put into any setting (think Ptolus). There is some precedent with how Nerath is cannibalizing some of Greyhawk’s greatest dungeons.

What do you think?

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