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20 D&D Bard Quest Ideas

Posted in D&D 5e, D&D Fifth Edition, D&D Next, Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder with tags , , on January 4, 2019 by boccobsblog

 

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Yeah, that’s a gelatinous cube in a thong. Art by Mia Johnson.

Today we have a guest blogger, Mia Johnson from Tipsy Badger. She has prepared 20 D&D Quest Ideas for bards.

  1. The children of the surround farmland have been disappearing, some say a satyr play his flute just on the edge of the woods, enticing them to join his dance.
  2. Despite the disappearing members and strange accidents happening around the traveling circus, the troupe seeks new headliners for this evening’s show.
  3. A haunting melody rouses the party from their sleep to see a ghostly veiled woman drifting towards a pond, beckoning the party with her hand before sinking below the water.
  4. Drunken revelry draws the party’s attention to  a crowd of townsfolk gathered round a fighting pit, the betting pot valuing a small fortune.
  5. The whole town decorated in fresh flowers and summer banners, many walls and posts are littered with fliers detailing a competition on the center stage, winner receives a hefty some of gold and a masterwork instrument by a local craftsman.
  6. Many musicians have been disappearing from town, rumor has it a devilish creature stalks through the streets at night with his corpse band chained to his side.
  7. A young red dragon with a belled collar around its neck comes bounding through the woods near the party, followed by an out of breath young elf singing an off-key lullaby in an attempt to soothe the beast .
  8. The thieves guild has got a big score lined up from a nobles manor, and they’re willing to give the party a cut if a big diversion is made in the market district.
  9. After a long evening of celebrating their latest victory, the party finds their pockets and sheaths empty with the vague memory of one of the tavern names that they had visited.
  10. The streets are littered with a variety of statues locked in expressions of fear, in the town square large stone beings gather up statues, dragging them towards the keep.
  11. A symphony of terrified screams bring the party’s attention to a large troll walking down the city street, peering through doorways and windows looking for someone.
  12. Desperate, a baron seeks local performers in an attempt to make his bride to be smile.
  13. A woman follows the party wherever they go, claiming to be the bard’s daughter.
  14. It is an annual tradition for a musician to enter the catacombs perform a song to soothe the restless dead, with a necromancer claiming the area as his own, no musicians have been willing to enter the dead infested underground, and the deadline is fast approaching.
  15. The party stumbles upon a slaughtered caravan, the only survivor, fast asleep among the carnage is a blood covered old man with scars over where his ears should be. As the party approaches, the old man opens his eyes, and a toothy grin spreads across  his face as he transforms into a hideous abomination.
  16. While building a new addition onto the lord’s manor, the workmen discovered a series of tunnels underneath the household as well as a gray cow-like beast with milky eyes guarding them, at least that’s what the surviving woman claimed to his lordship. A reward has been posted to all the surrounding towns for anyone who can slay the beast.
  17. In a run-down tavern, a huntsman recounts finding a carved door surrounded by small shards of glass and other found objects set into a hillside, he swears the door opened a crack when the birds were singing.
  18. A neatly written letter is delivered by courier detailing out a plea by a well-renowned songstress, believing someone is going to make an attempt on her life, asks the party to protect her or take her place on stage.
  19. When performing in a local tavern, a finely dressed heckler insults the bard’s performance. If confronted, it will be revealed that the heckler is in fact the duke that rules over the surrounding land, and will call for the arrest of the party, and will try to have them run out-of-town.
  20. In danger of losing his position as royal court jester, the old fool begs the party to help him perform a simple play of three old maids for his lord. In return, he promises to reward the party his grandfather’s prized possession.

About the Author:
The minute I could pick up a crayon, my parents had to cover the walls with paper to save the walls from my creations. I’ve been fascinated with art, story, film-making and of course Dungeons & Dragons all of my life. I’ve been attending Columbia College Chicago with a major in Cinema Arts & Sciences and minoring in animation to further my love and appreciation for both art and story. I founded the art page Tipsy Badger after finishing a piece for my own D&D game for some extra experience points from my dungeon master. One hairy dwarven maiden pin-up and I was hooked on this genre of art. The traditional hero type I have a harder time connecting with, you’re telling me those huge badonka-honkers don’t have stretch marks anywhere on them? I don’t think so. It’s important these little details, especially in art. Most everyone is going to have sagging bits, or folds, or stretch marks or hair (so much hair). It’s important to be proud of these features, both in-game, in art, and outside of it. If you’re looking for some naked hairy wizards you can find my work at any of the links below.

Teespring: https://teespring.com/stores/tipsy-badger-2
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/tipsybadger/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tipsybadgerdesigns/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tipsy_badger


Buy me an 1/18 of a cup of coffee
D&D 5E Core Rulebook Gift Set
Dungeon Mayhem – D&D Card Game
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

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GameholeCon 2018

Posted in Conventions, Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder with tags , on January 2, 2019 by boccobsblog
GameHoleCon 2019

Pic by Arcadya Photography

GameHoleCon is a tabletop convention held at the Alliant Energy Center  in Madison WI each fall. We attended GHC for Saturday only, and this is our review.

Free Parking
One of the biggest draws for GameholeCon is the parking. If you’ve been to GenCon or another major event then you’re used to paying $25+ a day on parking. The Alliant Energy Center has nearly 6,000 free spots. There was ample free parking. This was a welcome change.

Food & Drink
This is one area that the con really suffered. The concessions in the AEC are limited. The food was expensive and they only carried Pepsi products. If you prefer or need to drink diet soda, then Diet Pepsi is your only choice. Diet Pepsi is somewhere between demon piss and gasoline. The con had a deal where you could get a refillable cup, but again a refillable cup of demon piss isn’t really a win. There were food carts outside the AEC, but the prices were high (I spent 5 dollars on a bottle of soda from a vendor).

If you attend you should know ahead of time, there are no restaurants close to the convention center.

Booze
The AEC sells beer in their concession area. This is a rare find at most cons.

Hotels
The hotels are close to the hall, but many require a short walk outside. This isn’t a bad thing, but should be considered because booking a room. The Clarion Suites is the onsite hotel with an enclosed walkway to the AEC. There were plenty of hotel rooms available for the con (another welcome change).

Vendor Hall
The vendor area is fairly small, but all the major names and usual suspects were in attendance.

Access to Industry Celebs
The most impressive aspect of this small con was the sheer number industry celebs that attended,, and how easy it was to approach and even game with them. On the one day we were in attendance we saw, Matt Mercer, Chris Perkins, Satine Phoenix and Matt Lillard.

In Conclusion
GameHoleCon has all of the features of a large con-True Dungeon, miniature painting, Adventurer’s League, Pathfinder Society, industry celebrity games (maybe more so than a large con). The staff was extremely friendly, and there was plenty of free parking. GameHoleCon is worth visiting and we will be returning.

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Simon D&D Puzzle

Posted in D&D 5e, D&D Fifth Edition, D&D Next, Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder with tags , , , , , , , , on December 26, 2018 by boccobsblog

SImon

I am a big proponent of using existing games as in-game D&D Puzzles. The following article outlines ways to use a Simon game as a D&D puzzle.

Reminder on D&D/Pathfinder Puzzles
Puzzles should ALWAYS be optional. When you place a D&D Puzzle or riddle at a choke point in an adventure or dungeon the momentum grinds to a halt.

Difficulty
When you successfully follow Simon through a pattern you receive a signal (effectively a point), after 35 signals the game is beaten and you win. In our playtesting, 20 signals presented a moderate challenge and 25 signals presented a difficult (but still achievable) challenge.

The longest recorded game of Simon was at the 25th anniversary party of the game in 2003. 14-year-old Joel Berger beat the game 14 times in a row. (This is often misquoted by the duergar on Reddit as 14 moves, Joel got 35 moves in a row, 14 times, not 14 moves).

Sci-Fi Example
The players discover a crashed alien vessel the doors of which are sealed with four colored buttons, red, yellow, green, and blue. Don’t overuse the locks, protect only sensitive areas that hide advanced weaponry or major plot points.

Fantasy Example (D&D5E Puzzle)
Given the colorful nature of the Simon puzzle, it lends itself to a prismatic wall trap. A room of the dungeon is blocked by a prismatic wall. This prismatic wall seems slightly different than others of its kind. The scintillating pattern is made up of splashes of yellow, red, blue, and green. On the floor in front of the wall are 7 gems, three of the which are dull and grey. The remaining gems are red, blue, yellow, and green.

The players then attempts to complete sequences equal to or greater than the difficulty set by the DM (Usually 20 or 25 moves). If they fail to get the correct number of moves they suffer damage, the type of which is determined randomly (damage presented for D&D5E, tweak for Pathfinder):

Damage Type (1d4)
1 Red – fire
2 Yellow – lightning
3 Green – poison
4 Blue – cold

Damage by Level
1 – 4: 1d10
5 – 10: 2d10
11 – 16: 4d10
17+: 10d10

Damage-less Option
You can replace damage by increasing the difficulty of subsequent attempts by 3 or 5 moves.

Horror Example
A playful spirit hides a clue or point plot, and refuses to share with the information unless a character beats it at Simon. The two-player version can be used or take turns.

D&D puzzles can be difficult to create. This mini-game can lighten a session and be used to break up ordinary gameplay with a splash of nostalgia. Try it and let me know how it worked in the comments.

Any Simon game will work, we used a handheld version. Need one? Grab them here.

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50 D&D Quest Ideas

Posted in D&D 5e, D&D Fifth Edition, D&D Next, Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder with tags , on December 19, 2018 by boccobsblog
RDJE

“Red Dragon” by Jeff Easley

  1. Tiny dolls made of wheat sheaves are attacking the village at night, made by the children of the town being taught how to construct them by a night hag who disguises herself as a fairy godmother.
  2. Three old ladies wander into town, and set up shop as adventurers, and knitting sweaters for their clients. Every quest the party goes on, they’ve somehow managed to skip to the end and defeat the big boss. Now they’re looking for a fight.
  3. Two rival houses enlist the aid of the party in poisoning the leader of the other.
  4. A rat catcher stumbles into the street and collapse. His body is covered in vicious bites. The terrified man can only speak a single, “Grokk”.
  5. The PC’s fall asleep and are astral projected to an ancient alien temple/ruin/structure filled with bizarre traps, treasure, and creatures. If the survive they must try to find the great treasures, they left behind and the mystery of who sent them there.
  6. A war has broken out between the guild of barber surgeons and a newly founded college of surgery. The city/town/region is in turmoil as the wounded flood temples and exhaust the resources of the clerics with mundane injuries.
  7. A PC is trapped inside a Mirror of Life Trapping, and in freeing their party member, the players release a score of horrible creatures.
  8. A fountain in a local park/garden is turning people’s tongues/hair/skin various colors as a precocious fey has taken up residence nearby.
  9. A pit fiend will grant a wish to any who help him defect from the Bloodwar.
  10. The books in a local temple/library/guild/shop have begun talking to one another, but never to people.
  11. Seven townsfolk that disappeared seven years ago to the day have returned with no memory of where they have been.
  12. The PC’s are hired to retrieve a valuable item from the flooded basement of a local inn/tavern/temple that has become invested with a swarm of angry, and very hungry, quippers.
  13. The heraldic banner of an unknown lord/family/house flies in the middle of the town/city/fort and no one knows he planted it or why it is there.
  14. A dim-witted flower seller is said to be wandering the city/town/region selling a rare and priceless, and believed to be extinct, flower known for its curative/magical properties for a copper each to the peasantry.
  15. A jeweler is found murdered in his locked shop. A Necklace of Strangulation is the culprit.
  16. A missing woodsman’s trail leads into the forest and ends next to a beautifully carved wooden throne that acts as a portal to the Feywild.
  17. A troll spotted in the wilderness nearby is reported to speak common and offers sound advice to the terrified travelers that happen onto its path.
  18. Every bird flown by the royal falconer disappears moments after being set loose.
  19. Bards all over the region/town/city are being found turned to stone.
  20. A wizard trapped for years on another plane/in stone/Imprisoned returns to find all his belongings sold off and he hires the PC’s to track down his notes/spellbook/research
  21. The rare beasts being sold in town by a traveling merchant are just polymorphed cats that revert to their natural state an hour after purchase when the merchant is long gone.
  22. The grave of a local hero has been desecrated and the corpse is missing.
  23. A noble family’s new wet-nurse/servant is a member of a feuding family that goes back generations.
  24. A famous playwright is found stabbed through the eye a week after being mysteriously arrested without cause.
  25. A young maiden is drawing a fearsome red dragon on the cobblestones nearby and some villagers swear they’ve seen the dragon moving. What will happen when she finishes?
  26. Panic ensues when every lock in the castle/city/town springs open at once as if from the Knock spell.
  27. An antimagic field has appeared in the center of the town/city/temple and it is growing at an alarming rate.
  28. A gang of valuable gladiators has escaped the fighting pits and must be captured alive.
  29. An alluring belly dancer has been captivating crowds while her pickpocket lover robs them blind.
  30. PC’s are drafted to lead an unprepared militia against a horde of orcs/gnolls/One Direction fans.
  31. A sailing ship carrying the royal heir was destroyed by a kraken and the PC’s must recover the body, so he/she can be raised before the next in line can claim the throne.
  32. Blood hawks have taken up nests in the town/city/temple/castle and are creating a nuisance as they protect their nests. Violence cannot be used as the blood hawk is the crest of a powerful noble/hero/family in the region.
  33. Lizardmen/bullywugs have dammed a vital water source to create a new home as theirs has been claimed by a black dragon/band of harpies
  34. All the player’s attuned items break their bonds with their owners
  35. An arch mage needs help unleashing a plague of rust monsters on Dispater’s Iron Tower to rescue the Chalice of Heironeroius.
  36. A NPC is convinced that their wife/husband is a doppelganger.
  37. The city’s rat catchers are on strike and a plague threatens the populace is a diplomatic solution can’t be reached.
  38. Cities are being raided by warforged marauders seeking something for their awakened iron golem “god”.
  39. A dwarven hold has gone silent and ceased trading. Pc’s discover that the hold’s leaders have been replaced by simulacrums controlled by the Drow.
  40. The pillars of the local temples want the PCs to kill or run off a mysterious cabal that is offering magical healing (and potions) for free.
  41. The king/mayor/noble’s dog has run off to become the animal companion/familiar of a wandering ranger/wizard/druid and the PCs are offered a huge sum to return it at any cost.
  42. A white, divine rank zero, stag has appeared in a local wood and the fey/elves/druids want to the PCs to help stop a band of orcs trying to claim the beast’s divinity for themselves.
  43. As a newly opened university grows in size and influence divine and arcane magic in the area start to decline in effectiveness as local move towards science.
  44. The king has died, and he was the only person who knew the location of the heir who was placed in status to protect him/her from political rivals.
  45. A curse/plague/ randomly changes the language of everyone affected.
  46. A thief running from the law hides in a manor house occupied by two sisters. The sisters turn out to be vampires/cultists/witches and kill him. Now the thieves’ guild hires the PCs to recover the stolen item from the manor.
  47. Something is eating missionaries who are building a temple in a nearby swamp.
  48. Each new moon, one of the players is contacted telepathically by an entity claiming to be trapped on the dark side of the moon.
  49. You are invited to dinner/drinks by an old friend who keeps steering the conversation to a seemingly irrelevant item you acquired years ago on an adventure. He/she seem obsessed with finding the item, though they are evasion if questioned.
  50. The party must obtain a recently crash meteorite made of adamantine that is currently being worshipped by a tribe of monstrous beings.

Need more ideas? See 101 D&D Quest Ideas & Another 101 Quest Ideas


Buy me an 1/18 of a cup of coffee
D&D 5E Core Rulebook Gift Set
Dungeon Mayhem – D&D Card Game
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

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Alexandria RPG

Posted in Conventions, Dungeons and Dragons, GURPS, Interview, Pathfinder, Star Wars with tags , , on September 19, 2018 by boccobsblog

AlexRPG

Directly across from the chaos of the exhibit hall at Gen Con 2018 was a quiet sanctuary of pure awesomeness. The Alexandria RPG library was a room with about ten tables piled with RPG books, as well several well-stocked shelves of gaming treasures. Today we sit down with the chief librarian to learn more about this amazing find.

What can you tell us about Alexandria RPG?

– We are a nonprofit lending library that shares RPGs with as many people as we can via events.  We also work with teens, PTSD service members, and soon senior citizens.

What was the impetus for starting an RPG library?

– I have been the deputy manager of gaming at Emerald City Comicon for a few years new and tossed the idea out to fill space.  The manger thought it sounded fun and a few weeks before ECCC 2017 I was asked if I could still do the library.  I ran out and bought some exrat books to fill in holes and add a wider variety dropping like $2000 in a couple days.  Then was laid off the next month.  But that first event we had like 400 books or so and people loved it. We got kids playing RPGs for the first time and had people asking if I would come to their show.  Part way through that first show we got a box of donations from an old friend of mine in Iowa.  He mailed them out when he heard what we we’re doing.

Needless to say people loved the idea so we put our heads down and ran forward with it. We are now near 1800 books and over a 100 different systems.

If you could roleplay with one historical figure, who would it be and why?

-Thomas Jefferson.  I figure he was super smart, self taught, and well read. I bet he had a wild imagination that he kept locked away.

Do you think Andrew Johnson would cheat on his rolls?

– As in the 17th President? Sure he would, he was a politician.

What is your favorite book in the collection?

– My first book is in the Library, my AD&D players handbook my brother and I bought at Sears in 1982. It still has the price tag on it $10.57.   That book has tons of memories for me and the comic shop my family had.

Which cons will you be attending in the near future?

– Friday we will be at PAX West last year was huge there for us, we hosted 100 games in four days. I only brought GMs for 6. The rest we’re people that just wanted to play.

We just did Dragonflight 39 last weekend

We will be at RenCon two weekends after PAX West

Working on trying to get to PAX Unplugged

Jan we have OrcaCon

How can people help Alexandria RPG?

We have a Patreon people can pledge to even a $1 a month helps get us a van rental or new boxes. They can donate funds via PayPal on our website or via our email donations@alexandriarpg.com.  we also take book donations. They can reach us at the donation email for information on sending books

Also follow us on social media because that helps too. We have a YouTube channel and if we can get enough followers we can make a buck or two off videos there as well.

Money is always needed. I have put a couple thousand dollars into the library this year and a couple of other people have as well.

As a reminder we are a 501c3 and registered as a charity in Washington state.

You can learn more about Alexandria RPG at their website: https://www.alexandriarpg.com/

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Pathfinder 2nd Edition Playtest

Posted in Pathfinder with tags , , , on September 12, 2018 by boccobsblog

BetaLogo

Today we sit down with Patrick Schreurs to discuss the Pathfinder second edition playtest. Patrick is a venture lieutenant for the Pathfinder Society in Illinois and spent a great deal of time at Gen Con 2018 running players through the playtest materials.

Did any classes get deleted or added?
The “core classes” are back, they also included the Alchemist into the core group. During the design they looked at the “core” question and landed with the list as it sits now (Alchemist, Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Rouge, Sorcerer, Wizard). But don’t worry, in future products they will look to include the other base and expanded classes that have become so popular in 1st ed.
Did they fix the stacking modifiers?
This one is hard to answer, I’ve played a lot of lower level play, but have yet to expand in higher level which normally has those stacking modifiers. Looking at it, it does look like they have addressed this issue as there are fewer modifiers but that could also be that I haven’t come across it yet. Time will tell.
Does it resemble 5e or is still it’s own thing?
It felt like Pathfinder to me. I’ve played some 5e, and it doesn’t fell like it to me, but I can see why some think so by simply looking at it and not playing.
What do you like best about the redesign?
There’s a ton!

Encounter mode (combat mode), the simplicity and elegance of the three-action a round is widely understated! The ability to get through a combat round with ease and near limitless option in choices, in my opinion, is by far the best change in the game. It’s Simple, Quick, and effective!

Spells, for as long as I’ve been playing RPGs, have had some form of requirements for spell casting such as verbal, somatic, and material, or some other forms. In this edition is the first time I am aware of that those requirements fit into the action-based economy perfectly. It just makes sense to me, I love that.

How closely does it resemble Starfinder?
Pathfinder 2ed has similar feels when it comes to character creation, and it does use the “bulk” rules for item incumbrance which seem to come straight from Starfinder.

Will it take much work for DMs to use their 1e materials?
I don’t believe this will be an issue. Its never simple to convert one game material to another as a general rule, but being so close in concept and design it can be done.

What did player dislike during the Gen Con playtests you ran?
I’ve run a ton of demo play so far (all lower level), the only dislikes I’ve heard is players want the classes they had in 1st Ed, which will come in time, and the general hesitation or reservation in the beginning of play that would wash away after the game finished. I assume that’s the normal reaction to something new, especially after they’ve played the same game for years and are now looking at a New game.

What is the estimated release date?
2ed release date is schedule to launch at Gen Con 2019.
Play testing is running from Gen Con 2018 – Gen Con 2019. Paizo has been and will be collecting information and feed back from the surveys and adjusting the game as they find areas that don’t work or need tweaking. They have already adjusted rules based on those feeds backs, so please if you play, take a minute or two and fill out those surveys, they can and will impact the game in its final version.

 

You can learn more about the playtest and download materials at:
http://paizo.com/pathfinderplaytest

 

Patrick Schreurs is a gamer with 29 years of experience and the organizer of Lodge Con


Lodge Con – February 9th and 10th 2019, is an annual consumer fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, and hobby game convention in Peotone, Illinois. In February gaming enthusiasts will converge to share their love for all things gaming, from tournaments, guest appearances, vendor hall, seminars, and workshops.Find us at https://www.facebook.com/lodgeconn/
 

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Free RPG Day 2018

Posted in D&D 5e, D&D Fifth Edition, D&D Next, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming News, Limitless-Adventures.com, Pathfinder, Uncategorized with tags , , on June 11, 2018 by boccobsblog

What is Free RPG Day?

According to their site:

Established in 2007, Free RPG Day works with participating hobby game retailers and RPG publishers to bring new and exclusive RPG quickstart rules and adventure modules into the hands of gamers.

Consumers WORLDWIDE will be able to grab brand new material for a variety of RPGs — no overstock, retail-priced or dead product here. The goal of Free RPG Day is to inspire gamers to play a new RPG, which will in turn, create sales through local game stores.

When is Free RPG Day?

This year’s Free RPG Day is Saturday, June 16th.

Where is Free RPG Day?

Your FLGS is most likely taking part in the event, but to be sure you can find  participating retailers here.

Which Publishers are Participating?

To name just a few

Free RPG Day Tips

  • Get there early, there are only a few copies of each title
  • Check the website and go there with an idea of what you want, it can be a bit of a grabfest
  • Support your FLGS for hosting the event. If you can’t afford to make a purchase, promote the event and their store on social media

Looking for D&D5E encounters, locations, or side quests? Visit our shop at Limitless-Adventures.com

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Boccob’s is Seeking Guest Bloggers

Posted in D&D 5e, D&D Fifth Edition, D&D Next, Dungeons and Dragons, Limitless-Adventures.com, Pathfinder, Uncategorized on January 12, 2017 by boccobsblog

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We are looking for some D&D5e content (though if you have some great non-D&D gaming content we’d like to see that as well) to help augment our own. Writing and running Limitless-Adventures.com has cut into our blogging time, and we’re turning to the community to help keep the articles flowing.

Interested? Do you have some great D&D quest ideas? Please e-mail us at boccobsblog@gmail.com. Be sure to browse some of our past articles to get an ideas of our voice. Start with – our 101 D&D Quest Ideas.

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Adventure a Week Interview with Jonathan Nelson and Todd Gamble

Posted in D&D 3.5e DM Content, Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder with tags , , , , , on August 15, 2012 by boccobsblog

If you haven’t visited Adventureaweek.com it is a site where new D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder quests are published. As the name implies each week subscribers will get access to original material for their game. Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing the site’s creators, Jonathan Nelson and Todd Gamble.

What is Adventure a Week?

Adventureaweek.com provides a new 3.5 and Pathfinder compatible adventure every single week!

All adventures fully support both systems, so die-hard 3.5 and Pathfinder fanatics alike can sit back and relax!  If a GM is looking to try out our stuff before they commit to a subscription, they can buy our adventures on Paizo.com, RPGnow.com, DriveThruRPG.com, and in our own Adventureaweek online store.

Subscribers get access to a TON of great creative content including high-resolution maps by three-time ENnie Award winning Cartographer Todd Gamble.  Our adventures are available in both PDF format and our famous patented web format, which makes running games so easy all you need is a tablet and some dice!


So far you’ve released series A, B, and C, is there a unifying theme to each series?

“A-Series” = Adventureaweek Campaign Setting adventures
We have set it up so you can opt in or out of the setting with a single click.

“B-Series” = By Guest Authors
Guest authors include finalists from the Paizo RPG Superstar competition, Michael McCarthy (Dreamscarred Press), Mark Edwards (numerous publishers), Jonathan McAnulty (Kobold Quarterly, Rite Publishing), JP Quinn (partner with Dave Arneson on Blackmoor campaign setting and adventures), the list goes on and on and grows with each passing week!

“C-Series” = Classic style adventures
These adventures are created in the vein of AD&D 1st edition Gary Gygax adventures, but with rules and statistics compatible with 3.5 and Pathfinder RPGs.

In regards to the letters matching up with the series: we didn’t really mean for it to happen that way, but hey… it works!


Are the stat blocks in your adventures 3.5 or Pathfinder format?

We actually have taken on the massive challenge of supplying statistics for both game systems within every adventure module.  Yes, it’s a huge undertaking but everything gets easier in time.  We are getting things down to a science and are proud to offer our adventures to both audiences in the same adventure module.


Are your adventures available in print format or solely as PDFs?

Our adventures are available in two formats, but two different from those you mention.  First off we have our patented “web format” which contains “click to open/close” JavaScript boxes containing statistical information so it doesn’t clutter up space as a GM runs through the adventure.  Don’t need an encounter?  Simply continue on your way through the adventure.  Need stats for PF but not 3.5?  Well, don’t open the 3.5 combat boxes!  Just click the Pathfinder boxes.  It’s all very user-friendly and actually designed that way over time through a large play test and from a lot of intensive use in my own game sessions.  It works flawlessly on a tablet and thus decreases the amount of supplies you need to bring to a game.  Really, all you need is a tablet and dice.  Or use your own dice app and all you need is a tablet or laptop.

You can also buy the PDFs individually, or as a subscriber you may download them free of charge.  Granted, monthly subscribers only get 2 downloads per month whereas annual subscribers get unlimited downloads.  This is to prevent misuse and piracy on the site, which is the main problem that other subscription sites experienced.  I actually am a STRONG advocate of sharing stuff that you love with friends, but purchasing that same product if you find that you use it often.  For example, I received a free copy of Wolfgang’s Kobold Guide to Game Design.  Read it, LOVED IT, and purchased all three in print version even though a newer compiled version was coming out.  AaW paid for three ads in Kobold Quarterly and were offered a free print and PDF version; too late, already bought both of them separately with one being purchased from my local game store.  Seriously guys: Support what you love or watch it go the way of the buffalo.


What subscriptions plans do you offer?

If you would like weekly adventures and a campaign setting you can slap down $10 and go for the monthly subscription.  Heck, if you don’t like the site you can always cancel after a month.  At least you had the chance to see what killer stuff we have hidden behind our impenetrable gates!

If you would like access to a lot more (and we mean a LOT MORE), you can save money and get a ton of good stuff by paying $99 a year to become an Annual Subscriber.  As an Annual Subscriber to Adventureaweek.com you obtain access to the following: Every adventure on the site, Free PDF download option for all adventures, Adventurer’s Journal (side quests & maps), Treasure Trove (new magical items), Audio Soundboard (sound effects for your game), Printables (high resolution images for download/printing), Dungeon Tiles (professional dungeon tiles for combat), Monsters (new and original monsters complete with full color illustrations), AaW Campaign Setting – Maps, History, Culture, Races, Classes, Domains, Sorcerer Bloodlines, Spells, Archetypes, Prestige Classes, Locations, NPCs, Magical Items, All AaW content available for HERO LAB.

What is your favorite adventure available on the site and why?

That is a hard question to answer because I honestly have quite a few which vie for the top position.  How about I name off my top three and then give you some info on one that is special to me?

I would say the three contenders for MY favorite adventure are A4: Forest for the Trees (nature vs. civilization), A5: Winterflower (festival with a dance), and A9: Rogue Wizard (inspired by an episode of STAR TREK: The Next Generation).

My most personal adventure is A5: Winterflower, which features Gwendolyn, the most beautiful maiden in the village.  Most of the young men in the village of Rybalka wish to take Gwendolyn to the Winterflower Festival dance.  Some of the men in the village wish to hire the PCs to retrieve rare treasures to win her hand.  There is a lot more to this adventure (which received 5 stars by ENDZEITGEIST), but the reason it’s special to me is that my daughter’s name is Gwendolyn and the adventure was written before she was born.  She is 9 months old now and makes me smile no matter how bad of a day I’m having!


The artwork and cartography look amazing, who is responsible?

Tim Tyler is a phenomenal character artist and has provided the unique and original artwork for most of the characters and monsters appearing in our adventures and campaign setting.  He has been working in the comic book industry for much of his life, but this is his first time doing RPGs.  This transition came easy to him though as he played AD&D 1st edition in his younger days and has always been a fan of the art that used to appear in those old school TSR modules.  Those were the good old days right?  I still love that art too, and Tim’s been bringing back some of that old style with a fresh perspective that only someone in the field of comics and graphic novels would have.  We are stoked to have Tim as an integral part of Adventureaweek!

Todd Gamble is the genius behind the incredible cartography and a TON of the artwork, especially the locations.  Todd has this knack for really immersing you in an environment.  I think it comes from his life experiences visiting different locations and exploring strange places.  He’s told me before that he used to wander around in old abandoned mines just to get the feel for them and map them out.  That’s SO dangerous!  There are hidden sinkholes that go down hundreds of feet.  You see this puddle of water, step in it and *WHOOOSH* you’re deep in some mineshaft underwater!  Crazy!  Todd is a three-time ENnie Award winner, has won numerous ORIGINS awards, and has worked at Wizards of the Coast, Green Ronin, and a dozen other great RPG companies.  He is heralded as one of the world’s best cartographers and designers of model scenery used in gaming and model railroading.  He’s also a damn good friend!


Your site says you accept adventure submissions; do you have any tips for writing hoping to submit their work?

I’ve actually been asked this question more times than I can count.  We get a lot of submissions, some of them great and some not so great.  Many times the “not so great” submissions just need a little work.  In this case, we ask the author to send their creative work to a few friends for feedback and perform a thorough spelling and grammar check.  Sometimes we accept their proposal after they perform a few revisions based on feedback provided by both their friends and us.  There are other times that the adventures proposed just don’t work for our site or are not up to the standards required by a discerning Game Master.  We only want to publish the absolute best adventures, and while “best” is definitely relative, we do have certain standards in regards to quality of story, formatting, and delivery.

For anyone looking to submit material I would recommend reading the following prior to submitting a proposal:

Visit the forum on Adventureaweek.com and introduce themselves as well as read the various posts by other authors.

Download the ACT (Adventure Composition Tutorial) would also get them ahead of the game.

Finally, prospective adventure authors may read more on our guidelines and incentives, as well as submit their adventure proposal here.

Will the AaW team be at Gen Con this year? (If so, booth number?) 

Yes, Todd and Jonathan will be at GEN CON but will not be at a booth. Instead we will be random encounters throughout the convention.  Depending on the date and time there is a 5% cumulative chance of encountering us at GEN CON.  We will be disguised as NERD TREK journalists (my other company) and handing out loads of freebies and coupon codes for Adventureaweek.com.  Some of this stuff is part of a ONE-TIME PRINT and autographed as well, so if you see us make sure and ask us for some of the goods!

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL AT GEN CON 2012!  LONG LIVE GARY GYGAX!

Happy Gaming!

-Jonathan and Todd

Adventureaweek.com

Well, I would like to give a big thank you to the gents at Adventure a Week. They have an amazing site and a quality product so be sure to check it out.

-Andy

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The DM’s Oh Sh!t Sheet

Posted in D&D 3.5e DM Content, Pathfinder, Uncategorized with tags , , , on August 13, 2012 by boccobsblog

As any DM knows, you can’t plan for every contingency. Many times your players will take you in a direction you did not expect. Every DM will find him/herself in need of a quick name or some treasure for an unexpected encounter. Well that’s where the Oh Sh!t Sheet comes in.

This one-page DM aid contains:

  • 52 male names
  • 52 female names
  • 5 encounters
  • 5 traps
  • 40 pre-rolled treasures CR 1-20

So if you need a name for the innkeeper or blacksmith you didn’t plan for, or when you need a quick treasure roll but don’t want to lose momentuem on your session by stopping to roll treasure, you can use the Oh Sh!t Sheet.

Oh Sh!t Sheet

Be sure to check out our download page for more pre-rolled treasure, name sheets, and and quest ideas.

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