Archive for the Product Review Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Gaming Paper

Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 4e Content, Pathfinder, Product Review with tags , on May 9, 2011 by boccobsblog

If you’re looking for a new way to map out your game, give Gaming Paper a try (at four dollars a roll it’s an inexpensive test run).

What is Gaming Paper? Well according to their website:

Gaming Paper is the latest innovation in roleplaying and miniatures accessories and is a low-cost alternative to expensive battlemaps and tile sets. It’s an inexpensive, reusable and disposable product for gamers.

Gaming Paper is sold in convenient rolls that are 30 inches wide and 12’ long, for 30 square feet of playing surface. At only $4/roll, it is a fraction of the cost of other gaming mats on the market. Not only is it usable for miniatures games, but it is also ideal for roleplaying games. Anyone can use pens, markers, or other simple writing implements to create detailed terrain for campaigns or miniatures battles.

While I don’t use Gaming paper for every game, I do like it for situations when I don’t want to lug a mess of Dungeons Tiles or when I don’t want to halt the game while I draw a scene on a reusable battlemat. Gaming Paper allows you to draw elaborate maps using markers, pencils, pen, paint, (basically any art supply you enjoy using). You can get Gaming Paper  with either a square grid or hexes.

I highly recommend Gaming Paper, give it a chance and see if you enjoy it as much as I do.

Gamingpaper.com

Leave a comment »

Gamemastery Item Cards

Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 4e Content, Pathfinder, Product Review with tags , , on April 25, 2011 by boccobsblog

images from Paizo.com

We’ve had a few posts talking about using props in your game. Some people have commented that they like the idea of props, but lack the time to find or make them. That got me thinking; Paizo offers a line of item cards that each depicts (in full color) an item either mundane or magical which could be used as a sort of meta prop.

Along with magic items, they offer two sets of mundane gear. This could be useful for those “ok who has the rope” scenario, or the similar “Oh I wouldn’t have been carrying the ancient artifact of doom on me, I left that in the inn”.

The cards (54 to a pack) have artwork by some the industries best artists, and the back of each card is left blank so the DM or player can write notes about the item, along with a detailed description of the item. The cards are not random, the contents of each deck (along with several previews) can be found at Paizo’s website.  At ten dollars a pack they are relatively inexpensive and offer a nice visual effect to enhance your game.

Check them out, and if you have a cool use for the cards, let us know.

Example of actual cards from “Elements of Power” deck (images from Paizo.com)

6 Comments »

Dungeon Master’s Keep by Gale Force Nine

Posted in D&D 3.5e DM Content, D&D 4e Content, Product Review with tags , , on April 11, 2011 by boccobsblog

pic via Gale Force Nine website

Known for creating great gaming products and incredible terrain, Gale Force Nine has invented the ultimate DM screen which can be pre-ordered from their website for 150.00 USD (which includes shipping). Here’s what the guys at GF9 have to say about their product:

Dungeon Master’s Keep is cast from durable resin and comes pre-painted and ready to use right out of the box. The gatehouse is secured by two stout doors with pair familiar-looking door knockers, and above the doorway hangs the D&D 4th Edition Dragon Logo. Behind the screen are shelves to store miniatures, game cards and other record keeping notes. Two handy trays are built into the walls to hold your GF9 Dungeon Master’s Tokens. The towers of the gatehouse also serve as dice towers, with one tower facing out to your players and one securely behind the screen for private rolls.

While a little on the pricer side, this screen will look amazing on any game table.

pic via GF9’s website

1 Comment »

Monte Cook’s Dungeon a Day

Posted in D&D 3.5, D&D 3.5e DM Content, Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Product Review with tags , , , , , , , , , , on April 8, 2011 by boccobsblog

New 3.5e / Pathfinder Game Content

Whenever a new edition of a game system comes out you will have some holdouts that refuse to move on (myself being one of them). Perhaps they like the rules for the previous edition, maybe they’ve just invested too much time and money, or maybe they are just nostalgic. Whatever the reasons for not moving on, these players soon find themselves without new content which can be a serious bummer.

Well for those of you that still play 3.5e there are still options available to you. One such option is Dungeonaday.com. This site is written by gaming legend, Monte Cook. Cook was instrumental in the creation of third edition and co-authored the player’s handbook (among other titles).

As the name implies, Dungeon a Day adds new content daily to include new monsters, spells, items, feats, artifacts, etc. The site also offers quests, player handouts, and maps penned by Ed Bourelle.

It should be noted that Dungeon a Day comes complete with a Pathfinder version as well. And even if you’ve left d20, 4e DMs as well as GM’s of any fantasy system will find useful ideas and maps on the site.

The site does require a subscription, but the rates are very reasonable given the amount of content you get. ($9 for a month, $24 for four months, or 81 for an entire year) If you consider what you spend on game books and quests, it is not a bad deal.

Check it out.

Dungeon a Day Website

Example Map

Dungeon Excerpt

UPDATE: It would seem that this website no longer exists.

5 Comments »

Publish Your Own Game

Posted in Gaming News, Product Review with tags , , on April 4, 2011 by boccobsblog

pic via TGC website

Have you ever had an idea for a game? I think we all have, but taking it from a cool idea around the game table to an actual product is a big leap, well at least it used to be. At Gen Con Indy last year I spoke with the owners of a company that will allow you to do just that. The Game Crafter takes your game concept, publishes it, and makes it available for purchase on their website. They will even help you advertise and promote your game.

According to the TGC website:

“The reality is that most games will never sell 10,000 units. Unfortunately, traditional production runs require you to buy 5,000 – 20,000 units to make production cheap enough to be profitable.

At TGC, even if your game only sells one copy, you’ll have made a profit! Try to beat that by negotiating with publishers, distributors, retailers, and manufacturers.”

TGC can make card games, board games, rpgs, just about any kind of game. I spent a while messing around on TGC’s cost estimator and it really is a reasonable option.

SO if you’ve ever wanted to see your game come to fruition, check out TGC.

thegamecrafter.com

5 Comments »

Goodbye Minis, Hello Tokens

Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 4e Content, Product Review with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 1, 2011 by boccobsblog

Wizard’s has stopped production on their miniatures line. To help fill this gap, they have begun producing more 2D tokens.

We ran an article several months ago showing how you could easily make these tokens at home, but several players have expressed that they haven’t the time to make their own so, that said, here is a list of Wizard’s products that contain good D&D tokens.

Dungeons and Dragons Adventure Game (2000)

This was a 3.0 edition basic game for people new to the hobby. It contains several sheets of one-sided, gray-scale tokens. Some of the tokens are of strange sizes because the sizing was different in 3.0 (large tall, large long, etc.), but this only affects a few tokens. This set is getting hard to find, but can still be bought on Amazon or E-bay for about 5 dollars. While not flimsy, these tokens are made out of much thinner material than the 4e tokens, but they are your cheapest option.

D&D Role-Playing Game Starter Set (2008)

This is essentially the fourth edition equivalent of the above-mentioned product. It came with a few sheets of dungeon tiles and several sheets of two-sided, full color tokens made out of the same material as Dungeon Tiles. The down side to this product is that it didn’t remain in production for very long and prices online are expensive with new sets selling for 50 dollars on Amazon.

The Red Box (2010)

The “Red Box” contains two sheets of token similar (but not exactly the same) as those contained in the fourth ed. Starter set from 2008. The Red Box sells for about twenty dollars and can be found online, Wal-Mart, and Target (although hopefully you’ll support your local game store if you have one)

Dungeon Master’s Kit (2010)

This box set contains another 3 sheets of die-cut tokens made from the Dungeon Tile material. Two sheets contain monsters and one sheet is PC’s of various races and classes. At forty dollars, this is the most expensive option, because the tokens are just a small part of the product.

Monster Vault (2010)

This 4e product is a treasure trove of monster tokens containing 10 full sheets of iconic D&D monsters. Again, these tokens are die-cut and made from the same material as Dungeon Tiles. At thirty dollars, it is one of the pricier options, but it is filled with some beautiful tokens of varying sizes.

2 Comments »

Castle Ravenloft

Posted in Gaming News, Product Review with tags , , , , , , , , on August 25, 2010 by boccobsblog

picture via Wizards.com

On August 31st, Wizards will uncover the first in a new line of D&D board games, Castle Ravenloft. The game is based on the famous 1983 AD&D adventure module I6: Ravenloft, by Tracy and Laura Hickman. The game uses newly modified dungeon tiles that connect together like large puzzle pieces to keep the board from moving around. This tile based system allows the game board to be different for each adventure.

There are 5 heroes (cleric, wizard, rogue, ranger, fighter), and several monster to include two large miniatures (a flesh golem and a zombie dragon), and one huge miniature (a dracolich). The miniatures are unpainted (though they are cast in different colors of plastics based on power level), and are in the standard D&D scale. All of the miniatures (with the exception of the dragonborn fighter) are recasts of D&D minis.

The game contains the following pieces:

40 miniatures                     Rules book

Dungeon tiles                    Adventure book

4 card decks (treasure, hero powers, monsters, encounters)

1    20-sided die

The game will retail for $64.95 and be playable for 1-5 players.

If you’d like more information on the game you can follow this link and watch Mike Mearls open a copy of the game and show you what you’ll get for your money.

Not convinced yet? Well then follow this link and download a free copy of the rule book.

Also, if you do buy the game, Wizards has placed two additional adventures on their website for download (here).

-Andy

1 Comment »

Are you being cheated out of your critical hits?

Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 4e Content, Gaming News, Product Review with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 16, 2010 by boccobsblog

That’s what the people at Game Science claim. Their founder, Louis Zocchi, says that because modern dice companies roll their dice in rock tumblers and use sub-standard plastics to make their dice, that they are not as statistically accurate as his dice are.

I tested several of the dice I purchased this year at Gen Con and I have to admit, Zocchi’s claims appear to be true (as “proved” by my very non-scientific test). I tested dice in groups of three to reduce the amount of time I spent rolling dice.

Results: Out of 150 rolls (tested 3 times), the Game Science dice rolled 15 20’s, while his competitors (three other large dice companies) only yielded 8 20’s.

I have conducted other similar tests for the unbelieving  gamers in my groups and come up with similar results.  Granted that a much larger data set would be needed to come to any firm decision, but the dice seem to yield more 20’s.

Has anyone else out there done any testing of their own? If so tell us about it.

-Andy

5 Comments »

Letters from Whitechapel

Posted in board game, Product Review with tags , , , , , , , on August 13, 2010 by boccobsblog

At Gen Con, we got a chance to demo several new and exciting games. One of them was a thrilling detective game, Letters from Whitechapel. The game is set in London in 1888 during the killing spree of Jack the Ripper. One character controls Jack while the others play constables trying to arrest him.

How does it work? The game board (a period map of Whitechapel) is covered in more than one hundred numbered circles, and each of these circles is a possible hiding place for Jack. The players go in turn moving about the board investigating the numbered scenes, while Jack moves about the board unseen (the players have visible game pieces, but Jack denotes his movements on a notepad and has no game piece).  The detectives must use strategy and a fair bit of luck as they work together to catch Jack before the fifteenth night, after which he escapes and wins the game.

What I really liked about the game is the amount of detail the designer put into it. The game board looks like an actual period map, and the five murders happen at the historically accurate place on the map. Each of the detective cards (used to determine who leads the investigation each turn) denotes an actual picture of a Scotland Yard detective that worked the case.

The detail that truly impressed me was that on the third “night” of the game, Jack kills two of his five victims. This detail closely follows the actual events of September 30, 1888, when The Ripper killed Liz Stride (but was interrupted), and then killed Catherine Eddowes in the same night. When I saw that detail, it was clear to me that the designers had done their homework on the Ripper murders.

My only complaint, and it is a small one, was that the game pieces that represent the detectives were a bit lame. I would give the game a four out of five.

The game requires 2-6 players, and takes about 90 minutes to complete. It is available from the Nexus Games website.

-Andy

1 Comment »

Magic 2011 released this Friday

Posted in Gaming News, Magic the Gathering, Product Review with tags , , , , on July 14, 2010 by boccobsblog

Magic the Gathering’s latest core set is will be released this Friday, July 16th. This 249 card set will feature creatures, spells, and artifacts from Magic’s 17 year history. This black-bordered set is visually stunning, and M11’s lands are some of the most beautiful to date. Visit Wizards.com/magic for more details. And for those of you that have been away from the game for a few sets and need to reacquaint yourselves with the rules, detailed rulebooks can be downloaded for free here.

Image found at Wizards.com/magic

Leave a comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »