Sarah Darkmagic's blog

I'll admit, I might be a bit biased on this one. The blog author in this case is one of the players in my somewhat weekly game. However, I think he has some really nice ideas and content and I encourage all of you to check out his blog, Mike's D&D Blog. As for a little background, Mike has been playing D&D since 1988. He started DMing with 2e and is a great source of advice and information on a large number of gaming systems as well as other sorts of games.

Recent Posts

• Reputation as a Matter of System - Your party is gaining in level and nobody's heard of them yet?
• Getting the party inside your character’s head - What was Aoefel seeking to avenge?
• Fantastic Phones - Communication, does it need to be so hard?
• Snow and Ice - It's winter but yet the party travels unhindered?!?
• Combat Tactics: Gorilla's Paw - Making enemies out of allies since 535.

He definitely keeps me on my toes. And for all of you DMs out there who are wondering what your players might be thinking, he's a great resource. If you want to follow him on twitter, he can be found @TheMikeKatz.

Recently, I purchased the Gamers Helping Haiti bundle from DriveThruRPG.com. Over the next few months, my plan is to look a the titles that compose this bundle and write up the bits I find interesting. Since I play and DM 4e currently, I decided to take a look at the title, Shrouded Agendas for D&D 4E: The Purifiers. Published by One Bad Egg, this title is part of their Worldseeds line, setting ideas that the company doesn't intend to fully flesh out on their own.

Description from RPGNow.com

The Shroud has changed the world in many ways, some profound, but others more subtle. This is the story of how the Shroud changed a man’s beliefs without changing his body. A man named Wilhelm ark-Trasser found himself on a quest that led him into the dark heart of the Shroudlands. There he faced the toughest challenge of all: remaining true to his principles in the face of adversity. The Shroud changed him, and he changed the world. Will the Shroud change you?

In general, I really like the idea behind the Worldseeds. I know that One Bad Egg was sold to Highmoon Media in October, but I hope that more people and companies do similar products. My players don't like playing modules, but don't seem to mind cleverly, or not so cleverly, disguised mini-modules or other pre-written content. Beyond the general idea, there are a number of individual features I particularly like about this title. First, they have details for a yearly tournament called The Contest of the Ark, in the format of a skill challenge. For DMs who have been looking for ways to add interesting non-combat, role-playing opportunities, this is a great tool. Likewise, the article adds a new disease, Shroudrot. While DMs might not want to use this particular disease manifestation, the disease description and mechanics are well thought out and detailed, and would provide a great springboard for development of new diseases. I also really enjoyed the NPCs and adventure hooks provided. The NPCs had a fair amount of backstory and information on their motivations and the adventure hooks work well here or as story ideas on their own. Overall, I found it pretty well written and I'll probably using bits and pieces very soon.
If you like the Worldseed for the Shroud, you might also be interested in the other titles in the series.

• The Witch Doctor Player Class for D&D 4E
• Shroudborn Multiclass for D&D 4E
• Gods of the Shroud for D&D 4E
• Horrors of the Shroud for D&D 4E: The Death-Mother
• Races of the Shroud for D&D 4E: The Half-Dead
• Shrouded Paths for D&D 4E: The Unbroken
• Shrouded Classes: The Witch Doctor (Heroic Tier Playtest)[Free]
• Races of the Shroud for D&D 4E: The Apelord

I'm sure some of you have already heard of Lars Brownworth and his podcast series, but since I'm relatively new, I thought I would share. Lars produced his first podcast series, 12 Byzantine Rulers, while teaching high school history and political science at the Stony Brook School. That series evolved into a book deal with Crown Publishing and the release of his book, Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization. My husband just finished the series this weekend, and I have to admit I am quite impressed with the parts I heard.

Over course of seventeen episodes, Lars spotlights 12 Byzantine rulers in chronological order, while filling in some of the important details between. He details the history of the empire from its first great emperor, Diocletian, to its last, Constantine XI. However, this is no dry recitation of facts and dates, but rather an exploration of the hows and whys of armies, families, political intrigue and diplomacy. Over the course of this podcast series, a lot of our lost history comes to life. Some of the best parts include his description of what it must have been like to the Crusaders from Europe when they first saw the walls and city life of Constantinople. The largest cities they had seen paled in comparison to the city before them and the technologies in the city must have seen quite impressive. Even today, we forget that running water, central heating and air conditioning are not modern inventions only.

In terms of gaming, many of the stories from the empire are great fodder for the enterprising GM. The shared history and experience of this area with the West, including paganism and Christianity, means that while exotic, there is a shared cultural literacy. In addition, a fair amount of the technology from the earlier Roman and Greek civilizations lived on in this place and the ingenuity of the populace created even further wonder. Quite a few opponents feared the legendary Greek Fire, and with good reason, as it could continue to burn, even on water. The Hagia Sopia, the largest cathedral for 1,000 years, and it influenced architecture for even longer. These are just two examples among many that can be used to give a different sort of flair to any game than the traditional Western European Dark and Middle Ages.

However, if the latter is more your style, Lars is producing a series on Norman history, focusing not only on the French and English groups but the Italian ones as well. The few I've heard are just as good as the ones on the Byzantine empire and can be found on the Norman Centuries Podcast website

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but better late than never. DriveThruRPG is running a special promotion. For $20, you get a coupon providing you with over $1000 in RPG titles. A complete list of of titles can be found here. The money goes to Doctors without Borders. If $20 is too much, you can also donate $5 or $10. You won't get the bundle but they will match the donations. More information on those types of donations can be found here. So far, they've raised more than $50,000 in donations. With 12 pages of products, there should be something for everyone. @DaveTheGame mentioned a few standouts in his article on Critical-Hits.com.

Full Press Release

Gamers Help Haiti! DriveThruRPG Offers a Mega-Bundle to Spur Donations

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

DriveThruRPG announced a major incentive to the roleplaying gamer community today to incite donations to aid in rescue and recovery in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Called the "Gamers Helping Haiti Bundle," the product includes over a hundred products totaling over $1000.00 in retail value. For a simple donation of $20 - all of which goes to Doctors Without Borders to support their post-earthquake Haiti relief efforts - RPG fans can have this once-in-a-lifetime collection of gaming products.

DriveThruRPG already had opportunities to donate up and running within a day of the disaster. When publishers began asking how they could support the cause, the bundle was created to be an all-inclusive shared effort. Those who donated at the lesser levels won't be left out, however; gamers who have already donated $5 or $10 will be receiving a special coupon code that lets them pay the difference from their initial donation to get the bundle.

"We are humbled by the generosity of both our customers and our publishers," said Sean Patrick Fannon, Marketing and Communications Manager for DriveThruRPG, "all of whom have stepped up at this time of terrible tragedy to offer aid to a desperate people. We are also very proud to facilitate these collective efforts, providing the necessary tools and technology to bring it all together."

More than tools and tech, though, DriveThruRPG is really putting their money where their mouth is, so to speak. "We have always believed in the power of giving and sharing to make the world a better place," said Steve Wieck, President and co-owner of the site. "To that end, we are matching funds with everyone who's making a straight donation at the $5 and $10 level."

There is no set date for terminating the donation efforts, though the bundle will only be available until the end of January.

Anyone wishing more information about this effort, or about DriveThruRPG overall, should contact Sean Patrick Fannon at sean@onebookshelf.com.

This time of year has a number of holidays and other reasons to celebrate. In particular, I look forward to the Winter Solstice and the coming longer days. Since I'm Christian, Christmas is a pretty big holiday for me. Especially because of the season, I would like to extend to everyone the warm wishes of peace and harmony and just general good cheer. In light of that, I would like to share with you this really cute video. Some high school students did a really creative rendition of Halleluia.

Watch on YouTube