Life of a Gamer

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How does my character get better? One of the things that has troubled me since getting back into D&D in 2008 is how the game system conveys character growth and how they get better at what they do.

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Let’s Talk Encounter Building

Let’s Talk Encounter Building

There has been a lot of discussion about D&D 5e’s encounter building process since its release last August; or should I say, the lack of encounter building clarity for D&D 5e.

I’ve studied the section in the 5e DMG on encounter building at length. I’ve listened to numerous podcasts where DMs discuss their encounter building attempts in 5e and I even found a 5e Encounter Builder Spreadsheetonline.…

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Mass Effect: 2160 Playtest #8

Mass Effect: 2160 Playtest #8

April 11, 2015

  One last playtest before vacation season….. This playtest is all about the Encounter Builder I’ve been working on. Playtest #6 and Playtest #7 were all about data collection for the Encounter Builder and this playtest is to determine which XP Budget level matches our definition of a “Standard Encounter”.

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Mass Effect: 2160 Playtest #7

Mass Effect: 2160 Playtest #7

April 4, 2015

  No, the title is correct. This post is about Playtest #7; Playtest #6 was a number-crunching session where I simply collected dice rolls from the players and entered them into a spreadsheet as they cut down “unarmed” creatures. The numbers were used to assess the creature builder that I’m putting together.

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Welcome to Spartan: AX

Welcome to Spartan: AX

“Spartans were a group of elite warriors from ancient Greece… is a man who thinks nothing of danger, expects to win, and creates a sense of dread in his opponents.” – The Urban Dictionary

Spartan is a name  synonymous with Halo in the video gaming community. Who wouldn’t want to role play as one the the baddest dudes in the galaxy? A one-man army. That’s the feeling that I’m shooting for. Not…

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Playtest #5 - Part 2

Playtest #5 – Part 2

February 14, 2015

  The morning session ran a bit long and after coming back from a quick break, energy levels had dropped. We still needed to test the Asari Adept so there was not near as much “playing” as there was testing.

During encounter #2 we had 1 Krogan Soldier (Assault Rifle specialist),   1 Turian Soldier (Assault Rifle Specialist) and 1 Asari Adept.  The characters were up against  7…

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Playtest #5

February 14, 2015

  This was a big playtest session. All 3 classes and 5 of the 6 races would be tested before this day was over. We tested the 2nd Tier of game play during this session and used 5th level characters.

During encounter #1 we had 1 Krogan Soldier (Assault Rifle specialist),   1 Salarian Engineer (Tech Operative) and 1 Human Soldier (Dual-Wielding Specialist). The characters were up…

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Playtest #4

January 31, 2015

  The 3 Human Soldiers (Assault Rifle, Shotgun & Dual-Wielding specialists)  and 1 Human Engineer (Tech Operative) at 3rd level were used during this playtest. We had several issues we were looking at from our previous playtests and a lot of new material to test this go around. The main goal during this playtest was the new Engineer Class. The characters were up against 7…

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Playtest #3

December 23, 2014

  The 3 Human Soldiers(Fighters) at 3rd level are used during this playtest. We focused on the Sniper Rifle Specialist for this test but also tested the Assault Rifle Specialist and the Duel-Wielding Specialist.  The 3 Soldiers were up against 8 opponents; encounter XP was 1250xp (target was 1200).

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Playtest #2 – Part 2

Playtest #2 – Part 2

December 20, 2014

  The 3 Human Soldiers(Fighters) at 3rd & 5th level are used during this playtest. We focused on 3 of the 7 Fighting Styles that Soldiers can chose from. (Assault Rifle Specialist, Shotgun Specialist and the Duel-Wielding Specialist) The first encounter we ran with the 3rd level group against 9 opponents; encounter XP was 1250xp (target was 1200). The second encounter was with…

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Playtest #2 – Part 1

Playtest #2 – Part 1

December 20, 2014

  The 3 Human Soldiers(Fighters) at 3rd & 5th level are used during this playtest. We focused on 3 of the 7 Fighting Styles that Soldiers can chose from. (Assault Rifle Specialist, Shotgun Specialist and the Duel-Wielding Specialist) The first encounter we ran with the 3rd level group against 9 opponents; encounter XP was 1250xp (target was 1200). The second encounter was with…

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Weapons and Armor – Post Playtest #1

Weapons and Armor – Post Playtest #1

After our most recent Playtest, we dove back into the Excel Spreadsheets for weapons and armor. As we had expected, getting the weapons and armor right is going to our biggest challenge. In the video game, the main character had access to a plethora of weapons each as deadly as the last. Getting that concept right is proving to be a challenge. Concessions will need to be made.

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Playtest #1 December 13, 2014 The 3 Human Soldiers(Fighters) at 3rd level are used during this playtest. We ran 2 encounters with varying numbers of opponents.

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A Mass Effect RPG Dale: “Instead of starting our new 5th Edition campaign, what if we created our own Mass Effect game?”

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Foreign Infiltrator (Criminal-Spy)

“Of course I’m loyal to her majesty! You insult me by suggesting otherwise!” —Lady Morgell (actually Thless), Elven (actually changeling) aristocrat (actually bard)

None of the other spies of the Last War had a task half as difficult as yours, for you were a true infiltrator. You spent years, perhaps even decades, living in an enemy nation. You masqueraded as one of its citizens, worked your way…

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Enlisted Soldier (Soldier)

“For King and Country!” —Corporal Alvos Dirrust, human fighter

Your nation needed you, and you were there. Bearing shield and spear, ensconced in ranks of like-minded individuals, you marched to the front lines, ready to face the enemy. You are no officer, no hero, but you did your duty, you fought for your  nation, and you know that you have given it your all. (more…)

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Let's Talk Alignment

Let’s Talk Alignment

Alignment in D&D basically boils down to this: the moral compass that guides your CHARACTER’S decisions.

Most D&D players tend to play characters that are more aligned with their own moral boundaries. However, it can be fun, albeit difficult at times, to role-play a character that does not necessarily match with your own moral compass. In a world such as Eberron, character alignment will play an…

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