Essential DnD Starter Set

I found this information in a post at Akratic Wizardry.

In September WoTC will be coming out with a boxed set aimed at 4e newbies. It will be part of the "Essential" series. It may be the equivalent to the old Basic sets that came out years ago. I haven't had any desire to check out 4e. Until now. A $20 entry price is really attractive. If I don't like it I haven't spent a huge amount finding out.

Spending Spree

I've been on a spending spree lately. As I noted before, I have received my copy of Mouse Guard (though I have yet to pry it away from my son for any significant amount of time) and LoS:BoL is on the way. I also preordered a copy of Ancient Odysseys: Treasure Awaits. I've been waiting for my queen to comment but nothing yet. I guess I'm treating myself to things I didn't get over the holidays.

I wonder what else will catch my eye. I hear Barbarians of the Aftermath is coming out in hardback soon. Sweet! I love a good apocalypse! (Except for zombies. I don't like zombies.)

Mouse Guard

I received Mouse Guard in the mail Wednesday. I was excited to start reading it but "poof" it disappeared. My oldest heir, my 9 year old, has confiscated it and is reading it himself. He is anxious to create his character, which he has the basics for already. I haven't had a chance to read more that a few pages! Maybe this weekend. I'll pass on my impressions after I get the chance to read it.

Oh, and my copy of Legends of Steel BoL shipped today! WooHoo!

Legends of Steel BoL Edition

I did it. I broke down yesterday and ordered Legends of Steel, Barbarians of Lemuria edition. Lulu had a 20% off deal and I couldn't resist. Now, the waiting. It's going to be very difficult.

Characters

I keep having the urge to post characters from the various systems I examine or buy. I guess this comes from my youth when I didn't always have a game group to play with so I would create characters. I spent a lot of time doing this with Traveller. It was a mini-game in itself. I liked to see how far I could take a character before he got too old or died. Great fun.

This wasn't necessarily what I had in mind for this blog but I'll just go with it. Hopefully someone will find some utility in it.

Mini Six

I found this little gem while looking for a system for Star Wars. D6 has gone open license and this is one of the results. Mini Six, for those of you who may not know, is a generic version of the d6 system distilled down into seven pages (eight if you include the page of legal stuff.) In those seven tightly packed pages it include the rules, skills, perks, a sample bestiary, a magic system including spells, and a sampling of vehicles. It gives suggestions for science fiction, fantasy, and modern day. It also includes a few optional rules to take it from gritty to cinematic. It seems to have it all. And, as an added bonus, it has clarified d6 for me in a way nothing else has. I'm very impressed. This may replace my current favorite small game I have never played, Risus.

I may have to use this for the Star Wars game because it is simpler than WEG Star Wars.

You can find it here.

Roleplaying amongst the Worlds of Star Wars

So, my oldest heir has already developed a case of gamer ADD. I think I have mentioned this before. We've three different campaigns of Labyrinth Lord started with a couple of sessions of each and he's mentioned other campaigns he'd like to play. So, I sat the lad down and told him that the gaming was to scattered and that we needed to pick one campaign and play it exclusively for awhile. I gave him the choices of any of the three games we had going already, a Beowulf type setting. He recently read a version of it and was suitably stoked by it. Or the Star Wars setting that he mentioned wanting to play. So, he chose Star Wars.

Now, I have to pick the game system. I'm looking at a couple. So far I've thought of Risus and I have a copy of West End Games d6 version I've been meaning to read. So, if anyone has any suggestion for a system that would be suitable for my sharp-witted 9 year-old heir or experience with this sort of situation, I'm open to comments.

Mazes & Minotaurs

James over at Grognardia posted a review of Mazes & Minotaurs. M&M is what reintroduced me to roleplaying games in general and old school in particular. I was poking around the web when I was becoming interested in rpgs again and I ran across it. I downloaded it and printed it. I think it is a nifty game and hope to play it someday.

I particularly like the conceit that it is what D&D would've been if its creators had followed Greco-Roman influences instead of European Medieval. Running around fighting mythical creatures in a pseudo-Mediterranean world just plain appeals to me. I hope others like it just as much. I've only read the 1972 edition but hope to get around to the rest eventually. There are even supplements, modules and magazines on the M&M website.

Batman

The Geek Orthodox contest got me thinking about Batman. Batman is my favorite superhero. He really has no rivals in my opinion. Dark, brooding, skilled. One of the Batman's major selling points for me is that he doesn't have superpowers. Can't fly, no super strength, no beams shooting from his eyes, etc. Just a powerful intellect and dedicated physical training. A triumph of the will. Theoretically, that is something any of us can aspire to. Yeah, I know he's rich and that gives him an immense advantage but it is still his willpower that makes it possible. The other thing I like about Batman is that he will not kill. That just strikes a cord with me. He could so easily remove so many of the threats to Gotham by simply killing the villains but he doesn't. He wants justice and an end to the killing.

I have two favorite incarnations of Batman. The older Batman of The Dark Knight Returns and the animated Batman from the early '90s. One of my favorite episodes from the series is entitled "Legends of the Dark Knight." In it three kids tell each other what they think Batman is really like. This episode is actually based on one of the comics from the '70s. But for me cool thing for me is one of the kids describe Batman as he is in The Dark Knight Returns. Not just cool but very cool. The intersection of my two favorite Batmans.

I could go on a long time about this but keeping with the gaming theme of this blog here is Batman stated up for Supercrew.

Batman

3 - Equipment: Utility Belt
2 - Skill: Martial Arts
1 - Skill : Detective

Reroll: (Detective) Fear of the Batman
Change to 5: (Utility Belt) The Right Tool for the Job
Effect 2: (Martial Arts) Surprise Attack

As much as I would like to claim this as my own, I can't. I originally found this on a thread at RPG.net. You can find the entire thread here.

Contest over at Geek Orthodox

Reis over at Geek Orthodox has a contest going on. Write the best haiku about Batman and win an action figure. I know I'm going to submit something. Hey, haiku is about the only form of poetry I can write.

Details at G.O. here.

Good luck!

Mouse Guard

My son has been reading Mouse Guard. Excellent by the way. He saw the rpg in a bookstore. Now he wants it. I guess I know what my next acquisition will be.

Happy New Year to All

May your new year be better than the last.