Thu 28 Jan 2010

What the Apple iPad Could Do For D&D

Posted by admin under Uncategorized
[4] Comments

The Apple iPad debuted yesterday to mixed reactions.  While many championed its HD-ready touch screen, feather-weight sleek design, and decidedly reasonable price, much criticism was made claiming that the device is more of an iPhone than a Mac.  Regardless of what my overall opinion of the device is, I had to ask the important question: What can the iPad do for D&D players?

Some fantastic D&D iPhone apps already exist, and have been written about extensively on the web (check out this blog post at DorkandBeans.com for a few great suggestions).  However, most of these apps are designed for use by individuals at a gaming table, and rightfully so; character managing apps can only display one player’s character at a time, and it would be annoying to pass around something as small as an iPhone so everyone could roll their dice on it.  But I think that with the iPad, we will begin to see apps designed around communal use. 

With almost 10 inches of touch screen, so many different possibilities open up.  An app could be developed to use it as a miniatures surface, displaying pre-rendered dungeon tiles for smaller rooms.  DM’s would no longer have to print large poster-sized dungeon rooms, or waste time drawing details onto a dry-erase grid.  A prototype of a program like this was shown in the Microsoft Surface D&D video, but that setup and technology looked super expensive to replicate.  The iPad could make this technology accessible, practical, and somewhat economical.

An app could also be developed to manage the party’s collective inventory, so that items could be removed or added in real time, in front of everyone, instead of forcing one player to keep a micromanaged running tally of what’s in the Bag of Holding.  This would make it a lot easier to keep track of exactly how many potions of healing are left. 

There really is a huge realm of possibility surrounding the tabletop gaming uses of the new Apple iPad.  Do you think we will ever see apps like this developed for the device?  What other ways do you think the iPad could alter the way a group plays D&D?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Mon 25 Jan 2010

You Must Gather Your Party Before Playing D&D

Posted by admin under Uncategorized
[3] Comments

In my many years as a DM, one of the biggest hurdles I have encountered is a lack of focus on the game, which can stem from any number of causes.  Players sometimes have to arrive at different times, they’ve just come from busy days at work or school, they all want to talk about their Dragon Age: Origins characters or something funny they saw on 4Chan (gag!).  Everybody is glad to be with their friends and understandably wants to chat it up.  There is nothing wrong with this.  However, at some point, everybody needs to reach a consensual focus and start playing the game.

I have seen a lack of focus kill many game sessions.  If you are unable to grab your players’ attention even before the game starts, you will notice your session failing pretty quickly.  Joe will start checking his email on his BlackBerry.  Amanda will text her boyfriend every 3 minutes…THE WHOLE NIGHT.  Robert will pull out his Nintendo DS for some Tetris even though he “swears he’s paying attention.”  Aaron will flip through his sourcebooks making level-up plans during an important encounter.  You will see your entire game session disintegrate in front of you.  So what’s a DM to do?

The key is to do something communication-heavy that everyone must take part in together.

Have dinner together.  Having the whole group share a meal around a table immediately prior to the game encourages everyone to engage each other face to face and focus on a single topic at a time.  Plus everyone likes to eat with their friends.

Play a short board/card game.  Anything under an hour and that requires fairly intense focus will do the trick.  I highly recommend Settlers of Catan, because similar to D&D it has the players cooperating for the greater good while at the same time serving their private motives, which will get them into the correct mindset for D&D.  Tsuro, a Japanese tile game, is also great, because it really forces you to look at both the immediate consequences of your actions, and their possible long term effects as well.

The point is to get everyone into the Game Night frame of mind, which can be difficult without some kind of primer activity.  Whatever you do to foster this focus, it needs to require a lot of attention, and put the players in close physical proximity to one another. 

What tricks do you use to get your gaming group focused on the game?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Sun 24 Jan 2010

Do You Tell Your Boss You Play Dungeons and Dragons?

Posted by admin under Uncategorized
1 Comment

You’ve been in this scenario before.

You’re at work on Monday morning after an awesome all-day gaming session yesterday.  You head to the coffee machine and your boss greets you while he finishes putting cream and sugar in his little Styrofoam cup.  “So what’d you do this weekend?” he asks.  Uh-oh.  None of your coworkers knows you play D&D, and you don’t want to lie.  Do you brush it off with a witty retort, or do you tell your boss that you spent the day gaming with your buddies?

As acceptable as Dungeons and Dragons has become as a somewhat mainstream pop culture icon in the last decade or so, the fact remains that there are a lot of people who still view the game as some creepy, anti-social fringe hobby that is only played by awkward, comic-convention-attending Star Trek fans living in their parents’ basements.  Unfortunately, many of these people are your bosses, family members, clients, pastors, and others in positions of relative power with whom you want to remain in good standing.  At what point, if ever, should you let these people know about your pastime?

I’ll admit to not telling people right off the bat.  Until I began writing this blog, I usually waited at least a few weeks to even mention it, and even then, it really depended upon the person in question.  Here’s my reasoning:

Because of common preconceived notions about D&D perpetuated by the media over the last few decades, I want to ensure that people I meet get an accurate idea of who I am as a person before I share that information.  I want them to see that I am a pretty cool guy, that I am fairly responsible and industrious, and that I am outgoing and conversational.  Letting someone get to know you reasonably well will help prevent unwarranted comparisons to Screech, or the cast of Freaks and Geeks. 

I certainly would not recommend actively hiding your gamer status or lying about it.  I just think there is no reason to mention it too early if nobody asks.  So what are your thoughts?  Do you shout it from the rooftops?  Do you actively try to keep it secret?  I’m interested in other opinions.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Fri 22 Jan 2010

Social Media's Huge Impact on Player-Created Content

Posted by admin under Uncategorized
No Comments

Social media has mixed with just about every possible hobby and business to some extent over the last few years.  There are Facebook groups for every possible niche interest, Twitter tags for any subject area, and blogs about everything under the sun (and some things beyond it).  Since Dungeons and Dragons players tend to be a rather tech-savvy lot, much information related to the game has been digitized and shared socially online. 

The most significant result of the crossing of D&D and social media has been the unlimited potential for player-generated content. 

Aspiring game designers can collaborate on detailed, professional-quality campaign settings the way that software developers collaborated on Firefox.  Players can tweet links to interesting Paragon Paths and magic items they run across.  Startup publishing companies can hook up with independent adventure authors to produce downloadable modules and source books that rival first-party content at a fraction of the price.  DM’s can podcast their game sessions, or even broadcast live video feeds via USTREAM in order to share their experiences playtesting new rules and game mechanics.  There is literally no ceiling for the amount of player-generated supplemental content. 

What does this mean for the future of D&D?  We will begin to see the D&D community really take charge of organizing all this information.  For example, I think we will see a few bookmarking sites similar to Reddit and Digg pop up that focus solely on tabletop RPG content and related articles.  I also believe we will see more social networking sites like Pen and Paper Games, which allows gamers to locate others in their area who share similar gaming styles and schedules. 

D&D has always been a game that encourages individual ownership.  Players and DM’s have always made their own house rules, created their own character classes, and developed their own playing styles.  I think the digital organization and sharing of these ideas is going to drive a revolutionary surge of interest in D&D specifically, and tabletop games in general.

What do you think is the biggest contribution social media has made to D&D?  Do you believe social media tools are actually having a negative impact on the game?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Wed 20 Jan 2010

Settlers of Catan Is A Better Business Game Than Monopoly

Posted by admin under Uncategorized
[2] Comments

Every time I hear someone talking about Monopoly being a game that “teaches you about business,” I can’t help but disagree.  While Monopoly a great game with a long history and an instantly recognizable brand, I think Settlers of Catan is a more accurate board game representation of what running a business is really like.

For those of you unfamiliar with Settlers, you can read about it here.  While they are both a lot of fun, I tend to prefer Settlers, and here is the reason:

Settlers of Catan has a reduced, more realistic degree of randomness. 

In a game of Monopoly, everything you have built can be completely destroyed just by accidentally landing on someone’s triple-hotel properties twice in a row (or even once, in some cases).  While there is a fair amount of strategy involved in Monopoly, you accept from the beginning that there is a possibility you can be completely wiped out in 2-3 turns, and you might not be able to do a single thing about it. 

While die-rolling is present in Settlers to give it a little uncertainty, the ultimate result of the game is usually not completely changed by a player having a couple of bad turns.  You develop a general strategy at the beginning of the game, and hone it to a specific, long-term plan as you gain more resources and make more deals.  At most, a few unfortunate rolls will force you to reevaluate your resource-trading strategy in order to make sure you maintain your success.

Monopoly is not a business game.  It is a gambling game.  This is fun every once in awhile, but it’s just a little grating to hear Monopoly so widely heralded as the “game that teaches you about business.” 

I know Settlers of Catan has not proliferated anywhere close to the extent that a game like Monopoly has, but if you ever get the chance, play it with some friends, or on Xbox Live Arcade.  It’s a blast, and quite frankly, I think it’s far more realistic from a business point of view. 

I’d love to hear the thoughts of those of you who’ve played both.  Do you think Monopoly’s higher stakes more accurately portray your own experiences in the business world?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Sat 24 Oct 2009

NEWS: Small Site Update!

Posted by admin under Uncategorized
[2] Comments

Hey folks, just wanted to let everyone know, I added a couple things to the site.  First off, I added 2 links to the “Blogs I Like” page.  One is to Troll in the Corner, an awesome blog and community for fans of all kinds of games, comic books, and fantasy sci-fi stuff.  The second is to WorkLoveLife, fellow Brazen Careerist member Holly Hoffman’s blog; it’s not D&D-related, but it is certainly social media-related, and she is an excellent writer. 

Additionally, I have now added a page called “Contact Me!”, which is exactly what it sounds like.  It has links to my email, my Facebook page, and my Twitter profile as well.  And speaking of Twitter, I have ceased use of the handle @GoblinStop, and am utilizing only my main Twitter account, @davidjdotson.  2 accounts with one cell phone doesn’t work very well, and often the tweets from the 2 accounts were redundant anyway.  It’s all about efficiency, so I can bring you more consistent, higher quality content!

That’s all tonight.  No other big news.  ‘Til next time!

Tags:

 

Thu 22 Oct 2009

"Dungeons and Dragons+Microsoft Surface" Video: Is Technology Dumbing Down D&D?

Posted by admin under Uncategorized
[3] Comments

Let me start off by saying that I realize that this video is a tech demo for Microsoft Surface’s gaming applications, and that this program is not necessarily under development for the consumer market.  Now watch this video.  WARNING: Have a change of pants nearby!  Yours might become soiled.

 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-BTwHAEECs&hl=en&fs=1&]

When I see this video I get super giddy with excitement. 

And not just at the pretty animations and Minority Report-esque menu control.  I, as a lover of the art of DMing, get crazy excited about the game-enhancing capabilities of such a setup.  Or maybe I should say game-streamlining capabilities.  Either way, I know what I mean.

No more waiting for players to sit there figuring out what the range on their powers is.  No more triple-tracing my monsters steps to make sure they successfully avoid all hazards and opportunity attacks.  Players can see all regular options for movement, powers, magic items, skills, etc. right there on their gorgeous little touch screen menu wheel. 

And not to mention the incredible possibilities for downloadable published adventures: professional quality audio narration, video and artwork with background music to introduce NPC’s and set the tone and mood, and dungeon grids from which the DM can hide details and reveal them at his discretion.  Supplemental functions would be limited by the imaginations of the programmers.

And that’s where the giddiness stops.

When I see all this fantastic technology melding with the realms of RPG’s, from MMO games, to real-time Twitter campaigns, to playing D&D online through the Insider, I can’t help but wonder if all this is actually stunting our imaginations a bit.  Occasionally it feels a little like these various tools and programs are giving us less incentive to think outside the box, simply because they make thinking inside the box so much easier. 

Technology like this raises questions.  How will house rules be incorporated?  To what extent will the applications support user-generated content, like monsters, paragon paths, and magic items?  Will the DM have the option to override the programming to bend the rules a bit in certain situations?  For a moment, I get a little concerned about things like this.

Then I go back to squealing with glee.  Thoughts?  Opinions?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Tue 20 Oct 2009

Personal Branding for Dungeon Masters

Posted by admin under Uncategorized
No Comments

i_am_the_dungeon_master_tshirt-p235703638583042603us19_400Does a Dungeon Master need a personal brand?

Well, usually no.  If you are perfectly happy playing your weekly game with your buddies, hardly ever bringing in new players (or losing current ones), and running adventures that get tucked away in a forgotten binder or thrown away after use, you absolutely have no need to establish a personal brand (D&D-wise, anyway).  But not all DMs are like this. 

Believe it or not, there are some Dungeon Masters who would benefit tremendously from consciously building their personal brands.  These are the people who want to DM professionally at conventions, play-test published adventures, or even write their own content for Dungeon Magazine/D&D Insider.  These who want to turn their hobby into some semblance of a profession need to set themselves apart from other DMs in the industry, and purposefully building a reputation for producing a specific type of high-quality adventure content is a great way to do that.

Here are a few suggestions for DM’s who want to distinguish themselves from their contemporaries:

  • Decide what you are great at doing: Are your custom monsters consistently exciting yet level-appropriate?  Do your adventures seem to shine most at 1st-5th level, or 17th to 20th?  Would your long-time players tell you that you are better at running site-based or event-based adventures?  Figure out where your strengths lie, and you’ll often find they closely align with your preferred DMing style.
  • DM for many different people, and do it often: You don’t necessarily need to have 7 game groups for 7 nights a week, but take advantage of your network of D&D playing friends.  Be a guest-DM for friends of friends, and exchange contact info with all of them.  Offer to DM adventures that fit your profile at conventions or store events for free just to get the exposure.  Get business cards printed up that clearly communicate what you discovered about your personal dungeon mastering style.
  • Get your material in front of people: The people who can get your modules and content published need to know that you exist.  So don’t be shy.  Don’t be a pesky, needy leech either, but be confident and persistent.  When you submit your material to publishers, send them testimonials and play-test results.  Show them that your content will fill a specific need they have, and show them you are the best for that niche.

What other suggestions do you have for DM’s looking to build a personal brand?  Do you think DM’s looking for a career in hobby games even need to worry about a personal brand?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Sun 18 Oct 2009

The Road Goes Ever On and On…

Posted by admin under Uncategorized
No Comments

Since I initially started GoblinStop a few months ago, I’ve gotten a number of questions about the site, my topics, my motivation for starting the blog, etc.  However, the most common question I get asked is “Why D&D and social media?” 

I can see the cause for the blank stares.  To be completely honest, it was initially a test; a test of my writing skills, a test of my critical thinking abilities, and a test to see how well I could take two seemingly unrelated subjects and bring them together to create something of value.  You can read all about my adventures in starting and running GoblinStop right *here*. 

Regardless of how it was conceptualized, it quickly picked up more steam than I thought it would, and it became a project for me.  I ended up taking a hiatus from posting, and focused on investigating what GoblinStop could become.  And so now, when I get asked that same question, “Why D&D and social media,” I have an answer other than because “I felt like it.”

I continue blogging about the convergence of these two things because they are more meant for each other than most people are willing to look close enough to realize.  D&D is inherently an exercise in socialization, and not even just the in-game part.  D&D players form clubs, businesses, online forums, discussion groups, event leagues, conventions, campus activity groups, tournaments, and many types of social units, all focused around the game they love to play.  Social media can provide these players and businesses with countless ways to keep in contact, advertise, play in real time, build relationships, and find new group members. 

So after a couple of months away and some serious time at the drawing board, GoblinStop is back and ready for action!  Great plans are in store for the future, and some excellent posts will be coming your way.  If you are reading this, you are currently standing at the intersection of D&D and social media, and you won’t want to miss out on the construction taking place all around you.  In addition to reading posts and commenting here on the blog, remember that you can follow @GoblinStop on Twitter and join the conversation.  Thanks for stopping by!

[polldaddy poll=2134916]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Sat 15 Aug 2009

Why D&D eBooks Will Not Be Replacing Hardbacks Anytime Soon

Posted by admin under Uncategorized
[3] Comments

There is a lot of debate about the usefulness of electronic devices at the D&D table (see my post on using Twitter to support your D&D game).  Some Dungeon Masters swear by their use of the laptop while running an adventure.  They often have adventure notes, dice-rolling programs, and maps all saved to their hard drives for many reasons, ranging from security to efficiency.  Now with the release of Amazon’s kindle and the proliferation of the long-unpopular eBook, a new question has entered the Dungeons and Dragons technosphere: Are D&D sourcebooks in electronic format a good idea?

Before anyone says so, yes I know the content of any sourcebooks released by Wizards of the Coast is available with a subscription to the D&D Insider.  This is not what I am talking about.  I am referring to the online distribution of D&D eBooks through mainstream channels, such as the Kindle Store at Amazon.com.

There is no doubt that D&D eBooks are useful to DMs when they are preparing for game night.  However, I think using them during game sessions has bigger cons than pros.  Just about the only 2 advantages I see with eBooks on game night are cost reduction and searchable text.  Cost reduction is always a nice advantage, and searchable text would be awesome to have when looking up an obscure rule for which nobody knows the chapter or page number. 

But when it comes down to it, there is just something about having a big stack of books on the game table that adds so much to the authenticity of D&D.  Additionally, passing a book between players is much easier than clumsily passing an open laptop across the room, and having to find a place to set it as well.  Plus, whereas eBooks might one day be rendered obsolete as newer and “better” file types replace them, a book never becomes obsolete.  They are universally useful, they look great on a shelf, and they are sources of wonder and mystery that we can pass on to future generations.  Books hold a kind of magic and universal appeal that a text file on a screen just can’t replicate, and D&D books are no different.  Or maybe I’m just getting old.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

 

Next Page »