Haven

So Casey and I have been talking, and I've decided that I want to create a world similar to that of The Road Warrior with a little bit of Firefly, Black Lagoon, and Tank Girl mixed in.  Basically D&D, but with vehicles as the focus.  Currently I'm thinking the party will basically just be mercenaries with vehicles in an Athas like place.  I believe that I will be the driver of an LAV-25.  Casey has decided on a Type 59 main battle tank.  I don't really know about many weapon details, but I do know that fuel will be something that will be used in a manner similar to survival days, or rations.  I'm also thinking that you will be able to hire a crew or have other players on your vehicle to use extra weapons or items, basically playing two characters.

I was already building a world like this actually, but it wasn't vehicle focused.  So they'll just be in the same world.  I think I'm going to start with a town, a nice moderately safe place called Haven.

Review: The Verdant Passage

Last week I finished The Verdant Passage by Troy Denning, which is the first book of The Prism Pentad.  The Prism Pentad was a series of books first published after the 2nd edition Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting Dark Sun was released, and reprinted in 2010.

I don't want to spoil anything for you, so I'll just say that it is a fantastic novel.  Denning used just the right amount of detail throughout the book.  His spell descriptions were top notch, and his story telling was even better.  If you play or are interested in the Dark Sun campaign setting, I highly recommend this series.

I need heroes, not adventurers.

I was driving in the car the other day and I realized something about the way I like to run long campaigns.  A lot of my former players didn't last very long, and my playgroups have almost always been small.  I realized that it's not really player differences, it's playstyle differences.  When I run a big campaign, I like for it to be detailed and personal.  I try to make it seem like a real world with real people that they are interacting with.  And it's for that reason that I expect a higher level of character development.  I don't need backstory, but I need motivation.  I need realistic reactions to the characters around them.  I need characters who have hopes and fears, who learn and grow.  I want my players to want to do something that would make a lasting change in the world around them.  You don't play the fighter who quests for gold, you play the blacksmith's son who always dreamed to ride with the knights he helped his father equip.

I need heroes, not adventurers.

So here's what happened...

In the spring of 2004(the 30th anniversary of D&D) when my friend Rondo first presented me with his hand-me-down D&D 3e rulebooks, I was really not that excited.  To me, this was a game like Magic(but different) and I kind of wanted to play it.  He then asked me "Which of us should be the Dungeon Master?"  To which I responded "I'll give it a shot, seems like fun."

7 years, over a dozen players, and hundreds of sessions later and I've started a blog.  Partly because I have all of these stories, suggestions, and ideas to share, but mostly because my players and fellow DMs tell me I'm good, and I've finally decided that maybe they've got a point.