Roleplay Life

I just picked up my copy of the first 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure, H1 - Keep on the Shadowfell. Let me just start by saying that I’m glad I preordered this, cause I think I would have been really upset had I paid full price. I haven’t read it cover to cover yet, but I wanted to share my first impressions.

Keep on the Shadowfell comes in a relatively nice folder, with the 4th edition quick-start rules booklet, an adventure book, and three maps. The quick start rules feel cheap, like some sort of flashy sales brochure. The adventure book reminds me of a glossy catalog you might get in the mail, or maybe an issue of Dungeon magazine. The maps are on par with what comes with the Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Starter Set.

From what I’ve read, D&D feels like it becoming a bridge from trading card and collectable miniatures games to role playing games. That isn’t entirely bad since it will bring more people into gaming, but it will definitely turn off some elements of the older fan base. Maybe TSR had the right idea by having Dungeons & Dragons and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. One for the younger beginning gamers, and the other for the older experienced gamers.

Had this been $10 cheaper, I’d feel better about this purchase. If you’re not at all interested in 4th ed, you already weren’t going to buy this. If you’re excited about 4ed, just wait a couple of weeks for the actual rules.

It’s Friday and that means Doctor Who is back! It also means I’ll be watching Battlestar Galactica right after that. I’m a fan of the show, and I enjoy it even though they made Boomer a female Cylon, they got rid of the Cylon Raider, took away the Centurions’ voice, and, most tragic of all, they got rid of (sniff) Muffit. The only saving graces are the story, special effects, they kept the Viper, and, most importantly of all, Edward James Olmos plays Adama. I expect him to say to Helo, “It’s too bad she won’t live! But then again, who does?” I still miss that mechanical daggit, though.

Margaret Weis Productions has published The Battlestar Galactica Roleplaying Game. This company seems bent on making role playing games from television shows. First Serenity, now Battlestar Galactica, and they’re going to do Supernatural. They did a good job on the Serenity book, and they did a good job on this one to. Since they’ve done so well on television based games, I hope they can get the license for a Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles RPG. (more…)

I hate class/level systems, but I loved Palladium. Isn’t that ironic? Palladium was the second system I seriously played. Well, third if you consider the red/blue/teal/black box Dungeons & Dragons and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons two separate systems. Robotech was the first Palladium game I ever owned and played. I was excited when I heard that Palladium had landed the new Robotech License. So excited, I pre-ordered a copy. My copy arrived last Monday, and this is my review

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