Review: Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Dungeons & Dragons

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Dungeons & Dragons: A Dungeons & Dragons Novel
by Shelly Mazzanoble

The perfect book for any gamer! 

Well, maybe, maybe not.

Shelly’s brand of D+D is probably not what gamers are used to at their tables. She is very much the feminine type that embraces her love of shopping, shoes, and trashy tv, but also Dungeons and Dragons. It is that love of the game, and her mother’s apparently endless effort to improve her daughter’s life via self help books that inspired this book.

Everyone has issues. How we deal with those issues is often a very personal journey. Being able to tackle those issues with role playing isn’t new, but the way Shelly goes about it is probably a little more unique than most. She actively, and with the support of her friends and coworkers, uses the game to attempt to make changes to her life. Some are more successful than others.

While I am clearly not the target audience for this book, I did find it enjoyable.

*For those who don’t know, Shelly Mazzanoble works for Wizards of the Coast in the marketing department, so there is a certain amount of making everyone look good, especially her bosses and DMs. That isn’t to say that they aren’t genuinely good people and need any spiffing up, just that it should be taken with a grain of salt.

Barking Alien's Questions Answered

I answered Zak's questions, now here's Barking Alien's set.

1) What is the most common type of environment or terrain encountered thus far in your current or most recent campaign?

In both the 4e game that I DM and the G+ game that I’ve played in the terrain has been entirely dungeon.

2) What is the most exotic or unusual environment or terrain encountered thus far in your current or most recent campaign?

None, really.

3) What environment or terrain type have you never used but always wanted to? Why haven't you?

I’ve never used a lava field... I can’t think of a good reason why not. I shall have to correct this at the earliest opportunity.

4) Do you have a combat rule or mechanic from another game system you are using in the game system you currently play, played recently or generally play?

Nope.

5) In your opinion, what genre has received too little attention in regards to RPGs based on that subject?

The modern bromance.

6) If a quality RPG on the aforementioned neglected genre came out tomorrow, what would make you buy it? What would prevent you from buying it?

I wouldn’t buy it, as I have no interest in it. Just because it’s not given a lot of attention doesn’t mean that that situation needs to be changed!

7) Do you find it easier to learn the rules of a game by reading the rule book or by sitting down and just playing it?

Mostly I’ve learned by reading, but learning by doing is more fun.

8) Name a currently available artist not normally associated with RPGs who you'd love to see do some RPG work.

I'm not really up on my currently available artists.

9) What one book, movie, video, etc. that is not an RPG that you think should be.

I’m actually a little shocked there isn’t a Halo rpg. Especially that there wasn’t a Halo d20 game ever produced.

10) Can you think of an RPG you've run or played in which the GM (be it you or someone else) used/referenced non-game related books to run the campaign more often then game related books?

Not that I know of, but that could certainly be interesting...

Sunday Inspirational Image - Lights of Other Days

Lights of Other Days - John F. Peto 1906

Stonehell Delve 3

On the evening of 2/1 the following brave adventurers ventured into Stonehell once again in search of a mystical talisman.

Drak the Hood
-Menwyn
Nick the Pike
-Kaldue - Spearman
-Boarface - Swordman & Groom with Aslan and Thistle (wardogs)
-Sacco - Torchbearer
Dirk
Lemmkainen the Elf
Nolan Bracegirdle the Hobbit

Her fingers dug down into his shoulders, kneading Nick’s flesh. “So what happened?”

Nick sighed, feeling the stress begin to ease out. “It’s all Drak’s fault. That curse he’s suffering from... After restocking and gearing up we all got together and headed off. Just outside there was something rustling the trees. We avoided whatever it was and entered Stonehell itself. We again retraced our steps, this time bumping into a whole squad of orcs. They wanted to know if we’d defiled Rocky.”

“Who’s Rocky?”

“According to the orcs it’s an oracular giant stone head, and I guess they worship it or something. I wanted to check it out but Drak started laughing and didn’t, or couldn’t stop until I started heading toward the Quiet Halls.”

“What about the orcs?”

“Oh, they told us where the head was, generally, but then moved on when we told them it wasn’t us. After that we kept on, killed some more fire beetles. I managed to get some of that glowing crap on my armor. Sacco’s cleaning it now. He’s a good lad. I really need to think of something for him to grow into.”

“Once we were in the Quiet Halls the group wanted to check out one of the side passages we’d skipped last time. We came to a pair of bronze doors on opposite sides of the hall. They were conveniently designed with lattices so we could see inside. Unfortunately on one side were a bunch of smiling skeletons who were all way too happy to see us, and on the other a wraith thing made up of bones and fabric scraps. I’ve never seen anything like that before. We held the doors as best we could, even hammering in some spikes. It wasn’t easy... the skeletons kept pushing bits of themselves out. We squirted in some oil on the skeletons, and set it on fire, but then the wraith got out. Everyone just took off... The halfling even outran the elf. Granted the Lemmin was in plate armor, but even still... The wraith caught him, and beat him up before some of the guys grabbed him and we all ran for the great doors, slamming them shut behind us.”

“Gods...” she breathed. “That sounds terrifying!”

“You know what? It was. I don’t know that I’ll head back that way without a little divine assistance. Maybe that’s what I can suggest to Sacco? He’d look good in a priests cassock.”

“What happened then?” she asked, her knuckles pressing down into the small of Nick’s back.

“In between bouts of Drak’s laughing, we tried a different side passage, took down a room full of wildmen, and while we were picking through their scraps we heard a bunch of orcs coming our way. Lemmin said they were chanting “kill the defilers” or something like that. Knowing we only had moments we tossed the wildmen bodies in the hall, pulled the door closed, and built as much of a baracade in the doorway as possible. Everyone with bows lined up at the back of the room, while the rest of us waited. There was some confusion as to why the bodies were in the hall, but the orcs were out for blood, and they threw open the door, and ended up with a face full of arrows, spears, and my pike. I think it was the same group we’d encountered before, plus one that was a little bigger, maybe a chief or something.”

“The fight was dirty and quick, and The first 2 dropped right away, including the big guy. Lemmin took an arrow from one of the orcs in the throat, and dropped. 2 more orcs fell, and then Kaldue overextend himself, and fell over the barricade. Boarface hopped right over the barricade and started hacking at orc standing over Kaldue. He didn’t connect, but he kept the creature from smashing poor Kaldue’s head in.”

“The 2 orc archers decided that now wasn’t a good time to hang about, and took off. We finished off the last orc, and then grabbed Lemmin and headed back to town.”

“So no treasure this time?” her hands stopped massaging Nick’s back.

“Not as much as I’d been hoping for, but the excursion managed to pay for itself with a little left over. Enough that I can rent this townhouse, instead of staying at the inn!”

#fridayfiveminutemap

On Google+ some of the mappers started up a friday five minute map challenge. Reading through the early comments with that hash tag it seems like there may be awards or prizes handed out, but I just think it's a good exercise.

This was my map for today. I call it "Big Underground River, little dungeon level"

Map Do-Over

Sometimes things just don't work out quite like you want them to. For instance, this is map 2C from my megadungeon. It's ok. Not great. Some rooms, stairs, secret doors, and this theater area down below. I wasn't very happy with it though. Maybe it's just me being too picky.

One of the things that bugged me most was the theater down at the bottom. It just didn't work. Since it's Groundhog Day I called a do-over!

Still not perfect, and I want to add the upper level, but much better. Also I tried out a new crosshatching pattern.

FLGS?

Blogger informed me that this is my 600th post! Not a bad way to start February.

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A long time time ago I wrote a post about looking for a local comic/game shop. At the time my focus was actually more on the comics than the gaming aspect of things. I wasn’t too worried about the game thing, as there are numerous Games Workshops in the area, and Amazon. I wasn’t thinking, at the time, about playing D&D. Besides, what comic shop doesn’t carry at least a basic selection of games? Or would be willing to special order something?

If you read that previous post, you know that my search was not entirely fruitful. I ended up going about an hour away for my FLCS. As far as games goes, my affair with GW is pretty much at an end. Their ever increasing prices, coupled with the new finecast resin change has soured our relationship. I only wish that some other company would be doing The Hobbit minis... I’d really like to get the 14 companions... oh well.

Now the reason 2 paragraphs of background is important is because I discovered a game store that isn’t too far from my house. I found it when I discovered that Sarah Darkmagic aka Tracy Hurley linked to my post about dungeonmorph dice on the WotC website. While I was there (a rare occurence) I put my location into their store finder, and I found J and M Comics and Games. Now, I thought I knew every comic and game shop in the the greater Baltimore area. I was wrong, and today I’ll be going to check it out... Who knows, I may have just discovered a new (to me) FLGS!

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If you haven't visited my blog lately (aka you read it through a feed), I've gone and changed how things look. Let me know what you think!