I have to say that with all honesty, I need to play the game a few more times to really get it.  I’m not very familiar with the rules, and seeing how every other player was experienced, I didn’t want to slow down the game too much by stopping to ask questions. If you’ve never played Marvel, the game uses a dice pool system to resolve actions.  I’m not going to try to attempt to explain the game here, because I’d do a poor job.  I still haven’t exactly gotten it.  But if you come from a D&D mindset like me, this is a pretty interesting way of looking at the game:

In D&D, my character sheet says I can do X.  In Marvel, I want to do X, so how can I get there using my character sheet?

Another issue I had was that the game is set in Marvel’s cosmic universe, and I have very little knowledge of that whole side of Marvel, but Wikipedia can take care of that. Anyway, the point if this post is to show you guys a video of the game in action, captured by Mark as he was running it. Also, there is a REALLY, REALLY great dice roller extension available for Hangouts called DiceStream, made for the Marvel rpg.  It made the game easy to play online, so if you are considering an online game, go get this extension.  Google Hangouts is a real game changer for online roleplaying by the way… I need to get a post going about that. I’m running a SW EotE game using it and I love it…

So here’s the video.  I’m the bearded dude with a confused look on his face.  Many thanks to Mark for running the game, and go check out his websites.  :)

I have to say, the conversion process is fairly easy between the two systems.  This assumes use of the new FFG Beginner’s Box set.

Pg. 175 – Cutting Through the Shock Fence

To shut down the relays the characters must make an Average Skulduggery ♦♦ skill check.

If they have no tools of any kind, it is a ♦♦■ check. (Setback die added).

A despair roll deals 5 strain due to shock and permanently damages the tool that the pc is using.

Distracting the guards is an opposed Deceit vs. the guard’s Discipline ♦.  (Guard stats are taken from pg. 46 Aqualish Thug in the SW EotE Boxed set rulebook).

Climbing the fence is a Average Athletics ♦♦ skill check.

Pg. 176 – Sneaking by the Stream

To crawl through, each character must make an Average Coordination ♦♦ skill check.  Any threats rolled deal 1 strain. Failing the skill check deals 5 strain.

Pg. 176 – Other Ways Inside sidebar

Pole Vaulting the fence requires a Hard ♦♦♦ Athletics check.

Characters bluffing the 10 guards at the main gate, in order to get in  must succeed at an opposed Deceit vs. the guard’s Discipline ♦. This check requires a ■ setback die on the pc’s roll.  All 10 guards must be deceived.

Pg. 176 – Finding the Supplies

Roaming around the camp (perhaps from marked location on the map to another marked location) requires an Average ♦♦ Stealth skill checks from each PC.

Creeping up on sentries requires an opposed Stealth vs. the guard’s Perception ♦♦.  (Guard stats are taken from pg. 46 Aqualish Thug in the SW EotE Boxed set rulebook).

Characters must use the Brawl skill to knock out the guards.

The “Pirate  Sentries” become “Aqualish Thugs” for the purposes of this conversion.

Pg 176 – Blasting Out

Making it out of the base gate on the skiff requires an Average Pilot ♦♦ skill check.

The skiff provides cover from the firing pirates, so they must add a ■ to their attack rolls vs. the pcs.

Standard rules for piloting a vehicle apply, using the Pilot skill. Pirate stats are taken from pg. 46 Aqualish Thug in the SW EotE Boxed set rulebook

Pg. 178 – Hey What’s In These Crates?

Have the pilot make a few Average Pilot ♦♦ skill checks.

Three of the six crates contain medpacs, for a total of 6 medpacks. Medpacks grant a □ Boost die per the rules on page 35 of the SW: EotE rulebook to a Medicine check.

The Light Repeating Blaster in WEG’s book gets replaced by a Heavy Repeating Blaster (page 31 SW: EotE rulebook), as there is no Light Repeating Blaster stat available from FFG.

Pg. 178 – The Hunt Begins

Out maneuvering the pirates requires an Average Pilot ♦♦ skill check.

To keep up, the pirate’s must win an Average Pilot ♦♦ skill competitive check (page 9, SW EotE rulebook).

The pirate speeder bikes use the Speeder Bike entry in page 42 of the SW: EotE rulebook.

The skiff is tricky as there is no skiff yet in the SW EotE game, so we have to improvise a stat block…

Vehicle Type: Skiff

• Silhouette: 2
• Speed: 2
• Handling: 0
• Defense: 0
• Armor: 0
• Hull Trauma Threshold: 3
• System Strain Threshold: 3

The Skiff provides some cover from the firing pirates, so they must add a ■ to their attack rolls vs. the pcs.

Monitoring Pirate comlink transmissions require a Hard Computer ♦♦♦ skill check.

An Average Perception ♦♦ skill check allows PCs to notice two more voices on the comlink.

Pg. 179 – AT-PT Ambush

Characters can notice the AT-PT’s behind a tree by making a successful Average Perception ♦♦ skill check.

Firing Personal Scale weapons at the AT-PT’s is subject to the sidebar rules on page 37 of the SW EotE Rulebook, “Starships, Vehicles, and Scale”.

• Vehicle Type: AT-PT Walker
• Silhouette: 1
• Speed: 2
• Handling: 0
• Defense: 0
• Armor: 3
• Hull Trauma Threshold: 5
• System Strain Threshold: 5

Pg. 180 – Into the Thrubidor

One crate is loaded for every successful Average Athletics ♦♦ skill check made.

Pg. 181 – Flight from Prexiar

A successful Average Astrogation ♦♦ skill check makes it 10 rounds before they can blast off into hyperspace. Spending a  Triumph allows the PC to cut this time in half to 5 rounds.

Assume the Pirate ship is a Firespray System Patrol Craft (pg. 43 SW: EotE rulebook) and the PC ship is a Yt-1300 Freighter (pg. 26 SW EotE Adventure Book, Krayt Fang stats)

This was a quick and dirty conversion, like I said, and I’m still not extremely familiar with FFG’s system.  If someone tries it out, or has better suggestions, please post here in the comments.

Aaarghhh! I’m a Barabel Pirate Lord!

Here are the contents of the box:

• Adventure book
• 48 page rulebook
• Introduction sheet
• Double sided poster map
• 4 Character Folios
• 14 Custom Dice
• 8 destiny Tokens
• 35 Character Tokens
• 5 Vehicle Tokens

It’s important to note that while yes the game includes maps and tokens, this is not a game that relies on them for combat.  They are there to help new players get a visual idea of what they are looking at. This is not a tactical game like for example, 4e D&D.

Upon first glance, I am really happy with the production value of this game. Fantasy Flight Games has created a nice intro box set that I think may actually draw new players in, if they position it correctly.  Star Wars is one of those licenses that has the power to draw people in, all you have to do is walk the aisles at Target or Walmart to see the amount of stuff available with the license. If this game were to sit on a mass market shelf, it may get some traction, who knows. I saw the XWing miniature game for sale at Target, so it’s not too far-fetched to see this box there as well.

The books are softcover, but the rule book has a stronger backing than the adventure book.  The paper is glossy, and of high quality.  There is new artwork, and gorgeous one at that, throughout the game.  They didn’t just lift art from Lucasfilm, they commissioned artwork.  One thing that I don’t like is the box itself.  It’s a flimsy box with a flap opening, and an insert to hold it in place. It is not a sturdy box by any means.

The included adventure in the game does a great job of introducing you step by step to the mechanics of the special dice, which drive every aspect of the game.  The way the intro adventure is laid out, it teaches you the mechanics of the game, and the character folios are fully created characters, allowing the players to join the action right away.  So no, there are no rules for character creation, although character advancement is possible.

I am really excited about this game, and can’t wait to try it out.  I took a few pictures of the stuff in the box, click on each pic for a hi-res version…

The front of the box.

The back of the box.

The “what is roleplaying” explanation we are all familiar with by now…

The back of the rulebook explains skills and dice symbols.

Cardboard tokens.

A cantina, city, and spaceport control map.

A YT1300 floorplan.

The back of each character folio has backstory.

Open character folio.

More new artwork examples…

48 page rulebook.

New artwork is used throughout the game.

The adventure teaches the rules as it goes along…

Maps and minis are not required…

I plan to write about my experiences with the game as soon as I can run it after the holidays, but I’m liking what I’m seeing.

You can help support NewbieDM.com by checking out the Star Wars Edge of the Empire Beginner Game on Amazon.

Are we looking at the first dndnext adventure?

There’s no system in the product description, but it’s fair to say that 4e is dead when it comes to product releases… Interesting times…..

Releases in 2013, but dndnext is more than likely arriving in 2014……

The Dungeon! board

The game, a WOTC reissue of a 1975 TSR board game designed by David Megarry, has a very simple premise:  enter a dungeon, kill the monsters and take their stuff.  Players pick between a Fighter, Wizard, Cleric or Rogue, and mover around the board entering rooms and looting the monsters.  Each class has different victory conditions, so for example the fighter may need to leave the dungeon with 20,000 gp, while the cleric with only 10,000.

The core mechanic is easy.  Each player can move 5 spaces on their turn (spaces are represented by flagstones on the dungeon floor).  Upon entering a room, they draw a card representing a monster appropriate for the dungeon level they are in.  The card has the number that each class has to roll in order to defeat the monster via a 2d6 roll, so the player rolls, and if he hits, the monster is destroyed and they get to draw a treasure card.  if they miss, the monster gets to attack them instead.

The winner is the first to escape the dungeon after their victory condition is met.  Easy, huh?  I found that I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, and what made it even better was that my kid had a great time and I didn’t need to keep explaining the rules to her.  She got it right away.

At only $20, the game is a steal.  It’s priced right for a fun gaming session and I recommend it to parents looking for a good D&D to play with kids before they are ready for the real thing.

You can help support newbiedm.com by checking out Dungeon! on Amazon.

When WOTC announced the reprints of 1e, they highlighted the fact that it would partially help fund the Gygax Memorial.  A noble cause, and a welcome one, as for years fans have asked WOTC to make older material available again.  And it seems that they heard the fans.  1e was released as a new set of gorgeous books.  This was followed shortly by the surprise announcement of a special reprint of the 3e books. Although at this point in time I ask myself who would play this over Pathfinder?  I’m not sure who the intended audience is for these particular reprints… but I digress.

But it doesn’t stop here.  In fact, searching the Amazon site, which unfortunately serves as a spoiler/unofficial press release for WOTC ALL THE TIME, we can see that there are plans to release a whole bunch of other stuff for D&D.  Including 2e core books.  Putting on the shelves every edition of AD&D  ever printed.   1e, 2e, 3e and the current 4e stuff that still sits on shelves.  That’s a lot of D&D.  There are also adventure hardbacks coming for 1e stuff, along with other 3e books besides the core three.

Lets see what Amazon has as far as reprints right now:

1e Unearthed Arcana.  Barbarians and Cavaliers, reprinted in all their glory.  Lets hope the binding works this time, no?  No need for loose pages in 2013  :)

The 2nd edition Core D&D books coming out in May.  I sincerely hope we get the yellow versions and not the later black ones.  I really prefer the older 2e stuff to the later books.

The 3.5 magic Item Compendium and Spell Compendium.  Again, I wonder who the target audience is for these books. Pathfinder players?

Dungeons of Dread:  S Series Adventure Compilation.  Okay, this is cool.  A hardback collecting the S series of adventures.  I wonder if the artwork will be updated…  This is great.

Against the Slave Lords:  A Series Adventure Compilation.  Again, I wonder about the artwork.  I can’t help to be excited about this.

The cool thing about these adventure compilations is how easily they probably translate to D&D Next.  They are due for release in 2013, well before the playtest is over, if we believe the assumed 2014 release of Next.

So Wizards is listening (or they need to generate tons of cash before Next books are released).  Either way, this is what fans of older stuff have been asking for and there it is.  Remember that at Gencon they also announced the digital catalog would be coming back.  So they definitely have heard the fans.

So what’s missing from this?  What would I like to see?  Well, let me preface this by saying that I have a particular opinion about so many different D&D books sitting on the shelf.  I feel that it can be confusing for new people entering the hobby.  I have written about that before so I am not going to get into it here….

The 1991 Rules Cyclopedia

So having said that, and since they are reprinting everything… I’d love to see a new reprint of the Rules Cyclopedia.  This is a gorgeous D&D book, released in 1991, which collects all the rules from the Basic D&D Boxes in one hardback.  For me, this book alone is a complete game.  It has rules for characters up to level 36!  It has monsters, it has a setting (Mystara and Hollow World), it has rules for mass combat… It is a whole and complete game in one book.  I own it, bought it off ebay for a ridiculous price some time ago.  A reprint would be very welcome by the community in my opinion.

The 5 BECMI boxes

I would also love to see a reprint of the 80′s BECMI boxed sets.  Not updated, but fully reprinted in their old school glory.  Same artwork, same covers, same fonts, same everything.  For many folks this was their intro to D&D, and I think a limited release of these classics would be welcome. Perhaps setting up a pre order system would let WOTC gauge interest in something like this and determine if it would be worth it or not…

So here’s my prediction for what’s next… I predict that the next big reprint from WOTC, leading up to both the 40th anniversary of D&D in 2014, and the release of D&D NEXT will be…. a reprint of the original 1974 pamphlets (TSR 2002). I predict an expensive collector’s edition in a wood grain box and everything, as the originals were released almost 40 years ago.  I also predict that this will sell like hotcakes.  Time will tell if I am wrong….

Original D&D. Image courtesy Wired.com

So it seems that the floodgates have opened and WOTC is throwing everything but the kitchen sink on the shelves, both physical and digital.  I have my doubts as to how well this serves D&D in the long run (although financially I won’t argue with the cash that it is likely to generate). But what do you all think?  Is this good?  Why?  Is it diluting the brand?  What are your thoughts?  Discuss!

The first in what will be a series of three games set to be released in 2013, 2014, and 2015 is titled “Star Wars:  Edge of the Empire”  this game releases in 2013.  The other two are titled “Age of Rebellion” and “Force and Destiny”.

Wait!!! “Age of Rebellion” is the name of my Star Wars/Dragon Age conversion.  What the hell, FFG??? That name is taken!

Anyway…

The game will also use funny dice, as is typical of FFG rpg’s.  The beta rules released at Gencon include a sticker set to place over dice.

The book is 224 pages, softcover, and from what I’ve heard it is very slick.  The artwork on the site seems top notch too.

I’m curiously optimistic.  I’m not a fan of funny dice, as I like to use what’s already in my dice bag, but it is Star Wars so I’m interested… for now…

Here’s FFG’s page for the game.

I called it all, including what the game may look like, back in February of 2011.

I will get to talking about D&D Next, I promise.

You can find it at the Dragon Age Oracle blog.

It’s a playtest, and some rules are unfinished, but it is most definitely playable, up to level 10.

So if you want to play Star Wars using the AGE rules, go get it! And let me know what you think.