Defining Game #9: AD&D 2nd Edition

9. AD&D 2nd edition, 1989

Anyone who gamed in the eighties is going to have this one on their list. The weird thing is that this is number nine on mine. Usually Dungeons and Dragons is at the top, if not in the number one slot. Nope, it's not even top five material for me believe it or not. It doesn't make it any less special, it's just noteworthy that in all of my gaming foundations, DnD came pretty late in the game.

Of course once it made its debut it never really left, so for that reason and more, here it is. We usually played in the Forgotten Realms, but had brief stints in pretty much all of the other settings out there, Dark Sun being one of my more favorites, though it was short lived. Homebrew campaigns, hand drawn dungeon maps, lengthy character bios, all the tropes and more that come with the territory were formed during this time. As far as staying power, and games that shape what the future was going to bring, AD&D had it all. We would eventually go back and play first edition, as well as have a very long 3/3e campaign within recent years. Whatever its incarnation, DnD is just that, DnD; it's not just a staple, it's the staple..

LEGO Thursday: Jungle-Based Adventurers

At one point our Forgotten Realms party had to go down the the Jungles of Chult, south of Calimshan. I forget exactly what was going on, but we knew our characters would be there for a while so I decided to whip up new bases for the party. Obviously these are supposed to be dense and lush with jungle-like vegetation. We also had a quickly growing collection of wizard familiars and winged animal companions, and everyone insisted on actually using them too! To accommodate for all the birds I made little tree-stands too.


Halfling wizard with proxy-owl


"big, dang" Elf in third party plate armor


Mulhorandi cleric


Gnome Wizard/Thief with raven


Human druid with eagle

LEGO Thursday: NPC Adventuring Party

Adventuring parties full of people's characters are well and good, but what about the NPC adventuring parties out there? Someone's gotta be neutral competition every now and then. You and your party of PC's can't always be the only tough-looking group of hombres in the tavern on that stormy night can you?

When dealing with NPC parties, they tend to lean on the side of two-dimensional. Above you have the stern and honor-bound warrior monk woman, the sneaky and deadly Elf rogue, and the quirky, absent-minded Gnome wizard.

Three Rivers Con

Earlier this month there was a local, one-day gaming convention called Three Rivers Con. It seemed like a pretty cool event, and in an effort to get outside my box, I went. I was surprised, I didn't know what to expect really, but all in all it was a good day. I met some good folks, played some good games...what more could you ask for?


First off, I wasn't just a con-gamer, I was a con-game runner! That's right, the practice session of Gutshot last time was just a warm-up for this. Needless to say, I think it was a success, I've got another post dedicated just for this game, so I'll be moving on.


There's an area club that I didn't know we had that centers around boardgames. Lots and lots of boardgames. They were the core of the con it seemed, and the table you see here had a nice flyer saying if you were interested in learning a game, just ask.


I was interested, especially in the new Dungeons and Dragons games. Around the corner is the new Legend of Drizzt version, and being a fan of the fiction I figured I'd pick it up. Of course a test drive was in order so I was able to snag a game of the Wrath of Ashardalon. How was it? Good stuff, it was definitely fun enough to start saving my shekles for October.


There was also a Zombpocalypse presentation, which was entertaining. Now I realize the Zombpocalypse is just around the corner and definitely no joke, but this tongue-in-cheek "how to" was still pretty fun.

The presentation also included a "survival grab bag" demonstration


I haven't played Battletech since the late eighties, but there's was a lot of it going down here. In fact, it seemed that was all that was being played for a good eight hours straight.


There was a paint-and-take demonstration as well (which I'm told is so hot right now). This proved to be a very popular spot and it stayed full most of the time. I was blown away by the sheer amount of quality paints, brushes, and the rest available to use. Also, for those new at it, there was plenty of help and assistance from some very knowledgeable "staffers".


Hetero-gaming lifemate Andy and I had the first ever "45 Minute Iron-Painter" paint off. The minis take 'em table had an absolute hoard of great figs, not leftover junk, but good stuff. There was a matched pair of survivor figs that formed the basis of the challenge, of course it was a good natured challenge and when awesome survivor figs like this free on the line, everyone comes out a winner. So which one do you prefer? The right or the left one?


There was a table full of silent auction goods, most of it roleplaying books and a good deal of boardgames. Being a huge boardgaming crowd I was surprised to see a complete Battle for Macragge box there. I was even more surprised to see no bids on it. I'm happy to say I picked this one up for a mere ten bucks, all I really wanted was the crashed spaceship to use as terrain, the ten marines, twenty-odd 'nids, and what-not was all a bonus.


This is Trio de Rio, I just made that up. I've also just declared him the official mascot of Three Rivers Con. There was a talented, young crochet chica there making these little critters. In a few hours she was able to crank this little feller out. I gave her my info and offer for a potential commission for a Cthulhu crocheted critters. Holidays are right around the corner and those would make for some awesome, mythos-themed gifts.

Three Rivers Con? Good stuff. Fun? Yup. Repeat? Probably!

A DnD Character is You

I saw a new "what DnD character would you be?" questionnaire floating around, thanks to Joe over at Lead, Paint, and the General. These are fun, but I don't always post the result, since this particular quiz was over a hundred questions long however, I felt compelled. I gotta say, I like the character I "rolled" up, too bad DnD is off the books right now for us, until then...enjoy! Art by my all-time fave, Wayne Reynolds, quiz link at the bottom of this page.

Nerys Par-Salian
Neutral Good Human Ranger/Sorcerer (3rd/3rd Level)

Ability Scores:

Strength-14

Dexterity-14

Constitution-15

Intelligence-12

Wisdom-12

Charisma-16

Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Primary Class:
Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.

Secondary Class:
Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no theories just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through, they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with simple weapons. Charisma is very important for sorcerers; the higher their value in this ability, the higher the spell level they can cast.

What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?

LEGO Thursday: 4E Marching Order

More adventurers delve deep, this time in another edition

We did try our hands at fourth edition D&D, but it was a little slow getting off the runway. Unfortunately it didn't stick with our group, which is too bad, I really liked a lot of the stuff I saw in there and as with any game that I start to dig, I was ready to give it my best shot. We've got a lot of burners going in the game kitchen right now, but if someone said they were running 4e next week, I'd show up with a sketch, a backstory, and a LEGO fig!

Oh, and a word on 4e, which I can speak on since I've played every incarnation Dungeons and Dragons has served up: It doesn't matter if it's old school, second edition, home-brewed, or whatever. Are you enjoying a game with your buddies, rolling dice, and having fun? Yeah? Then who cares which edition you're playing, just make whatever you've got work.


A Half-Orc Barbarian and a Fire Genasi Sword-Mage


Teenage Human Mage and a Drow Thief


Human War Cleric and a Dragonborn Fighter

LEGO Thursday: Giant Green Dragon!

A bit of shenanigans during a mid-game break...

LEGO Thursday: More Liberators of Shadowdale

Well here we are with the first of many, many "LEGO Thursdays". No, seriously, I've got them queued up, quite literally, until two days before the new year. For the most part, you'll be seeing RPG stuff and the like, because LEGO figs make the best adventuring parties, hands down, accept no substitutes.

I had to say "more" in the title only because some of these Forgotten Realms heroes have made an appearance here before. Some of the party has stayed the same at this point, just a costume change here and there, and some of the adventurers are later additions as characters retire or die off and new party members sign on.


Plucky Halfling Wizard!


Solemn Human Cleric from Lands Across the Sea!


Dashing Human Druid!


Gnome Inventor and Wizard!


Slinging spells, hurling insults, and throwing monkeys!

AD&D Coloring Book

Everyone has their first DnD memory, usually one of which revolves around the trusty "red box" edition. Admittedly, that classic's one of my firsts as well, but I have a slightly different road to my very first DnD memory, and methinks it's certainly a less traveled one at that.


Thanks to my mother being a candidate for the A&E series "Hoarders" this gem of my youth was preserved. She called the other and said she had found some of my old books and asked if I wanted them. Of course I said, "Sure..." figuring I'd take a look and end up recycling most of it. Well in there were some of my old coloring books, but this isn't just any old coloring book, but an official Dungeons and Dragons coloring "album" written by the late Gary Gygax.


I'm going to have to sit down and give it a proper (and thorough) read-through, but from what I can tell it's basically a self-contained adventure module. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and immediately better than any roleplaying fare of the same time period. In fact, why didn't they shoot for all of their art to look like this back then?


The text is pure, classic RPG gold. I can tell you this though, it was lost on the seven year-old Mik, haha. I am going to sit back down with this now that I've got my hands on it again and read through it. The top half sets up the scene but if you look at the bottom half, it gives you...stats. That's right, it's not just a coloring "album", it's a game too!


I remember not having a flesh colored marker back then, yes, thirty years "back then" and was going to go back and finish it with pencils. Well you know what? I've got a new summer project, and that's to finish this picture!


Here's some more unfinished coloring, and it's a Bulette!


In the middle of the book is the dungeon map itself, which if you've even been a pre-teen drawing dungeon maps, is big trip down memory lane. Like I said, there's so much awesomeness inside and I had completely forgotten all about it until just last week. I also, now that I've seen it again, remember taking it to school for show-and-tell. That's why my mom wrote "Please do not color in my book!" on the cover!

The (rest of the) Races of Sarterra

• Asatians
  
• The Darque
• Darque Ones
• Shadovar
  
• Flame Djinnasi
  
  • Thundering Djinnasi
    
• Dragonborn
  • Kobolds
  • Naga
    
• Dwarves
  • Duergar
    
  • Runeforged
    
• Elves
• Fire Djiants
• Gnolls
• Goroloth
  
• Grunnien
  
• Humans
  • Averni
  • Djedetians
    
  • Nguni
  • The Northmen
  • The Plainsmen
  • Yrlanders
• Krolyks
• Acarus
  
• Lizardmen
  
• Nezumi
• Orcs
• Salamanders
• Tieflings
• Tuskgaarde
• Vargr
• Wendigo
• Vampires
• Wraiths