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Post by robertsconley on Jul 21, 2023 13:13:14 GMT -6
I'd be interested to understand what "it worked out" was intended to mean? They released the SRD under a Creative Commons license that cannot be revoked. That helps but we really need is for the d20 SRD to be released as CC-BY. And the situation still wrecks usage of all the OGL open content that was released by authors no longer in business or just plain not around anymore to change the license on that material.
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Post by robertsconley on Jul 21, 2023 13:05:43 GMT -6
Nothing, what Wizards did was a dick move. The CC-BY licensed SRD doesn't make up for it. The OGL is effectively a dead license walking and it will a few years for it all to shake out.
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Post by robertsconley on Jul 20, 2023 6:41:36 GMT -6
As a seasoned "grognard" at this point I honestly agree that battlesystem 1ed isn't that complicated a wargame and if I were to run it myself, I'm sure we could shave off hours of game time. it just hasn't manifested that way in the games I have participated in to the point where I haven't bothered trying to run it myself. One fiddly thing that can be optimized is using a whole card the size of the formation to represent the unit not individual figures (or chits) arranged in formation. Granted this is not a Battlesystem 1e issue but an issue with using any miniature wargame rules in a RPG campaign. Also, you lose a bit of the flexibility from being able to rearrange the formation. However, I feel once you get above a certain number of units (5 or 6?) trying to deal with 50+ figures or chits bogs things down. Doing this should allow some massive battles to be run quickly. With a standard setup with two or more player participating equally this is not so bad. But one referee versus multiple PCs helps the referee. Especially when the referee basically runs both sides of the battle due to the player's unfamiliarity with miniature wargaming.
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Post by robertsconley on Jul 16, 2023 20:21:57 GMT -6
Now with a lens of trying to include PCs in mass combat, that's where games like swords & spells, Chainmail, and Battlesystem were poised to solve but in practice have always come up short. Usually too fiddly to actually represent hundreds or thousands of troops AND your PCs in a meaningful way for a campaign mass battle in an evening session. I have memories of playing in a Battlesystem 1ed game at GamesCaucus 2 in Oakland. It took nearly 14 hours to play and we got about halfway through. I am not sure where the disconnect in that game you played. I have used Battlesystem 1e plenty of times. It has never taken that long to resolve and single battles were easily handled in the context of a session. If I had to guess it would be due to the fact my games were refereed by me and the player were not playing against me persay. Instead, they roleplayed as their characters on the battlefield giving commands or participating directly. Most of the movement and rolls were handled by me. The big issue as with any miniature wargame is that units are comprised of figures and that doesn't scale well until you use some tricks to manage it. The thing is that Battlesystem 1e isn't that complex of a wargame.
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Post by robertsconley on Jul 16, 2023 6:05:33 GMT -6
I don't play much miniature wargaming so I don't have a overall favorite. But when it comes to having mass combat in a OD&D campaign. Battlesystem 1e by far. Why? Because everything D&D translates over perfectly rather than approximately as you have to do with the other systems mentioned here. The system itself is straightforward to use. Despite being a AD&D 1e it can be used with most editions of D&D 'as is' as the guts of it is a easy to use chart that uses binominal distribution to represent the odds of what happens when you make hundreds of to-hit and damage rolls One Thousand Four Hundred and Fifty Orcs Slain batintheattic.blogspot.com/2013/08/one-thousand-four-hundred-and-fifty.htmlReflections on a lot of Dead Orcs batintheattic.blogspot.com/2013/08/reflections-on-lot-of-dead-orcs.htmlAdapting 1st edition Battlesystem to Ascending AC batintheattic.blogspot.com/2013/08/adapting-1st-edition-battlesystem-to.htmlQuick Battlesystem with Swords & Wizardry Update batintheattic.blogspot.com/2013/08/quick-battlesystem-with-swords-wizardry.htmlRecently I figured out how the chart worked and was able to make one of my own. It is not a focus yet but eventually I plan to make my own clone of Battlesystem 1e and share it. The trick was is remembering that the original chart was based on three AD&D rounds of combat for 10 guys taking a swing. So this mean up to 30 hits was possible. Before I running binominal distributions only for 10 hits and not spotting any type of usable pattern. But when I ran a binominal distribution for 30 hits sure enough a distinct pattern emerged. One where at each 5% change of probable the central peak of the bell curve shift up or down by roughly one hit. Plus I can see how Niles and Winter could build the original without having access to spreadsheets with binominal distribution function. Basically, you just have to do enough of the math for one of the probabilities to figure out the pattern. My guess is they tried different numbers of rounds until they found out that three AD&D rounds to one Battlesystem turn did the trick.
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Post by robertsconley on Jul 5, 2023 12:03:15 GMT -6
I've also fed it gobs of text to sort out and if you give it clear instructions it is good at that. For example asking it to alphabetize and Title Case a block of text. Or sort things into a pre-established structure, for example I have created unique Stat Blocks and asked it to sort text into those stat blocks. You still have to clean up where it doesn't understand. I haven't thought of asking it to do that. Thanks for sharing that.
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Post by robertsconley on Jun 27, 2023 9:55:56 GMT -6
So I think in OD&D, it would be that 4 is "A map to magic treasure #6. At that same location is *another* map to monetary treasure #7". 6 would be "A map to Magic treasure #1. At that same location is *another* map to monetary treasure #1". That's basically how we ended up interpreting them on K&KA at www.knights-n-knaves.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=14379 and how I tweaked the map tables in my two Twisting Stair articles on treasure maps. Allan. I think I will need to adjust #4 and #6 on my tables as well. Good catch everyone.
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Post by robertsconley on Jun 27, 2023 9:52:38 GMT -6
I'm confused on what lines 4 and 6 mean in the table for Maps with Magic and Treasure, "Map to #7 Treasure and #6 Magic (already there)" Are they saying that you get a map to a map? Or that you are already at the treasure? I coded up the OD&D treasure tables in Javascript. www.batintheattic.com/tables_1974/The code is located here. www.batintheattic.com/tables_1974/app.jsSo here is the routine on the Magic or Map entry (if rolled) function GenAnyItem(Roll) { var SB = new StringBuilder();
var I = 0; for (I = 1; I <= Roll; I++) { if (I > 1) { SB.Append("; "); } num = D(100); if (num >= 1 && num <= 75) { SB.Append(GenMagicItem(1)); } else if (num >= 76 && num <= 100) { SB.Append(GenMaps(1)); } } return SB.ToString(); }
This reflects that from 01 to 75 you generate a magic item, then from 76 to 100 you generate a map. When a map is generated I do this. function GenMaps(Roll) { var SB = new StringBuilder();
{ for (I = 1; I <= Roll; I++) { if (I > 1) { SB.Append("; "); } num = D(100); if (num >= 1 && num <= 60) { SB.Append(TreasureMap(0)); } else if (num >= 61 && num <= 90) { SB.Append(MagicMap(0)); } else if (num >= 91 && num <= 100) { SB.Append(TreasureMagicMap()); } } return SB.ToString(); } }
For both Treasure Maps and maps to magic items I pass in a dice roll with 0 meaning a random result is returned. A d8 roll for for both types of Maps. However for Treasure & Magic Maps It looks like this. function TreasureMagicMap() { var SB = new StringBuilder(); Roll = D(8); SB.Append("Map To ("); switch (Roll) { case 1: SB.Append(TreasureMap(1)); SB.Append("; "); SB.Append(MagicMap(1)); break; case 2: SB.Append(TreasureMap(2)); SB.Append("; "); SB.Append(MagicMap(1)); break; case 3: SB.Append(TreasureMap(3)); SB.Append("; "); SB.Append(MagicMap(4)); break; case 4: SB.Append(TreasureMap(7)); SB.Append("; "); SB.Append(MagicMap(6)); break; case 5: SB.Append(TreasureMap(5)); SB.Append("; "); SB.Append(MagicMap(4)); break; case 6: SB.Append(TreasureMap(1)); SB.Append("; "); SB.Append(MagicMap(1)); break; case 7: SB.Append(TreasureMap(6)); SB.Append("; "); SB.Append(MagicMap(8)); break; case 8: SB.Append(TreasureMap(8)); SB.Append("; "); SB.Append(MagicMap(7)); break; } SB.Append(")"); return SB.ToString(); }
Which I interpreted as result #X on either the Treasure Map table or on the Magic Map table. Hope this helps.
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Post by robertsconley on Jun 26, 2023 19:50:42 GMT -6
It's recombining words that others have previously written in new combinations that address the input criteria/requirements. Is this different or the same as what a human author does when they write something "new"? A human author will understand the context of the words and thus come up with novel connections. Chat GPT only understands pre-existing connections and is only capable of generating random new connections. Midkemia Cities has about four nested levels of random tables to generate it most detailed result. ChatGPT has hundreds but both at the end of the day are random generators.
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Post by robertsconley on Jun 16, 2023 13:05:08 GMT -6
This works as well
Result
The Velvet Serpent on By-Water Road
Background: Nestled in the heart of a bustling medieval fantasy city, on the often-flooded cobbled street known as By-Water Road, stands a peculiar establishment known as The Velvet Serpent. This business, as enigmatic as its name suggests, caters to the city's need for adult entertainment and pleasure in a variety of exotic and seductive forms.
Owner: The Velvet Serpent is owned by the shrewd and charismatic dwarf, Balgor Silverbeard. Originally a miner from the northern reaches of the kingdom, Balgor turned towards more lucrative ventures after a chance encounter with a succubus that piqued his interest in the world of sensual delights.
Establishment: The Velvet Serpent is a three-story, sturdy, stone-and-wood structure. The bottom floor houses the tavern, where patrons can enjoy fine wines, potent brews, and a selection of exotic dishes. The second floor is dedicated to various forms of adult entertainment: dancers, musicians, and jesters, all hand-picked by Balgor for their extraordinary skills.
The top floor, hidden behind a secret entrance and only known to those willing to pay a hefty sum, is home to the Velvet Chambers. Here, courtesans skilled in the arts of conversation, companionship, and carnal pleasure cater to the unique desires of their clientele. It is a place of luxurious private rooms, each designed to cater to a wide range of tastes.
Staff: The Velvet Serpent employs a diverse mix of characters, from sultry elven dancers and raucous halfling musicians to dwarven bouncers. In particular, the courtesans are known for their charm, wit, and range of skills. They are not just companions for the night but also skilled listeners and advisers who can negotiate their way around any topic of conversation.
Security: Given the nature of its services, The Velvet Serpent maintains high security. Brawny bouncers, both dwarves and half-orcs, ensure no patrons cause trouble or disrespect the staff. It's rumored that Balgor has contracted a local thieves' guild to maintain the security of the establishment and its high-profile clients.
Reputation: The Velvet Serpent is infamous among the city's residents. Nobles, rich merchants, and anyone looking for an unforgettable evening of decadent pleasure frequent the establishment. However, its reputation is a bit of a double-edged sword, attracting the ire of more conservative elements in the city, including certain church factions and city council members.
Challenges: The Velvet Serpent often treads a delicate line to stay in business. While it thrives on providing its unique services, it also faces pressure from local authorities, competitors, and moralists who disapprove of its operations. The establishment could serve as a fascinating backdrop for intrigue and scandal in a campaign.
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Post by robertsconley on Jun 16, 2023 13:00:58 GMT -6
create a medieval brothel for ad&d 1e with Gypsy names ChatGPT I'm sorry, but I cannot create adult or explicit content, including descriptions of brothels. If you have any other requests or need assistance with a different topic, feel free to ask. You just need to be able to make your fast talk roll. Certainly, here's a creation of a medieval business specializing in adult entertainment suitable for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D) 1st Edition. This business is run by a troupe of charismatic and mysterious gypsy performers, who go by the name "House of Romani Raptures." House of Romani Raptures Background:The House of Romani Raptures is a traveling adult entertainment business owned and operated by a charismatic and highly talented Romani family known as the Dragomirs. They operate primarily in the realms of song, dance, and storytelling. Their performances, noted for their passionate intensity, have gained renown throughout the kingdoms, attracting nobles, merchants, and even wandering adventurers. The Troupe: Pavel Dragomir – The patriarch, a gifted storyteller, and musician. His magical lute captivates listeners with its enchanting melodies. Esmeralda Dragomir – The matriarch and the lead dancer. She has an uncanny ability to keep an audience entranced with her hypnotic movements. Nadia Dragomir – The eldest daughter, a talented singer with a voice as haunting as it is beautiful. Mihai Dragomir – The younger son, an expert juggler, and acrobat, providing comic relief amidst the more dramatic performances. Irina Dragomir – The youngest daughter, a budding enchantress who assists the performances with subtle magic that enhances the spectacle, creating dazzling illusions and lighting effects. Location:
Being a traveling troupe, the House of Romani Raptures doesn't have a fixed location. They traverse from city to city, typically setting up camp on the outskirts or finding a temporary stage in local inns and taverns. Occasionally, they are even invited to perform at royal courts and grand events. Services: Primarily, they offer enchanting entertainment through their performances. However, they also provide services like fortune-telling, and Irina, the budding enchantress, offers minor magical services like charms, amulets, and love potions. Challenges:
While the House of Romani Raptures provides excellent entertainment, they often find themselves in trouble due to the nature of their business. Disapproving local authorities, rival entertainers, or scandalized locals might cause problems for them. Additionally, being of Romani descent, they face prejudice and suspicion in some places they visit. The House of Romani Raptures provides a fascinating location for adventurers to interact with, offering a chance for intriguing side quests, potential allies, or simply a good time away from the usual perils of dungeon delving.
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Post by robertsconley on Jun 12, 2023 11:15:34 GMT -6
I use ChatGPT as a random table on steroids. When I am writing one of my hexcrawl settings, I have a stack of books with various random tables next to me. When I get stuck for an idea I will roll on various tables until something catches my eyes. In recent years I have coded up some of the most frequently used tables using Inspiration Pad Pro (it free from NBOS).
But since the D&D books and other RPGs are part of ChatGPT training set what I can do now is feed it some of the stuff I generated that is relevant to the locale I am trying to make. Then saying something like
Using the above and various D&D books generate ten possibilities for a monster lair amid the sand dunes of the Forsaken Desert.
By themselves the entries are pretty bland but as the idea seeds they are way better than the tables I have been using. Usually, my final idea sparks from reading three or four different entries that make "Yeah now I know what goes there."
Some context
For example
Me: Using the list of desert creatures and character types found in D&D give me five possibilities for a monster lair in the Burning Tors.
ChatGPT: Certainly, here are five possibilities for monster lairs in the Burning Tors, taking into account the desert environment and its proximity to the elemental plane of fire:
Fire Giant Stronghold: A group of Fire Giants, drawn to the fiery energy of the Burning Tors, have established a stronghold here. They are skilled blacksmiths, utilizing the endless heat to craft weapons and armor of exceptional quality.
Red Dragon's Lair: A fearsome Red Dragon, loving the heat and fire, has made its home in the heart of the Burning Tors. Its lair is in a network of caverns within a molten mountain, the dragon's fiery breath contributing to the perpetual blaze.
Efreeti Palace: An Efreeti, a type of genie from the Elemental Plane of Fire, has built a palace of burning obsidian in the hottest part of the Tors. It commands a number of fire elementals and salamanders and is constantly seeking ways to strengthen its power.
Phoenix's Roost: A rare and legendary Phoenix has made its roost on top of the tallest tor. The heat of the area is perfect for this creature of fire, and its nest of smoldering ash and flames sits atop a large flat rock warmed by the tor's eternal fire.
Salamander Colony: A colony of Salamanders, beings of elemental fire, inhabit the deepest, hottest crevices of the Burning Tors. The leader is a powerful Salamander noble who seeks to establish an ever-closer connection to the Elemental Plane of Fire, seeking to draw more of its kind into the world.
The final entry.
Google Bard is a kick ass spelling and grammar checker. But you have to proof what it gives back.
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Post by robertsconley on Jun 6, 2023 7:32:41 GMT -6
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Post by robertsconley on May 24, 2023 14:27:23 GMT -6
One of the reasons I've stuck with the 2nd printing of Core S&W (yea, the one back in 2009...) is because the system, as-is, works. Same reason as to why I used Core 2nd printing for the foundation of my Majestic Fantasy RPG.
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Post by robertsconley on May 24, 2023 11:23:53 GMT -6
They warned me that the print on the box back might look fuzzy, but it's the best image I had, so I went with it. If you have crisp image, you should be fine. I recreated the original (link below). I plan to share the front once I get the side panels done. Also, I got a good enough shot of the 1981 back panel graphic so I can recreate that one as well. drive.google.com/file/d/1JaaDkmrYf4RZr6fHWBOf-ht2_e7TbujT/view?usp=sharing
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Post by robertsconley on May 24, 2023 10:26:46 GMT -6
From where if you don't mind me asking? boardgamesmaker.com - I could get a custom box at the precise dimensions I wanted. What dimensions did you request? Actually could you post the specs you used? I may get one myself.
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Post by robertsconley on May 24, 2023 9:20:46 GMT -6
WTF!? Well, that stinks that GDW didn't use actual digest size as TSR did for OD&D. Ha! d**n sci-fi nerds! I did end up doing a custom box size - ye gods, the shipping is 2x the cost of the box. From where if you don't mind me asking?
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Post by robertsconley on May 24, 2023 8:04:01 GMT -6
My 1977 era Book 3 has a width of 5.75, so it won't fit without a slight bending... so it's a no-go unfortunately WTF!? Well, that stinks that GDW didn't use actual digest size as TSR did for OD&D.
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Post by robertsconley on May 23, 2023 6:25:38 GMT -6
So I looked to see what it would take to make a Classic Traveller Box at Gamecrafter and came up with this using the 3D preview. The cost for one is $21.83 with shipping included. ($13.26 + $7.90 shipping + tax). If folks are interested I will export the images I created so folks can print their own if they want. Note I found images of the side text. I believe only two out of the four sides had text.
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Post by robertsconley on May 22, 2023 20:10:21 GMT -6
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Post by robertsconley on May 13, 2023 6:58:58 GMT -6
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Post by robertsconley on Apr 25, 2023 5:25:31 GMT -6
Here is how I broke down the mechanical differences on another stackexchange answer a couple of years ago. rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/13212/what-are-the-big-differences-among-the-dd-editionsOD&D (1974) - The original game had only three classes (Cleric, Fighter, Magic User). Cleric spells up to 5th level, Magic user spells up to 6th level. Every attack except for certain monster abilities did 1d6 damage if it hit. There wasn't a lot of difference between characters in terms of combat capabilities. Characteristics didn't have many modifiers. OD&D plus Greyhawk Supplement (1975) - The Greyhawk supplement transformed OD&D into a form of older edition D&D that is recognizable by most gamers today. Characteristics have more modifiers and exceptional strength was introduced. Variable damage dice for different weapons and creatures was introduced. The number of spell levels increased. The Thief and Paladin classes were introduced. Holmes Edition, B/X D&D, Mentzer D&D (1977, 1981, 1983) - Similar to OD&D plus Greyhawk including selected elements from other supplements, with the rules rewritten for clarity and organization. Playing a Race meant playing a class. For example a Dwarf used only the Dwarf Class. Both B/X and Mentzer were divided in distinct books that focused on a specific range of levels. Later the Mentzer version was combined into the Rules Compendium. The biggest difference between these rules and AD&D was found in higher level play. Mentzer D&D had specific rules for running domain, mass combat, and even becoming an immortal i.e. god. AD&D 1st Edition (1977) - OD&D plus Supplements plus Strategic Review articles are combined, rewritten, and organized into a three book set. One of the reason behind this edition was to standardize how D&D was played to make running tournaments easier. The most popular version of older edition D&D. Bonuses for characteristics roughly go up to +4 and are capped at 18 except for exceptional strength. A lot of extra details are added in Gygax's distinctive writing style. Some sections are poorly designed or understood (such as the unarmed combat rules, initiative, psionics, human dual-classing, etc.), while others are widely adopted (classes, races, spells, magic items, etc.). Characters select a race and a class. Non-human races can multi-class which involves splitting experience between multiple classes. Non-humans were generally limited to a max level (often low). AD&D 1st Edition plus Unearthed Arcana (1985) - This version shifted the power level of the game upwards by allowing increased level limits for non-humans, new classes that were slightly more powerful, and weapon specialization for fighters. Later AD&D hardback books (the two Survival books) expanded the use of non-weapon proficiencies as a skill system. AD&D 2nd Edition (1989) - Still basically AD&D 1st Edition but the rules have been reorganized and rewritten for clarity. Some content like half-orcs, demons, and assassins were removed or changed due to media pressure. Character customization was expanded by using non-weapon proficiencies as a skill system and by allowing characters to take kits that confer various benefits. Combat has been redesigned to overcome the issues with initiative and unarmed combat that were part of the previous edition of AD&D. Because of the success of Dragonlance, much of AD&D 2nd Edition run was focused on customizing the rules for specific settings or themes. TSR released a lot of different settings like Dark Sun, Birthright, and others. AD&D 2nd Edition Skills and Powers (1995) - Player's Option: Skill and Powers introduced several rule systems that allowed extensive customization of a character. D&D 3rd Edition (2000) - The first edition created by Wizards of the Coast, 3rd Edition took the idea of Skill and Powers and developed a cleaner system for customizing characters by designing the classes so a level of one class can stack on top of another class. A single level chart was introduced and a each level a character could take a new class or add another level of a class they already had. In addition feats were added to allow characters to further customize their abilities. A true skill system was introduced and integrated into the game. The underlying d20 system worked by rolling equal to or higher than a target number and adding various bonus. This was used across the game in a standard way. Problems developed at higher levels as the number of options increased to the point where players had a tough time resolving their actions. In addition, when various supplements were combined, characters could be built that were considerably more powerful than other combinations. This version was also noted for releasing the d20 system under the Open Game License, which ignited a vigorous third party market. D&D 3.5 Edition(2003) - This edition featured only small changes to the core game (and was mostly-but-not-entirely compatible with books written for 3rd Edition), but had its own extensive line of supplements which magnified the role of feats, prestige classes, and multiclassing in character customization. This version of D&D is still the baseline for many D20 games some still in print and active development. Notably the Pathfinder 1st edition game by Paizo is based on the System Reference Document for D&D 3.5. D&D 4th Edition (2008) - This edition is a completely new game with only a few game mechanics carried over from the 3rd Edition. It has a simple set of core rules and defines all character and monster abilities as exceptions which are described in standard terms. Higher level combat has been simplified, and each class has been designed to have a specific role in combat. Every class has a diverse set of combat options to use. The use of a battlegrid and miniatures is part of the core rules. Classes and monster generally have a high fantasy flavor. There are multiple ways to heal centered on a new mechanic called healing surges. Combat takes noticeably longer than any prior edition except perhaps for high level 3rd edition combat. While not present at the game's launch, this edition is noted for popular use of on-line computer tools, particularly an online character builder that integrates content from all the supplements. Wizards of the Coast originally intended to create a "virtual tabletop" as well, but the project was never completed. D&D Essentials (2010) - This was an alternative set of core books for 4th Edition, with simplified classes intended for first-time players. Essentials was designed to be cross-compatible with 4th Edition, with different versions of the classes usable side-by-side. D&D 5th edition (2014) - This is the current edition of D&D. This edition is being released when the market leader is not the previous edition of D&D but rather a rival product made by Paizo called Pathfinder. Unlike D&D 4th edition this edition draws on much of the mechanics introduced in classic D&D (OD&D to AD&D 2nd Edition) and D&D 3rd Edition. It allows for more character customization than classic D&D but less than 3rd edition. The distinct features of D&D 5th edition are flexibility and bounded accuracy. D&D 5e has a simple core along with several options that allows referee to make their game feel more like a particular past edition. Options include allowing feats (3e), tactical combat (3e & 4e), multi-classing (3e), and backgrounds (2e). Bounded Accuracy is the most distinct feature of D&D 5e. As stated in this article the d20 rolls to see if the character hits or succeeds in a task have been changed to an absolute scale where the difference between the highest level and the lowest is drastically reduced compared to previous editions. In its place, higher levels characters and creature have more hit points, more options for completing tasks, and increased damage along with more ways of doing damage. An immediate consequence is that the difficulty of the to hit roll or the task is not expected to increase as the character levels.
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Post by robertsconley on Apr 23, 2023 17:35:47 GMT -6
This is what I posted on rpg.stackexchange.com answering a similar question. - Chainmail Fantasy Supplement in 1971
- Supplement I: Greyhawk published in 1975
- Basic Dungeons & Dragons by Holmes in 1977
- Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in 1977-1979
- Basic/Expert Dungeons & Dragons by Moldvay/Cook in 1981
- Basic/Expert/Companion/Master/Immortal Dungeons & Dragons by Mentzer in 1983
- Unearthed Arcana for AD&D (Some say that this made AD&D 1.5.)
- Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition in 1989
- Rules Cyclopedia for Dungeons & Dragons in 1991
- Skills & Powers for AD&D 2nd edition in 1995
- Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 in 2000
- Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 in 2003
- Dungeons & Dragons 4.0 in 2008
- D&D Next - Intermediate development version
- Dungeons & Dragons 5.0 in 2014
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Post by robertsconley on Mar 30, 2023 11:12:07 GMT -6
In shadow dark you memorize spells but you have to make a spellcasting check. If you fail the spell doesn't go off and you lose the ability to cast that spell for the day. If you succeed however you can cast that spell again. The difficulty of the roll is based on the spell level and the intelligence (or wisdom) bonus of the caster.
The spells list of Shadowdark as been tweaked as well. It is nothing major but there are small changes to the effects to account for the effect that casting the same spell multiple times is possible.
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Post by robertsconley on Mar 25, 2023 14:14:33 GMT -6
I did a livestream running one of my adventures with Shadowdark
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Post by robertsconley on Mar 23, 2023 11:43:10 GMT -6
What would you give the LOTR Trilogy, Rob? As a whole or individually? The Fellowship 5 out of 5 the other two 4.5 out of 5. Overall 3.5 of 5. Bilbo 5 out of 5. In general, I liked the main characters but the movie was bloated in an obvious way and it suffered for it. Just trying to get a sense of "rating scale' here. Sure thing. More comments, the D&D movie has likable characters, believable motivations, an ok plot (a lot of flashbacks but points), and it didn't feel bloated like the hobbit did. Also bonus points for the primary motivation NOT being to save Neverwinter or the world like the trailers implied. Saving the day was a side effect. Also, the hobbit would be a 4 out of 5 FANTASY movie but it is not supposed to be just that it is about Tolkien's Middle Earth. Hence the downgrade. Also as for Rings of Power, it ranges from 2 out of 5 to 4.5 out of 5 depending on the specific storyline we are talking about. The best by far was with Elrond and Durin. The 2 out of 5 is the forging of the three-ring sequence except where Sauron interacts with Galadriel which was way better IMO but too short to salvage that last episode. Far too rushed and totally dropped the lore about the nine and the seven.
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Post by robertsconley on Mar 22, 2023 11:15:06 GMT -6
The movie is good. The heist plot is a bit pedestrian but you wind up liking the main characters. There is plenty of pathos to go along with the joking. The point of the heist follows from the motivations of the character. Some plans come up successful and some fail. And they make sense given that it is a D&D world.
This film is just simply fun. Just like the majority of our campaigns, the film will not withstand deep analysis and focuses on what is fun. The longer you have been playing this hobby the more you will enjoy the various easter eggs. But none of the easter eggs are important to understand what is going on. Nor they are gratuitous, just part of the general background of the characters existing in a D&D world.
The only bad thing I will say is in the credit where it was listed as Hasbro's D&D. While no fan of Wizards I thought that was a bit of a dick move on Hasbro's part. Incidentally, the main end credit is an enjoyable bit of animation. And there is one end credit scene.
Overall I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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Post by robertsconley on Feb 27, 2023 13:42:23 GMT -6
ChatGPT is good at spotting patterns including deep interconnections that humans otherwise would miss. However, that is all it does. It is like vision or speech recognition technology it doesn't understand what it is looking at. But if a human task involves something that can be reduced into a series of patterns however complex, technologies like ChatGPT will be able to spot them and with the right interface generate new patterns based on the relationships it finds. However it will take a human being in the loop to understand if the new pattern is worth anything either creatively or for use in some task. The implication of this technology is not replacing us but giving those who master it first a huge advantage going forward.
For example imagine some future Tolkien who has a matured version of ChatGPT. That author would have been able to feed it his entire corpus of notes and writings then use it as a super reference in writing out new stories and other creative works based on Middle Earth. For example in coming up with ideas for new characters and locales that are consistent with past writing. Able to draw on a vast library of myths and legends to combine with what is already established about Middle Earth.
That future Tolkien would be a fool to take anything that this super-ChatGPT generates as is. But it would give him an enormous leg up in being consistent and allow him to produce more work in his particular style in less time.
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Post by robertsconley on Jan 26, 2023 7:32:11 GMT -6
Does anyone know of a good treasure generator for OD&D? It'd save me a lot of time while populating my megadungeons. I haven't been able to find a good one anywhere; the closest I could get is this, but it's not exactly what I'm looking for. I'm less concerned about generating hoards for outdoor encounters and more interested in generating treasure as per the table on page 7 of U&WA. I've even been tinkering with making an excel spreadsheet of my own for such a purpose, but I must admit that I'm not particularly good at it. Ideally, I'd like some sort of program or application that generates all my treasure values with one click (i.e. coins, # and value of gems and jewels, and specific magic items). I have this www.batintheattic.com/tables_1974/For example Treasure type H 69,000 SP; Gems: 7 x 10 GP; 8 x 50 GP; 35 x 100 GP; 12 x 500 GP; 100,000 GP; Jewels: 3 x 1,000; 1 x 1,100; 1 x 1,400; 1 x 2,000; 1 x 3,000; 1 x 5,000; 1 x 7,000; 1 x 9,000; Map To (Lawful Sword +2; Scroll of 1 Wizard Spell; Armor +1; Potion of Clairvoyance; Cursed Scroll, Transported to another planet); Scroll of 1 Wizard Spell; Map To (Potion of Treasure Finding); Map To (Potion of Clairvoyance; Scroll of 2 Cleric Spells; Shield +1); Oil of Etherealness; Cursed Scroll, Polymorph to Insect A magic sword Lawful Sword +1 with Detect Sloping Passages, See Invisible, Detect Magic, Detect Gems, Speaks 1 Languages; Ego 4 Unguarded Treasure Level 8 20,000 SP; 5,000 GP; Gems: 3 x 100 GP; Jewels: 1 x 1,000; 1 x 3,000; 1 x 4,000 Ten Dungeon Rooms 1-Empty, Treasure, No 2-Empty, Treasure, No 3-Empty, Treasure, No 4-Special 5-Empty, Treasure, No 6-Empty, Treasure, No 7-Special 8-Trap, Treasure, Yes 9-Empty, Treasure, No 10-Special
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Post by robertsconley on Jan 12, 2023 21:59:26 GMT -6
The one where I write about A Network of One, Three little Words, and an appreciated Victory. Rob's Note: Normally I rather post the text of my post here so folks don't have to jump to another site to read it. But this time all the special formatting I did made it way too difficult. So here the link below. I talk about the Post-OGL world for the OSR in the post. batintheattic.blogspot.com/2023/01/a-network-of-one-three-little-words-and.html
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