D. Hunter Phillips's Blog, page 2

Dungeons and Dragons: Resurgent

I am excited to hear and see talk about D&D again. I am enjoying the fact that the local mailing lists about organized play are starting to get lively again. This is a good thing, but will it be sustained?

This last weekend, we just finished our 2nd full session of D&D with the new rules. I am so far, feeling that old pleasant excitement of all the years I’ve put time into this game. Let me attach a warning though, I often get excited about new game editions. I also liked 4th edition for a long time. It was a different game, but it was still a game with a lot of fun to be had. With that being said, it was a “different” game. 5th Edition doesn’t feel like a different game, it feels like a more refined and faster playing version of the game I have grown up with.

We started out at 4th level and I made a pure Druid. So far, shape changing is incredibly awesome (especially since I took the Circle of the Moon build, giving bonuses to shape shifting). So far, the Barkskin spell that used to be a staple of Druids is just terrible. If you want to take advantage of something like Barkskin, you MUST take the Warcaster feat or change into an animal with a very high Constitution. The reason, because Barkskin is a concentration spell that is supposed to help protect you from injury, meanwhile, each time you take damage with it up, you have to make a Constitution check or it drops. This is just silly. I haven’t had it last more than 1 hit yet. Or… I could just use that spell slot to heal myself as a bonus action thanks to the build type that I chose. I’m sad to see that spell coming off of my list, but now I’ll have more slots for more RP/flavor spells. This is the best part about the shapechanging druid, having spells just for the purposes of interesting flavor.

The game has been much more conducive to roleplay than 4th was and I can say that 4th also has taken away our skills at theater of the mind, but I think we are all getting there. I suggest dipping your toes into a game and seeing what you think.

Thunderstone Advance: Card Strategies

What am I finding maddening so far? It seems like Thunderstone and not Thunderstone Advance have a lot of online support. I’m SSOO late to this party. Its like I have arrived at an 80’s theme night wearing my Foo Fighters t-shirt and pre-torn jeans with chucks. Oh well. Sometimes we all have to make due with a little less than we actually want.

Let’s take a look at some of the strategies that I develop based on my initial look over of cards on the table in the village. When I see a stack of heroes like the Lorigg that provide Light and Gold, strategies change rather drastically. Unless playing against certain monster types that might penalize having more heroes or weak strength heroes, cards like the Lorigg let you skip out on more light source cards and also on picking up a cheap weapon or food just to get the bonus gold in your hand near the beginning of the game.

I’ve found in my last few plays that leveling up Regulars is a big waste of time. Its much better to get rid of them to monsters Aftermath effects or to cards that destroy your cards. The problem with leveling them up is that it costs the same 2 xp as it does to take a classed hero from level 1 to 2. Level 2 heroes tend to be pretty solid, so I find it a much better strategy to take a hero to level 2 rather than getting rid of a Regular that way.

The Lorigg is a good example, though the Advance version is different, the concept remains the same. Getting a card that gives 3 gold on just one card is great for getting those slightly more expensive cards. It could be the difference between getting a Fireball or Creeping Death and all the 6 or less cost cards that tend to be out there. Its also good for later game to buy the higher level heroes when going to the village.

Level 3 and 4 heroes that give VP are great to work toward early. Not only will they let you take on the dungeon more, but also when you buy a level 3 or 4 hero or level up to one, its similar to spending your time dungeon delving, except that hopefully you can buy a useful late game village card after you’ve spotted a weakness in your deck or a strategy that no one adopted.

New Obsessions: Thunderstone Advance

I played Thunderstone at GenCon 2013 as a ticketed event. I was curious what all the hubub was about. I had a good time, but I didn’t find it more amazing than other deck builders.

For some reason, when I started signing up for 2014 events, I saw Thunderstone and thought, this’ll be a fun 2 hours. So I ordered another ticket. I played it and had an absolute blast! I think the guy teaching it was more enthusiastic and the card combos were more fun than I remember from the previous year.

Now, my girlfriend is newer to board and card games and she’d already played one deck builder, which was the “DC Deck building game”. Which, on a side note, is a really terrible name for a game. But whatever. I don’t like that deck builder much either so I didn’t ‘think’ that she would hate all deck builders. I explained what the game was like and what made it different to her. With that, I decided to take advantage of a show special AEG had and I bought the “Worlds Collide” box. This is a starter box with reprints of a bunch of old Thunderstone cards that are not part of Advance yet.

She finally beat me for the first time last week and now is even more excited to play. We had played probably dozens of times before that and with other people and she still loved playing with not having won those times.

The fact that you get to level up heroes and that theme of going into the dungeon or the village to get your party stronger really keeps us coming back.

The game play is very similar to other deck builders, but the strategy and the dungeon delving is just enough different to separate it. Its very easy to teach to people that know even a tiny amount about deck builders.

My one criticism of the game is probably that you can get a combination of monsters and village cards that actually go pretty badly together. You might have enemies that require magic attack and have 0 magic attack heroes. But, get Into the Abyss or Numenera to get the colored xp tokens. The colored xp tokens can be discarded not just for leveling up heroes, but for getting other benefits based on the color. These enhance the game a lot! I almost thought about not using them, but the feeling of drawing the xp tokens randomly and getting some use if you have a stack of xp is just great.

My card spotlight that we’ve used so far:

I couldn’t find the Advance version, but here is the Thunderstone version. The Harruli is a fantastic guy if you have any spells at all that have a good effect or, even better, spells that let you cycle through your deck. The level 2 guy is probably the best of the group, but having one level 3 with some level 2’s is probably a good idea. The level 2 version gets a +2 Magic attack for every spell present. The level 3 doesn’t get any bonus attack, but he can search for spells to add to your hand from the top of the deck. Try him out with a Time Bend some time!

Ending the deadly game with Ender

I recently caught Ender’s Game on HBO GO. I heard a lot of pretty terrible reviews and a lot of fans of the book that were just furious with the poor movie performance.

Now, I’m gonna lay the opinion smack down on you!

Let me start by saying that I have read the first book, and I have not read Ender’s Shadow. Also, I didn’t really like the book. There is just something inherently not fun about reading about a story focusing on children that is not a children’s book. In that case I would understand writing about children. In the book, the children were younger over all than they were in the movie.

I went into the movie with incredibly low expectations, although, my buddy that was watching it with me said that it wasn’t so terrible.

The pacing of the movie was a little bit weird, but I actually don’t mind that all that much. I find that that generally means it isn’t following the cookie cutter Hollywood formula.

The actor who played Ender had a creepy genius look to him. The combat sequences were enjoyable and the end had an esoteric sequence that I found a good way to describe Ender’s final mental state.

Harrison Ford was not as monotone as I felt people were calling him out for. The other kids were mostly forgettable, though I did enjoy the short squad leader and the way he bossed everybody around. The actors all took it seriously, which gave it a good feel.

This movie is an entertaining sci-fi flick that you’ll probably enjoy unless you have a… passionate investment in the book.

The Sword of the Rings err… Shannara

I read a lot of back and forth between fans of the Shannara series and those saying it was a Lord of the Rings rip off. Maybe that was a bad place to start my path down reading the first book, Sword of Shannara.

I remember trying to read this monster of a book back when I was a tween. I read maybe the first couple of chapters and stopped. I wasn’t really much of a reader back then.

Now, I am more patient and I realize the possible gains that can come from the time invested into reading a book. So, where do I fall on the scale of Brooks to Tolkien:

There were a couple of moments throughout the book that I actually caught myself shaking my head and groaning as the section would be so much like Lord of the Rings. Some of the action sequences seemed like a direct port over. A couple of the longer running plots also had shades of LOTR. i.e. when a leader comes to the capital and there is a weak ruler in place with an evil guy controlling him as an adviser ala Wyrmtongue.

I didn’t find the characters too much like the characters from LOTR, except for similar fantasy tropes. The overall theme and background of the world is quite different. This world follows a post apocalypse and seems much less about technology vs. nature. If I gave this book a theme, I’d say its about fixing past mistakes and taking responsibility.

Would I recommend this book?

If you love love love, fantasy, then yes. This, I do believe, was one of Terry Brooks’s first books, if not the first. The quality of writing is not on par with a GRR Martin of today.

I’m still interested in checking out other Shannara books, and I might almost suggest that people read a synopsis and skip this one to read later books where, perhaps, Terry Brooks’s writing style has improved.

A world filled with TANKS

So I’ve been playing a lot of World of Tanks with my video game time lately. I’ve got to say, its a pretty fun game.

I heard it best on a youtube video on the BohemianEagle channel, its kind of like a first person shooter for people without the need for the same critical reflexes as those games usually take. That’s a paraphrase.

I like it though because I feel like there is a lot of tactical maneuvering and that the rate of fire of most people’s weapons slows the game down a little bit. Though it slows the combat down a little, it doesn’t slow down the need for thinking on your feet. At that point, the spare time you have comes to checking out the wide situation on the mini map and to thinking about, well, out thinking your opponent.

The other part of the game that intrigues me a lot more than a shooter is that there is a lot of physics hidden behind the exterior of the game. Armor thickness is dependent based on the angle of a shot fired against you. The location hit on a tank has a lot to do with what kind of damage you do and if you do something more.

I’m just really surprised that this game stayed hidden from my view for so long. One of the reasons though is that technically it is considered an MMO. Another thing I learned from this game, I really dislike MMORPGs, but I think that other types of MMOs are not too bad. In an MMORPG, you have to spend so much time just traveling and reading and getting quests and the reward isn’t really there for that style of game. I love table top RPGs and video game RPGs, but the MMO just isn’t conducive to that type of experience.

This game is pretty perfect for it. Playing in matches that last a maximum of 15 minutes is just right. You can play for a couple minutes and accomplish something or you can grind and just have fun for hours and hours.

DragonCon 2014, AKA Hell Crowd

So, I’ve been going to DragonCon for a number of years now. I’ve more or less gotten used to the crowds and the lines. It is hard to think about how another must perceive the crowds that hasn’t been there before until you take someone new and watch their eyes glaze over.

This year was extraordinarily crowded and that crowd has also been changing in composition over recent years.

The con organizers are making progress in improving the organization and expansion, but, they aren’t actually staying ahead of the expanding size of the convention as far as attendees. This year, even the game room was completely over crowded and honestly poorly organized. There are “reserved” tables for games and tournaments, but they aren’t marked at all. There is an open gaming area, but they need to get with the program, it is way too tiny.

I actually got into each and every panel I got in line for this year, including:

Sir Patrick Stewart

At first, I thought that Sir Patrick was starting to get old and lose his memory. Sad when that happens, but then it is like something clicked. He was on his game and he answered the most obscure questions with great clarity. It was so entertaining to hear his tales.

Lost Girl

I haven’t kept up with Lost Girl, but my girlfriend had. So we went to this panel and we had a fantastic time at this one. Though we weren’t sitting with each other, I felt like I was witnessing it with her. Rick Howland had some good tales to tell and it is always entertaining to see celebs cosplaying.

Harry Potter

This panel wasn’t really my thing, but it was interesting to hear of fan girls getting cast in a production that they are totally nerding out about.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Gunn Brothers

I think this ended up being the allstar panel. From hearing about Stan Lee’s proposed cameo in the movie to telling Michael Rooker that he sucked. Getting the director/writer’s perspective was very different from all other panels I’ve been to. Also, no one asked the obligatory question, “Were there any good pranks on set”

Stargate Hangover Panel

This is probably the third year I have caught this panel. It is very entertaining to see the worn down actor/actresses after partying and working all weekend. Two of them actually showed up in their bath robes.

I got in the parade with the Mass Effect crew and that was really the highlight of the con for me. I am an attention whore and posing for thousands during the parade is just such a boost. Also, see right for my obligatory picture with Mark Meer, voice actor for Mass Effect. That’s me in the Husk costume.

Speaking of my Husk Costume, I got Mr. Freeze a lot without the other ME guys around. Then I got Borg and Iceman as well. I stopped bothering correcting people and just let them decide what I was. That was fine by me. The kids were so excited when I was Mr. Freeze.

Let Bane Lead you to Destruction

I just finished reading the First Darth Bane novel a couple of days before I left for DragonCon.

I enjoyed reading about the old Sith and entering another time frame of the Star Wars universe, 1000 years before the Rebellion.

I actually quite enjoyed the first 50 pages, where you follow Bane as he works in the mines and gambles. The gambling segment and the talking politics during it really was an enjoyable bit of banter.

The way the book breaks down into various parts made a lot of sense. Each one of the sections reads very differently. Each time, it takes a little bit of getting used to. It actually would have helped that the book needed to be longer to make more sense and to get the right feel.

Don’t think too hard about the lack of foresight in the Jedi characters. The story sets itself up conveniently for the Protagonist. The characters have interesting personality and descriptions, but I can’t help but think that any of them should have made a decision to change things from how they were. That would ruin the conclusion and make setting up the next book really tough.

In the end, I’d say that if you like Star Wars, this is a good book, no, a great book! If you’re not a huge Star Wars fan but you’re big into space opera, probably give it a whirl. Otherwise, there are better books out there that you can use your time on and probably get a more exciting story out of.

Packing for GenCon

#GenconProTips

Getting ready for conventions always creates a small amount of worry and stress within me. The hardest conventions to get ready for are GenCon and DragonCon. DragonCon, I’ll address more in detail later.

GenCon is the most challenging if you are playing in any touranments or if you want to play miniatures games.

The best way to get ready for a convention where you need more than clothes… make a list. Check it twice. Then you can tell if you are going to be naughty or… oops, wrong list.

Tournament/Card game meet up:

* Lord of the rings decks and maybe a quest or two. After playing the Lord of the Rings LCG at each GenCon, I’ve realized it is best not to make decks that rely on specific heroes.

*Star Wars LCG decks, counters, and as many decent extra pods as possible to change out cards at the last minute. Though this year, I am WAY more prepared for the tournament than last year.

Authors and Game creators will be at Gencon in Force:

*Bring a book or two that you really love to get autographed. This year, I think I’ll bring Tangents for Bruce Cordell to sign. Alternity being my favorite game in my history.

*Grand History of the Realms for my friend Brian James to sign and hope that he can help me get it into Ed Greenwood’s hands for an autograph.

Being a struggling writer, here is another thing I need to keep in mind:

* Pack extra business cards just in case I make that special connection to get to write a book for someone other than me.

* Pack a copy or three of my book, The Trivium Proportion, as well as my table with the most recent version of my current working texts.

Bring some club/fetish stuff for one of the dance parties happening near Gencon:

*Though I miss the days of Succubus Club, there are still some electronic/goth parties. Pack something good to wear for alternative clubs.

Don’t starve:

*Bring snacks to eat during long games, the drive, and tournament games.

*Bring beer or wine for the inevitable Wednesday night partying.

Time wasting with games:

*Bring a small game that fits into a big pocket for playing pick up games with new friends or friends not seen in a while.

Check the weather:

*After checking the weather, pack clothes appropriate to the predictions. Looking to be beautiful and under 85 all weekend!

Join in the fun of the auction hall:

*I usually bring old games and books that I no longer want, but often others want them. Make a little money in the auction hall or get a GREAT deal on older books/minis/games.

Check twitter often before the con:

*Look on the twitterverse for last minute news and info, favorite those posts and give yourself a quick access point to relevant info for the Con.

Descent 2nd Edition, First time experience

After hearing and reading so many reviews, I have been more and more wanting to demo and possibly purchase Descent.

My favorite FLGS, Huzzah Hobbies, actually has a store copy for play. So, I convinced a buddy that had played the game before to run it for myself and three other friends. He agreed and we played a few games of Coup while he set up the board and refreshed himself on a couple of rules.

We dove into a scenario and I was immediately excited that the game wasn’t just about killing and fighting through a dungeon. I thought, cool, so a step up from Heroquest.

We all have experience as table top roleplayers with D&D, which this game is an awful lot like. It also has some similarities with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, which FFG also makes.

With all this gaming knowledge, we got our butts kicked. We lost the scenario, and it seemed almost impossible to actually have a chance to win it. As an introduction, and it was the first quest in the book, it was not very forgiving.

In that quest, monsters all respawned after you killed them. It didn’t make much point to fighting. I also don’t like games that are combat based and yet there is no way that your character can die. They just get back up again on the next turn.

It just didn’t make a lot of sense. Honestly, that lack of fear of your character dying and the speed at which damage adds up, just didn’t add up for me.

After the game, I spoke with my friend that has played the game more and that ran the game. He was explaining to me that it is supposed to be more of a competitive game of the characters vs. the overlord. This made the game make more sense in the way it is set up. It relieved some of the frustrations that I had in the game. Also, finding out that you can lose a quest and keep playing a campaign is a totally acceptable thing to do. Some of the quests even split based upon who wins a previous scenario.

That all being said, its not really the game that I was hoping for. I wanted another game that I could play as the game runner, in this case Overlord, and play it with guests. I just want to be able to casually run and play little adventures. It could still be that, but so far, I just don’t have a good feel that the game would work for that.

At this point, I’m passing on Descent and looking elsewhere for this type of game.