SHADOWTEXT'S PROFILE

The problem with movies isn't that there aren't good ones or that there aren't as many good ones as there used to be (there are more, if anything), it's that people only notice the crappy movies and are far too critical of the good ones because one gets more points for thinking everything sucks than thinking that something was pretty watchable but could've used a little more work, or something.

Really, though, everything in entertainment comes down to Sturgeon's Law.

author=Craze link=topic=1335.msg20833#msg20833 date=1213955168
That's fifteen hours ahead of EST (we're at at GST -5, right)?

Also, DMs sometimes add people to the party? I suppose that makes sense, but I hope that they strip them down into a pure utility character, skill-wise. When the DM tries to 'save the day' it almost always sucks.

It's not a practice I'm that fond of, either, but some people prefer to play that way.

Patient #14--could be. It sounds like 8:00 PM-12:00 AM for me would be like 12:00 AM-4:00 AM for you, for example. If you're up at that time anyway it's not a problem, but it's all a question of if you'd be able to make sessions. If I ran sessions during the day on Saturday or Sunday it might work, but that depends on everyone else.

Let me give you a simple comparison that will explain why epic failure is better than moderate success.

Sci Fi Novel Adaptations:
Moderate Success = the Sci Fi Channel version of Dune
Epic Failure = the David Lynch version of Dune

Magic Kung-Fu Action Flicks
Moderate Success = House of Flying Daggers
Epic Failure = Petey Wheatstraw, Son of the Devil

I mean, c'mon.

Wow. I really like MapTool. Might have to use that with IRC or something instead of OpenRPG. Thanks for the links!

And yeah, that was one thing that amused me about that question the dude (I assume Gabe) was asking in that podcast, about "How do we know he's not cheating?" The DM cheating is a logical impossibility....if he says something happens one way, regardless of the die rolls, that's the way it is! The idea of the Dungeon Master being bound by the letter of the law or the die rolls if he sees an opportunity for something cooler....it boggles the mind.

No worries folks. I'm definitely not the "Rocks fall everyone dies" type. Although there's every possibility I'm the "Rocks fall everyone has to explain to me why they didn't die" type.

author=NoblemanNick link=topic=1335.msg20409#msg20409 date=1213712946
So if we are doing this how would we all meet go to OpenRPG and do what I never done this over online before and I don't have any D&D books.

OpenRPG is essentially a chat program with some added features for PnP RPGing (most significantly, a map) where players can make their own temporary chat servers to run a session in. You would run OpenRPG and just connect to my server when a session was going to take place. It'd be a good idea to screw around in OpenRPG before hand to get a feel for the chat interface, though.

And like I said, we'll discuss the book issue later, once we find out who all is going to be available. The easiest solution would be to buy a copy of the Player's Handbook (they're only $25 or so), but I hardly expect everyone to go out and do that, and I have ideas about how to handle people who don't have them.

Still, if this is your first time with RPGs in general, you should probably let me make your character for you, at least in terms of stats and all. You figure a character concept, maybe what race and class you want to be, and I'll give you appropriate stats and feats and all. You other guys should give us an idea of what characters you're wanting to play, so we can work towards a balanced party--it sounds like it's best if we have one Leader, one Defender, one Controller, and one Striker.

Here's a quick rundown for those who don't have the books. Keep in mind that these only skim the basics, and I'm not listing, for example, the skill bonuses, speed, vision, or most of the racial feats--this list is just to help get you started in determining what you'll be.

Races
Dragonborn - Dragon-like humanoids with breath weapons, suited towards being Fighters, Paladins, and Warlords. +2 Strength, +2 Charisma. Dragon Breath encounter power.
Dwarf - Stout, tough humanoids, suited towards being Fighters, Clerics and Paladins. +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom.
Eladrin - The more mystical type of elf, strong ties to the Feywild, suited towards being a Wizard, Rogue or Warlord. +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence. Fey Step encounter power (teleports the character up to 5 squares).
Elf - Stealthy forest-dwellers, suited towards being Rangers, Rogues, and Clerics. +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom. Elven Accuracy encounter power (reroll an attack roll)
Half-Elf - Outgoing, charasmatic offspring of humans and elves, favors Warlord, Paladin and Warlock classes. +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma. Diletentte feat (choose an at-will power from a class other than your own at first level, and you can use it as an encounter power)
Halfling - Small, plucky humanoids, about 4' tall (this is larger than older editions), suited towards being Rogues, Rangers and Warlocks. +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma. Second Chance encounter power (force an enemy to reroll an attack that hits you)
Human - Adaptable, passionate race. Suited to any class. +2 to one ability score of your choice. Bonus at-will power from your class. Bonus feat at first level. Bonus skill training.
Tiefling - Infernal humanoids, favoring Warlock, Warlord and Rogue classes. +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma. Fire resistance. Infernal Wrat Encounter power (+1 power bonus to next attack roll against an enemy you've already hit. Add charisma modifier as extra damage)

Classes
Cleric (Leader) - Battle priests. Mix of melee and ranged powers that deal moderate damage and heal or buff. Especially effective against Undead.
Fighter (Defender) - Talented front-line combatants. Melee-focused. Your weapon is a big part of who you are.
Paladin (Defender) - Holy Knights, can force enemies to fight you instead of your allies, melee-focused.
Ranger (Striker) - Wilderness warriors who deal a lot of damage, either ranged or using hit-and-run tactics with dual weapons.
Rogue (Striker) - You could just as easily call them thieves or scoundrels. Deal massive damage through backstabbing and trickery, then retreat to safety. Heavily skill focused.
Warlock (Striker) - Arcane spellcasters who put out a lot of damage using dark contracts with otherworldly forces. Knwon for their Eldritch Blast.
Warlord (Leader) - Battle commanders who inspire and lead their allies with buffs and healing.
Wizard (Controller) - Spellcasters whose power comes from study. Carries an implement (wand, staff, or orb) that helps define their spellcasting style. Have many spells for attacking multiple enemies at once.

Though the class list sort of covered it, to give you an idea of the roles (they're in parantheses next to the class names above), Defenders draw enemy attack and can take a lot of damage, Leaders heal and buff allies, Strikers deal massive damage to enemy weakpoints, and Controllers hit multiple enemies and change the battlefield to the party's advantage.

That should be a start to coming up with character concepts. Craze's link to the character sheets from the preview are another.

These podcasts are pretty helpful, too. They're a recording of Penny Arcade's Tycho and Gabe, and Scott Adams from PvP, playing through their first game with a Wizards of the Coast-provided DM. It also gives you a good idea of what a game plays like.

http://webcast2.wizards.com/podcasts_dandd/DnD_PA_Episode1.mp3 - Walks through character naming and preparation (character creation was done before this, but it goes over what the classes they went with can do)
http://webcast2.wizards.com/podcasts_dandd/DnD_PA_Episode2.mp3 - Goes through the first part of a session, including an encounter.
http://webcast2.wizards.com/podcasts_dandd/DnD_PA_Episode3.mp3 - A couple more encounters, including a trap.

Gabe has apparently never done D&D before, either, so the DM explains the rules to him as it goes on. I can see it being a big help to anyone who hasn't played D&D before. And it's fairly entertaining, besides. I even heard an Eddie Izzard reference in there, so yeah.

http://webcast2.wizards.com/podcasts_dandd/DnD_Episode23.mp4
There's also this one which I haven't seen yet, but which is a video podcast of a Paragon (i.e. Level 10-20) game played by a different group.