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Details of next 'Dungeons & Dragons' revealed
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Ubiquitous
Jan 31, 2014, 10:10:43 PM1/31/14
to
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story said players will be
able to fight the villain Tiamat for the first time in Tyranny of
Dragons.
That is incorrect. Here's the full statement from publisher Wizards of
the Coast:
"We've gone back in and re-reviewed our historical records and found
that Tiamat did make an appearance in an official Forgotten Realms
adventure in 1988. To complete the adventure, players needed to defeat
many opponents and although it was possible to complete the adventure
without battling Tiamat, it was likely that many players did battle her
which was a detail we overlooked."
We've corrected our story to reflect the change.
For the first time in six years, gaming fans will roll the dice with a
new set of rules for the iconic role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.
Publisher Wizards of the Coast will launch this with the fresh story
Tyranny of Dragons this summer, the latest chapter of the role-playing
game first launched 40 years ago.
The next chapter for Dungeons & Dragons will spread across multiple
modern platforms, including a new tabletop adventure, and similar
experiences for console video game systems and mobile devices.
"This is a huge year for us," says Nathan Stewart, brand director for
D&D at games publisher Wizards of the Coast. "At the heart of Dungeons
and Dragons, it's adventure."
Tyranny of Dragons pits players against throngs of dragons, led by their
five-headed queen Tiamat, who has appeared in D&D lore as a key villain
since the mid-'70s.
"It's really epic in terms of scale," says Stewart.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, first sold
as a tabletop game in 1974 by creators Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
The duo met in 1969 at Wisconsin's Lake Geneva Wargames Convention,
known today as "Gen Con," says Jon Peterson, author of the book Playing
at the World, which explores the history of war games and role playing
games. As part of his research, Peterson interviewed Gygax and Arneson
before their deaths in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
As tabletop war games such as Gettysburg and D-Day flourished during the
1960s, Gygax gave them a medieval spin with his creation called
Chainmail. Inspired by authors such as Lord of the Rings scribe J.R.R.
Tolkien, Chainmail featured a fantasy adventure filled with dragons,
wizards and orcs.
Arneson later adapted Gygax's game into his own adventure called
Blackmoor, which had players scour a dungeon for treasure while fending
off monsters.
"This was kind of the chocolate and peanut butter moment," says
Peterson. "Arneson showed Gygax the variance he built on Chainmail, and
that sparked the collaboration that became Dungeons & Dragons."
The franchise is best known for its tabletop experience, where players
create a character and guide them through a variety of battles and
adventures. The game — often played in groups — features one person as a
Dungeon Master, who governs and interprets the rules of the game and
advances the story.
Several versions of the tabletop game have launched since then, each
with updates to the standard rules. D&D has also spread its reach across
books, video games such as Baldur's Gate, and even a Dungeons & Dragons
cartoon series that aired on ABC in the mid-'80s. Over 20 million people
have played D&D worldwide, says Wizards of the Coast.
Dungeons & Dragons introduced concepts used in nearly every modern video
game, such as earning experience through your adventures and "leveling
up" to indicate greater proficiency in a certain craft, says Peterson.
"D&D taught us how to be a character in a game and to make choices for
them," says Peterson. "They inform virtually all the video games that we
play today."
Among the countless video game developers influenced by D&D is Tim
Willits, studio director at id Software (Doom, Wolfenstein). Introduced
to the game by his older brother, Willits was fascinated by map
creation, using graph paper to build out quests. These early adventures
led him to video game level design, where he worked on id titles such as
Quake and Rage.
"A lot of the imagination that stoked (video) game design in the early
'90s came from all of us playing D&D," says Willits, adding the game
offered "a lot of inspiration" for id Software's work.
Amir Rao, studio director at Supergiant Games, says the inclusion of a
narrator in their hit action title Bastion was partly influenced by
D&D's use of the Dungeon Master. Rao started playing D&D in the fourth
grade, and continues to play with friends regularly.
"I think so many people wanted to see a digital version of their own
campaign story," says Rao of D&D's inspiration on video game designers.
"I wouldn't be surprised if so many of the RPGs and action RPGs that we
enjoy today come almost directly out of someone's amazing 10-year
campaign that they had with their friends."
Wizards of the Coast plans a massive celebration for D&D's 40th
anniversary, culminating this summer with the arrival of Tyranny of
Dragons.
Wizards of the Coast would not elaborate on how the rules in Tyranny of
Dragons might differ from earlier games, but Stewart notes it will drive
experiences across all tabletop and digital platforms.
"Obviously, you're going to be the heroes, save the day, defeat the
evil," says Stewart. "But the important thing about that is the stories
you're going to tell after and these friendships you're going to form."
While the franchise presses forward, Dungeons & Dragons continues to
have a significant impact on interactive entertainment.
"We're moving away from a culture where the main way we interact with
the story is to read it or to watch it on a screen," says Peterson.
"Instead, we play through it. We're a protagonist, and we make choices
that matter. That gives us a level of investment and immersion in
stories that just wasn't available to us before D&D."
--
"Negotiating with Obama is like playing chess with a pigeon....the
pigeon knocks over all the pieces, shits on the board and then struts
around like it won the game."
-- Vladimir Putin (allegedly)
able to fight the villain Tiamat for the first time in Tyranny of
Dragons.
That is incorrect. Here's the full statement from publisher Wizards of
the Coast:
"We've gone back in and re-reviewed our historical records and found
that Tiamat did make an appearance in an official Forgotten Realms
adventure in 1988. To complete the adventure, players needed to defeat
many opponents and although it was possible to complete the adventure
without battling Tiamat, it was likely that many players did battle her
which was a detail we overlooked."
We've corrected our story to reflect the change.
For the first time in six years, gaming fans will roll the dice with a
new set of rules for the iconic role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.
Publisher Wizards of the Coast will launch this with the fresh story
Tyranny of Dragons this summer, the latest chapter of the role-playing
game first launched 40 years ago.
The next chapter for Dungeons & Dragons will spread across multiple
modern platforms, including a new tabletop adventure, and similar
experiences for console video game systems and mobile devices.
"This is a huge year for us," says Nathan Stewart, brand director for
D&D at games publisher Wizards of the Coast. "At the heart of Dungeons
and Dragons, it's adventure."
Tyranny of Dragons pits players against throngs of dragons, led by their
five-headed queen Tiamat, who has appeared in D&D lore as a key villain
since the mid-'70s.
"It's really epic in terms of scale," says Stewart.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, first sold
as a tabletop game in 1974 by creators Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
The duo met in 1969 at Wisconsin's Lake Geneva Wargames Convention,
known today as "Gen Con," says Jon Peterson, author of the book Playing
at the World, which explores the history of war games and role playing
games. As part of his research, Peterson interviewed Gygax and Arneson
before their deaths in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
As tabletop war games such as Gettysburg and D-Day flourished during the
1960s, Gygax gave them a medieval spin with his creation called
Chainmail. Inspired by authors such as Lord of the Rings scribe J.R.R.
Tolkien, Chainmail featured a fantasy adventure filled with dragons,
wizards and orcs.
Arneson later adapted Gygax's game into his own adventure called
Blackmoor, which had players scour a dungeon for treasure while fending
off monsters.
"This was kind of the chocolate and peanut butter moment," says
Peterson. "Arneson showed Gygax the variance he built on Chainmail, and
that sparked the collaboration that became Dungeons & Dragons."
The franchise is best known for its tabletop experience, where players
create a character and guide them through a variety of battles and
adventures. The game — often played in groups — features one person as a
Dungeon Master, who governs and interprets the rules of the game and
advances the story.
Several versions of the tabletop game have launched since then, each
with updates to the standard rules. D&D has also spread its reach across
books, video games such as Baldur's Gate, and even a Dungeons & Dragons
cartoon series that aired on ABC in the mid-'80s. Over 20 million people
have played D&D worldwide, says Wizards of the Coast.
Dungeons & Dragons introduced concepts used in nearly every modern video
game, such as earning experience through your adventures and "leveling
up" to indicate greater proficiency in a certain craft, says Peterson.
"D&D taught us how to be a character in a game and to make choices for
them," says Peterson. "They inform virtually all the video games that we
play today."
Among the countless video game developers influenced by D&D is Tim
Willits, studio director at id Software (Doom, Wolfenstein). Introduced
to the game by his older brother, Willits was fascinated by map
creation, using graph paper to build out quests. These early adventures
led him to video game level design, where he worked on id titles such as
Quake and Rage.
"A lot of the imagination that stoked (video) game design in the early
'90s came from all of us playing D&D," says Willits, adding the game
offered "a lot of inspiration" for id Software's work.
Amir Rao, studio director at Supergiant Games, says the inclusion of a
narrator in their hit action title Bastion was partly influenced by
D&D's use of the Dungeon Master. Rao started playing D&D in the fourth
grade, and continues to play with friends regularly.
"I think so many people wanted to see a digital version of their own
campaign story," says Rao of D&D's inspiration on video game designers.
"I wouldn't be surprised if so many of the RPGs and action RPGs that we
enjoy today come almost directly out of someone's amazing 10-year
campaign that they had with their friends."
Wizards of the Coast plans a massive celebration for D&D's 40th
anniversary, culminating this summer with the arrival of Tyranny of
Dragons.
Wizards of the Coast would not elaborate on how the rules in Tyranny of
Dragons might differ from earlier games, but Stewart notes it will drive
experiences across all tabletop and digital platforms.
"Obviously, you're going to be the heroes, save the day, defeat the
evil," says Stewart. "But the important thing about that is the stories
you're going to tell after and these friendships you're going to form."
While the franchise presses forward, Dungeons & Dragons continues to
have a significant impact on interactive entertainment.
"We're moving away from a culture where the main way we interact with
the story is to read it or to watch it on a screen," says Peterson.
"Instead, we play through it. We're a protagonist, and we make choices
that matter. That gives us a level of investment and immersion in
stories that just wasn't available to us before D&D."
--
"Negotiating with Obama is like playing chess with a pigeon....the
pigeon knocks over all the pieces, shits on the board and then struts
around like it won the game."
-- Vladimir Putin (allegedly)
Rast
Feb 1, 2014, 6:55:34 PM2/1/14
to
Ubiquitous wrote...
say about them that they don't have anyone who could look at that press release and say
"Hey, odds are that if it exists in the monster manual, odds are it showed up in a module at
least once"?
>
> EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story said players will be
> able to fight the villain Tiamat for the first time in Tyranny of
> Dragons.
We already knew that there wasn't anyone left at WOTC from the TSR days, but what does it
> EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story said players will be
> able to fight the villain Tiamat for the first time in Tyranny of
> Dragons.
say about them that they don't have anyone who could look at that press release and say
"Hey, odds are that if it exists in the monster manual, odds are it showed up in a module at
least once"?
Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)
Feb 1, 2014, 7:09:22 PM2/1/14
to
have a vague impression that she might also have shown up in the
Bloodstone series too, but that may just be old age.
--
Sea Wasp
/^\
;;;
Website: http://www.grandcentralarena.com Blog:
http://seawasp.livejournal.com
Harold Groot
Feb 2, 2014, 5:25:22 AM2/2/14
to
On Sat, 01 Feb 2014 19:09:22 -0500, "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)"
<sea...@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
>On 2/1/14 6:55 PM, Rast wrote:
>> Ubiquitous wrote...
>>>
>>> EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story said players will be
>>> able to fight the villain Tiamat for the first time in Tyranny of
>>> Dragons.
>>
>> We already knew that there wasn't anyone left at WOTC from the TSR days, but what does it
>> say about them that they don't have anyone who could look at that press release and say
>> "Hey, odds are that if it exists in the monster manual, odds are it showed up in a module at
>> least once"?
>>
>
>
> Tiamat was also a potential adversary in the JG module INFERNO, IIRC. I
>have a vague impression that she might also have shown up in the
>Bloodstone series too, but that may just be old age.
> Sea Wasp
<sea...@sgeinc.invalid.com> wrote:
>On 2/1/14 6:55 PM, Rast wrote:
>> Ubiquitous wrote...
>>>
>>> EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story said players will be
>>> able to fight the villain Tiamat for the first time in Tyranny of
>>> Dragons.
>>
>> We already knew that there wasn't anyone left at WOTC from the TSR days, but what does it
>> say about them that they don't have anyone who could look at that press release and say
>> "Hey, odds are that if it exists in the monster manual, odds are it showed up in a module at
>> least once"?
>>
>
>
> Tiamat was also a potential adversary in the JG module INFERNO, IIRC. I
>have a vague impression that she might also have shown up in the
>Bloodstone series too, but that may just be old age.
Yes, it was in the final module of the Bloodstone series (H4 - The
Throne of Bloodstone). After going down to the Abyss to beat Orcus on
his home turf and take his wand, Bahamut tells you that the only way
to actually destroy the wand is to defeat Tiamat on her home turf and
then dissolve the wand in the blood of her heart. (And even so, Orcus
can make a new wand in "a few hundred years".)
The idea was that this was just icing on the cake, that if you could
take down Orcus you shouldn't have any trouble taking out Tiamat.
Mind you, this adventure was for "Levels 18-100". That's not a typo.
They gave guidelines on how to adapt the module for various levels.
18-25 appeared to be "standard" (and they had pre-gens in that range
that had been pregens at lower levels in earlier parts of the H
series). At the other end, they had a whole section on running a game
for 100th level PCs and gave pre-generated 100th level characters
players could use.
As they put it: "We don't believe that anyone has actually 'earned' a
100th-level character in the sense that the character was started at
level 1 and worked his way up in a normal (non-Monty Haul) campaign.
On the other hand, there is always the temptation to play, just once,
a character of ultimate power."
But the pre-gen characters were SEVERLY limited in magic items.
Hermes, Ruler of Thieves, 100th level Deep Gnome Thief/7th level
Illusionist gets "choice of 12 magic items usable by thieves or
illusionists." Circe, The Black Sorceress, 100th level human Magic
User/Illusionist (they don't really explain that, but I think they
mean for you to split the 100 levels as you want) has spell books with
all known MU and Ill. spells, and gets "players choice of of up to 25
magical items from DMG, Unearthed Arcana or any other official source.
No Artifacts." The 100th level Cleric/23rd level Druid gets "500k XP
value of magical items from official sources" and again "Artifacts
cannot be chosen".
And the 100th level Fighter/Paladin (again, I think you get to
distribute the 100 levels as you like) was limited to the standard
Paladin list: 1 suit of armor, 1 shield, 4 weapons, and 4 misc. items
from the official lists. Players choice, but artifacts are not
considered "misc." items.
Even in the stingy days of 1.5E, that's a pretty short list for what
one would expect from 100th level PCs. Of course, MAYBE the thief can
choose 12 artifacts since they didn't specifically prohibit it (like
they did with the other 3) - but the module had more errors and
mistakes/typos than most, so they probably INTENDED for the pre-gen
party to have no artifacts at all.
Still, the lower-level party DID have a Staff Of The Magi (that was
not considered an Artifact in 1E). But the 16th level Monk had just a
single magic item. 1E Monks are allowed 2 magic weapons and 3 misc.
items and the class topped out at 17th level - having a single item
("Carpet Of Flying, smallest size") seems, um, sparse.
Highest stats - 18 for some (18/30 STR highest), else 17 or even 16
(game highest allowed was 25 for a few gods in 1E)
Harold Groot
Feb 2, 2014, 5:29:22 AM2/2/14
to
not an employee. Heck, if they posted the question here (anonymously,
probably) I could have put them straight instantly (I have the H4
module where she shows up).
Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)
Feb 2, 2014, 10:25:01 AM2/2/14
to
whether it's one of the ones that got killed by the flood.
I also wrote a long rant -- a couple of them -- on their asinine "Let's
nerf the sh*t out of high levels because we actually have no idea how to
handle real high levels" crap.
Here's one thread where I go into it:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/%22sea$20wasp%22$20bloodstone/rec.games.frp.dnd/GKckJXqPAuk/M4R5KF3dp5YJ
Later on, I was told by one of the authors of the module that THEY knew
perfectly well it was BS, but the company didn't want to have to deal
with making rules to deal with that, so they just put in the "nerf"
stuff knowing people would ignore it.
Myrmidon
Feb 2, 2014, 8:16:59 PM2/2/14
to
In article <lck2bj$5r3$1...@dont-email.me>, sea...@sgeinc.invalid.com
says...
<snip>
Storm Giant's Castle, The Maltese Clue, Tegal Manor, the City State of
the Invicible Overlord - my gaming group had so much playing those back
in the days of classic AD&D.
Myrmidon :)
--
Non nobis solum nati sumus
"We are not born for ourselves alone."
---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com
says...
<snip>
>
> Tiamat was also a potential adversary in the JG module INFERNO, IIRC. I
> have a vague impression that she might also have shown up in the
> Bloodstone series too, but that may just be old age.
>
Man, Judges Guild - that brings back memories. Inferno, Under The
> Tiamat was also a potential adversary in the JG module INFERNO, IIRC. I
> have a vague impression that she might also have shown up in the
> Bloodstone series too, but that may just be old age.
>
Storm Giant's Castle, The Maltese Clue, Tegal Manor, the City State of
the Invicible Overlord - my gaming group had so much playing those back
in the days of classic AD&D.
Myrmidon :)
--
Non nobis solum nati sumus
"We are not born for ourselves alone."
---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com
Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)
Feb 2, 2014, 10:07:09 PM2/2/14
to
On 2/2/14 8:16 PM, Myrmidon wrote:
> In article <lck2bj$5r3$1...@dont-email.me>, sea...@sgeinc.invalid.com
> says...
> <snip>
>>
>> Tiamat was also a potential adversary in the JG module INFERNO, IIRC. I
>> have a vague impression that she might also have shown up in the
>> Bloodstone series too, but that may just be old age.
>>
>
> Man, Judges Guild - that brings back memories. Inferno, Under The
> Storm Giant's Castle, The Maltese Clue, Tegal Manor, the City State of
> the Invicible Overlord - my gaming group had so much playing those back
> in the days of classic AD&D.
You left out "Dark Tower", considered one of, if not THE, best thing jG
> In article <lck2bj$5r3$1...@dont-email.me>, sea...@sgeinc.invalid.com
> says...
> <snip>
>>
>> Tiamat was also a potential adversary in the JG module INFERNO, IIRC. I
>> have a vague impression that she might also have shown up in the
>> Bloodstone series too, but that may just be old age.
>>
>
> Man, Judges Guild - that brings back memories. Inferno, Under The
> Storm Giant's Castle, The Maltese Clue, Tegal Manor, the City State of
> the Invicible Overlord - my gaming group had so much playing those back
> in the days of classic AD&D.
produced.
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