Monday Pointers: April 12, 2010 Edition

D4:If I were to run 4e
Jeff Rients proves you can bring at least one aspect of the old school to fourth edition. Specifically the gonzo, "there is more to imaginative literature than Conan and Tolkien", whatever is in front of me right this minute can be absolutely cool as a setting piece mindset can fit fourth edition. Depending on what is in front of you it might actually be done better in fourth edition than OD&D. I think Jeff's example is a perfect one idea which just might work better.

D6:Lessons from Land of the Lost
Erin Smale has a discussion of why Land of the Lost is a great outline of how to design and reveal a campaign world. I think this is worth reading if you think, like I do, your campaigns all seem alike and pretty generic. He mines the show for ideas on making something weird and unique but familiar enough to be accessible to players.


D8:Be an Odysseus
RPG Blog 2 has a great article on surviving old school dungeons. Instead of a simple list of things to do and not to do though, he takes an more interesting tact. Comparing the motivations and styles of two of Homer's greatest heroes, Achilles and Odysseus, he argues that old school players would do well to emulate the king of Ithaca.

D10:Things that few think to change.
A series is beginning over at The Metal Earth about food and water. This rarely get a lot of attention especially in terms of agriculture. Yet with a simple change in how food is grown we have potential for huge changes in the campaign world.


D12:eBooks of Lankhmar
Charles at Scrolls of Lankhmar points out an eBook deal for you Kindle types. Also, Scrolls has joined our blog roll so head over and give Charles some love.


D20:I'm Not Locked in Here With You
Over at RPG.net there is a discussion of an urban fantasy/horror campaign idea where the masquerade turns out not to protect vamps, weres, and the rest from being discovered but to prevent them from realizing humanity is working to exterminate them. Well worth reading.

D30:Jitterbug Perfume?
Okay, this link really has nothing to do with the novel except the idea of bottling something rare, but Noisms over at Monsters & Manuals has a great post about what we see in first time players and perhaps forget about as we get involved in our games.

This Monday Pointers is a first. After missing the prior Monday due to time commitments I decided to try Blooger's scheduled posting feature. So, this was written from Thursday to Sunday night and automatically posted while I was asleep. I think this will allow me to capture the "wow, that's cool" factor to drive the page. I will probably also mean I'll need to add D30 and D1000 more often.