Wizards of the Coast says:
It’s true! The folks at Penny Arcade and PvP (along with special guest Wil Wheaton!), took part in a second round of 4th Edition gameplay, recorded for a forthcoming podcast series. These podcasts are scheduled to begin airing mid-February.
That’s sooner than I expected. I didn’t think they’d come out until the end of March. I don’t watch a lot of my own work, because all I can see are the mistakes, but I can’t wait to listen to this podcast series; it will be like looking back at vacation pictures.
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That’s awesome. I loved the other podcasts so much it’s really made me wish I had someone to play D&D with.
I would love them to start NOW, but I also was pretty much expecting a march release to coincide with their new book release.
And now, it’s time for another installment of “Wil tries to make it worth your time to participate in comments” – brought to you by Slurm.
Semi-related to this post: A few months ago, I told my friend’s son, who was really struggling in school, that when he brought a couple of his grades up, I’d run a D&D campaign for him and a couple of his friends.
He brought up all his grades in just two months. His mom said that she’s never seen him so motivated in his entire life.
I gave him the D&D 4E starter set for Christmas, and when we got our families together on New Year’s Eve, he told me that he’d been studying the quickstart rules. I asked him a bunch of questions to gauge his level of understanding, and I was blown away by how well he got it. They’re coming over tomorrow so he and I can look at his character together, and I can figure out exactly what sort of stuff he’s looking get from his playing experience.
I’m really proud of him for working so hard to succeed in school, and I’m really happy that I got to play a part in motivating him. I’m also looking forward to sharing his first RPG experience. He’s so much like the 13 year-old version of Emerging Geek Wil Wheaton, it’s like reaching back through time when I talk to him.
I love how they start out saying “It’s true!” Like there’s some chance that everyone has just been lying to us the whole time about this D&D podcast thing just to jerk us around. ‘Cause you guys would never do that, right? Right? …. right?
Awwwww… that’s such an inspiring story, Wil!
There’s nothing more motivating than something you really want… which is something that more schools should realize! And parents, for that matter!
GJ!! 🙂
That is so cool. Well done to both of you!
Cheers!
HA! I was just coming over here to drop the message, as I just read the announcement from WotC!
CAN’T WAIT FOR THE PODCAST!!!!
On to your sub-note: Over the Holidays, my 8 year old step-son came up to me and asked, “Al, can I be the MASTER in a game. I have this great idea!”
I, originally, got him into D&D for a few reasons. 1) For us all, my wife included, to be able to sit at the dining room table and have FUN!! That’s the most important one.
But also:
2) To improve his math and his reading skills. D&D really gives us the opportunity to teach him fundamental skills without the stigma of “homework”.
And 3) Because selfishly, I wanted to play D&D again, and I needed players to play with and who better than my wife and step-son (and my brother and his wife when they come over).
So when he came to me with this request, my inner-geek soared, and i gave myself a silent high-five. We played for 2 hours (imagine that, an 8 year old engaged for 2 hours without mentioning “Nintendo DS” ONCE!), before he wanted to take a break from being THE MASTER… but he still wanted to play as his Dragonborn Paladin.
My wife agreed to take on WotC’s Dungeon Issue 156’s Scales of War Adventure path “Resue at Rivenroar” as a dungeon master. It would be her first time EVER DM’ing a campaign.
3 hours into Scales of War, we all realized just how AWESOME it is, and i sat back looking at our map-cards and miniatures on the table, next to a bowl of Meatballs and Cornchips, and a bottle of coke .. and I looked at the two most important people in my life absolutely entrenched in a game of D&D and I remember thinking to myself…
“This is the best day EVER!”
I had the same response from my son! This was two years ago. He is 14 now and looking to DM a group at school. I’m stupidly happy about this. 🙂
That is HAWESOME. 😉
So no pressure to make the campaign rock his world or anything, of course. 😉
4th Ed. gave me the excuse to get my friends excited about it and to start up a new campaign (or two) myself. The original PA Podcasts really helped set the hook in them and many of my players have claimed that this is the most fun they have had playing D&D in 20 years. (I’ll assume that it is because of how streamlined 4E is and not my awesome DM skillz. 😉 )
I just found a freaking Gelatinous Cube mini and I can’t *wait* to throw it at them in a dungeon. For some reason that monster is one of the most quintessential symbols of D&D and one that I remember vividly from my own childhood.
How awesome is it that you can put another mini inside the gelatinous cube?!
There’s a great gelatinous cube encounter in Keep on the Shadowfell, too.
Yes! One group I am running is just going into the 2nd level of the Keep on our very next session. I can hardly contain myself!!
Actually, that’s why I had to post here, because I didn’t want to tell anyone I played with and ruin the surprise. But I had to tell *someone*! I have very specific plans for introducing the monster and if they had ‘Gelatinous Cube’ floating around in the back of their head I don’t think it would pull off quite so well.
And I had no idea you could put a mini in it!!! Oh this is going to be Fun! 😀 O-boyo-boyo-boy!
Aw, dude I LOVED the series they ran the first time when they were with Scott Kurtz. (Even though Kurtz is to me what Newman was the Jerry. My nemesis who spurred me on to greatness. Ask for details and I will tell them.)
Bet your sweet bippie I’ll be tuning into this!!
I’m really excited to hear it.
Confession: I HATED D&D for the longest time. Like ten years. This is solely because I was ditched by not one but TWO boyfriends for the game. It makes a girl a bit biased.
Then I subjected myself to playing one game for my podcast. (Yes, “I talk to the Dire Rat to see if I can reason with it.” HEY, IT WORKED, OKAY?) And now, some seven months later, I find myself looking forward to my first game with an entire party at the end of the month. I’m getting no end of crap for it from my friends.
So help me God, I’m window-shopping online for my own dice. Speaking of, where can I find just a simple bag of cheap plastic ones? I’m not so into the game that I want gilded D20s or anything. What’s the quantity of each I should have for 4E?
All you really need is the “standard set” of dice: one of each type (except for an extra d10 numbered by tens for percentile rolls). Depending on your class, you may want extras of whatever your damage dice are. That way if you have to roll, say, 3d6 of damage, you can roll all three at once instead of rolling one die 3 times. But really, that’s optional.
As for where to get them, I recommend RPGShop.com. They’ve never steered me wrong. Not only do they have basic cheap dice, but they have them in a variety of colors. They also have yer fancy shmancy dices for once that habit hooks itself into your veins–I mean, in case you decide you want them.
Hope that helps!
All you really need is the “standard set” of dice: one of each type (except for an extra d10 numbered by tens for percentile rolls). Depending on your class, you may want extras of whatever your damage dice are. That way if you have to roll, say, 3d6 of damage, you can roll all three at once instead of rolling one die 3 times. But really, that’s optional.
As for where to get them, I recommend RPGShop.com. They’ve never steered me wrong. Not only do they have basic cheap dice, but they have them in a variety of colors. They also have yer fancy shmancy dices for once that habit hooks itself into your veins–I mean, in case you decide you want them.
Hope that helps!
Take that, all you naysayers who say RPG’s are evil and/or destructive!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked how I knew some fact or other that would seem obscure to most people – and the looks I got when I replied that it was because I play RPG’s. chuckle
Best of luck on introducing him to the game!
Looking forward to hearing those Wil.
Isn’t it great how D&D (and gaming in general) brings families and friends together?
@Anthai: You can get them in most hobby shops, however, Amazon has a good assortment of dice that you can buy:
http://www.amazon.com/Dice-Assortment-Perfect-Dungeons-Different/dp/B0012U7LMW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1231519069&sr=8-3 is a good bargain.
You essentially need: d20, d10, d12, d8, d6, d4 .. ONE OF each.
I like have 4d6, 3d10, 2d4 and 3d8’s just to have extras .. especialy when using Encounter powers that give you 3[W] martial dmg … but all of this is because of personal preference.
Oooh, I LIKE those! Now all I have to do is convince my husband that they’re worth my buying them…
…I’ve spent a lot on geek stuff this month. Heh.
My wife and I are set to take our first leap into the D&D world on Monday. Really looking forward to it. I’m 31 years old, and I feel like I did when I was a kid and first learned that there were entire stores in my neighborhood dedicated to selling nothing but comic books! It’s like a whole new world of geekdom has opened its gates and is letting me in.