Ruminations From the Vault
Musings on the history and practice of gaming, and the enjoyment thereof.
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The Quest for the Perfect Dungeon Crawler Part 1: The Problem
Who doesn't like sending fistfuls of hardy adventurers into dangerous underworld environments on the tabletop? We're looking for a game that does it all: co-op, exploration, interactive environment, exciting combat, character advancement, coherent setting. Does this game exist? If it doesn't, what can be done about it?
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All of the Dungeons and the Dragons Part 3: Pathwhatnow? and the OSR
In this, the very final installment of my completely subjective overview and review of Dungeons & Dragons and imitators, we shed some light on some games that are absolute antitheses of each other: Paizo Publishing's Pathfinder, and the various Old School Renaissance (OSR) games.
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All of the Dungeons and the Dragons Part 2: The d20 Bubble and Beyond
Welcome to Part 2 of my history of D&D blog posts! If you didn't read Part 1, by all means do so. If you have, well then good job and all that, best not keep Part 2 waiting ... Enter Wizards of the Coast. Flush with both success and cash, in 1997 WotC (pronounced "Magic-the-Gathering") purchased all assets and intellectual property of the defunct TSR, including D&D. Not wasting time, they embarked on a glorious road to a brave new world of profit and game design revolution.
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All of the Dungeons and the Dragons Part 1: The Olden Days
Want to get started in Dungeons & Dragons? Before you jump right in it's best to do a quick run-through of the various editions of this venerable 40+ year old game. Everyone has their own expectations and their own preferences, so what we're going to do in today's blog (plus part 2) is suss out which version will fit you best. And we'll do it in chronological order, which is my very favorite order!
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From Grenadier to Oblivion: Julie Guthrie’s Fantasy Personalities Miniatures
Many sculptors and miniatures companies have released figures for use with role playing games, but some of the most interesting and characterful miniatures by far are the Fantasy Personalities line by renowned sculptor Julie Guthrie.
