About Shaun Welch

http://gnollsden.com

Shaun Welch has been playing RPGs for two decades. He listens to a disproportionately large amount of music from Iceland, and currently lives in Maryland, where he works as a professional unicorn wrangler.

Posts by Shaun Welch:

Aug 21 2012

PDFs: Who Needs ‘Em?

Some time ago I was invited to a Pathfinder game run by a friend of a friend. I wasn’t certain how things would work out; I had attempted to join a game some time last year and my schedule didn’t permit me to play very often so I dropped out. The only copy of the rules I owned was a PDF of the Core Rulebook I purchased from Paizo before the ill-fated game. After speaking with the GM I knew I wanted to play an alchemist or a witch, so I went the extra mile and got a PDF of the Advanced Player’s Guide as well.

The game is going well. Thing is, it took me three sessions to make my character. I knew his name and his base attack bonus and things like that, but all the fiddly bits like feats and skill points were a bit up in the air. I also wasn’t as comfortable with combat as I should have been. Every time I threw a bomb I found myself checking the “Throw a Splash Weapon” section of the Core Rulebook.

Each time I did, I would reach for another player’s copy of the book.

PDFs of roleplaying games are everywhere. Thanks to sites like DriveThruRPG they are accessible and affordable alternatives to hard copies of the books, and it is possible to find things that are no longer on store shelves. I myself have a pretty hefty folder of them that I acquired during a year abroad, which satiated my RP needs at the time. There is no doubt they provide a great convenience.

Yet, at the risk of being a Luddite, they simply don’t work for me at the game table. For Pathfinder, they haven’t even worked too well for me away from the table. PDFs are great for getting an overview of a game, or learning the basics, but I don’t absorb the information the same way I do when I have a physical copy of the book in front of me. It’s not just a technology gap, either; I own a NOOK that I use often.

Why isn’t this working?

Trying to reference anything in a PDF is a pain. Scrolling is slow. The search function takes time, and doesn’t always get me where I want. I can page through a book quickly, and I’m skilled at using indices. I imagine a tablet would resolve several of my issues, but I can’t afford one right now, and even then you still have to zoom in to read text. The layout for most RPG books is much larger than your average paperback. All that zooming and scrolling distracts me from the experience of the book itself. On the other hand, the typical eReader displays all its text on one screen and requires only the click of a button to progress.

I can’t argue that PDFs have their place in gaming. I got my first PDF when Monte Cook’s Malhavoc Press was new and released the Book of Eldritch Might to an uncertain digital market. I’m glad to have the titles that I do. At the table, though, PDFs just can’t beat a good book. I recently picked up both the Core Rulebook and Advanced Player’s Guide for Pathfinder in paper form, and since then my comfort with the rules has improved. I sit down with the books in my spare time and I read them. I am spinning the starting threads of my own campaign that may or may not see play. All-in-all, I am having fun.

How about you? Are you on board with the digital revolution, or are you still holding a buggy whip like me?

By • Random musings, RPG • 29 • Tags:

Jul 27 2012

Under the Influence

In his article “The GM’s Influence on Character” in Kobold Quarterly #22, famous actor Monte Cook jumps right on out there and says:

Past a certain point, the more influence a player has on character creation, the more boring the resulting character will be.

Heresy! What does an actor know about roleplaying games, anyway? Why I—oh, oh wait. The threatening e-mail the Stargazer has left in my inbox tells me I may not be entirely informed. Let’s try that again, shall we?

In his article in KQ #22, noted game designer Monte Cook says that the more a player influences the creation of a character, the more boring that character shall be.

Specifically, he is writing about the idea of the character build. You know, the one where your Pathfinder DM says “We are playing a level 12 campaign” and so you always give your paladin a holy avenger. Or at least you would, but you’re not playing a paladin because druids are way better.[citation not needed because it is true]

I’m aware it is a matter of personal taste, but I’ve always enjoyed 1st-level campaigns precisely for this reason. Over the course of a few levels I will inevitably make choices that are anything but optimal for my character’s combat abilities, skill rolls, or any other aspect. I tend to choose things because they are either cool, or they are useful at that particular moment in time. My characters acquire abilities like a tree acquires rings. Somewhere in that process, a story emerges. More

By • Advice, Improve Your Game, Just my two cents, News & Reviews, Random musings, RPG • 7 • Tags: , , ,

Jul 24 2012

Review: Kobold Quarterly #22

The cover of KQ #22, depicting a woman in plate armor with a glowing green sword astride a silver dragon Summer marches onward, scorching us with unrelenting heat. My only relief is the Summer 2012 issue of Kobold Quarterly. It has a pretty wicked cover of a dragon and its rider, and has “Preview: 13th Age” right there. Promising stuff. There is even a Castles & Crusades article, for the old school among you. Let’s see how it measures up.

Barbatos by Wes Schneider, art by Pat Loboyko and Callie Winter

Right out of the gate we have a very strong article about the Bearded Lord of Avernus, the uppermost layer of Golarion’s Hells. I am not well-versed in Golarion lore, so it is appropriate that Barbatos is the gatekeeper. Barbatos’s domains include Evil, Law, Magic, and Travel. Travel is what interests me most. His temples are animal graveyards, crossroads, stone circles, and unmarked graves. An interesting mix, to be sure, and it could offer up some excellent opportunities for side encounters during a campaign.

In my review of KQ’s previous issue, I said that when something mysterious is laid bare, it loses its allure. I don’t feel that happens in this article. We learn about Barbatos’s allegiances, rivalries, and some of his methods, but it does not delve too deeply into his history or his life in Avernus. More generally, it is not an ecology article. Much of the piece discusses Barbatos’s cults, haunts, and servitors (the utterly disgusting edavagors).

More

By • D&D4e, Dragon Age, News & Reviews, Other Systems, Pathfinder, Reviews & First Looks, RPG • 5 • Tags: , , , , ,

Jul 16 2012

Review: Midgard Bestiary (Pathfinder Edition)

The cover of the Midgard BestiaryAs you may know from my review of Kobold Quarterly #21, I am out of the loop when it comes to Open Design. I’ve been asked to review the Pathfinder edition of the Midgard Bestiary, developed by Adam Daigle, which counts as my first exposure to the setting. That puts a great deal of responsibility on the book.

Gazing Into the Abyss

What do you do when you find yourself confronted with a book of monsters? I imagine, like me, your first reaction is to flip through it and see if anything catches your eye. If art is important in any RPG book, it is most important in a bestiary.

Immediately the alseid grabs my attention. It is like a centaur, but instead of human and horse, the combination is elf and stag. Springing up out of his long hair are a pair of antlers. Baba Yaga’s horsemen are the first “monsters” in color I encounter. Most of the bestiary is sepia pages and black-and-white artwork. The splashes of full-color artwork are nice.

I dislike the blood hag and broodiken. Their appearance does not inspire me and I know I will give them a pass. Fortunately there are many other monsters whose appearance delights me: Bone collector, cavelight moss, dire weasel, salt golem. The list goes on. The Bestiary passes the first trial.

One thing I wish were present in the book, and all monster books in general, is an artist credit for each entry written along the side margin or some other unobtrusive place. This makes it easier to look up a particular artist’s other work when you like what you see. The pieces aren’t always signed, initialed, or otherwise marked.

More

By • News & Reviews, Other Systems, Pathfinder, Reviews & First Looks, RPG • 2 • Tags: , , , ,

Jun 28 2012

Review: Kobold Quarterly #21

Kobold Quarterly #21 I’m a bit late to the game, but I had a chance to read my very first issue of Kobold Quarterly, which provides content for Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, Pathfinder by Paizo, and Green Ronin’s AGE System.

The magazine is reminiscent of Dragon back when you could still get it in print. Much of the material has a similar bent: new classes, in-depth monster articles, scads of new magical items, and it looks like Skip Williams is still answering your rules questions! There is also a letters section, which I have always enjoyed in my magazines.

Let’s touch on some of the articles, shall we?

The Shaman by Mark Radle, art by Rick Hershey

Any class that lets you examine the entrails of animals for a bonus to saving throws is pretty decent in my book! Overall I enjoy this Pathfinder take on a shaman character, though I feel it steps too heavily on the druid in a lot of ways. Is it necessary for every nature-based class to have Wild Empathy, Woodland Stride, Wild Shape, and an animal companion? I do see it a lot. The shaman seeks to spice it up a bit, at least, by making the companion a spirit rather than a normal woodland creature. Also, the class’s use of spontaneous casting seems odd given its otherwise ritualistic nature (with many of its abilities taking rounds or minutes to complete).

I enjoy playing druids, though, and would happily play this in lieu of one. The abilities that do distinguish it from the druid (Blood Divination, Commune with Spirits, Whispers of the Spirits, etc.) are superb. I would just like to see more of them!

Daughters of Lilith by Sersa Victory, art by Claudio Pozas

Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this article on the ecology of the succubus. Sometimes, when something mysterious is laid bare (no pun intended), it loses its allure. Sersa’s article is an earnest effort at a detached, scholarly interpretation of the life and times of a sex demon in all its unpleasant detail. I’d say it succeeds, yet for that very reason it fails to grab me.

One truly cool thing, though: the Infernal Conspiracy gambit. Once per tier, your character can basically say, hey, that person over there is a succubus who is friendly to my cause. That’s really damn neat. Are gambits a thing? If so, I’ve completely missed them.

It’s a Mystery by Zeb Cook, art by Emile Denis and Jeremy Mohler

These are the kinds of articles I live for, and it is without a doubt my favorite in the whole magazine. I’ve been working on a few off-kilter religions in my own campaign world(s), trying to distinguish them from being "just another pantheon," and this piece is full of invaluable advice. Secret religious and philosophical societies are awesome. Zeb discusses what some underlying motivations for these cults might be, how to join, and the implications of being in one.

I’ll be putting most of the advice in this article to use very soon, I imagine!

Of course, there are several other articles in the issue, including a look at why monotheism isn’t prevalent in fantasy games, and spellcasting backgrounds for the AGE system. Despite a few personal quibbles here and there (nothing is perfect, after all), I  enjoyed this issue and would recommend it to anyone playing one of the three games covered. I look forward to seeing more AGE material within the pages of Kobold Quarterly, and might even break out my Dragon Age box set once more!

Note from the Editor: You can buy this issue of Kobold Quarterly directly from the KQ store for $5.99 (PDF only) or $8.99 (Print+PDF).

By • D&D4e, Dragon Age, Guest Post, News & Reviews, Other Systems, Pathfinder, Reviews & First Looks, RPG • 4 • Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Jun 22 2012

Doubly Eliminating Expectations

I have played Magic: The Gathering almost as long as I have been playing RPGs. There have been a few long pauses as time, money, or interest have flagged, but it is always something I come back to. I’ve had some good experiences lately that got me thinking about gaming in general, and I want to share some thoughts about that.

I play at tournaments on occasion, although I rarely rank highly. Most of the time I am content to play casually, chatting with friends over a few hands. Yet tournament rules often influence our play. My friends and I often play Standard, which is the most common tournament type in Magic. In a nutshell, Standard includes the sets from the past two years, so it stays pretty fresh.

Another way tournaments influence our playstyle is that we typically play 2-out-of-3 to determine who “really” won. Like in tournaments, this setup allows us to use our sideboards–a set of 15 extra cards that a player can swap out between matches in order to more finely tune his or her deck against an opponent’s strategies.

Recently a friend and I began attending what is best described as a “casual tournament”; there is no entry fee, the prizes are minimal, and most people are there simply to have fun. If you win the entire tournament, you get a pack of cards.

Thing is, they don’t play 2-out-of-3 there. And they don’t play Swiss rounds, where you keep playing even if you lose and the overall winners are decided by their win-loss ratio. They play one game, and it’s a double-elimination bracket. Lose once,  you get bumped down to the loser’s bracket. Lose again, and you’re done for the night.

Oh, and we can’t use our sideboards. There’s only one match per round, so you can’t fiddle around with your cards to try and better your chances next time. You can’t go fetch the answer you typically leave out of your main deck. You’ve got one chance!

It’s changed the way I build my decks. It reminds me of when I first started playing and didn’t have the greatest grasp on deck-building (though I still don’t). I’ve got this card that works really well against hordes of creatures, but isn’t so good if my opponent is playing a more focused, brutal onslaught… should I put it in? I won’t have a shot at sliding it in later to plug up my defenses against swarm decks. That card I have that totally hoses red players but does next-to-nothing against any other color… is it worth it?

We all get into routines. Now and then we get entrenched in our particular playstyles. Sometimes it’s good to have an experience that shakes you up and shows you that what is typical is not always what is best. If you have the opportunity, try something different. Whether it’s a different system, a new genre, or a crazy shift in paradigm (like if I were to play a comedic game instead of the serious ones I usually do), there are tons of ways to gain a new perspective. A few months back I played Yahtzee for the first time in what felt like a million years, and while I rarely play any type of “family” game anymore, there were half a dozen things I discovered I greatly enjoyed.

Get outside of your particular sphere when it comes to gaming, and who knows? You just might learn a thing or two!

By • Advice, Guest Post, Improve Your Game, Just my two cents, Non-RPG, Random musings, RPG • 1 • Tags: ,

May 30 2012

Dungeoneering Abroad

Ryuu Tama I suppose I can’t take full credit for Michael’s post on German RPGs, but I may have been the match to the powder keg!

I’m American, and a native English speaker. For many years now I’ve been learning German and Japanese. I did not grow up in a multilingual environment, nor did I have much of an interest in foreign languages until the final years of high school, so everything I’ve learned has essentially been as an adult. If you’ve ever tried to study a foreign language, you’ll understand that this entails a lot of work.

It’s important to keep things interesting. Naturally I’m a huge RPG fan, so games in other languages have a certain allure for me. Over on The Gnoll’s Den, my personal blog, I am working on a translation of the freely available Player Summary for the Japanese RPG Ryuutama.

There are a lot more English speakers in Europe, however. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several German roleplayers and I tend to take the opportunity to ask them what they play. Although I’ve heard of Das Schwarze Auge and Kult from them, by and large I get the same response: Dungeons & Dragons. (To Michael’s credit, he is the most widely experienced German gamer I’ve met, and has quite a few more games under his belt.)

I once asked a friend of mine how to say "saving throw" in German and he admitted he didn’t know. "We’d normally say, ‘Mach ein Reflex Saving Throw‘ or something like this," he confided to me. (It’s Rettungswurf if you’re curious.)

All the cool kids, it seems, are learning English. It makes perfect sense. Thanks to the Internet, there is a huge amount of information out there on roleplaying games (and stuff in general, really) and knowing English gets you access to a significant chunk of that. DSA might have a big German fanbase, but D&D is international. It’s easy for native English speakers like myself to take that for granted.

Does this mean it’s futile to try to learn a foreign language in this day and age if you’re an English speaker? Of course not. You don’t always have access to the Internet. There is some great stuff out there that doesn’t get translated for an international audience. Making an effort to reach out and communicate is always worthwhile, and it gives us anderen Perspektiven.

In the meantime, go get yourself a copy of Dungeonslayers: Ein altmodisches Rollenspiel (auf Englisch, natürlich).

By • Guest Post, Just my two cents, Random musings, RPG • 4

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