WinterCraig

"The perfectionist DM in me winces everytime someone rolls an attack for Magic Missile, but since it's funny and has a great story." They started out with 4th Ed until they realized the tabletop focus was incongruous with their recording setup. Magic Missile was not autohit in 4e. Which WotC remedied for 5e.

I've been spelling it Glennish Moor but I haven't seen a definitive mention from any of the show's cast.

If you require weed to understand Blaine, life must be like one big constant sudoku problem written in hieroglyphs.

Not to speak on behalf of Gerry, but it seemed to me that this was just flavor text for Sir Richard's backstory. Gerry is a writer so he has a decent idea how to introduce a character without just appearing. His adventures with Jaif seemed kind of a throwaway in medias res. I'm guessing we will learn more about the missing hand and whatever drove him away from Glennish Moor as time progresses. Assuming Amarth doesn't just loose it and stab him.

I love how Amarth is like Marty McFly being called a chicken. "Not metal? No one says I'm not metal.... STAB!"

Any great DM uses the rules to make things easier, the game flow better or to increase the fun. It's a bad DM who slavishly adheres to every little clause. The rules shouldn't be a crutch or a burden. Sark has done a formidable job at turning grid based-tabletop game into an engaging Sci-Fi Fantasy narrative game. All this campaign needs is the Loc-Nar and a B-17.

Ell Ryan did not die from Hit Point depletion from the hooked ropes. He died contextually from drowning because he failed the difficulty check to remove the hook from his leg and did not use his final act to swim down to the bell. A Healing Surge would not have made much of a difference.

Dan Harmon plays D&D 3.5 every Monday night for the Harmontown podcast. Spencer @thesixler is his DM. And as far as not doing much, Dan is writing like three TV shows right now. He may have already sold as couple pilots.

My older brother had the red box and played with his friends in high school. They taught me to play but only occasionally and only when they needed cannon fodder. Late 70, early 80s. When I was a teen, most of my friends were into MERP and RoleMaster, which I hated. We couldn't get really any consistent campaigns together so eventually stopped. Moved onto ShadowRun and Marvel Superheroes. Late 80s into early 90s. Kind of got into Twilight 2000 and MechWarrior around same time, but only played here and there. Usually one-off characters. In college, I played Star Wars d6 and 2e with overlapping groups for over two years. Mid to late 90s. We did DC heroes campaign briefly, maybe 3 full sessions and players droppd out. Not as fun as Marvel was. I DM'd a Star Wars d6 with the leftover 2e players for about a year at the end of the 90s. We played Star Trek and MiB around the same time, but it was the end of college and the Fellowship was breaking. Long period of time with no RPGing. Parenting, grad school, work, life and stuff. Taught my son Star Wars d6 a couple years back, once he was old enough. Started gettting interested in DnD once Spencer began DMing on Harmontown last year. Started DMing 4e after I started listening to Nerd Poker. I still have my 2e manuals but I really love the tabletop aspect of 4e. We were pretty heavy into BattleTech in teen years so it feels familiar. My favorite characters I've played over the years: 2e: a half-elf Thief Assassin kit. Played the same character for more than 2 years in same group. We competed the Rod of 7 Parts together. Most of the party was x-Good and I was Chaotic Neutral. I would sneak off at night while on watch to commit atrocious acts. Like hanging the wife of a local burgher from rafter of his home afte he stiffed us on a job. Star Wars d6: Failed Jedi who lost his lightsaber on Tattooine in very first session (critical fumble) and had to track the Jawas who stole it out to the Jundland Wastes (which aren't to be travelled lightly). Marvel: a mutant hero turned mutant rights terrorist with Electro-Magnetic powers. Played that character for several years in high school.

Oh yeah... You're that guy. Making the same tired "4e is over" declaration in multiple threads. You're like the Portlandia character. The sheer arrogance that you display by saying simply, "I don't play it and it was a failure so I feel sorry for anyone actually interested in this" is insane. How do you feel about people still playing Sega Genesis games? "Golden Axe is over!" Stop trying to nerd-bully people because of your personal preferences. If people enjoy 4e, who the fuck are you to sneer at it? "Being rational is over!"

"I feel such sadness for you people buying 4th Edition because of this podcast." I will never understand this line of thinking. 1st, your fucking imagination doesn't expire. 2nd, anyone just now buying 4e still has the opportunity to buy the sourcebooks and modules. It's still new to them. WotC didn't confiscate and shred all the books. My LCS still sells unopened 4e mods. Also, eBay. I feel sorry for people with such limited vision. So yeah, we don't need your pity.

I can't wait to see what Gerry does with Sir Richard but the Water Golem Diving Suits would have been an excellent out to save Ell Ryan "off panel," as it were. I was hoping that they would see an Elf in similar water armor fighting the Collectors inside the new ship. And a spirit bear! Alas... Guess it's time to move on to Acceptance. I'm guessing Jayff the idiot savant telekinetic arm-ripper-offer will not be too pleased at being left on what is fast likely to be a sinking ship. That guy has "boss battle" written all over him.

@Lacy: I'm wondering the same thing. They should probably kill him before he goes Sling Blade on the whole party. Better safe than armless.

"I've never seen a Paladin as a healer, self-healing tank maybe." The 4e Paladin comes with Lay on Hands as a class feature. The Protecting Paladin build is suggested to take Healing Hands as a Feat to augment healing comrades with Laying on Hands. Multiple Paladin Encounter and Daily Powers either heal allies outright or allow them to spend Healing Surges. The 2e Paladin could cast Priest spells, heal by Laying on Hands and cure diseases. So... WTF are you talking about?

Episode 19 really made me think of "Stargazer" by Kingdom Come. http://youtu.be/vAm5MS7m1-s

"Pulling results out of your ass all of the time isn't fair to the players." Results and consequences are not the same thing. You roll results and create consequences based in context. I would slit my wrists in your campaign waiting for the DM to just get on with it instead of being painted into a corner of charts with 35 possible outcomes. If you need a table or chart for anything beyond the core mechanics, you shouldn't be DMing.

"I personally enjoy the specifics of the chart. Loosing an eye or a limb is much more dramatic than just general woundings." Yeah, but you need a chart to let you know when it happens. And for that I laugh at you.

Does Sark strike you as a DM who relies heavily on sourcebooks and modules? *that was in response to Tiles, not RIP.

"It is a shame though that they spent all that money buying 4th books at this point in history when 4th is over and done with." How is 4e over and done with? I'm a 4e DM. There are people still playing 2e. And people even play the original box set. Just because you are done with it does not mean it is over with. Neither sourcebooks nor imagination have expiration dates. I am so sick of hipsters nut-riding nerd culture from one trend to another.

Really? Worst idea ever? Worse than say, the Holocaust or Crystal Pepsi?

"I hate to be THAT guy, but I really haven't listened since Gerry left. I got maybe one or two more episodes further but got really 'fuck this.'" You quit listening to a podcast called "Dungeons & Dragons with Brian Posehn and friends" because one of the friends has been absent? And not only did you quit listening, you quit with a "fuck this"? #ThisIsSeriousBusiness

I call swerve. I think Gerry is coming back as some form of El Ryan.

No, just no. Having Role Master charts & tables flashbacks. If you need that much stuff charted out, you shouldn't be DMing. Imagination & Creativity > Charts & Tables. That kind of stuff just brings the game to a halt. And players love to sit and wait while you consult a chart after they Crit. Sark's modified Botch system is easy to remember and adds a level of real threat to Botches. But doesn't hinder the game.

"Not sure if anyone has said this already, but isn't dragonborn fire breath a free action?" You are thinking in the right direction, it's just called something else. In 4e, it's a Minor Action It's not a Free Action, but you are correct that Ken may make a Standard Action in addition to his Dragon Breath. Each character gets 1 Standard, 1 Minor and 1 Move Action per turn. If he wanted to do a lot of damage in one turn, he could use Dragon Breath as a Minor Action, an Encounter Power as a Standard Action and then cash in Action Point to do a Daily Power Attack. But he would want to save that for a boss battle. An Action Point would not allow him to use Dragon Breath twice, however, because it is an Encounter Power. These are just rules, though. Easily modified or ignored. As written, it makes the Dragonborn a little over-powered.

"Jerry [sic] couldn't even put up a fight against the invisible snake or whatever it was that got him" It was 12 Pack's reprogrammed Collector Construct. Gerry was ahead of the group and Botched against the Construct.