Bruce Cordell, game designer and member of the D&D Research & Development team, has flat out stated that he doesn't care for the two-page tactical spread that 4e adventures have been using for combat encounters.

And his reasoning is sound. The two-page spread forces developers to shoehorn encounters into a very specific format, and the result for the reader is a mix of encounters, some of which feel underdeveloped (the case when a particularly large encounter is squeezed into two pages) or ove...
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A lot of flak is thrown at 4th Edition because "it's all about combat." Many claim that there is little to no roleplaying in 4e. While I personally disagree with that statement, I can understand the argument behind it: there are few pages dedicated to governing roleplay in 4e, and the number of pages spent on a given topic is a reflection of its importance.

I choose to see it as follows: instead of providing a ruleset that tries (and fails) to govern any scenario imaginable, 4e focuses on co...
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In this weeks' Legends and Lore column on the official D&D website, RPG Group Manager for the D&D Research & Development, Mike Mearls, stated:

"Setting aside mechanics, I think you can boil D&D down to three basic activities: exploration, roleplay, and combat."

While each of those elements certainly plays a strong role, what about problem solving? Puzzles and riddles have been staples of D&D since its inception. You don't fight them, you don't interact with them in a meaningful way, and you do...
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I've given the site a complete makeover -- I really needed to get rid of all those copyrighted images. I went for a retro, 3rd Edition Player's Handbook feel, with the leather cover, gold trim and blazing red title.

This probably won't be the final design I'll stick with, but it'll do for now. Those red letters just don't work for me, but I don't know how to fix them. I emulated the PHB title as best as I could.

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Catching up on my D&D Quick Tips postings. All three of these are tips for DMs, and they cover:

• Ending on a high note
  
  
• Dealing with power gamers
  
  
• Starting with conflict
  
  

"Ending on a high note" is probably one of my favorites, and viewer reaction suggests its one of my better Quick Tips.

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Dungeons & Drogan Session XXXVIII has been posted. Keep on the Shadowfell is over -- after a few weeks off, we'll start up a new adventure.

DM commentary on the session after the break.
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It was nice to finally have closure on the Ninaran/Win'tyr/Coltaine scenario. Doug and Nick are brothers, so I think they ...

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