[D&D] Kylind Campaign - Philosophy

Rather than just copy paste something else out of my source documentation, I wanted to talk a little bit today about inspiration and philosophy for my campaign setting. This week has been particularly rough in terms of motivation, and I couldn't help but feel like the best exercise I could provide to myself to get out of that was stepping back and attempting to analyze what it is that I want to do with this campaign.

[D&D] Kylind Campaign - Class Preview: Chronologist

Hello everyone,

I need to be much better about having a regular schedule with this blog. I've done a poor job, and it doesn't reflect well on me. So, at least look for a weekly update every Friday with a new look into my unique D&D campaign. Today, I'll be giving a taste of one of my unique classes - introducing the Chronologist.

Bear in mind that as a sneak peek for this base class, I'm only revealing some of the description and the first two levels of the class. This is the current iteration, so there may be changes when the supplement as a whole is considered complete. In addition, you'll see a few things referenced that you won't find in another supplement. For those, I may preview them later, or perhaps once the supplement is finished, you'll have to pick it up to fill in the blanks!

I'd like to thank Bill and Ashton for their work in helping me tune this class. Bill has had to put up with a class that was extremely under-tuned at first, and Ashton helped me with much of the research done to improve the class. Without either of their input, I'd likely have scrapped the idea before fleshing it out. Thanks guys!

[D&D] Kylind Campaign - A Short History

It has been a hectic few weeks, let me tell you. But you don't come here to read about my (mis)adventures in unemployment. You come here (I hope) to read interesting topics on gaming. So today, we're going back to my biggest roots and talking about D&D.

Today, I want to introduce you to a campaign I'm running for a small group of friends. Ultimately, when everything is said and done, I'd like to compile, proofread, format, and send this campaign off to a publisher. If you're interested in 3.5ED D&D and looking for a new world to explore, that's what I want this to be.

At this time, I plan to have Kylind offering a map of the region, a base adventure (crafted by me, but guided by my group of clever and hilarious friends), five new races, one new base classes, and four new prestige classes. There will also be a cluster of new items, spells, and feats for you to try out. I'd like to preview a bit of it, in hopes to generate interest, and perhaps gather some feedback on what I'm doing right and what I could do better. Enjoy a short history of the region as well as short descriptions of my races. My apologies if the reading's a bit bland - history tends to read that way.

AFK - BBS!

Just a quick note.

I'm in the middle of studying for my finals for bartending school and moving to a new home. Needless to say, the last week or so has been very busy and not allotted much time for writing.

I have a few blogs planned, including a review of gender in the current gaming community climate, but that will have to wait until I have the time to really devote to it. I want to give that one the attention it deserves.

I'll be back next week once we're all settled in. This was the last chance I had to type this up before unplugging for a few days, and felt I owed it to anyone who's actually following. =)

Thanks guys, be back soon!

[Design] Community in Games

I've had this one in the works for like a week now, because I've wanted to get it just right. This topic is pretty near and dear to me, and if you wanted insight on how I view community and community management, this is probably the most in-depth look I've written. It's a long read, but I hope it's worth your time.

As a community manager, what naturally attracts me most to games are those that are intrinsically built to support meaningful and positive player interaction. Everyone lately is saying that the MMO market is dying, and that it's on its way out. I agree, but for likely very different reasons than most others might suggest. MMO's today aren't just struggling with a good financial business structure - they're struggling because they've lost sight of what made playing an MMO appealing in the first place. When was the last time you were proud of the community you were part of in an MMO? How often do you hear "Oh, that game has a great community?" rather than "I'd rather gouge my eyes out than spend time on that game's forums?" I think there's only a few contenders out there that could boast this, and surprise - they're the ones that seem to be doing the best.