Review: Trade Routes: Expanded Caravan Rules Sourcebook

Last week in my inbox was an email from Louis Porter Jr. Designs previewing their newly updated supplement, Trade Routes: Expanded Caravan Rules Sourcebook. I am considering running the Pathfinder Adventure Path, Jade Regent so I thought it would be worth checking out. My review is based on the November 21st, 2011 version of the supplement which include and expand on the rules presented in the Jade Regent Player's Guide.

First Impressions - DnD Encounters: Beyond The Crystal Cave

The weekly Dungeons and Dragons Encounters sessions have been part of my life for the past year. I spent my first couple of weeks playing before I began my stint as a DM. I have enjoyed introducing the game to people of all ages, but in particular to the younger players. In fact, I have used Encounters to introduce the game to my 16 year old daughter and my 12 year old son. For the most part, the adventures have provided an excellent introduction for new players. The fact that the encounter seasons have been designed to coincide with the current product releases is good for the more experienced players as well, giving them an excellent opportunity to experiment with new settings or character options before they spend their hard earned money.

Review: Madness At Gardmore Abbey

When I first heard about Gardmore Abbey in the Dungeon Master's guide, my imagination was peaked. Later, when I picked up my copy of the Dungeon Master's Kit, and the story of Gardmore Abbey was developed a bit more, I knew I wanted to make it part of my campaign. It wasn't long after I finished reading the rest of the Dungeon Master's Kit that I discovered Wizards was planning on releasing Gardmore Abbey as a "Super Adventure". I was excited. I circled the date on my calendar and patiently camped out at my local game store.

Why The Greatest Game In The World Needs To Change

NOTE: This was a very difficult article to write. Please pass the link for this article to as many people as you can. I would love to hear your comments, especially on what you thinks needs to happen to save our game. The article is the long so be warned.


Dungeons and Dragons has been a constant in my life since 1979. I have played every edition since the Red Basic Box and am currently playing 4th edition. Over the years I have played many different role-playing systems, from superhero (DC Heroes, Villains and Vigilantes, Champions and Marvel Super Heroes), science fiction (Traveller, Star Frontiers, Time Master and Star Trek), horror (Chill and Call of Cthulhu), games based on the end on the end of the world (Gamma World and Paranoia) and even RPGs based on cartoons (Teenage Mutant Turtles and Robotech). I have only ever played one fantasy RPG, Dungeons and Dragons. I have never felt the need to stray from my first love, that is until now. This is where my dilemma begins...

Pathfinder Beginner Box...The Box That Keeps On Giving!

Earlier in the week I managed to snag a copy of the Pathfinder Beginner Box. From the moment I held it in my hands I knew I was going to be quite happy with the treasures to be found inside. To be fair, I was hard pressed to find a negative review of this product, the single biggest complaint was Paizo shouldn't have included this as part of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Subscription. I think this product has wide appeal but not universal appeal and as such, shouldn't have been forced on Paizo's subscribers.