DnD Next

I'm a sucker for DnD. I got into it as a kid with the third edition box set. Before that I had only played Advanced one time, but it was absolutely that first experience that got me hooked even before I fully understood the fundamentals. I had heard my friend talk about his older brother's cleric like the character was real, someone my friend knew personally. The claims of struggle, leadership, and jewel encrusted weaponry fascinated me, a seventh grader infatuated with the Redwall series and who considered UFO spotting a brave and admirable endeavor. 

As I got older I began exploring DnD's roots. Initially I didn't quite recognize the "old school's" appeal. Now I can't seem to get away from it. Unfortunately my knowledge of old school systems is largely second hand hearsay from various blogs. My actual old school credentials aren't technically credentials at all. My connection to the school is a tenuous one, bridged by various retro-clones. But I've sort of fallen in love with two in particular, Crypts & Things and The Adventurer Conquerer King System. 

At Pax I attended a Q&A session with two Wizards of the Coast DnD game designers. They were keen on reiterating two fundamental points. First, DnD "needs to be about the people rolling dice around a table -- not about rule mechanics." Perhaps this is why Wizards touts 5e as a unifier system. They mentioned that everyone seems to like "at will spells," but no one likes cumbersome rules nor inadequate challenges. 

Secondly, the designers suggested that the new system would be "modular." This is something I find appealing, and especially if they mean the core books will provide an adequate section on advice for creating custom DM content. But as of now it is much too soon to make any rash predictions. The designers noted that 5e is roughly between 15 and 20 percent done. They also mentioned that in the last play-test clerics did not have "turn undead." I found this highly odd, but I laud the design team's willingness to push conventions for the sake of experimentation. 

*I have paraphrased the Wizards reps' statements to the best of my memory's ability. 

- J.B. Geany

Pax East

Pax East is an annual gaming convention in Boston Massachusetts hosted by the Penny Arcade team. Penny Arcade is a popular web comic (and so much more) -- which I found myself reading particularly due to Tycho's (the writer's/ the alter ego's) interest in the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game.  And while a significant percentage of Pax is dedicated to video games, I would guess that the most visited destinations were the Chessex booth and the Reaper Miniatures booth.

I went to Pax East this year because of it's tremendous attention to pen and paper/ traditional gaming. Pax conventions might be the only place you can mistakenly bump into a stranger and they will apologize to YOU at no fault of their own. This relaxed politeness astounded me after my first, second, and third slow-motion collision in the meandering crowd. At 23 I'm ashamed to say Pax East was my first convention of any kind. But after this year's, it will most certainly not be my last. Conventions are inherently enjoyable, but they are equally overwhelming. Pax's pulsing throng offered an irrevocable immersion. The atmosphere was a nerd-Elysium. 

I myself have been a nerd (or geek depending on your jargon preference) since my first run in with Tolkien's The Hobbit more than a decade ago. But to be in a place where the pervasive nerd oxygen drifted so palpably was surreal. It's no exaggeration to suggest gaming of any kind can be a fringe topic under many circumstances, but Pax demolished all my reservations. People walked the convention center in beaming awe of the encouraged eccentricity.

I'm the type of person who would like nothing more than to talk about the tribulations of your orc nomad Dungeons and Dragons character. But I fully recognize the risks and social repercussions involved in bringing this up outside of gamer circles. To be in a place where countless strangers are eager to discuss such topics is truly an indescribable experience. My friend, Mike was struck by the "humbleness" of Pax co-host and writer, "Tycho" who could be spotted perusing the "tabletop gaming" section, and who showed genuine interest when Mike spoke to him about Dawn of Worlds, the RPG we were playing. 

At 2 AM Saturday night, another friend, Josh claimed, "These are our people," after one of us lost his backpack. Josh thought we would find it in the lost in found. Mike and I exchanged cynical, doubtful glances. But Josh was right, someone had returned it. When we were driving south from the city at the end of the weekend, I mentioned to Mike, "I wonder what it would have been like to be alive when Dungeons & Dragons was booming, a few decades back." He answered, "It would be like Pax." 

To read about what we did at Pax just click:

Burning Wheel

DnD Next

Dawn of Worlds

- J. B. Geany