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Update |  |
It’s been a little while since my last post. I’d like to blame it on our impending move and, in truth, that might have something to do with my motivation issues, but truthfully I think that lack of stuff to post is the prime culprit. Things have been a little slow, gaming wise. I will post on a few gaming-related things, as usual, in no particular order.
1. I played Arkham Horror last weekend with some friends. We normally play with the Curse of the Dark Pharaoh and Dunwich Horror expansions, but last weekend we also got the chance to play with the King in Yellow expansion, too. We lost, and I think that expansion had something to do with it. It certainly adds some cool new toys to the mix; one of the players got a spell that granted him a sort of controllable lycanthropy, which was useful. I also got a journal that allowed me to reduce the Terror Track once. However, the expansion does ramp up the difficulty somewhat, and it succeeds in adding an extra level of tension to the game.
2. I’ve been playing Dungeon Siege 2 lately; picked it up cheap along with its expansion pack, and I have not regretted that decision. DS2 does all the same things right that the first did, but it adds more depth and a somewhat more interesting storyline (though it’s still pretty generic and somewhat predictable so far). The game is not, by any stretch of the imagination, realistic. It is, however, extremely fun, providing that combination of mindless combat, party management, and carrot-on-a-stick character advancement that makes it so appealing.
3. Lately, I’ve been reading Secrets of Xen’drik a campaign supplement for the Eberron setting that deals with that mysterious continent. It’s not like other campaign supplements I’ve read. When I first found out about it, I viewed it with some trepidation. Kieth Baker, the setting’s creator, had always been very clear that he didn’t want to detail Xen’drik too fully, that he wanted to leave it mostly open for individual DMs to fill in with their own imagination. Would a supplement pull back that curtain too much, reveal too much of what should remain hidden? Thankfully, it doesn’t. The supplement is a sort of campaign toolbox, with a variety of settings, encounters, and even adventure frameworks that are flavorful, but generic enough to be easy to place anywhere on the continent. The book stays away from specifics and metaplots, allowing the DM to create his or her own plots and mysteries.
