Off Topic

Lately I've been thinking about what it's like to play as a new player, something I haven't done in years -- I started playing RPGs when I was nine years old, in 1981.

If you're not aware, Critical Role is a web series that streams on Twitch every week on Thursday nights, 7 p.m.

Being a Dungeon Master for a TTRPG like Dungeons and Dragons means a fair amount of work involved in running an adventure for a group of players, but you may be surprised how often that is all for nothing.

If there's one thing that every Dungeons and Dragons game needs, it's a Dungeon Master.

I've been playing and Game Mastering various tabletop RPGs for a long time -- from old school Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder, to Wraith the Oblivion, Exalted, and Talislanta. I've run GURPS, Champions, Silver Age Sentinels, Unknown Armies, Conspiracy X, Call of Cthulhu, Earthdawn, Heavy Gear... it's a lot of games.

While we've been busy collecting Anima and restoring order to the Shadowlands, famed Pandaren chef Nomi has been on a culinary tour across Azeroth, Draenor, and the Shadowlands.

TSR, Inc introduced the world to Count Strahd von Zarovich in 1983 in the module Ravenloft, a Dungeons and Dragons spin on the famous Dracula legend, and he has remained a villainous favorite of players and Dungeon Masters ever since.

The latest sourcebook for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition has arrived, and if you're looking for a ruleset to finally populate your campaign with rainbow elementals and playable unicorns, then Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is most definitely not it.

Of course, I have been playing World of Warcraft since 2004.

It was a fun (if slightly bonkers) time playing a homemade Mass Effect-themed TTRPG with Blizzard Watch's usual tabletop gaming crew.