Sunday's game session

Well, another Sunday has come and gone. The regular gang got together for the continuing adventures of our Greyhawk game, and we also got in a few board games.

In fact, we had a few games of Magic; and two games of Settlers of Catan - including the Cities and Knights expansion that I've only bought a couple of weeks ago.

The board games were fun. Julian won the first C&K game (as he did the other two we played a week ago), and I won the second. This was mainly because Julian decided to sit out the third game. Julian has played a lot of Settlers online. :-)

Unlike the majority of my D&D games, I decided to go miniature heavy for this one. I'd managed to acquire most of the miniatures I needed, so the PCs continued their adventure on the Astral Plane (although they didn't realise that was where they were). The Githyanki they'd encountered in the previous session offered them a deal:

Kill the invaders who have taken over one of our outposts, and we'll take you back to the Material plane. The PCs agreed, and I had my adventure.

Map Folio I came in very useful here - I used the maps of the Githyanki Citadel in it as props the PCs could determine the layout of the outpost they were attacking. Into it they went, without any idea what they were facing. :)

In the end it turned out to be Gargoyles, Grimlocks, a Gauth, and two Mind Flayers. (Yes, today's session is brought to you by the letters "G", "M" and the number "2"). This was also my chance to have fun with the Expanded Psionics Handbook... the Mind Flayers kept on healing themselves as a quickened action. (Damn that Astral Plane!) The combats were fun and furious.

My miniature collection boasts 2 Mind Flayers, 13 Grimlocks, 3 Gauths, 8 Zombies and about 20+ Skeletons. One of the Mind Flayers was a 5th level cleric; that explained the skeletons and zombies I forgot to mention earlier. Mere sword fodder that Julian, playing his paladin "Blake", turned with ease.

Gofa's Sorceress/Mindbender "Cassie" discovered exactly how useful Melf's Acid Arrow is, especially against creatures with improbably Spell Resistances. (She needed a 20 on a d20 to affect the Clerical Mind Flayer with her fireballs or magic missiles!)

Greg's Ranger/Wizard/Eldritch Knight "Lukas" performed admirably, using bow, spell and sword all well, and he also was the healer of the party with a wand of cure light wounds.

This is not to forget Ben's Rogue/Fighter/Duelist "D'arcy", who used a magical longsword against everything, especially the Gargoyles, at least when he wasn't facing a Mind Flayer.

The first Mind Flayer used Mind Blast to stun him for 9 rounds - the rest of the combat, as it happened - the second Dominated him and used him to attack Blake. Fairly ineffectively, it turned out. His dice hated him this session. (A puny +2 on his Will save wasn't good against the Mind Flayers!)

In the end, the party were victorious. They got a lot of treasure - primarily art objects - and Blake got a +4 shield, which he's very happy with. :)

Next session, back to the Great Kingdom. Gofa's going to miss the session, so I think I may run a rogue-themed session to give D'arcy something to do.

Friday afternoon: Trading and Skirmishes

I've just had a happy Friday afternoon with a few friends playing D&D Miniatures and Magic: the Gathering.

The two warbands I took along were as follows:

100 point Chaotic Evil:
* Vampire Aristocrat
* Ogre Ravager
* Abyssal Maw

200 point Chaotic Good
* Cleric of Corellon Larethian
* Moon Elf Fighter
* 3 Centaurs
* 3 Graycloak Rangers
* Axesister
* 3 Wolves (minions)

How did they go? Fairly badly. :)

First game I played was using the 200 pt army against a CE band of 2 Orc Champions, 3 Cursed Spirits and 2 Eye of Gruumsh. Scenario was Teleporter statues. I detest Cursed Spirits - I always fail the incorporeal check to hit them! I teleported my Axe Sister so she could do a whirlwind attack against the three spirits at once. The result? No damage. Argggghhhh!!!

By the end of the battle, I'd lost all my figures, but I had taken out the two Eyes of Gruumsh and one of the Orc Champions - the other Champion was below half hit points. I missed several key initiative checks, though. :(

The second game was my 100 point warband versus another band I can't actually remember... I lost that one, though. Stupid critical hits.

We also played a 3-player with my 100 band against a Eye of Gruumsh, Githyanki Fighter + Orc Warrior warband and a warband consisting of a Drow Cleric of Lolth + 4 Cursed Spirits. The scenario was Stragglers.

Basically, I sat back and waited for my figures to come out whilst the Orc Warriors and the Cursed Spirits engaged each other in the shrine in the middle of the board.

Then my Ogre Ravager moved into position, slew a Cursed Spirit and then routed off the board due to a Githyanki hitting it too many times.

The Cleric of Lolth entered the table, along with the Eye of Gruumsh and my Vampire Aristocrat. I stayed away as long as possible, as the Cleric went down to the Eye and the Githyanki.

Three figures left on the table: the Eye of Gruumsh and a Githyanki fighter against my Vampire Aristocrat. The Githyanki died as it failed a morale save... and the Eye reduced my Vampire to 10 hp.

A final hit from me and the Eye was ready to kill my Vampire, except for that Morale save it had to make. Oh, it failed. I won! :)

It's a silly game. I want more figures with the Fear spell!

I did some trading as well, getting rid of various figures for ones more useful for me in the RPG. The exact trades I can't remember, but I traded away the following figures:

* Aspect of Orcus
* Aspect of Lolth
* Minotaur
* Cleric of Lolth
* Orc Champion
* Thayan Knight
* Black Dragon

And received in exchange:

* Large Earth Elemental
* Mummy (x2)
* Barghest
* Orc Druid
* Mind Flayer
* Erinyes

I'll point out that I still have 2 Black Dragons and 3 Minotaurs. :) The Orc Druid was the only figure of those I received I didn't already have, but the others are quite useful in the RPG.

I only need one more figure - the Halfling Outrider - for a set of Dragoneye!

My complete D&D Miniatures list

I should have known better... I got paid on Friday, and so bought some more miniatures. Quite a few, including the collection of a friend who is off to the States in a couple of weeks. So, my previous list is now invalid.

I've just been sorting through my miniatures to find out exactly what I have... so here's the revised list.

Aberrations

2 Bright Nagas
4 Carrion Crawlers
3 Gauths
1 Mind Flayer
2 Nothics
1 Umber Hulk

Animals

2 Dire Apes
3 Dire Boars
3 Dire Lions
13 Hyenas
10 Wolves

Constructs

6 Dreadguards

Dragons

8 Baaz Draconians
3 Black Dragons
5 Blue Wyrmlings
1 Brass Dragon
7 Crested Felldrakes
1 Gold Champion
9 Kapak Draconians
1 Large Red Dragon
1 Large Silver Dragon
1 Silver Sorcerer
2 Small White Dragons

Elementals

2 Large Earth Elementals
3 Medium Air Elementals
1 Medium Earth Elemental
4 Medium Fire Elementals
3 Medium Water Elementals

Giants

2 Hill Giants
2 Ogres
2 Ogre Ravagers
2 Trolls

Humanoids

Dwarves

4 Cleric of Moradin
4 Duergar Warriors
11 Dwarf Axefighters
13 Dwarf Barbarians
1 Dwarven Defender
2 Gold Dwarf Fighters
2 Tordek, Dwarf Fighter

Elves

1 Arcane Archer
2 Bladesingers
1 Champion of Eilistraee
3 Clerics of Corellon Larethian
2 Devis, Half-Elf Bard
3 Drow Archers
2 Drow Clerics of Lolth
5 Drow Fighters
2 Drow Sergeants
4 Drow Warriors
5 Drow Wizards
13 Elf Archers
3 Elf Pyromancers
9 Elf Spearguards
1 Evermeet Wizard
4 Graycloak Rangers
4 Half-Elf Sorcerers
2 Mialee Elf Wizard
3 Moon-Elf Fighters
1 Vadania, Half-Elf Druid
7 Wild Elf Barbarians
2 Wood Elf Skirmishers

Extraplanar

4 Githyanki Fighters
8 Githzerai

Gnolls

8 Gnolls
6 Gnoll Archers

Gnomes

11 Gnome Fighters
13 Gnome Recruits
2 Nebin, Gnome Illusionist

Goblinoids

9 Bugbears
12 Hobgoblin Warriors
9 Goblin Skirmishers
9 Goblin Sneaks
6 Goblin Warriors
4 Snig the Axe
3 Urthok the Vicious

Halflings

4 Clerics of Yondalla
2 Halfling Rangers
4 Halfling Veterans
3 Halfling Wizards
3 Lidda, Halfling Rogue

Humans

3 Axe Sisters
6 Barbarian Mercenaries
2 Clerics of Lathander
4 Clerics of Nerull
9 Clerics of Order
4 Copper Samurai
5 Cultists of the Dragon
5 Daring Rogues
4 Dalelands Militia
2 Dark Moon Monks
3 Dragon Slayers
5 Drunken Masters
6 Druids of Obad-Hai
3 Ember, Human Monk
2 Healers
8 Human Bandits
4 Human Blackguards
1 Human Cleric of Bane
14 Human Commoners
7 Human Crossbowmen
5 Human Evokers
4 Human Executioners
1 Human Thug
2 Human Wanderers
5 Ialdabode, Human Psion
5 Jozan, Human Cleric
5 Kerwyn, Human Rogue
1 Lion Falcon Monk
10 Men-at-Arms
1 Paladin of Torm
1 Purple Dragon Knight
2 Red Samurai
2 Red Wizards
3 Regdar, Human Fighter
5 Sages
2 Soldiers of Cormyr
3 Stalwart Paladins
8 Sunsoul Initiates
1 Sword of Heironeous
1 Thayan Knight
3 Zhentarim Fighters

Maenads

2 Ragnara, Psychic Warrior

Orcs

1 Cleric of Gruumsh
1 Cleric of Kord
1 Eye of Gruumsh
4 Half-Orc Assassins
1 Half-Orc Barbarian
8 Half-Orc Fighters
5 Half-Orc Monks
3 Krusk, Half-Orc Barbarian
4 Orc Archers
5 Orc Berserkers
2 Orc Champions
3 Orc Raiders
11 Orc Spearfighters
8 Orc Warriors

Reptilian

8 Kobold Skirmishers
8 Kobold Warriors
5 Lizardfolk
7 Troglodytes

Magical Beasts

2 Displacer Beasts
9 Worgs

Monstrous Humanoids

3 Centaurs
4 Chitines
6 Gargoyles
12 Grimlocks
4 Harpies
7 Kuo-Toas
2 Medusas
4 Minotaurs
3 Thri-Kreen Rangers
1 Young Minotaur
2 Yuan-ti Purebloods

Oozes

1 Ochre Jelly

Outsiders

3 Abyssal Eviscerators
10 Abyssal Maws
1 Aspect of Demogorgon
1 Aspect of Bane
2 Aspects of Lolth
2 Aspects of Orcus
6 Azer Raiders
1 Barghest
2 Bearded Devils
1 Bone Devil
8 Dretches
1 Erinyes
11 Hellhounds
2 Hound Archons
2 Salamanders
8 Stonechildren
2 Tiefling Captains
1 Vrock
2 Xills

Plant

2 Shambling Mounds

Shapechangers

6 Dwarven Werebears
2 Wereboars
4 Wererats
5 Werewolves

Undead

3 Cursed Spirits
11 Ghouls
7 Gravehounds
1 Mummy
4 Troglodyte Zombies
12 Skeletons
1 Vampire Aristocrat
5 Warrior Skeletons
5 Wights
8 Wolf Skeletons
1 Wraith
8 Zombies

Vermin

1 Large Monstrous Spider

That's it so far! I'm missing 7 figures from the first three sets: Large Fire Elemental and Owlbear from Harbinger, Halfling Outrider and Orc Druid from Dragoneye, and Drizzt, Drow Ranger; Unicorn and Clay Golem from Archfiends. (And no, I don't trade online. Sorry!)

The Future of D&D

At GAMA this year, Wizards of the Coast had a D&D Breakfast where they outlined their strategy for the future of D&D and the D&D Miniatures line.

GamingReport.com posted the slides they displayed, and later I transcribed them for ENworld readers. I'm now going to copy them to here so that I've got a record somewhere on my site of what they said.

I found looking at the entire presentation to be very interesting - I hope you will find it so as well.

Stage I Goal: Acquire New Players

Acquisition Marketing: Try!
* Purchase Basic Game or Starter Set

Stage I Consumer:

* Profile
- Interested in D&D (6.1 million "potential" players)
* Migration Goals:
- introduce the basic concepts of the D&D brand
- teach roleplaying concepts
- enter D&D with a playable character
* Products
- D&D Basic game
- D&D Miniatures Starter Set
- Young Reader Novels

Roleplaying: the D&D Basic Game

* The ideal product to introduce new players to roleplaying
* Gently guides new players from their expectations of a "normal" board game into D&D's more unusual concepts
* Product content, component quality, and price point comparable to mainstream board games
* A no-compromises acquisition product

D&D Basic Game - $24.95
September 2004
10-1/2" x 11-1/2" x 2-1/2" boxed set
Contents:
- two 8 page full color starter rulebooks
- 4 double-sided boardlike map tiles
- 16 miniatures
- character cards
- advanced rulebook
- dice

D&D Miniatures

* Miniatures are a brand-extension
- Provide a new way to play
- Provide RPG accessories
* D&D Miniatures will always be
- playable out of the box
- iconic D&D characters and monsters
- linked with other D&D products
* D&D Miniatures will always provide
- fast, competitive play with miniatures
- ready to use D&D monsters and characters

D&D Miniatures Starter Set

* Provides everything needed to get started
- 40-page rule book
- 16 figures
- battlegrid map
- d20
- damage counters
* Entry point for potential players
- competitive play
- familiar-looking experience
- introduces d20 rules system

Young Reader Novels

* Draw tweens into fantasy
* Readers energised by Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings films
* Mirrorstone Books - new imprint
* Knights of the Silver Dragon
- entry level, ages 8-12
- Hardy Boys meets LotR in the dungeon
* Dragonlance: the New Adventures
- ages 10-12
- recurring teenage cast of adventurers
* Knights of the Silver Dragon
- Secrets of the Spiritkeeper (August)
- Riddle in Stone (August)
- $5.99, digest size, 192 pages
- readers can become Knights themselves

* Dragonlance: the New Adventures
- Temple of the Dragonslayer (July)
- The Dying Kingdom (July)
- $5.99, digest size, 256 pages

Acquisition Marketing: Capture Tweens and Teens

* Large-scale mainstream marketing push
* Year-long PR campaign to build awareness and modify negative brand perceptions
* Turn potential players into active customers
- game demos at Worldwide D&D Game Day
- interactive web demo supported by 3 waves of print and online advertising
- over 47 million impressions

Stage II Goals: Retain and Migrate Players

In-Product Cross-Promo: Buy!
* Purchase core rules, accessories and mini boosters

Stage II Consumer

* Profile
- comfortable with roleplaying concepts
* Migration Goals
- play and purchase regularly
* Products
- RPG Core rulebooks
- roleplaying accessories
- D&D Miniatures booster packs
- novels

Roleplaying: Core Rulebooks

* The heart of D&D
- Player's Handbook
- Dungeon Master's Guide
- Monster Manual
* Compatible with all Third Edition supplements

Roleplaying: Accessories

* Accessories are items that aid play without increasing sophistication
* Encourage active players to make incremental purchases
- Deluxe Character Sheets and Deluxe DM Screen
- D&D Dice
- Map Folio I and Map Folio II
- Miniatures

Map Folio I

* April 2004
* $9.95
* 64 page folio with folder
* beautiful maps allow DMs to quickly illustrate movement and clarify gameplay
* Map Folio II and Map Folio 3-D to follow in 2004

Miniatures: Booster Packs

* Aimed at all D&D fans
* Provide additional game-play utility
- new creatures for competitive warbands
- RPG adventures feature creatures from sets
- battle mats and maps
- playsets and scenarios
* Collectible D&D
- exclusive iconic characters drawn from 30 years of D&D

D&D Miniatures: Giants of Legend

* July 2004
* Huge Pack ($19.99)
- 9 random, pre-painted miniatures
+ regular assortment, plus 1 Huge
* 72 Figures in set
- Huge-sized creatures
- Giants, older dragons
- Legendary characters

Novels: Forgotten Realms

* The Two Swords by R.A. Salvatore (October)
- $25.95, hardcover
- Completes the Hunter's Blades Trilogy (The Thousand Orcs; The Lone Drow)
- The Lone Drow spent ten weeks on the NYT best-seller list

* R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen series
- $24.95; hardcover
- Extinction by Lisa Smedman (January)
- Annihiliation by Phil Athans (July)
- Cover Art by Brom

Stage II: Retention Marketing: Driving Player Purchases

* Increase player participation in RPGA events
- miniatures retail OP program launched in January
- full summer convention season of events
- RPGA Player Rewards program

* Encourage players to become DMs
- RPGA GM-University program
- revamped Dragon and Dungeon magazines

* Turn players into brand evangelists
- worldwide "Learn to play D&D" Game Day
- bring-a-friend program

* Nine month integrated PR and ad campaign
- 3 waves of print and online advertising
- over 10 million impressions

Stage III Goal: Retain and Migrate Players

Repeat purchase behaviour: supplements and settings
Retention Marketing: Invest

Stage III Consumer:

* Profile
- plays regularly
- involved in D&D as a hobby ("lifestyle")

* Migration Goals
- retain player
- increase purchase behaviour

* Products
- rules supplement
- campaign settings

Roleplaying: Supplements and Campaign Settings

* Supplements increase the sophistication and scope of the game

* Campaign settings and products provide a game world in which to set play

* Both promote repeat-purchase model - they encourage players to buy more stuff!

Roleplaying: Supplements

* All Supplement are now organized into series
* Series structure helps players decide "what to buy next"
* Each series has a unique (but distinctly D&D) trade dress
* Existing backlist will be made compatible with series structure in reprint

2004 Releases

- Rulesbuilder series
* Unearthed Arcana (February)
* Expanded Psionics (April)
* Planar Handbook (July)
- Hero series: Complete Divine (May)
- Race series: Races of Stone (August)
- Environment series: Frostburn (September)
- Creature series: Libris Mortis (October)
- Genre series and others

Roleplaying: Campaign Settings

* Comprehensive sourcebooks of unique worlds aimed at dedicated players

* Eberron:
- Eberron Campaign Setting (June)
- Shadows of the Last War adventure (July)
- Heavy cross-category support continues through 2004, 2005 and beyond

* Forgotten Realms
- Player's Guide to Faerun (March)
- Serpent Kingdoms (July)

Expanded Psionics Handbook

* March 2004
* $34.95
* 224-page hardcover
* New rules for psionics and psionic characters
* Expands the usefulness of psionics and makes it easier for DMs

Monster Manual III

* September 2004
* $34.95
* 224-page hardcover
* Nearly 200 new monsters
* New easier-to-access format makes this the most useful monster supplement yet!

Eberron Campaign Setting

* June 2004
* $39.95
* 288-page hardcover
* D&D's exciting new campaign setting, the first in more than five years
* Fully supported: three supplements to follow in 2004 alone

Retention Marketing: Celebration Events

* Origins
- D&D Timeline Exhibition debut

* Gen Con
- "Epic Level" party
- D&D-sponsored "True Dungeon"

* Worldwide "Learn to play D&D" Game Day
- POP materials and demo kits available
- Advertising and PR will draw new customers

Retention Marketing: Promote Eberron

* Sneak Peaks
- First exclusive preview at Winter Fantasy
- "Countdown to Eberron" preview articles in Dragon
- Web previews

* Pre-order promotion
- Free warforged minis for your customers
- Drives Eberron Campaign Setting sales

* Print and online advertising
- 2 waves, over summer and fall
- over 6 million impressions

Thirty Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons

* Coffee table book releases in October 2004
- 320 pages
- will include text and short sidebars from celebrities from the gaming world and beyond
- extensive photographs and artwork throughout

* Great tool for spreading the word about D&D

For those waiting on the rest of my D&D Miniatures lists, I'll get to them tomorrow!

My D&D Miniatures part II (Evil Humanoids)

This list is of the Evil Humanoid box. Into that category go the goblinoids, orcs and gnolls. Drow are in the Denizens of the Underdark box, so you'll have to wait for them. (Or maybe, as this blog is published in reverse order, you've already seen them!)

Once again, there are no rares in this list.

Gnolls

8 Gnolls
3 Gnoll Archers

Goblins

1 Snig the Axe
4 Goblin Warriors
6 Goblin Skirmishers
8 Goblin Sneaks

Hobgoblins

2 Urthok the Vicious
8 Hobgoblin Warriors

Bugbears

6 Bugbears

Orcs

5 Orc Warriors
9 Orc Spearfighters
4 Orc Berserkers
4 Orc Archers
1 Orc Raider

Half-Orcs

4 Half-Orc Assassins
7 Half-Orc Fighters
4 Half-Orc Monks
1 Cleric of Kord
1 Half-Orc Barbarian

Kobolds

8 Kobold Warriors
7 Kobold Skirmishers

My D&D Miniatures part I (Elementals, Outsiders and Undead)

Li Shenron recently asked me what miniatures I owned. Well, here's the answer... well at least part of it.

I store my miniatures in various boxes depending on what use they have. The number of boxes is likely to grow as I get more and more miniatures, of course.

Currently sitting in Box I (an expansion box for Carcasonne) are my Outsiders and Undead. No rares are in this list, they'll come later on since they're in yet another box.

Elementals

2 Medium Air Elementals
1 Medium Fire Elemental
2 Medium Water Elemental

Outsiders

1 Abyssal Eviscerator
7 Abyssal Maws
4 Azer Raiders
6 Dretchs
2 Githyanki Fighters
6 Githzerai
8 Hellhounds
7 Stonechildren
2 Tiefling Captains
2 Xill

Undead

3 Cursed Spirits
11 Ghouls
2 Gravehounds
10 Skeletons
3 Troglodyte Zombies
2 Warrior Skeletons
4 Wights
6 Wolf Skeletons
7 Zombies

Remember this isn't including the rares - yet.

More later!