Sunday, November 9, 2014

Well, darn

I should be blogging about Dungeonpocolypse part two, scheduled to happen last night. Instead I am sitting in my recliner where I have been most of the last 24 hours after tweaking my lower back. I wish I could say I hurt my back lifting downed tree limbs or putting my lawn mower away for the season. No, I hurt my back putting bacon I had cooked for my son in the warming drawer for when he woke up. I bent down to place a sandwich plate with two strips of bacon in the drawer and felt a sharp pain. The pain continued to build through most of the day and in the early afternoon I canceled the game. It really sucks getting older.

In any event I should be able to reschedule for a few weeks out and get the game rolling again. The worst part of this "injury" is that I cannot do much of anything like paint miniatures or craft dungeon terrain. Not to mention that it is a beautiful fall day in central Ohio and I have many chores to take care of outside.

I have been debating with myself about which RPG system I will use going forward (after I finish my current campaign). I have been very partial to Pathfinder since WOTC created the atrocity that was 4th edition but the new Dungeons and Dragons Next has really impressed me. The books are beautifully illustrated and well organized. The rules for DnD Next are what 4th should have been; streamlined, familiar and emphasizing role-playing. Spells and spell books are back as are true healing spells (Clerics in 4th allowed the target to spend a Healing surge for when they cast a spell). Next has added a few other innovations including the level scaling of spells like cure, fireball and lightning bolt. The free pdf version covers the rules and 4 basic classes.

Pathfinder, on the other hand, is only very much like its predecessor DnD 3.5. The concepts are adjusted from 3.5 but the basic rules are very much the same. So much so that the entire library of 3.5 and open GL books are very much compatible with the rule set. Where DnD Next has a free basic rules pdf Pathfinder has a free rules website that contains all the classes and many of the monsters. The Pathfinder SRD also contains modified and home brew content.

Both systems are well supported with supplements (Pathfinder has a huge head start) and miniatures. The DnD next miniatures with their flying dragons are really special but are interchangeable between systems. Tough choices....any thoughts? 

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