Tag: TTRPG

TTRPGs

Biomutant Would Make an Excellent Tabletop RPG

Thread of Souls

Biomutant is an open world RPG from Experiment 101 and THQ Nordic. It’s a blend of familiar games such as Fallout and Skyrim and looks about as stunning as Breath of the Wild. We’ve put a lot of hours into it traveling it’s massive open world and while it is fun to play as a video game, we feel it would work even better as a tabletop RPG.

It isn’t a new concept to take a video game and turn it into a board game. Divinity: Original Sin II, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Dark Souls all created some form of board game or tabletop version of their video game.

We think the Biomutant developers should give it a go. If they’re looking for anyone to help write or create it, just hit us up.

Biomutant

Biomutant is a world full of anthropomorphic creatures all mutated by a chemical spill. Humans have abandoned the world and left it to die. The creatures now thrive off of the Tree of Life and six tribes rule sections of the world. Each one wants something different and they are split on saving the world of letting it end.

Characters are mutated to have different colored fur, amphibian skin, and magical abilities. The world is urban fantasy and a blend of science fiction. It’s all very Dungeons & Dragons like and the popular tabletop game is the perfect place to build a Biomutant TTRPG.

Biomutant as a TTRPG

Species. Every character you interact with in Biomutant is an animal of some kind. There are foxes, rats, otters, badgers and a whole lot of other weird and unique creatures. Players could range from any one of these interesting animals and each different species could have its own fantastic trait.

Aquatic creatures could be more acclimated to swimming in all types of biomes including water, acid, lava, and radiation. Whereas foxes and land mammals could be more agile on land or jump higher.

While Dungeons & Dragons may relate stats to certain races, a Biomutant TTRPG could rather corelate states with a specific class.

Classes. There are five classes available in Biomutant and all provide a different playstyle.

The Dead-Eye is a ranged fighter that relies on guns and can dominate the battlefield from a distance. Reloading is near instantaneous.

The Commando is similar to the Dead-Eye but their attacks are a bit stronger. The closest D&D class they’d come to is a fighter or ranger.

Psi-Freaks use psionic energy to attack and defend. Whether it’s levitating above the enemy or firing off electricity or flames, they have access to a number of powerful abilities. They’re like the Scarlet Witch of the bunch or a Wizard in D&D.

Saboteur’s are quick, agile, and nimble. They focus on using lighter weapons like sai’s and daggers. They’re a mix of rangers and rogues.

Sentinel’s are the heavy hitters. They act as tanks and can take a beating and deal it out just as well. Think of them like D&D’s Barbarians.

Weapons. One of the best features of Biomutant is it’s weapon system. There are well over two million crafting options you can choose from and not one is the same. While exploring the world, characters will come across resources ranging from plungers, trumpets, wrenches, and more odd assets that are used to build weapons.

Setting a skill check difficulty class (DC) for each weapon is a simple way to have players build certain weapons. The more gear they collect could help reduce the check. As for figuring out damage, they weapons could each range from a d4 to a d12 to even multiple of the same dice. Even if the player fails in reaching the target DC, the weapon could still be built but the damage may be reduced or it may break after a certain amount of shots.

Narrative. Biomutant’s story is pretty straightforward and could easily be worked into a tabletop setting. Massive creatures called worldeaters are destroying the Tree of Life all while different tribes are plotting to assist them or kill them. Characters could each be from one of the different tribes and their backgrounds could give them bonuses to their stats.

Mutations. One big aspect in a Biomutant tabletop game will be dealing with mutations. If the characters interact with a chemical spill, they can alter their DNA and gain new abilities or change their appearance. Interactions could be based randomly to make each one more interesting and to drive roleplay. Creating a random roll table would help achieve this.

While another example could be having the players describe how the chemical alters their character’s psyche and body. Instead of rolling randomly on a table, players could just choose what they prefer so they can roleplay how they wish.

The chemical spill could then be inactive for a while and they could visit it again or bottle it and use it as needed to mutate their body again.

A simple rundown on converting Biomutant to a tabletop setting:

  • A crafting system for weapons
  • Psionic and mutated abilities
    • Levitation, electricity, fire, ice, mucus, and growing a literal turtle shell on your back to ride down slopes.
  • Cute and fluffy animals with their own unique abilities and appearance
  • The overarching plot of saving the Tree of Life and killing the worldeaters or joining the tribes focused on its destruction.
  • Don’t take it too seriously.
Storytelling, TTRPGs

How to Play Tabletop Role-playing Games with Just Two People

Thread of Souls

Tabletop adventure books are generally written with large party dynamics in mind. If you’re like us, it may be you and another person or just you at the table. If that’s the case, we’ve made it easy for you to play your TTRPG without having to find several other players to join.

Getting four to six people to sit around a table (or online) for a few hours a week or month can be challenging. But it’s old fashioned terminology and we believe it should be gotten rid of. For there are ways to play any tabletop session without having multiple people.

dungeons & dragons

We started playing our homebrew world of Thread of Souls in 2015. In the beginning, we had three players. Three is a good magic number but the GM wanted more. The group evolved into five and fluctuated from that to six or seven at times.

Having more players gives much more fluidity when it comes to leading conversations, character development, and plot. Game masters can focus on individual characters when the time comes but there are times when it can be too much. Combat, for instance, is definitely bogged down with a larger party size. Eventually our group fell apart as they often do and it was left with Talia and myself. Sometimes all it takes is two.

Dungeons & Dragons

Just the Two of Us

Since 2018, we’ve been playing weekly two player sessions of our TTRPG. We play in our homebrew world of Corventos, from our Thread of Souls books, so we don’t have to worry about basing encounters off of a specific number of players. Instead we each play multiple characters each with their own unique skills and backstories.

Playing Multiple Player Characters

While the GM will play every NPC the party encounters, they can also play an adventurer that explores with the party. In our case I play two player characters along with my other tasks. Both have a backstory and take turns in conversations and performing skills like investigating.

It’s all about knowing what your character would know and acting how they would act. If you’re the GM, just keep in mind that while you may know the story or campaign book, your character is just as oblivious as the other player.

dungeons & dragons

Increase Intimacy

Speaking of the other player. Playing with anyone in a one-on-one setting is a great way to grow and build your relationship. You both get to know the other person through the eyes of multiple characters and personalities by having them control as many player characters as they feel comfortable. It also helps if each one acts, speaks, and behaves differently so the GM can tell the difference more easily.

The more comfortable you are with on another, the more fun and deeper role play can get. And if you’re just starting out in a one-on-one setting and don’t know the other person as well, it’s a great ice breaker and allows you both to build a friendship. Or if you just want to fight and gain loot, that’s perfectly okay too.

Story Collaboration

As the GM you can also build encounters around the other players characters. Everyone is a part of the story and they all need time to shine. Make sure you take the time to talk with the player to see what they want to get out of the game. Maybe they like exploring and just want to search for treasure. While others are all about that role play and wish to delve deeper into emotions and plot.

Another great way to handle two player games is to have the player control certain aspects of the session. For instance, if it’s alright with the GM, they can take over for NPCs and speak with the game masters characters.

Tabletop games are all about collaboration. It isn’t GM versus players. It’s a shared story where anyone should feel comfortable to speak up and take part in the epic tale.

Playing together is also great for introverts who aren’t comfortable being in large settings around people. As an introvert, I can say being able to just play with someone I know makes me open up more and come out of my shell.

Honestly, you can make just about any game into a two player game. If you have a single player video game you can hand the controller back and forth to complete different quests or control different characters.

TTRPGs aren’t strictly for groups of players. They are intimate, fun, freeing, and allow for character growth for both the players and their characters. It’s just like writing a book. There is an author and an editor. Imagine both players as the authors and editors of the game, world, and characters.

TTRPGs

G4 To Host D&D Live 2021 in July

Thread of Souls

G4TV is partnering with Wizards of the Coats for this year’s Dungeons & Dragons live event called D&D Live 2021. The annual celebration is typically where WOTC announces a few of its upcoming projects ranging from campaign guides to supplements. The two-day event will run from July 16th to the 17th.

“D&D Live 2021 is going to be an innovative event with new forms of interactivity for a live streaming audience and the perfect D&D introduction for new audiences,” said Brian Terwilliger, 12th level VP of Programming and Creative Strategy at G4. “We’re thrilled to partner with Wizards of the Coast to give fans adventure, comedy, and an incredibly entertaining journey into the theater of the mind.”

The celebration will include four featured games with a cast of popular streamers, content creators, and stars. There will also be interviews, product announcements, a dungeon master roundtable, and giveaways. While there is no word on who exactly will be joining the mayhem, if it’s anything like last year’s event, it won’t want to be missed.

“D&D Live has been such an exciting event for both fans and Wizards, and it’s amazing how it has grown each year. In 2021, we are expanding D&D Live’s impact by partnering with G4,” said Nathan Stewart, Level 20 Wizard of the Coast, Head of Franchise. “With G4 joining our party, we aim to bring even more fans to Dungeons & Dragons by showcasing friends adventuring together.”

G4 is making an epic come back this year after being off the air since 2014. The channel is dedicated to showcasing gaming and traditionally focused on video games. However, with the growing popularity of TTRPGs the network saw a demand for tabletop content, according to Kevin Sabbe. Thus, the union with WOTC was born.

G4 is also creating a limited tabletop series for their launch. It includes four campaigns with creators and talent from G4, D&D players, and celebrities.

Previous events lasted all day and times for games and events for D&D Live 2021 will be announced later.

Blog header "5 Most Immersive Video Game Fast Travels" with a pokeball and the Skyrim symbol and a sword on a parchment background.
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Five Immersive Video Game Fast Travels

Thread of Souls

When it comes to traveling, we’re still learning a few tricks to enhance our overall experience. Driving for hours on end is quite a challenge but a welcome one. However, we can’t help but think about all of the video game travels we’ve played that make it much more simple. Games like Zelda or the Elder Scrolls series where hopping from one side of the world map to the other is done without running across plains, over mountains, and through forests. It’s these times we wish fast travel could be used in the real world.

Open world games provide the player with endless amounts of exploration. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt presents one of the largest and broadest maps to explore. Its main story is quite good and we’re always up for playing it again but it found its beauty in its quests and exploration. It’s the same with the real world, minus the side quests, although life does tend to through a few if you’re looking and even when you’re not.

Hitting the open road cues up plenty of opportunities to see new sites and experience new places. It’s what makes exploring worthwhile. But there can be times when becomes tedious and you just want to skip ahead to the next destination (we’re looking at your Kansas plains). Being able to fast forward through uncomfortable roads or dull views would make adventuring a bit less boring. That’s why we’ve listed a few games we believe have the best fast travel options.

Five Games with the Most Immersive Fast Travel

Elder Scrolls Morrowind – Silt Striders

The Elder Scrolls series is one great big adventure across multiple provinces. Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim all feature epic landscapes to explore but reaching them can be a bit of a chore. No matter if you’ve played through multiple times or it’s your first, walking from one end of the map to the other just to complete a side quest can be tedious, but Morrowind makes fast travel fun.

We’re always a fan of games that provide a unique way to get from point A to point B that makes sense. Simply clicking on a point on the map you’ve been to before and instantly teleporting there isn’t really all that immersive, and oftentimes it can even break immersion. Instead, Morrowind features creatures called silt striders – giant beasts of burden that float just off of the ground. They are effectively ferry boats but instead of water, they ride over land. If characters have enough coin they can take a ride on a silt strider and reach a new town within seconds.

While there isn’t a cutscene involved, it does make reaching new places much more simple. The game even puts a silt strider in the starting town of Seyda Neen allowing players access to larger cities that can take time to reach on foot.

Pokémon – Flying

Flying is one of the quickest ways to get around in the real world and Pokémon utilizes it as well. The mechanic was introduced during the first generation – Red, Blue, Yellow – and allowed trainers to teach it to some Pokémon able to fly. However, the catch was the player had to have visited a location beforehand. This means there was still exploration involved in the games.

Once a Pokémon learned to fly, the trainer hopped on them like a horse and flew to their destination. Early games didn’t have the technical capacity to make a full cutscene, but later games let players control their mount and let them see the world below.

Skyrim – Carriages

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim does include one Silt Strider but it isn’t available to hire. Instead, the fifth game in the series uses one of the most unique forms of travel of any game on our list: carriages or wagons. It’s a form of transport any player of Skyrim will be familiar with as the game begins with the protagonist riding in one.

Each major city has a carriage and rider the player can hire to take them across the province. It’s like renting a car or taking a bus but instead of dealing with people, you get to smell horses throughout the journey. If only carriages provided some way to see the scenery as you went along. While the opening cinematic is gorgeous, especially on PC, the entire world of Skyrim is stunningly epic to look at.

The best part is the carriages can be taken to other cities you haven’t visited yet.

Legend of Zelda – Music

The Legend of Zelda series uses music as a way to quickly traverse the world. While Breath of the Wild may be one exception to the franchise; utilizing Shrines to get from point to point, the others include music of some sort.

Ocarina of Time features the ocarina and lets Link traverse Hyrule through songs. Each song is connected to a different location on the world map and allows the Hero of Time to instantly teleport there. Whereas Wind Waker gives Link a magical baton to compose songs. No matter which game in the series you play, there is a link to music somewhere in it. Even Breath of the Wild’s shrines are powered by music. Activating them cues a single track that ends with the final note turning on the device.

A Link to the Past even allows Link to summon a flying rooster to reach new areas. When put into perspective in the real world, music can make travel seem quicker. Lengthy car rides can appear shorter or faster even if you listen to a great travel-themed playlist.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Signposts

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is another beautiful game to experience. From its striking overlooks to its bustling towns cawing seagulls and ringing ship bells the world is alive. The game is a fountain of locations with new ones spewing up every few seconds it seems. Reaching all of the new landmarks of the Witcher could take hours, if not hundreds of them, but thankfully there’s a fast travel system in place to help.

To travel between various points on the map, Geralt needs only to stand near a signpost and select another on the map. It is certainly a time-saving way to get around and immersively speaking, it is a world full of magic and sorcery so simply teleporting between signposts doesn’t seem too farfetched. The Continent is vast and there is so much to see and do that completing the game and every side quest could take upwards of 100 hours.

However, if zapping between places in an instant isn’t your thing, you could always saddle up your horse Roach and hit the open road. There is a handy mechanic that lets horses follow paths on their own. All you have to do is hold a button and sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds.

While fast travel may be good for speeding up the plot or reducing game time, it does defeat the purpose of exploring a vast world. After all, that is what traveling is, experiencing boundless opportunities and views not otherwise seen.

Bardic Inspiration, TTRPGs

Bardic Inspiration: Battles

Thread of Souls

Fast and Chaotic Fighting Music

There are a few fundamental Bardic Inspiration thoughts I use when figuring out how to pick music for a battle. The first is what or who is the villain or force. The second is focused on where the encounter takes place. These two methods will make choosing the best tracks all the more easier.

When it comes to fighting in a tavern or tussling with guards or ruffians in the street, I have one go to song. Assassin’s Creed III‘s Fight Club by Lorne Balfe is upbeat and full of energy. It’s fluid and fun and is for more of a bar brawl or wrestling match.

Whereas Steel for Humans from the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a bit more lively and mysterious. Don’t let the name fool you into thinking it’s a song designed for specifically fighting humans, the song blends well with battles against monsters too. Marcin Przybyłowicz and Percival’s use of hymnic chanting combined with strings and drums evokes fast-paced action combat.

Dragon Age is one of our favorite game series and it’s full of captivating music composed by Trevor Morris, especially Inquisition. Without spoiling the ending to the Trespasser DLC, the Trespasser – Qunari Battle theme is perhaps one of my all time favorite battles songs. It’s full of deep pounding drums and low bassy strings making it feel all the more powerful when facing a massive horde or singular powerful enemy – such as the Qunari.

If you’re looking for a lengthier song to leave on for eight minutes, The Blasted Heath by Stuart Chatwood is a great choice. It is from DLC The Color of Madness for Darkest Dungeon and is absolutely epic. It stands out as a solid pick for larger battles with several enemies or one where the villain can monologue for a few minutes before rolling initiative.

Descent into the Depths by Midnight Syndicate is one that can be used to setup a battle and be used during it as well. It’s ominous slow tones make it perfect for pairing with villains the characters know or ones dungeon masters use a few times before building an encounter focused specifically on them. Perhaps they are in the background while their minions fight the party and then flee during to pursue the characters another day.

Setting up battle music really sets the tone for any fight. Having upbeat and rhythmic tracks allows for a deeper and more thought provoking sequence of events. It makes any encounter feel more epic, like a fantasy movie. Next time for Bardic Inspiration we’re sticking with the battle theme but are focusing on boss fights or the BBEG.

Reviews, TTRPGs

Five Reasons the Solasta Dungeon Maker is Brilliant for Dungeons & Dragons

Thread of Souls

Solasta is still in Early Access but it’s turning out to be one of the best RPGs of the year. The development team is constantly releasing new updates and dev diaries and their latest is about adding a dungeon builder to the full release. The concept will give players the freedom to design their own dungeons in the game and it’s quite a unique feature to the Fifth Edition based CRPG.

What to expert from the Dungeon Maker. Solasta’s builder will let designers create a 2D map first before seeing it as as fully developed 3D world. It will include everything from adding crypts, walls, lighting effects, monsters, and interactable items. The map can be named, given a description, and setup so text automatically appears when characters trigger it. And several maps can be combined together to create a massive dungeon.

Solasta

In a short video posted by the dev team, the upcoming Dungeon Maker will launch when Solasta: Crown of the Magister releases fully sometime this year. While there is no official announcement date yet, simply knowing what is coming to the game is exciting not only for players but also dungeon masters for the tabletop game. Neverwinter Nights did something similar. We’ve listed five reasons why the Dungeon Maker matters more than you think.

Five Reasons Why Solasta’s Dungeon Maker is Brilliant

  1. Art of the Dungeon. One facet about being a dungeon master for the physical Dungeons & Dragons game is building a dungeon for the characters to explore. This can be daunting especially to newer DMs behind the screen or even storytellers who have been creating campaigns for years. Not everyone is going to be an expert artist. Outlining a dungeon sounds great in theory but putting the idea to paper can be another tale.

    There are many map making programs available but they aren’t as detailed as the builder for Solasta looks like it is going to be. Inkarnate may be great for 2D mapmaking but you’re still going to have to rely on theater of the mind when it comes to the finer details. The Dungeon Maker for Solasta will transition from a 2D builder to a fully explorable 3D map to test before letting the players have a go at it.

  2. Real-Time Exploration. With the tabletop game dungeon masters aren’t able to explore their creation in real-time. Through Solasta, builders will be able to design an area and then explore it as characters with weapons and items. This will allow the DM to get a better feel for how it flows before throwing the real characters into the fire at the table.
  3. Collaborations. If you’re feeling stuck on how to design a specific build for you campaign, you will be able to work with friends. An idea as big as this will build a community of dungeon designers that can bounce ideas off of one another. Having access to other maps creates a sort of sandbox puzzle that creators can pull from and mix and match ideas.

  4. No more Random Rolls. The Dungeon Master’s Guide has simple rules for building a dungeon on the fly but it can be awkward and time-consuming (believe me I have tried). While it isn’t all that difficult to do, it can leave tabletop dungeons looking odd or incomplete. Having the Dungeon Maker will definitely smooth out and speed up the design process for dungeon building. (This by no means makes random rolling tables a negative).

  5. Multiplayer. Hear us out on this one. While multiplayer is not in Solasta at the moment – and may not be coming to it – the Dungeon Maker makes it somewhat possible. Solasta is a fully single player game but if you have a party of four at your table, it can be used to playout the dungeon digitally if everyone is up for it. By taking turns around the keyboard, each player can build their character – or get as close as possible – with Solasta’s character builder. From there, you start up the dungeon and get exploring.

    While adventuring, players can say they move their specific character to a certain spot and investigate. Initiative works a bit easier by assigning characters their turn. When it’s their go, just move around the keyboard and away they go.
Solasta

Solasta is shaping up to be a fantastic CRPG and we’re excited for the future of it. Between it and Baldur’s Gate 3, there is a lot to expect this year for tabletop games turned video game.

Reviews

Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King Review – Souls Adjacent but Better

Thread of Souls

Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King isn’t the sort of video game we thought we would find ourselves playing. It’s a Souls-like (Dark Souls) RPG full of dynamic combat, unexplained lore, and an item system that is rather confusing to understand. However, it’s all of these concepts combined that lead to us actually really enjoying it. Shattered – as it will be called for the remainder of the review – is rewarding, engaging, and just a blast to play.

Published and Developed by Redlock Studio, Shattered spent one year and some change in Early Access. It’s full release still carries over some of the feel of “early.” It isn’t so much that it ruins the experience in any way, just that there were a couple bugs and crashes we had to work around. Small things aside, the team behind it can certainly stand proud knowing thei ndie game could dance with the big AAA releases. It’s also largely based on tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons.

While it may not have the huge backing of a full Dark Souls game, Shattered is epic and feels just as good, if not better, than FromSoftware. Sekiro was among our favorite games of 2019 but this feels grander, larger, more fluid. We loved running Japan and its non-fictional setting blended with the supernatural, but Shattered feels set in firmly in a fantasy space. There are doses of sci-fi thrown in but at it’s roots, it’s a tale of adventure surrounding a lone wanderer searching for identity.

It’s by no means a new idea when it comes to storytelling but it’s no less powerful a tale. The entire story is wrapped in mystery and both the protagonist and the player figure out the backstory together. The king of the world known as Hypnos is missing. As the Wanderer, you find yourself trying to find out who you are and what happened to the land.

This idea is the driving force behind Shattered. There is no text explaining outright what you do or what became of the king. Everything is learned in real-time, either from NPCs, items discovered, or locations and none of it is in order. Piecing together the story is sort of like building a complex LEGO set except there are no instructions. There is a basic picture to work with but no outline of how to build it. You don’t have to understand the story in order to enjoy Shattered, however, there’s still plenty to do and see.

Story aside, Shattered’s combat is compelling and engaging. The Wanderer has access to an array of weapons and magic attacks. Swords are used in one of three ways: light attacks for quick and repeated hits, heavy attacks for massive damage and shield bashing, and blocking to protect from enemy swings. Standard enemies aren’t difficult to dispatch on their own but groups can make for a frustrating experience. Close quarters fights are fast and aggressive and attacks will reduce stamina, which is a vital mechanic to keep track of.

Along with a stamina bar are magic and vitality. Magic is drained through the use of magical abilities such as ranged spells or shields. While vitality translates to health or hit points. Managing these three stats is a challenge while in the midst of combat but finding a rhythm between the trio is part of what makes Shattered so thrilling.

Keeping track of them during boss fights is an entirely different story. Bosses are imposing and require patience and thought to get through. It’s like Gandalf said in the Fellowship of the Ring ‘this foe is beyond any of you.’ While bosses are certainly assertive and powerful, they can be taken down with time and strategy.

Defeating enemies rewards the Wanderer with essence. This acts as the currency for the game and allows you to buy weapon upgrades and gear to restore vitality, magic, and stamina. Upgrading to new levels is also done through collecting essence. You keep all of the essence you gain throughout the game expect upon when you die. When you this happens, the enemy who killed you holds onto it all until they are slain again. Dying is something that will happen quite a lot but you are able to respawn and it’s something you’ll be doing time and time again.

Along your journey you will come across Limbo Wells. These act as campfires and allow you to start over again with essential gear. There are a few items that will reset once you respawn such as vitality restoration equipment and anything you didn’t use in your previous life. Limbo Wells are found throughout the open world and are a lifesaver if you’ve traveled far and defeated many enemies. However, resting at one will restore all slain creatures as well, so it’s all about managing and planning your routes well.

Exploration is another great feature of Shattered. The world is huge and includes several unique landscapes from snowy tundras, urban streets, and crumbling ruins. There are several ways to get around each area and part of the fun is searching for hidden doorways or finding new ways to get around difficult encounters. There isn’t a set path to follow and new surprises wait around each corner it seems. We often found ourselves standing on a rooftop overlooking a massive citadel or open expanse just to take in all of the stunning imagery.

One of the most interesting aspect of Shattered is how you go about exploring the world. There are times when the camera will shift from third person to a 2D side-scroller view. There is no way to control just when this will happen so it can be jarring at first. The mechanic allows you to experience the game as a platformer while still having access to all of your weapons and gear.

Item management is simple if not a bit clunky. Many things such as healing items can be equipped to the hotbar for quick and easy access. While others don’t offer much more than a short explanation of what they are but that may not necessarily explain what they do. Others are complete mysteries and may be revealed through conversation with certain characters. Even still, others will allow you to upgrade weapons, stats, and gear to become more powerful and capable when fighting enemies. It all feels so epic and just plain good.

Still, Shattered doesn’t feel completely polished but it is still excellent. Combat can be sluggish and can grow tiring after a while. It’s repetitive and there aren’t a lot of ways to go about killing things. Oftentimes attacks didn’t connect either and this left you open to take multiple hits. There were also issues with teleporting between locations. After using a system built to send you from one part of the map to another, there is a slight waiting period. In this time, enemies are able to freely attack as you wait to appear on screen. There were also numerous times the game crashed and we had to relaunch.

Nevertheless, none of Shattered’s downfalls make it any less fun to play. It’s a grand adventure full of mystery, breathtaking locations, and captivating encounters. You don’t have to dive into all of its lore to enjoy it, and while the combat can be repetitive, it is smooth, fast, and exciting. It’s definitely Souls adjacent but is much more friendly when it comes to dealing with enemies and puzzles.

Overall Score: 4/5

TTRPGs

Five Neverwinter Campaigns We Want to See

Thread of Souls

Neverwinter is one of Dungeons & Dragons multiplayer online role-playing game. Along with Dungeons & Dragons Online, it’s a great way to explore Faerun with friends if you can’t get together around a physical or digital table. The game launched in 2013 for PC and later in 2016 on consoles. We’ve devoted several hundred hours to the game and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon and neither does Perfect World or Cryptic Studios.

The latest release of Sharandar shows the game isn’t slowing down when it comes to content. The new module revitalizes an older area of Neverwinter adding enemies and an entirely new questline. That goes us thinking on what additional future content should developers adapt next. D&D has been around for decades and Neverwinter has always been good at creating modules of campaign guides and 5E books in the past. But there is so much more to see.

We’ve put together five future campaign settings we’d like to see next in Neverwinter.

Future Neverwinter Expansions

1. Critical Role: Wildemount

Critical Role has done so much for Dungeons & Dragons in the past five or six years. The lovable cast of nerdy ass voice actors are among the many reasons the tabletop game is growing in popularity. Since streaming their first game on Twitch in 2015, Critical Role has gone on to publish official content for Wizards of the Coast.

The recent release of Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount would be a great addition to Neverwinter. It focuses on the war between the Dwendalian Empire – a society of arcane scholars and nobles – and the Kryn Dynasty – drow who now live on the surface. The book changed how drow are depicted in D&D and shows them in a new light after leaving the cult of Lolth.

The module could introduce a new school of magic as well. Matt Mercer created a ninth school of magic called Dunamancy that deals in manipulating time. Or as the book states,

“primal magical energy of potentiality and actuality, an anticipatory arcane force that helps shape the multiverse and might very well be what holds its elements together, like an infinite web of unseen tethers.”

Campaign

The overarching campaign could revolve around locating arcane artifacts such as Luxon Beacons and more. The beacons are religious devices of the Kryn that harness and transfer souls from one being to another. Characters would work for the Dynasty or Empire searching tombs or dungeons while fighting creatures or enemies from the opposing side.

It’s difficult to give a more concrete description of the outcome as the second campaign of Critical Role is still ongoing. But taking cues from the guidebook, it would be insanely fun to travel throughout Wildemount.

2. Critical Role: Tal’dorei

Critical Role is the gift that keeps on giving. While the Mighty Nein run around Wildemount, Vox Machina bumbled their way across Tal’dorei. A campaign set during the time of any one of the arcs of the first series would be great but which one exactly?

The fight with Vecna was absolutely amazing but it is heavily driven by Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III’s backstory. We believe focusing on The Chroma Conclave would make for one of the most impactful module’s in Neverwinter.

Yes, Vox Machina may have defeated the dragons who destroyed Emon but the story can be embellished for the MMO.

Campaign

Characters could get a message from arcanist Allura Vysoren to visit her outside of Emon. She wishes to speak to them about Vox Machina and magical disturbances throughout Tal’dorei. With the adventuring group dealing with the aftermath of the Chroma Conclave, she requires assistance with closing rifts. The portals opened after the green dragon, Raishan, released Thordak from his prison in the plane of fire.

Players could interact with Vox Machina as well, all voiced by the cast. When it comes to magical items, there could be vestiges of divergence and even weapons owned by the famous party. Spoilers ahead for campaign one.

When Thordak was killed by Vox Machina, there were strange magical eggs left in his lair. It was hinted that there could be more in the world. A side quest in the Neverwinter version could be to find and destroy them so spawn of the Cinder King won’t spread.

3. Honorable Mention: Duergar

This one may not be based on any official lore but it’s something that is missing from Neverwinter. There has yet to be any update which focuses on the dark dwarves of the Underdark. They aren’t playable as a race and it’s about time that’s fixed. While the game is missing an alarming number of classes and races, duergar should be up there alongside drow.

Campaign

Yes, Neverwinter features a huge questline where characters fight duergar but not once is there ever a moment with a kind dark dwarf. The campaign could involve a clan of duergar wishing to return to the surface. They are unfairly mistreated and falsely represented in the lore of D&D and Neverwinter could remedy that.

The history of duergar labels them as heretics who abandoned their mountain homes. Once they reached the Underdark, they were captured by mind flayers and forced into slavery. After gaining their freedom, they returned home and were seen as outcasts by their original god Moradin and all surface dwarfs.

“When Laduguer and his people returned to the dwarves of the upper world, they were shocked by the hostility they faced. As Laduguer quickly learned, the priests of Moradin had long ago labeled the lost clan as heretics, spoken of now only as an object lesson concerning the fate of dwarves who stray from Moradin’s teachings.”

“Laduguer, in response, tried to explain that his people had been lured into a trap by the mind flayers, but his assertions fell on deaf ears. Thus, with no other apparent choice, the lost clan fled back to the Underdark. Laduguer focused his fury on Moradin.”

The campaign could focus on this aspect and have characters free the duergar and join in fighting against the illithids. It’s a great way to also introduce the race to Neverwinter.

4. Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is one of the newest campaign books for Fifth Edition. It is set in a landscape of frost and ice. The main area for characters to explore is Ten-Towns and it and the surrounding area finds itself in a permanent winter. The cause of the torrential storm is a lesser god named Auril who seeks to cover everything in ice for her amusement.

Campaign

The campaign would be a three part plan that aligns with the book. The town and surrounding mines are being ransacked of a priceless material called chardalyn. A duergar named Xardorok Sunblight is using shards of the stone to craft a gargantuan dragon to destroy the town and rule over the region.

Meanwhile, four wizards are searching the frigid wasteland for a lost Netherese city. The wizards seek knowledge left behind after the city fell and will stop the characters if they get in their way.

While a third questline could focus on the lesser god herself. They will search for a magical item that opens the way to the Netherese city the wizards are looking for. The final confrontation would be with Auril.

The region is already familiar to Neverwinter players as it was heavily featured in a previous module. Quests could be a follow up to the skirmish Kessell’s Retreat which saw players fight Akar Kessell, a powerful wizard with the artifact Crenshinibon.

5. Mythic Odysseys of Theros

Mythic Odysseys of Theros is based on Greek mythology and isn expansion for Magic: the Gathering. So, technically this would be an expansion of an expansion. And seeing as both are published by Perfect World, it shouldn’t be an issue. Choosing an overarching campaign from this setting can be difficult. But by focusing on the gods, we can get a better idea of what a module might entail.

Campaign

Gods are the forefront of Theros and characters could be called upon one or multiple to stop an oncoming threat. Nylea, god of the hunt, could summon the characters to the Feywild and have them stop corruption of nature. Or the souls of the dead aren’t going to the afterlife so Erebos, god of death, seeks the aid of the characters. Better yet, Purphoros, god of the forge, is unable to create new life and believes Erebos is the reason.

Both call on the characters to discover the truth and along the way they uncover Ephara is behind it all. As the god of polis or civilization, she believes she should govern all matters including life and death. The characters could fight minions from all three sides and in the end fight an avatar of either one god.

Those are the top five module’s we’d like to see in the future of Neverwinter. Will they happen? There is no way to know but they would certainly be cool to run around in.

TTRPGs

The One Ring Tabletop RPG Hits Kickstarter

Thread of Souls

Have we mentioned our love of Dungeons & Dragons? I think so. We also love Lord of the Rings and tabletop games. So, when Free League Publishing announced it was making a LOTR tabletop RPG called The One Ring, we were excited. Now that it has a release date we know a bit more about it.

“This is the Master-ring, the One Ring to rule them all.”

As apart of the second edition update for the roleplaying game, The One Ring hits Kickstarter February 11. It also got a rather cool, albeit short, trailer to tease what to expect.

The game will be based on both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books written by J.R.R. Tolkien. So, while we won’t be getting anything from The Silmarillion, Amazon seems to have that one covered with its upcoming television series.

The 2E based system is a sequel to the first edition published way back in 2011 by Cubicle 7. There were plans to make a second edition in 2019 but the project was ultimately canceled.

The One Ring is created by game designer Francesco Nepitello and Martin Takaichi. Free League isn’t new to the world of fantasy either. Forbidden Lands is one of the company’s other tabletop games and it’s fantastic. It uses a unique d6 system rather than D&D’s d20 build. The company is also known for Alien, Coriolis, Symbaroum & Mutant Year Zero.

The game will be published in a stunning hardback volume and include updated rules as well. While there is limited information surrounding the overall design of the game, Free League said the world is familiar yet entirely fresh.

It all sounds a bit magical and wonderful. There’s something about Lord of the Rings that resonates with us. It’s the unique storytelling, fantastic characters that aren’t afraid to show the slightest bit of emotion, and the landscapes to explore. Those stories have pushed us to travel.

TTRPGs

Top Tips for Designing a Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon

Thread of Souls

So, you’ve got an idea for a dungeon to send the Dungeons & Dragons party to but aren’t sure where to start in the design process. Whether you draw up plans the old fashioned way with pen and paper or use a computer program, it can be difficult to get the layout you want for a dungeon.

Or your artistic skills are lacking and drawing anything is void of any detail. We’ve got a simple fix to make developing the look of your next dungeon a breeze.

dungeons & dragons

Here’s a quick guide to dungeon design

Imitation is the Best Form of Flattery

Taking inspiration from real world places or fictional media is a great starting point. This also works with quest ideas. One of the main sources of influence I look to is video games. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is probably my main focus when it comes to creating a dungeon for my Dungeons & Dragons party.

“Copying and pasting the map from a dungeon is a viable option.”

Pulling from your favorite video game is one of the best and easiest ways to get ideas flowing. Some of my inspiration is take from Dragon Age: Inquisition, Fallout, and Zelda as well.

Let’s take Skyrim for example. The world is full of tombs and dusty web filled catacombs. You can use any of its barrows as a stepping stone to create your own in D&D. You can either look up the map for the specific area you want to build off of or play through it yourself first so you get a better feel for it.

After fully exploring the dungeon, you can view the map in its entirety. From there you can draw it in a notebook or take a picture of it and use it when the group begins their exploration. This will help give you the overall look of the dungeon but fleshing it out with monsters and items is a whole other story.

Copying and pasting the map from a dungeon is a viable option. But sometimes certain features don’t translate well to the tabletop. For instance, one of the most recent maps I pulled from was Skyrim’s Kilkreath Ruins.

“It’s all about improvising and adapting.”

The party was heading into a temple of shadow and I wanted to use light as the main feature of the dungeon. This worked great as the ruins already used light to direct a path but it still wasn’t quite what I needed. So, I had to improvise to make it fit with the story I wanted to tell. This can be one of the biggest issues dungeon master’s can find with building a dungeon.

Change and Adapt

Knowing the tale you want to tell is important. Of course, you could always just put every monster, trap, and item from a Skyrim cave. But if you want a dungeon that reflects a certain enemy or design, try to search for dungeons with that in mind.

The majority of Skyrim’s catacombs can be boiled down to draugr and dragon priests. In Dungeons & Dragons terms, this roughly translates to zombies, skeletons, and a higher powered wight or ghoul. By knowing what the head monster is in your dungeon, you can build around it. Once the design is complete, use the prebuilt model to better suit your lead monster or creature.

“Imagine yourself as the minotaur and the dungeon you’re building is your maze.”

Items like books and tomes can also help you in the build process. If the original cavern has a book about torture, maybe the main villain is practiced in maiming and capturing adventurers instead of outright killing them. This could also change certain rooms in the dungeon. Instead of a door hiding a small bedroom it could lead to a torture chamber instead. It’s all about improvising and adapting.

Also, if there’s a door somewhere on the original map and you don’t want it there, move it or take it away. That room can be used for another dungeon if you need it later. Imagine yourself as the minotaur and the dungeon you’re building is your maze. The map can shift and change. If you think a room is better flipped on its side, then give it a go.

Whether it’s your first dungeon or your 100th, the design process can be difficult to manage. Pulling from video games or fiction and even real world locations is quick and simple. The next time you need to put together a cavern, tomb, or dungeon, don’t think too hard about it. And once you’re finished with the setup, having the right music as the party explore is always a bonus.