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Play D&D at PAX Prime 2011

2

Posts

  • kropotkinkropotkin Forum Badge Creator London UKRegistered User regular
    I've just realised that the Neverwinter Nights campaign setting isn't actually out until 16th August. That gives me a little over a week to prepare a 5 hour long adventure....I'm sure I can pull it off :)

    ryr7xy0i2ynw.png





  • MatevMatev Cero Miedo Registered User regular
    I'm already working on mine. :D

    "Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
    Hail Hydra
  • kropotkinkropotkin Forum Badge Creator London UKRegistered User regular
    Matev wrote:
    I'm already working on mine. :D

    May the best DM win! :mrgreen:

    ryr7xy0i2ynw.png





  • susansusan Registered User regular
    It pains me deeply that I won't be able to defend my DMing title at PAX this year :( . Too much else to do, both at PAX and before. Good luck to y'all DM's out there, may your monsters be lethal, your challenges challenging, and your players enraptured by your badassness and humor.

    2010 PAX DM Challenge Grand Champion
    2011 PAX Warmachine/Hordes Champion
  • DragondevonDragondevon Registered User regular
    I went to the ultimate dungeon delve back in 09. I wish I could go again this year, not for the UDD but to play in genreal.

    "The times are duanting, its perilous to walk out your front door anymore. The enemy is everywhere, hidden in technology, smiling faces, and laziness. Though, we are not given the luxury to give up. We are the last bastion of hope for our species. We are HUMANS!!!!RAAAAAR"-Devon
    "Dude, I think he's a zombie."
    "No he's not, he's dead."
    "But he's still walking around."
    "Which makes him one of the walking dead."
    "Exactly."
    "So, he's dead."
    "No, that makes him a zombie."

    "You sound like WALL-E having sex with a Speak and Spell"
  • NotoriusBENNotoriusBEN Registered User regular
    Matev wrote:
    You and me Gameshark, let's do this.

    Matev... you were the Giovanni guy back in PAX2010 at the SteelBattallion booth, right? My bro and I are heading to PAX this year and since SB is down, I'll be going to my next favorite pasttime. I'll meet you guys and see if I can get my bro into DnD again, if you'll have us.

    a4irovn5uqjp.png
    Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
  • Om Nom on SoulsOm Nom on Souls Registered User regular
    Sorry, little confused, do we sign up early here or elsewhere on the site to play a game of D&D at the show, or is it a walk in thing?

    Showdeeyah? Showdeeyah? Say it, Frenchie, saaay chowdah!
  • CaptainTapoleCaptainTapole Awesome in the Possum - Yee-Haw! Northern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    It sounds like a walk-in/first-come-first-play kind of thing. I'm sure as it gets closer (27 days!) we'll get the super specific details.

    The Girl Who Gave Everyone the Shortest Jenga Game Ever.
  • nodashinodashi Registered User new member
    Hey i have a question i've never played D&D but i always wanted to.
    Is there a skill level requirement?
    Also do i need to buy a ticket or a book or anything?
    im kind of lost.

  • CaptainTapoleCaptainTapole Awesome in the Possum - Yee-Haw! Northern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Lucky for you! There will be multiple times of the day (Odd numbers starting at 11AM on Friday) that has D&D for beginners and curious. I will be in one of those many sessions since I have only done the solo adventures. No ticket, book or experience is required. Just your imagination and maybe a pencil or pen. Once the floor-plan and the schedule is out, there may be more details on how to slip on in.

    CaptainTapole on
    The Girl Who Gave Everyone the Shortest Jenga Game Ever.
  • PiggoPiggo Registered User regular
    Definitely up for the DM Challenge. It's going to be fun to make a one off adventure.

  • SohkratesSohkrates Registered User regular
    Oh man, I was hoping to do some table top gaming this year at PAX, so I'm really looking forward to this. I've played a lot of fourth edition, both as a player and as a DM, so I'll be looking to take part in one of the longer campaigns. Squee.

  • GamesharkGameshark Watch how I soar Registered User regular
    Matev wrote:
    You and me Gameshark, let's do this.

    Matev... you were the Giovanni guy back in PAX2010 at the SteelBattallion booth, right? My bro and I are heading to PAX this year and since SB is down, I'll be going to my next favorite pasttime. I'll meet you guys and see if I can get my bro into DnD again, if you'll have us.
    Hells yeah you both can join! Glad to have you both in our merry little party.

  • SohkratesSohkrates Registered User regular

    D&D Convention Delve: Lair of the Dread Witch
    In the deep forest, a place of dark power lies, its corruptive influence seeping into the lands beyond its borders. Can you contain the threat of the Dread Witch, and stop her rituals before all falls into darkness? A 1st-level D&D convention delve with characters provided. Play as often as you like and earn tokens that can be redeemed for prizes! 1 hour per adventure.
    Runs Friday 11 am – 11 pm; Saturday 11 am – 11 pm; Sunday 11 am – 4 pm

    Did anyone here participate in this kind of thing last year? I would definitely be interested in paying a few games, but I'm wondering what kind of things have been offered in the past as prizes, how many tokens were required, and what the experience is like, having so many games that are so short?

    Thanks, really looking forward to rolling some dice!

  • DeztrukshunDeztrukshun Captain Badass Surrey, BCRegistered User regular
    Omg, D&D!! <3
    I loves me some D&D.
    :D

  • MatevMatev Cero Miedo Registered User regular
    Gameshark wrote:
    Matev wrote:
    You and me Gameshark, let's do this.

    Matev... you were the Giovanni guy back in PAX2010 at the SteelBattallion booth, right? My bro and I are heading to PAX this year and since SB is down, I'll be going to my next favorite pasttime. I'll meet you guys and see if I can get my bro into DnD again, if you'll have us.
    Hells yeah you both can join! Glad to have you both in our merry little party.

    BEN, I am most certainly the man you're thinking of. I'd definitely be happy to roll dice with you. I'm liking this group so far... :D

    "Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
    Hail Hydra
  • DeztrukshunDeztrukshun Captain Badass Surrey, BCRegistered User regular
    Is there room for one more? *hopeful peer*

  • NotoriusBENNotoriusBEN Registered User regular
    cool, cool. and yea, if we had a 5th, we could do the dungeon delves too.
    All or nothing. we go until we're dead.

    I dont remember last year, do they provide the characters for delves or are we allowed to bring our own? as long as they are CB sanctioned?

    a4irovn5uqjp.png
    Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
  • MinnieMinnie Registered User new member
    D&D Learn-to-Play
    Want to learn how to play D&D 4th Edition? We’ll teach you all the basics, and send you out on your first adventure! Everything is provided for you, and you can even keep your character. A 2 hour D&D 4th Edition play experience.

    Do people of all ages usually participate in this? I've always been curious about D&D but do not know anyone interesting in playing. I am pretty excited to see a noob event for it, if I'm not too old to join in! :D

  • tokyodovetokyodove Perth, WARegistered User regular
    will there be packs with all the equipment you need to play to buy for beginners? i wouldnt mind learning to play and if i really like it, to be able to take all the stuff i need back home so i can teach my friends to play as well

  • susansusan Registered User regular
    Alright, answering questions according to my faulty memory:

    =Delves typically provide characters. A DM may or may not allow a Character Builder character, but most likely would not just to keep things flowing as planned.
    =People of all ages do play in all of these events. At Conventions, I've played with 13 year-olds and I've played with 63 year-olds in the same games.
    =Most equipment will be provided, but it'd be a good idea to bring a pencil, some dice if you have it, and some snacks. Not that you couldn't get any/all of these things from the DM/other players, but it would help the game start faster.

    2010 PAX DM Challenge Grand Champion
    2011 PAX Warmachine/Hordes Champion
  • ricksebringricksebring Registered User regular
    I'd love to get on some fun here, I just had a blast at comic con doing the d&d for newbs thing. It was my very first time playing but i had the benefit of listening to all the penny arcade d&d podcasts, so I wasn't too far behind. What I have no experience in is making a character as everything they had was premade.

    I'm looking for a game to join in on where everyone just wants it to be fun. I like to joke around quite a bit and find humor in failure, especially if you fail with style.

    The story of my first game was a great one, spoiler'ed it to let people who don't want to read this wall of text skip on down. I will keep it short though.

    I jumped in for my first game as the first combat had just begun, I picked the last remaining pre-made character, a Goliath Barbarian, and started at level 5. I had very little armor but a very big sword and that sounded like a great time to me. We smack around a bunch of wimpy guys on our way into town and i'm understanding my character to be a extremely angry person that is quite effective in dealing damage, but pretty much every enemy that took a swing at me succeeded. Jump ahead to the third fight where we go into the mountains and are attacked by some sort of giant owl creatures. The DM (an employee of wizards i assume) repeated many times that these monsters were far too strong to be 4th level monsters.. but that didn't stop her from using them. In the first turn the "mama" had initiative and moved 20 spaces from her perch.. snatched me up from 3 spaces away in her talons and flew 14 spaces away and 6 spaces up..... all the while dealing 53 damage to me.. i had 58 total hit points.. my turn was next as i was high above the air and far away from my friends. Being the smart and wise barbarian with 5 hit points remaining I of course attacked and then freed myself from her grip.. and fell to my death. Not to worry, my teammate's turn he moved to barely within range of me and got me back to my feet. then the other guy made some dumb aura that made things fall down if they got near him so he wouldn't be snatched, too bad i'm way too far out of range for that to help. I am not however out of range for the "baby" to fly 20 spaces and bring my back into the sky, reducing me to ~15 hp once again... This one learned his lesson and instead of flying back towards the next, he flew straight up... after the mama just claws at the healer who had come to save me, it is back to my turn.

    This is where the comedy begins, in case you were losing interest, as i pose a question to the DM, " What is my lateral movement ability while falling from the sky? ", "what?", she responded. Not sure where i was going with this. "If i freed myself from this ones grasp could I flying squirrel it over to land on the mother's back?", the whole table gets a good laugh out of the line and my acting out the "flying squirrel" maneuver I was planning. " So you wouldn't take much fall damage by hitting the mother's soft back and not falling as far? oh sure, you could try it... what's your acrobatics?" she asked. I proclaimed "I get a bonus of 1, is that good?", "no, but it's a pretty big target, you could give it a shot." after the laughter dies down i'm all set to roll to free myself.. 18!. "your free of the creature's claws" .. Roll you acrobatics to see if you can hit the mama.. .. the whole table erupts with laughter, myself included, as I roll a natural 1. "This is not going to end well." , " Oh no, it's not... the barbarian overshoots his target and plummets 70 feet into the side of this mountain.... head first.." At this point all the crazy laughing from the last 5 minutes has caused a pretty big crowd to gather round the table, making it hilarious when the rest of my party goes to cower in that aura in the corner so they don't get yanked into the air. After hitting the ground They explain how death saves work, and let me know I am very negative in hp.. one more hit and i'm dead for good. Luckily the mama misses an unconscious target somehow and It's back to my turn. With as crazy as this has gone so far, everyone erupts in laughter as I roll a natural 20 for my death save and pop back up like I didn't just go skydiving into this mountainside here. The rest of the fight I get snatched into the air two more times, but we still come out on top in the end even though most of my teammates just sit back and shoot arrows while I do all the dangerous work. Great moments from the next day include someone else in the party attempting to mount a horse chained to a wall while everyone else is fighting enemies. And asking to roll to check what gender the horse is, and after "failing" that roll manages to mount the horse the next turn but never bothered to unchain it from the wall. Which his friend next to him was so excited to point out.

    Those are the kind of experiences i'm looking for, if you have an open spot in a game and are willing to cope with a new player who doesn't understand everything yet, let me know. I look forward to meeting some great people at PAX.

  • CaptainTapoleCaptainTapole Awesome in the Possum - Yee-Haw! Northern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    If it all in all helps, ricksebring, you will not be the only one there with little-to-no experience. Been only doing solo adventures so I am totally itching to play with others whether if it's with my own charrie or Pre-Made.

    The Girl Who Gave Everyone the Shortest Jenga Game Ever.
  • GreyfeldGreyfeld Registered User regular
    edited August 2011
    This is my first time I'll be attending PAX (or any convention, for that matter). I've been roleplaying for almost 8 years, so I'm definitely interested in making an appearance, especially since PbP has been my only outlet for the majority of that time. So, if you don't mind, I have a few questions.

    1. Will all games be 4e, or will there be games run under other editions as well?
    2. Is there a web page that will tell me the overall game schedule for the D&D room?
    3. Aside from writing utensils and dice, are there any other items I should bring?

    Edit: Sorry, just noticed my third question was already answered.

    Greyfeld on
  • GamesharkGameshark Watch how I soar Registered User regular
    Can't wait to play with you all Friday night, we still need an adventuring name though! For Friday night I have one small request: I've only just gotten a chance to check out the PAX schedule and "Assassin's Creed Revelations - LIVE ON-STAGE" is from 6-7. I gots to get my man crush on with Ezio, so I just hope you guys can hold my spot for me. That'd be really rad :)

  • MatevMatev Cero Miedo Registered User regular
    We can do that, shouldn't be much trouble.

    "Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
    Hail Hydra
  • PhoenixInfernoPhoenixInferno Registered User regular
    Greyfeld wrote:
    This is my first time I'll be attending PAX (or any convention, for that matter). I've been roleplaying for almost 8 years, so I'm definitely interested in making an appearance, especially since PbP has been my only outlet for the majority of that time. So, if you don't mind, I have a few questions.

    1. Will all games be 4e, or will there be games run under other editions as well?
    2. Is there a web page that will tell me the overall game schedule for the D&D room?
    3. Aside from writing utensils and dice, are there any other items I should bring?

    Edit: Sorry, just noticed my third question was already answered.
    The official D&D gaming area (the one that Wizards hosts) is 4th Edition only. You can check out the events on the Warhorn site - www.warhorn.net/pax-prime-2011

    That said, I'm sure you can find some other people who share an interest in older editions (OD&D, AD&D, 3.X, etc) on these forums.
    tokyodove wrote:
    will there be packs with all the equipment you need to play to buy for beginners? i wouldnt mind learning to play and if i really like it, to be able to take all the stuff i need back home so i can teach my friends to play as well
    There will be Learn to Play D&D sessions for people who have little to no experience with the 4th Edition ruleset. If you like it, you should be able to buy it somewhere on the show floor, like Wizards' booth.

  • GreyfeldGreyfeld Registered User regular
    The official D&D gaming area (the one that Wizards hosts) is 4th Edition only. You can check out the events on the Warhorn site - www.warhorn.net/pax-prime-2011

    That said, I'm sure you can find some other people who share an interest in older editions (OD&D, AD&D, 3.X, etc) on these forums.

    I only have experience with 3.5, that's why I was asking. I'm all for playing in a "learn to play" session for 4e, but after looking at the schedule, it looks like all the slots for those games are filled already.

  • CaptainTapoleCaptainTapole Awesome in the Possum - Yee-Haw! Northern CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    If you read the site carefully, it does state "This site is for GMs and DMs and volunteers for the Wizards-sponsored events at PAX only. Players for these events should just show up at the show.

    I signed up in the site for the sake of my curiosity and only names of the DM and judges showed up. The names of the players were "Player 1, Player 2, Player 3" etc. It's possible they did that intentionally; they just needed a site for the employees/volunteers to sign up on.

    The Girl Who Gave Everyone the Shortest Jenga Game Ever.
  • iguyiguy Registered User regular
    Chaossebba wrote:
    I'd love it if there was a newbie kind of thing going on, a friend and I have always been interested but never had the time or means to get into it. Pax would be a great time to get into it perhaps.

    As would I, I've never played and am always too intimidated to start.

  • PhoenixInfernoPhoenixInferno Registered User regular
    edited August 2011
    Yes, the Warhorn site is just for players to find the schedule and event descriptions. We aren't using Warhorn for player signups - it's a little limited in providing organization for HUGE events like this.

    There are two specifically newbie friendly events - the Dungeon Delve (Lair of the Dread Witch) and the Learn to Play game. Dungeon Delve is a pretty straighforward set of combat encounters and I believe you can get swag, but has the draw back of being a timed event. Learn to Play isn't timed quite as much (although we do want to get you and the line moving). I can't say much more than that since I've never seen it myself.

    PhoenixInferno on
  • GamesharkGameshark Watch how I soar Registered User regular
    Matev wrote:
    We can do that, shouldn't be much trouble.
    I KNEW there was a reason why I liked you!
    iguy wrote:
    Chaossebba wrote:
    I'd love it if there was a newbie kind of thing going on, a friend and I have always been interested but never had the time or means to get into it. Pax would be a great time to get into it perhaps.

    As would I, I've never played and am always too intimidated to start.
    I was in the same position as you two back when I first started playing 4e. I've never played a pen & paper game before 4e and I can honestly say it's extremely accessible. It's really one of those things you need to get down and dirty with to get a good grasp for it. I hope to run into you guys to let me know how everything goes.

  • Undead ScottsmanUndead Scottsman Registered User regular
    Totally there for a Legend of Drizzt preview. Maybe I'll even be lucky enough to get promo #3 :)

  • CrendelCrendel Registered User regular
    Minnie wrote:
    D&D Learn-to-Play
    Want to learn how to play D&D 4th Edition? We’ll teach you all the basics, and send you out on your first adventure! Everything is provided for you, and you can even keep your character. A 2 hour D&D 4th Edition play experience.

    Do people of all ages usually participate in this? I've always been curious about D&D but do not know anyone interesting in playing. I am pretty excited to see a noob event for it, if I'm not too old to join in! :D

    You're NEVER too old to play! I'm 42 and "re-learning" D&D from the days of old... (TSR old!)

    Geek Hybrid - I like video games and being outside!
  • MaxSteeleMaxSteele Registered User regular
    Crendel wrote:
    Minnie wrote:
    D&D Learn-to-Play
    Want to learn how to play D&D 4th Edition? We’ll teach you all the basics, and send you out on your first adventure! Everything is provided for you, and you can even keep your character. A 2 hour D&D 4th Edition play experience.

    Do people of all ages usually participate in this? I've always been curious about D&D but do not know anyone interesting in playing. I am pretty excited to see a noob event for it, if I'm not too old to join in! :D

    You're NEVER too old to play! I'm 42 and "re-learning" D&D from the days of old... (TSR old!)

    I'm 37 and I've never played 4E at all.

    There's this misconception that the older you are, the less interest you're supposed to have in gaming. In fact, with the current history of gaming, most older people were the ones who pioneered gaming. :)

  • Piggpen75Piggpen75 Registered User new member
    I am totally stoked for some D&D again this year! This is my 4th PAX and I have had awesome luck hooking up with random people to play with!

    PAX 07, 08, 09, 10, and 11 in a few more days!
  • HeyJoeHeyJoe SeattleRegistered User regular
    Crendel wrote:
    Minnie wrote:
    D&D Learn-to-Play
    Want to learn how to play D&D 4th Edition? We’ll teach you all the basics, and send you out on your first adventure! Everything is provided for you, and you can even keep your character. A 2 hour D&D 4th Edition play experience.

    Do people of all ages usually participate in this? I've always been curious about D&D but do not know anyone interesting in playing. I am pretty excited to see a noob event for it, if I'm not too old to join in! :D

    You're NEVER too old to play! I'm 42 and "re-learning" D&D from the days of old... (TSR old!)

    I came back to the game when I was 38 after a 15 year long hiatus. I hadn't played any D&D (other than the computer games) since 2nd Edition's heyday. So no, you are not too old. I go to Encounters pretty much every week and see age ranges from 10 to 50 or so...

  • DrunkenJediAKDrunkenJediAK Registered User regular
    I played a whole lot of the 1 hour delves last year, it was a hell of a lot of fun!

    From what I can remember, they have a set number of tables for the 1 hour event around and each 1 hour delve has a challenge rating ( like 1 - 12 ), and you get tokens for showing up, staying the entire time, and a bonus one for winning. Some of the prizes included character cards, DnD T-Shirts, backpacks, etc.

    They simplified the character sheets to small laminated cards with abilities on them ( At-WIll, Encounter, etc. ), so I think you just sit down at the tables and choose a character. If you manage to win the adventure you also get to roll on loot cards that you can use on your next adventure.

    Last year we had to sign up for tables but I think they're just doing a line and first come / first serve thing this year. I'll probably be doing a mix of the delves and trying out one of the 4 hour adventures. If anyone needs another member for a consistent adventure group lemme know!

  • Black Flame ZealotBlack Flame Zealot D&D Program Manager Renton, WARegistered User regular
    Hi folks!

    I'm Chris Tulach, the D&D Program Manager for Organized Play. Robert Altomare, our on-site organizer, has set up a handy-dandy site with a listing of all the sweet games offered at the show. Head here: https://sites.google.com/site/ddatpaxprime/.

    In addition, we have some information on D&D up on the Wizards site too - it just went live today. Head here: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Feature.aspx?x=dnd/feature/pax2011.

    Other editions of D&D can be run ad-hoc in our area through our Open Play system. Simply head to HQ and we'll tell you what tables are available when. You can then schedule a game of D&D for a time that works for you.

    I'll also be roving around the D&D game area too... We'll have some goodies and great sneak peeks (Gardmore Abbey and Legend of Drizzt come to mind). I look forward to seeing lots of you there!

    D&D Program Manager
    Wizards of the Coast
    http://www.twitter.com/christulach
  • GrangerXGrangerX Registered User new member
    edited August 2011
    Hi all!

    So, I'm a PC gamer, mostly, that despite having owned a red-box and all the assorted monster manuals and such from way back when, never has actually played D&D not on a PC.

    Anyway, I always say I'd like to come over and see how the D&D folks roll, but I never have, mostly because I feel almost like I need to know somebody to enter.

    So, I figured I'd actually reach out this time around and see if any kind souls had suggestions / words-of-advice.

    Thanks!

    PS. I have a copy of the 3-book 4th Edition Gift Set and some dice I can bring along.

    GrangerX on
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