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20 Questions from yo’ Dungeon Masta’!

Over the past 72 hours, your friendly neighborhood Geek received a grip of emails from readers. All of them asking me to post my D&D questions mentioned on the Rick Emerson Show. (They also wished to berate all the so-called Rush fans that fled from D&D trivia). As I love all my GitC readers, as Orcus loves his zombies, here now are the 20 D&D questions:

Q1 - What does the acronym THAC0 mean?

Q2 - What is the geometric name for a 20-side Polyhedron?

Q3 - Vecna, the Lich Lord is the source of what 2 magical artifacts?

Q4 - What is the generally accepted philosophical difference between Metallic, Chromatic, and Gem Dragons?

Q5 - Who is the Queen of the Demonweb Pits?

Q6 - What Outer Plane has 666 Levels?

Q7 - Who are Bahamut and Tiamat?

Q8 - Name the Fantasy World created by E. Gary Gygax?

Q9 - Before calling it Dungeons & Dragons, what did E. Gary Gygax name his groundbreaking RPG?

Q10 - In the original "Brown Book" printing of Dungeons and Dragons, what were the 3 Player Classes?

Q11 - What Game Module is widely accepted as the hardest published D&D game of all time?

Q12 - Tom Hanks starred in what TV movie inspired by the suicide of a college student, in which D&D was blamed?

Q13 - Speaking of stupid D&D rumors, what did nitwit parents and Chic Trax authors believe TSR stood for?

Q14 - Everyone knows Werewolves are hurt by Silver weapons, (per the Monster Manual) what harms Fey Creatures?

Q15 - Name the 6 dice types for required for a game of Dungeons and Dragons?

Q16 - Name the classes in the Dungeons and Dragons Saturday morning cartoon.

Q17 - What happens to a Sword +2 when bonded and held by a Paladin at 5th Level?

Q18 - How can a character truly destroy a Troll, as per the rules in the Monster Manual?

Q19 - What now defunct D&D Language was only known to Thieves in the original Dungeons and Dragons rules?

Q20 - What was the distinctive aspect about the original AD&D module, Lord of Ravenloft?

See, not that hard. Nor were they all old school D&D based. Besides, how can you call yourself a huge Rush fan and only know D&D 3.x? Seriously. Anyway, if you wish the answers you will need to check out my personal blog on www.myspace.com/geekinthecity

>> GAMES > GAMING CULTURE

The Day the Dice Died

As the loyal GeekintheCity readers know, your friendly neighborhood Geek had to employ MI5 style tactics to maintain my dice-tossing ways back in the day. With D&D masking tactics that would make Q's head spin, my skills at transforming the Van Richten's Guide to the Ancient Dead into Cracken's Rebel Field Guide are legendary. Still, for all my more than meets the eye transformations, I wished I could have walked around the house with D&D pride. Just wasn’t gonna' happen. Had the shadow of Gary Gygax reared its head within this wee Geek's house, there would be blood. And salsa (but that is another story). However, there was one trapping of my young dice-tossing days that I could leave lying on the kitchen table without fear.

Good ‘ol Dragon Magazine!

Don't know why my parents didn't mind the magazine. It was so clearly attached to that devil game. Well, not really. See, back in the Stone Age (aka AD&D 2nd Edition days), Dragon Magazine used to cover all aspects of gaming. It also had fiction. Sure, it focused heavily on AD&D, but it reviewed other games. It had comics. It covered all aspects of gaming! Yea, I wrote that twice and for a very good reason. Dragon Magazine was my Sports Illustrated, as it was to all my fellow nerds that chose to sit around the table and swing mystical Swords +5. Unlike issues of S.I., every issue was the swimsuit issue, what with all the babes in Pasties +1. Um, they were only drawings, but still, you get it where you can when you’re an oily 13-year-old Geek. To put it simply, Dragon Magazine was the realm where my dreams went to play. (When I wasn’t, you know, pretending to save the Enterprise from Klingon death).

Sadly, those days are gone.

Last weekend, I went into my favorite local gaming store looking for something new to occupy my gaming habit. Stacks upon stacks of stat-filled books caught my eye and while I was incredibly tempted, I’m trying to avoid any new gaming books because your friendly neighborhood Geek wants to play; and every time I get a new book, it means more months of DM'ing. (Um, trust me, those who understand such things know there is a massive difference). No new cards needed for my deadly milling deck, (and I need to save my bills for October 3). Then I saw it. The newest issue of Dragon (and Dungeon, but I rarely read that one, see the same reason for avoiding new RPG books) sitting on the new release table. A glorious Larry Elmore cover, attracting my attention. Alas, as I approached the newest issue my heart sank. I knew it was coming, but like Gob trying to avoid a break-up call from a sexy Mexican soap-opera star, I did my best to ignore the facts…

Last Issue of Dragon Magazine!

They sighted a myriad of reasons for the magazine's departure. However, the phrase that kept coming up was the "proliferation of online and electrical gaming". There might be some truth to that, but I have my doubts. It all started when Dragon and Dungeon Magazine switched to D20 products alone. Sure, that might have alienated a good slice of the gaming community, but it also attracted new ones that were discovering (or, in my case rediscovering) RPGs. Then quite suddenly, both magazines transformed to D&D only content. I could see the writing on the wall. Although no one was saying anything, I new the magazine's days were numbered. So, I guess this shouldn’t be such a surprise that Dragon took its last flight. I’ve yet to finish the issue. For one thing, it just bums me out to finish the last issues, and secondly, it just isn’t that good of a magazine anymore. I know you need to write for your target market, but to focus on such a niche group I couldn't help but lose interest in the magazine. Still, is there truth to the statement that tabletop gaming is losing an audience?

I hope not.

Not simply because I'm about to enter the realm of RPG book publishing (and comic). No, I hope this isn't true because there is something sad about people relying on console and/or computer games as their escapist entertainment. Not to sound like a White Wolf Games editor, but there is something magical about sitting at the gaming table and telling a story along with your friends and family. Something you just can't do at a computer monitor, not to the same level as face-to-face contact.

To coin an ad you can’t read anymore from Dragon Magazine…

If you’re going to pretend to be a 15th level High Elf, at least do it with friends.

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Now I Am The Master!

I told people this was inevitable. Many people claimed it was nothing but my own fanboy Geek rambling. While that is often true, how often will you all continue to doubt me? Me! What is this Nostradamian prediction I speak of…

Nintendo Wii finally gets the game it was so clearly designed:

Star Wars – The Woo-Woo / Chazzzz game. Okay, so maybe that isn’t the title. However, Krome Studios announced today that they would handle the Wii version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. While it may not have the same graphic qualities as the PS3 or Xbox 360, it will have an exclusive “Dual Mode”

Hells yes! Only took 31 years, but I can finally have the game I’ve always dreamed. Is that sad? Oh well! Woo-Woo-Chazzz!!!