[Gamer's Review] Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition - Part 1

Tiamat, Queen of the Dragons | Image Courtesy of Enworld

I know it's been awhile since I last reviewed a game, so I figured I would do something new with this post- review a table-top role playing game.  Now, for those of you unfamiliar with TTRPGs (which given the nature of this blog and the audience it would attract if it indeed attracted an audience is pretty slim), they are games wherein a group of people, usually ranging from 3-6, come together and use a set of rules to tell a story together.  Each game usually has a Dungeon Master (or Game Master) that works on the general frame of the story and presents challenges to the players, and 2-5 players that creature characters that interact with the world the DM has created.  Together they tell a story, usually one that isn't even remotely close to the one the DM wanted to tell (I'm looking at your RYAN!).

Even those unfamiliar with how a table-top role-playing game works probably still know what Dungeons and Dragons is, or have at least heard of it.  After all, the game has the brand recognition that few others can match.  It's left as much an impact, if not a great impact, in our collective conscious as Pikachu and Mario.

Here we have a Lv 9 Human Monk fighting a Dire Rat blessed by Thor. | Image Courtesy of The Mushroom Kingdom

Now Dungeons and Dragons (or D&D as it is more commonly called), has gone through many different versions, known as editions.  It started out with Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson's original version of Dungeons and Dragons, which was published in 1974, and underwent several changes including Basic Dungeons and Dragons, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition, Dungeons and Dragons 3.0 (and later 3.5), Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition, Pathfinder (it's D&D and we all know it), and finally Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.  Many other games that were inspired by D&D or designed to play with a similar feel were also created, such as Pelgrane Press' 13th Age.

But now that we're done linking to a bunch of Wikipedia pages, let's get down to business with this article before you all close your browsers and move on to 4chan and Reddit to complain about Gamergate (Ha!  A timely cultural reference from a blogger that only posts once every two years!  That'll sure date this article in three years when it's finally read!).

Alright, seriously, we're going to buckle down now and actually review Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.  Now I've been playing D&D since I was sixteen when none other than Cameron Lawrence himself invited me to join his game of D&D (3.5).  One cringe-worthy backstory later and I was Ashiel Dragmire, half-elven sorcerer sent on a quest to recover some hobbit's treasure or something like that.

This?  I'm pretty sure it was this. | Image Courtesy of G4TV.com

Anyway, it only took about five minutes before I was in love.  I spent the ensuring seven years learning everything I could about D&D- the mechanics, the lore, how to optimize my own characters while simultaneously learning how to beat down players who tried to break my games with their own over-powered characters.  I observed Cameron's DM style, as well as the style of our other DM Nate, and tweaked them to create my own way of running games.  As a writer by hobby (and hopefully one day by trade so I can plug articles like this with links to my work), I wasn't worried about telling a story.  I had countless worlds floating around in my head and it wasn't hard to slap some mechanics to them and set my players loose.

Eventually I moved to college and met a new gaming group and picked up on how to play Pathfinder, which wasn't so different than D&D 3.5.  I never got into 4th Edition, mostly because I missed the session that my original gaming group used to test it (they weren't the biggest fans) and my new group's DM had an absolute loathing of it.  I played that for several years before finally joining the Dungeons and Dragons Next playtest.  My buddy Ryan and I created characters (I was, and continue to be, a human rogue while he plays a paladin of Wee Jas) and drove three hours to Scranton, PA for MEPACon, which if you're in the Pennsylvania area I highly recommend going to.  Affordable, some great people there, and all-in-all it's a lot of fun.

YOUNG MAN YOU WILL STOP PLUGGING AND LINKING AND START REVIEWING! | Image Courtesy of Jesus-Is-Savior.com

So Ryan and I had our freshly-rolled characters and a set of rules that at many points seemed very contradictory, but hey, it was a playtest so we understood.  Once we got to playing we found the game to be a little slow and clunky in places.  The DMs at the convention had us take notes about their adventures and the mechanics in general after each 4-hour gaming slot, and when we returned next fall we were given packets with several updates that made for a smoother, more fluid game.  Some old things we liked were taken out, but several newer and better mechanics were added in.  It continued on like this until finally the playtest was closed.  The long wait for the Player's Handbook began...

When the Player's Handbook finally hit the shelves I bought a copy and poured over it.  I was immediately in love.  All the things that I liked from the playtest were there (somethings were nerfed a little more than I liked, but I wasn't about to get all up in arms on the Internet about it.  Wait...) and several new mechanics I wouldn't have even thought of were added in.  At a glance the classes and races appeared rather well-balanced, and several new backgrounds were added in to provide even more options for players.

The Races

 

The Tiefling, a personal favorite of mine and a welcome addition to the PHB | Image Courtesy of Enworld

There are four "core" races in D&D 5e: Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, and Humans.  These represent the four main races that can be found in just about any published Dungeons and Dragons setting without standing out.  Each of the non-human races has at least two sub-race options, allowing players to further customize their character within its race.  For example, a dwarf can either be a hardier hill dwarf, or a stronger mountain dwarf while an elf can either be a magical high elf, wilderness-savvy wood elf, or vile drow.  Humans have the option of using a variant human rule that makes them more akin to 3.X's human race, giving them a free bonus feat and two skill proficiencies at the cost of reduced ability score bonuses.  It's probably the best race option in the game, as feats and skills are immensely powerful and important.

In addition to the four core races there are dragonborn (totally different from the character you've played in Skyrim, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and tieflings.  They are separated from the other four races as they are treated as "unusual" races that may not be present or appropriate for all games and settings.  Due to their more unique natures, these races don't have any sub-race options, at least not in the Player's Handbook.

Overall I was satisfied with the amount of race options in the Player's Handbook.  There were more for me to choose from than in the 3.5 or Pathfinder's Player's Guides, which means I have to do less pleading to get my DM to let me play something uncommon like a tiefling or dragonborn.

The Classes

The Warlock, a unique caster that takes traits from multiple warlock incarnations throughout D&D's history. | Image Courtesy of Enworld

Next up are the classes.  Right away I was impressed with the number of options I had at my disposal.  While there was only one "new" class compared to the PHBs I was used to, it just felt like I had a nearly unlimited number of choices- probably the result of the rather limited choices I was left with in the playtest for this edition.  I could choose anything from the anger-management needing barbarian to the whimsical bard to the wizened cleric to the hippie druid.  I could even be a monk, and more importantly not suck.  Yes, the classes were actually balanced!

Well, mostly.  So far in my time playing 5e as both a player and a Dungeon Master I've found that spellcasting classes are still a little more powerful than non-casting classes, but it's more due to their increased versatility rather than straight damage.  Fighters received a much-needed boost with their Battle Master and Eldritch Knight Specializations, and even monks can use ki to "cast spells."  While basically giving everyone the ability to use magic is a cheap way to balance the game, it is effective and so far I haven't felt as if my character can't contribute to the party, nor as a DM have I seen any one class shine brighter than the rest.

The thing I like most about each class is the option to choose between two or three specializations (clerics and wizards have a larger number of domains or schools to choose from, but the differences are more subtle).  Much like Pathfinder's Archetypes and 3.X's Alternative Class Features, a specialization allows you to narrow your character's focus and give them some cool abilities that not all members of their class might have.  For example, as a rogue you can be a guild thief, an assassin, or an arcane trickster.  As a thief you become more mobile and stealthy, making it easier to sneak up on others and rob them blind as well as survive in dungeons.  Assassins gain the ability to blend in with the crowd and a powerful death attack that allows them to deal even more sneak attack damage (which has been greatly boosted in this edition of Dungeons and Dragons).  Finally, arcane tricksters learn how to cast a few spells and use them in unusual ways to gain an edge in combat.

The specializations aren't quite as balanced as the classes, and it's pretty clear which specializations are superior to others (I'm looking at you Champion.  God you were a disappointment.).  While it's a shame that the same amount of effort wasn't put into the specializations as the classes themselves, I don't think it'll ruin the game in the long-run.  Each class has at least two specializations that are viable.  Hopefully when the Dungeon Master's Guide is released it will come with some new specializations for those classes who don't have as many (*cough cough* sorcerer and barbarian *cough cough*).

The Backgrounds

The Soldier Background, a common choice amongst Fighters, or so I have found. | Image Courtesy of Enworld

While I was originally going to review all of the 5th Edition material I've encountered so far in this article, I'm already at 1,723 words (not including captions!), so I'll wrap up after this section.  Backgrounds were not something I expected from Dungeons and Dragons, but boy am I ever glad to see them!  They're a great tool for new and veteran gamers alike, making it easier for neophyte dungeon delvers to flesh out their characters beyond "I'm a fighter with a sword and I like to kill things, drink ale, collect gold, and make love to beautiful women."

Not that there is anything wrong with that! | Image Courtesy of Collider.com

There are several backgrounds ranging from the Soldier pictured above to the acolyte of the faith to the sly charlatan to the rugged outlander.  Each background provides several proficiencies, either in skills or tools, additional gear that might come in handy in your adventures, and a unique ability that, while rarely provides a mechanical benefit, has a nice role-playing ability or hook.  For instance, a folk hero can more easily find shelter amongst the common people.  There is no mechanical benefit (he doesn't get a +2 to the roll or gain advantage), the DM and the player role-play the encounter between the player's character and the smallfolk whose aid he is trying to gain.

Many of the background also have an alternate background option, such as the guild merchant option for the guild artisan background.  The alternate option might have a slightly different set of proficiencies and different fluff, but it is too similar to the base background to warrant being an independent background choice.  While a nice addition to the playtest's set of backgrounds, I didn't feel as if they brought a whole lot to the table (Hell, I was a guild merchant before it was even a thing!).  Like with the class specializations, I hope that the Dungeons Master's Guide will come with more backgrounds.

I apologize for not getting around to reviewing more of D&D 5e's many, many options, but I feel like I've already used up enough of your time.  Join me next week and we'll look over feats, spells, and the Monster Manual!  Now before I go, I'll leave you with this fantastic video.  This actually happens every time a game of Dungeons and Dragons is played.  Seriously.  Every.  Time.

You can download the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Basic Rules for free here, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast.  Wasn't that nice of them?

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[Skyrim Double Feature] The Imperial Argument

This article was written by my good friend Pierre Roderique.  I hope you guys enjoy it!

*Spoiler Alert* This article contains spoilers about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It is one of two articles arguing opposing sides of the Skyrim's Civil War. The Stormcloak Argument can be found here.

The Imperial, the champion of the Empire.

On Wednesday, Sean wrote an article in support of the Stormcloaks, explaining away their faults and trying to undermine the position of the Empire. At the end of that article, he promised that I would write a follow-up explaining just what makes the Empire so great; well, here it is. 

Anyone who has played Skyrim knows about the Stormcloaks and the Imperials; their struggle forms the backdrop of the game, creating context and breathing life into a game world that would otherwise consist of the Dovahkiin solving minor grievances and occasionally fighting dragons. Indeed, I could hardly be arsed to keep playing the game once I had finished the Imperial quest line, as by then I had already had my fill of killing dragons. 

The Imperials fight to prevent the separation of Skyrim from the Empire; they recognize the need for unity now more than ever, with the Thalmor breathing down their necks and war threatening to break out at any moment. It cannot be stressed enough just how important Skyrim is to them, for both its cultural and military significance. If the Stormcloaks represent America during the American Revolution, the Imperials represent America during the Civil War. 

Can... can we ALL be America?

Skyrim is a land run by barbarism and chaos; the Jarls, rulers of their respective lands, can never come to agreement on anything, and do not do nearly enough to support their people. These people are their direct charge, faces they see every day, and yet they are perfectly willing to pay random strangers who happen to amble into town to deal with problems they should really be training their own soldiers to handle. The reason, they will tell you, is that their soldiers are all off fighting for either the Stormcloaks or the Imperials; yet, there would be no war if Ulfric Stormcloak had not decided that his desire for the throne of High King was more important than the stability of his country. 

Ulfric’s desires are one of the reasons he is difficult to trust. Torygg, the previous High King, was a good friend and ally of Ulfric’s; yet, before the game starts, Ulfric uses the power taught to him by the Greybeards to kill Torygg in a duel. Had he simply asked Torygg to aid him in his struggle, things might have been different; for one thing, he would have had the full force of Skyrim to back him up. He chose, however, to murder his old friend in the hopes of securing his path to the throne. 

Another problem arises in the form of racism between the Nords and every other race. Many Nords want nothing to do with “outsiders,” of which there are many. Most Nords treat members of other races coldly, and this is reflected in the Stormcloaks as well. If you attempt to join their ranks as a member of another race, they will grill you about your choice. They are fully aware of their intentions from the beginning: to push all non-Nords out of Skyrim, and make it their own. I’m not about to make any unfavorable comparisons here, but that kind of racial discrimination is incredibly shortsighted and is apt to put Stormcloaks in a position of severe weakness once the war is done. 

The greatest problem with the Stormcloaks’ Rebellion, however, is what it means for Tamriel as a whole. For every day the war drags on, the Thalmor gain a greater advantage. They admit in one of their reports that they had a role in influencing Ulfric to start his rebellion, supplying him with weapons and supplies he only recently ceased accepting. They know that the war works in their favor; anything that can be done to weaken their enemies without losing their own soldiers works in their benefit. And should Ulfric succeed in his war and gain independence for Skyrim? While his forces work to rid the country of non-Nords, the Thalmor will waltz in and steamroll the entire nation. They simply have too much working in their favor to be reasonably dealt with during the time the game takes place; the Imperials are tacticians, and recognized this fact immediately. 

The Empire has chosen to bide its time and wait until they have a reasonable shot at beating the Thalmor before striking at them again. They know that even if they could unite the countries of Tamriel, their combined power would not be enough to stop the Thalmor. Thus, they bide their time and try to build up their forces; the Stormcloak rebellion does little more than slow this process down. By fighting the Empire, the Stormcloaks are unwittingly playing directly into the Thalmor’s hands. 

Now, it’s true that the Empire signed the White-Gold Concordat and banned the worship of Talos as part of their peace treaty with the Thalmor. However, it must be noted that they did this to save lives; while it is true that some Nords still die as the Thalmor “uncover” them as Talos worshippers, this is nothing compared to the number of deaths which would have resulted from continuing the war. Moreover, these deaths could be forgotten completely if the Nords would simply accept the abolition of Talos; it is their own stubborn pride that allows the Thalmor to abuse their power to arrest and execute Talos worshippers. 

Many Nords feel that those who serve the Empire are traitors, but in the end it is just the opposite: the Nordic Imperials care about the well-being of their people, but are willing to look beyond the immediate future to see the repercussions their actions will have in the grand scheme. They work to preserve unity in order to prevent the country they love from meeting a disastrous fate. 

The Empire may not be taking the most heroic course of action, but they are taking the smartest. They fight to ensure a future for themselves and all of Tamriel. The Stormcloaks fight to satisfy their own selfish and racist ideals, and are steering themselves towards an early, ignoble death. 

The banner of the Imperial Legion, because fuck bears, dragons are cool!

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[Skyrim Double Feature] The Stormcloak Argument

*Spoiler Alert* This article contains spoilers about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It is one of two articles arguing opposing sides of the Skyrim's Civil War. The Imperial Argument can be found here.

The Stormcloak, the dedicated defender of Skyrim's freedom.

         It’s been awhile since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim came out (4 months and 10 days by my count), but there’s still one argument that seems to pop up on video game forums an awful lot (aside from the inevitable “Where do I get my nude mods?”): Who is right: the Stormcloaks or the Imperials?

Even though the civil war/revolution isn’t technically the main quest line in the game, it’s mentioned so often that is might as well be.  While people recognize that there are DRAGONS attacking Skyrim’s cities and villages, they seem more concerned with the significantly more mortal and easy to kill Nords and Imperials running around hacking each other to bits.

I may have strayed a little too much from my point in that last paragraph…  Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that the Stormcloaks are more in the right than the Empire.  They fight for better reasons than the Imperials and their leader Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak is only slightly more of a dick than General Tullius.

The Stormcloaks fight for two main reasons as far as I can tell: political independence and religious freedom.  You know what country did that in our world?  The United States of America.

America!  Fu-  Never mind, that meme is too old.

First I’ll discuss their desire for political independence.  The politics in Stormcloak are much like feudal Europe’s were back in the day.  There the High King or Queen who rules over all of Skyrim and eight jarls that govern the eight holds that aren’t under the High King or Queen’s direct control.  When the High King dies, the jarls (and likely whoever is in charge of the late king’s hold) come together to select a new High King or Queen to rule over Skyrim.  During the events of the game, there are nine jarls, as the High King was killed and the moot has not yet met to elect a new jarl.

However, since Skyrim is part of the Empire, the titles of High King and High Queen are largely ceremonial and the rulers of Skyrim still have to answer to the Emperor.  The Emperor, being far from Skyrim in his palace in the Imperial City, doesn’t necessarily know what’s best for Skyrim.  The Nordic culture is often disregarded in face of the “betterment” of the Empire, as is shown throughout General Tullius’s campaign to bring an end to the rebellion.

During the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the Empire is a sinking ship that threatens to drag down the rest of Tamriel with it.  Seeing this, Ulfric Stormcloak starts his revolution so keep Skyrim from being destroyed alongside the Empire.  He isn’t the first person to do this either.  Before the events of the game Hammerfell was renounced by the Empire after feeling betrayed by Emperor Tidus II.  Ulfric and many of Skyrim’s citizens feel the same way and want to leave the Empire that threw away so many Nord lives in a pointless war.

Many Imperials and supporters of the Empire believe that if Ulfric Stormcloak proves victorious and Skyrim’s secedes from the Empire it will only serve to make a Thalmor victory easier.  While there is a chance of this happening, do not forget that Hammerfell, after being abandoned by the Empire, managed to force the Aldmeri Dominion’s forces out of their lands.  Who’s to say that Skyrim can’t do the same?

With political freedom discussed, I’ll turn to religious freedom argument.  When the Empire lost to the Aldmeri Dominion (and they did lose, the White-Gold Concordant was almost identical to the ultimatum the Thalmor presented to the Empire before the Great War), the right and freedom to worship Talos was banned.  Talos, the divine incarnation of Tiber Septim, the very man who founded the Empire, was abandoned by his people.

Now if the Thalmor wanted to ban the public worship of Talos (much like how the public worship of the Daedric Princes is taboo), then I wouldn’t blame the Empire as much for accepting the terms to preserve the Empire, but the Thalmor completely banned the worship and travel throughout the provinces of Tamriel still controlled by the Empire (and through the Empire the Aldmeri Dominion) and arrest and often execute people suspected of worshipping Talos.  Religious persecution is something that has occurred throughout the history of our world, and it has never ended well for any of the parties involved.

Before I wrap up this argument, I’ll address one of the concerns that people have about this argument: Ulfric Stormcloak and the leaders of the Stormcloak Rebellion.  To be frank, Ulfric is a racist, selfish dick (but most people in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are racist, otherwise I wouldn’t be the only khajiit allowed into the different cities).  I won’t even try to deny it.  However, he takes it upon himself to free Skyrim from the rule of the Thalmor, something no other man or woman was willing to do.

He's a dick, but damn does he have a sense of style!

His primary mistake was killing High King Torygg, who would have likely joined Ulfric’s cause.  Instead, the Jarl of Windhelm let his desire to become the High King cloud his judgment and he killed Torygg in battle.  Whether Ulfric used his voice to “shout High King Torygg to pieces” or he killed Torygg in an honorable duel, he still killed a potential ally out of greed.

However, despite this, Ulfric ultimately has his heart in the right place.  He fights for the people of Skyrim, and unlike the Imperial leaders he actually walks among his soldiers and speaks to his people, rather than having his officers relay all of his orders to the men and women who fight under his banner.

“I fight for the men I’ve held in my arms, dying on foreign soil!  I fight for their wives and children, whose names I heard whispered in their last breath… I fight so that all the fighting I’ve already done hasn’t been for nothing!  I fight… because I must.”

“But Sean,” you say. “Politicians will say anything to sway the people and gather support!”

“Reader,” I reply.  “That is most certainly true!  However, when Ulfric says this, he is speaking to Galmar Stone-Fist, a man he has known for years and doesn’t need to convince.  Aside from the Dovahkiin and Ulfric’s steward Jorleif, there is no one else in the room.  Ulfric speaks those words because they are how he truly feels.

Ulfric and the Stormcloaks fight for just and noble causes: freedom from an Empire that will only serve to slowly kill them and the right to worship their god.  The Empire only fights in hopes of holding on to Skyrim so that it can maintain its illusion of control over Tamriel.

The Stormcloak banner, because bears are awesome.

Stayed tuned for my friend Pierre's Imperial Argument!

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