NerdNightmare

Todays Flavor: Dwarven Draught

Most dwarves spend a great deal of their time underground, so it goes without saying that they probably know a thing or two about roots. Historically the various forms of Dwarven alcoholic beverages have received the dragons share of the press, the Dwarven root beer I just enjoyed should not be over looked by thirsty adventurers.

The label on the bottle states:

“Dwarves know mining, dwarves know metalworking, but above all, dwarves know root beer. Dwarven Draught is inspired by the best recipes of the dwarven clans. It’ll put hair on yer chin.

Effect: It’s good for what ales you!”

Personally I would have been more interested in sampling an array of various dwarven beers and ales, but the Jones Soda Co. does not dabble in such liquids, so a root beer is the next best option. The drink was very smooth and overall quite enjoyable. Of the two beverages I have reviewed thus far, the Dwarven Draught is the better drink, though its effect is paltry compared to the Brain Juice’s 1d10 +INT

A looooong time ago I ordered a case of soda from the Jones Soda Co.  But this was not just any old case of delicious soft drinks, this was a case of soda with a Dungeons & Dragons theme! I held out on drinking them for a while, mostly because they were sitting in my closet and not in my immediate thoughts. Yesterday I saw the box and decided it was time to do crack them open, and to write a review of each flavor over the next few days.

Todays Flavor: Illithid Brain Juice

The Illithid are a race of psionic powered monsters also known as Mind-Flayers. They look like squid headed humans, a beast straight out of a Lovecraft tale.  Each drink has a description on the back of the label. This one states:  To a mind flayer, nothing tastes sweeter than yummy brain juice. Now you can feed your own inner elder brain. Tentacles not required.

Effect: You are stunned (save ends)  After Effect: You feel smarter for 1d10 minutes.

My initial theory was that the contents of the bottle was juice obtained from the brain of a slain Illithid. However the description on the label tells a different tale. The beverage is in fact merely the drink of choice for the Illithid race. I don’t know which option is more unappetizing. Also I did not feel much smarter after I finished…

The fluid is a pale purple color and tastes like a melted purple Otter Pop. Over all the soda was good, but could have used more sugar.

The official Google blog is reporting that due to low user adoption, the Google Wave project is being canceled. This is very sad news to avid wave users. Google plans to keep the service running till the end of the year. Hopefully the source code will be released and private wave servers will be available. No word was given regarding existing user waves and if there will be a means to easily save the data locally once the service ends.

The full Google post can be seen here.

I guess my Google Wave D&D guide won’t be very useful in the near future.

Ok, so you read part one of this guide and you have decided to play Dungeons & Dragons on Google Wave. You’ve gathered up some willing players & everyone has a character ready to go.  Now what? How do you actually play the game? The short answer is “Just like you normally would.” However that is a bit misleading. In order to play online you will have to make small adjustments here and there. This section of the guide will attempt to cover all of these issues, as well as detail the various functions of wave and dicebot. And again, there are multiple ways to go about this, you will have to figure out what works best for you and your players. If you think you have a better method than I am proposing here, please feel free to contact me! I’m always looking for ways to streamline my sessions.  Email – nerdnightmare(at)gmail(dot)com

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It has been said that whenever a new piece of technology comes out, “someone will try to figure out a way to play D&D with it”.  I don’t know if this is true 100% of the time, but is definitely true for Google Wave. I was fortunate enough to receive a beta invite to the service, and from day one users were attempting to play pen & paper style RPG’s with it.

I play Dungeons & Dragons with friends on a fairly regular basis, but was having trouble organizing a meeting time that worked for all the players. I decided that google wave could be a solution to the problem. And so far, it has worked fairly well. This how-to guide is not intended to be a definitive guide. It is simply a method I came up with that has worked for me and my players.

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If you were to ask me what my favorite TV show is, I would honestly say Penny Arcade TV.

Yes, it’s not technically a television show. It does not air on any channel that I am aware of. However, in the modern age we all currently reside in, TV in it’s current form is bloodied and in desperate need of a healing surge. I have experienced a wider range of emotions while watching PATV than any “legitimate” TV show I have ever seen. The Child’s Play episode drew manly tears. Episode 2 – The Office, made me yearn for a similar work/play environment. The chat roulette episode had me in stitches….

This weeks show is one I have been anticipating since PATV launched. Episode 21 is all about Dungeons & Dragons. The reason this is such an important episode to me personally, is that I had never played D&D as a youth. Not for lack of desire. The opportunity just never presented itself. Fast forward to my mid 20′s and the creators of my favorite web comic begin discussing D&D & it’s newly released 4th edition. I knew instantly that it was finally my time. I purchased a starter kit and the core rule books, gathered a handful of like minded, or at the very least open minded friends, and started a journey into fantasy that continues to this day. Interestingly, I found that I get more enjoyment out of the game playing as the Dungeon Master. I hold a Bachelors degree in video game design. DM’ing a session of D&D feeds that part of my brain like no other activity. It’s almost an addiction at this point.

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Adam Phillips, has created some of the best flash animations you will ever see. So finding out that he has teamed up with Wizards of the Coast to make promotional cartoons for D&D 4th edition was a very pleasant surprise.

This video was my favorite of the bunch.

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This cartoon from fortaxreasons.com is over two years old. I came across it today for the first time, and I feel cheated! This is easily the funniest thing I will post all week.