It’s time to officially acknowledge GaleForce Nine as top booth pick of Gen Con 2010. They have a slew of 4E gaming products coming to a game table near you. It was a real treat to see them all in person at the Con. This week we turn our eyes toward their super handy effect markers (including fire, ice and smoke).

These multi-use effect walls give the DM a bundle of game options. Use them as a:

• wall of ice effect from a Wizard’s spell.
• timed spell standing effect or immovable obstacle.
• fire effect in a burning building.
• blocked/diluted line of sight (with smoke plumes).
• triggered trap.

You can place them on the game board as single square pieces or as a row of three. The pieces assemble and re-assemble with ease so they fit nicely into any DM’s travel kit.

Again, Ben really wants to give props to GaleForce Nine for embracing 4E and releasing so many new innovative products. Our readers can expect to see many more reviews from this creative company over the next year. It’s like they’ve truly re-invented themselves – a wonderful sight to see, especially when other companies out there seem so slow to react 4E.

Questions to Ponder: How do you show game effects on your board? Did you create any fun house rules to go with them? Does the fire effect dominate in your game or have you found ways to give ice and smoke a chance?

Get It | See It

The first campaign setting of D&D 4E is a blockbuster affair of intriguing mystery and ferocious combat. You won’t believe what lies ahead – well, that is if you survive long enough to see it.

Gen Con attendees got a real treat when Rodney Thompson and Rich Baker (anyone happen to know his Twitter address?) of Wotc R&D sat down with convention go-ers to reveal the ravaged world that is Dark Sun. Listen to this podcast before you crack those books open.

Ben’s RPG Pile played the upcoming World Wide Game Day module, The Lost Cistern of Aravek, which is coming to a game store near you on 8/21. If you plan on attending, it might be best to hold off on our Dark Sun review due to spoilers. If you can’t go, give our own video podcast of the game a try.

Enjoy our first Dark Sun impressions:

- Game Changer: There are enough differences in the regular 4E to make you stop and think. Ben was worried about creating confusion as he’s just starting to understand regular 4E but it’s a minor risk worth taking.

- Monsters Rule: The baddies from the Creature Catalog are vicious. Our fourth level party of five fought a level 6 solo skirmisher that could max its damage at 56 in a single round (along with some other nasty effects). Pretty brutal considering our characters averaged about 45 hp.

- Intensity Level: The battle tactics, unique terrain, and monster strength kept Ben on his toes – literally. If you ain’t standing around your table for much of Dark Sun, you’re really not playing (or are dead already).

- Classy Characters: The character sheets were immaculate. The artwork, the layout, the new abilities were all easy to spot and use. Get ready to read though – these classes are stuffed with options.

- New Terrain: Ben can turn his game board into a 3-D dungeon in a snap but a desert? Well, that’s a different story. DMs will need time to ramp up. Of course, Ben welcomes this new challenge.

Best of all, we recorded our Dark Sun initiation as part of our ongoing Friday Night Strike series. You can download all eight parts of our video podcast on iTunes. Consider it a helpful test drive.

Bottom line – Dark Sun is a sensational new 4E setting. You will absolutely love it. Well, what are you waiting for? Get down to your local game store, buy the books and try it firsthand. By the way, do you have any water to spare?

Questions to Ponder: Will you play Dark Sun? Why or why not? Would you run a Dark Sun campaign and a regular D&D 4E campaign simultaneously? What campaign setting do you want to see next?

Watch It

“The vendor hall is now closed.” Sparkly new treasures rest on your shelf. C’est la vie Gen Con 2010.

But wait! Consider some small to-do’s now that could turn into future big fun.

- Sheet of Sadness: Did you keep a quick running notes’ list so you had an easy reminder sheet for next year? If not, now’s the time to strike while the memory iron is hot. Real-life Ben examples: (1) bring travel-size Pepto (thanks so much abnormally huge Ram Burgers). (2) download the Gen Con iPhone app before the show (since finding specific booths in those crowds was painful).

- Online Gallery: Upload your Gen Con pics to Facebook or Flickr now before you accidentally delete them. And make it easy for your game group to pull them down for their own collection.

- Thank You’s: Certainly you encountered some good gaming citizens or met some long-time heroes at the Con. What’s the harm in sending a quick tweet, email or wall post as a nice way to thank them for their hospitality or down-to-earthiness?

- Buddy Gifts: Set aside your game group gift now before it gets lost. Did you take a great buddy photo that fits nicely into a dollar store frame? Was there a t-shirt you nabbed that’s perfect for a holiday/birthday gift?

- Dire Piggy Bank: It is never too early to slowly start putting your gold coins away for next year. Did you have a little money left over? Excellent – put it in that cigar box now. Establish your reserve fund now for all that eventual loose change and birthday/holiday money. This is how Ben slowly amasses his spending money & it’s a major motivating force.

- Outlook Reminder: Gen Con 2011 is set for 8/4 thru 8/11. Enter in an outlook reminder January 26-ish so you’re prepared to call into the hotel block and nab that room right across the street from the convention center.

- Check the Tweets: Keep a close eye on Twitter and these common hash tags (#dnd, #gencon, #wotc) for all the great post Con articles and photos. It’s a virtual sea of D&D tranquility out there right now and you could be missing it.

- Inspiring Words: Start your own new list of goals for your game. If you weren’t inspired by all the amazing people you personally met and observed, it’s time to take a pulse and ensure you didn’t become undead during all those travel woes.

Questions to Ponder: What do you personally do now to help prepare for next year? Anything on our handy list that you find works well (or not so well)?

Watch It

Ben dares thee to find a more drawn out, never-ending game debate than D&D 4th edition vs. all previous editions (but mostly D&D 3.5 edition). This RPG dispute has nearly taken on a north vs. south civil war mentality in the world of the InterGoogle.

The gang at the Pile thinks that all this pent up D&D edition anger is particularly silly. So much so, that we decided to make a little tongue-in-cheek video of our own on our YouTube channel. The classic iPhone vs. HTC vid was our inspiration. Xtranormal was our technology weapon of choice.

Of course, we absolutely love 4E for all the myriad of reasons mentioned in our comedic short. Still, we haven’t abandoned Dungeons and Dragons rich history. What tickles our funny bones is how angry and often irrational a few of the diehards get when discussing the D&D editions differences. Just remember the golden rule – any D&D is good D&D.

Enjoy a quick top 5 on why D&D 4E makes Ben so gosh darn happy:

1. Latest and Greatest: WotC supports it with new monthly product releases.
2. Enhanced Combat: Battles are much more diverse and interesting.
3. Game Flow: The overall game moves quicker with a streamlined rule set.
4. Role Play: Group determines RPG weight. Never been the edition’s job.
5. Remembered Roots: Plenty of Gary G’s original ideas and love remain.

Finally, here are a couple fun online articles to peruse at your leisure:

1. Boycotting 4th Edition D&D
2. A Comparison of Content
3. A GM’s First Impressions of D&D 4e: Looks Like Fun
4. 3.5 E, older D&D and Pathfinder. What do D&D vets think of pathfinder
5. Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Review

Questions to ponder: Which edition do you play most frequently? What is a pro of 4E? What is a pro of 3.5E? What is a con of 4E? What is a con of 3.5E? Will you ever try 4E? Will you ever go back to 3.5 or earlier? Do you play Pathfinder instead of 4E?

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