Ludicrus Events

Bennie Smith of Scrye Magazine previews D&D 4th Edition and has some great things to say about it. It seems that 4th Edition is going to be an evolution of 3rd Edition rather than a revolution - some of the boring and frustrating parts of 3rd are for the chop and characters are being given more strategic choices and options no matter how many previous encounters they have had that day.

Another change will be to the monster stats - 3rd Edition allowed monsters to appear to be more like characters, well in 4th Edition monsters are going back to their roots.

The most exciting addition in 4th Edition are the online tools that Wizards will be rolling out with the new release. Collectively called D&D Insider the tool will come in three parts: Dungeon Builder, Character Visualizer and D&D Game Table.

Dungeon Builder is a great tool to use to construct dungeons and outdoor encounters quickly. Once completed you can then print out to play around the kitchen table or import it into the D&D Game Table for online play.

The Character Visualizer gives you the chance to bring your character to life, letting you customise your character with loads of options. Once again, when finished you then have the option of printing the character out or importing to the D&D Game Table.

Finally, the D&D Game Table tool will allow you to visualize all the dungeon, characters and monsters through a virtual representation on your computer. Each virtual mini will move around this virtual board exploring dungeons, keeps or terrain then rolling vitual dice to hit or deal damage. Communication is by online chat or with voice via microphone and speakers.

For the full report by Bennie Smith please visit http://www.gamingreport.com/