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I once saw a list of Dungeons and Dragons cliché sayings. The one for the bard class read: I’ve never killed a dragon, but 29 ranks in bluff sure makes you think I did. That’s a great bardic turn of phrase. But, with far less ranks in bluff, I can teach you a much better bardic trick when facing a dragon.

You’ll recall from the last installment of Being a Bard, our intrepid bard, Roger Sparx, employed the Bugs Bunny Tactic—a cunning use of a disguise kit, the alter-self spell and good dice rolls—to disguise as a female hobgoblin, luring a male hobgoblin out of its ambush and into Roger Sparx’s party’s ambush. This time I’ll show you Roger’s next trick: bluffing a dragon out of fighting and walking away from its precious hoard. Continue reading “Being a Bard: How to Punk Out a Dragon” →

It’s game night! What excitement lies ahead. Now, you want the party to last as long as possible, right? After all, why should the fun be unnecessarily cut short? As in life, two things are inevitable on game night: fun and hunger. Now, certainly you want to maximize one and limit the other (we’ll let you decide which). So, how can you keep the fun going all night long? Here are four great food ideas for your next gaming night. Continue reading “Four Fun Food Ideas for Your Next Game Night” →

Deck-building games are something of a new trend in tabletop gaming. To the point where their popularity has led to video games that mimic their real-life counterparts: but we think deck-builders are best played in-person with friends. But what are deck-builders? Let’s play: Continue reading “Deck-Building Games: A Brief Overview” →

I know what you’re thinking: who runs a bard? Answer: this guy! After running with standard character classes for the past decade and a half (rangers, barbarian fighters, rogues, etc.), I finally took a chance on the bard and fell in love. In fact, my past two characters have been bards and I don’t know if I’ll ever go back. For me, the bard character class takes advantage of what truly excites me about Dungeons & Dragons—creative interactions within the storyline. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some characters that could deal major damage—and that’s pretty fun, but all of my most memorable gaming moments come from doing something creative that throws the DM a curveball and draws a reaction from everyone at the table and the bardic tactic that I’m about to explain is one of those moments. I call it The Bugs Bunny Maneuver. Continue reading “Being a Bard: The Bugs Bunny Maneuver” →

Do you feel like you’re losing your kids to online games? I can always tell when my twelve-year-old son has been playing these types of games for too long. Let me paint you a mental picture: He’s been online gaming for an hour or two after school. I call him downstairs to get washed up for dinner. The creature that emerges from his room has a glazed look in his eyes, answers questions in a series of grunts and guttural sounds and exhibits some of the same characteristic behaviors of your average TV show zombie.

Continue reading “Have a Kid Obsessed With Online Gaming? Family Game Night Might be the Solution.” →