“The Best Four Days in Gaming” took place at Gen Con 2011 in Indianapolis on August 4th-7th. I was able to attend and cover the con this year for Fist Full of Comics and Games. Look beyond the jump to see my thoughts about this years convention
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 Key of Stars is the third book in the series called the Abolethic Sovereignty by Bruce Cordell set in the 4th edition D&D version of the Forgotten Realms setting. Check out my reviews of book 1 and book 2 if you want reviews of the entire series.
This book involves the party of adventurers having stopped the Eldest from waking but having failed to stop the city from continuing on with it’s plans. They find themselves on a quest to find the last remaining Key of Stars in the world (the others having been already lost) and keep it out of the hands of Xxiphu’s masters to stop the incursion from happening. Failing that, they then continue on to stop the key from being used to actually start the invasion…a task that takes them to the edge of existence where the eladrin have been keeping vigilant watch to avoid just such an event and onward into the Far Realm itself. Follow here to read the rest of Ex Libris: Key of Stars (Abolethic Sovereignity Book 3)
The first book deals with an artifact called the Dreamheart which is actually the eye of a massive aboleth (super-intelligent fish creature from beyond the stars with strange mental powers). In the end most of the characters align with the intention of destroying it while one steals it and runs away in order to try and save the “dream form” of a girl he has feelings for which he believes to be stuck inside. Follow here to read the rest of Ex Libris: City of Torment (Abolethic Sovereignity Book 2)
Follow here to read the rest of Ex Libris Review: Plague of Spells  What the Frack? Yeah, that’s right. Jones Soda has unleashed some special limited edition packaging celebrating adventures through the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Check it out here: www.myjones.com/limited/wizards It’s expensive as hell though. See if the group will [...]
Now this Practical Guide is being used as the source material for a young adult novel, Monster Slayers, a fantasy adventure about two teenage boys and an elf girl questing to save friends and family from a band of gnolls. But be prepared – in a world infused with magic, things are often not what they seem!
Follow here to read the rest of Roll the Dice: Player’s Handbook Races – Dragonborn Underdark from Wizards of the Coast for 4e D&D is a book that should give a DM everything that they need to run a game in the deadly underground setting below many fantasy realms in the game. And in this book succeeds in doing just that, IF you are willing to accept their story for the Underdark, a story which is vastly different than any previous story of the place. [...]
Follow here to read the rest of Roll the Dice: The Quintessential Rogue If you are a Forgotten Realms geek then it’s essential. If you want to have a better understanding of realm of Cormyr then this is a great way to immerse yourself. If you are looking for casual D&D fantasy then this may not be the perfect novel for you. [...]
Follow here to read the rest of Roll of the Dice: The Quintessential Wizard
As part of a coordinated release event, FFoCaG received a preview image of an entry in the upcoming DMG2… ———————————————————————————– Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (September 15, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 078695244X ISBN-13: 978-0786952441 Follow here to read the rest of Roll of the Dice: D&D – Dungeon Master’s Guide II Preview |
 
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Plague of Spells is the first of three novels in a series by Bruce Cordell, long known game designer for Dungeons and Dragons, set in the Forgotten Realms. Specifically, it follows shortly after the Spellplague, the major event that occurs that ends the 3rd edition version of the Realms and leads to the dawn of what will become the 4th edition version of the world, about 100 years later.
A few years ago, a quirky illustrated book entitled A Practical Guide to Monsters was published, authored by a now-missing wizard named Zendric. Within this tome the description of a number of shapeshifters, goblinoids, and aberrations could be found, explaining their weaknesses, strengths, and general lifestyle.
The Ghost King, by R.A. Salvatore is the epitome of what I have come to expect from a Drizzt story ramped up to awesome. This is the third and final book in the Transitions Trilogy that is intended to help us breach the gap between the 3rd edition of the Forgotten Realms and the 4th edition of the setting. It also seems to have the implied purpose of providing some much needed growth to characters who have essentially been stagnant since their inception with a few noted (and often heavy handed) attempts in previous novels. This book is not successful in achieving natural and meaningful growth for all of our characters but it does bring about some significant change and highlights what it is like when there is a world being ravaged by Spellplague, the world shaking event that introduces 4th edition D&D to the Forgotten Realms.
The Pirate King, by R.A. Salvatore is the second book in the Transitions Trilogy and features the ever popular adventures of a dark elf named Drizzt. One of the stated purposes of this trilogy of books is to help it’s readers transition from the 3rd edition version of the Forgotten Realms to the 4th edition version of the world. It is also the intention, as I understand it from interviews with the author, to see some transition and development of characters who have been featured in many novels but have largely remained familiar to the characters we first met back in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. This story, however, fails these goals in many ways. The story is broken up into several distinct narratives that only tangentially have anything to do with each other, other than, I suppose, to demonstrate that the Realms are becoming a bit grittier, which I would argue is probably an issue more related to the circumstances of the characters than it portrays a change in the status quo of the setting.
Of all the races presented in the original Player’s Handbook of the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons, two races stood out as being new – dragonborn and tieflings. Both of these races had appeared in previous editions (dragonborn cropping up in the 3e book Races of the Dragon), but their 4th edition counterparts were significantly different, thematically at least. Bits of descriptive text dropped references to an ancient empire of Arkhosia, and the war with the tieflings that destroyed it, but the core flavor of the race was still not as defined as some would’ve liked. Dragon Magazine#365 tried to amend this with an article entitled ‘The Ecology of the Dragonborn,’ which has been expanded upon by the recent 32-page release, Player’s Handbook Races: Dragonborn. If you are playing a dragonborn character, wish to play one in the future, or are a DM who wants to know more about the core flavor of the race, this publication may be right up your alley…
The Quintessential Rogue is the third book in the Quintessential Range of D&D 4th Edition supplements from 
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