KOBOLDS!! Thousands and thousands of KOBOLDS!!! AAAARRRGGH

[heffroncm]

Creature Incarnations: Kobolds

Lots of good stuff here, including the Kobold Victory Chart.

I'm in love with the Kobold Horde, and frankly DEMAND that WotC make a mini for it.  It would replace my Young Silver Dragon on the mantle.  The Rat Master would also make for an interesting miniature.

But heck, I'd be happy with ANY 4e art Kobolds.  I'm only buying DoD1 and beyond mini's, and do not want to have to go back multiple expansions to get a decent selectikon of kobolds.

The Traps and Terrain section is like a ten-step guide to being an evil, conniving, hateful little lizard.

This line from the Kobold Wild Mage is just perfect: "They are jumpy, easily startled, and prone to stuttering, mild seizures, and random muscle spasms."

Also, the Wild Mage might be a murky window into the future.  Developers have hinted that the Sorceror is absorbing the Wild Magic idea.  If this guy is a look at Wild Magic mechanics, I think we're in for some entertaining wackiness.

Still, WotC needs a better editing process.  I hate to see cases where the 'tactics' text refers to an ability on a different monster when they are trying to referance a slightly different ability on the monster they are writing about.  For example, the Piker portion mentioning how they use their Kobold Tactics ability, when they actually have Piker Tactics.  It's minor and nit-picking, but meh, it bugs me.

[tsuyoshikentsu]

I DEMAND that the Kobold victory chart be incorporated into basically everything from here on out.

[Banor]

This is bad ass. Considering the quality of the DDI previews, I seriously consider subscribing to it(probably my gaming group will chip in so I don't get to pay for everything alone )

Kobolds rock, I love to hate them My Warlord even took Viper Strike as his at will only for them !

[X-Codes]

Kobolds are awesome.  This article is awesome.  Awesomeness abounds, and I feel awesome about the awesome.

*sticks a Kobold Chieftan into the KotS module...*

What?  I'm running it with 6 people!

[Runestar]

Odd how wotc has demonstrated that it is perfectly capable of supplying us with top-notch quality material, yet fed us stinkers on a regular basis for the past year like MM4, races of destiny and complete psion.

[heffroncm]

Odd how wotc has demonstrated that it is perfectly capable of supplying us with top-notch quality material, yet fed us stinkers on a regular basis for the past year like MM4, races of destiny and complete psion.

1) New game, fresh start.  New people.  Learned from their mistakes, perhaps

2) Those books represent a selection of publication that spans back 4 years.  Give us 4 years of 4e, and I bet you can come up with a few stinkers there too.  I'm not saying WotC was always putting out good material, but the biggest complaints are some of the design goals of 4e.  Crafting books that are worth buying for more than just 3 feats and a Prestige Class is one of the things they have flat out said they need to do and apologized for.

This is bad ass. Considering the quality of the DDI previews, I seriously consider subscribing to it(probably my gaming group will chip in so I don't get to pay for everything alone )

Kobolds rock, I love to hate them My Warlord even took Viper Strike as his at will only for them !

Don't subscribe just for the magazines.  They will be available monthly as PDF's for less than the subscription price, and less than you'd pay for 2 magazines at the newstand.  Only subscribe if the gaming tools provided are worth the differance.  To me, the rules database and gametable are worthwhile.

[X-Codes]

Odd how wotc has demonstrated that it is perfectly capable of supplying us with top-notch quality material, yet fed us stinkers on a regular basis for the past year like MM4, races of destiny and complete psion.

I really do have to agree that having more than 1 monster manual really is redundant.  After the first monster manual, just stick some monsters in the other books.  Yes, I didn't really like Monster Manuals 2, 3, or 5 either.

As for Complete Psion... I'd really like to defend that book.  It was about 99% suck, but that 1% was a cut above even what was usually found in a splatbook made of 99% suck.

That said, lay off Races of Destiny.  Illumians were cool even if they were retardedly broken.  Menacing Brute, too.  They also gave us Able Learner.  I think the book you *meant* to put on that list was Cityscape.  I mean, seriously... CITY damage?

[Josh]

Odd how wotc has demonstrated that it is perfectly capable of supplying us with top-notch quality material, yet fed us stinkers on a regular basis for the past year like MM4, races of destiny and complete psion.

1) New game, fresh start.  New people.  Learned from their mistakes, perhaps

2) Those books represent a selection of publication that spans back 4 years.  Give us 4 years of 4e, and I bet you can come up with a few stinkers there too.  I'm not saying WotC was always putting out good material, but the biggest complaints are some of the design goals of 4e.  Crafting books that are worth buying for more than just 3 feats and a Prestige Class is one of the things they have flat out said they need to do and apologized for.

This is bad ass. Considering the quality of the DDI previews, I seriously consider subscribing to it(probably my gaming group will chip in so I don't get to pay for everything alone )

Kobolds rock, I love to hate them My Warlord even took Viper Strike as his at will only for them !

Don't subscribe just for the magazines.  They will be available monthly as PDF's for less than the subscription price, and less than you'd pay for 2 magazines at the newstand.  Only subscribe if the gaming tools provided are worth the differance.  To me, the rules database and gametable are worthwhile.

Fantasy Grounds looks better and is cheaper

http://www.fantasygrounds.com/home/

The books are supposedly going to be available in e-format for free.

Looking less and less worth it.

[tsuyoshikentsu]

I think the programs are cool, but not $14.95 a month cool.  I like Wired magazine's suggestion: rent out tables by the hour.

[heffroncm]

Fantasy Grounds looks better and is cheaper

http://www.fantasygrounds.com/home/

The books are supposedly going to be available in e-format for free.

Looking less and less worth it.

2 problems with Fantasy Grounds in my situation:
1) All my hometown friends that I want to game online with are already willing to get DDI subscriptions for one reason or another.  Wether it's the database, or the dragon articles, or the character visualizer, they all have reasons that they think the package is worth $10 a month.  That's assuming WotC is still going to be selling yearly subscriptions for $120, but I haven't seen them say otherwise.

2) Fantasy Grounds takes more time.  Time is my premium right now.  I rate my hours of free time at around $50 an hour, they are that precious to me.  If Fantasy Grounds takes even 2 hours longer than the gametable to set up, convert for 4e, and play, then it's more expensive to me in opportunity cost than the DDI solution.  I can't really judge the two products until I can see them side by side, though, so I'm waiting until the tools are out before investing in anything.

[MittenNinja]

These kobolds are full of win. I cant wait to use them tonight.

[Bozwevial]

1) The Kobold Victory Chart is--You know what? There are no words for it. Look at it yourself, because I can't describe it.

2) OH GOD RUN IT'S A KOBOLD SWARM: This is simultaneously the most unexpected thing Wizards has sprung on me (with the exception of item 1), a frighteningly logical extension of swarms, and will scare players more than any two Elder Evils combined.

[highbulp]

IIRC, Mearls posted the Kobold victory chart on his blog. I'm glad to see it made it into the magazine--my players didn't get it when I tried to explain it

While I'm not a huge fan of kobolds, I must say I was really impressed with this article. A whole lot of unique and fun monsters. It makes me want to actually use the little buggers. I'll probably just steal the abilities and tack them onto the creatures I've been intending to use though Ah, the wonders of the 4e monster creation system!

[MittenNinja]

I finished running the session last night and managed to use the pikers, war priest, and chieftain; all were awesome additions to the encounters. My favorite of the night was a group of thee pikers in a hallway littered with traps all set at roughly 4 ft. off the ground with two archers about 10 squares back covering their slow retreat.

[awaken DM golem]

Wow. By the power of Pun-pun, something good happened. I am surprised.
You can?t get on gleemax.
I don't want to get ddi.
Then they go and pdf this; and it's tres cute !!

Still, WotC needs a better editing process.

Still, going ...

It ain't happening.

We (all) are really gonna have to optimize Kobolds ... 

[brokenoakleys]

One simple thing I did last night to make the little dragon guys more effective was to introduce:

"viet-kongbolds"

These minions simply dig little foxholes, cover them up, get in, and wait.  Piker, Dragonshield and slinger kobolds form a defensive formation.

Players advance and attack defensive formation, and unless they get 25+ on a perception check, they don't notice the hidden foxholes as they pass by.

Viet-kongbolds then jump out, attack players from rear, flank them, all while yelling "VIVE HO CHI MINH' at the top of their lungs.

Viet-Kongbolds can also ambush the players' strikers and controllers who hang back to do ranged attacks. 

Strikers can help can channelling the party with caltrops.

[Winter]

One simple thing I did last night to make the little dragon guys more effective was to introduce:

"viet-kongbolds"

Brilliant!

I pride myself on building strategic/tactical encounters, but i never thought of doing that. It's even an effective use of minions (in that it freaks the party out, but if they keep their heads about them they'll still be able to make it out alive).