12.24.2012

RECRUITMENT: Play-by-Post Tournament January & February 2013!

Dungeon Master Ross has a very special surprise that he is extremely excited to share!

Recruitment is now officially open for the grand Play-by-Post TOURNAMENT, encompassing PbP Matches 17, 18, and 19!

11.24.2012

Play-by-Post Match 15 | Round 01

PbP Match 15: Introduction

Fourthcore Team Deathmatch play-by-post Match 15 is mere hours from starting. Allow the Dungeon Master to introduce to you the contestants in this challenge of luck, wits, and skill.

SLAY BELLS vs. A SONG OF BILE & ACID

11.18.2012

E1M3: TOMB OF THE IRON LICH (Nov. 2012)

Once more we go unto the breach to refine this classic Deathmatch map, seeking to make it the perfect arena of mayhem and bloodshed.

Some lessons learned over the years that I have applied to this latest endeavor:
  • No matter what you may think, your map is too big
  • Focus on terrain powers and effects that are small in number, but big in impact
  • Let the dice, and the character builder, fall where they may. Don't fret "abusive" combos, the players will find a way to counter each other.
With that in mind, I proudly present to you the third major iteration of E1M3: TOMB OF THE IRON LICH!



11.15.2012

RECRUITMENT: Play-by-Post Start Date 12/16/12 (December 16)


Help Dungeon Master Deuce ring in the New Year with Match 16!

Recruitment is OVER!  Eight Brave and Foolish Dungeoneers will enter the Tower of Babel on December 17th!

     Recruitment is now officially open for Play-by-Post Match 16, otherwise known as the Sweet 16 Deathmatch!  The match will start no earlier than Sunday December 16th, with a goal of having all teams assembled as soon as possible.  I am looking for eight brave or foolhardy souls to dance with a demon in the pit of fire and come out victorious warriors on the other side!

This match will be trying out the two new constraints introduced in Match 15:
1) The match will not have a specific number of rounds, but instead will go on for a set amount of time. The match starts at 12:01 AM (EST) Sunday December 16th, and will end at 11:59 PM (EST) Monday January 7th (or three weeks total time from the start date). 

2) The time limit for this match only has been changed from 24 hours to 12 hours! That's right; every dungeoneer gets only 12 hours to post their turn or will be gibbed! Don't worry, Holidays will be taken into account! 

Every Dungeoneer is encouraged to post ahead and with contingencies, especially if your teammates are ahead of you in initiative!

Sign up now by dropping a Comment below or emailing DeuceDM. Once you have signed up, you will be set up in a team of the Dungeon Master's devising. If you have friends in mind with whom you would like to join in on your team, be sure to mention it and accommodations will be made. New players will be given preferential placement as a means of fostering a welcoming atmosphere of eternal war and hatred towards your fellow man.

Once the roster has been filled, each team will be able to discuss strategies and tactics among themselves.

The Altar of Slaughter for match 16 will be one designed by Dungeon Master Ross and Sersa Victory; inspired by the works of id Software:  E3M2: TOWER OF BABEL!!!!!

GIB CAKE!
Good hunting, dungeoneers!
Current Roster:  Steven Ness, Kevin (@ericthecavelier), Jon Green, Robert Ferguson, John Grace, Rob Waluchow, Mathew Bowers, and James Barlow!

Play by Post FTDM 14 - Tomb of the Iron Lich, FINAL ROUND


As the final round starts team Kill Ross! is in the lead, but the entire team is lying in a bloody pool on the ground. It's still anyone's game.

California Mountain Snake self-gibs. Is she dwarf enough to draw a card?

11.14.2012

Coming Soon: PbP Tournament #1 on January 8th (Match 17 & 18)


Fourthcore Team Deathmatch has evolved throughout the years and come a long way since its inception. We have strode forth to create interesting new killing fields, refined our skill mastery of the D&D 4E system, and created bonds of brotherhood forged in the unrelenting crucible of shared suffering. I think the FTDM community is finally ready to take the play-by-post experience to the next level: Tournaments.

Starting on January 8th, 2013 (immediately after PbP Match 16), Dungeon Master Ross will be orchestrating a grand play-by-post tournament. Ambitious as always, Ross proposes to leap the play-by-post community forward a huge step towards getting as close as possible to the intense excitement of a live Fourthcore Team Deathmatch tournament.

The tournament will consist of either 3 or four teams, dependent on number of available dungeoneers; in either a round-robin or single elimination ladder style over three different FTDM maps (E1M4, E3M1, E9M1). Players will, of course, be held to a single dungeoneer for the entire tournament, adding an entirely new dimension to the play-by-post strategy. Assuming all goes well in Matches 15 and 16, the tournament will be picking up the same new length-of-play rules, with each match consisting of 3 weeks with 12-hour posting time-limits.

A full-scale announcement effort and new Recruitment post will be forthcoming in December. The match is looking to ideally support up to 16 dungeoneers and many as 2 Assistant Dungeon Masters. If you, just like myself, are frothing at the bit and simply cannot wait to join in this historic Fourthcore event, begin making those emails etc. and assembling your elite squadron of badass dungeon crushers. When the Recruitment goes live, we will begin accepting full teams, partial groups, and lone wolf dungeoneers; with Dungeon Master Ross assembling full teams of 4 dungeoneers as needed. Upon the dawn of the new year, Recruitment will be closed, match details distributed, and the lines drawn in the sand.

11.13.2012

Q: How long do 'end of the encounter' effects last? What conditions are cleared with Respawn?

I bumped this up the timeline to spotlight an area which has come under some scrutiny and caused some confusion recently.

A: Rules-as-Written; effects with the duration of "end of encounter" last the entirety of a match. They are the only conditions that are not removed from Respawn. Typically, if an effect has a duration of "end of ___ turn" or "(save ends)", it is removed on Respawn.

11.11.2012

Play by Post FTDM 14 - Tomb of the Iron Lich, Round 5


As round 5 starts, the score is tied. California Mountain Snake stares down the Iron Golem, rolls a (20) as the save and laughs.

11.08.2012

Play by Post FTDM 14 - Tomb of the Iron Lich, Round 4



As round 4 starts, the Badasses have the lead. Can team Kill Ross! make it up? California Mountain Snake has the first chance at that.

11.06.2012

Custom FTDM Dice Awards



EXCITING NEWS, DUNGEONEEERS!!!

A fresh batch of Fourthcore Team Deathmatch custom dice have been ordered! We have been so happy with the last batch that this will now be A THING THAT WE DO.

Henceforth, all winners in Play-by-Post matches will receive 1 die per match. If you have previously won a play-by-post match, please send an email here with your mailing address so that the appropriate number of dice can be sent to you. Bring them to conventions to show off how much of a TOTAL BADASS you are!
EARNED. NEVER GIVEN.

11.05.2012

RECRUITMENT: Play-by-Post Start Date 11/26/2012 (Match 15)

Dungeon Master Ross has a very special surprise! 

Recruitment is now officially open for Play-by-Post Match 15! The match will start no earlier than Monday November 26th, with a goal of having all teams assembled as soon as possible.

This match will be trying out two new constraints.

1). The match will not have a specific number of rounds, but instead will go on for a set amount of time. The match starts at 12:01 AM (EST) Monday November 26th (just after US Thanksgiving), and will end at 11:59 PM (EST) Friday December 21st (just before Christmas Eve).

2). The time limit for this match only has been changed from 24 hours to 12 hours! That's right; every dungeoneer gets only 12 hours to post their turn or will be gibbed!

Additionally, the Dungeon Master is looking for an accomplice, a secondary DM, to help keep the match moving quickly and to help cover some times when he will be away from a computer.

Sign up now by dropping a Comment below or emailing The Dungeon MasterOnce you have signed up, you will be set up in a team of the Dungeon Master's devising. If you have friends in mind with whom you would like to join in on your team, be sure to mention it and accommodations will be made. New players will be given preferential placement as a means of fostering a welcoming atmosphere of eternal war and hatred towards your fellow man.

Once the roster has been filled, each team will be able to discuss strategies and tactics among themselves. 

The dungeon to be delved in this next match will be one designed by Ross, inspired by the works of Sersa Victory, with cartography by Rob Waluchow: E1M8: DEATH WYVERNS' CRUCIBLE.


Good hunting, dungeoneers!

Play by Post FTDM 14 - Tomb of the Iron Lich, Round 3



As round 3 starts, the game is tied and California Mountain Snake starts the round far away from anyone else.

[taunting video removed by DM]

11.01.2012

Play by Post FTDM 14 - Tomb of the Iron Lich, Round 2





Round 2 starts with the self gib of the California Mountain Snake, so KILL ROSS! takes the first death. It is the California Mountain Snake's turn now, do you draw a card and where do you start?

10.30.2012

E0M2: Bladeling Rogue


by Anthony "Deuce DM" Franchini

Race/Class/Build: Bladeling Rogue (Scoundrel, Artful Dodger)
Play-by-Post Maps Played:    E2M2: Mortal Kombat, E5M2: Army of Darkness
Number of times gibbed:                    1                                  3
Number of confirmed kills:                3                                  2

Inspiration:
Ever since the bladeling was introduced to me in 3E D&D, I have wanted to play this monster race bred for war by the god Bane, armed in razor-sharp spikes, who terrorizes the field of battle so much his enemies would rather run away from him than face him head-on.  FTDM was the obvious choice to run wild with this theme and soak the ground with the blood of my enemies.

I have had a chance to play this dungeoneer twice, once in the form of DC’s Joker, the other as the price-slashing Mega-Corporation Wal-Mart. 

Play by Post FTDM 14 - Tomb of the Iron Lich


The Badass Dungeon Crushers descend into the unknown depths of the Tomb of the Iron Lich. Little do they know that the Deadly Viper Squad is there with only one mission, to Kill Ross!

California Mountain Snake starts at… Yes, you get to choose your starting location and weather whether you will choose a card.

10.27.2012

E0M1: Introduction

GREETINGS, MORTALS!

Often, a newcomer to Fourthcore Team Deathmatch becomes positively overwhelmed by the array of choices available when building a character. The D&D 4th Edition ruleset, at its base, is very complicated and has a mind-boggling number of options. When the complexities and nuances of a Deathmatch map are thrown into the mix, it can cause analysis paralysis and overload.

To help rectify that situation and encourage newcomers to the most exciting way to play Dungeon & Dragons ever made, we will be releasing a series of articles dubbed "Episode 0". These articles will each feature one character built for and tested in the trial, some might say the crucible, of a Fourthcore Team Deathmatch event. We will examine both the strengths and the weaknesses of the character build, highlighting where the build excels and where it is vulnerable. Care will be taken to discuss the effects of various maps; which maps the character will excel at, and which maps the character will have trouble with.

Veteran players wishing to share their valuable knowledge and cunning designs are kindly asked to write up an article in this fashion and send to Dungeon Master Ross for approval.

10.11.2012

PLAY-BY-POST: Match 13 FINAL ROUND - SUPER SMASH BROS.


Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the final round of a neck-in-neck showdown between the ferocious Team WetwORCs and the valorous Knights of Spamalot. The Orcs have managed a nice comeback; can they pull through to win or will the Knights regain their supremacy?

10.02.2012

RECRUITMENT: Play-by-Post Match 14 - Tomb of the Iron Lich-Recruitment Closed


 Recruitment closed.

Welcome competitors, we are here to see who is the best. There will be 6 rounds of intense fighting. And remember the secret ingredient that needs to be used in every round is ... Soul Stone!

Ready for competition for the title of

Iron Lich

Okay, I obviously have no clue about the history of this map, but it looks like fun. Also C. Steven Ross will be the first competitor in this fight. He will also be bringing in two newbies.

There will be 6 rounds of fighting. The game will start no earlier than 10/16. Get ready to fight each other and more importantly my dice.

Email Kurt or write in the Comments below if you want to get in on the action!

Edit: Recruitment extended to 10/16 and game to start 10/23. 
There are 7 people currently signed up. This will give time for match 13 to end. Also I will accept more than 8 if there are people interested.

e1m3: Tomb of Iron Lich

9.30.2012

Play by Post FTDM 12 - Army of Darkness - SUDDEN DEATH


The deadites close in chanting “Kill!, Kill!, Kill!, Kill!” Blood has been shed but dawn is fast approaching. It is still anyone’s game. The first gib will determine victory.

The new initiative is:
Igor: 22
Wil Wheaton: 19
Home Depot: 16
Walmart: 15
Lowe’s: 10
Comic Book Guy: 7
K-Mart: 6
Scott Pilgrim: 2

Corporate Raiders Win!