OLDER UPDATES

Recent Updates

11/21/04

      I have made the NPC cast list for my game into a PDF file so that it can be easily downloaded and viewed. I have also posted my review of the Stronghold Builder's Guide in my DM's Notes section. With any luck my racial templates and their related feats will be posted soon as well.

11/09/04

      I have updated the name list with another hundred or so names. There's almost 2,500 now. You can view them by downloading the PDF file, and save the PDF if you wish.

10/08/04

      At last, some updates. I have added many more names to my name list, and I have made the whole list available as a PDF file. I have also gathered all of my classes together from this site and placed them in a simple PDF file, too. This makes it much easier to reference them and, if you like, print them. Please let me know what you think.

7/18/04

      I have created a Yahoo! Group to go along with this site, for a few reasons. First, Yahoo! offers better polling options. I've been using the Bravenet minipoll for a while now on this site, but it will only display one poll at a time and it only offers so many options. Yahoo gives me more to work with, and gives you better answering options. Secondly, I only have so many gaming links and polls. With the group, members can add links they think are good for gamers, or start polls of their own. Thirdly, anyone can post messages/questions/etc. to the Yahoo! group; you don't even need to be a member to post.

      Click to go visit Kismet's Gamer Gathering.

7/5/04

      I have completely rewritten my Roleplaying Basics page, to make it very easy for people to learn what a roleplaying game is. I am very pleased with the result. I have also reordered my page explaining the D&D Basics; it really needed to be two pages. I have simplified my explanation of Kismet's Bard, making it version 1.1 (look in My Additions).

      In the section on My Campaign, I have added a lot to my page on my Changes to the rules (I added these things a few weeks back, but forgot to mention it here):
* I posted my revisions of the paladin class
* I posted my revision of the skill points every class gets per level
* I posted my addition to several domain's abilities

6/26/04

      I have added my version of the Red Wizard prestige class to My Additions.

6/15/04

      I have added a prestige class I made to this site. Look for The Oracle prestige class in My Additions. You can also find my Blackguard class there. I have also posted my changes to the Paladin class in the section dedicated to my campaign.

4/11/04

      I have reviewed The Book of Erotic Fantasy in my DM Notes section. In March I added some new poll questions to my links page. I have not had much time to work on this site but I have not forgotten about it, either. Keep checking back for updates.

12/23/03

      I have rewritten introductions and other bits of my site. I have also added links so that you can download the new font I am using for my titles; I really like this font and what's best is that you can find it for free. I have tried to find and fix all things that don't look or act right. I am going to upload the new site in the one o'clock hour of the 23rd - I hope you like the changes.

12/11/03

      I am continuing the process of redoing my site. I have rewritten a good deal of the page on my NPC class, the Courtesan. It now has an in-character introduction and a more cohesive explanation. It can be found at My Additions to D&D >>>> Kismet's NPC Class - The Courtesan. I have also rewritten the entrance page to the information on my campaign so that it is leaner and more focused (My Campaign).

12/3/03

      I have begun the process of switching my site over from one graphics set to another, but this process always takes a while, namely because I sometimes stop to rewrite things as I go. I have already rewritten the attributes and magic sections in my discussion of the D&D basics, which you can find at Roleplaying Basics >>>> Dungeons and Dragons Basics. I have also picked a new title font for this site that I favor; you don't have to download it but it won't hurt.

11/26/03

      I have greatly updated the story of my D&D game, bringing it almost up to date (which was a lot of work, believe you me). You can find it at My Campaign >>>> The Story So Far. I have also added a few hundred more names to My Compendium of Character Names. I noticed that the titles on the floating menu were not always like the titles on the index page, so I made them more recognizable. Along with this, I have added more directions to the update page, so you can get right to what you want to read. If you have been searching for more updates here, keep in mind that I have done things consistently on my message board. You can get there from the main menu through Kismet's Conflux: A Roleplaying Forum.

9/19/03

      There have been some major updates to this site. I have added a new section, My Compendium of Character Names, with a selection of over 1,000 names for gamers to have a look at. I have updated the information on my campaign quite a bit, with a lot more definition of the home town of the PCs. I have also added a whole page for a discussion of the calendar of Faerun, since I have made a version of it for use in my game (you can find it at My Campaign >>>> The Faerunian Calendar and Events in My Game). I have also designated a new email address for my web site.

8/8/03

      I have redone the concept of the sorcerer after my own fashion - as a template. You can find it in the section titled My Additions >>>> Kismet's Sorcerer Template. I had the inspiration a few days ago and have only recently completed it. The template is untested as of yet but I will be trying to use it when I can to see how it works. If anyone sees it and would like to playtest it, feel free, but drop me an email if you can to let me know how it works out.

      And, just for kicks, I also did a rant about working on the sorcerer... go fig (find it in My Gaming Rants).

7/29/03

      I have redone the bard class to suit the way that I see bards and their place in the D&D universe, and I have posted my new creation under the section called My Additions >>>> Kismet's Bard. This version of the bard is something that I will be attempting to use in my gaming, in order to playtest what I have done. I have to say that I am rather pleased with the result so far; I did not like many things about the rules of the bard in D&D (in any edition) but I have always liked the class concept. I know that many people don't like the concept and are loathe to give bards a try after seeing them fail in games. At least give me a try to shed some light and usability on the matter.

      I would like to dedicate my efforts on the bard to the late, great Bob Hope, who was himself a bard in our own world. It is always sad when a funny man passes, and in a world that can seem so starved for joy, he will be missed. He was very kind to my mother once, many years ago, when she worked as a security guard in a building where he had an office. When he heard I was laying at home ill while my mother fretted at work, he gave her an autograph and a t-shirt from The Bob Hope Show to give to me in order to make me feel better - and we still have those items. I can't help but think back on it now as an adult, hours after his death, and believe that Mr. Hope's real gifts that night were for a single mother who looked worried as she went on patrol. In his one gesture to my mother he made me fond of him forever and that, my friends, is the simple power a bard can have.

6/7/03

      I added a lot of new stuff to my new page on bards. I just can't seem to find an end to writing about them. The page can be found in my Roleplaying & D&D Basics section.

5/1/03

      An unexpected change has occurred here today. I have had to move this site and all of my sites from Crosswinds because they are giving up their free service. Since I have space on AOL that I am already paying for, I am going to be using it. I have not been able to access my old site to put up a forwarding page and I am not sure that Crosswinds is going to let me. I have updated my links with web rings and such. I will try to make my site available to whatever audience I have as soon as I can. On the bright side: no more popup ads! Less loading time! Same great content and more to come! Welcome.

4/28/03

      I have done a new D&D rant about the game I ran this weekend, which is the first after a six month hiatus. I have started up the campaign I have outlined here, with the same wonderful cast of player characters. The rant actually discusses a bit of where I get some of my ideas from, which I have not discussed much before on the web.

      I have also added Kismet's Conflux, my message board for roleplaying discussion, courtesy of Bravenet. I like to see gaming debate and discussion and I'm hoping to gather some up.

4/26/03

      I have done a new, albeit short, D&D rant. I'm starting up my game again and was musing about it in the middle of the night. I have gotten a lot of feedback since the beginning of the year and I want to thank everyone who have sent me emails or who have signed my guestbook. I really appreciate it. While I write for myself, because of my urge to do so, I do like to create things others may like or can use.

4/9/03

      This site has turned one year old as of 4/7/03. I nearly didn't notice, things have been so busy! I now realize an amusing trend that I wasn't aware of before: the oldest date I have for my main site, Kismet's Haven, is 3/27/98. That's not long after it was first created. The first date I have for updates to my Vampire site is 3/2/99. I seem to start my new, large web site ventures in the spring. I wonder if I started my web ring between March and April. Regardless, I have some anniversary updates for you. I have revamped the section of this site on women. I have added a lot of new information about women in and out of character. I have gotten the most feedback about that section and I realized that I had more to say. I hope it helps. I have also done some cleanup. I have tried to make pages a little easier to read and I have run the spellchecker on a few pages. I put up articles as I get done with them and I often do not spellcheck. I am not done spellchecking the site, but it's started.

3/10/03

      I have added a dwarven folktale to my site. I already had a historical account up for my game, but I came up with a folktale that was too neat to forget. I have added it to the same page as the story of the temple of Helm at Thandell. I have renamed the page to reflect it's new function and I have made it accessible from the menu for my game.

3/6/03

      I have done a new D&D rant. I have also altered most of the pages involving my game in some way or other, most especially the page outlining its plot. I thought I should update the story, considering the game has been on hiatus for a while now and I've been meaning to get to it this whole time. I will update my cast list another time.

2/6/03

      I have added a new discussion in my DM Notes section about what I think of as the Final Fantasy Formula. I added a link or two to my links page and a few names to my list of alignments in popular culture. I wrote a new page about roleplaying basics. I made a new section just for discussion of the basics and moved my general D&D page there to keep the new page company.

1/29/03

      I added a good deal of links to my discussion about the controversy that has surrounded D&D. When I first wrote the page, I had wanted to link to other sites discussing both sides of the issue. I forgot and other updates held my attention. I have added those links, long overdue, so you can see what others have to say. You can find them at the bottom of the page. The page is in my Outside of Gaming section. I have also redone a bit on my page that covers outside interference, also in the Outside of Gaming section. I wanted to talk more about the kinds of players and DMs that can cause trouble. I rewrote a few things and while it may not be much better than the original, it is more in-depth. I added a few professions to my NPC professions list. You can find my discussion on NPCs in my DM Notes. I have been thinking about adding a message board to this site, but I am not sure if it would get used much. I don't know how many people actually find this site in the great storm of the internet. I just keep noticing that the WotC boards are down or unavailable a lot of the time because of how many people use them. I also notice all of the discussions they have to cut short because of their self-prescribed guidelines. I like to be less politically correct. I might just toss it on the site and see how it goes. But if you think it's a good idea and you have a minute, email me and let me know.

1/14/03

      I have added a whole new page in my DM Notes section. I discuss the myriad roles that NPCs can fill and how to use them to bring your world to life. I also give a list of NPC professions. I have also added lots of links to my links page to help DMs (regardless of whether they are running a game in an established world or wish to create their own). I have a list of topics to cover and hopefully I'll get to them soon.

1/2/03

      I have done a new rant, although it doesn't have D&D as the centerpiece. I have also redone my section on lawful evil characters in my explanation of the basics (The Game in General). I added a choice quote to my DM Notes discussion on city alignments, because I couldn't help but see a vital parallel. Happy New Year!

12/20/02

      I have updated my page on courtesans. I completed the example courtesan character (I had forgotten that he was incomplete) and I added a note on my inspiration to make the class.

12/15/02

      I have finally (FINALLY) completed the next page on how I view the Drow. I started the page ages ago it seems and just couldn't finish it until now. I think the drain of finals is over and that I will be putting new things up more often. This new page on the Drow, found from my Drow menu, covers how the Drow age, who they might worship when Lolth's not watching, how they get along with other Underdark races and why Drizzt-clone characters shouldn't be the only Drow you see in campaigns. I hope you enjoy it.

11/18/02

      I updated the page on my review of the Book of Vile Darkness. I have added two villain characters, made with the new prestige classes in the book. One is CR 7 and the other is CR 14. I'm trying to give a range of villain types for the sake of argument, but it is difficult to show anything below CR 7 because of the prerequsites of prestige classes. The next character I hope to finish will likely be CR 19 or 20, with power established in one place and with a family.

11/13/02

      I did a bit of updating to the page reviewing the Book of Vile Darkness. I have revamped some of my former views but have only gone a little further into the book. I wish I could update more, but I've had a lot of homework this week.

11/7/02

      I received my copy of the Book of Vile Darkness today. It was a great way to come home from a long day at school. I have begun to go through it and I am writing a review of it for my DM Notes section. You can have a look at the first part of the review right now. There's a lot more yet to talk about, and I hope to get to it soon.

11/4/02

      I made myself a bit more accessible through this web site tonight. I have added a contact page, so you can contact me directly through ICQ. It's a lot more personal than a guestbook, I think, and surely more immediate. Since I'm online a good deal, you have a good chance of catching me for a conversation. I've been toying with the idea of starting a message board on this site, but I don't know who all would use it. I don't believe in counters for my web site, so I don't know how many people have actually stumbled in here. And there are always the boards on the official Wizards site. I've just been mulling over ideas this weekend. I would like to get some more writing done soon. The page I put up recently on sex and romance was old to me - I had written most of it in the middle of the summer. I let it sit for a while and finally put the finishing sections on it before publishing it. I've had some trouble with ordering the Book of Vile Darkness. I know that when I get to to sit down with that, some writing is bound to get done.

10/31/02

      I have added a new discussion to my DM Notes section regarding using sex and romance in your D&D game. I discuss marriage, adultery, pregnancy, courtship and then some. Romance may not be something you associate with D&D, but that doesn't mean it can't be used to accentuate your game.

10/29/02

      School has been kicking my butt and I am still on DMing hiatus, but I have not forgotten my web site. I have added menus to all of the inside pages of this site, excluding the main page with the table of contents. I took pains to make sure that my text would not be blocked by the menu at any time, and that the colors blended with the site enough to be unobtrusive. I really hope that this helps increase navigation. I must admit that I think it looks nice and I've been wanting to add something useful like that bit of script for a while.
I am thinking of adding some options to contact me through ICQ when I'm online, although I don't know if anyone will be interested. I am thinking of adding a page detailing my total gaming history, since it began on October 2, 1995 (be it ever so humble a date). I am updating slowly and I have added new things to the page on general D&D information. I am thinking of adding a page to explain what a roleplaying game is, since people who stumble onto this site may not know. I'd like to share what I've learned about the importance of a DM. I also have tons of stuff left to say about the Drow, but gods know when I'll have the time and energy to write it all out. So many ideas, and none of them about homework... I finally got to go through The Book of Vile Darkness today in the mall. My boyfriend and I went through it slowly and methodically. Then, I broke down and went on Amazon.com. I used the last of my gift certificate and bought it. I don't know if I will be able to stop myself from reading it once it gets here, and writing about it once I've read it in-depth.

9/8/02

      I did a new D&D rant about console versus pen-and-paper RPGs. I also updated the page on the ongoing story of my game, in an attempt to try to catch up to where we are in the game now. I'm going to DM for a while longer and then will take a break, as my boyfriend is putting together a game. I have gone back on the character I first decided to play in that game. I think I've come up with one that will be a hell of a lot of fun, and I could use some hilarity right now. I have heard that Wizards of the Coast has done some laying off of D&D employees. I am sure that those employees, nice words or not, are a bit bummed out. I definitely feel part of their pain, as I am looking for employment right now. I have seen some people suggesting that there be a letter-writing campaign to WotC in protest. I doubt that anything will come of such action. It is very well-meant, but I think other letters would be better received: why not write expressing concern about the quality of D&D without such people as Skip Williams? Why not write and tell WotC that you dearly hope quality hasn't been downsized as well? They might keep on their toes then. You may not be able to save jobs, but it couldn't hurt to highlight the quality of their gaming products. I think Wizards really needs to release a big statement that tells fans that D&D is fairing well, if indeed it is. They need to reassure their fan base that they aren't falling apart, like TSR did.

8/29/02

      I thought that I would update my drow pages next, but it turns out that I have done some work on the pages about my game. I have broken up the information into more manageable pages and have added quite a bit. I did not think that I would work so much on, but I haven't been able to stop tonight. I hope you enjoy it. I have also submitted my site to some more web rings. I noticed that most of my guestbook entries have listed web rings as the way people found my site. I figured that adding to the D&D web rings out there couldn't hurt.

8/26/02

      Ta da! A bit overdue, I have opened up my new section on the Drow. I hope you enjoy it. I am hoping to add more to it, so as to fill out my vision of the Drow. I have added some choice bits to the page about my game, involving the timeline of the campaign. I am thinking of typing up a list of all of the named NPCs that have graced my game so far. I have some other ideas about what I want to cover next - now all I need is to muster the energy and time to write more.

8/13/02

      I have finished my DM tips and tricks. You can find them in my DM Notes section. I've decided not to go over DM and player bad habits, since many were touched on in the tips and tricks article. I still have other things to work on, though, which I think you'll like.

8/12/02

      I have added some new links. I have also added more pop culture alignment references in my DM Notes feature, Types of Places. I have most of the major characters from Star Wars, Xena and Farscape. I also have some from Anne Rice's Mayfair witch books. No, I have not done the vampires of Anne Rice yet, although I might. I am working on several entries for my DM Notes, chief among those being: a long piece on sex and romance in gaming, a piece on DM tips (longer than what I have in my rant), and a short bit on bad DM and player habits. We'll see if I get done with any of them soon, and which I get done with first.

8/6/02

      I have added two new rants on DMing tips and the Drow. One of the rants I began in July and had forgotten to finish. They are done now and ready for your perusal.

7/29/02

      I have added a new section called Dungeon Master's Notes. The first entry in the section is up and ready for perusal (a piece about governments and alignments). More pieces will follow. I have also added some links to my links page and a section on alignments on my general game information page. I had covered the other basics about D&D a while ago, but it took me a while to want to tackle alignments. I am looking forward to writing more for this site during this summer, and hopefully I will be able to change the look of this site soon (not that it's bad, it's just not what I intended and I've finally found a great set).

7/7/02

      I have updated the page on my D&D game, as some major developments have happened in the last game or so. We have had two very in-depth sessions detailing time the group spent as slaves of the drow. I have been so pleased with the recent games that I felt I had to update. There are plenty of preparations I have to make before the game next week, I can tell you that...

6/3/02

      I have added a page discussing women roleplaying. I have added some new links, as well. The poll should be running smoothly now. I have been trying to get this site into some web rings, but for some reason, I was having trouble with the javascript code. Cut and paste as I might, the code wasn't being accepted by the system as complete. You may yet get an error message when viewing the main page. I am attempting to get it settled one way or the other. If the code is going to be a pain, I might just remove it and look for rings that don't require it. Hell, my Vampire web ring doesn't use their code. In the meantime, I apologize for how the code looks. For some reason, the code is set up for abominable colors that would clash with nearly any site. It may take me until after finals to finally settle it. Fear not - my finals are all too close for comfort.

5/28/02

      I have added a page on all the things that go wrong with a game because of the outside world. I go over the time, money and patience it takes to roleplay. And I try to give solutions where I see them. It is available from my Troubles Outside the Game section.

5/20/02

      I have added a page for useful player and DM links. There aren't that many right now, but hopefully I'll find more. I also put up a poll on my links page. Go ahead and have a look - everything should be ready to roll.

4/29/02

      I have added a page on the controversies surrounding D&D, finally. I have updated my page on the game in general, and it is mostly done. There are simply too many details to cover about D&D to do it all on one page. There are so many intricacies to explain about the game, not to mention about Faerun. I have gotten down what I could for now. I have also updated the page on my game in particular, writing down the basic story.

4/7/02

      I have just put this site up today, with a few pages completed or near-completion. The pages are all linked but not all up on the main page, so please be patient. The page on my game is not completed, but then there is so much information to get to. I will work on this when I have the time and inspiration.

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