Recent content by AriochQ

Around 1981, I wrote a letter to the editor, and it got published in our local newspaper, refuting many of the Satanic Panic talking points and highlighting the positive aspects of D&D. I wish I would have saved a copy.

Every time they mention the name of the book in the stream I hear "Kissing Kin". That would be an radically different story [cue banjo music].

Once TSR grew larger, the entire operation turned into a comedy of errors. None of them had enough experience to run a large company. The concept of "It is just like playing a game, but with real money! We can do that!" was incredibly naïve and they never seemed to realize that. The constant...

Just finished the book last night, and here are my personal takeaways... Both Gygax and Arneson lost some of my respect. Williams may not have been pleasant to work for, but TSR was already a sinking ship by the time she took over. If Gary had seized control in 1985, TSR would have died far...

Clearly written and covers the important points. 90% of players will still misunderstand the bonus action spell rule :(

Session 1 (08/29/21): The characters arrive in Syber and are placed together to make the tradition offering as a group. They are directed to a promontory and given a bag of coins to throw into the sea as Prince Jean-Pierre's body is consigned to the depths. A quick glance into the bag finds...

The Characters: Wayne Kirschal - Human Rogue Lleverin Celeborn - Wood Elf Druid Divo Clinker - Yaun-ti Pureblood Bard Balmus Rotella - Sea Elf Cleric/Warlock Vindi Chay Middleton - Dragonborn Paladin Aurelia Takanobu - Sea Elf Fighter All are 2nd level. [Note: Household membership is by...

The first issue of my subscription!

To generate a random number from 1-160 of course! ;)

Counterspell is stupid. It is rarely fun to stop things from happening, especially at such a low cost (reaction + spell slot). Most often Counterspell plays out as Cast, Counter, Counter, original spell goes off. Basically, the original action occurs, just after wasting precious table time...

I agree with that sentiment. Personally, I think the next Gygax to have a real impact on D&D will be Luke's eldest daughter. She is an enthusiastic gamer, really bright, and has a outgoing personality. IIRC, she has just entered high school, but I can easily see her as being a leading...

I have only really interacted with Ernie twice, both at Gary Con. In 2017, I sat in on a 'old school' dungeon run session he was running. He made several inappropriate comments towards the women gamers who were playing. In 2018, or 2019, I sat in on a talk he gave about the D&D cartoon. Much...

I kickstarted the book. You generally need to stick something under one cover if using maps towards the ends. I usually use a couple of d6 and it works fine.

I have a strict no fudge rule. Some may think it 'helps the narrative' to fudge on occasion. I disagree. The randomness is what makes the narrative interesting. If you want to railroad people through your poorly written fan fiction, you aren't really playing an RPG.

I don't see the connection between Weis and Hickman and the racism/sexism allegations. Is there something I am missing? EDIT: ah, nevermind. It appears to be the portrayals within the novels that are problematic.