Recent content by doctorhook

Haven’t had a chance to play it! I’ll put it on my list

Lots of these licensed games are pretty trash, but Lords of Waterdeep is excellent

I found a copy at a used book store recently, and recognized it from Appendix N. I’m looking forward to reading it! But I was surprised to see Gary’s comments as noted on the Wikipedia article about the book. Then again, he also included “The Lord of the Rings” in Appendix N and then also...

Casting a thread necromancy spell here to talk about John Bellair’s “Face in the Frost”. That novel is specifically listed by Gary Gygax in Appendix N of the original AD&D DMG as an influence on the game, and yet in this article Gary outright says hadn’t read it until recently. What the heck...

Where?

Okay gang, let’s begin the romance…

Oh my god, damn 🙁

Quite right. I meant BG3 could have been a new D&D series of games, instead they bolted it onto Baldur’s Gate. Original Sin doesnt count, it was outside of D&D.

BG3 exists in this weird space where it’s a great game, sure, but it also rode the coattails of another series (Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II, which were a complete series). It easily could’ve been the start of a new franchise rather than rebooting a popular old one, but then who knows if...

This is such a subjective thing, but you’ve presented it as objective fact. Why is four books per year the best number? Best for you, or best for everyone?

Well, good for Canada! Remains to be seen if this studio makes any solid games, but I’m happy Canadians are getting the investment.

Okay you broke me—I love anything Gamma World and hate anything mixed into my beautiful perfect Eberron

That’s admittedly true. Political intrigues are rare in my games, and we tend to keep it highly abstracted so that we can get back to the fun parts (wilderness exploration). I’m realizing that maybe my playstyle is a mirror opposite, lol

Your #2 confused me, and I was gonna make a smarmy comment like “What do you mean, ‘once-a-campaign’?” But then I realize I play all the games I DM as your #1. Every game is a survival game.

Bookkeeping isn’t fun, but simulations and resource constraints definitely can be. The trick is finding an enjoyable balance for your group.