Recent content by ElminstersApprentice

Just get the 5e Playtest packet. It was originally conceived to run any edition. I ran Against the Slave Lords with no problem. Minor conversions on the fly. They kept adding stuff and it became a cool game, but lost it's vision.

Gary was Swiss and I remember reading that he was particularly fond of polearms. Possibly because the Swiss were known for polearms, I think Halberds, in particular.

If the NPC believes their own lies, then they don't need deception. They are telling the truth in their own mind. Perception is warped. This makes for a good villain.

A vote for Jacob Fleming. Artist/Writer

We Were Wizards left out the part where Lorraine ordered a gazillion campaign settings that split the player base and fatigued the market. I remember being in college, and just going vanilla D&D because I had product overload. Ironically, I used that money to buy MTG cards, and WotC would later...

I run spells pretty vanilla. I give casters a zap cantrip to fling 1d4 damage around. And casting willy-nilly around town is just as bad as strolling around in full combat armor. It's going to get you a lot of negative attention.

WotC is a big company that owns the D&D brand. It is not the legacy, it is not the hobby. That's owned by the community. If it suppressed, it would go underground. Honestly, I think TSR was more

Dave Megarry is my favorite supporting character.

It seems like anyone who didn't understand D&D was cast as a villain, but those were often the unsung heroes. And just as often caused collateral damage.

I like Tomb of the Sightless Serpent. Written for B/X, easily transferrable to any edition of D&D.

I don't like alive-0-death, but I also don't like three-saves-and-you're out. I borrowed injuries from a Mork Borg supplement for bad things happening at less than zero hit points. If you drop several under, you can usually recover, but sometimes it's not recoverable. It's not a negotiation, but...

Shadowdark is a good transition fro 5E because is shares a lot of DNA. I would go with that. And Hommlet is such a great 1st adventure. Perfect choice there.

I listened to the the whole thing on a road trip. It's my favorite documentary by far!

I ran Scalegloom Hall for seven slots at DDXP. I'm certain there would have been TPKs had I not placed tokens for the dragon skin and treasure (the loot sheet), and suggested that escaping with the skin and loot would result in the party successfully completing the adventure and getting the...

Iron Heroes which Mike Mearls put out through Monte Cook's Malhavoc Press had a considerable influence on 4E. If you were at DDXP, you might have had a chance to play Mike Mearl's 4E preview adventure, Scalegloom Hall. I ran it, and I can see a lot of game design principles from both RPGs and...