Recent content by GMMichael

How do those games put the decision in player-hands? What if the GM wants them to die . . . :devil: Not going to solve your TPK problem. I hear the "death spiral" calls coming . . . "Auto-stabilize and survive" sounds like a bit of a plot armor hazard. Auto-survival, by the way, might...

"Actionable resources?" "Narrative pillars of D&D?" The last is the best: "forward-thinking perspectives." Is that not the same thing as "innovation?" I hope a real person enjoys that gainful, cross-team supportive role in a franchise-focused, inclusive environment.

That's . . . pretty limited. Is there no story in Daggerheart? Definitely! I can't play D&D for long, because every time someone has to look up an ability in the book or do "nothing" in a round because he "missed," I find myself not wanting to attend the next session. Even if a game doesn't...

That's what a class is to me. A character class is a predetermined point-buy plan over levels of character advancement.* The process of predetermining is a game designer saying, "what character features are going to be fun and interesting to play," which is (should be) heavily influenced by...

Bards are terrible at avoiding bears/omnivores, even with the skill. It's because they're usually coated in sweet/flowery perfume, and refuse to wash in river-temperature water. This is why my party posts the bard on the longest night watch, to scare away bears before they get too close to our...

The variant/equivalent part eluded me, since there were no non-D&D poll choices. But that detail really waters down the poll, since the question becomes "what game are you playing, but really, what version of a D&D game are you playing?" There should be a final choice: indie/small publisher...

Isn't that Rivendell? I guess I could/should draw inspiration from recent Sedona visits.

"I don't think he knows about secondary games, Pip."

It might be perfect, but it looks a lot more complex than I would prefer. So my character might end up being low in skill points just because I was focusing on role-playing instead of system-mastering. For what it's worth, I took a stab at skill-points-through-usage with a Modos RPG module. I...

This also describes certain popular news programs. DM - Player. As long as neither side backs down, some poor character is going to get caught in the middle. Gods, I wish wizards were still this fragile.

Whoa. Good answer. Here, I was just thinking the cost of an inn stay was a stiff back in the morning and a chance at catching fleas.

Encounter: The Beorn's Annual Gourdgoyle Hunt Setup: While traveling through a foreign land in autumn, the PCs encounter signs of a special event. First, there are fanfares heard from far off. Then they spot, along the road, brown-and-yellow standards adorned with winged pumpkins. Finally...

I like this, but I'm a little more harsh: Perception: find a trap before setting it off. Investigation: find a trap BY setting it off. What's the exact definition? I combine the two into "Detect" and let the player do the defining.

You're not kidding! Well played, whatever the outcome :)