Recent content by Lord Shark

Problematic content aside, it's only natural that some writers who were superstars in the SF/fantasy world back then haven't stood the test of time. I mean, at the time this issue came out, the mainstream bestseller lists featured names like Barbara Taylor Bradford, Erich Segal, Leon Uris, and...

While I've never heard anything bad about Stephen R. Donaldson himself, the rape scene in Lord Foul's Bane is much less palatable to modern readers than it was in 1977. I certainly can't imagine a reviewer today holding up Donaldson alongside Tolkien. As for Crewel Lye, it includes a scene...

For my group back in the day, the list of AD&D rules we didn't use is probably longer than the one of rules we kept.

nods in 13th Age

I'd say torches have been irrelevant since 1E. Sure, you used torches and lanterns for a couple of levels -- and then the party cleric got to 3rd level and could create as many rocks, sticks, coins, etc., with continual light on them as needed.

Sure, but that's easier to do if you don't hand out magic items as lavishly as the 1E treasure tables do, and if you don't expect the fighter to go through multiple magic weapons and suits of armor over the course of their career.

Magic gear as a power add is fine. Magic everything is silly, and a major contributor to making magic feel uninteresting (especially if most of your magic gear is boring, flavorless +whatever items). I remember one of the characters from Gygax's home campaign that was reprinted in one of the...

I've always thought "Fighters can use ANY weapon and ANY armor" was overrated because, let's be honest, in most 1E games you'd be wearing the heaviest armor you can afford, and if you're proficient in a sword, a bow (not a crossbow, because 1E/2E crossbows were worthless), and a dagger you're...

The Pathfinder 2e playtest PDFs were free. They did print and sell a physical copy as well, but that was aimed more at collectors and completists -- you didn't need it to playtest the game.

And anyway, if we're playing by old school rules, all those humanoids in the Caves are inherently, irredeemably, monstrously evil. Why on earth would you try to negotiate with them and expect anything other than a knife in the back? No one ever tried it any of the times I've played or run B2.

In my experience, it's more that allowing enemies to retreat invariably leads to them alerting the entire dungeon/castle/whatever and returning with massive reinforcements. It doesn't take many experiences like that to teach that allowing retreats is bad. Likewise, if allowing enemies to...

Polaris (the one by Ben Lehman, not the French submarine game).

Flying Circus has quite detailed rules for World War I-esque planes. Tachyon Squadron is pretty good for X-Wing/Viper type space fighters. I've also heard good things about Warbirds but haven't read it.

The whole "power to cloud men's minds" business was a creation of the radio program. The original pulp Shadow had no superpowers unless you count being able to hypnotize people with his fire-opal ring, but he was easily on Batman's level of strength and stealthiness, and deadly accurate with...

It's a shame the idea of exceptional fantasy PCs automatically brings cries of "if you want superheroes, play a superhero game!", yes.