Recent content by OptionalRule

I mean, if it's Jeff's character, at least once a session.

Yeah. I think there's a lot to that. At best, talking things out adjusts things in small increments so a group that is close enough can get in alignment. Sometimes individuals in a group are just so missaligned in terms of taste, expectations, playstyle, what they find fun, etc that there is...

Have a longer talk with the group about what style of play that game is about and what ruins the experience for you as a DM. "Hey guys, there are lots of different playstyles and they are all valid. For me though, in this game I'm trying to run an X style and create a challenge for everyone at...

Burning Wheel Sure. First, I want to be clear. I'm not making the argument 5e should be more gritty. The topic is how well it supports different playstyles. Gritty is just one playstyle. In terms of systems that are gritty. Burning Wheel, WFRP, Mork Borg (forgive the absence of accents)...

There are many different playstyles, gritty is only one of them. 5e is fragile in the tweaking the rules for a playstyle shift causes cascading problems across the system in ways other editions did not. To your specific comments on gritty play, your commnets are so wrong it's hard to address...

5e is the most fragile edition of DnD yet. By that I mean, it supports a single, very narrow playstyle and the system breaks easily if you try to tweak it to something else. To make it work you have to go with a complete overhaul, like Shadowdark. There is no bigger contract to me than 1e/2e...

I think I should have written an article "The Human Side of D&D Right Now"

I think there are a few faulty assumptions in this example. People have already discussed the concept of what Hitpoints are and that missunderstanding. This is an evergreen topic in the hobby and I wrote an article examing this last year called What the Heck are Hit Points Anyway? the covers...

I think people posting with the hopes that they'll be seen any way by anyone is one of the root cause problems of toxic discourse online. It's not about whatever they're comnmenting on, it's about them and what kind of online image they are trying to craft. All these assertions are just tools...

Thanks for this. I like a good analysis. I agree, I think Ranger is better. I feel like 2024 is more bloated and it plays slower at my table as the additional options with new feats and weapon master slow down with even more choices. That might normalize and people get use to the new edition...

Not dealing with issues well do indeed lead to injustice and worse. This is much borader than silence. It also includes hyperblolic internet mobs, and mobs of many kinds. Missrepresentations, bad faith arguments and more. This thread is about not dehumanizing people in our speculative...

Hyperbolic internet mobs are not justice

I've run them in distant jungles. Usually as a pocket in an area of the globe. In Eberron on the Plaines and Xen'drik or Chuld in The Realms.