Recent content by pemerton

Here's a character sheet from Cthulhu Dark: Name: Jack Occupation: Longshoreman I GMed a session of Cthulhu Dark where someone played that character. The character was just as well-developed, just as capable of being roleplayed, as any AD&D character I can think of in my time playing AD&D. I...

But can't the GM just introduce (eg) a new spell, and then say that the NPC (or whomever) learned it via spell research? I mean, classic D&D modules are not devoid of new spells and effects. And there are modern D&D products that introduce new spells, and new character types which mix-and-match...

I assume that you are talking here about the action resolution mecanics. But not, for instance, the rules about who gets to say what. I don't think that those "fade into the background" any more in (say) Prince Valiant than in (say) Rolemaster.

I've always found it weird that people who enjoyed aspects of AD&D/3E D&D but didn't enjoy 4e D&D regard themselves as having been wronged - as if WotC owed them something. And to flip it around - my relative lack of interest in 5e D&D does not mean that I've been wronged. I just play games I...

My personal preferences shape at least some of what I post (see, eg, references to Burning Wheel and Prince Valiant). But I try to do more than just express my preferences. To me, posts are interesting when they (i) contain analysis, explanation, etc, or (ii) contain illuminating/interesting...

The fighter in my game was mostly using a polearm, and was based around reach, forced movement, and multi-/area attacks - so Come and Get It was just of a piece with his Passing Attack, Footwork Lure, etc - he was constantly in motion, wrong-footing his opponents, etc. CaGI didn't raise any...

I think my approach - especially for party play like 4e D&D - is heavily influenced by Claremont X-Men.

When I'm reflecting on RPGing, I find it helpful to distinguish between mere colour/flavour, and fiction that actually matters to the play of the game. Eg in dungeon-crawling D&D, the colour of the NPC's trousers normally is mere colour; whereas the location of the door in the wall, or the...

Absolutely! This is true in Torchbearer also. I'd say that it not only feels robust, but is robust.

You probably won't be shocked that I'm going to put in a good word for Burning Wheel here: generally it uses binary success/failure on the roll; but by distinguishing intent and task, and emphasising that failure means failure of intent, it allows for similar sorts of consequences as does a...

Or do you . . . .? For me, one of the more striking things about some talk of immersion is that people are not talking about a psychological experience - that is, how they feel during play - but rather are talking directly about the "logical" structure of play, independently of any psychological...

For my part, I don't play with the goal of creating great dialogue (though if it occurs, I have no objection to it). But I do want this: Gripping and exciting scenes, including social scenes, are something I do want in my RPGing.

Which is basically the opposite of organic!

I'm not an actor, and no one whom I play with is a thespian, voice actor or other sort of performer. But social resolution mechanics have reliably produced strong social scenes. And the more robust mechanics of more "modern" games have done so better: the Rolemaster influence and interaction...

Yeah, the suggestion that the damage/hit point systems is just an afterthought - that beating a Pit Fiend in combat is just a modest mechanical variant on climbing a cliff - is pretty odd.