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Did we break the xp system?

1-3.xE spell casting is a synthesis of Vance's mnemonic "Dying Earth" magic (almost a type of psionics) and Camp and Pratt's sympathetic "Harold Shea" magic (which is 'historically accurate').

I'm going to join the playtest and suggest that 5e use the "coin pool" system.

Systematic use of trial and error *is* intelligent play.

Yeah, it's gone Inception for me, too

WotC seeks unity? Does that mean they aren't going to troll players who like past editions this time?

Wow, does the party possess any relics or artifacts?

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have...

I heard that's how the Thoul was invented in Basic D&D.

I agree with you. There is a genre of video game called "RPG" (which includes mechanics borrowed from D&D such as experience points and levels) which is accurate for that game-form. The problem is when the term RPG is meant to encompass every activity to which that term has applied, intending...

Neither 4e nor Pathfinder are D&D. Nor are Castles & Crusades, nor Hackmaster. OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, and Swords & Wizardry might be D&D. also Video games are not role-playing games. That is, the term "TRPG" to distinguish from "cRPG" is incorrect. They are wholly different game-forms.

More so than usual, adopt the "Rule of Cool." That is, the "cooler, more entertaining" the proposed action is, the more likely it is to work. Of course, even cool actions can have unexpected complications, so this isn't license to 'narrate' unmitigated success in the game.

I need to go find my old issues of Knights of the Dinner Table when the Untouchable Trio (Bob, Dave, and Brian) controlled Sara's barbarian Zayre when she was absent for a session. :)

There's at least two examples of intelligent play in handling the last encounter. Robilar (Rob Kuntz) fled after scooping up as much treasure as possible rather than fight the demi-lich (not sure if he touched it or not, I would guess not). The tournament winning group that used the scepter...

That is exactly how I first learned to play D&D. :)

Did you teach yourself how to play? Did you understand the concept of a role-playing game from just the boxed set? Did you have to teach your friends to play or did you find other gamers to join with? I'm really curious about how others learned about the concept of a role-playing game in...

They are my friends. :eek: I saw it as part and parcel in my role of referee. I was also tracking time for movement rate, torch duration, spells, etc. I had it down to a science at one point. The "forgetting" went away eventually, and some of them even helped track monster damage taken, among...

If I didn't track the PCs hit points, sometimes they would "forget" to mark off damage. So, yeah.

Celebrim, I often agree with you on many things. But here, I think you are quite wrong about Peter Jackson and Tolkien in several respects. I may be back later with more detail, but I'll just say: 1. Our representatives, the common people, in Lord of the Rings, are the hobbits themselves. If...

The discussion on D&D's past, present, and future along with Ryan Dancey's thoughts on the matter and the subject of how to introduce new players to the game made me think of my own introduction to the game. When I was in 6th grade, I met a student named Dan. Until that grade, Dan had attended...