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Maybe they're afraid someone is going to make 4e compatible malt liquor? ("I'd like a 40 of the Tarrasque Malt Liquor. I plan on drinking it as a standard action and sliding out the door. Take 1[W] and be dazed for one round.")

Of course, WotC was dealing with gamers who had just a few years ago screamed that 3.5 was unneeded changes foisted on gamers solely for money. Maybe they saw the need for a hard sell to a resistant portion of the audience and a show of solidarity with the loud group of gamers who were posting...

Bingo.

Yes, but I think that it's become clear on reading Darrin's follow-ups that the meaning of those words wasn't quite as harsh as they seemed on first read.

To me, the authoritarian DM is one who says that the way he runs the game is the way it is, and there will be no discussion. There is no hearing out of players, no desire for their input, and no recourse for them but to accept your decree or leave. "You want to play a dragonborn? Bite me." The...

Well, what we may be talking is a company facing more difficulties in web and software development, process planning, and starting up new ventures than they anticipated, probably complicated by funding priorities and support from the parent company. Bad planning? Probably. Calling them on this...

Of course, when WotC didn't release preview information, fans treated that as if WotC were hiding something from them, saying that 3e had more preview material, and the lack of information was a Sign of Something Sinister (tm). Once they released things, people didn't like what they saw, and...

Man, that must have been some terrible meatloaf. :devil:

That's still saying everyone has a say. It's just that some people have more power and authority. Which sounds reasonable. Everyone gets heard and considered, even if their input is eventually rejected. Which is different than just a "my way or the highway" approach to authority. Authoritative...

In other words, there's a social contract that players can trust in you, but that part of that relationship is that you are final arbiter. That's less "I am God" and more "I'm the benevolent dictator" complete with some level of consultation with the community who understand that you have...

See, that's where I don't quite see this the same way. I don't see DMing as doing anybody a favor. I enjoy running games, and that's why I run them. I change things as I play to keep the game dynamic strong and everyone (including me) happy. But when I cook, if someone isn't eating, I think that...

See, I was raised on old school and I just don't get this. No DM = no game. No players = no game. DMs are not god. At best they are elected officials, and as such they have responsibilities, and their powers arise from those responsibilities. They have a responsibility to make worlds, make...

I really don't get this. WotC is bad for creating interest in a product to raise money for future product? That's kind of their reason for existence. Any company that would release a product and say, "we think this product is great, but we have something else we are coming out with later, but...

I thought that you weren't supposed to have white forums after Labor Day! But my aging eyes find the white background easier to read. Either works, though.

In fact, the lack of verisimilitude of the level system was one of the reasons I left AD&D 1e. This is an endemic problem with the way that all versions of D&D define things like hit points and attack probability as a function of level. In BRP, for instance, the relationship between a heroic...

Some cheaper alternatives: Some companies (such as Fiery Dragon), sell cardboard counters that you can use. You can also by electronic versions to print out on cardstock on your own. There are even people who have posted their designs online. Steve Jackson Games still makes their Cardboard...

Of course, back in 1981 when I first started playing, there was Dungeons and Dragons and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, and we didn't seem this kind of fighting over what was D&D. But 1) we had to insult each other face to face, not over the anonymity of the internet and 2) the hobby was very...

I'm torn on this characterization, because IMNSHO all previous D&D editions were generic by association, pulling in a hodge-podge of influences from Tokien, Vance, Poul Anderson, Micheal Moorcock, etc., and rather than creating something open that could incorporate anything, making a hodge-podge...

First rule of mercenary life: make sure you get paid first, before you have to start risking your life.

That's kind of the point. No need fighting over different tastes, or being baffled that we all have different goals and interests when we sit down to game. :D Doug