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I fail to see how I could get more specific than my merchant example - literally a real, individual character I created for a D&D campaign I played in -- it doesn't get much more concrete than that. I also am not sure how on earth that character concept was at all influenced by the rules...

I agree with many of your points. Not this one, however. I pretty much always come up with a concept first. Yes, many times it's based on a class - but that's because the classes are based on common archetypes, and what I'm actually picking is an archetype. Now, you could argue chicken or...

Can anyone explain why they're releasing KotS BEFORE the rules? I know it includes a little play guide, but why do that? Obviously a play guide won't include all the rules necessary for play, or it'd be one big "quick start" guide. So why bother? Why make it so that I either buy it and wait...

In D&D you do. And it's no less an absurd unit of measure than the length of a king's foot. That said, the Pythagorean theorem applies regardless of unit of measure. However, I have yet to see a post arguing otherwise. It's much more a matter of "I don't care" versus "I do." No one's...

Hey, Mouse, how much are you going to be able to chat after D&DE this Thursday? Will it be an open playing field or are you still restricted to either nothing or just what happened at the con?

I figure it's safe to assume that if you were not planning on playing 4e, then this argument is moot. And if you are going to play 4e, then it is somewhat safe to assume that you are either on the side of "the play's the thing" or on the side of "too much irrationality in movement." This...

I can't imagine that pick any 6 would be an issue. The non-blade may be an issue for a couple reasons however. 1) non-blades may have other feats or abilities that make them overpowered with sneak attack or similar abilities. 2) some of the "sneak attack weapons only" abilities don't...

Unfortunately, you missed my point entirely. I was trying (through a minor joke) to show that there are some people, not all of whom are young or new to the game, who find this 1/1/1/1 rule easier to understand, and easier and more enjoyable to play. My point was not that my wife is not good...

Here's an equation for you: wife's inability to do quick, but basic math + 1/2/1/2 diagonals = more complexity and a slower game complexity / 100 = % wife will stop playing % wife will stop playing = % husband will be unhappy This, solving for % husband will be unhappy, we find that 1/2/1/2...

My Bias I've been DMing consistently for 30 years and have been a player on and off during that time. At this stage in my gaming career, I'm an RP hound. When I was younger, I was more into the combats (this in no way implies that RP is superior or a more mature way to play - it's just the...

A. You take hit point damage when hit at negative hit points (just like you do at positive hit points) and you make a saving throw if you're at 0 or less hit points (the same savingthrow system used in the rest of the game). I'm not sure how this is something you have to remember -- it uses two...

I'm not a fan of action points. Don't like 'em. So that's not an option I'd use. Also, I don't like spending actions doing nothing, which is what recharging with a standard or full round action really boils down to. Here's what I prefer: During any round in which the character does not use a...

These days it's no big deal. All my friends and players are old enough where dropping $75 for a new set of books is no big deal. However, some of them are also opposed to change as a general rule. This went for 2e to 3e as well. In the end, I simply said, "this is the game I'm running" and...

The nice thing is that no matter how complex 4e gets when it comes to NPC or monster creation, I can always use my instant-creation method. Pick what you want. It appears that 4e has finally "caught up" to my thinking on the subject, at least in terms of monsters. To me, it's not "easy" to...

I highly dislike both new races, but that's another thread... As to evil/good warlocks, I prefer keeping their powers coming from non-friendly sources. However, that doesn't mean that they are evil. A warlock could be a demon hunter who enslaves the powers of evil in order to use them for...

Personally, I don't find a paragraph stating "use checks for things that make sense in order not to RP a game to death" necessary. I think having the skills listed and described is enough to make it inherent. I do have a question though. Do these other systems have tactical resolution as...

Armor stops you from getting hit and actually hitting someone doesn't mean you "hit" them. That's how D&D defines armor class and hit points. Having dex as your attack modifier makes a lot more sense when armor absorbs damage and taking damage means you're actually getting clobbered...

It's not just you ;)

Perhaps it's a matter of experience, but I don't see the need for an abstract "conflict" resolution system versus a "task" resolution system. Actually, I'd argue that even for role-playing purposes (my games average 4 combats a year -- we're pretty much all RP) "task" resolution is better...

Perhaps it's generally an age thing, but cheating in D&D? Not since 3rd grade (nigh 30 years ago). My group fesses up if they see a condition they've forgotten, even if it's bad for them. "Oh, sorry, my AC is actually 22, not 24; he hits," has been heard plenty of times (given the volume of...