Search results

One of my favorite experiences is what science fiction fandom has dubbed the "sense of wonder" - that cognitive-emotional sensation that is sometimes generated through a big idea that is something more than "cool, that's interesting," and perhaps something less than a truly...

Well, I didn't really say your sarcasm piece. But...I will say that at a cursory glance of his twitter feed, I found some of the responses a lot more deplorable than what Mearls said, and not at all proportional to what he said...which is pretty much par for the course in our day and age: things...

This is true now and has always been true; at the end of the day, we are all free to play the game how we want at our table (subject only to the agreement of those at the table). But... it is also true that over the last 50 years, there has been a general trend in D&D of "buffering" characters...

But this isn't entirely true. I mean, it is largely true of Bluesky in that it was leftish types immigrating from X, but X still has a widish range of perspectives and lots of lefties still there. It has become a lot more rightish, but from what I can tell, still has a much more diverse array of...

Yup. The odd thing is that he is actually saying that young people do want the sense of risk, so it seems his rant is more directed at designers who think they don't.

Well, it depends upon how you look at it. When you compare them one to one, obviously Mearls' responsibilities outweighs that lone 14-year old. But we're not talking about a lone 14-year old, but--at least in terms of online spaces--thousands of gamers, many 30+ years old, who are all a bit too...

Yeah, I didn't mean to say that is what he really meant. I was only saying that what he said applies well to "traditional RPGs." As I said in the post you quoted, I think he misses the mark by applying it RPGs wholesale. In the same sense that I agree with you about the error in assuming there's...

Yes, but not everything needs to be funneled into culture wars (e.g. Blue Sky vs. Twitter, etc etc). It would be nice if we could just talk about RPGs here, within the context of RPGs, without not-so-subtly connecting it to larger, cultural conflicts. I mean, if for no other reason that there...

I hear what you're saying--see my last longish post in this thread. I will say, though, that I don't think we need to interpret what he said as a threat. Even if he's making fun of other styles of play, so what? And maybe he is selling his product and brand, for which he doesn't have to appeal...

A few thoughts on sense of risk. I'm reminded of what goes on in my mind when I'm searching for something to watch. Fiction or non-fiction? What genre? Series or movie? Sometimes it comes down to what feelings do I want to experience? That often guides my choice. Sometimes I want something...

I hear what you're saying, but think that character creation time is just one factor. And if "commitment of our time" is what it boils down to, I think the time you spend playing a character is added to creation time - so investment is greatly dependent upon how much time, in total, you've put...

I think "constant risk" is a bit much. He didn't say that, at least in the tweets I quoted. He used the phrase "sense of risk." Whether you agree or not that a sense of risk is a crucial factor in an RPG, at the very least it is a valid perspective. As for your feeling that he's expressing...

Honest question: What do you mean by "tone deaf?" Maybe I mistake your usage, but this implies that he's oblivious to how his tone would effect a majority and/or intended audience, like previewing a Star Wars screening by saying "Trek is better!" It also implies that his tone should cater to a...

Scratching my head a bit here. Every so often I stumble upon one of these mega-threads and set myself the task of trying to figure out the gist of it by reading the most recent page or two. I saw lots of upset about something Mike Mearls said, so dug back to see what the kerfuffle was about and...

One of my fondest memories of yore was running myself through the 1e DMG's random generator. This was 35+ years ago, but I think I'd make a single character or small party and then just start rolling dice late into the night. I wouldn't do it often, but can remember doing it in the dark of my...

I'd even buy the notion that more DMs would be better at low/no prep than they realize. But we could still say that D&D is bad at communicating that and/or providing guidance on low/no prep. I mean, a chapter in the DMG on "how to run the game on the fly" would be great. I haven't dug into the...

Well, if we're taking the broad picture, prep has always been an obstacle - especially in the WotC era, which is now half of D&D history. Experienced DMs might be able to wing it, but even among the experienced it can be hard to pull off well. And for the less experienced, it is rather daunting...

Quick-and-easy prep. /thread

Well I never said Neverwinter wasn't a "real city," just that it isn't a "metropolis" - at least not on the scale of the others. Yes, I like that. I remember enjoying the city maps in the old FR hardcover (forget the name), but they didn't go into them in any depth. But it would be interesting...