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You will probably not be surprised to hear that I don't have a particularly high view of "GM as continuous amateur game (re-)designer", so no, that doesn't really move me either. Well, he has now backed it up with--literally--saying: ...and... Where "have it both ways" specifically means, in...

You have, many many times over, told me that they will--not that they might, but they will--bend the rules into pretzels, even break them, if they think they can get away with it. What else should I interpret that as? That's what ruthless exploitation IS! Whereas from my perspective, you have...

I have no doubt that that is the case, but as was said by another, that ship has sailed. 5e was two steps forward, two steps back in many ways relative to 3e, and 5.5e has not really changed that pattern so much as doubled down on it, four steps forward and four steps back.

I would say the core of the objection ("Psionics should not be merely reflavored spells") is still valid. Some psionic abilities will necessarily at least resemble some spells, because spells are aggressively pushed as a design element in 5e. But we can put in effort to keep them distinct.

I mean, all sorts of things? Make the rewards worth the risk: players tend to love shiny treasure, and many are very motivated by things like "saving innocents" or "getting revenge" or "uncovering the secret" or "redeeming someone" or "amassing power" etc. Even in the absence of those things...

No. Not to me, anyway. Every experiment trying to measure light's speed failed for centuries, until we finally did measure it. I literally quoted it to you already. I've bolded the relevant part for emphasis. This is saying that the referee needs to assume players are always trying to cheat...

No. As I said above, I'd accept presumption of guilt from all parties until evidence suggests otherwise too, even though I would not personally tolerate that. What I'm saying is, there is an argument being made here. That argument says GMs are special and deserve to be trusted unless a mountain...

Calling it a "container" means it has no effect on the shape of what you put in it. That's flatly not true. Spells--specifically focused on "full" spellcasters here--have a specific structure for: How they are gained as a resource (a specific fixed schedule of slots) How they are learned...

Have I, even once, said "beyond all doubt innocent", or even anything which could be spindled, folded, or mutilated into that? I have repeatedly spoken of a presumption of innocence unless (or until) evidence suggests otherwise. I've used either that exact phrase--"until evidence suggests...

Then he is far from the only person with a stance I consider profoundly unfair and biased. It's simply not acceptable. "Rules for thee but not for me" isn't and never will be.

Number and breadth. Spellcasters are still quite capable of being generically strong with only a relatively limited number of spells, and now that 5.5e is out, Wizards literally are Batman Wizards where they need only an hour to have any spell they know ready to use.

I appreciate the effort, but this is, as far as I'm concerned, not even remotely the problem. Like this...you aren't even remotely removing spells. You're just kiudging together a "well they're still spells, they just are super spells that work exactly like other spells except better." I truly...

I would need a pretty convincing argument to accept less than equality. Are defendants not presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law now? I mean it wouldn't surprise me given what's been happening recently in politics, but I was given to understand this was still true. Both judge...

The problem is, 5e doesn't know (and never really has) how to make solid but not hyper-punitive stakes. Exhaustion is stuck trying to be both an interesting and evocative alternative to damage, which thus allows for a different way to challenge the PCs...and also a "the buck stops here"...

Because they were not speaking so. For example: This is, explicitly, making a point not just about Lanefan's group, not just about people who have played with Lanefan, not just people who share the style of play Lanefan partakes in, not just D&D players, not just TTRPG players, but literally...

I still do not accept that we should be "acting as if" players are dirty rotten swindlers and GMs are perfect angels until you have legally notarized affidavits to the contrary. One common standard. Either we "act as if" both player and GM are innocent until evidence says otherwise, or we "act...

Just another massive boon for creating distinct psionics. Spellcasting needs to be pared back. Not infinitely far. But 5e simply did not go far enough in toning down the magic system of 3rd edition.

Sure, the structure here looks fine. I just don't think it should use spells for this purpose. I really really dislike just defaulting to spells as the form of 95% of supernatural power. I think things that aren't spells should also get to be powerful and stand on even footing with spells...

But there is a third option, which is neither what Wizards are (essentially, "the best of nearly every magic system from fiction", much to my chagrin), nor something that is hard-coded to be one and only one thing. And that is to offer many options...that cannot all be taken. AKA the 13th Age...

Most groups are not friends who have been gaming together for 30+ years. That, alone, already puts Lanefan's group well outside the bounds of most TTRPG groups. None of which has anything to do with the explicit claim that it's somehow totally okay to assume that players are dirty rotten...