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I thought the different looks given to Detrilizzi's Planescape or Brom's Dark Sun were one of the strengths of 2e. Yeah, sure, the market can't sustain different worlds as complete product lines that continue indefinitely, but the whole point of developing a new game world is to provide a new...

I agree that automatic complete non-magical healing after a night's rest is unsatisfying. I get the desire for game flow and simplicity that the 4e-style long rest rule provides, but it just doesn't match the fictional aesthetics of any fantasy world I commonly adventure in. I don't mind if...

Quotes included for context... Yeah, sure, it's totally OK to say that rewarding role-playing should be part of D&D for whatever reason you care to provide (including history and personal preference). But your original quote suggested that role-playing rewards didn't belong in role-playing...

There are lots of successful games that provide mechanical benefits for roleplaying your character. Point-buy games like GURPS gave extra character points for taking role-playing related disads. More modern games like Savage Worlds provide benes when you fulfill one of your character...

On second reading, I agree that it sounds like that. It makes a lot of sense to bake a modern role-playing mechanic like this into the standard game, but it's a little surprising to see this kind of mechanic in the basic game. It has a significant (ok not huge, but still significant) power...

I don't recall the article specifying where this mechanic would lie. I imagine it would be in the standard version (AD&D style) but not the core (basic D&D style) because backgrounds are one of the elements that enter the game in the core to standard transition. Obviously, it would be pretty...

Well, sure, but an orc shaman with the ability to cast a few 1st or 2nd level spells is a classic monster, as is the evil wizard's 2nd-4th level pupils. The issue is the same whether you view it as low-level monsters or low-level spellcasters. In short, I disagree with your assertion that...

That doesn't sound right to me. As a 10th level fighter, I don't want to be terrified by a handful of 2nd or 3rd level monsters. (Facing 20 ghouls by myself, sure that's scary, but two or three shouldn't be a concern.) Plus, it messes up the encounter building math. It's hard to calculate...

I think D&DN will want to keep the d20 system where the difficulty of the task (in this case saving throw) sets the DC and the ability of the person attempting the task (the person trying to make a saving throw) determines the bonus. This whole issue is coming up because saving-or-suffer effect...

I partially disagree. One the one hand, I like the idea that legendary creatures can break the rules, and thus gain access to some of the design principles that 4e developed for solo creatures. I had some really satisfying fights with well designed solo enemies in 4e, and I would like to...

I don't understand the joke at all with fur and amber. You take some components that, in real life, generate a little static electricity and then -- with the power of magic -- you shoot a lightning bolt. That's not a joke. It's magic. I assume that most people will ignore material components...

I don't think there is ever going to be a true balance between these two factors. But, in general, I'd say that downtime tasks should have the sort of rewards that are vulnerable to plot developments. I'm not against making it possible to use downtime to improve your character's inherent...

I dislike joke components, but don't find all of these to be jokes. Nut shells are components for Confusion because of a shell game is one where the person with the shells confuses the viewer. Personally, I think "dried fish gills" would make a better component for water breathing, but a straw...

For time scale, I think I agree with the article -- not because it's the best system for an arbitrary campaign, but because it's a fairly simple system. A 1 hour turn is probably about right for 1 mile hexes and a 1 minute turn is about right for 5-foot squares. Yes, other scales are relevant...

The "key motivator" concept is vital to an interesting interaction pillar because it allows the players to investigate the situation and then make an interesting decision based on that information. A system based purely on diplomacy rolls (whether a single roll or a skill challenge) just...

Encounter length is highly dependent on party and encounter construction. When I started 4e, we had a party with two defenders and two (non-warlord) leaders. Ostensibly tough encounters with lots of soldiers and elites (pre-errata) could easily take 6-12 rounds. A defensive party against...

I think Planescape was a cool setting, and it has the particular property of allowing you to use it as a "meta-setting" that binds any arbitrary set of worlds together. But just because you've written a meta-setting that could have any world in it, that doesn't mean that every other campaign...

Not having seen these Apprentice level rules, it's hard to say whether it's "doing it right" or not. But, fwiw, I don't think the designers are thinking that a meat grinder is the "doing it right" level 1 experience. Based on the article, I would expect the designers to promote super-easy...

QFT. It's important to remember that the default DM advice needs to be focused on games with relatively new DMs that usually don't last more than a year and are in significant danger of premature failure. Providing the PCs a reliable sense of progress is important with a marginal campaign...

The Belts of Giant Strength are in line with the magic items bonuses. Compared to a "natural max" strength of 20, the non-artifact Stone, Fire and Cloud belts provide a to-hit and damage bonus of +1, +2 and +3, respectively. A high-level, Str 20 fighter gets the same bonus with a legendary...