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Implied insults aside, you're absolutely right. The problems weren't with the DMs (who were great DMs in many other ways) it's that the heavy DM fiat style of gaming requires a charismatic, witty, mature, outgoing, confident DM who isn't preoccupied by thoughts of work, upcoming tests...

IME, usually the DM. Yes, if the DM decides to adjudicate it that way. All too often, I've found, old-school DMs tend to be of the mind that "If I didn't think of it, it's not clever enough to work". So for this kind of gameplay to work, the players can't just come up with ANY clever idea. They...

I was aware of the concept and I think almost everyone in my circle of gaming friends worked on their own megadungeon at some point, but we rarely played self-made adventures. Most of my gaming involved running or playing in published adventures. I think the only adventure we ever played that...

I agree that even the Ranger requires some inclination to think outside the "run to the nearest foe and attack until dead, rinse, repeat" box. However, the considerations you bring up (i.e. - run away when you're low on HPs, don't allow yourself to get flanked or surrounded by enemies, don't get...

I really do think Ranger is the correct answer here. Give the new player a pre-gen Ranger (maybe an Elf, because Elven Accuracy is a pretty easy racial power to grok and they make decent Rangers). IMO, the melee Ranger is easier to run for a newbie than the bow Ranger, because Quarry choices...

An idea that I had for a quick minion house-rule "fix" (for those who would like one) while thinking about this thread... Minion is a special template for a monster that includes three important characteristics... 1. A minion has 1hp. A missed attack never damages a minion. 2. Minions have...

If it's free, it belongs in the "Free Product" category, IMO. I don't see any need to distinguish between quick start rules and other free products.

You're treating opponents as one dimensional, with hp being the only important dimension. But that's not an accurate representation of opponents. The stat block for a helpless girl probably looks something like this... Init: +0, HP: 1, Atk: -5, Dmg: 1hp, AC: 6, Fort: 4, Ref: 6, Will: 4...

Do you have a post# you can point me to, because I'm not seeing this particular issue addressed anywhere else. I'm seeing a lot of assertions that creatures who die if they take 1hp of damage are too fragile to exist in a world that makes "sense" but nobody has addressed how that jives with the...

This really doesn't have anything to do with the issue I'm discussing with Joe. It's an interesting point, but doesn't really have any bearing on the simulationist world-building aspects of minions.

I'll believe what you tell me, if you answer the question. You said creatures with 1hp didn't really exist in your games because you assumed they died off. I'm asking if this was really carried through to its logical simulationist conclusion or if you "fiated" aspects of that general rule that...

Really??! In 3e all bats, rats, tiny vipers and toads have 1hp by RAW. Assuming there is some consistent ratio, animals smaller than bats, rats, tiny snakes and toads should all have some fraction of a hp (how many hp does a normal mosquito or a butterfly have?). Are you saying that in all of...

I voted "pure" because I'm not interested in importing mechanics from other sources. I might steal ideas for new powers, rituals or monsters from other sources, but the implementation of those ideas is always through unadulterated 4e base mechanics.

BFRPG is more "inspired by" B/X than a clone of it. There are significant differences between BFRPG and B/X. The most notable is probably that BFRPG uses split races and classes AD&D style. Labyrinth Lord is more of a true clone of the B/X & BECMI games.

I think the "de facto" D&D for the forseeable future will almost certainly be the "in facto" D&D, which at the moment is 4e.

I agree. Given the choice of only 1 Leader in any adventuring party, I would definitely go for the Warlord above any of the other choices.

Yes, I know. That's what I meant by "redundant".

The d20 STL gave access to OGC (including the SRDs) on its own. You didn't need to use the OGL in a d20 STL product in order to access OGC. Using the OGL in a d20 STL product would have been redundant.

This is almost 100% wrong. The d20 license did not require the concurrent use of the OGL. They were seperate licenses that both allowed access to the open game content in the SRD. You are correct that the d20 STL also allowed the use of the d20 logo and trademark. However, the license also came...

Aside from the domain building aspect (which I'll grant you, is absent in 4e so far) I'm having trouble understanding where you're getting the idea that 4e de-emphasizes exploration of dangerous places, dealing with traps and tricks, and engaging in special missions in support of mass battles...