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I cut my teeth on 2E and played it longer than I played any other system. I know it isn't the same, but I've read enough 1E books to know how similar the systems are. The first question I would ask myself before "retooling" 1E or 2E is, "What do I like so much about this game that isn't...

I think that "siloing" is good for D&D and that it has been going on for a while now. Even the 2E Nonweapon Proficiency system allowed room for non-combat mechanics, as did several class-specific mechanics. IMO the most important element of a successful D&D campaign is finding common ground...

I have a hunch that we'll be seeing more frequent edition releases as time goes on, but that those releases will focus more on tweaking and reorganizing some of the finer points of 4E. 4E is modular enough, especially with the Character Builder, that doing so would make it easier to do...

For certain builds (a pushy Invoker, an blast Wizard) the Destructive/Explosive/Forceful effects might be worth a Utility slot, but I can't see myself spending a Feat AND a Utility slot on these daily powers. To wit: Feats characterize persistent aspects of your character's style...

Let me say that I think there are two question in the OP's question: "What can they [3PPs] sell," and "What can the sell that is going to be worth their time to produce?" This is complicated, as the OP points out, by the Character Builder: 3PP crunch is going to be difficult to sell for 4E...

The GSL is specific about what sorts of materials I can and can't produce: I can publish a book or an e-book, and I can put up a website to help me distribute a book or an e-book, but I can't publish new game materials directly to a website. I could always have a web site where I write about...

What about "Lich?" Is it a long or short "i," and is the "ch" pronounced like "latch" or like "monarch?" Next up: Neogi :p

That. Sounds. Awesome. My favorite nautical event came when I was DM for a 2E game. The characters were members of a highly organized thievi--um, merchant organization sailing ships full of smuggled goods from Lantan to Waterdeep. A mysterious maelstrom swallowed one of their ships. The...

In my experience nothing lights the evil glimmer in a DM's eye so much as the characters boarding a ship: storm clouds gather, pirates sharpen their swords and seaborne menaces leap off the pages of the Monster Manual. As a player I never expect my character to safely sail from Point A to Point...

I might not be qualified to answer this poll, since I read from #14x to #26x, read only a few Paizo issues and have just caught up on the DDI issues...but I got a LOT of mileage out of the run from #180 to #224. I'd guess that two thirds of the issues during that time contained material that had...

I know I'm late for the party in this thread: after reading through it I saw a lot of posts to which I wanted to respond, but I can answer the OP's question more succinctly: I was talking to someone who has been out of D&D for four or five years, but with whom I've played since 1990, and he...

Wow, that hits close to home. Dr. No's has been my comic shop / FLGS since 1987 (although I've only been four or five times in as many years). Cliff and or Brett wouldn't stand for something like this. If you're looking for local, organized play then check out NARPGA. Words can't express how...

I would subscribe! I can't get enough good RPG podcasts.

Dragon Magazine in 2009 is no more about "upcoming ads" than it was when I began reading in 1990.

I wouldn't ban lookups altogether, or even use a timer, but if things get out of hand then it's up to the DM to make a ruling so the game keeps moving. As a DM I'm not above sawing the baby in half: make a call that favors a player's imagination and proactive thinking, even if it gets under the...

I like this mechanic a lot. Combat-oriented characters might be hard pressed to swap out a class Utility power that they count on to get around the battlefield, but some of the effects are cool and (useful in combat). Skill-oriented characters will love these: a Bard or priestly Cleric could get...

And now for something completely different This thread has been very educational and, along with a few podcasts I've been listening to recently, has shown me that the "roll vs. role," "don't be a min-maxer," etc. arguments can still draw a crowd. The "play acting" aspect of role-playing is a...

Hey Paul! I'm probably walking on the edge of Crosspost Cliff (since this related to another post I've made in this forum) but can I inquire as to your source/reasoning for this statement? I don't mean to attack or question the statement by any means, but your point speaks to my some of my own...

Thanks to all of you for your input. The last two posts speak directly to what worries me about my project. If I were to say that "Gnomes don't exist in Vartainia" then one could say that I might have redefined the "Gnome" system reference. If I were to say "Races x, y, and z are available as...

That. As someone who came into the game at the end of 1E/beginning of 2E I love the 4E DMG. It thoroughly explains the fundamentals of solid DMing, information that was only passed on by word of mouth and Dragon articles in the old days. WotC was very smart to bring Robin Laws on board for this...