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I miss the cutoff by a year, so I didn't vote. As to the ERB tangent, I'll merely say that as a big fan of pulp fiction, I find the John Carter stories refreshingly FREE of the widespread racism that mars a lot of their contemporaries. From the list, I've read... Tolkien: I enjoyed The Hobbit...

I like pretty much everything listed here. Offhand, the only things I DON'T like about 4e are the relatively limited author-stance mechanics (1 action point + 1 per milestone?) and the dorky monster names. The monsters themselves are great, but I do so hate the Adjective Noun Such-and-Such...

Warlord is definitely the most interesting to me, but then, it's also an archetype I've played in a lot of other systems. Clearly it's a character type I enjoy, and 4e implements it in several neat ways. (Commander's Strike is the best at will EVAR.) I don't think you need a leader, though...

Either create a new edition (hopefully one that would continue to be really, really excellent) or sell the rights (hopefully to Evil Hat, although Green Ronin also works). The other suggestions involve outcomes that would CERTAINLY mean I would not be playing D&D for an edition, which makes...

I voted 50-100, but may actually be in the top bracket counting two years of Dragons as 12 books. I didn't count .pdfs or products I only have comp copies of, but looking back, I DID count material for d20 Modern and OGL games not explicitly designed to be D&D compatible, so it probably...

:cut: Oops.

Yes, from an FLGS, at launch. The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide are two of the best purchases I've ever made. I arguably regret buying the Monster Manual, although I do enjoy it; between the D&D Compendium on DDI and the brilliant monster creation rules in the DMG, the physical...

You can arguably boil down an RPG's attitude toward an activity into four categories: Supported by the rules as written. The activity is actively part of the system and enabled (perhaps badly, depending on the system) by it. Practical and psychological support is provided. Encouraged by the...

Why is the "right" thing to do to reduce the powers of certain classes rather than increasing others? There's actually an obvious, practical reason for doing things the way WotC tried to in late 3e: If you introduce a supplement that takes away powers from, say, the cleric and druid, that...

Ah, good point. I forgot about the major upgrades to monsters in 2e. (The official reason for this, especially where giants were concerned, was to provide more high-level enemies to replace the initially cut demons and devils. IIRC, though, when the renamed demons and devils returned in short...

Because it's the first edition of D&D I've played that I actually prefer to competing games. Every prior edition has been, to one extent or another, something I would only play as a compromise because I couldn't get a group to agree to a different system; D&D 4e is a game I will actively seek...

I only see this happening in three cases: AD&D 1e, D&D 3.0 and D&D 4e. In AD&D's case, I have no idea why it was implemented. Both before my time and, well, AD&D decisions were not often driven by what I would describe as rigorous game design. Not really seeing an increase in numbers in BECMI...

Slightly anti-4e, although that's almost certainly a "squeaky wheel" issue rather than a reflection of the actual demographics.

Boring, weak, common, glut and need.

Science!: Nonmagical tech in the scientific romance style. The previously mentioned Agatha Heterodyne would be a good example of a character who does this fast enough to use on the fly during an adventure. And yes, the '!' is necessary. Artifice: Covering both magitech and mythic magic item...

I certainly would be happier to see a nerfed wizard than a buffed fighter. The power curve of D&D spellcasters is far too steep for my tastes, speaking as someone who mostly wants to recreate the flavor of most fantasy media in a sound Tactics/RPG. A nerfed wizard, especially in terms of...

Addendum to my series of Strategist powers: I picture most of these being either 'attack rolls' (Int-based) vs. Will Defense or skill checks based off Knowledge (Tactics), also vs. Will Defense (or Knowledge (Tactics) if it's higher?). The class itself would be somewhere around Cleric and...

We'll see. Haven't Warlords been called out as having Cha as a *primary* ability? I get the impression everyone has abilities related to every ability score, while still having a strong focus. Vance's casters can actually pull off the 'kill a warrior before he kills you' trick, I agree -...

Of course Vetinari doesn't have to lift a finger. When it comes to manipulation, subterfuge and pre-planning, he's the best of the best. But Vetinari is a past-master at his art. He has been, as you point out, manipulating people and running the most chaotic, nigh-uncontrollable, jumbled mess...

And spellcasters in Sword and Sorcery and pre-D&D Epic Fantasy (almost) only cast big, important spells that pretty much never stop a skilled warrior with a sword from shoving three feet of tempered steel through them. Extrapolating for playability at the tactical scale, just as was done with...