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Absolutely, the game has changed so much since I started (79) that it is no longer recognizable as the same thing. I sense an edition war, however, so I won't elaborate.

It's a natural evolution, as D&D becomes more videogame-like, that it should no longer innovate and should instead mirror what's successful. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

There are the Innovators, and there are the Imitators. The Innovators originated, by grace of being born first. They may not have been the best, but they were there. The Imitators follow in the footsteps of the Innovators. They can surpass them in technique, but if you ask them, you'll often...

I strongly recommend it, it's one of the best RPGs of all time. It's so immersive that you'll be able to look past the limitations and poor graphics once you get going. FO1 > FO2 IMO. But if you're really old(school) like me, neither beats Wasteland. :) Enjoy!

The game deserved to die. Ignoring 30 years of IP, no Forgotten Realms, no Greyhawk, no PvP until their arms were twisted, not enough content ... yeah. Total mess. Hopefully another company will try again and make a decent game. LotRO isn't bad, however.

I used to play these all the time in the 80s. The Harkyn Legions, if I remember correctly, were supposed to be bypassed by some disguises you find on the castle's ground level. Running into them was supposed to be punishment. I used to farm them by having 3 L0's in front defending, and 3...

Well, the expectations of the players are different. When I started in 1979, the game was seen as a challenge. The purpose was to become a better player (group tactics, improvisational thinking, creative spell use, etc.). The fun part was that if you played well, you usually lived; if you...

Jack is Chaotic Neutral. Move it along! :p

I just rolled a 73! There's only a 1% chance of that happening! ;)

On the 1E treasure tangent - most players who remark on the prevalence of magic items in the published modules conveniently ignore the item saving throw chart in the DMG. Every fireball, pit, crushing blow etc. is potentially a treasure-destroying catastrophe. One hand gives, and the other...

For a little positivity, I thought I'd mention one campaign where the idea of magic shops was not only integral, it was also perfect for flavor and the main source of player entertainment. This was an HP Lovecraft's Dreamlands campaign. The characters were locked away in insane asylums, trying...

Tracked in the wilderness, handwaved in civilized lands. (Deducting decent inn prices; if they want to save money and chow rations or hunt, I slow it down and they can either track or have a quick encounter.) Sustenance can be a nice "danger clock" to build tension while adventuring - food in...

If they won't provide sources and backup, take their character sheets. Hand out the sheets for play. Take them back at the end of the session. After the session, review them for any entries that don't make sense and ask about them. They'll shape up pretty quick. :cool:

(insert obligatory flumph reference here)

So if the cities have all the items (much more selection than the dungeons, and easier to get), then why go adventuring at all? Just money, right? But wouldn't it be easier to treat the city as the dungeon, a type of Thieves World or evil campaign? (You plunder the city, get out and move on...

The most important are a lack of fear, a feeling of acceptance, and a willingness to learn in cooperation with others. All of the basic skills, even literacy and arithmetic, stem from those. And prejudice of others stifles their learning. So take any and all who are willing to learn, and...

GURPS Supers and GURPS Horror. It's the easiest system (IMO) to convert real world observations into game terms. "Let's see, he threw the car 60 feet, so his Strength is ..."

Sigh. I miss the days when fleshing out a character meant writing up a paragraph explaining why his Intelligence was 7 and his Wisdom was 16. ;)

Epic plot from my last campaign world and contest entry: D&D Waterworld. Oceans are warming and rising, humanoid and demi-human populations have been pushed onto constricted tropical archipelagos (former mountain ranges). Competition for land is intense and bloody. Also provides a great...

Ah yes, decorated and promoted war animals ... another example being Able Seacat Simon of the HMS Amethyst. Awarded the Dickin Medal for gallantry under enemy fire. http://www.purr-n-fur.org.uk/famous/simon.html Dogs save lives in their own way, cats save lives in their own way. I don't see...