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The other thing it does is increase the cost to play the game by $35 CDN, or $70 CDN if you want two sets at the table.

At the time drow appeared in D&D, Michael Moorcock’s Elric novels were tremendously popular. A great many players at the time would have recognized Melniboneans in Gygax’s drow - decadent, sophisticated, depraved, cruel, utterly selfish, slave-owning, demon-worshippers. At conception, drow were...

To quite a large extent. We see this happen with a great many cultural scenes. People are new to a music genre or school of fiction. They love it. But eventually they exhaust or get bored of the popular mainstream stuff. This inspires them to delve deeper into alternative and less-known...

I disagree that reacting against modern gaming sensibilities will turn all newer gamers away. It might not appeal to most new gamers, but like all retro cultural movements, it will appeal to some. The whole hipster ethos is a rejection of what’s regarded as superficial or debased modern culture...

I don’t follow your reasoning. If a sushi restaurant owner was revealed to be a sexual predator, would it make you reluctant to eat sushi anymore?

In my experience, most players want the possibility of PC death to be on the table. However, they don‘t much like it when PCs die. It’s like poker: most people like to play with money to lend tension and stakes to the experience. They just don’t like going home with an empty wallet.

I’m imagining football players dodging the NFL draft by going to Canada... to play in the CFL.

People who are super into following sports are mostly nerds anyway. Especially the fans who avidly follow the draft and join pools. A few years ago I went to a bar to do a hockey pool with a bunch of guys from the local team’s fan forum. I don’t know what I was expecting, but the dozen or so...

double post

While I agree that dungeons don’t have to be static locations, and usually aren‘t when they’re being run by an experienced and creative DM, I do have to agree that published dungeons rarely include dynamic events. Other than some notes that faction A is in a struggle with faction B over location...

We have other ways inferring PF2’s popularity besides Roll20 numbers. Looking at Paizo’s forums, activity looks to be down substantially compared with five or six years ago. You see fewer reviews of adventure paths and other products. The adventure paths themselves, which are the calling-card of...

Stealthy scout. Trap and lock expert. Sneaky spy. The thief/rogue role was fundamentally changed because 3e was built around the combat encounter. The pre-3e thief was about out-of-combat expertise, or what is now called exploration mode.

The traditional six attributes are poorly conceived and continue to present design challenges and weird inconsistencies. The difference between intelligence and wisdom is unintuitive. Wisdom is a weird thing to have in an RPG in the first place. Functionally, it doesn’t know if it wants to be...

Words like "progress" and "advanced" have also been used to denigrate other cultures. And "superior" and "inferior." Also "savage" and "civilized." Then there's "undeveloped." "Exotic." "Alien." "Fierce." Honestly, how many words are we going to make taboo and excise from the English language...

In 'many circles'? Or by a tiny number of people of a particular ideological bent?

When was Call of Cthulhu designed? When was the last time a new RPG of that popularity and commercial success was designed? We’re talking about the industry today, not 35 years ago.

Do you genuinely think there’s consensus in the english-speaking world that the word “primitive” is pejorative and should be excised from all texts going forward? It’s a common and useful word that has a meaning that can’t readily be achieved with a synonym.

I think we’re talking about different things. The comment you responded to said work in the business. Not personal creative satisfaction. If your goal is to secure paying work in the field, writing for a major WotC product gives you exposure and credibility that can’t be matched. Even if your...

What would you say is the pinnacle of the field for an RPG writer?

Being a professional writer is not a job for the thin-skinned. Your work gets criticized, revised, cut, and removed. Routinely. It’s part of the job. It’s completely different from writing in school, blogs, or other amateur environments. Sorry, but this person isn’t doing inclusivity any...