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I voted "yes" - by which I mean "If WotC want me as a customer, they better create 5e soon". I like several new ideas they introduced in 4e, but the game as a whole is unplayable to me. So, 5e may be a game I'd really want to play, or it may not - but I won't know it until it is released.

1. A game (or a GM) should not force players to act in a specific way. Players make their own decisions. But I expect the stats to determine how successful the actions are. In a good game, stats either don't describe given area of play or have a big effect on it - so you just can't be efficient...

I don't remember any entertaining fumbles that happened to my characters. But I had a paladin in my party that had a lot of them - and as many criticals. We joked that when she rolled, it was more often a natural 1 or natural 20 than anything else. We had a rule that you need to "confirm" a...

I love the way magic is presented in Brandon Sanderson's books, especially the Mistborn series. It definitely feels magical, but, on the other hand, follows very clear and strict rules. The magic is really simple, but simple in a way that leaves a lot of space for creativity - and a big part...

For me, both the article and the questions under it are meaningless. They lack a crucial part of context. How I approach rules and how I expect the GM to interact with them depends on what the rules represent and what they do. If the rules describe in-game actions and their results, they will...

Why restrict oneself to only messing with available actions, leaving the whole round structure (with initiative rolls and taking actions in sequence) intact? A simple and efficient approach would be to have everybody declare their actions, roll and resolve using the roll results for both effect...

A game requires a social contract - set of rules and expectations that all players (including the GM) share. Without it, a group will, sooner or later, encounter a situation like the one described in the OP, when styles and expectations clash and somebody's fun is ruined. There is no good...

I'm not a woman, but I often play in female-rich groups. I discussed gaming preferences with my female friends several times. It would be naive to expect a full agreement, but there are certainly several common points: 1. They care for a consistent and interesting story and for their...

I'd expand on Verdande's advice. Pause the current campaign for a month or so. Run - or let other people run - a series of one-shots, each in a different system, setting and mood. Put at least one non-fantasy game and at least one indie game on the list. After that's done, talk with your...

That's completely dependent on how the game is designed to be played and how the magic system is built. Replacing skills with magic is problematic in D&D. It is not in M:tA, Sorcerer, Nobilis, Unknown Armies, Exalted or even WFRP. In general, utility magic is not a problem if at least one of...

If I was running this, I would take into account: - Why didn't this person agree to help you before? Only some reasons will be nullified when he suddenly likes you. There are things that you won't do even if a friend asks you, and charm magic doesn't force anybody to act against their best...

I don't really care if the defense is represented by static values or by some kind of rolls. Static defenses are faster in play, but give a feeling of being a passive target and that's something some players don't like. Maybe just let players roll for their attacks and their defenses, with...

Nobilis have very varied character types, because of flexible character creation rules. It easy to create an incorporeal character that only affects material world when possessing someone, or a character that gives people power in exchange for their souls, or both. And that definitely won't be...

Recently, I'm running Nobilis and I try to follow the advice the book gives. So, I nearly always say "yes, but...". It's "Yes, probably you can, but how do you really do it?" Or "Yes, but there will be consequences" Or "Yes, but it's a level 4 miracle"

I, generally, like three different kinds of games. One has clear and strict, but simple rules. Rules give the structure and descriptions are built around it. On the other hand, the rules are abstract enough not to restrict description and not to produce absurd situations. This type of games...

I started with Eye of Yrrhedes, an old and simple Polish game, designed specifically to be an introductory RPG. Then came Call of Cthulhu, World of Darkness and Warhammer. And after that, dozens of homebrews by me and my friends. My first contact with D&D was 3e - and it was many years after...

Nobilis Good at handling very high-powered characters without a lot of number crunching, encouraging creative ideas and proactive play. The only game I know that gives players simple tools for changing the world in significant ways and making it interesting. Dogs in the Vineyard Good at facing...

I don't have a single opinion on this topic. I, myself, don't judge fictional events. And I played various characters, with various approaches to morality, magic and free will. But, if I took a balanced, average view among them, it would be like this: Charm-like magic affects others' emotions...

I don't think I can fit my style under any of the poll options. Even if I assume that you're asking only about the campaign play (because my style of running one-shots is quite different), still none fits. My games are strongly character-based. I build upon what I get from players - character...

As long as the house rules are prepared before the game and presented to players before the game begins, the GM is free to modify whatever they like and however they like. House rules are a part of the game, they are functionally not different from rules in the books. There is no difference...