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Nat 20 is a crit for double damage. No threat ranges, no confirmation rolls. Has the disadvantage of making some weapons, like the scimitar, less useful, but it's easy and I like it. I tried the critical hit charts from Combat & Tactics once, and I don't think they're all that bad if limited to...

Blackwood: http://www.uvm.edu/~chmartin/bwg.html Also, several stories in that setting: http://www.uvm.edu/~chmartin/blackwood.html

I thought the system was okay, but Savage Worlds is much better for a Serenity-style game, IMO. Off the top of my head, I had the following issues with the system: -Competency: While the characters in Firefly do have moments of incompetence, they are rarely awful at what they do best. Wash...

I remember several old modules that had treasure lying around that could ahve helped monsters but never got used for some reason or another. However, in practice, I've always had monsters make use of their treasure if they can.

Or, for a more recent example, check out the "Gamer's Rant on Movies" in KoDT that has become the source of endless griping. It seems that WotC is trying pretty hard to promote the idea of a gaming subculture. The idea is probably that such a group will help them sell a wider variety of...

Interesting piece. I don't think I'll end up ever using a laptop at the gaming table, though. Computers are great for game preparation, but when it comes time to play I much prefer having paper handouts and maps.

I prefer core only in my games for two reasons. One, it means I only have to haul three books and my notebook to the game. Two, it keeps the rules pretty simple, while at the same time allowing for a surprising range of options. I'd much prefer to see WotC go the route of fewer rules and more...

I immediately implemented the turning rules into my game. The result was, as spoke the player, "Awesome." It's very simple, requires no looking up, and keeps the core concept of turning undead intact (i.e., undead either fleeing or being immediately turned to dust). I'd prefer the name to be...

I don't think wizards et al are too powerful. I do think that some of their specific spells are too powerful, or allow a PC to break an adventure with too much ease. Greater Teleport, Find the Path, and most scrying or plane-traveling spells are a good example. If some of these were cut down or...

If the game is good and something I can use, it doesn't matter if it's open content or not. Of course, the big benefit of an open content game is that other companies get a crack at the system and put their own spin on things. I'm currently not very interested in WotC's apparent vision for 4th...

As near as I can tell, Exalted and D&D cover two entirely different ends of the fantasy genre. So I wouldn't trade one for the other, unless one of the games absolutely sucked.

Calling the reformatted core books 2.5 is erroneous, since they are 100% compatible with the older printings. I had an old copy of the core books, while my friend brought the new printing to the table. We never encountered any discrepancies. Calling the Player's Option stuff 2.5 makes sense to...

Huh? oD&D had race + class. Admittedly, most races could only take one or two classes, but it was there. It got stripped back in the Moldvay set.

The info on the core rules CD-ROM highlights how big 3rd edition was envisioned. In WotC's perfect world, the paper rules were going to have full computer support, and the game was going to be linked to the new Chain Mail rules to cover massive fantasy battles. 4th edition has a similar...

the Hunter's Blade trilogy was decent, in my mind -- at least for the first couple of books. The third book was a huge letdown (although I probably should have seen it coming). So if you've only got the first two books, then you've got the good two thirds of the story without the weak ending to...

That's not the first homage they've had in recent months. A couple of issues ago, they also did a cover parodying the (in)famous Elmore piece inside the 2nd edition edition Player's Handbook where the party is posing after killing a dragon. That cover made me laugh out loud in the comic shop.

I'd take the Black Rose. Elminster in Hell contains some interesting concepts, but is more or less a tour through Elminster's memories as he bangs chicks through the ages. The ultimate resolution smacks of deus ex machina, too. While Ed Greenwood is a heck of a world-builder, his novels often...

KODT is the best gaming-related magazine out there. I believed that even when Dragon and Dungeon were still on the market.

When 3rd edition came out, I saw two big improvements over 2nd edition. First, there was the unified mechanic. That made it much easier to explain to new players how the game was played. In addition, a lot of other rules bits were cleaned up. For example, ability scores went to using a...

I'm undecided on both. I want a revision of the 3.5 rules. Maybe that revision will be 4th edition. Maybe it will be Pathfinder. Having the option of both out there makes me happy. But until I see more of both, I can't make a decision. Odds are good that the two games will provide very...