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  1. Musing Mage

    AD&D 2E 2e Fighter vs Fighter/Thief vs Thief Play Balance

    Ha! Funny story, this actually just happened in my ''Team Evil' 1e game - our 4th level Assassin queried about learning poisons. (completely oblivious to this reference in the books) Gary's DM vs Player rhetoric aside... (I certainly don't subscribe to actively opposing players) I do think...
  2. Musing Mage

    AD&D 2E 2e Fighter vs Fighter/Thief vs Thief Play Balance

    I will grant you that 2e definitely makes backstabbing more difficult to achieve than it is in 1e, but it should not be as difficult as most DMs seem to want to make it. Both 1e and 2e have many instances of overdescribing what should otherwise be simple concepts. But ultimately - do you want a...
  3. Musing Mage

    AD&D 2E 2e Fighter vs Fighter/Thief vs Thief Play Balance

    Yes, this is fine. It's clear - attacking from behind while surprised is a backstab. But then this happens: This redundant text is what confuses the issue and suddenly there are hoops to jump through. This is exactly the kind of thing that I'm talking about. The way players and DMs bend...
  4. Musing Mage

    AD&D 2E 2e Fighter vs Fighter/Thief vs Thief Play Balance

    Yeah, this is where the trouble starts, I think. That word 'aware.' It boils down to interpretations. Personally I think being on a combatant's rear flank is enough to constitute that lack of awareness. Especially if the front flank is occupied by a burly tank wailing on said figure with a...
  5. Musing Mage

    AD&D 2E 2e Fighter vs Fighter/Thief vs Thief Play Balance

    I am going to venture a controversial thought here - the Thief class is fine as-is. So many DMs and players nerf the thief in the way they approach the abilities, then complain about how much they suck, when simply looking at it from another lens makes them quite useful. Moving Silently and...
  6. Musing Mage

    Old solo adventures?

    I played Ghost of Lion Castle many times in my misbegotten youth. (And early pandemic times as I couldn't resist revisiting it when it was on sale at DrivethruRPG). Lathan's Gold is another one I had as a kid that I quite liked. You'll likely find they scratch an itch in the most superficial...
  7. Musing Mage

    D&D General How Was Your Last Session?

    Been a while since I posted, but here's a short version of recent events: Team 'Good,' my in-person 1e table game which currently has a roster of Arash (5th lvl Human Ranger); Bodlhakh (4th lvl Human Monk); Ersey (3rd/4th lvl Gnome Fighter/Thief); and Ry-Lee (4th lvl Human Druid). (Feltuun the...
  8. Musing Mage

    OSR Some combat maneuvers

    HERESY! :p Seriously... to your points. As someone who has yet to meet a ruleset that he doesn't want to find house rules for, I can relate to coming up with a bunch of options. So first I'll warn that a few can be fun, but don't overdo it, you'll find it can start to interfere. Second - what...
  9. Musing Mage

    D&D General Could Improv (and maybe Theatre) save your Roleplaying???

    Yes. Straight up, the skills you learn through improvisation courses will immensely improve your game, both as player and especially DM. Now, what you don't necessarily want is to turn your D&D game as a full-on improv session. (Or maybe you do... who am I to say?)... but having that...
  10. Musing Mage

    Are Video Games Ruining Your Role-playing?

    Aye, there's the rub. I have become quite a bit of a DM snob, most games I sit in as a player aren't quite up to what I want from a game. A part of that I think has to do with a level of video game influence though, because more and more I'm seeing table top games planned out to a tee... and...
  11. Musing Mage

    D&D General Tell us about yourself

    Canadian born and bred. Turning 49 in a few weeks, Got into D&D as a kid with the Mentzer Red Box in the mid 80s, and a lifelong favourite pasttime was born. Quickly moved on to Palladium games, TMNT, Heroes Unlimited, Robotech etc, and then jumped into AD&D 2nd end when it came out. Skipped...
  12. Musing Mage

    OSR Old School Essentials Box Sets Kickstarter

    Well, I lasted all of 5 minutes before deciding to pledge. Just after Noon (EST that is) when it launched the pledges were up to about 40k, but in the time it took to log in, read over the campaign and pledge, it was fully funded. Craziness. Looks like I will be adding an OSE game to the...
  13. Musing Mage

    OSR Old School Essentials Box Sets Kickstarter

    Le sigh. I think I echo so many people on the temptation front... which is bad for me because not only should I be watching my spending, but objectively it's just a shelf ornament. I don't run Basic edition, and if I did, I already have the BECMI books AND Rules Cyclopedia for it anyway so...
  14. Musing Mage

    D&D General worst (real) advice for DMs

    Only play with humans? That sounds like bad advice to me... behold a rather engaging game with some stuffed toys... note the content smile on the cupcake's face! :ROFLMAO:
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  16. Musing Mage

    D&D General How time do you put into working on settings you never run?

    Almost none, truth be told. Any work I put in is for groups that are already in play, so the settings get used. I am lazy and don't like prepping stuff that won't get used... That said, there are obviously elements within any given seting that don't see the light of day. Adventure hooks, NPCs...
  17. Musing Mage

    D&D General Do You Run Published Adventures, Homebrew Adventures, or Some of Both?

    I like a mix. I try to weave things together, so will adjust modules to suit things going on in the world, or adapt to a setting etc. Right now, both of my 1e groups are in modules based on the hooks laid out and direction they chose. My 5e group is in a setting wherein there are hooks to...
  18. Musing Mage

    D&D General What version of the Basic D&D/BECMI starter set did you first own?

    '83 Red Box on my 13th birthday. Ahhh... good times. Ended up taking the D&D stuff up to my cousin's that summer as I was staying with them for a month. We had all of the ridiculous, stupid, definitely-getting-the-rules-wrong adventures that you can imagine a group of kids would have, and...
  19. Musing Mage

    D&D General Thorin's Company

    Bofur did have knowledge of healing and the use of the anfalas plant...
  20. Musing Mage

    D&D 5E (2014) Multiverse Theory and you

    Back in my 20s I ran a RIFTS game that was loosely based on the TV series 'Sliders' wherein the characters had a magical tablet that opened portals after a randomly determined period of time and took them to their next adventure. I hopped them through the full line of Palladium systems that we...
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