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It sure does. I think you've written a very clear, compelling statement of the case. But 4E has done something to split the D&D community down the middle, and you're not going to get satisfaction or agreement from people that like the direction it went in.

One thing that I've taken to analyzing gameplay mechanics -- the psychological principle that people are happy juggling about 7+/-2 different options at once (short-term memory): The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 6 (or 7) abilities just happen to...

I do find this comical.

You are playing word games. Saves give the hero one more chance to keep fighting even if things go wrong. They're a good thing. I have to worry about this (experience of new players vs. hyper-experts) because I'm in the habit of introducing first-time RPG players to my games. I see a stark...

That's probably the most concise way of putting it. Disconnecting words-in-book from words-at-table is a bad, frustrating thing. Worst-case example would be darj's example of "a GM that didn't want to hear the name of the powers"; somehow winding up being prohibited from actually referencing...

That's probably because they're just the first few things I could think of. (Remember, Scribble was asserting that nothing could be done about SOD, even if known in advance. I disagree -- sounds like you concur.) Furthermore, the new players I introduce to Classic D&D do find them to be...

That's what they do in Microlite20 (STR, DEX, MIND). For me that makes it a non-starter.

For this you have to go back to the origins of D&D, and really why there are saves in the first place. Answer: So even when everything goes wrong, your hero still has a chance to survive. But, you don't get to choose when. It could happen at any time, so actual risk is in the picture of the...

Largely in the realm of player-skill (see the "challenge the players thread"). Which lots of us old-schoolers (and old new-schoolers that I introduce the game to) prefer. - Gaze-turns-to-stone? Close your eyes or get a mirror. - Charming song? Plug your ears or counter-song. - Finger of death...

Every session. To me, it's an opportunity for improvement; I think about it right afterwards (couldn't stop myself if I tried). Write down notes for how to fix it next time (new thing on screen, or better process, whatever.) I find that flushes it out of my system afterwards. I do find that...

Well, I guess I can respect your different opinion about D&D, but I must say that you're looking for a game very unlike poker, then. Part of poker is the specific goal of someone hiding their "monster hand" and not revealing it until the moment that they knock you out of the game. Someone having...

Personally, I think that's a fairly stunning observation.

I'm going to disagree with this analogy. Honest question: Do you actually play poker? I can't tell one way or the other. (1) Luck is inherently a part of poker. There's a phrase called "bad beat" for when a poker player does everything correct, was ahead in the hand, and still gets beaten...

Tonight I'll change my answer to #2, in the context of the 3.5 rules. The FAQ has a few entries ruling that golems are affected by dragon breath or alchemical acid, based on that "spell resistance" language inserted in 3.5. Usually I run by 3.0 rules, that don't have that same language. So in...

I also agree that every time this gets quoted, to me it parses as "you have to figure out what skill is relevant for a particular obstacle". I don't have 4E, so I don't have any more context than that, though.

1. I believe the Official FAQ says you can put both Flame & Frost on the same sword. I don't think I'd allow it as DM, though... it does seem to contradict that language in the DMG. 2. My interpretation would be that Flame/Frost would not affect a magic-immune golem. DMG says magic item...

That made me laugh SOOO hard! Just my kind of humor, I guess. :D

You are just being argumentative.

In your citation, you should include edition and page number. Most people interpret "AD&D" by itself as meaning 1E... and I'm pretty certain that quote is not 1E. See my sig for an example.

They did not. There were no Clerics or rescusitation of any kind -- just Heroes and Wizards. My own analysis is that the initial OD&D Cleric spell list has almost a 1:1 inspiration specifically from scenes of Biblical miracles. Healing, protection from evil spirits, creating food and drink...