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When we first met, my wife advertised herself as a hardcore gamer: she recited anecdotes about the 1E campaign she was playing in the early 21st century and even joined me in the rare occasions when I DMed. (This was back in our college days, so we rarely got the time to game.) Nevertheless, she...

Absolutely, Keefe. This is something that I can agree wholeheartedly with. WotC's problems have never been that people don't like their products, but rather catching up with what people are already doing themselves.

A low post count and a dire warning of the apocalypse to come? Yeah, I don't smell the troll bait from here... In before the lock, cheers!

There are many times that I agree with what you say Dausuul, but unfortunately, this isn't one of them. I think that many people equate a single company with the entire industry, and regardless of how prominent a single company is, it will just never pan out that way. I'm not necessarily saying...

For starters, I think we share a bit of a kindred spirit in this thing, Kzach. I try to check ENWorld every once in a while because the information here can be useful, but there are also times where I disappear for months on end because of either real-life things or because I get tired of seeing...

One of the classic methods for converting someone to a different religion in pre-4E versions of the game was to cast an atonement spell. Pathfinder's version of the spell doesn't explicitly state that you can use it to switch religions, but rather alignments. I think that a reasonable GM would...

Points 2 and 3 pretty much sum up what I think of D&D products as a consumer. Points 7 and 9 are great advice from a business perspective.

I'd say that it mostly depends on the group. Some groups care more about consistency in the use and application of the rules than others. Is it possible for someone to run a game without knowing the rules? Sure, absolutely. Is it possible that every player would enjoy that sort of game? I...

I use vignettes, although make them relevant to the events at hand. I use them for exposition, to explain background in brief snapshots. Many of my players don't really enjoy dealing with background, so I give them a shot at detailing it through these flashback vignettes. I keep them short...

Some game store people have shared with me their feelings on WotC events... Since I'm not personally involved, it's third-hand information, so take it with a grain of salt. From what I've heard, people in the game store business hate running D&D events because they're always packed--but the...

I wasn't sure what to think of fortune cards at first, but after seeing what I have about them, I'm not too keen on the idea. Here's basically why. First off, it's my opinion that the idea of simulating the vagaries of fate, divine influence, favorable conditions and the like are already...

I'm running a 4E game with a hexblade warlock in it--the player just joined us tonight and he's new to 4E, so we're all a little green on the hexblade. I've actually already run two sessions and some of the characters have magic items. What magic items would be good for a hexblade warlock with...

I've actually been using vitality/wound points in my Pathfinder games and it's worked very well for us. The single biggest advantage that I've seen has actually been narrative. Players seem a bit more accepting of how different things could hinder their character when I recast damage to...

The best french fry condiment, by far, is malt vinegar. I had a talk with the people at the store yesterday. I'm going to refrain from discussing much more of it here, because they're actually being cool about it and I'd rather not air something that could be considered dirty laundry in a...

Only Pathfinder for right now. I'd consider joining a 4E game with the right people, and I'd kill to play in the classic World of Darkness or a 1E game again... But unfortunately, my time is limited. There's also the "codger" factor to figure in. As I get older, I don't really want to keep...

The pay-to-play issue is one that I have some interest in. I used to make around $200 of purchases per month and play there once every two weeks, so around $100 or so per session I played there. I thought that'd mean I could get some table space. Thing is, people with nothing else to do on a...

Let me play a bit of "Devil's advocate" here. First off, I think an important feature of a game store is the fact that it's a "third space," in a way that cafes, bars, your favorite restaurant and the like are. Part and parcel of their appeal is the fact that you come there to socialize and...

Basically, because some people see it as an "I win" button, or because they've got some romanticized notions through entertainment that a katana is the coolest weapon evar. They've seen some really cool manga or anime or took karate lessons when they were eight or maybe grew up on the...

First off, you're doing the right thing by handling it out-of-game. Anyone who is worth playing with can be addressed reasonably and will hear you out and work towards what is best for the game. However, I would caution you to be impartial. The older players may or may not be more overtly...

Edlogg, the Red Fighter, Blue Wizard, et cetera. Ed Logg was the designer of the original Gauntlet arcade game.