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I haven't read 2e Midnight (the 3.5 version), but in the original I found that the heroic paths weren't that well balanced - some were far better than others. So if they've changed, I'd imagine it'd be to bring them into balance. Magic in the original was also quite powerful - largely because...

This is an example of how subjective the definitions are, I wouldn't consider any of those light. To me, something like Feng Shui is on the outer edges of what I consider light, and that's at least an order of magnitude lighter than any of the three you mention. Since you do consider those three...

The only time I've made that type of restriction, it's been on character generation/advancement options and spells available. So to me, "core only" means something like: use the PHB plus prestige/NPC classes from the DMG (if so inclined) to build your character. If I'm allowing non-PHB races...

... and judging by the voting history, did so in 2003. What's the statute of limitations on that sort of thing?

Just pulled out my copy of Shorkyne to see what they say on the subject. Shorkyne is part of the Harnworld line, which is a fantasy setting pretty firmly grounded in real world feudalism. In Shorkyne's feudal system, the smallest fief is the manor, which is basically a knight's holding and...

It kinda depends, the title meant different things in different places and times. In medieval Britain, a Baron's holding could range from landless to as large as a major noble's holding. If you're setting the PCs up as the lowest rank of landed nobility, then a holding with a few hundred...

RuneQuest, whichever version was current around 1985. Think that was the second edition, but it wasn't my rulebook so I'm not sure. YMMV, but I was always impressed by the mythic high-fantasy approach in all the background material, and kinda bummed that the game played so differently than it...

I voted Pendragon, as the only game on the list I haven't played but would like to. There's lots of other great games on that list, but I've played 'em (and own most of them). If you're looking to pick up a Glorantha game, IMHO HeroQuest is head and shoulders better than RuneQuest, YMMV. All...

In the Narn i Hin Hurin, Turin (the "hero") brings about the downfall of several Elvish nations, kills his best friend, unwittingly marries and impregnates his sister (who commits suicide when she finds out who he really is), and eventually kills himself when he realizes all that he's done. In...

It plays pretty well, but it's a bit of a pain to learn as the rulebook is somewhat disorganized. If you've played D&D, MegaTraveller, or Runequest, it's pretty easy to pick up, the game has similarities to all three. As a first RPG for somebody new to the hobby - which given the license is what...

IANAL. I believe the point of the phrasing is to indicate compatibility without stepping on WOTC's toes by using any of their trademarks. So claiming compatibility with "the Wizards of the Coast System Reference Document" probably isn't a great idea, since "Wizards of the Coast" is obviously a...

OGL Ancients also has some decent stuff in it. It covers ancient Egypt (and to a lesser extent, Babylonia) as well as Greece, generally very compatible with D&D. For non-D&D sources, there's a few freebie RPGs that can serve as inspiration and source material. Warlords of Alexander is an RPG...

I'll see if I have any kicking around in electronic format when I get home, but for the general-knowledge type stuff I mostly just plagiarize... er, I mean research... easily available general references such as encyclopedias (including Wikipedia). When I get real ambitious I head to the local...

I use sort of a drill-down system; my main handout is a very broad overview of the setting, at most a page, and if anybody asks about specific elements I give 'em more detailed handouts... if I have them, sometimes I just have the player make up details that interest him. That's cool because it...

The UA versions are a nice idea, but not very well executed IMHO. When we tried 'em out, we found some balance wonkiness (the Expert in particular seems to lag behind the other two) and the conversion of class abilities to feats is relatively incomplete. True20's implementation of the same...

IIRC, the first time the Dracolich was statted up - in a Dragon article sometime in the 1980s - the author noted that he was directly inspired by the Dragotha note on the White Plume Mountain map. So the "first" Dragotha actually was a "bland" Dracolich. And so the circle of... well...

I prefer point buy for all three. Makes the logistics of character creation simpler, and minimizes (or at least equalizes) whining about stats from the powergamer types. But I'm not an evangelist, I'll go with rolling if that's what the group prefers - stat generation is such an inconsequential...

I use the "test-based prerequisites" suggestion from Unearthed Arcana, where instead of strict mechanical prerequisites I set up a mini-adventure that somebody who has the prereqs should be able to complete in a straightforward fashion. Somebody who's short a few prereqs can still succeed in the...

The initials of my two given names, and my last name.

Not the only ones, but probably the ones that WOTC felt had the most value in terms of IP. If you assume there's a monetary reason for anything a company does, you probably won't go very far wrong. IIRC, somebody published a PDF of replacement critters that were open content, but I don't...