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  1. M.L. Martin

    April 3rd, Rule of 3

    This is the old school mode of thought where actually having to use the combat rules is a black mark on your record, isn't it? :) Wand of cure light wounds came about as part of 3E's push to 'rationalize' magic by allowing any spell to be placed in a wand and letting them be crafted...
  2. M.L. Martin

    D&D 5E (2014) Who's given up on D&D Next?

    I think part of the issue might be that designers make horrible marketers--we saw some of this with 4E, and I think we're seeing it again, especially since they or some of the playtesters have sometimes used catchphrases or complaints that sound like edition war fodder.
  3. M.L. Martin

    D&D 5E (2014) Who's given up on D&D Next?

    Death of the hobby? No way. Death of the industry? Ten years ago, I would have said 'probably'. Now, though, I'm not so sure. The explosion of PDF, PoD and Kickstarter means that there are all sorts of ways of attracting interest and getting product out there that don't require the existing...
  4. M.L. Martin

    D&D 5E (2014) Who's given up on D&D Next?

    I'm not giving up, but I'm considerably more skeptical than I was when it was first announced. Still, there's some positive glimmers coming through along with the less appealing ones, so I'll keep on observing. Besides, if it doesn't fit what I want, there's still Savage Worlds, M&M...
  5. M.L. Martin

    WotC yanks the rug out

    I wonder if something went horribly wrong with the initial print run. It would not only explain the sudden delay, but it would be traditional. :) Apparently, the original printing of the 1st Edition DMG had all sorts of problems as well.
  6. M.L. Martin

    Let's read the entire run

    AUGH! No, that's not directed at you; that's directed at WotC, for 'pulping' this and so many other cool-sounding MSHAG products. :)
  7. M.L. Martin

    Iconic D&D Clerics (Blog)

    Yes, but it's been part of the game now for half again as long as it wasn't. (1973-1988: 15 years. 1989-2012: 23 years.)
  8. M.L. Martin

    Something Awful leak.

    Giving monsters ability scores isn't a problem, and given what we've heard about the resolution and save system in Next/5E/Ouroboros Edition, it's almost a given that they'll have them. The trifecta of making scores uncapped, 'realistic' and applying in exactly the same way as they do to PCs can...
  9. M.L. Martin

    The Grand Failure of the Warlock.

    I was about to post that there's the basis of a wonderful Magical Girl class in the warlock's mechanics, if you strip away the edgy/Evil-curious feel. :) (But then, I'm an old HERO fan, and am now moving towards Savage Worlds, so changing special effects is in my bones. :) )
  10. M.L. Martin

    Iconic D&D Clerics (Blog)

    I agree--I'd like to go back to the BECM/RC cleric who "is dedicated to serving a great and worthy cause. This cause can be an Immortal being dedicated to a specific goal or attribute; sometimes the cleric is serving only his alignment, and has no interest in immortal beings. The D&D does not...
  11. M.L. Martin

    D&D 5E (2014) 5e: Stat the Lady of Pain...so we can overthrow her

    So the only thing D&D can be is late-70s hallucinatory weird adolescent power fantasy a la Gygax and Otus? ;) Well, that's one way to unify the editions--drive out everything that doesn't appeal to a narrow style of play as 'not proper D&D'. I expect to see more and more of that around here...
  12. M.L. Martin

    D&D 5E (2014) Crazy Ideas 5E Should Not Adopt

    127. The core classes are Anti-Paladin, Assassin, Warlock, and Demon Cultist.
  13. M.L. Martin

    Let's read the entire run

    As far as I know, it never saw print.
  14. M.L. Martin

    D&D Realities: a meta-cosmology to unite all editions

    Not so. The Chaos War came from the pens of Weis & Hickman, who were simply envisioning it as a big event and the Krynnish version of Ragnarok, not a system changeover. After presales of DoSF were good (and the book was in galleys), the DL fans on TSR staff got the go-ahead to relaunch the game...
  15. M.L. Martin

    This is taking too long.

    If that's the case, then WotC is in a no-win situation and has only themselves to blame for announcing D&DN this early. :) OTOH, 2nd Edition seems to have taken a few years from announcement to release, but communication was a lot slower in those days and the game didn't have three or more...
  16. M.L. Martin

    This is taking too long.

    3E was a GenCon announcement for release at next GenCon, but the history of information release is skewed by the fact that a few playtesters on Usenet treated the announcement as undoing the NDA for a while, and were being quite free with the information. Still, solid tidbits on mechanics--if...
  17. M.L. Martin

    D&D 5E (2014) D&D Next: The Toolbox Edition (What's not to like?)

    If they can pull it off, I thoroughly agree. My concern is that eventually, they may have to make choices about what the 'baseline' is or what to include as the initial modules, and from the designers' statements and records, I fear that (with the exception of gridless combat) they're likely to...
  18. M.L. Martin

    Too many silos?

    I'd be sorely tempted to resilo a 'New 4E''s powers into Attack, Defense (non-attack but combat-useful) and Utility, myself. And make Skill Powers core. :)
  19. M.L. Martin

    Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms

    I've been assembling Mystara material over the past few years and developing an appreciation for it, but since Bruce Heard was in charge of it for almost the entire run, how different would this be from the published material? Or are you thinking of a combination of the old Gazetteers with the...
  20. M.L. Martin

    Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms

    What do you mean by 'conversion'? Because this is apparently the notes from Ed's home game, and that hasn't even reached the Time of Troubles yet. Anyone else notice the conspicuous absence of a D&D logo on this cover?
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