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I don't necessarily agree with this. Sometimes when you let the dice dictate the reality, you end up with situations and results that are unexpected. Sometimes they are bad... the whole party dies due to a string of bad rolls. Sometimes they are good, the orcs you encounter are friendly and...

I actually think heavy undead would be a lot easier with Labryinth Lord. Turn Undead is a lot more powerful in LL than it is in 5E. Level drain is worse in LL, but if you are of appropriate level, clerics can Turn Undead more frequently than they can in 5E, so it may balance out. I do like the...

Of the three listed. I would recommend Rappan Athuk. It has great variety, lots of lore attached to it, and some very interesting set pieces. It also has tons of interconnectivity which always makes for a good megadungeon. Barrowmaze is excellent. It is a little heavily focused on the undead...

I agree that too many races get dark vision. But, darkvision isn’t all that bad. There is still a trade off (disadvantage on perception and -5 to passive can make a difference between getting ambushed or triggering a trap). Personally, I follow the OD&D approach. Monsters have perfect vision...

The Black Hack rpg has a concept called the usage die. The Black Hack drivethrurpg it starts at a d6.Every time you use the wand you roll the die. If it comes up 1 or 2, reduce the die one step. Continue until the die is depleted wherein the normal event that happens on expending the last...

If you never heard of an rpg before and came in completely new to the experience with no one to guide you, that section would be completely insufficient to properly explain the process. it says what you do but it does not explain HOW to do it. It doesn’t give practical instructions on how to...

To me, Dungeons & Dragons is a game. There are many people who have made the act and enjoyment of playing the game of Dungeons & Dragons into a hobby (I consider myself among them), but it is still just a game. You can act out your characters if you want but that is not needed to play the...

My mother bought me the Red Box (BECMI) when I was 9. I taught myself how to play and started playing with the rest of the kids in the schoolyard.

The problem with how D&D 5E explains the rules is that it doesn't really start at the beginning. There is only one rule needed to play D&D: "Tell the DM what you want your character to do, and the DM will tell you what happens" It needs to teach that first. It is this game feedback loop of...

I would suggest Castle Xyntilan. I am playing in a game now (so this is from a player perspective). It is a blast. It is an exploration of a giant castle that is home to some strange family. Reminds me of Castle Amber or Tegal Manor. The rooms we have encountered are fantastic. Lots of...

They work very well. The original dungeons were megadungeons (of the DMs personal design). I’ve run Stonehell and Barrowmaze with OSR games (Basic Fantasy and B/X). As mentioned already, it is not about clearing it in one go, it is about going in with finite resources and trying to explore and...

Agree about wanting more modern and innovative adventure concepts. The problem is that very few of the other designers on that list actually contribute such. I think only Monte Cook can be considered innovative in that list. All the innovation in adventure design is coming from the OSR. Hot...

I'd hope it would be more of a test to see if dungeon/module/adventure design in their style are relevant. I chose indifferent to every designer on that list except for Arneson and Gygax. The only great modules/adventures now are coming from the OSR. I'd like to see WoTC official adventures...

Stonehell Dungeon is filled with great rooms... one for now...

I got to play in a B/X (Old School Essentials Game). Rolled up a level 1 Magic-User. With a Con bonus, I actually had 5hp! I then learned to not show up to an undead fight with a charm person spell. Died in the first round of the first combat to an undead cultist. My next character, an Elf...

That sounds like a tough situation. Honestly, I am a DM that if I wanted there to be a golem in an area I would put it there and not worry about it. Then again, when I design environments, I try not to lock down progress. What I mean is that the golem may be guarding an area with some good...

I think several things are needed to make Exploration fun. (Really long post, sorry... I hope it makes some sense and doesn't come off wrong). 1. It has to be the point of the adventure, or at least it should not be sub-optimal. This means either the adventure is "Explore these ruins" or the...

Lol. that sounds like the DM wasn't prepared for you to jump into that portal. That right there tells me quite a bit. When I DM, I try really hard not to think in terms of challenging the players and I try not to make it personal if my players win. I mean, one session, my group absolutely...

double post

Sounds like you have had some really bad experiences with the Exploration pillar of the game. Which is fair. Modern D&D does not support Exploration well, and modern adventures written for modern D&D do not use it correctly. Which is why it seems to suck so much. Exploration works best when...