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I would definitely say that humanity leans evil overall. Just not far enough to lose it's neutral status. A demon leans even farther towards evil. Elves in my worlds at least lean good. So for me I see it two ways. There is the fundamental bent towards evil which humans have but there is...

It may be that all of this was synergistic. I don't know many former hippies that were reading LOTR's in the 70's. I do know that since D&D, Tolkien has never fall far out of the spotlight. The much later movies though didn't hurt to keep sustaining interest.

This is probably where we differ. All of those concepts are known in world for all of my campaigns that had them. They might not use the term "class" but they do know they are a wizard and they are aware of spell progression and when they get a feat. That is character knowledge. And I...

It had many influences of course and I think D&D made LOTR popular again as it was published in 1954. But LOTR's influence is still there in D&D. When I say loosely, I am not saying in every way. I'm saying there are some connections. Many of the races. The party concept. And of course...

I think D&D used to be loosely Tolkienesque.

The reviewer specifically said Owlbear Rodeo does not have a die roller.

In my games, it mostly only mattered for clerics. I also only allowed detect evil or alignment on beings of strong persuasion and most people were not. I like as a guideline for monsters it's useful. I could though be open to something else perhaps a faction system like 13th Age though I feel...

Wilderness Survival Guide says 48 miles on a light unencumbered riding horse. You can force march up to 72 miles but the chances for a lame horse go up. And exhaustion sets in rapidly so unless you arrive after 72 miles it's not good for an extended journey.

I agree. There is also the notion that with a group of new players the DM should go easy anyway until everyone gets a feel for their characters. The DM can then gradually turn the dial up as play progresses.

I just want a map, tokens, and a good die roller. I don't want to automate my game or character sheets. What should I use?

I never used the budgets even in 4e. With variable numbers of players, characters, skill, etc... it's all a crapshoot. And yes 4e isn't going to result in a TPK because honestly I went way beyond what was recommended with my group and never even sniffed a TPK. I did love the way monster stat...

In my world, I build sandboxes for ranges of levels. So start out we have some sort of base, and then there are tons of adventure locations all around that base. Players explore and discover what they want. There are NPCs (Good, Evil, and everything in between) who have agendas for the area...

In the real world there are only humans and they lean slightly evil. I don't equate fantasy "races" with real world ethnicities. There is only one race in this world. It's human. So why is a fantasy world with good, evil, and neutral bents all that troublesome. It is the default...

Can you tell me why? What does it limit me from doing? How does it affect players?

I am the opposite. I tend to think Gygax's idea that most everyone is 0 level except for an exception few doesn't make sense at all. This is one area I departed from this thinking. I will add though that even he didn't live up to this idea with any real sense of success. For me, up to...

I tend to have my stuff ready or at least a good selection for the level so the players engage with what is happening in the environment. I wouldn't call them mini-railroads (or subways) unless you call turn order a mini-railroad. My players can genuinely opt out at any time and other things...

I always considered racial alignment as a broad indicator and not an absolute. Perhaps that is based on a combination of culture and biology. So my players absolutely would consider an Orc or Hobgoblin an enemy on site if they were out "in the wild" but if they encountered one in a big city...

The key to something being or not being a railroad is players choose and there are options. If you have one adventure, then it's a railroad right from the get go. Now, when I say one adventure, I say one single approach. A good example of not being a railroad is the Keep on the Borderlands...

In my recent campaign, elves were immortal. They could be killed but they wouldn't age naturally beyond a certain point. Kind of like Tolkien elves. I portrayed them as almost infertile by our standards. When a child was born the news spread across an entire land. With the level of violence...

I think any adventure path is a railroad. The plan is for you to finish module #1 and go on to module #2. You might deviate off the beat path some but inevitably you end up back on the path. Now that is fine if the group is motivated to pursue the mission. Personally, I don't care for fast...