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Quite simply, Davis made the game he wanted to play. He took a lot of input from the other trolls and us “playtesters”, but it was pretty clear that it was going to be whatever he wanted it to be. The only limitations were that it be legal and that Gary didn’t object to anything. (And Gary...

Besides the core rules (most likely the Basic and Expert rulebooklets) the D&D books from any edition that I find most useful:1e DMG1e D&DGRC

Even when it was first applied, I think it meant more than the individual words. And, yeah, this is far from unique to our hobby. For example, “wargames” when applied to a hobby didn’t mean games about war. There were games about war that wouldn’t be considered wargames, and there were wargames...

Perhaps it is irrelevant. (And I don’t have the 4e DMG anyway.) But it seems to me that Wizards never expected the skill challenges section to be examined and debated the way they did—say—the combat system. Isn’t this little more just a “hey, here’s roughly one way to do some stuff”?

As I understand it, the Blackmoor players original thought of themselves as playing themselves. (Or a fictional version thereof.) I’m not sure if the distinction between playing a wholly fictional character or a fictional version of oneself really matters that much. A quick glance over the...

Depending on whether he was a Hero or Superhero. (^_^)

What if I role-play my character telling a story? (^_^)

I guess complaining that the variance of the d20 is too great wouldn’t be a valid answer?

I guess my 1e experience must have been less combat focused or something. Sure, we’d talk about balance when someone brought in a non-standard fighter-like class that completely outclassed the fighter. Otherwise, discussion of PCs outshining each other didn’t occur until my GURPS days, and we...

Those actually aren’t contradictory. In my experience. The product of one person’s vision often ends up with broad market appeal. Sure, it may be narrower than what the committee was aiming for, but it’s broader than what they hit. Any success I’ve had in business has been from working for...

Let me ’splain my own POV this way: Not everyone at my table enjoys mastering a complex set of rules. The ones who do seem to have as much fun with a simpler set of rules. So, I prefer to have a simpler set of rules that are transparent and which everyone can master and fully engage. When half...

If only all wars could have a similar bodycount, eh? Yes, it means something different to each of us, but I draw the opposite conclusion. I think the reason all of us are here is because it isn’t just a name. It means something to each of us.

Well, for what it is worth, when I do use the typical skill-based system, I don’t care for dropping hints based on rolls or giving “roleplaying” modifiers to die rolls. I expect the player to roleplay the setup. Good or bad—I don’t care. Awkward third-person narration just as acceptable as...

Yet, I remember a lot more 1e fighter deaths than MU. (And the MU death that sticks out in my mind was far from combat and entirely my own stupidity.) Of course, I play more fighters, which could account for some of it. (^_^) Yet, I think it also has to do with the fact that I was normally doing...

Me too. Sadly, though, that leaves next-to-nothing to buy. (^_^)

I forgot to add: 1. Yes, I think sticking mainly to the core books is a good idea. Even as a player, I still find plenty worth exploring therein. Supplemental material should be approved on a case-by-case basis, and I’d even reserve the right to yank or modify such during play. 2. My favorite...

Yeah. Because I already won. (^_^) i.e. What I’ve learned from edition wars has enhanced my enjoyment of the hobby. My thanks to all our edition war veterans.

I DM’d 3.0 but not 3.5. But my statements are also influenced by my friend who has run both. 3.0 and 3.5 just aren’t that different. You’re going to find one just as easy/hard to DM as the other. Also, the complaints about how difficult to DM 3e is are overblown. Be sure your players are...

Generally, I think games should be designed to cater foremost to the designer’s preferences. You do a much better job when creating what you want to create than when trying to please other people. Although part of me feels that D&D—with its unique position—ought to have other responsibilities...

When my current group is making PCs for 3e, they roll hp and starting money before the DM even has a chance to offer them max. The idea of not rolling doesn’t even seem to enter their minds. They’ve even turned down point-buy ability scores when offered. I’ve played that game. Under more...