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This skill system sounds a bit like a more formalized version of how old-school is played. An action is either an auto-success, an auto-failure, or you need to make an ability score check. The DM takes your background/skill set into account when deciding which of the three it is.

Well, I didn't major in Math, I only minored in it. Anyway, I wouldn't bother trying to figure it out mathematically. I'd grab a globe and figure out how the island chain wraps around it. Then, I'd grab a 2-dimensional world map off of the web and erase everything but the latitude and...

I think that from a business perspective there's going to be pressure to have as large a customer base as possible. I think, though, that trying to be all things to all people just ends up forcing compromise after compromise on an RPG system (or video game, or movie, or any other form of...

I prefer 2e and earlier, with B/X being my favorite, but I wouldn't say that I hate the WotC editions. There are a lot of design decisions that I dislike, but I do like the following: 3e/3.5e: I really like Ascending AC and armor restricting Dex. I like the new saving throw categories...

I think there are jerks in both camps. My own experience, however, has been that I've encountered more new-school jerks than old-school jerks. They'll usually pick some quirky old-school rule like THAC0 or demi-human level limits and pontificate about how it makes the old-school game...

I think there are jerks on both sides. The ones I find most obnoxious though are the jerks who spew hate about editions they've never actually played (or have only played a couple of times). They act like experts even though they really don't know what they're talking about. I'm also amused...

>>Could Wizards ACTUALLY make MOST people happy with a new edition? If the new edition is based on what Mearls has been suggesting in his blog, then I think there's a decent chance. Not a great chance, but a decent one. If you change the question from "MOST" to "MORE", then I would say...

This is a missed opportunity. Think of how entertaining CSPAN would be.

D&D is about adventure. Combat, however, is the most common byproduct of adventuring.

I think they'd be making a big mistake if they make a boardgame and call it "D&D 5e". Why not just make it a separate product line and have it sell alongside the RPG? That's what they did with Dungeon! back in the day and it was successful enough to warrant a couple of reprints/updates. I...

Another nice feature of BECMI is that ability scores are hard-capped at 18 (+3 bonus) for PCs. This limit even includes magic items like gauntlets of ogre power and girdles of giant strength. The only way a player character can have a score of 19 or higher is to achieve immortality, but then...

I think it may be telling whether or not these blog entries actually lead up to an entry where he lays out his actual rule outline for how he'd build minimalist D&D or if he keeps that secret.

It wasn't obvious from his example, but that does make more sense. I just can't see how you'd leave out a level adjustment from saving throws in D&D. I think Mearls' point is that minimalist D&D wouldn't have all the little odds-and-ends... or would have a very, very small number of them...

Fair enough. However, making saving throws (or defenses in 4e) independent of level would be a radical divergence from the core assumption in all D&D editions that level is the primary indicator of a character's power. At that point, you not just changing mechanics, but one of the key...

I think Mearls' example of using a constitution check for a poison saving throw is interesting, but it doesn't take into account the character's level of experience. A 1st level character with a high constitution would be harder to poison than a 20th level character with a low constitution...

The term "armor class" goes all the way back to the Chainmail game. In Chainmail, not only is there a numbered armor class, but there is also a numbered weapon class. Cross-indexing weapon class with armor class on a table gives the number that needs to be rolled to score a hit. Certain...

I agree that there are some archtypes, like the paladin, that are important to D&D. However, I think that a class like the paladin could be represented by a fighter with a specific feat chain (or similar customization mechanic). I generally think that unless a class is mechanically different...

"Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black." - Henry Ford, shortly before Ford Motor company lost its #1 position to General Motors. If you try to force all of your customers to buy the product that is most economical for you, rather than selling them...

I'm not sure there is an "optimal" number of classes, but I do think that different rulesets have an impact on how many classes are viable. The amount of customization available within each class has a major impact on the number of classes. I think that in classic D&D (OD&D - AD&D 2e), the...

Wouldn't the old SSI Pool of Radiance game be a better representation of 1e?