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This is smug, arrogant and insulting. This might come as a huge shock to you, but my and my friends play games centered around stories and dealing with themes because we think its fun! Playing in a sandbox is not in any way shape or form 'better', 'superior', or 'more pure' than playing with...

I picked it up at GenCon, and enjoyed it. Nice quick dungeon bashing adventure game, with some more modern rules than most old-school stuff. For tick-based initiative, I heartily recommend using a Battle Wheel, which I first discovered for Exalted 2e. Essentially you make a clock and place a...

Because it is an attempt to invalidate someone else's way of playing the game.

My Cthulhu game worked like this. That's a game that can grind through the PCs. It was entirely player-created, though it could have started from the beginning if the GM desired. Two of the PCs for the first game were a wealthy heiress and an intrepid young reporter. After their first...

Its part of a move to make games that aren't old school dungeon-bashing 'not count' as RPGs. Don't worry about it - it generally means 'Games I don't like.'

Ah yes, GNS proves that gaming has something for everyone. Gamism is for immature munchkins, Simulationism is for basement-dwelling grognards, and Narrativism is for good-looking right-thinking non-communists. :P I think the three agenda are there, but there are more agenda out there and...

This matters a great deal as to which game one is playing, doesn't it? Thinking of the games I run, in say Call of Cthulhu this is going to end up with a dead character. In other games, such as Buffy or Exalted, there are metagame mechanics that make this sort of 'awesome for the sake of...

Because not getting killed by the Joker does NOT mean that Batman wins! Batman surviving to the end of the story is not a victory condition! If Batman doesn't sacrifice some innocent bystanders, the Joker might get away. If Batman doesn't give up his love interest, the Joker might kill her...

What in my post suggested that? Uncertainty is what makes it interesting! How far will Batman go to take down the Joker? Will he torture someone to find out where his lair is? Will he commit murder? Would be betray old Alfred, or give up the Wayne fortune, if that's what it took? Just...

Uh, thanks for telling me that I'm gaming wrong. I understand the other style, just talking about what makes my game tick. Generally, I'm not going to be asking the question 'can Batman take down the Joker.' Its going to be more along the lines of 'What will Batman give up to take down the...

This is the tricky part. One of John Wick's articles talked about the John McClaine Principle. Essentially, almost all PCs want to be John McClaine from Die Hard. They want to be outgunned, outnumbered, but because they are clever and fighting for What's Right, they come out in the end. But...

Combat isn't all that common, but occurs one a session most of the time. Twice would be 'combat heavy'. I tend to run mystery games, so there's a lot of investigation. I don't play D&D, but use the same idea in all games for investigating - let everyone help. One person is the primary...

I'm with you Average Citizen. I run games that create great stories, but I'll be clear that I only do this because I think its fun, and my group thinks its fun. We like exploring conflicts and themes. We like having big dramatic moments. We like each session to wrap up the current conflict...

I tend not to play D&D, or other games where setting is different from system. The two are intertwined, and I really don't see them as seperate choices. Though if the system is bad enough, then that can overrule. For example, I'm getting ready to start a heavily Supernatural inspired game...

There is a huge gulf between the forge theory and the games produced. I have issues with the theory myself and don't much like discussion of it. But the actual games are really fun, some interesting stuff out there. The Indie press I feel represent a different strategy toward gaming...

I rarely use miniatures in gaming. Don't play much D&D, but I do the battle wheel thing in Exalted, and have used counters before in a large battle in Buffy.

Best for what? Different games do different things. Also, its pretty much just D&D and Palladium doing the class thing. Pretty much every other RPG is some variety of skill-based system.

For me, MMOs and other video games are not competition for tabletop play. They offer different experiences. They are different in kind, not in type. Video games are entertainment. You play them and are entertained. RPGs are a hobby. They require time outside of play, scheduling, and...

All Flesh Must Be Eaten has rules for using playing cards rather than d10s. IIRC, everyone gets a hand of 5 cards, and instead of rolling you play a card. The card's value (10 for face cards) is what you have 'rolled'. You can't roll without a good reason, and you have to use all five before...

Biggest thing is don't sweat the rules too much. Just ask him what he wants to do, and figure out a way to make that happen. Make liberal use of page 42. If he doesn't like this, there's a lot of modern games that he might like more. All Flesh Must Be Eaten might be a big hit - who doesn't...