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Is anyone here running a zero-prep game of D&D (any edition or clone)? A game where you, as DM, just show up and start playing each session, and it results in a satisfying experience? If so, can you please explain your approach, tools, etc?

Yes, it does have those maps, but there's no map for the initial bandit camp, which is what got me a bit confused (specifically what side of the Ravine it was one). And the maps are all split up. A simple 2d map showing the entire location with a numbered key would have made all the difference.

This is the Free League version. I think the classes are pretty well done. Actually, I think the whole system is pretty well done, but above were some of the difficulties I had in my first play through.

I finally got around to playing The Lord of the Rings 5E last night. My regular D&D group is playing the sample adventure, "The Star of the Mist". We were using the version in D&D Beyond, which has some definite problems with the implementation. The most serious is that it lacks the new skills...

As others have noted, Asmodee still have the rights to some good RPG IP (Star Wars, Legend of the Five Rings, Arkham Horror, Genesys, and more). Assuming that's where Mearls is going, I'll be fascinated to see where he takes these games.

I like it to, and it was undoubtedly the most influential article coming out of this issue. Still, I wish they hadn't given alternate pronunciations and had just nailed their colours to the mast for each one.

Dragon Publishing released Dragon #93 in January 1985. It is 100 pages long and has a cover price of $3.00. This issue features world crafting, high-level druids, and a fishy ecology! The cover is by Jeff Busch and depicts the transformation of a weretiger, with a real tiger standing guard in...

Yeah, they were certainly popular in my neck of the woods (Australia). They were seen as adult and literate in a way that a lot of fantasy was not. The tone was depressing and pace pretty slow. I read the first six books with decreasing pleasure. There were a few really epic scenes, but it was a...

When I started writing my Iskandar setting, I did a deep dive into real medieval societies. One thing I noticed was that holy days/fairs/festivals were really common and important in those societies, and none of the D&D games I'd run or played in ever reflected that well. I wanted to change...

Or... if the elves were baddies... it was in a cold, imperious, "don't bother us with your problems, mortal" sort of way. Not just plain hot-blooded murderers.

Yeah, one thing I did like about the adventure is that they made an elf the baddie. That did not often happen in those days.

The article that brought this home for me was "It's not easy being good" by Roger E. Moore in Dragon #51. Moore insisted that paladins would not associate with evil characters. It so happened that our lawful good paladin, Elric, was good pals with Zyx, the party's chaotic evil magic-user, and I...

Dragon Publishing released Dragon #92 in December 1984. It is 100 pages long and has a cover price of $3.00. This issue features clerics, ettins, and spellbooks! The cover is called "Bridge of Sorrows," painted by Denis Beauvais, and captures a wizard, barbarian, and centaur facing off...

Yes. If anyone knows of an agent who has cleared an RPG book under the tariff exemption, please let me know :-)

I have a friend who has several tons of RPG books currently on a ship from China. Despite extensive arguing, his customs broker insists they must be classified as games, and subject to the tariff. He is weighing his options.

Thanks for the list, and I will look up some of those. I notice you didn't mention TSR's "Fab Four" from the 80s - Elmore, Easley, Parkinson, Caldwell. What's your opinion of their work?

I can't comment on the other, more technical, critiques you made. But the anatomy looked ok to me - in that it looks like a woman holding a sword. What is it about the anatomy that is bad?

Here’s another example of the airbrush/acrylic emulation technique:

Once the bots can write and draw as well as humans, it's an open question whether my publications will have much commercial value anymore. Myself and other indie creators are grappling with this now, and I know some who are planning to exit the industry before the "AI apocalypse" hits. As...