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Not so much no playing as realizing that DMs are small percentage of player base. Those succinct, condensed, ready to run, modules cater primary to DM audience. Fluff (lore) filled modules that are fun to just read (and take ideas and inspirations) will be bought by both DM and players (for...

In general, i think more people buy adventures/modules to read, mine for ideas, or snatch parts to implement into their existing games. Sure, there are people who buy them to run them straight up. But, made to read module, with some work, can be run straigh up. Made to run modules are more...

Clan Nosferatu. They are described as masters of spycraft. Obfuscate, as a discipline, focuses on stealth I referenced WoD earlier. You can build "thief" if you like, it's matter of taking specific skills (stealth, subterfuge, larceny, streetwise). With systems like WoD, you have limited...

I'll take WoD as example of skill system. Combat is skill. Magic is skill. So is stealth, subterfuge, larceny etc. And while you get specific points at character creation for skills and magic/disciplines etc, you get freebee points that are used for everything. Once you start playing you get xp...

In classless, skill based systems, some character concepts have large skill overlap (police detective, sleazy paparazzi photographer and actual burglar for instance would all have couple of same skills).

I was thinking more in terms of how to make fun game play experience in mid to long term campaign from something that can in lot of cases be pretty monotonous and uneventful. Ironically, for fun games, you want things to go sideways. That's where drama and conflict arises. Most interesting reads...

Just to add a bit, from personal experience with mountains. When you do everything right and things out of your control don't screw you (planing, choosing time of year, having right gear, having luck with good weather, luck in that no one steps wrong and gets hurt), it can be pretty uneventful...

Mundane resources (lamp oil, food, water) are "you need them to not die like pleb" resources. (don't lose buttons) Character resources (spell slots, rage, manouvers etc) are "i can do awesome stuff" resources. (win buttons). That's why most people i know, hate counting first ones in games...

Tasha's was pivotal point. But core 5e (PHB, DMG, MM) has nice blend of TSR era simplicity and WotC era class options. Specially with feats and MC being optional rules, not standard. Playing PHB only style 5e can be very simple and streamlined experience. 5,5 on the other hand is again going to...

Thief is relic from olden times. Modern (as in last 25+ years) rogue is more than just a thief. It's class that covers wide range of character archetypes - swashbucklers, pirates, spys, skirmisher fighters, criminals etc. They are (mostly) mundane skill expert class (most skill points/...

First was V:tM Second was D&D 3.5, which was way different than Vampire. More combat, more action, more joking around, less deep emotional role play and no PvP.

I'm thinking more what would play loop look like for long campaign (say 15-20 sessions, 3-4 hours each). Sure, planing is fun, preparations, info gathering, supplies, getting funding, whole shebang. But once expedition starts and you boldly go where no man has gone before. Most expeditions were...

Circling back to Dawnforge. It had racial talents and racial transformations. Unlike racial feats in regular D&D, those don't eat up your feat slots. From lv1-10, every level you get either trait (and ASI) or transformation. We have used that setting quite a bit in 3.5 days, and it was fun...

Sure, and planing is 90% of job. But it's rather boring as game play loop. Once you start your journey, you might as well play Oregon Trail. You make skill roll, dm makes roll on weather/mishap table. Time passes, you check supplies, rinse, repeat. Agree, it's extreme. Just first thing that...

Not one that i know, but if you are interested in homebrewing, 3.5 Dawnforge has racial talents and racial transformations, which add more unique abilities and talents with each level up to level 10, so you can mine it for ideas and convert it to 5e.

I read quite a bit about Admundsen and race to South Pole. It's fascinating and interesting to read. But it would be pretty boring to play out. Make mistakes in planing stage, and you have downward spiral of despair and very little agency to improve your condition. Specially if weather...

It depends on the type of game. If the game is about survival in post apocalyptic wasteland where resources in the game world are sparse, tracking stuff is essential part of game play experience. Mundane logistics are part of fun. If the game is mistery solving urban fantasy in modern day...

Sure. But old editions had - save or die, save or suck, energy drains, level drains. 5e doesn't really have save or die, has some save or suck, level and energy drain is removed. Insta kill, by RAW, is almost non existent in 5e.

Yeah, we did roll for hp and roll for stats. Then we switched to max at 1st. But still, old editions were more leathal. Lower defenses, lower hp, slow recovery and less healing magic.

Yes, that was best thing about 2e settings, they really felt unique and different from each other. DS game was very different than FR one, with unique races, classes, equipment lists etc. In 5e, it's like designers are afraid to remove stuff or make any drastic changes to player options. @mamba...