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At least for me, much of my exposure to (as you put it) "Wellsian" worlds is that it has to be a world where real change is genuinely impossible....unless it's bad. Bad change is fine. Good change isn't--and anyone who says otherwise is either idiotic, crazy, or lying. Anything good in the world...

At least for my part, I see psionic and primal as equally distinct things--and I do see primal as quite distinct from the self, because of many of the symbols and rituals involved with it. Primal magic involves a kind of transcendental understanding, it's just not the kind of understanding that...

Ah, see, I was understanding your suggestion as "The Barbarian is perfectly adequate to fulfill this concept", as opposed to what it sounds like here, which is "The Barbarian could be used as one expression of this concept". The former I vehemently disagree with, the latter I think is perfectly...

I absolutely would not consider that a requirement, and would argue that expecting that simply means you think "hope setting" means "really poorly-done black-and-white thinking". Pretty reductive. I run what I would very much consider a hope setting. There isn't a "good kingdom" nor a "bad...

I can see that being one specific specialization of it, sure. I don't see the Barbarian working as the baseline for all of it, is the problem. Like this feels like saying that the Barbarian works for, say, Paladin, because you could view Rage as being a transcendental state of communion with...

I could see others interpeting it so, but I would not do so myself. The primary reason being that the Barbarian--even in 5e--is portrayed as something unthinking. Even if it has moved quite far away from the "wild-eyed madness" type origin, no longer looking quite like Cú Chulainn's...

So when I used "Certainly." above, you then instantly interpret everything else I've ever said as inherently uncertain? When I use "Hopefully", you assume that everything else I've said must have been in the pit of despair? This is--frankly--ridiculous.

So you instantly suspect people have been lying to you if they ever use the word "Honestly..." to begin a sentence? Seriously?

Certainly. "Little white lies" became the de facto standard. They make up the bulk of small talk, which I find terribly tedious much of the time because--as noted--the vast majority of responses are straight-up falsehoods simply spoken so that you can be socially seen as recognizing others. A...

It's a way of expressing earnestness in the statement; it's equivalent to "I'm gonna level with you" or "to be honest". Does the use of adverbs like "honestly" or "frankly" indicate to you that that person would otherwise have lied? Because--frankly--the truth is that yes, a lot of people DO...

"Not gonna lie"

In fairness to Hussar, catharsis is fun for some folks, and not all catharsis is about sadness. The new Doom games, for example, were surprisingly cathartic for me. The gameplay isn't sad in the least. It is over-the-top gory violent. I am, IRL, something of a pacifist, or a weenie if you...

Unfortunately, NGL, for me, if I knew there was no hope like in that former example, I probably would just...waste away. I can't bring myself to be cruel to others, and hedonism has no appeal. I know I'm incapable of any physical fighting (or even much in the way of manual labor), and trying...

It's worth noting, I don't personally see 4e as a "combat game". I see it as a game where the combat has been very well-made--and the non-combat has a reasonably useful structure (Skill Challenges) and otherwise gets the hell out of the way so the group can do it as they like. I'd like more...

I have not, no. Not for lack of interest, per se, but more for lack of opportunity. Haven't been looking for it and haven't met anyone currently running it.

Perhaps that is so, for some folks. For me, it just...isn't cathartic. I deal with enough "is there any point to it all?" IRL. I don't need to be reminded of the idea that what you're doing can feel like it's pointless.

What are you looking for from the game, then? Because what you describe is precisely how I felt about 3e, and is more or less how I feel about 5e (it's a bit different but still similar). 4e was the exact opposite. It was finally a game actually doing the things I'd always wanted. Of course, I...

I vastly prefer settings of hope over despair. A setting of despair makes me despair. Like literally. It actually makes me think depressive thoughts more, inclines me to be a less-good person to the people around me, and heightens existing mental health concerns. A setting of hope doesn't do...

I believe I had replied. In brief, I believe 2e is your favorite (and I'm pretty sure you've specifically said so), and 4e is (by far) your least favorite. The rough order would be 2e (Big gap) 3e/5e Basic/OD&D/1e (Enormous gap) 4e Like if 2e is set at 100, then 3e/5e are in the 70s, Basic...

Would it surprise you to know I have had the same thought about your own reviews on things? And yes, I know most people who play 5e now are like that. Most people who play 5e were not the people who almost totally dominated the sample space when 5e was being developed. The 5e community today...