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I'm going to add one evolution that I'm seeing in D&D... for good and bad. I think we're seeing a shift from practical consequences of choices in favor of narrative or conceptual ones. Take, for example, the change in the Heavy property for weapons in 5e. So, as long as they're strong or...

It's also worth considering what the magic item (in this case armor) represents in the setting. Plate may be an option for PCs now, but it may not have been an option for the lost empire that crafted it for a famous warlord who served their monarch well in a troubled time. One of the things I...

And the funny thing is - it's not entirely true. Saying that a wizard's daily spells are "daily" doesn't really change their nature. They're as Vancian as anything else in the sense that you've got a designated slot, you prep one spell for it, and when you cast it it's done until you prep it...

Totally with you on that one. I also don't advocate people watching the prequel trilogy of Star Wars before the original trilogy. Just because it's in chronological order by content doesn't mean it's better storytelling.I find it's generally better to read/watch in chronological order by...

Those tables were a mess though and inconsistently used in various modules. Plus, the thief was screwed by them because too many of their values were just plain bad. They needed a desperate rewrite and 2e elected not to do so. And the fighter's saves were nothing to write home about until after...

Oh, yeah, and it wasn't just other game companies horning in on his market. Gygax turned on the 'zines too. You'd think all these competitors were picking his personal pocket directly making whatever money they could from their customers. And I'm pretty sure he felt EXACTLY like that.

I think there's a good argument that it's better to not follow detailed PC build rules. I'm less convinced that it's as good to follow different rules in-play when the spells, in this case, are otherwise the same. In any event, I'd like to make sure to differentiate between the two ideas - NPC...

Evolutions I have really liked: Everyone on same XP table - balancing by XP cost to level up never really worked, period Stealth/Perception - one opposed set instead of 2 sets (move silently/listen, hide in shadows/spot) Stat bonus progression - no longer packed at top of dice range means...

Today, when I went to pick up my daughter from work at Pegasus Games, I chatted a little with the owner. They had a Magic event there to today and the organizer had arranged it so there were an appropriate number of players so the organizer could participate as well. Unfortunately, there was...

Nothing wrong with doing one-shots on game night. Gives you a taste of a lot of different character options, adventures styles, whathaveyou. It's also pretty much a norm for most convention games, if you go and play at them.

You could design an RPG without variations between PCs that would tend to influence various related checks (strength-based, agility-based, whatever)…. But why bother doing that to D&D? What’s the point in killing that particular sacred cow? Is there any real indication that the 6 stats D&D has...

I've run a number of adventure paths (formal and non-formal) over the years. Favorites include: Scourge of the Slavelords (A series modules) - run in 1e and 3e Queen of Spiders (G, D, Q series modules) - run in 1e and 3e Age of Worms - run in 5e They've all been very enjoyable. The two 1e...

Context certainly can be key. Platoon was released the same month I turned 18 and registered for the selective service at my local post office. That might not seem like much but this was mid-Reagan years and it looked like he was pushing for a war in the Middle East, he had bungled the Reykjavik...

There's an episode in an early season of Supernatural that takes place in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. And it's clear they just picked the name off a map because Sam and Dean are walking through a downtown area that clearly doesn't exist in Fitchburg - which is an extremely spread out suburb of Madison...

Are you specifically looking for the CR 3-4 minions to have a CR 3-4 offense but really weak defense? If not, I'd suggest using the Guard stats - they're CR 1/8 and have 11 hit points. Their offense is significantly weaker than a CR 4 knight overall (which gets 2 attacks) but their attack bonus...

Technically, I'd say the Grappler feat doesn't directly cause a concentration check when the character is grappling. However, the feat does allow the character to grapple while scoring a hit with unarmed strike once a turn - which would impose a concentration check. So, it's more like it enables...

If you have to include a disclaimer, maybe you should rethink what you're saying.

4e is substantially built on hit points as well, even if it does have some additional features to focus on defense - either individually or within the group. But one thing to keep in mind is that if you increase defenses (for PCs or monsters), suddenly you're making less progress against hit...

Shadowrun is subsystem-heavy - heavy enough that I'm not much of a fan of the game overall (plus, WAY too many dice. I mean I like a D&D fireball or a Champions 10d6 energy blast as much as the next guy but Shadowrun is over the top). But if I was a fan of the deckers (or the mages, or the...

It's a common enough playbook. You gin up a controversy of some sort, raise an army of thugs/clones, send them into sensitive areas where they will meet opposition, then declare martial law as the situation deteriorates. Boom - you're Emperor!