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  1. Mercurius

    D&D General Having Fun with AI (Optimized 20th level character vs. a Tarrasque et al)

    First, I asked Qwen to define the most powerful 20th level D&D character possible. I then asked: Out of 100 possible combats, how often would that character defeat a Tarrasque? By comparison, I also asked Qwen to provide a list of the 10 most dangerous monsters and how often that character...
  2. Mercurius

    Which RPGs best model real-world skill development?

    I asked Qwen: if you use the 5th edition of Dungeons and Dragons and you scale it towards real-world realism of skill development, what is the highest level a fighter could reach? Final Answer If D&D 5e were scaled toward real-world realism of skill development, the highest level a fighter...
  3. Mercurius

    Which game books most inspire the "sense of wonder" in you?

    One of my favorite experiences is what science fiction fandom has dubbed the "sense of wonder" - that cognitive-emotional sensation that is sometimes generated through a big idea that is something more than "cool, that's interesting," and perhaps something less than a truly...
  4. Mercurius

    What's the best fantasy game for solo play?

    One of my fondest memories of yore was running myself through the 1e DMG's random generator. This was 35+ years ago, but I think I'd make a single character or small party and then just start rolling dice late into the night. I wouldn't do it often, but can remember doing it in the dark of my...
  5. Mercurius

    D&D General Favorite Iconic D&D Metropolis

    Just a bit of fun. I know there are many others, but let's go with the Big Two plus add in Pathfinder's iconic city as a darkhorse and Sharn for something a bit different. Criteria...entirely up to you. I think favorite suffices, for whatever reason, be it just reading about and exploring in...
  6. Mercurius

    D&D General Why grognards still matter

    Part 1: What is a Grognard? First, a new definition of grognard: It starts with anyone older than the target audience age of D&D. Now of course that is rather nebulous, but I would think the target audience is the big part of the bell-curve of current D&D players, which is probably something...
  7. Mercurius

    You're approached by a Hollywood exec...

    ...and they say, "We follow you online and love your opinions on geek stuff. We will pour tons of money into a franchise of your choice, with the caveat that it has to be something that has either never been brought to screen, or only very briefly and unsuccessfully. What do you want us to do?"...
  8. Mercurius

    D&D (2024) Why are you still playing D&D?

    We're now ten plus years into 5th edition and I've heard various whispers of people commenting that it is starting to feel a bit out-dated, perhaps not unlike AD&D in the mid-to-late 90s, after Indie games had innovated in various ways. I could be reading this wrong, of course, or more likely it...
  9. Mercurius

    Overrated/Underrated Geek Media

    Underrated: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I just don't get the hate for this film. Or rather, I think much of it is based on the silly notion (especially prevalent at the time) that the One True Way to make a superhero film is the MCU formula which, in hindsight, got tedious. BvS is epic...
  10. Mercurius

    D&D General Humanoids...and world demographics

    Been thinking about humanoids lately for some reason (how could that be?!) and was wondering: What are the general demographics of humanoid species in your campaign world? If you don't have a homebrew, feel free to speculate on a published setting or the hypothetical "archetypal D&D world" as it...
  11. Mercurius

    D&D (2024) Where to next, WotC?

    Some of you might remember the charts I used to share, that look liked this: I actually did them for every edition, though I was in the process of revising them a few years ago and got bogged down in 2E and gave up. Anyhow, I tried updating this one as a reference point for discussion, namely...
  12. Mercurius

    D&D General What would your "fourth core rulebook" be?

    Through its long history, D&D has dabbled with various notions as to what is core, though from the beginnings of AD&D to the present--a span of about 45 years--the trio of the PHB, DMG, and MM has been central. Along the way, various tomes have vied for the spot as the "fourth core"; growing up...
  13. Mercurius

    D&D (2024) A slightly different take on the new Monster Manual

    My personal context is important for what follows. I am not an active player - haven't played in a game in about five years, nor do I plan on playing within the foreseeable future. I will always love D&D, follow the game, and am not closed to playing at some point, but it just isn't a priority...
  14. Mercurius

    D&D (2024) Is there a story arc book next year?

    As far as I can tell, so far WotC has announced four books and a box set for 2025: the Monster Manual, Dragons Anthology, two Forgotten Realms books, and the new starter set. But have they mentioned a story arc? Presumably there's something in the works, as they've published at least one story...
  15. Mercurius

    Economic Board Games?

    I don't know a huge amount about board games, and wanted to crowd-source some ideas from EN World. Basically I'm looking for board games that deal with economics and geopolitics as a whole, that I can play with my teenage students. I know Monopoly, of course, and Catan has a strong economic...
  16. Mercurius

    D&D (2024) So what happened to the new and classic campaign settings? (and what's next?)

    Weren't there somewhat solid rumors about WotC re-issuing a classic setting this year, to go along with the 50th anniversary? With the lead candidate being a true Forgotten Realms campaign book? And what about the new settings they were talking about a couple years ago? And while we're at it...
  17. Mercurius

    Are Superhero films dying?

    So I hear The Flash bombed hard. And I've heard superhero films in generally have been on decline, probably since the MCU Thanos arc wrapped up in 2019 and it lost the most popular actors (including Boseman), oh and plus Covid. Plus, the general aimlessness and over-saturation of MCU and the...
  18. Mercurius

    D&D (2024) So what's with 2024 and beyond?

    I've been out of the loop for awhile, but it seems like we don't know anything more about 2024 than we did a year or so ago. Still three core rulebooks, right? What about the "classic setting revisited?" And what happened to the new setting(s) that were mentioned awhile back? I see a Vecna...
  19. Mercurius

    Best (& Worst) Films and Series of 2022

    The rules: Must either have first aired in 2022 and/or you first saw it in 2022. Your list will be highly subjective, of course (of course!), so feel free to go about it your own way...maybe they were the most entertaining (to you), the most meaningful (to you), the most well made (iyo), etc...
  20. Mercurius

    The Moral of the Story Is....Maybe there's such a thing as (D&D being) too big

    I remember a year or two ago, when we were all basking in the glow of D&D's unparalleled popularity. Some of us remember the Golden Age of the early 80s, when D&D experienced a similar-in-kind cultural blossoming, though in an era before the internet, and probably to a smaller degree, even...
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