Snarf Zagyg
Notorious Liquefactionist
It's been a year, so I'm collecting and sorting my past essays on this thread. Mostly because I realize I was about to start writing something I wrote about last year!
There are roughly organized by topic, but not by date.
HERE IS THE SECOND PART!!!! (Mostly RPG History, Pop Culture, and Jon Peterson)
HERE IS THE THIRD PART.
HERE IS THE FOURTH PART.
1. The Gygaxian Multiverse, or why the infinite number of planes is, like, wicked cool.
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2. Deities, Demigods, and Alignment in D&D, or the hidden link between Jim Morrison, Kanye, and and Divine Ascension.
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3. Aspects of D&D and Society and Playing Style, or the murdering of hobos.
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4. General History of D&D, or Magic Users get d4 for a reason.
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5. Greyhawk, Greyhawk, Greyhawk
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6. Thoughts on 5e (usually in relation to 1e)
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7. Deep Divez on Stupid Rulez (aka, the -10 to Drizzt to TWF to Ranger Series)
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8. Other Stuff (Some Theory, Skilled Play & Role Play, and so on)
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9. Geek Culture
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There are roughly organized by topic, but not by date.
HERE IS THE SECOND PART!!!! (Mostly RPG History, Pop Culture, and Jon Peterson)
HERE IS THE THIRD PART.
HERE IS THE FOURTH PART.
1. The Gygaxian Multiverse, or why the infinite number of planes is, like, wicked cool.
D&D General - The Brilliance of the Original Gygaxian Multiverse
Good artists borrow, great artists steal. I was looking at the following conversations in these two threads about the multiverse in D&D, and how that certain Card Game's setting can be incorporated into the D&D multiverse, and, for that matter, how the multiple D&D settings that we are seeing...
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D&D General - Manual of the Planes: The Switch to a Standard Multiverse, and Why it Matters (Part 2)
I originally wrote my ode to the Gygaxian multiverse here: https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-brilliance-of-the-original-gygaxian-multiverse.672504/ And in it, I made a passing reference to how the true Gygaxian multiverse, with a strong emphasis on the design space of the multiple...
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Spelljammer - The 2e Setting Explosion: Spelljammer v. Athas, and the Multiverse as Single Settting (Part 3)
This is part three in what I realize is now probably going to be a four-part series. Parts 1 and 2: https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-brilliance-of-the-original-gygaxian-multiverse.672504/...
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D&D General - Alternate Prime Material Planes: Part 4, Odds and Ends
Prior posts are in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. I said that I was going to write a fourth part to the series, so I shall. Originally, this was going to wrap up the ideas in the first three parts. Specifically, I was going to address the following: A. A full and final exploration of the use of...
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D&D 5E - The D&D Multiverse: The Weird Go Pro (Part 1)
Good artists borrow, great artists steal. I have been thinking about the speculation for upcoming campaign settings, and specifically about the desire for a Planscape, or a Spelljammer, or a Planjammer type of setting to provide some type of interstitial connection between the various settings-...
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2. Deities, Demigods, and Alignment in D&D, or the hidden link between Jim Morrison, Kanye, and and Divine Ascension.
D&D General - Divine Power: Theros, Deities and Demigods, and the Power of Worship
I truly enjoyed the recent, excellent review of the new Mythic Odysseys of Theros that can be found here. One particular quote stood out to me: In Forgotten Realms, 5th Edition D&D's default setting, gods exist – they power clerics and paladins – but they've taken a step back. They aren't...
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D&D General - The Birth Of Alignment: The Rise of the Nine-Point System
With some trepidation, I have been following a little bit of the thread about alignment. And it's gone off the rails a bit ... you can almost say that it's out of, um, alignment. Anyway, since past is prologue, I thought I'd go into a little bit of the history of the alignment system we have in...
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3. Aspects of D&D and Society and Playing Style, or the murdering of hobos.
D&D General - Violence and D&D: Is "Murderhobo" Essential to D&D?
When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like nail. The recent threads on the removal of alignment from humanoid races (such as orcs, kobolds, etc.) has caused me to reflect more deeply on the nature of violence within TTRPGs generally, and D&D specifically. I had my original thoughts...
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D&D General - The Gygaxian Origins of Drow and Some Thought on their Depiction As Villians
In another thread, there was some excellent commentary on the origins of Drow, but since it tended to get lost in the overall conversation about Orcs, I wanted to post this thread to discuss the origins and (possibly) the future of Drow. I will try to keep my own speculation to a minimum. I'm...
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TSR - Problematic Faves and Early D&D
In reading the discussions that have been popping up about Oriental Adventures, Orcs, Drow, alignment, and so on, and then (thankfully!) mostly avoiding them for a few days, I began to think of the prior conversations about so-called "problematic faves" that have been previously had and...
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D&D General - Why DPR Sucks: Discussing Whiteroom Theorycrafting
Okay, the title? A little obnoxious and clickbait-y right? That's my homage to this thread wherein it was "proven" that Monks, um, "suck": https://www.enworld.org/threads/monks-suck.673535/ That said, before you start angrily pounding on the keyboard in response, please note the following...
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D&D General - What is D&D? A Universal Definition
Another thread came up with the intriguing idea that D&D died when TSR died: https://www.enworld.org/threads/did-d-d-die-with-tsr.673738/ As always, things go well when people mark some editions as "D&D" and other editions as "Not D&D." :) Notably, @MichaelSomething made the following...
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D&D General - Harry Potter, Cthulhu, and D&D: The Art and the Artist
A topic that has been regularly arising recently has concerned the continuing use of certain material; whether that material is itself offensive in some way, or whether that material comes from an artist (an author) who has views that are offensive. Notably, a recurrent conversation is usually...
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D&D General - Genres and Campaign Settings, and why D&D is not a Work of Literature
Moving somewhat tangentially from the previous 3,804 threads on Greyhawk (numbers are approximate), I thought I'd go more deeply into a discussion about why there is a limit to analogies regarding campaign settings and genre. While this topic originally came up regarding Greyhawk and "Swords and...
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D&D General - Oh, the Humanity! Exotic Races, Anthropocentrism, Stereotypes & Roleplaying in D&D
I needed some time and space to delve into a topic that I have been thinking about for some time, and touched on a while back in my 5,294 Greyhawk posts (numbers are approximate). The issue of races (cultures, lineages, peoples) in D&D and roleplaying, as opposed to humanity, is one that I have...
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Revolutions are Always Verbose: Effecting Change in the TTRPG Industry
Q. How do you make a small fortune in the TTRPG industry? A. Start with a large fortune! Hi Everybody! (Hi, Dr. Nick!) After my long sabbatical (it was real, and it was spectacular), I came back to find TSR resurrected and (mostly) killed off since I was gone. Woah! But a few recent comments...
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4. General History of D&D, or Magic Users get d4 for a reason.
D&D General - An Appreciation of David "Zeb" Cook
Given the recent furor over AD&D's rulebook, Oriental Adventures ("OA"), I wanted to dive briefly into the legacy of David "Zeb" Cook. Almost everyone, today, can quickly think of the founders of D&D- Gygax and Arneson. Most people have some familiarity with the people who came in a little bit...
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D&D General - D&D History 101: Origins of Classes
So I wanted to do a short series on some of the history of D&D, and I thought I'd start with a fun and relatively easy one- the original class system, as codified in the AD&D (1e) Player's Handbook of 1978. For those of you unfamiliar with that 1e PHB, it was a...
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D&D General - A Brief Glossary of Acronyms and D&D Terms
So on another thread, some people asked "What is B/X?" And "What is OSE?" Other than the joke-y answers, which are great, I thought I'd post a quick reference for those people who see the terms bandied about but where confused as to what all the various acronyms mean. This is not meant to be...
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D&D General - The Interoperability of OD&D, Basic, AD&D, and (kinda) 5e
Another thread had me pondering a notion that I usually take for granted; the compatibility (I will use that term, but more precisely I thinking about interoperability) of the older TSR D&D Systems. One thing that might be helpful for people is some quick definitions of the various acronyms...
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D&D General - Nerfing Wizards the Old Fashioned Way: Magic User in 1e
In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, First Edition, we Nerf Magic Users the Old Fashioned Way: With a Series of Complex Rules! I had been thinking, for the last week, of doing a deep dive into the restrictions that ye olde spellcasters in 1e faced, and then came across the following post by the...
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Roleplaying Games of the 1970s (and very early 80s)
A separate thread had me thinking about the RPGs of the 1970s (Disco Ball Not Included), and what people played back then. So I though I'd start a separate discussion primarily for that purpose, given that it can be a rich topic and I didn't want to continue threadjacking a completely different...
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D&D General - On Powerful Classes, 1e, and why the Original Gygaxian Gatekeeping Failed
Snarfian Note: I am using "gatekeeping" here in the older sense and not more recent slang verbiage. "The activity of controlling or limiting general access to something." In itself, this term is not a pejorative. I understand that there are those who use this term in a pejorative way (to limit...
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D&D General - Experience Points & Leveling: A Brief Primer on XP in the 1e DMG, and Why It Still Matters
In 5e, we have various forms of leveling- both the "traditional" way (kill stuff!) as well as variants (such as milestone). Every now and then, you will hear people refer to the "old" way of getting XP- you know, "Life was so much better when you could just loot your XP! gold was man XP, man...
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D&D General - How AD&D Handled 'Attunement': The Magic of the Item Saving Throw Table
Whether you love it, or hate it, everyone is familiar with how 5e has decided to deal with prior editions' proliferation of magic items. That's right- in the past, D&D was like Oprah .... "YOU GET A MAGIC ITEM ... AND YOU GET A MAGIC ITEM ... AND YOU ... YES ... YOU GET A MAGIC ITEM!" But then...
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TSR - A New Taxonomy for TSR-Era D&D
This came up in the discussion started by @Yora regarding the importance of Tracy Hickman. When I responded, I referred to a classification of TSR that I realized I had been using internally for some time, but I don't know that I had fully explained here before. Let me lay this out, first, by...
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5. Greyhawk, Greyhawk, Greyhawk
D&D General - For the Love of Greyhawk: Why People Still Fight to Preserve Greyhawk
On the recent thread regarding the upcoming hardcover book and a discussion regarding Iggwilv and Tasha- https://www.enworld.org/threads/iggwilv-tasha-to-join-volo-xanathar-and-mordenkainen-updated.674231/ .... a discussion broke out about Greyhawk, and canon, and what is good, and bad, so on...
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D&D General - Moar Greyhawk: Anthropocentrism and Humanity in Greyhawk
This post is related to another post I just wrote, about Greyhawk, here: https://www.enworld.org/threads/for-the-love-of-greyhawk-why-people-still-fight-to-preserve-greyhawk.674292/ After some time in the comments, a poster responded to a list of non-exclusive factors I wrote about Greyhawk...
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D&D General - Greyhawk did what? A partial list of Greyhawk Personalities
After looking at the two threads involving Greyhawk, I realized that there are many people who don't realize certain things are Greyhawk; either they think it's just "general D&D," or it's something that the Realms has tried to swallow up, or something else. So I thought I'd do a short post to...
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D&D General - Greyhawk and "Low Magic" : Why Low Magic is in the Eyes of Beholder
I guess we are on the Fourth Greyhawk-adjacent thread now! To paraphrase the great Knight, Sir Ron of Burgundy, "You're writing another long Greyhawk thread? And you ate the whole wheel of cheese? How are you doing this? Heck, I'm not even mad, that's amazing!"...
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D&D General - What if God was One of Us? Divinity in Early D&D & Greyhawk
Some days, you feel like the Count in Sesame Street. Five! Five Greyhawk-adjacent threads! Muahahahahahahahaha! I was asked very nicely in another thread to post about the mythos of Greyhawk. Which is a fascinating topic that deserves a lot of interest! But in my opinion, the most...
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D&D 5E - Greyhawk: Pitching the Reboot
It's been a while since I've posted about Greyhawk ... AND I HAVE COME BACK FOR MORE! I was inspired by this recent post by @The Glen: Marketing is the biggest issue. How do you make a setting sound fun? Greyhawk is a complete mess politically. The entire region is a powder keg waiting to...
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6. Thoughts on 5e (usually in relation to 1e)
D&D General - Psionics, Spell Slots, and Game Design: Why Every 5e Problem Can be Solved by a Spell
The pending release of Tasha, and the multiple threads discussing psionics, had me reminiscing about the psionics system that was presented in the appendix of the AD&D PHB (1978), which builds upon and codifies the earlier appearance in OD&D (Eldritch Wizardry). But not just about psionics...
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D&D General - D&D as a Curated, DIY Game or "By the Book": Examining DM and Player Agency, and the DM as Game Designer
After reading through, and occasionally participating in, the various permutations of the "exotic races" or "Tolkien races" or "respect mah authorit-ah v. respect mah agenc-ah" thread that have been popping up like mushrooms in a Bavarian forest after the rain, I realized that there is a common...
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D&D 5E - 5e and the Cheesecake Factory: Explaining Good Enough
An idea I've been noodling around with for a few weeks is trying to understand not just "Why 5e," but "Why 5e?" To put it more bluntly; it would seem obvious (to me, at least) that D&D has been having a cultural moment, and capturing the zeitgeist, in a way that hasn't been seen since the prior...
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D&D General - Character Generation, Advancement, and Tasha's
This is an edited repost- I am testing a theory. Two different, yet independent, thoughts have been swirling in the tiny penne pasta that I call my brain. The first was prompted by a post by @Maxperson and @Umbran in the Cheesecake factory thread- where is the fat & butter post about D&D? An...
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D&D 5E - Sell Out: Hasbro and the Soul of D&D
Well I know you can't work in indie games all your life But don't sign that paper tonight The lawyer said "But it's too late" The recent announcement that D&D had been promoted within Hasbro has been met with various degrees of happiness and/or skepticism; admittedly, "D&D" itself has not been...
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D&D 5E - The Pitfalls of Success: Hasbro Success Story, Take 2
Most of the time, I just let a post out and see where the conversation goes; rarely does it seem so many misunderstand what I wrote (albeit @Mistwell got it pretty quickly). Admittedly, a fair number of people commented based on the title without reading the piece, but then again, it did have...
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D&D 5E - The Call is Out: D&D SciFi Should Be The Next Campaign Setting / Expansion
I was perusing the threads about boxed sets and the next book releases, and the same thought kept returning- D&D (5e) should release a major campaign setting for SciFi. That's it. Now, I want to be more specific with this- this is not a "Spelljammer Confirmed!!11!!!!" thread. Spelljammer is...
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D&D 5E - Are we at, or close, to peak D&D? Again?
So, how do YOU feel about provocative titles? Forget it, Jake. It's Zagygtown. ahem Noodling around after a recent needed break, I was again marveling at the resurgence and success of D&D. As has been discussed ad nauseum, success has a thousand fathers, and there are many reasons that D&D is...
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D&D 5E - What D&D Does That is So Good: A Celebration of 5e's Advantages
A recent thread ended up dwelling on negative aspects of D&D in general, and 5e in particular. And while it is certainly true that D&D (any version) is not perfect, there has to be a reason that it has remained so popular. Without delving too far into the argumentum ad populum, I thought it...
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D&D 5E - Too Much Spellcasting in Your D&D? Just Add a Little Lankhmar!
There are two types of people in this world: 1. Those who think there is too much spellcasting in 5e. 2. Those who are wrong, and probably like elves, bards, and elven bard. 3. The innumerate. Given that I am not wrong, nor a lover of elves nor bards, I have often thought about how to reduce...
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D&D 5E - Spellcasters and Balance in 5e: A Poll
I've long been a defender (ahem) of martial classes in D&D. After all, there are numerous archetypes in fantasy, but one of the enduring one has always been that of the warrior. Whether it's Conan or Aragorn, Zatochi the Blind Swordsman or Drunken Master, Sir Gawain or Prince Colwyn, serious or...
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D&D 5E - D&D is Not RAW: The Importance of Custom, Culture, and Mods in 5e
This is a topic that I've been noodling about with for a while, and most recently I've been thinking about it because of a particular quote in another thread- Other games do that. D&D doesn't. Could you houserule D&D to be like that? Sure. But it wouldn't be D&D anymore, so why? Just play that...
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7. Deep Divez on Stupid Rulez (aka, the -10 to Drizzt to TWF to Ranger Series)
D&D 5E - The -10 Myth: How a Poorly-Worded Gygaxian Rule Became the Modern Death Save
This is a little different; normally, I like to make certain I have my ducks in a row for a thesis, so that other people can shoot them down. It is the internet! However, I'd like to explore a concept I've been thinking about that popped up in a recent thread. @Lanefan wrote the following in...
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D&D 5E - The Dual Wielding Ranger: How Aragorn, Drizzt, and Dual-Wielding Led to the Ranger's Loss of Identity
Whoever fights monsters should see to it in the process he does not become a monster. And if you research into the Drizzt, the Drizzt will research back into you. - Herbert West, animatedly. Today, on a very special episode of Snarf Explores the Classics featuring a young John Travolta in a...
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D&D General - Dual-Wielding and The Ranger, Part 2: On the Unappreciated Genius of Zeb
Last week, I began to research a topic that I had not looked into before- while I had previously looked into the history of the Ranger class, I had never before thought about the issue of the evolution of the Ranger from OSR/AD&D into 2e. More specifically, the question of whether of not Drizzt...
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D&D General - Attacks With Two Weapons, Game Design, And the Evolution of D&D
A topic that has come up now repeatedly (first arising in the context of my posts regarding Drizzt and Rangers) is the idea of Dual Wielding, aka Two Weapon Fighting, aka Attacks with Two Weapons. I think that it's worth developing into a separate post given that the topic is more general than...
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D&D General - Sword & Board: From Standard to Exotic
Per the request of @Alzrius I was asked to look at one of my earlier suppositions; namely, that not only was "sword & board" an overwhelming preference in early-TSR D&D, but that it was (usually) optimal. This came out of my prior threads looking into the original of the Ranger and two-weapon...
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8. Other Stuff (Some Theory, Skilled Play & Role Play, and so on)
D&D General - The DM is Not a Player; and Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock
Hasbro-brand Dungeons & Dragons is a contrived identification with nerd subcultures to manufacture an anti-authoritarian identity and make millions. The $39.99 you paid for the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount would be better used buying art supplies to create your own campaign world. Ahem...
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D&D General - Skilled Play, or Role Play: How Do You Approach Playing D&D?
The play was a great success, but the audience was a disaster. A topic that recently came up in conversation is the change, over time, in the manner and expectations of playing style when it comes to Dungeons & Dragons. I will be painting this with a broad and generalist brush, but I would...
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D&D General - Some advice for new DMs
In another thread I recounted the experience I had recently wherein a young player was trying to DM for the first time, and it didn't go very well (unfortunately). I also ran across a couple of things that are great general advice and thoughts, but I thought I'd share as thoughts for newer DMs...
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D&D General - Rulings, not Rules: How Will You Solve the Bard / Half Elf Dilemma?
So another thread has gone by wherein we all marveled at the clarity and interoperability of the 1e Gygaxian Ruleset, each of us remarking, "Those rules are as clear as an unmuddied stream; verily, the rules are as easy to apply as soft butter on a hot griddle!" Unfortunately, we did manage to...
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D&D General - On Skilled Play: D&D as a Game
I lost my last topic, so I am taking a brief detour into a topic that has lurked in the background in quite a few recent threads (especially given the number of topics we've had regarding D&D & OSR). A few threads have discussed how difficult D&D should be, and what consequences there should be...
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D&D 5E - How to Rule: Three Ways to Adjudicate in D&D
So, earlier I had a post on skilled play ("SP"), which was a predominant modality of play in early D&D. I was hoping to explore how some of the elements of SP continue to be relevant to discussions that we have about 5e. Unfortunately, it didn't work out so well! At least, not in terms of the...
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9. Geek Culture
Firefly Reconsidered: Why Firefly Isn't "Hall of Fame" Great
I have a thing about creating various lists. Top five action heroes of the 80s. Best miniseries on Netflix. Top Three Heuristics to use while DMing. While creating these many lists that I like to make, primarily for my own enjoyment and others’ suffering, I realized something. Reading isn’t just...
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Consider the Cannoli: Subjective Preferences and Conversations about Geek Media
1. The Great Wave of Ricotta. I often think about cannoli. They occupy my thoughts, bedevil my dreams. Not because I love them, or obsess about them. Nor because the eating of a cannoli opens my mind to a Proust-like reverie. Instead, it's because of my bewilderment and bafflement. There are so...
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The Greatest TV Shows of All Time (Kinda): The Top 10
Greetings and recriminations, and welcome to a very special edition of the Snarf's Musings about the Media. If you haven't seen the posts leading up this, they are located here: https://www.enworld.org/threads/firefly-reconsidered-why-firefly-isnt-hall-of-fame-great.680424/ ...and here...
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The Greatest TV Shows of All Time Part 2: HA HA! Comedy Illustrated
If you haven't seen it yet, then here is Part 1 - the Dramas. Oh, the DRAMA! You'd think that people would be understanding if you create a list of shows and put forth reasons for having the list exclusive (such as American shows, and no Comedies) given that you were only doing 10, but, of...
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Science Fiction: Greatest TV Shows Part III
Part I (Dramas): https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time-kinda-the-top-10.680555/ Part II (Comedies): https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time-part-2-ha-ha-comedy-illustrated.680581/ What are the top 10 SCIENCE FICTION shows of all time? Why...
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And the Animation: Greatest TV, Part IV
Prior threads on Greatest TV Shows- Part I, Drama. Part II, Comedies. Part III, Science Fiction. I'm wrapping up this week's look at the great TV shows with my fourth, and FINAL, installment. This is about the animated TV shows. Instead of providing my usual list of criteria that I use in...
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Snarf's Magnificent Seven: Greatest Action Heroes
I was listening to a conversation where a bunch of morons (aka, people that are not me) were arguing about the greatest movie action heroes. And I thought to myself, “Snarf, c’mon now. This is stupid. Why would a bunch of grown-azz adults be arguing about movie action heroes ...... when only the...
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