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<blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 4791275" data-attributes="member: 80487">The 1E game system was evolving even as the books were released. See, for instance, how Monster Manual AC, spell casting, etc., correspond to particulars of the earlier game rather than to the new factors in the PHB. In addition, the DMG in particular could have done with better editing.It appears to me that Mr. Gygax was rather cavalier in treating things that did not matter much to him. The MM psionics ratings are a mishmash of numbers pulled from Eldritch Wizardry and haphazardly misplaced or improperly added. The X.P. values in DMG Appendix E look to have been &quot;eyeballed&quot; based on what &quot;felt right&quot; rather than calculated on the basis presented in the body of the text.The famously confusing surprise and initiative rules are probably a consequence of all the above factors combined. I suspect that to Gary's thinking, the &quot;real&quot; rule was that the DM applies judgment to the situation at hand -- and whatever dice rolls may seem meet!How reassuring to read in the description of the gate spell that &quot;your Dungeon Master will have a sure method of dealing with the situation&quot; ... until one remembers, &quot;Oh. I'm the DM!&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ariosto, post: 4791275, member: 80487"] The 1E game system was evolving even as the books were released. See, for instance, how [i]Monster Manual[/i] AC, spell casting, etc., correspond to particulars of the earlier game rather than to the new factors in the PHB. In addition, the DMG in particular could have done with better editing. It appears to me that Mr. Gygax was rather cavalier in treating things that did not matter much to him. The MM psionics ratings are a mishmash of numbers pulled from [i]Eldritch Wizardry[/i] and haphazardly misplaced or improperly added. The X.P. values in DMG Appendix E look to have been "eyeballed" based on what "felt right" rather than calculated on the basis presented in the body of the text. The famously confusing surprise and initiative rules are probably a consequence of all the above factors combined. I suspect that to Gary's thinking, the "real" rule was that the DM applies judgment to the situation at hand -- and whatever dice rolls may seem meet! How reassuring to read in the description of the [i]gate[/i] spell that "your Dungeon Master will have a sure method of dealing with the situation" ... until one remembers, "Oh. [i]I'm[/i] the DM!" [/QUOTE]

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