So this is the latest archives- Part 3.
HA HA! No. You should be so lucky. They will keep coming.
First Archive
Second Archive
Third Archive
Fourth Archive
Fifth Archive
Sixth Archive
1. Essays about Design, Decisions, and D&D.
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2. General RPG Theory or Discussion
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3. Brief thoughts about pop/mass/geek culture and media.
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4. Two essays about litigation (in light of nuTSR).
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5. Just when you thought you were out ... GREYHAWK!
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6. The Art (but not Arcana) of D&D.
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Remember, Parthian is such sweet sorrow.....
-Crassus, undoubtedly.
HA HA! No. You should be so lucky. They will keep coming.
First Archive
Second Archive
Third Archive
Fourth Archive
Fifth Archive
Sixth Archive
1. Essays about Design, Decisions, and D&D.
D&D General - Why Fantasy? Goin' Medieval in D&D
In another thread, ostensibly about the recent revelations regarding M.A.R. Barker, a side topic came up that was of interest to me- specifically, the idea that all of this "fantasy" and "medievalism" in D&D is nonsense. After all, what are we doing with our campaigns, but reinforcing...
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D&D General - Understanding the Design Principles in Early D&D
As per usual, I saw something in another thread that captured my attention. Specifically, it was the issue of game design- and how early D&D (OD&D and AD&D, aka 0e and 1e) were designed, and the ways in which they differed greatly from the design principles that we are more familiar with today...
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D&D General - The Early "Design Principles" of D&D, and their Lasting Legacy
This post is building on the prior post about the general design principles in early D&D. One topic that came up and is somewhat interesting is how you can glean some ideas about the principles the designers were using through the system. As I noted before, early D&D (OD&D and 1e) could be kind...
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D&D 5E - 5e, Heal Thyself! Is Healing Too Weak in D&D?
In another thread, someone posted the idea that healing was weak (or "anemic") in 5e. Which, I have to admit, is not only something I had never thought of before, but seemed like the type of thing that might be dreamed up during the fevered dreams brought up during the consumption of the rare...
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D&D General - Why TSR-era D&D Will Always Be D&D
Yeah, you saw the title! It's been a while, right? (Checking ....) Almost a month! How did that happen..... how did I go so long without starting a thread? I mean, I know that my dissipated life has led me to my sorry fate of non-posting, and yet ... I blame society. Society made me what I am...
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D&D in the 80s, Fads, and the Satanic Panic
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE! Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam! Wait, no, that's not it. ....Today is a good day to be alive! That's better! If you are into the history of our hobby, the last few years have seen an unprecedented explosion of material and research about the early days. Now, soon to be...
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Ya Basic! Trying To Understand the Perception of AD&D and the Sales of Basic
In the thread about the sales figures of Basic and Advanced D&D, we are given a chart by @BenRiggs that compares the sales of Basic D&D (Holmes, Moldvay/Cook, Mentzer) to Advanced D&D (PHB+DMG) from 1979-1995. Later elaboration indicates that this does not include international sales, so it does...
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D&D 5E - The Neutral Referee, Monty Haul, and the Killer DM: History of the GM and Application to 5e
Today, I thought I'd post a little bit about how people (GMs or DMs) in 5e adjudicate the game, and, because I can't help myself, provide a little bit of history about the evolution of some of the thought processes that led to this point. Specifically, a discussion about the origins of the DM in...
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D&D 5E - Context Switching Paralysis, or Why we Will Always Have the Thief Debate
Among a certain group of people, there is a driven need to use a mocking term (we'll call it "MMI") to refer to playing D&D and other types of games. However, while the specific pejorative term may have been coined in 2005, the actual debate and the issues it illuminates goes back much farther...
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D&D 5E - Heteroglossia and D&D: Why D&D Speaks in a Multiplicity of Playing Styles
You know what people love? BIG WORDS! So I thought I'd put a bunch of 'em in the title. I mean- those aren't just your nickel or dime words. That's a Sacagawea! Anyway, I wanted to get an issue of off my chest I've been thinking about for a while. It's closely related to something I wrote about...
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2. General RPG Theory or Discussion
Why Jargon is Bad, and Some Modern Resources for RPG Theory
So, it's been a while, ... HAWT TAEK THURSDAY! This is a fork of the "+" thread created by @overgeeked here. I am also using the suggestion in the thread to explicitly title this thread with (GNS) so people will know ahead of time that they can come here and discuss (or argue) about GNS Theory...
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[+] Pride Month- A Brief History of Representation in TTRPGs
Please note that this is a "Plus" (+) thread, and is meant to be Positive. (Source) If you don't have something productive to say, please don't say it. In addition, there will be references to games mature subject matter in this post. While it is not explicit, it is present. So June is LGBTQI+...
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3. Brief thoughts about pop/mass/geek culture and media.
The Best Show You're Not Watching Right Now (Severance)
Every now and then, I like to recommend something for people to watch or otherwise amuse themselves with. I mean .... https://www.enworld.org/threads/snarfs-superior-syllabus-for-binge-viewing-new-lockdown-edition-part-1.682434/...
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Get Ur Body Horror: Cronenberg Films Ranked
June of 2022 will forever be linked with one thing- that's right, the release of David Cronenberg's new movie .... Crimes of the Future! And I am super excited for it. In order to get properly in the mood, I am suggesting that everyone, everywhere, watch a few of the Cronenberg classics. So...
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I Wanna Be Kate: The Kate Bush Primer
If you're a long-time fan of Kate Bush, very little has surprised you more than the sudden popular resurgence of Kate. Driven by the use of her song, Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God), the only two things that might be more surprising than Kate rocketing up the charts again is finding out...
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Star Trek First Seasons- Ranking them All!
Having just finished the First Season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, I thought I'd engage in one of my favorite activities ... ranking the first seasons of all Star Trek shows! Let me start by saying that the more recent shows have a slight advantage- obviously, with fewer shows to make in a...
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Lance Henriksen and Peter Weller: EnWorld Decides
I have been involved in a long-running conversation/debate/discussion, which, boiled down, has roughly two sides: 1. Lance Henriksen is the poor man's Peter Weller. 2. Peter Weller is the poor man's Lance Henriksen. If you aren't familiar with this phrasing, allow me to assist- when someone...
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MCU TV Shows and the House of Mouse: Ruminations and Rankings
NOTE- IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THESE, DO NOT READ. SPOILERS MAY BE DISCUSSED. For some time now, I have avoided getting Disney+. After all, I had Netflix. I had HBOMax. I had Apple+. I had Amazon Prime. I had Paramount+. I was done with streaming services, and a little burnt when it came to the...
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D&D 5E - How Important is Stranger Things to the Success of 5e
Something I've been pondering .... and no, this isn't going to be one of my giganto-historical-bizarro posts, just a semi-baked thesis and a poll- How Important is Stranger Things to the Success of 5e? Is that a weird question to ask? Look, I know that there are a lot of independent reasons...
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Streaming Services: Discussion and Power Rankings
One feature of conversations we often have here about geek media is that they get sidetracked into conversations about the various streaming services that are currently offering the content. So while you want to talk about Captain Pike's amazingly dreamy hair and cooking skills on Strange New...
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4. Two essays about litigation (in light of nuTSR).
TSR - Explainers: Background on the TSR/WoTC Litigation (Part 1- State or Federal)
Given that I occasionally drop into the various (and seemingly multiplying) threads on the TSR/WoTC litigation with brief-ish explanations as to what is going on, I thought I might as well give some background explainers on some of the choices made. Most of these will be in two parts- first, an...
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TSR - Explainers: Part 2- Stages of Litigation (TSR/WoTC Litigation)
Given that I occasionally drop into the various (and seemingly multiplying) threads on the TSR/WoTC litigation with brief-ish explanations as to what is going on, I thought I might as well give some background explainers on some of the choices made. Most of these explainers will be in two parts-...
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5. Just when you thought you were out ... GREYHAWK!
D&D 5E - Greyhawk: Why We Need Mo' Oerth by 2024
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in! One of the things I have often written about, albeit not recently, is Greyhawk. It is, for various reasons, my all-time favorite campaign setting, and one that I continue to return to. Recently, the tail end of another thread turned into...
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D&D 5E - Greyhawk: Player Options for a Campaign Setting
Greyhawk is D&D before people thought they needed to color within the lines. Greyhawk is D&D your way. It's the infinite multiverse and crashed spaceships, it's ninja nazi monks and demon-possessed emperors, it's endless black ice and dead civilizations blasted by colorless fire. It's a...
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D&D (2024) - What We Need to See for the 50th Anniversary GOLD BABY!
We are getting close to the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons AMPERSAND Dragons. So with that in mind, I have begun reflecting (even more than usual) on what I want we need to see in 2024. Now, let's start with a basic concept- this should be both a celebration of the past, and the future! I time...
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6. The Art (but not Arcana) of D&D.
Favorite AD&D and/or B/X Module Covers
This topic came up in a different thread, so I thought I'd start a different thread. For once, this won't be my typical long post. Instead, it's an invitation. What are your favorite module covers from the early TSR era? Rules: List your top 5 (in order to keep it manageable). Explain each...
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D&D General - One Piece of Art- What D&D Art Inspired You to Love a Class?
I'm trying something a little different, today. One of the things about D&D that we all have loved is the amazing and evocative art over the years. Many of us have favorite drawings or module/AP covers or other images that are seared into our brains. And that is what I'd like this series to be...
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D&D General - One Piece of Art II (Monsters)- What D&D Art Inspired You to Love a Monster?
Well, the first post seemed to attract some interest .... https://www.enworld.org/threads/one-piece-of-art-what-d-d-art-inspired-you-to-love-a-class.690436/ ....so I thought I'd do in a second in the series! This week .... What D&D Art inspired you to love a particular monster? Now, for...
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D&D General - One Piece of Art III (Magic Items)- What D&D Art Inspired You to Love a Magic Item
Welcome to part three in the art appreciation series- One Piece of Art! Prior columns can be found here: Part I (Classes) Part II (Monsters) Today's topic- What D&D Art inspired you to love a magic item? However, for this column, we are going to start with something ... unusual. One...
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D&D General - One Piece of Art IV (Races)- What D&D Art Inspired You to Love a Race (Lineage, Ancestry)
Welcome to part three in the art appreciation series- One Piece of Art! Prior columns can be found here: Part I (Classes) Part II (Monsters) Part III (Magic Items) Today's topic- What D&D Art inspired you to love a race? Now, for purposes of this thread, a necessary disclaimer. Please...
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D&D General - One Piece of Art V (Places)- What Piece of D&D Art Inspired You to Love a Place
Welcome to part FIVE in the art appreciation series- One Piece of Art! Prior columns can be found here: Part I (Classes) Part II (Monsters) Part III (Magic Items) Part IV (Races) Today's topic ... LANDSCAPES! I was going to do still lifes, but NO FRUIT FOR YOU! What D&D Art inspired you to...
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D&D General - One Piece of Art VI (Maps)- What is Your Favorite D&D Map?
Welcome to part SIX in the art appreciation series- One Piece of Art! Prior columns can be found here: Part I (Classes) Part II (Monsters) Part III (Magic Items) Part IV (Races) Part V (Places) Today's topic ... Maps! This one is a little different, SO PLEASE READ! What D&D Map Do You...
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D&D General - One Piece of Art VII (Spells): What Piece of Art Inspired You to Love Spells?
Welcome to part SEVEN in the art appreciation series- One Piece of Art! Prior columns can be found here: Part I (Classes) Part II (Monsters) Part III (Magic Items) Part IV (Races) Part V (Places) Part VI (Maps) Today's topic ... Spells! This one is a special request from @Sacrosanct , so...
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D&D General - One Piece of Art VIII (People): What Piece of D&D Art Inspired You to Love a D&D Personage?
Welcome to part EIGHT in the art appreciation series- One Piece of Art! Prior columns can be found here: Part I (Classes) Part II (Monsters) Part III (Magic Items) Part IV (Races) Part V (Places) Part VI (Maps) Part VII (Spells) Today's topic ... People! Or maybe I should just call it the...
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D&D General - One Piece of Art IX (Wildcard)- What NON-D&D Art Inspired You to Love D&D?
Welcome to part NINE in the art appreciation series- One Piece of Art! Prior columns can be found here: Part I (Classes) Part II (Monsters) Part III (Magic Items) Part IV (Races) Part V (Places) Part VI (Maps) Part VII (Spells) Part VIII (People) Today's topic ... Wildcard! What non-D&D Art...
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Remember, Parthian is such sweet sorrow.....
-Crassus, undoubtedly.
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