The Gaming Den

Do you think 4e's Essentials/PHB classes are a good example of 'class as choosing your level of complexity'?

If a 3.Trollman edition of D&D has ever actually been played straight like it's described, I'd love to read the transcript

So the random element is unwieldly, static numbers that match the balance of the level would be better

Hicks wrote:No this is not a good idea.

Mechanically it's not, I figured.

But the overall IDEA, if it had sound mechanics would it be interesting?

Couldn't they be within the same books though?

The way I'm seeing it, we discuss "advanced" as "Lite+ more stuff added on"

It's the same as the Advanced book, except you note in a different color where Lite ends and + begins.

I see power attack and expertise as abilities that aim to create more options for warriors who otherwise just go "I hit the guy". The Tome fixes it by making them not require a feat to unlock. My goal is to replicate the same idea (meaningful choices in combat for warriors) but in a more e...

From the 80's and older generation perspective, it is natural to say tabletop->videogames as a natural progression. But for many kids born in a world of 3D games and online play, tabletop is something entirely new . In an online era, face to face contact is a valuable commodity, something you can ph...

Another thing that WotC is doing wrong is it's not doing enough to bank on 80's nostalgia. T That's exactly what Essentials was. They even put it in the same Red Box. If it's a question of if they tried, then yes they tried and did bank on 80's nostalgia. If anything, the success of Pathfinder, con...

The legs do need significant modifications , as I mentioned earlier. I would probably make them quadrupedal, with four long, sturdy legs going well out to the sides. Imagine something like the outriggers you see on mobile cranes with a meter-long lower leg. The mech doesn't sacrifice too much speed...

So what's the best retroclone around then

Ugh. Doesn't that just fragment the game and make it impossible to write products that appeal to both Mr. Microlite and Mr. Bells-And-Whistles? and the most popular edition of D&D was played just like that. No. Just about everything in the core rulebook(s)... That's not the most popular era of ...

There is not a satisfactory name for "Vedic Warrior Magician" in English that is not under copyright. Could call them Kshatriya. It's a Hindu cast but you can just sort of ignore that, like samurai= magic sword guy instead of Japanese with particular haircut. Or Vajra, the diamond thunder...

hogarth wrote: Ugh. Doesn't that just fragment the game and make it impossible to write products that appeal to both Mr. Microlite and Mr. Bells-And-Whistles?

and the most popular edition of D&D was played just like that.

What countries, what was the purpose of the visit, how'd you enjoy it?

If applicable, did you find out anything about tabletop roleplaying communities there?

This makes me appreciate more the amount of talent and effort it takes for Kevin Siembieda to do what he does with Palladium and fans.

Well... Wild Companion feat gives an animal companion. Daring Outlaw gives sneak attack although to Swashbucklers only. Daring Warrior gives fighter feats to Swashbucklers. You could have a Rogue 3/Fighter 4/Swashbuckler 13 with the animal companion essentially of a druid, 8d6 sneak attack and an e...

What should a feat do? What is the measure of Balance a feat is judged by? Should things that classes gain also be replicated by feats, or does that intrude too much into the sanctity of a Class? Some classes are based on giving Feats though, like a Ranger's fighting style. With the Tome version of ...

The main reason not to play a ninja is because it doesn't say "Rogue" on the character sheet. For many people that is an incredibly important part of character identity. And perhaps they hate anime too.

why is the rogue considered a good benchmark of usefulness/'balance' by The Den's 3.X, while Pathfinder fan says it's underpowered?

All of the time spent arguing over rules is blamed on me, so I was the resident 'rules lawyer', yet also ignored for such rules knowledge (and commonly gloss over rule debates for expediency unless I'm involved). The only time it's been helpful is when someone else decides to look up a rule and I c...

Does it suck to be the market they're not pursuing anymore? Fuck yeah . It hurts. I didn't like being the market they weren't pursuing in the first place, and now that their design principles move farther and farther away from the reasons I bought into 4e in the first place (far from perfect, but c...

I think their goal is to draw in all the grognards that left when their One True edition was replaced by the next one. Anyone who likes 4e is already going to be a DDI subscriber or just play the game already, so don't need to cater to them. If it's working or not, I don't know. I've been having fun...

Well, isn't being a level X adventurer and knowing an orc will only do 1dY+Z damage already meta gaming?

Are we assuming AD&D is meta-gaming free?

Lago, does posting on The Gaming Den give you happiness?

This is 21 pages of Giant Frog