Профиль

Figuring out the answers to those questions turns out to be some of the juiciest story material. I've had these rolls turn into everything from a campaign long party pet to an awkward moment with a bunch of cannibals where they invited the party to join them. Great shenanigans drivers.

It's probably my favorite mechanic from the old D&Ds. I use it in every game I run unless it already has one. It completely changes the game. It becomes possible you'll run across a monster that likes you! What does "Enthusiastic, offers to help" mean when it's a catoblepas? When it's berserkers?

We used them. Everyone I knew used them. If you GM didn't use them he was going to be known as a killer GM, because there's no way to slip a fight. Those guys existed, but we didn't love playing with them.

That's actually included as part of the mechanism from Holmes Basic through 2E. If the party has high charisma or "special inducements" which means anything from a history together to treasure or food, the GM modifies the roll.

By the time we reach Holmes Basic, it's already in the form everyone knows and loves:

OD&D introduces the first roll for monster behavior in book 3, but it only applies to intelligent monsters:

Looking forward to her fellow passengers beating the ass off her one of these days.

Yes, but WOTC isn't making any money off them. This aims to change that, I guess.

I agree -- with both the reading and the content warnings -- and not just because I wrote one. This jam is full of some amazing writing.

Also the "always evil enemy" was added by D&D -- it doesn't exist in a traditional war game. Your English soldiers may hate the French, your Allied soldiers may hate the Nazis, but in all of it we recognize it's a fight between two groups of PEOPLE.

I started trying to figure out scales but this will probably all change if I keep working on the project.

Immigration is, in fact, the solution to a number of Japan's problems.

As climate change gets worse, they see a future in which climate refugees push into wealthier nations, so they are preparing by sealing borders and culturally preparing their people to engage in atrocities against the refugees their profligate energy use caused.

You condescend to her in your second sentence, after your first sentence assumes not only that she's wrong, but that she's embarrassed herself. Glad I could help.

I'd be fine with fudging if the GM, at the beginning of the session says, "I'd like to adjust dice rolls to make sure you don't lose or get killed and just generally to keep things exciting, you guys okay with that?" But most people who think fudging is fine also think it should be hidden.

Also, this is what MONSTER monsters are for. No one's out here weeping because you didn't negotiate with the catoblepas. No one's going to get on your ass for killing the bullette without discerning its motive. The problem is motherfuckers who want PEOPLE to murder thoughtlessly.

You had me at AuDHD echolalia.

Also, it hasn't cured cancer.

An idiosyncratic mixture of B/X and 1E was what everyone I knew or met in the 80s was using at the table. And yes, at first 2E was thought of as a clean up version of 1E.

Not enough people are talking about how well her article was written, so kudos. I finished reading it and my first thought was, damn, she writes well, which shouldn't be a surprise, I guess, but it was visceral.