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At the Adventurers' Table

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I'll call you.


Honor and fun,


Dann


 
O.K., friends. As of this moment, I am putting Bronze into T.S. (that special place where while he cannot gain, he also cannot lose what he has gained). This leaves you guys without a forger. Depending on what you decide to do in our upcoming adventurers, you can either do without, or take along a fellow who might temporarily require your assistance. But for now, please continue to focus on the Roundabout. After all have spoken in the Roundabout, there is one more part of it to conclude before we move on to the next chapter.


In the meantime, thanks for your heartfelt wishes and prayers to good ol' Killfire. While he is definitely deserving of them, it makes me glad to RP with people like you who give a care. =)


 
@Captain Hesperus @Kaerri @Sherwood @Wolf Rawrrr


With Killfire's Bronze in T.S. until Lord-knows-when, what do you folks want to do about your lack of a crafter?


1. Leave the crafting material alone until Killfire is able to play again


2. Possibly take on a temporary NPC to craft until Killfire is able to play again


3. Any other option you guys might come up with.


I am O.K. with either of the first two options, but I am currently unable to come up with a third.


Also, note that Bria has the Craft Wondrous Items feat. This allows her to make only those items (like clothing, but not armor; an amulet, but no weapons, etc.). Bria would also like to craft Mamapaw something good to wear immediately, but crafting takes time.


Your thoughts?
 
My thought would be a kind of mix of 1 and 2. Leave some for Killfire, but use some for us in the meantime (we've got oodles of hydra-hide, after all). I don't know about "taking on" a crafting NPC, because I know there are some excellent crafters in Highwind we could probably take commissions to, rather than having one full-time assigned to us.


Which brings me to my next point, as discussed with Dannigan earlier tonight: how do folks feel about hirelings and/or henchmen? The main difference being that hirelings are typical run-of-the-mill sorts, such as drivers or crafters, which henchmen are more combat-oriented and less likely to run screaming when monsters show up. I'd think we'll at least want a driver for each wagon that we take on adventures with us (assuming we do want to take it/them - more in point #3). However, I'd prefer if those drivers were also combat-capable, at least enough to take monsters in stride and defend themselves. I'd feel guilty about dragging someone out to the middle of nowhere and getting them killed, not to mention we'd then have to drive ourselves!


Point #3: Related to the Stronghold question asked by Bria in the Roundabout. Bren has the rank in Highwind to allow him to purchase land and/or a residence within the city or its area of influence. How do you guys feel about taking advantage of this to get ourselves at least a nice big open space to park in, with stables and such for the horses? This would be good if we chose not to take the wagons with us, too; we could hire a steward (maybe Stewart and his wife?) as a caretaker in our absence. There may be some adventures where we won't want a wagon, and some where it would be handy but we'd have to leave it unsecured for periods of time (while we're in a cave system, say). Maybe we want to leave the wagons in Highwind most of the time, and only use them for long overland trips? (Given my past experience in Dann's games, that's my recommendation. Stuff happens sometimes, and you don't want your means of travel sitting at the Monastery of Thor, several days north of Highwind, when the party is suddenly transported to Glimmerdawn, halfway across the continent!)


Point #3a: If we do decide to hire drivers, maybe we could look into having items made or bought that would allow us to communicate with them across distances, in case of the aforementioned unforeseen circumstances. Something like the spell Sending, maybe with a number of charges? Just thinking out loud, here.
 
I have no objection to the idea of taking on some staff to take care of the daily needs of the party. If the Meadowsweets weren't planning on going back to their home, Luna would love to have them stay on as full time cooks and maid service with a reasonable compensation, along with having Stewart keeping track of the income and expenditures for the Grand Wagon. Just so long as we are all in this together and willing to all contribute equally to the upkeep and salary of our helpers.
 
Sherwood? How do you feel about having another forger along (since Bronze is in T.S.)?
 
We can bring on a new NPC to work the armored hyde and the meteor rock as the party needs. I don't have any objections to that.
 
Not a problem. Speaking of thoughts, are the three fairies that were rescued still with us? I don't remember seeing that they have left. Will they be making any comments in the Roundabout, too?
 
All aboard Kaerri's train of thought! Choo-choo! *woof*


Jokes aside I very much agree with her reasoning and Wolf would support the stronghold idea. I wouldn't want to take on another blacksmith tho. Rather just commission someone in Highwind for the work and be done with it.


And the obvious third option, Dannigan (at least for me) is autopiloting. I take it you don't do that? Assume temporary control over characters when their players are absent? I know what you are going to say, but I don't mean RP Bronze full time. Just the bare minimum, like have him forge the ore if it just comes down to a few dice rolls and a paragraph of text. It's not like you can RP him wrong during such minimal interaction. Feels a bit weird to suddenly pretend we have no blacksmith when moments ago the dude was right there and about to do his thing :/


And Sherwood I am not 100% sure but didn't they poof out of existence just before this chapter?
 
@killfire I'm sorry to hear your bad news, I enjoyed playing alongside you and Bronze! I hope that your current troubles are brief and that you return to us soon, fitter, happier and content!


Captain Hesperus
 
Also, I'm not worried about henchmen/minions and I'm not overly concerned about a central base of operations. Otiorin's a pretty 'easy come, easy go' person. With the making of stuff, I think I'd prefer to go visit a craftsman rather than hire one on long-term, though I do think that the prismalcum should be Bronze's baby. Maybe that could be the In Character reason for his T.S., once we reach Highwind he goes into deep collaboration with the smiths there, learning how to craft the dream ore.


Captain Hesperus
 
O.K. Incoming text in abundance... =)


Sherwood, the Daughters of Summertime are still with you (likely until the Wanderers reach Melshaef's Tree). They are currently hovering quietly and attentively around Mamapaw watching the Roundabout. Being as they're not Wanderers, they're not directly a part of the Roundabout. However, Luna is a forest-friend now, and can approach them on her own unlike before. =)


Cap'n, the player in me agrees wholeheartedly with the Dream Ore being Bronze's baby. Too cool of you to bring that up. =)


Wolf, I'm glad you like the idea of a stronghold. Talk about useful! Re: Auto-piloting. You are correct. And on that note...


@All, I am not comfortable RPing a player-character hence the idea of T.S. (or suspended animation). See spoiler #1 below for details. I'm with you, Wolf, in that it feels weird to suddenly have no blacksmith (no pretending he's not there; Bronze is gone), but that's part of playing D&D/Pathfinder. I agree that it's not realistic, and not nice to the characters (Bronze is a Wanderer after all). Bronze the character gains nothing, yet he also loses nothing while in T.S. (the only exception to this rule is RP points - I am not docking Killfire RP points; when Bronze returns, he'll have a like amount as the rest of you). Rules like Temporal Stasis call upon each of us to use our suspension of disbelief in a way that makes no sense at all, yet needs to be. Kaerri's retired character, Kitrin Kittenpaw, makes for kind of a good example.


Re: Bronze forging while his player is away. I feel it is unfair for the players to have the benefits of a player-less character (a character I won't let come to harm since he's in T.S.). Killfire let me know back when he started that something like this might happen to him so I am not entirely unprepared (just worried, 'cause Killfire is a beloved friend. *Mrph!*). Hence my bringing up another character who could forge for you until Bronze returns.


Why offer a Crafter? Because of what your characters have earned. The Wanderers are sitting on loads of high-grade steel, a pair of large-sized +2 metal clubs, "moar" Craven hides than you might know what to do with, and then some. (And times like these, I'm glad none of you are playing evil-aligned characters, if you get my meaning. =) ). Plus, there have been items folks have wanted made. Without a crafter, you guys have little choice but to wait until you reach Highwind. You're still way over a week away in game-time, and that presumes you take no side adventures or other detours. Real Life taking Killfire reduces these would-be treasures to naught. So what is a storyteller to do? On that note, see spoiler #2 below.


Please keep in mind that Real Life might keep Killfire out for months (and I must keep in mind that there is a small possibility The Fluffy One won't be back to play at all - as usual, time will tell).


Kaerri brought up the idea of her proxying Bronze (playing Bronze in Killfire's absence, with his permission, of course). I thought about this option deeply. In the short run, it looked like a good idea. But in the long run, I realized that Killfire might return to a Bronze who has experienced stories his player hasn't and, due to the length of time Killfire is likely to be gone, he might come back to a Bronze he doesn't know. Proxying someone else's character is terrific under the right circumstances, but I don't think this fits.

WAY back on page 11 of the Adventurers' Table... (6 August 2014) =)


Dannigan sez

Oh. And a little backstory on this rule involving a Vorpal Sword (that's a type of weapon that decapitates if you roll high enough on the die). =) When I first heard of D&D, it was through a player who was bummed about his last adventure. See, he proxied another player's very successful Dwarven character. This character, one the original player had been playing for years, had his own pegasus, his own long list of battlefield wins, and so forth. His weapon-of-all-weapons, a fabled Vorpal Sword!
Which the player I knew had just broken on that last adventure when he was playing the other guy's Dwarf.


The player I knew was sad about it, not just because he had rolled poorly and made a wrong decision or two, but because he had lost something precious to his Real Life buddy. And when the Real Life buddy had come back to the weekend game to play, he was furious. It had taken a long time to get that special sword. Adventures just to find the thing were long in the telling. And now it was gone forever.


In all the years I have gamed, I have never had this happen. And I am glad for that. Not to me or to any of the players in my games. And, good Lord as my witness, I sure hope it never happens to you guys. It's a lousy feeling (just ask either player).


And that's why I like to use "T.S.". I don't like playing your characters (I don't know them as well as you and I don't want them dying "on my watch"), and I sure as heck don't ever want you to come back from a Real Life intrusion into the game to find out your own "Vorpal Sword" is no more by someone else's hands. Bad enough if you happen to lose it by your own hands (ask Kaerri or myself sometime about "The Perilous", if you like).


Of course, if you guys want to handle this sort of thing in a different fashion, by all means, let me know. =)
Click to expand...
Kaerri followed with,

I had a favorite character almost die once while being played by someone else. If I remember correctly, that was the week we lost about half the party, though (my character did actually die, it just happened after I got home and took over). Dracoliches for the loss. :P
Click to expand...





Since this is definitely not the first time this sort of thing has happened in Sharseya, and because Killfire warned me that something like this came to pass, I had a crafter character ready to go to take Bronze's place (temporarily or permanently, but preferably the former!).


I don't mean to "sell" this guy to you; I just want you to know what I had in mind. Here are some facts on him:


1. He's not a henchmen or hireling, but very much a companion like the Meadowsweets and Stewart (none of whom will be asking for much out of the Wanderers' coffers, especially should you guys make it to having real financial success). I didn't feel it was right of you guys to have to pay for someone, so I was thinking this fellow might forge for you for safe passage to Highwind. At that point, you could keep him or give him farewell as you pleased.


2. He is battle-worthy, comes with his own gear, and can hold his own.


3. He is a blacksmith (and therefore mostly crafts arms, armor, tools, etc.). Bronze, by comparison, has wider range of skills to choose from.


4. He is of an alignment that fits well with the Wanderers.


Your thoughts?
 
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[QUOTE="Captain Hesperus]
Summon Monster I, which.... summons.... something?

[/QUOTE]
This sounds like the start of something interesting *rawrrr*


One way to find out, Cap'n ( ;) )


I'm still not hyped about a crafter NPC aboard, but at best case I'll be neutral towards it. Let the others decide.


I understand your reasoning about inactive players. Question, though. I thought we were pretending he's not there. As in, when Killfire stepped out Bronze popped out of existence and we are acting as if he was never here, but when Killfire returns then Bronze reappears and our characters act as if he was there all along. Is that not the way it works?
 
No, Kitrin's still with us, it's just she's taken a back seat. She likely takes turns driving a wagon along with Stewart and the Meadowsweets, then stays behind to guard the wagon while we go off and kill stuff and loot it.


Captain Hesperus
 
Edit to add: @Dannigan when I said Bronze goes to study in Highwind, I meant it in terms of 'the character goes somewhere safe to sit out a prolonged player absence', not 'Bronze becomes our portable, indestructible crafting machine, turning out top quality magic doo-dads from things we throw at him'.


Captain Hesperus
 
@Captain Hesperus (and anyone else). I didn't think you (or anyone) were thinking along those lines at all, friend. I've never felt you guys were ever trying to "pull a fast one" on me and that includes this fresh, new Bronze situation. You may have noticed that Sharseya has not been open to accepting new players from the start? All of you were effectively hand-picked for Sharseya as I felt (and still feel) I can trust you. Each one of you were at the top of my list (and still are). There's not a single asshole among us (well, there's Gerran but he's evil and on the wrong side. Heh). =)


Here on a text-based RP system, I can see where I might have come across wrong (I am still so very used to doing this in-person from across a gaming table). Fact is, I'm probably more worried about Killfire than maybe I should be. Maybe that's affecting my writing. *Sigh* If that's the case, I apologize.


To further possibly put my foot in my mouth ( =) ), I mean to say that I feel Player-Characters who are not actively being played should neither gain nor be put in harm's way. I.e. while Kitrin may technically be among the Wanderers, I would not have included her if, say, during the last battles, some of the ogres or Painless had gotten inside the Adventurers' Wagon. Why? It provides an unfair advantage against the monsters. This therefore affects game balance. Remember - most of what you can do, the monsters can too (Action Points are a rare exception).


Put another way (and I mean this theoretically), if you guys got to rely on a retired Kitrin and a T.S.ed Bronze to say, guard the caravan when you're not present, then sure - that's a fine luxury for the Wanderers to enjoy. You wouldn't have to worry about the caravan with those two at the ready. But should I not provide some equal element for the bad guys? Maybe attack the caravan when you're not there? Add more bad guys per encounter? I would rather not.


This is a hard argument to explain to players who naturally want to survive and win. Still, it is an approach that has served me (and my players) extremely well for a decade and a half (or more).


As for Bronze, I don't feel comfortable having Bronze learning about the very wonderful and hugely-rare Dream Ore when his player is in no way present. Why, you might ask? Because it means I am providing a very rare something for free when instead, special knowledge like this should be earned in-game. Dream Ore is among the most powerful crafting elements in my game. If Killfire comes back to play, in say, August, and Bronze is "suddenly" wiser concerning Dream Ore, it's not fair at all to Killfire (who completely misses out on the fun and experience of having earned it).


This may be an old-school approach to this situation, but long before I was an online storyteller, I was a Dungeon Master. In my experience, a campaign not carefully-balanced runs into trouble fast. Raise your hand if you've ever been in a Monty Haul campaign. *raises hand high and chuckles* =)


@Wolf Rawrrr You have the right of it. Still, Bronze is a twist for me. Killfire is playing a type of character I've never had before (a "non-combat" character). I figure Bronze is always present in non-combat situations and only present in combat situations if he says as much. Like when Bronze rushed to Mamapaw's aid toward the end of the Craven fight, he was all there. But you'll notice I didn't even have him on the Initiative roster until he mentioned it.
 
Well put, good Wolf! =)


 
Some notes on Otiorin...


During part one of the Roundabout (tactical), Otiorin mentioned,

"In combat, I tend to pair my Sneak Attack with a technique called Bleeding Attack, which rather than landing a deep blow...
Click to expand...
(bold mine)
If I may, Bleeding Attack stacks with Sneak Attack (see spoiler).

Bleeding Attack


Bleeding Attack (Ex)


Benefit: A rogue with this ability can cause living opponents to bleed by hitting them with a sneak attack. This attack causes the target to take 1 additional point of damage each round for each die of the rogue's sneak attack (e.g., 4d6 equals 4 points of bleed). Bleeding creatures take that amount of damage every round at the start of each of their turns. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal check or the application of any effect that heals hit point damage.


Special: Bleeding damage from this ability does not stack with itself. Bleeding damage bypasses any damage reduction the creature might possess.
Good post, Cap'n! Here are some passing thoughts on part two of Otiorin's Roundabout...


1. Cadoththa is a Cleric. Which deity does she serve (or do you want me to decide this and let you know)?


2. The history for Sir Mordenklein works very well (love the name of his "war-elk" too [they are called"Bounders" by Silverthronians]. "Athelstan" sounds like the name of a loyal steed and friend). =)


3. Re: Carenniel. "Her speciality is leatherwork and she has created things from saddles for dragon-riders to harnesses for great heroes." The only dragon-riders on all of Sharseya are the famous Gaelriders of Highwind. Even the gaels are "sub-dragons" (lesser dragons, and not "true" dragons like Sparkle or Koshianth). This history would tie Carenniel to Highwind in a favorable fashion for both parties, but I wonder how that might affect Otiorin...


4. The history for Maecon Icemane... Somehow, until you wrote about it, I hadn't considered a second dragon-blooded sorcerer (of any race) in the game. Still, I am confident can eventually make it work in Waterwind's history and society... However, Maecon and Otiorin are the only ones. There are no other dragon-blooded sorcerers in the game at this time or before. Any more and we begin to mess with things beyond the knowledge of the Wanderers (oh wait! We already are. But that's still fun at this point. =) ). Having a top-end dragon-blooded sorcerer in Waterwind... I don't think it would have been a good idea for this Maecon to have gone public with his draconic bloodline. I'll have to think on how a character like this could be.


5. .Tirladiel Planestrider. What a cool name, Cap'n! =) "She is a master Wizard..." O.K. Here's something Otiorin would know: The character Otiorin is describing is no master wizard (they usually can't pop planes, for example), but an archmage. There are only a handful of these true badassess alive in Sharseya's current timeline, though once, long ago, there were many more. "She retired back home after losing a leg in combat with a Balor Lord..." Balors in this campaign are just as bad as the Pathfinder books detail and then some. These have been sighted on Sharseya, but Balor Lords are a different story. They have never been seen on Sharseya (at least in Otiorin's area), so this battle probably took place in Hell itself (where the Balor Lord could be killed permanently - something quite worthy of an archmage and a silver dragon). The only issue I see with this is that both archmagi and elder demons typically have terrific memories. Memories they sometimes hand down to their kin... To sometimes include the kin of their enemies... Time will tell how that goes... =)
 
So, who is this and what have you done to our Wolf? =)
 
Well here we are, good news is a plan of attack is in place. I'm going to try and stay active in the forum and game, but there may be days to weeks when I'm not posting. Does that sound like something workable?
 
Sure! After our conversation, all I can say is, "Take it a day a time." =)


 
As quickly as he went in, Bronze is out of T.S. =)
 
Good luck with whatever is going on, good Wolf.


 
@killfire Maybe Bronze might want to ask Mamapaw what types of weapons she is able to use? In Pathfinder, characters can wield any weapon, but each class is proficient in certain weapons. The same goes for armor. Bronze would know this (being an adventuring rogue). If Bronze makes her something her class can use, then she is set to go. =)


 
Killfire: Actually... you've had a rough week. Have a freebie: Mamapaw/Sabrefang is a Druid. They are not allowed to wear metal armor or use metal shields (due to their bond with nature). Please see the following (and Bronze knows this in-character):

Pathfinder Druid


Druids are proficient with the following weapons: club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, scimitar, scythe, sickle, shortspear, sling, and spear. They are also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite, and so forth) of any form they assume with wild shape (see below).


Druids are proficient with light and medium armor but are prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, they may wear only padded, leather, or hide armor. A druid may also wear wooden armor that has been altered by the ironwood spell so that it functions as though it were steel. Druids are proficient with shields (except tower shields) but must use only wooden ones.


A druid who wears prohibited armor or uses a prohibited shield is unable to cast druid spells or use any of her supernatural or spell-like class abilities while doing so and for 24 hours thereafter.
 
I remember seeing a post that the destruction of the elves was caused by a half-Drow, but I don't remember if that information was shared with the rest of the party. I don't want Luna to comment on that if it wasn't shared.
 
Yes, Luna knows that in-character. That was shared by Bren to the rest of the Wanderers before you rescued Mamapaw. Bren was trying to spread the word to the Daughters of Summertime (who, upon learning that, desired to spread the word to everyone they could).


 
Heya friends! I've been reading through the early issues of Dragon Magazine and I just wanted to share a gem of a letter (and editor's reply) from Dragon Magazine written back in September of 1982 (in the spoiler below). This letter and its reply make me so very happy to see just how far D&D (and roleplaying in general) have come through the years! Reading this inspires me to share the following with you guys. =)


When I had just become a teenager, a guy I knew was moving away. He had this big stack of 1st Edition Dungeons and Dragons books, modules, along with dice and paints and he badly needed $50.00 USD. I asked my mother for it. She realized I really wanted this. So, she gave me the $50 (thanks, Mom!) and I gave it to the guy. The guy moved away and left me with a "wizard's trove" of imagination that changed my life for the better.


When I first started to play D&D (heck, before I even met Sherwood and Killfire! Wow, that goes back!), I remember inviting buddies of mine to play. Since I knew the most, I was the Dungeon Master. Most of my buddies saw the game to be what it was - an imaginative, harmless, and fun way to be creative together. Their parents were cool with it. And my mother certainly was (hey, what better and more harmless way to keep a creative, hyperactive, ADHD kid occupied and happy?). However, one of the buddies I invited (I believe his name was Cliff) wasn't allowed to join us. When his a-little-too-religious parents found out that his friends were all having fun playing this D&D thing, they banned him from spending time with us. They also had him pass along a religious pamphlet to me.


It read, basically, that D&D not only promoted acts of evil, but that D&D took its players away from God and the church. Of course, there were several lines quoted from the Bible that supposedly condemned roleplaying altogether. And one line I'll never forget: "All they want is your money." Yet, when I flipped to the back of the pamphlet, there they were asking for donations ranging from $500 - $1,500 USD. To a teenager like me, that was asking for a fortune. I know that part wasn't aimed at me, but still, I couldn't help but think, Jeez-Louise! You know how many gaming materials I could buy with that money? =)


If all the roleplaying game makers out there wanted was my money, then why put such imagination, hard work, and time into the game? Why promote the hobby and lifestyle and do what fantasy literature had been doing for years? Were great fantasy writers like Howard, Anthony, McCaffrey, and Tolkien also just out to empty my wallet?


I thought they created fantasy for the same reason I enjoy gaming - for the sheer love of it.


So here we are, way past those years when this Dragon Magazine article was written; here in the 21st century, where roleplaying is alive and well and very much here to stay. And, thanks be to God, most people understand it for what it is. A game. A hobby. Something to put our creative souls into and share with other like-minded people. We're not out to hurt anyone, we're just out to express our inner geek together. We want something "moar" than our Real Lives will allow and we want someone cool to roll the dice with. Together, we create good times and great memories through our roleplaying. And if anything, roleplaying all these years has brought me closer to God, as I see roleplaying as a form of love, or at least the practice of it. Wouldn't our lives be a bit more lonely without it?


I am so glad the gaming industry and its fans have come as far as they have. I began life as an adult as a gamer and, as God as my witness, I'll happily die as one. This is one hobby I am glad I came to early in life. Game on!


Honor and fun,


Dann =)


P.S. And yes, I still have those gaming books, dice, and modules (though the paint is long gone). Thanks again, Mom! I love you. =)

Dear Editor:


I have been playing D&D and AD&D for three and a half years. I have found it very enjoyable and interesting, and also quite harmless.


Yet I am constantly reading articles by people who claim that D&D gets kids into demonics, lowers their respect for life, and is antireligious. Some of these people claim to have played D&D. One man said he was going to raise money through donations and “buy as many copies of the game as I can and then burn them.” In some schools D&D has been prohibited.


Why is it that people can’t see that D&D is just a game, and one of the best games around?


Nels Bruckner


Jasper, Ore.


Nels’ letter is one of many on this subject that we’ve received over the past year or so, and it asks the same question we’ve asked: Why, indeed, can’t these people see that the D&D® and AD&D™ games are just games? Games that are meant as diversions, games that are meant to be fun, but games. Nothing more — and nothing less. What’s wrong with playing a game?


We’re sure you’ve all seen the stories in newspapers and magazines and on television. (Our critics are good at getting attention in the media, and this issue makes for sensational headlines.) Basically, those who criticize our games say they somehow promote violence and evil, devil-worship and the occult,


that they’re so popular that many people spend lots of time playing them. Well, that last accusation may be true: many thousands of people do spend a lot of time playing the D&D and AD&D games. Just as many other people spend a lot of time playing baseball or golf or tennis or watching television. Any hobby presumably carries the potential for being too absorbing and time consuming. But that doesn’t mean all hobbies should be banned, does it?


As for the other observations made by certain self-appointed critics . . .


“The D&D game encourages violence and glamorizes evil” — Nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, there are evil monsters and characters; otherwise there wouldn’t be anything for the forces of good to defeat. Any Dungeon Master who uses the game rules in the manner they were intended to be used — and any player in that DM’s campaign — will get the message loud and clear: It pays to be good. The most successful and longest lived characters are those who disdain evil


and work together, cooperating to defeat mutual foes. And, as we’ve said many times in these pages, the most interesting campaigns are those that challenge players to use their wits to conquer their foes. “Hack ’n’ slash” campaigns exist, but neither this magazine nor this company encourage such behavior.


“The D&D game promotes devil-worship and the occult” — Only someone who takes the game materials totally out of context could make this statement (and sadly, that’s exactly what some of our critics do). Sure, demons and devils can be found in the games — along with many other monsters and creatures,


all on paper, as numbers and statistics, for one purpose and one purpose alone: to give the players something to battle against. They add flavor to the game, which, our critics fail to remember, takes place in a fictional world of heroic fantasy.


In this world, as in the many worlds described in the great works of fantasy literature, there are “gods” that can play a role in the lives of the mortals who make up the world. In this world, magic exists. But anyone who attempts to make more of it than that, has simply not bothered to read the rule books. The D&D and AD&D games don’t encourage evil, etc., any more than the MONOPOLY game causes its players to become ruthless real-estate barons who evict widows and orphans.


Nobody who wins a MONOPOLY game is deluded into thinking they can go out and spend all that lovely play money, are they?


Certainly, in our democracy, our critics are entitled to their views. But so are we. And if you know someone who has received an incorrect impression of our hobby, you don’t have to let that misconception continue. Invite that person to roll up a character and see what the games are all about. We think that’s the best argument anyone could make for the hobby.


And, try to remember how the games are intended to be played. We can’t keep anyone from playing the game in an improper fashion, but we hope your characters and campaigns will always live up to the standards we try to maintain. — KM (Kim Mohan)
 
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