tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7552783300752163646.post8643019945710782277..comments2024-03-27T09:09:18.183-04:00Comments on The Wasted Lands: Reading Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Part 6The Grey Elfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14696474020129732936noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7552783300752163646.post-24966455180937962332011-05-03T20:37:00.970-04:002011-05-03T20:37:00.970-04:00@DuBeers: I should clarify--I was being somewhat f...@DuBeers: I should clarify--I was being somewhat facetious with the use of "high handedness." I've always been rather a defender of Gygax, and a proponent of the idea that people (sometimes deliberately and almost maliciously) take him out of context all the time.The Grey Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14696474020129732936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7552783300752163646.post-68513678239062393312011-05-03T11:50:33.468-04:002011-05-03T11:50:33.468-04:00I remember reading in Dragon years ago that while ...I remember reading in Dragon years ago that while AD&D strictly forbade the use of Monsters as Characters, but D&D didn't always struck me as odd since I had no idea where it all came from. Now I see.<br /><br />Frankly I have never been interested in playing non-human races. The furthest I get is the occasional elf. I just like humans more I guess.Timothy S. Brannanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02923526503305233715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7552783300752163646.post-19149061082427500022011-05-03T09:56:16.934-04:002011-05-03T09:56:16.934-04:00He wrote the first bit when there was barely a D&a...He wrote the first bit when there was barely a D&D game and it had little history behind it. After playing and running games for a while he came to the accurate conclusion that many players wanting to play monsters see doing so as a great advantage. <br /><br />It was from this perspective he wrote the second bit. It did not strike me as high-handed at all.Piperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12770517741281593733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7552783300752163646.post-12764204548234989972011-05-03T08:01:57.423-04:002011-05-03T08:01:57.423-04:00I don't think it was an effort to curb munchki...I don't think it was an effort to curb munchkinism as much as an effort to codify the rules more. Remember, AD&D was designed for tournament and convention play. Limiting PC races to those in the book made sure that everyone's characters were equivalent when a bunch of strangers met at a con to play the game.The Grey Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14696474020129732936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7552783300752163646.post-48354407104428498772011-05-03T02:40:02.861-04:002011-05-03T02:40:02.861-04:00I've always felt that a few more PC races can ...I've always felt that a few more PC races can be an interesting thing to have. For example, in the Elder Scrolls computer game series (which was based on the creators' own D&D games), you can play a cat-person, a lizard-humanoid, an orc, elves or various types of humans. Why not? And yes, I understand the difference between a computer game and an RPG, but fantasy fiction is full of differences from the norm. I'd rather find out what happens inside the mind of a lizard man (of a type whose intelligence is not limited) rather than the millionth book with elves and dwarves. <br /><br />When I read Men & Magic, and the Holmes blue book, I was struck by the different tone. They seemed to indicate that it would be cool to see different races played. Maybe Gygax had seen too much munchkinism and was trying to put a stop to it? You can put all the rules you want to in a game for game balance -- I met more than one who would find a loophole and use it, or just made complete asses of themselves until they got their way...Eric R. Wirsinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com