Aug 27, 2022·edited Aug 27, 2022Liked by Brian Scott Pauls
Excellent observations, great writing. We get a short story, plus book review and gaming tips who could ask for more! I do enjoy this book as well.
I agree as a kid I was baffled, like all elves are the same? dwarves the same? Humans didn't really have any special powers so I guess that's why they seemed less the same also they could be anything they want. A strange nuance, as a kid I didn't understand. But it helps understand why fictionally the human race took over the world more predominantly than the other races, maybe they're just more adaptable to their surroundings. And that's why the other races were in lower numbers? Elves never really leaving their forests and dwarves never really leave their Mountain strongholds. Separating class from race frees the races to be more adaptable and prominent throughout the world as well as I see it.
In my opinion, both Race as Class and Race and Class are valid design options. One provides prebuilt options, the other a varying amount of customization. Each are good ways to play.
Like you, I cut my teeth on race as class (the Red Book) and didn't think anything of it until I moved to 2E, after which I couldn't unsee the problems.
It wasn't until I got into DCC 20 years later that I learned to love it, and now I kind of prefer the simplicity. I'm running OSE right now and have elected to stick with the classic rules for now, partly for this reason.
Life is a circle, I guess. Great newsletter btw. 🤓
Great breakdown. Thanks for turning me on to the book. Jeff Johnson (Uriel) did the same thing with an excel spreadsheet program.
Your observation that WotC would of course cook system mastery into their versions of D is something that’s obvious - now that you’ve pointed it out. Now that I’ve seen it, I won’t be able to unsee it. Bravo.
Damn, a $10 PDF... might wait that one out even if it sounds like something I'd like to sit down with. I like what Bruce Herd has up on his blog as far as tinkering around with how things work and redesign of the classes and that in the Gaz series. It looks interesting but I'll have to wait on this one, thanks for the review!
Excellent observations, great writing. We get a short story, plus book review and gaming tips who could ask for more! I do enjoy this book as well.
I agree as a kid I was baffled, like all elves are the same? dwarves the same? Humans didn't really have any special powers so I guess that's why they seemed less the same also they could be anything they want. A strange nuance, as a kid I didn't understand. But it helps understand why fictionally the human race took over the world more predominantly than the other races, maybe they're just more adaptable to their surroundings. And that's why the other races were in lower numbers? Elves never really leaving their forests and dwarves never really leave their Mountain strongholds. Separating class from race frees the races to be more adaptable and prominent throughout the world as well as I see it.
This is what I've done... I've even got my son and his friends into bx from 5th edition because I've shown them how to create new race classes.
In my opinion, both Race as Class and Race and Class are valid design options. One provides prebuilt options, the other a varying amount of customization. Each are good ways to play.
Corrected “The Welsch Piper” to “The Welsh Piper”.
Like you, I cut my teeth on race as class (the Red Book) and didn't think anything of it until I moved to 2E, after which I couldn't unsee the problems.
It wasn't until I got into DCC 20 years later that I learned to love it, and now I kind of prefer the simplicity. I'm running OSE right now and have elected to stick with the classic rules for now, partly for this reason.
Life is a circle, I guess. Great newsletter btw. 🤓
Great breakdown. Thanks for turning me on to the book. Jeff Johnson (Uriel) did the same thing with an excel spreadsheet program.
Your observation that WotC would of course cook system mastery into their versions of D is something that’s obvious - now that you’ve pointed it out. Now that I’ve seen it, I won’t be able to unsee it. Bravo.
Find me at https://henchmenmolotovs.blogspot.com/?m=0
Damn, a $10 PDF... might wait that one out even if it sounds like something I'd like to sit down with. I like what Bruce Herd has up on his blog as far as tinkering around with how things work and redesign of the classes and that in the Gaz series. It looks interesting but I'll have to wait on this one, thanks for the review!