ExTSR

4,214 reputation

631

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	location	United States
	age	63
visits	member for	2 years, 9 months
	seen	Dec 24 '12 at 4:04
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Roleplaying author best known in the 1980s (over 25 million copies sold). Former active contributor on this site. Received "Top User Swag Package" from StackExchange.

Haven't been here much lately. I have plenty of RPG websites to visit, and this site is actively hostile to old-school gamers (including me). Moderators encourage it and even participate in the abuse. Example: One moderator refuses to rephrase his question: "In most RPGs, PCs become inured to murder..." Not in my 35 years of experience, sonny. That's like saying 'this banana is rotten so all bananas are rotten.' (And there's lots more negativity around here, and very few old school questions.)

To add insult to injury (literally), I was publicly derided/insulted by Community Coordinator Josh Heyer (aka Shog9), in blatant violation of the alleged policy (link below).

http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2009/05/a-theory-of-moderation/

::shrug:: I don't need the abuse. Look me up on other sites (user name ExTSR almost everywhere).

	4,214 reputation	bio	website		visits	member for	2 years, 9 months
631 badges		location	United States		seen	Dec 24 '12 at 4:04

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61 Comments

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Feb 14	comment	In early D&D, why would chainmail ever be preferred over plate armor? +1, and the roleplaying consequences are oft glossed-over
Feb 12	comment	Good Single Word Instruction for “Command” Spell Interesting. So do you think the word would be commonly known by, say, orcs or goblins?
Feb 11	comment	Good Single Word Instruction for “Command” Spell If the setting has never had a Pope/Pontiff, however, that term is inapplicable.
Feb 11	comment	In early D&D, why would chainmail ever be preferred over plate armor? No such thing? Sure there is, it's right there in the book. Praps you're confusing the game with reality...
Feb 11	comment	Can AD&D Thieves Wear Studded Leather Armour? Sorry, there's no "armor check" in 1e.
Feb 9	comment	In early D&D, why would chainmail ever be preferred over plate armor? Ah, I remember that well. And then carrying back every bit of everything you could find, trying to sell old junky goblin swords just so you could buy a bow...
Feb 8	comment	Was Original D&D an Historical Wargame? There was indeed a great deal of compromise for playability, and Gary's Swiss historical bias shows. But imo you make too much of a word choice (re plate mail) by a writer who invented and reapplied lots of other words too.
Feb 8	comment	Was Original D&D an Historical Wargame? Good grasp of history as usual...
Feb 6	comment	As a DM is it better to focus fire on defenders or on a weaker target? Absolutely. Ditto if the party has become Infamous ;> and/or if they've been researched (like by the Guild you cite). As I say tho, in most cases that isn't so. With good DMing, the differences in uptake (how fast the monsters assess PC assets) may be an important party clue.
Feb 2	comment	House Rules for AD&D Character Generation (1e+) @PatLudwig: btb, yep they get % if Ftr/sub. With 75 total that means dumpstats lol... No prob tho, imho it gets them into more trouble/combats via arrogance, self-balancing. ;>
Feb 2	comment	In early D&D, why would chainmail ever be preferred over plate armor? @MattJoiner: As you like it. My answer is my pov on the rules I wrote.
Feb 1	comment	In early D&D, why would chainmail ever be preferred over plate armor? @aramis: Read the checked answer; it's all OD&D/sups, not Moldvay/Mentzer. Okay then, what do you do when the chosen answer isn't related to (and doesn't answer) the question?
Feb 1	comment	In early D&D, why would chainmail ever be preferred over plate armor? Replaced OD&D tag since Selected answer is OD&D-specific (Original + Greyhawk sup.)
Feb 1	comment	Is the rulebook to the Zero RPG still in print? Gotta wonder whether yes/no questions (for fast points) are appropriate. :/
Jan 29	comment	What are the differences between Holmes, Moldvay, and Mentzer D&D? The chits version was an attempt by certain management (Blumes) to decrease costs, which obviously backfired severely.
Jan 29	comment	In early D&D, why would chainmail ever be preferred over plate armor? Low-level adventurers do often prefer to invest that encumbrance in protection. So why would chain ever be preferred, as you asked? Whenever versatility outweighs a minor AC difference (or when your game isn't mostly combat).
Jan 29	comment	Is there any popular contemporary “classic” D&D material? And the RC (BECM+) is the only time the entire D&D game was in a single volume.
Jan 28	comment	What non-RPG hobbies are complementary to the RPG addiction? See "Jumpers", a multigenre RPG written by a vocal coach and cast member.
Jan 28	comment	Is there a significant market for collector's versions of role-playing paraphernalia? ...and the Collectible (and semi-) sessions are each evening, the rarest & best being on Friday (so deep-pocket buyers have covered their most-wanteds, leaving Saturday to plan purchases within their remaining budgets.)
Jan 20	comment	Does color spray affect undead? Don't just omit that part; a single creature with HD equal to or greater than the caster can be affected. (Got that direct from Gary, but it was never official corrigenda, alas.)