I have resisted adopting ascending Armor Class due solely to my own observations of the evolution of Dungeons and Dragons. In short, "to hit" starts as a number line (Basic¹) then becomes a set of tables hidden in the Dungeon Master's Guide (AD&D), then THAC0 (2E), bonus numbers on a class chart (3E) and finally class based advantages "to hit" disappear (4E and greater). From 4E onward fighters get quasi-magical powers that make them more difficult to play than in previous editions. I consider this bad game design because it increases the complexity of the once simple entry level class and thus raises the barrier to entry for new or casual gamers.

My first instinct while I was writing the last was to create games that allow me to both play test rules and develop parts of the setting through running games. This development is not merely geographic but also temporal. I think giving the players the chance to learn about the setting through time and space will give them cross campaign insights. For my part it gives me the opportunity to find the place and time in which they'll have the most fun.

My first instinct while I was writing the last was to create games that allow me to both play test rules and develop parts of the setting through running games. This development is not merely geographic but also temporal. I think giving the players the chance to learn about the setting through time and space will give them cross campaign insights. For my part it gives me the opportunity to find the place and time in which they'll have the most fun.

I've been working in fits and starts to prepare good old "T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil" for my next game. I reasoned a while back that preparing a game in the "World of Greyhawk" would be both rewarding and less difficult than writing my own game. And yet I can't shake the nagging feeling that I should be working on my own setting.

Since the end of my last game I've been thinking a lot about the pace of combat, sessions and campaigns. Wile I strongly prefer sandbox style games where outcomes are dictated solely by player choice I'm slowly warming the the idea that taking some responsibility for tempo is important to better myself as a DM.