squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
EOTB has been extremely helpful explaining practical work-around(s) for some of 1e's stickier issue, and never over-reaches with advise. The misconception (which you are constantly pushing) is that the system is unplayable and needs to be fixed. This is simply not the case.When I defend 4e, I accept, and sometimes even point out, valid criticisms. It is your treatment of the 1e core books as interpreted by you as scripture that drives me bananas.
Why do you want EOTB to admit AD&D "fails" in some way shape or form so earnestly? It comes off as a self-serving justification for abandoning 1e for later editions (which is what you personally decided to do) or else proving it requires heavy DIY adjustments as justification for opening Pandora's Box 'O Mods (e.g. Mechanics Cross-Pollination)---which again is a false conclusion. The system is playable as-is "even if thou likest it not"....and even is preferred by some folks of a certain mind-set (e.g. K&KA, Huso, BG, etc.). So, why is it important to you that this empirically-backed truth be publicly acknowledges as false? Does it irk you that the Pope won't go on TV and discount the parts of the Bible you don't like?
Just because you are magnanimous about 4e's problems doesn't require the rest of the world to behave as you chosen. That's a fallacy at the heart of many of the world's ideologies that gets us all into hot water. EOTB has never said AD&D is optimal---just that it works for what he wants it to do. Every time someone points out "It doesn't do X" he just responds, "I don't really need it to do X"---which in turn leads to this weird defensiveness of "What's wrong with X?!?".
Understanding the way he (or someone like Prince, or even someone like you) communicates without antipathy is at the heart of getting along with others. "That's just EOTB's way" is the kind of community spirit I find in short supply on the internet, but seems far more common face-to-face. (It is, of course, different when someone starts to target you as their punching-bag---no one should have to tolerate an ounce of that.)
Just please don't bad-mouth someone whom has been (to me) a genuine mensch. It's hard to ignore.
I'm on a whole "minimalist" trip right now. Rather than constantly trying to adjust D&D to be what I want, I'm trying to adjust my DMing to harmonize with the system I've chosen (AD&D). It's a mental inversion I've found (ironically) liberating. I'm not fighting the tide, I'm surfing it. Join me on the experience, or don't---your choice....doesn't really matter. I write posts here about what I've discovered because I've gotten some positive feedback indicating they are some others out there for whom my hobby-rediscovery resonates AND because folks have helped me course-correct. If and when that stops, I'll stop too (no doubt!). I've learned that my style of play has long-since fallen out of fashion---so maybe my efforts are just archival in nature: a testament to the fact that the old-school style can work too (if your head and all-the-supporting-pieces are in a certain place).
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