TOPIC: Could 2009 be the year of reprint?

I think thats the one thing that everyone else wants to see, and honestly Nightmare really rectifies the AC creep issue because the stronger monsters had an incredible To Hit bonus.  For those that are going to say that it really isn't an answer its your choice whether you choose to challenge yourself or just want a cake walk through the dungeon.

<br />You obviously weren't using your rope +1 like we were.<br />

<br /><br />I am sooo tempted to post something lascivious about getting a "Rope of Entanglement" in the next series of tokens... but I won't.  =D<br />

<br />I think thats the one thing that everyone else wants to see, and honestly Nightmare really rectifies the AC creep issue because the stronger monsters had an incredible To Hit bonus.  For those that are going to say that it really isn't an answer its your choice whether you choose to challenge yourself or just want a cake walk through the dungeon.<br />

<br /><br />The mindslayer even bypassed armor (at least that's what our DM told us).  The DM rolled a fairly low number to hit me and said I was hit without even looking at the party card, and I asked if he was sure that hit since I had a 28 AC, and he said it was a Magical Attack and AC didn't help, and that I'd chosen to play Nightmare so I'd better suck it up (one of the only minor flaws in an otherwise excellent performance by all DM's we had). 

I don't know about that Mike, but I do know that even with 28 there was a possibility that he could hit you if the DM rolled on the high side.

<br />Ummm. Then how did the rope/twine penetrate the dome?<br />

<br /><br />It was a test - and thusly, the magic of the dome only allowed a few items to pass through.<br /><br />Again, to quote a wizard that I know "It's magic!"

<br />I don't know about that Mike, but I do know that even with 28 there was a possibility that he could hit you if the DM rolled on the high side.<br />

<br /><br />The role wasn't high at all - I suspected the DM was blowing smoke at me when he said I was hit (for 16 damage). 

<br />For a gamer you have a really limited imagination!

  You're joking, right?  You're saying that it takes an imagination to nerf a dungeon?  If the only way someone can make an awesome room is to nerf the game then that person is the one with the lack of an imagination.  It actually takes an imagination to design awesome rooms without having to constantly nerf the resources available to the players.<br /><br />

I'm saying, if you design an AWESOME room, but an existing token that is not part of the planned solution screws with it - you build into the design the "factor X" and force people to come up with the solution you had invisioned...<br /><br />There is absolutely no difference in putting string up the next day - over building in "factor X" to nerf the easy solution.  Players who begrudge that over not being able to think out the correct solution have only their limited imagination to blame.<br /><br /> <br />

  A good DM doesn't need to nerf the players, especially when he is nerfing them over something that he allowed the group to get.  Why even give, for example, a fly token if you're going to constantly negate it and if the only place you can ever use it is someplace where it isn't needed (such as the room with the sleeping giant)?  Sure, nerfing a token once in a while is fine but if the only way you can design a cool room is by nerfing tokens then THAT is a sure sign of a lack of an imaginatin.  The simple fact is that there will always be situations where a group of players will somehow spoil one of their DM's carefully prepared encounters.  Good DM's accept that.  Bad DM's seek to prevent that from ever happening.<br /><br />And there is also a world of difference between correcting an unforseen flaw in a puzzle you designed and with arbitrarily deciding to nerf some specific tokens due to a lack of an imagination.

<br />I am sooo tempted to post something lascivious about getting a "Rope of Entanglement" in the next series of tokens... but I won't.  =D<br /> <br />

  Rope of Entanglement would be a great replacement for Tanglefoot, just as Tanglefoot made a nice replacement for Weighted Net.

<br />The role wasn't high at all - I suspected the DM was blowing smoke at me when he said I was hit (for 16 damage).  <br />

<br /><br />Did you sleep with his girlfriend?

<br />

<br />For a gamer you have a really limited imagination!

  You're joking, right?  You're saying that it takes an imagination to nerf a dungeon?  If the only way someone can make an awesome room is to nerf the game then that person is the one with the lack of an imagination.  It actually takes an imagination to design awesome rooms without having to constantly nerf the resources available to the players.<br />

<br /><br />Of course I am!  But what I am saying is that creativity can make the party work harder...like fighting a Green Slime with immunity to fire (due to having recently consumed an adventurer with a Ring of Fire Res on!)  Hey things like this make the game more challenging and interesting...had the Shambler in 2007 been able to touch a wall panel and discharge a lightning bolt hitting everyone in the room (including the monster to HEAL it) well that room would have been a NIGHTMARE to say the least!<br /><br />Nerfing something is cool in my opinion - I guess you are of the opposite opinion. I'm not saying something like - make a pool of water in a Stirge room and make it not deep enough to drown the little buggers...I'm saying make an obvious solution either not work or have nil effects.  Sort of the Outsider room principle.<br /><br />

<br />

I'm saying, if you design an AWESOME room, but an existing token that is not part of the planned solution screws with it - you build into the design the "factor X" and force people to come up with the solution you had invisioned...<br /><br />There is absolutely no difference in putting string up the next day - over building in "factor X" to nerf the easy solution.  Players who begrudge that over not being able to think out the correct solution have only their limited imagination to blame.<br /><br /> <br />

  A good DM doesn't need to nerf the players, especially when he is nerfing them over something that he allowed the group to get.  Why even give, for example, a fly token if you're going to constantly negate it and if the only place you can ever use it is someplace where it isn't needed (such as the room with the sleeping giant)?  Sure, nerfing a token once in a while is fine but if the only way you can design a cool room is by nerfing tokens then THAT is a sure sign of a lack of an imaginatin.  The simple fact is that there will always be situations where a group of players will somehow spoil one of their DM's carefully prepared encounters.  Good DM's accept that.  Bad DM's seek to prevent that from ever happening.<br /><br />And there is also a world of difference between correcting an unforseen flaw in a puzzle you designed and with arbitrarily deciding to nerf some specific tokens due to a lack of an imagination.<br />

<br /><br />hmmm - I have problems with that logic - I mean if you follow that through to conclusion, you would have 50th level chars and not a challenge along the way - right?  I might be looking at your thoughts wrong...but personally, when I ran a campaign, I threw every challenge I could think of at a group, and if I thought a pre-written module was too lax, well I threw some custom curves (nerfs) in to really mess with the creative solutions the party could come up with!<br /><br />I think some of the best modules ever written had counter "the expected solution" action(s) in effect.  <br /><br />CHARS with Alignment masking (so they could not be detected as spies or assassins), monsters with X weakness, but under the effect of a magic item that took that right out of the equation...etc.<br /><br />Oh well, lots of different tastes in the gaming world!

<br />hmmm - I have problems with that logic - I mean if you follow that through to conclusion, you would have 50th level chars and not a challenge along the way - right?  I might be looking at your thoughts wrong...but personally, when I ran a campaign, I threw every challenge I could think of at a group, and if I thought a pre-written module was too lax, well I threw some custom curves (nerfs) in to really mess with the creative solutions the party could come up with!<br /><br />

  I wasn't saying that there shouldn't be a challenge for the group, nor did I say that the DM shouldn't even try to challenge the group.  My point was that every once in a while all of your carefully laid plans will be tossed out the window by your group, and a DM has to learn to accept that.  A DM does have to plan adventures using metaknowledge on what equipment they have so as to make the adventure challenging, but to me it is an unimaginative cop out to constantly nerf the equipment and abilities of the group in order to make an encounter awesome.  It takes a much more creative and imaginative DM to prepare awesome encounters that don't nerf the equipment and abilities of the group.  <br /><br />And in regards to True Dungeon, the fly token is still a good example.  If every time there is a room where the token could be used there is something that prevents it from being used (anti-fly magic, strong winds, etc.) then that is just wrong in my opinion.  The fact exists that certain tokesn exist that could easily bypass the intended solution to a room.  If those tokens are one-shots and are rare or ultra-rare, then so what?  Let the people who have those tokens use those tokens.  To constantly and repeatedly deny them the opportunity to ever use those tokens is just wrong.  Why were the tokens given out if they are constantly negated by some factor of the dungeon?  I'm not saying that they should never be negated, only that they should never be repeatedly negated.

FLY wouldn't have had a big affect this year - all it could have done is allowed more party members to attack the mind flayer with melee weapons.<br />