How do you politely say...

[subplotkudzu]

 Over the last few days I've been dipping in to the first edition DMG to remind myself of what the game was really like. I had intended to post some comments on the how DMing theory had changed over the last three decades. I may yet, but first, I have to comment on this: 

http://www.slate.com/id/2186203/

Now I'm trying to find a polite way to tell the author that, with his points had been debated to death decades ago and "hurting bad fun" condescension, his best course of action is to go f*** himself. 

"The problem with D&D is that it plays like a video game?" No, the problem with video games is that they play like the weakest, least innovative sort of D&D - which is not the sort of D&D that Gygax played, or really that anyone else plays either. 

"More importantly, characters in this new system [GURPS] could be fleshed out down to the smallest detail, from a crippling phobia of snakes to a severe food allergy." Funny, I played D&D characters with a fear of snakes too, and the system didn't have to bribe me to do it by saying that having a fear of snakes gave me the points to be a better archaeologist. I just decided the character was afraid of snakes. And without D&D, GURPS would be non-existent. The creators who you mention whose works "far outclassed" Gygax have been writing eulogies to him, which makes it clear they understand all gamers debt to the original D&D concepts, even if this writer doesn't 

Pisses me off.

Comments

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

(I confess I tend to focus overmuch on callers, because it was and still is such a "WTF?" convention to me - none of my groups ever used them. Or weapon speed or AC modifiers ... O NOES we're DOIN IT WRONG!)

[brianrogers.livejournal.com]

My groups didn't use them either, but we also a)didn't come from a wargaming background and b) were more willing to engage in pointless "you said you did this" "No I didn't" arguments in the 5th grade. I can easily see how more adult players with a more formalized mindset would see the presence of a "first among equals" player giving the final description of actions to the GM could be a benefit.

Memory does not serve is callers are described in the Red and Blue box D&D sets, and alas I no longer have my copies.