JoshuaSorenson

Double post

Gamers have this weird tribalistic thing where they have to shit on versions of D&D that they don't play, rather than just accepting that other people DO enjoy it. Games are strictly for entertainment. If you and yours have fun with 4E, 5E, Dungeon World, Cards Against Humanity, whatever then more power to you.

I read up on this movie when I first heard about it, and decide not to watch it (especially if I have to pay for it). It's just too ridiculous; no Professor at a state university would get away with harassing students based on their religious beliefs. The kid wouldn't have to engage in a semester long debate with Hercules (who acts like a mustache-twirling cereal box villain in the trailers); he just has to visit the Dean and file a grievance. It's also ridiculous that everyone with an opposed viewpoint is apparently portrayed as a vile monster. A movie about faith in the face of tragedy or adversity could make a compelling film, even for a non-believer like myself. But constructing a saturday morning cartoon reality where the relationship between atheists and christians has as much depth and nuance as Cobra vs. G.I. Joe just comes off as blatant propaganda. Of note, this movie has a 17% critic's score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 81% audience score. Talk about playing to your audience.

At one point, Mark Ruffalo shoots his gun at a fleeing Jesse Eisenberg, only to have it deflected by French Interpol agent at the last possible second. That means his plan relied on her deciding to do just that at the exact right time. And didn't Dave Franco die while fleeing FROM Mark Ruffalo? Given the twist that he was the mastermind behind the whole thing, the actions of Mark Ruffalo's character make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why bother doggedly pursuing the four horseman and risk disrupting the plan when he could have just fucked off behind his desk the entire time? Did he go through graduate school and the academy at Quantico just for the sake of this plan? This movie was garbage.

I like a lot of the ideas behind D&D5: Bounded accuracy and the proficiency bonus Advantage/Disadvantage New and improved meatier feats Concentration rules for magic Traits, Bonds, Flaws and Inspiration Backgrounds Races/Subraces Class design is a little underwhelming. Monster design makes no sense: a CR2 Intellect Devourer is scary shit for a party of any level, but a CR18 Pit Fiend is just a brute that throws fireballs? Also, magic is muddy. I think they missed an opportunity to clean up D&D's magic system for the new edition. That said, I like 5E better than 3rd or 4th edition. I suspect that these things will improve as the edition matures.

2013 heist flick...with magicians! This movie is an interesting case study. Throughout it's run time, the film is pretty solidly mediocre until the twist at the end, which I'm convinced had to have been a last minute rewrite, retroactively makes the entire thing a giant, steaming turd. Also, it was directed by Louis Letterier. I realize that movies are a team effort with creative input from many different people, but every single film that Letterier has directed I've absolutely hated. Yes, even that one you're about to cite that you're sure I've forgotten about.

I haven't found any one edition of D&D that really turns my crank - my "D&D" of choice is Dungeon World, along with 13th Age and Castles & Crusades. That said - Basic BECMI D&D is seminal, and the Rulescyclopedia version has everything you need in one book. Love the implied setting of AD&D 1st edition - it's pretty much Adventure Time with Finn & Jake. AD&D 2nd Edition had spell spheres and specialty priests which were awesome. I hate 3rd edition with the intensity of 1000 burning suns, but it unified the back end system and had the best armor rules. 4th edition is efficiently designed and super simple to DM. It had a lot of great ideas that probably would have worked out better if they taken an extra year or so to playtest and develop the rules.

Listened to the minisode - just wanted to point out that there's already been a buddy movie starring Nerd-Cage and Crazy-Cage - it was called "Adaptation".