Blah, blah, demented angry rant from a fanboy.

Okay, two things:

I strongly expect that will change.

Meh.

Yes, it did say "change whatever you want", and that's a nice sentiment, especially since it is inevitable. The thing is, generally when I buy a product, I prefer "it already works" to "here's a pile of parts that you might make into something, disguised as a working product".

"Compared to what?"

Pretty much, yeah.

No, I had plenty of good GMs and they did exactly what you describe too.

Well, we agree on the future of this magazine, anyway!

Annalee, if you're only pissed about 2 things today, you are doing way better than I am.

When you played it as a kid, you didn't immediately want to change it so that it made some kind of sense? For me it isn't just hindsight, it was the original experience.

Refining and re-writing is easy, especially compared to creating.

Again, 46, been playing these games over 30 years. I just don't let nostalgia blind me to the truth, and besides, I knew it was bad back then too.

Sure.

Just because you can't build a car does not mean that you can't tell that one is crap when the wheels fall off.

I'm 46, and was playing the game and being frustrated with it's quality shortly after it was first published.

Red book, boxed set, AD&D, all of them until 3rd Edition which finally actually tried to make sense.

No, really.

Indeed, and I think it's incredibly cool, even if it's all vaporware in the end.

I really find this sort of celebrity-by-association to be weird.