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This website’s the anchor for the Uncle Matt’s D&D Studio youtube channel; it’s easier to put outside links and resource libraries into a website than it is to cram them into the interface of a youtube channel. My gaming philosophy for D&D and other RPGs is a “freestyle” approach that’s often called “old school,” but — as shown by comments from the designers of 5th edition D&D — is an approach that’s very much alive in modern, recently-published D&D as well as in the older editions.

“If dice are rolling, it means the players already screwed up somewhere.” (I don’t remember who wrote this; please tell me).

The style of play advocated by the designers of 5th edition D&D has a huge area of overlap with the earlier (pre-3e) editions of the game, and the two player groups — 5th edition and the “grognards” — have a lot in common to talk about.

Not so much the rules themselves, because we’re still talking about quite different rules interpretations of D&D, but about the rulings made before the rules start to define and channel events. It’s about how to play well in the areas before the rules, around the rules, and even in spite of the rules. This is the realm where players use their ingenuity to win by gadgets, common sense, mentally solving mysteries before getting bitten by them, and generally seeking never to get into a risky situation without as many advantages as they can guarantee ahead of time.

There’s a whole world of discussion, tips, and tricks for playing in the realm before the rules, and that’s the realm I like to explore.

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