I heard they've been pushing the release date back. It might not come out in time for my GM's birthday.

We'll know if that is true by the end of this week. The GAMA Trade Show is this week, and if they are going to delay it, announcing that delay after the Trade Show when they won't have to face the retailers, well, it would not be pretty...

my GM docks XP for not playing your character so that helps keep the meta-gaming to a minimum

I haven't played D&D in yonks (like, 25 years), but this sounds like it hasn't changed. The DM of the one game I was involved in for a while would do this. Which, for first time players was actually a good way to get them to play the game and not just themselves. Personally, I don't see the point of playing the game to be just yourself. It was a very good learning experience. I just never kept up with it after that.

my GM docks XP for not playing your character so that helps keep the meta-gaming to a minimum

I toyed with this concept for a while, but found it usually ended up with the player heatedly justifying his behavior with wildly improbable "motivations".

So I resorted to arbitrary death.

So I resorted to arbitrary death.

I'll have to share that with my GM.

come to think about it, the last player who argued about being docked xp- shortly after that his character walked into a wandering portal and hasn't been since.

Well, one player in particulare was just outlandish. I don't recall the specifics, but it was on the order of "I shoot the Prime Minister in the face" while attending a state dinner.

"Why? There's no provocation."

"I think he's the bad guy."

"How...how would you even know there is a bad guy? We just started!"

"There's always a bad guy."

"Yes, in a game world! But your character doesn't think he lives in a game world! He thinks this is real life! In real life you don't shoot important people on the off chance that later he might turn out to be your enemy!"

"Well, my character has a particular view of reality that blah blah blah blah blah blah..."

"The Secret Service shoots you in the face."

Okay, so DC's Countdown to Final Crisis, or whatever the official title is for the weekly title that just ended this week, was a giant WASTE of paper, ink, and my time and money.

OTOH, the best DC title that I hadn't been reading but am now? The current iteration of Blue Beetle. Good stuff, yo.

Okay, so DC's Countdown to Final Crisis, or whatever the official title is for the weekly title that just ended this week, was a giant WASTE of paper, ink, and my time and money.

Yeah. DC's doing a fair amount good right now, but that wasn't it. That being said, "Booster Gold" is rocking hard, as is "Green Lantern." "The Atom" is suffering a bit without Gail Simone, but still in striking range of regaining its greatness.

Evidently, the way to survive the big two comic companies these days is to ignore the crossover bits completely.

OTOH, the best DC title that I hadn't been reading but am now? The current iteration of Blue Beetle. Good stuff, yo.

It is one of the few I will mis when I kill my box. It's been AWESOME.