Must... have... HackMaster!

Like many of you, I've been playing RPG's for a while. I've played D&D 2nd, 3rd, and 3.5th editions, Shadowrun 3rd edition, Vampire/Warewolf/Changeling both old and new, and many other random games from BESM (Big Eyes Small Mouth) to Godlike (Superheroes in WWII). I'm tired. The very prospect of 4th Ed D&D makes me cringe. After all, one of the big theme changes between 2nd to 3rd edition was political correctness (You're no longer a Thief, you're a Rogue) and equality (You can be just about whatever race you want, have almost any alignment you want, and be whatever class you want); what if they continue down that path? Will we no longer have races and classes but instead a conglomeration of traits, skills, and abilities chosen a la carte in a process that will doubtless take eons for the damn PC's to choose anything at all? Even more disturbing is the trend of "optional rules." At times it seems that the entire Player's Handbook is optional. Don't like dealing with Encumberance? Don't. Not happy with your class? You've got dozens of prestige classes to choose from!

It's a breath of fresh air to read over the rules of HackMaster. Back are the taboo concepts of level restrictions, aging from spellcasting, and of course negative Armor Class. With them comes something more important: The edict that these rules are untouchable. The HMA (HackMaster Assocation) doesn't care if you don't want to play with the level restrictions; they're in the rulebook and your GM isn't allowed to change them. Deal with it.

The most important thing that HackMaster brings to the table, though, is the sense of a larger community that the HackMaster Association and HackMaster GameMaster Association bring to the table. The guidelines laid out for local groups, tournaments, and chapters are only barely restrictive, meaning that you can bring the character you've been playing for a year to local tournaments to participate! This is something which I think WotC has realized is important; there are hints that the next edition of D&D will loosen the restrictions on play in the 'Live' campaigns (source to come at later edit).

I've just started down the road of HackMaster. It could be that I'll turn back after a little while; the system simply might not work, I might not be able to find any players for it, and it might just not keep my interest. I'm excited about giving it a try, though!