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I was excited to hear the announcement about the forthcoming D&D Next, also known as 5th edition, and wanted to share some thoughts about the algorithmic nature of D&D.

I have played only two editions of D&D, 1st edition and 4th edition. As you might imagine, it took me a while to adjust to 4th ed. As a DM, I exhibited a lot of "old school" behavior from the start. I almost immediately rewrote several of the rules, made supplementary charts, and introduced some 1st ed. elements to the game. As I have seen other writers say, this is the way 1st ed. was--if you followed the rules to the letter than the game just didn't work, so everyone had their own adaptation. In retrospect, 4th ed. is much the same, where, for example, many adapted the rules to avoid "the grind." 

However, I've...