what's this thing about Open Wounds helping SP recovery?

It doesn't, but it also doesn't slow HP recovery. A key skill, in my opinion, is keeping enough SP at the end of fights that you're not hindered at the start of your next fight. Having sources of quick healing help this.

The heavy emphasis on light weapons with multiple blows in the early game (with most classes) is a gripe of mine as well. Way too many times I've had to dump some enchanted weapon in favor of the starting +0/+0 dagger or whatever. Start another thread and I'll join the chorus.

As far as the BG goes, I am very concerned about comments that say the class cannot be played to type. I think it's a learning curve issue, but time and maybe a competition will help clarify that.

Are BGs weaker than paladins and warriors? Maybe, but I'm not too worried about that. I'm 99% sure they're better than 4.2.0 BGs, so we're going in the right direction. There are only 2 winners on Angband.live last I checked and one is a Half-Orc BG, so they're certainly not hopeless.

Honestly, I think the best way to help the BG is to get rid of all this LoS cheese that is making me hate the game, especially the boss fights.

I just played a high-elf blackguard in 4.2.1. he died at clvl ~25, depthl ~800', while wielding an artifact sword and with a hodge podge of armor.

melee felt very underpowered.

Don't you touch my LoS! LoS manipulation is one of the few parts of this game that I feel is remotely tactical.

Though, I don't really engage in any of the cheese (unless we consider anti-summon corridors cheese). The only time I abuse asymmetric LoS is when I'm fighting hounds, and I lure them into a room one at a time. But you know, I don't feel bad about that, because Hounds deserve all the cheese I can throw at them.

But will they really appreciate it? Maybe save it for the rodents.

If that is the only way you abuse asymmetric LOS, I don't think your gameplay would change that much with symmetric LOS. You would still have a free turn against a lone hound (with all the others outside LOS) when they get inside the room.

Ah ok. I think I misinterpreted what David meant. I was concerned it was some combination of features that would make it harder to manipulate the enemy AI to minimize the number of enemies who can see you or something (which I do make pretty heavy use of, fighting one on one is so much less dangerous).

But yeah, if he's just talking about getting rid of asymmetric LOS, I don't have a problem with that. If anything the asymmetric hurts more than it helps since you can't really tell if something sees you until it breathes it on you (or you know the LOS rules, which I don't really).

I'm talking about, for example, pelting Morgy where he can't see you and is too dumb to move to where he can see you or to summon some friends to help ferret you out. This is how I finished off my only recent win, BTW. Or making long diagonal corridors where you can hit the enemy many times around the small bend but they can't see you. Assymetrical LoS is a great term for it.