I can actually derive a certain hopefulness from the game being so unusual, in a way that tempts DMs to give up on rules. Despite D&D having been around for half a century, so little work has been done to truly push its boundaries. However, that means those of us who do work to improve our games should be optimistic that with sufficient time spent striving and searching, we will break through to one frontier or another, and discover new and precious knowledge about how to improve the functioning of the game. The field is wiiiiide open.