"Played by friends, not strangers"

In light of several discussions over the last few weeks, especially the matter of evil characters, I thought this paragraph from an early review of Dungeons & Dragons (Campaign magazine issue 81 – September/October 1977) might be of interest.

While I take some issue with the idea that D&D (and RPGs more generally) can't be competitive – but that's probably a topic for a different time – I do very much agree with the idea that it's best played with friends rather than with strangers. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that most of the supposed "problems" some have found in this RPG or that one ultimately stem not from the games themselves but from the people with whom the critics have chosen to play. 
"Who your fellow players are may be crucial to the your satisfaction with the game." No truer words have ever been written about roleplaying games.