D&D (2024) Do you plan to adopt D&D5.5One2024Redux?

Oofta · Apr 27, 2024

soviet said:
Your hypothetical player thinks it's plausible and fits with the campaign setting as constructed, otherwise they wouldn't have used the ability, right?

My hypothetical player knows how I handle background features because I discussed such things in my session 0. If I say it doesn't apply here and they insist I'll still tell them no. If they argue about it then hypothetically they will no longer be a player in my campaign and I wish them luck in finding a DM that works for them because obviously I'm not a good fit. I can't be the right DM for everyone and I don't pretend otherwise.

mamba · Apr 27, 2024

soviet said:
Your hypothetical player thinks it's plausible and fits with the campaign setting as constructed, otherwise they wouldn't have used the ability, right?

that does not follow, most posts here that insist on it do not seem to care about how plausible it is at all.

Even if they did think so, it would not necessarily make them correct

Oofta · Apr 27, 2024

Saying "no" as a DM may seem harsh to some people, but I'm not just the DM for 1 person. I'm the DM for up to 5 other people (occasionally more under special circumstances). I have had to say a hard "no it doesn't work that way" in the past and the other players thanked me when the problem player was late for the next game.

Every DM needs to find their style and I find that appropriate and clear limits adds to the enjoyment of the game for the majority of players. I discuss issues with players when they come up, typically offline or after the game if it takes more than a minute, but ultimately I do make the final call. I didn't used to and the game was not as fun for me or my players. Different strokes for different folks of course. Every DM has to find their groove.

soviet · Apr 27, 2024

Oofta said:
My hypothetical player knows how I handle background features because I discussed such things in my session 0. If I say it doesn't apply here and they insist I'll still tell them no. If they argue about it then hypothetically they will no longer be a player in my campaign and I wish them luck in finding a DM that works for them because obviously I'm not a good fit. I can't be the right DM for everyone and I don't pretend otherwise.

You would boot someone out of your game rather than allow them to use a printed ability that says they can make friends with other sailors?

soviet · Apr 27, 2024

mamba said:
that does not follow, most posts here that insist on it do not seem to care about how plausible it is at all.

That's not true at all. Of all the 'this is totally implausible!' positions outlined in this thread, only one or two have struck me as genuine reasons to say no.

soviet · Apr 27, 2024

Oofta said:
Saying "no" as a DM may seem harsh to some people, but I'm not just the DM for 1 person. I'm the DM for up to 5 other people (occasionally more under special circumstances). I have had to say a hard "no it doesn't work that way" in the past and the other players thanked me when the problem player was late for the next game.

Every DM needs to find their style and I find that appropriate and clear limits adds to the enjoyment of the game for the majority of players. I discuss issues with players when they come up, typically offline or after the game if it takes more than a minute, but ultimately I do make the final call. I didn't used to and the game was not as fun for me or my players. Different strokes for different folks of course. Every DM has to find their groove.

What if the group also think the use of the ability is plausible? Like, they're nodding along, saying 'makes sense' or similar?

mamba · Apr 27, 2024

soviet said:
That's not true at all. Of all the 'this is totally implausible!' positions outlined in this thread, only one or two have struck me as genuine reasons to say no.

and many of the explanations given for why it should work basically amounted to ‘it is not entirely impossible, so it works, plausible be damned’…

You are basically making my point for me with your ‘I do not see it as totally implausible’ statement

Cadence · Apr 27, 2024

soviet said:
You would boot someone out of your game rather than allow them to use a printed ability that says they can make friends with other sailors?

If it was covered in session 0? And if the use seems insipid to me and most of the other players (it doesn't matter if it is Charon, he's using a boat, right!)? And they want to continue arguing about it instead of just move on with play?

Sure?

soviet · Apr 27, 2024

If you already have a set idea as GM of how the adventure should go, I can see how anything that diverts from that might seem implausible. But that assessment would be wrong.

Oofta · Apr 27, 2024

soviet said:
You would boot someone out of your game rather than allow them to use a printed ability that says they can make friends with other sailors?

I've already told them how I run the game when I invited them and discussed it more in depth in a session 0. When it comes to backgrounds, that means that the background feature will not always work but I will give them other benefits. For example a sailor might know how to tie a wider variety of knots or be able to read the weather at sea, have a better idea of how shipping and trade works. It more than compensates for a free boat ride now and then.

If I say no and they argue at length? Then it's an issue that doesn't really have anything to do with backgrounds. Obviously I am not the DM for them and they need to find another game. Hopefully they can find one that suits them better.

soviet said:
What if the group also think the use of the ability is plausible? Like, they're nodding along, saying 'makes sense' or similar?

Players frequently do not know everything that is going on so yes I make the final call. Goes for rulings and house rules as well. If that doesn't work for a player they need to find a different DM because obviously my style does not work for them. On the other hand my players are happy with my DMing and tell me so; I'm not going to lose sleep over the fact that my style doesn't work for everyone.

D&D (2024) Do you plan to adopt D&D5.5One2024Redux?

Plan to adopt the new core rules?

Yep

Nope

Oofta

Legend

mamba

Legend

Oofta

Legend

soviet

Hero

soviet

Hero

soviet

Hero

mamba

Legend

Cadence

Legend

soviet

Hero

Oofta

Legend

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