Are you a gamer or a reader?

[Ghendar]

At the moment I am a reader. My group of several years finally broke apart in 06.

I have been both a gamer and a reader since I started playing D&D way back in 84. During most of 2nd ED I was a reader. I really miss the boxed sets.

 

[The Cardinal]

Gamer - right now I'm running 2 active D&D3.5 campaigns (DCC#35/Áereth & Wilderlands of High Fantasy - both every 2-3 weeks), and three regular GURPS4e campaigns (two monthly, one every 5-8 weeks). I'm also experienced as a GM for Unknown Armies, Unisystem/AFMBE, BESM, Shadowrun, and Storyteller. I've also published some small stuff in Pyramid, and contributed to a few GURPS books.

 

[Roman]

I oscillate periodically between 'gamer' and 'reader' phases depending on the circumstances. Currently, I am in the 'reader' phase, as I do not have a group.

Of course, this somewhat colors how any given person will view any given aspect of the game, IMO. (This was most obvious to me with the oWoD books from White Wolf.) People looking at a product or aspect of the game to use in their game tend to be more utilitarian than the folks who, really, that doesn't affect, since they mostly just read the books for pleasure.

I don't think it has a major impact on my view of the rules. It is not as if my opinions on rules change when I switch from one phase to another (gamer to reader or reader to gamer). I would postulate that the majority of 'readers' are also not 'readers' permanently and switch between the 'gamer'/'reader' mode depending on circumstances and I doubt their opinions suddenly change when they switch.

OTOH, there are people who get incredibly passionate and will fight to the death over subtle rule issues that, in play, simply aren't that big of a deal, but since D&D is mostly theoretical to them, by choice or by circumstance, they follow their passions where they wish.

Just maybe, some people argue over rules issues, because they anticipate how it will impact their future game or simply like rules design. Could that not be?

 

[kolikeos]

drats! i accidently chose reader!

 

[Faraer]

I currently read more than I get the chance to play . . .

OTOH, there are people who get incredibly passionate and will fight to the death over subtle rule issues that, in play, simply aren't that big of a deal, but since D&D is mostly theoretical to them, by choice or by circumstance, they follow their passions where they wish.

. . . which means I'm not interested in purely notional rules quibbles, and am baffled by such discussion as calling rules 'broken' that seem to work perfectly fine for almost everyone.

 

[diaglo]

i read more than i play.

but i'm in several active campaigns.

 

[el-remmen]

I am a gamer, not a reader - and if I don't plan to run a game or play in a game I would probably never touch a gaming book, except perhaps in a fit of nostalgia.

Heck, I barely read the books I do have and use. .

 

[green slime]

Me =/= Xor

 

[Kanegrundar]

I don' have a group ATM, so I'm primarily a reader. Thanks to Dungeon Bash (and a lot of my own houserules) I can still call myself a gamer every now and then.

 

[Azazyll]

I've been buying books for over a decade, own almost every rulebook WotC has published, and I've gamed about a half dozen times. I just love the rules. The game is fun, but it seems that when it just gets right down to it, I like thinking about it more than doing it. Could be that I have a hard time finding people as crazy about D&D as I am who aren't also, well, crazy.