pawsplay
Hero
Is it just me, or does that quote seem kind of Elitist?
It's probably not just you, but I suspect you are in the minority.
Is it just me, or does that quote seem kind of Elitist?
It's probably not just you, but I suspect you are in the minority.
That last sentence is what inspired me to write this post however. It got me thinking about just how much of my interest in RPGs has to do with stuff that isn't actually used in game sessions, or minimally so, and is really more interesting to me than it is to players. In other words, there is a disconnect between my love of world design and RPGs in general and the common level of interest among the players in my group. I think this is a common experience for DMs (or GMs in general) and points to a strong bifurcation in the gamer populace, between the "casual" majority and the "serious-to-hardcore" minority, most of whom are DMs.
And there is nothing wrong with that! I enjoy my group and our sessions are always fun, if not deeply immersive. But it has also made me wonder what it would be like to play in a group where everyone, or at least a few others, had similar levels of interest as I do, were "serious-to-hardcore" gamers who designed worlds, thought about different RPGs and game design, participated in discussion boards, were interested in what was going on in the industry, maybe interested in writing or art or miniature collecting and painting...In other words, a "DMs group"--an RPG group composed mainly of DMs/GMs and serious+ gamers.
Perhaps it is a bit of an RPG Holy Grail for me: A group in which there were at least a few DMs, with some form of co-DMing, perhaps even in the same world and with the same characters.
Thoughts? Does anyone have, or have had, a situation like this? Have you experienced both situations, a group of serious+ gamers and one serious+_gamer with a bunch of casual players?
I think, creation legends are pretty useless in and of themselves. Mostly, I've typically found them to be quite boring as well.What do you think? Is a creation legend useful to players or just the DM exersizing creative juices that no one reads more than once and never considers again?
...just how much of my interest in RPGs has to do with stuff that isn't actually used in game sessions, or minimally so, and is really more interesting to me than it is to players. In other words, there is a disconnect between my love of world design and RPGs in general and the common level of interest among the players in my group. I think this is a common experience for DMs (or GMs in general) and points to a strong bifurcation in the gamer populace, between the "casual" majority and the "serious-to-hardcore" minority, most of whom are DMs.
Over the years, I've become a much more casual player than I used to be. I used to do all the world building stuff, creation myths, lots of detail, Ray Winnager, the whole nine yards. Then I realized that very few of my players cared about MY details. They might give me nine page backstories about their characters, but, would only gloss over the details I brought to the table.
I say kick back, take a deep breath, and accept things as they are. Your group might not appreciate the effort you can (or do) put into something, but there's nothing stopping you from sharing it online. Plenty of folks that can see it there. And if your group is not as into rpgs as you are, at least it means you don't really have to worry about competition either; you're going to be the default one-stop-shop for rpg related stuff.
And I loathe being subjected to most GMs world-building attempts. A disgusting number of GMs are frustrated novelists and their games become an outlet for it.
Which wouldn't be so bad if they'd actually bother taking some classes in how to write and actually tried to develop some writing craft.