Ignorance is Bliss

[McTreble]

There is a certain irony in me posting this in ENWorld forums, but here it goes.

I need to stop looking under the hood of D&D. I need to stop asking to see how the magician cuts the woman in half. I need to close my eyes and ears and accept what's out there, and enjoy what I want to play, the way I want to play it, not consider 1,000 forum posts about vancian vs. non-vancian, the power of this new cleric vs. the one from last year, or the accuracy of a spear doing 4d30 damage.

I've been playing this game forever, and I fondly remember the days when I walked into Waldenbooks (remember those?) and saw a new book. If I had the cash on me, I'd grab it (as long as it didn't say Spelljammer, Al-Quadim, or Dark Sun on the box... sorry DS lovers) and devourer it, letting my imagination play along with my reading, expanding the words into possiblities and images.

And now, with this whole series of threads and tubes we call the interwebs, we can discuss and tear apart every speck of these games. The little man working the controls behind Oz the Great and Terrible just doesn't hold the same awe as that big floaty head.

I want to walk away; I really do. This 5e playtest stuff is drawing me in, hoping that reading enough posts will give me perspective.

Anyone else feel this way, or am I just spitting in the wind/ pissing in the ocean?

 

[nedjer]

So long as you're not pissing into the wind all should be well And yes, the excitement, 'wonder' does lose its shine at the point when a game's being given a colonoscopy.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Heh, I've got exactly the same feeling!

My PF campaign recently shutdown for real-life reasons. After having drifted a bit from ENWorld during that time, I came back to scope out the rules forums I used to haunt... and quickly found that I'd completely burned out on 'modern' (3.x, 4e) D&D rules. Turning to OSR stuff, I realized I was kind of burned out on the genre, too. However, I took advantage of that disenchantment to learn a new system, in my case Savage Worlds.

When 5e was anounced, I was mostly oblivious to all the jabber & speculation. But now that the playtest rules are out and people are talking about it in generally favorable and constructive ways (and managing to avoid edition sniping!), I'm paying attention.

I fear I'm getting sucked in. Yet again. I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it!

 

[Evenglare]

I feel the same way, people over analyze all kinds of stuff, while all well and good. I have found for me specifically most of this caster / melee over powered theory is nonsense in real game play. The same goes for video games. Everyone hates everything all the time. I can safely say that the internet has soured my experience with my hobbies. Ive heard come backs like, "well now you know how to criticise better", or "My tastes have been refined". Who the hell cares about all of that stuff honestly? Isnt the point of playing games and hobbies enjoyment? I get that there are people out there who get enjoyment about deconstructing everything and nit picking, but that's not me. Not at all.

 

[Keldryn]

I can relate to this.

I never noticed all of the continuity errors in the original Star Wars -- despite dozens upon dozens of viewings, until I read about them online. Now I can not see them.

I didn't know that 3e was broken beyond repair and that wizards and clerics were tier 1 classes that dominate the game while fighters are a tier 5 class that ceases to be useful until I read discussion forums. Char-op forums in particular ruined 3e for me, even though none of the most talked about problems ever appeared in my games.

I also remember taking months to play through a new video game, trading hints with friends or seeking out tips in a magazine at the store. Now I can find a complete walk through within days of the game's release -- sometimes even before that, and I need to avoid discussions to avoid spoilers.

Just like Mike Mearls, the Internet ruined everything.

 

[Dice4Hire]

So long as you're not pissing into the wind all should be well And yes, the excitement, 'wonder' does lose its shine at the point when a game's being given a colonoscopy.

Thanks much for the imagery......

 

[MoxieFu]

People who respect the law and enjoy eating sausage should never look too closely at how either is made.

)

 

[IronWolf]

I enjoy the theorycrafting discussions on various discussion boards and stuff. A large amount of the the nitpicks and in-depth looks at RPGs never really come up during actual gaming.

In my mind I tend to keep them as two separate things. The discussions here are about detail and analysis, frequently over corner cases. Playing the game is about playing the game and the discussions I have here have very little bearing on what actually happens there.

I think if you have a hard time separating the more detailed discussion here where folks tend to dissect various bits of the game from what actually happens during play then it could become quite frustrating.

Perfect example, Stream of the Sky here on these boards dislikes the rogue in Pathfinder. He can analyze the class and make a good case as to why it can be weak and needs some boosts. But I don't let that stop me from playing a rogue, because it works in my gaming group. I can still have fun with that character. So I can appreciate his analysis, I don't let it impact the fun I have in my games. That distinction is important.