Losing the Faith

[Helspar]

Played D&D last night, and I'm thinking about giving up on it. The group I play in just seem to be content with "slay the monsters search thew bodies, next room!" I feel bad for the DM because I think he has such high hopes for creativity but is let down every time. (If you're reading this, you know who I am) While some role playing is achieved, it chiefly involves: "Take that! foul fiend!" or some variation. The worst part is I've been playing D&D for over twelve years! I had hoped that when we put these sessions together as adults we could notch up the sessions a bit more to get that true role playing experience. (Admittedly the hack and slash was fun while I was younger when we sometimes gamed like fanatics.) After all if I want to hack up monsters I'd play Diablo. Is there any hope? Or should I maybe just give in, grow up and wait until retirement?

 

[Wicht]

Don't give up, just learn to have the proper expectations. Said expectations should not be based on age but on who you game with.

 

[Kichwas]

You may just want to step out of the current group and find one more to your style.

Better to have no game though than to waste time in one not meeting your needs.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

... and once again I find myself agreeing with Arcady.

Nothing wrong with taking a break from your hobby and coming back to it later on, refreshed and recharged!

(sounds like your group isn't on the same wavelength as you also)

 

[Foundry of Decay]

I've had the same problems in the past.

It's hard enough finding players around here (Edmonton) that are interested in anything beyond wargames, or games where they can simply skewer everything and steal their cookies. It's why I play with such a small group now

It really depends on what you think is best, but I would'nt give up. You might want to take a break from the hobby, or even just specifically D&D for a while, but from what I'm hearing, it sounds more like a group oriented problem. Perhaps form another group with the DM and any other dissatisfied players? Or if that isn't possible, try rummaging around the local game stores if they have a post board for gamers.

I hope it works out for you!

 

[EricNoah]

It sounds like your DM could potentially be on your wavelength but the other players aren't? If you haven't tried one-on-one play with one DM and one player, maybe you two should give that a shot. I've done it a number of times and while it's a challenge to come up with adventures for one character it's quite doable. And you can have a more intense roleplaying experience in some cases.

 

[kibbitz]

Do Not Give Up, Ever

As (probably) one of the few on this board who doesn't RP at all anymore, I'd plead for you not to give up for such a reason. One-to-one games with the DM are very good if both of you guys don't mind it (it can be done very well, really ). I'm suffering from burnout with regards to certain other forms of entertainment and taking a break from it all didn't really rejuvenate me,so I'm not sure if it'll work for you. Trouble findiang other people around to play with?

 

[ConcreteBuddha]

Played D&D last night, and I'm thinking about giving up on it.

Okay, I'm going to take the opposite side of the fence here:

From what I can gather from your description, the "hobby" is more important than your friendships with these people.

Maybe they aren't there just so you can get your fix of a "true role playing experience." Maybe they are there so they can hang out and have a good time, and use DnD as a sort of poker night, where they can play "DnDiablo" as a group.

If you aren't having a good time, maybe your roleplaying group isn't the problem. Maybe you do not think of them as friends. If that is the case, why should they change to fit you, when you do not act as if they are friends first, gaming-group second?

And if I am wrong, which is possible, then I am wrong. But I am not going to walk on glass around you. To put it bluntly:

Maybe you just don't like your friends.


Just my humble, (and possibly incorrect), opinion...

 

[estevans_lackey]

Some advice:

Create a flyer stating what you want in a roleplaying group including # of players, roleplaying/combat ratio and what kind of player you are in general (among other things). Post it up at your local gaming shop with you phone # and, maybe, e-mail and see what happens.

I moved tp Portland 2 years ago and after going through 2 gaming groups (and having lots of fun doing so) I've finally fould the right group...and they're all considered my friends. Hope this helped.

B

 

[Darkness]

Can you discern why the other players are behaving this way?

If it's just because "that's how it's done in D&D," this is fixed easily enough: Tell your DM to put less emphasis on combat encounters and also don't give any xp at all for the act of slaying enemies itself, but rather for overcoming problems on the way to your goal (whatever that may be at the moment).
Therefore, if some guards are standing in your way, on your only goal is to get past them, you'd get the same number of xp for sneaking past them as for defeating them in combat - or even more, as combat might alert other guards and make the rest of your quest more difficult). On the other hand, whomping an orc somewhere in the wilderness over the head won't net you any xp unless he was actively hindering your quest.