D&D 5E Aversion to Creativity?

[Shiroiken]

It's a matter of expectations. The last two editions (and later 2E as well) had a regular churn of material. This allowed players and dms more options with minimal work. Each time the edition resets, there is a time of growth to reach what many have considered their "needs." We are in the same time of growth, but (based on the surveys) they are not going to glut the market as they have in the past. This means a MUCH slower release schedule than has been seen in more than 2 decades (possibly closer to 3). Considering that most people (especially on the forums) have never seen anything near this slow of a release schedule, it does not fit their expectations (even "slower" for many would not be as slow as WotC appears to be planning).

As a grognard, I'm used to getting new stuff when I can (not just due to the release, but availability and affordability). For me, I don't NEED anything else for 5E, but that doesn't mean that I don't WANT things. I understand the difference, however, and can wait patiently for my desires to be met.

 

[Henry]

Given the frequency this question gets asked, I'm almost tempted to start a thread titled, "Do today's DMs just have too much time on their hands?" And ask why more DMs aren't craving more supplements and adventures to be released.

However, since i just finished my taxes, transferring a car title, doing laundry and dishes, and have to be up for work in less than 6 hours, i'm off to bed...

 

[Li Shenron]

Am I alone in this perception? Are DM's and players nowadays somehow "adverse" to creating their own stuff?

I create some stuff because it's fun. For 5e so far I have only 'created' a conversion of d20 Rokugan.

Still, I would really like the PHB to have additional material, particularly subclasses and feats, but a few more armors, shields and spells. I am not looking for more than that, but these (especially the subclasses) would provide a larger and more solid baseline for creating your own custom stuff. And they would be playtested already...

 

[Shiroiken]

Given the frequency this question gets asked, I'm almost tempted to start a thread titled, "Do today's DMs just have too much time on their hands?" And ask why more DMs aren't craving more supplements and adventures to be released.

However, since i just finished my taxes, transferring a car title, doing laundry and dishes, and have to be up for work in less than 6 hours, i'm off to bed...

You know, if people spent less time on forums, they'd have more time to work on D&D

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I have homebrewed classes feats and spells before, and when I run a game you can expect to see more made up magic items then book ones... But I have almost never had a GM let me play or use them in there setting.

If I want to play a warlord then my best chances is not to make one, but to buy one... The same with a chronomancer, or a bladesinger....

Back in 2e i made an "arcanist" class and a "gypsy" class that both where used for years, and my best friend made a psi ranger in 3e, and the worest dm ever made a 3e class I will never forget... Using a mix of paliden and ranger but with bard spell chart pullable from any list...none of those classes could the creator play...even my 2e gypsy that to this day people say was the best balanced home brew ever, I got to see people use it, but not me...

 

[Sadras]

Like plenty have said upthread before me, its a question of available time which has decreased significantly, even for those that were once thought to have time.
Increased traffic on the roads, immediacy of downloadable entertainment, variety of entertainment have cut down on time that was previously available - add to that for the older generation family responsibility (wife and kids), house & home responsibility (chores) and longer working hours and you have a shrinkage of time dedicated towards creativity.

Some people do not want to have to play amateur designer, others love it. I'm in the latter department but I just don't always have the peace and quiet to do the necessary research (looking at older editions, other fantasy games & general web) to design something I am content with.

The only imaginative juices I have been able to muster towards creativity in the mechanics department is a single monster, a dread wraith, since the release of 5e last year. And not that its anything special or original, since it really just builds on the base monster, but still it was satisfying.

All my other creative energies usually go towards preparation of our sessions (adventure, plot/hooks, scene framing, skill challenges, module integration into the campaign, interesting combat encounters, BBEG..etc).

 

[BryonD]

"5e is dieing because nothing's being produced" or "what does 5e lack?"

Just to speak up for myself on this one....

I love creating my own stuff and have already been doing it quite a bit.

The point I've been making is that attention to the game in the marketplace will recede without a minimal level of production that keeps fresh content in front of people while other things continue to compete for players' time.

And if there is a meaningful portion of the fanbase who won't create there own stuff, then that will only accelerate the problem.

But as a long time home brew obsession guy, the creation of material for self is completely beside the point.

 

[Minigiant]

No.

The issue was... 50-75% of homebrew that was not all fluff was HOT GARBAGE!!!
Even official stuff was half hit or miss until late 4th edition.
Not only D&D suffers from this.
Not just RPGs suffer from this. Go to any card game forum.

There I said it. Most people are not qualified nor have the time to design games well.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Averse? No. But 5e has about as much content as D&D did in 1975 (i.e. when there were a few issues of Dragon out). And people intent on a Four Yorkshiremen sketch don't realise that creating content for oD&D is easy compared to creating content for 5e. Most of adventuring in low level oD&D took place in a self-contained artificial environment that didn't have to make sense and didn't need a meaningful story attached, never mind worrying about what PCs were going to do about it. In 5e you are expected to create a setting rather than a skeleton and a dungeon. Standards are generally much higher. And a monster that in oD&D took about a line in 5e takes a dozen and dies about as fast. You also in 5e can not build tension by killing off PCs as character creation in 5e takes much much longer with things like backgrounds.

People complaining about the lack of creativity of modern gamers to me resemble nothing more than Old Economy Steven.

 

[Erik42]

The underlying issue isn't really laziness or being too busy or any of that. The real reason so much material is in demand is that "the game" isn't primarily about what is going on in the campaign anymore, its about having new rules widgets with which to do cool stuff. The PHB has been out long enough that most of the Lego set parts are very familiar now and there are only so many things you can build with the same bucket of bricks.

This is because gaming culture at large has moved away from what the characters are actually doing as the primary area of interest. The focus has moved largely on what can be accomplished via synergies in the published rules. In order for that game to remain interesting, constant expansion sets are needed to provide different bricks that can assembled in new combinations.

If the game revolves around what is happening in the fictional game space then very little published material is actually required. The B/X boxed sets will keep you going for many years because all the really interesting bits are imagination based.

Once you accept that for many players, the primary area of interest will be getting an AC of X by Y level, or how to legally pump out ZZZ damage per round, then you will see how important regular officially released products are and how new generated home content just won't do the trick. After all, you can't go online and crow about beating the system and how your character is by far the baddest in the land if you have to use home brewed material to get it.

I so hope you're wrong. For me, the game has always been about fun and the fun is in the creativity and what the players do in game. The Min/Max Power gaming that so many people like to talk about at length in forums like this one is pointless in a game like D&D. The DM always has the power the match and surpass the strength of the characters to keep things interesting. D&D is not a competition (except in tournament play, but even then characters are not competing against their own party.) so I'm curious who these players are trying to impress. The statement that there are only so many things one can build within the existing rules isn't true when creativity and fun stay integral parts of the game.