Magic, first games and expectations

[Undrave]

This is true for any game, really; just yesterday, we realized that playing Marvel Code Names wasn't going to work because one of the players just wasn't that familiar with the Marvel product, and the game includes some surprisingly obscure stuff.

Obscure like that?

 

[Eric V]

Obscure like that?

King Cobra, Lash, Medusa, the In-Betweener Morbius, Korvac...

Not obscure to a diehard fan, but if you have only ever seen the movies...

 

[Undrave]

King Cobra, Lash, Medusa, the In-Betweener Morbius, Korvac...

Not obscure to a diehard fan, but if you have only ever seen the movies...

Geez... yeah that's a pain.

 

[billd91]

Oh, there's a bunch of reasons - my post laid several of them out. There are others. But, your declaration of this as a fact, rather than as in inquiry, strongly suggests your mind is alredy made up on the matter, and there is no value in taking on the Sysiphean task of changing it.

And his mind doesn't have to change, either, for the games his group plays and he runs.

 

[Umbran]

And his mind doesn't have to change, either, for the games his group plays and he runs.

Correct. However, the statement was phrased as a generalization, not as local for his own needs.

 

[billd91]

Correct. However, the statement was phrased as a generalization, not as local for his own needs.

And you know he comes at the issue from that direction and doesn't change (or at least you should if you've been paying attention for the last several years), so exactly what does argument get you?

 

[Umbran]

And you know he comes at the issue from that direction and doesn't change (or at least you should if you've been paying attention for the last several years), so exactly what does argument get you?

Ah, you think I'm spending the cognitive effort to keep track of how hundreds of posters talk over years of time? If they aren't bad actors, I prefer to keep my judgements in the context of individual discussions. I am less likely to make bad assumptions that way.

And, also... not really arguing at this point - kind of just noting so maybe others don't argue the point either.

 

[Undrave]

No reason for that line of thinking to have ever changed. He/they got it right the first time.

That's a VERY Dwarf thing to say you got a perfectly fitting avatar!

 

[GMMichael]

I'm opposed to the idea that playing D&D should absolutely require some amount of spell casting. That your party ABSOLUTELY should include a spell caster or two... or more really.

And then, when I first really played D&D, beyond one session, it was in 4e, the ONLY edition where you could build a full Martial Party and have a wide array of strategy available and would be fine adventuring until Epic... Provided you had inherent bonuses.

So, what do you guys think? That your first game influences how important you expect Magic to be?

Except all characters, including Martials, had quasi-magical powers...

I started in AD&D 2nd ed. I think those were supposed to be the over-powered casters? Save-or-die and all that. I'm fine if magic takes a backseat. Or doesn't show up to the party. With no casters in the party, putting a magical obstacle against the party becomes much more interesting. I can handle a magic-free game, too - might have a Game of Thrones feel to it - but I definitely like the occasional magic item to spice things up.

One's magic expectations probably come more from entertainment (movies, books, games) preferences than first RPG impressions.

 

[Shiroiken]

I think that maybe one's first experience may color your perspective a bit, but preferences do change over time. I'm quite certain that the popularity of spellcasting classes surged during the popularity of Harry Potter. Add in the abusive power many players experienced with CoDzilla if they stared in 3E, and spellcasting classes would easily become the preferred classes for many. I personally do not like the prevalence of spellcasting in 5E, and would have preferred the bard, druid, and warlock as half-casters, paladin and ranger as 1/3rd casters, and the redundant sorcerer obliterated.

Another aspect is which game is being played, as there are a lot of other games where spellcasting isn't as important, if at all. In the AEG Legend of the Five Rings, there were only a few character "classes," and only one of them was a true spellcaster (monks later got some spell-like abilities), and to have a party without one was not unheard of. The Pinacle Deadlands had magical character choices, but they often came at such a cost that many chose not to play them. An old version of Shadowrun was the same way. One version of Exalted made magic so complicated that playing a spellcaster just wasn't a lot of fun. Finally, most sci-fi RPGs don't have any magic at all.