D&D General How has D&D changed over the decades?

[Vaalingrade]

Again, if your character can't do what you wrote in your background story with 5 natural 20, then your story is simply BS! A lie your character tells other but when faced with a real challenge, that character simply falls apart.

Who cares though? They did something in the past. How does that change the game happening at the table? Who benefits by restricting backstory for no reason?

James Bond did not became JB all of a sudden. Read the novels.

How many people read the novels that love James Bond? How many of the millions of dollars James Bond has made has come from people who experienced him springing fully-formed and already Sean Connery?

Also, no matter what the novels say, James Bond started his existence being Christopher Lee, which is a more powerful backstory than anyone can come up with.

Tony Stark was a genius but a genius that was constantly working. When he became Iron Man, either in the movies or in the books, he made many mistakes. He grew. And got very lucky.

But he didn't start as a sad farmboy in his underpants being killed again and again until the DM is satisied that Stan Lee had learned his lessons.

He started as the rich son of a genius inventor with a multi-billion dollar company and I KNOW that would not be allowed in the kind of games you're describing.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Who cares though? They did something in the past. How does that change the game happening at the table? Who benefits by restricting backstory for no reason?


How many people read the novels that love James Bond? How many of the millions of dollars James Bond has made has come from people who experienced him springing fully-formed and already Sean Connery?

Also, no matter what the novels say, James Bond started his existence being Christopher Lee, which is a more powerful backstory than anyone can come up with.

But he didn't start as a sad farmboy in his underpants being killed again and again until the DM is satisied that Stan Lee had learned his lessons.

He started as the rich son of a genius inventor with a multi-billion dollar company and I KNOW that would not be allowed in the kind of games you're describing.

Plenty of characters have the noble background and a high Int.

 

[Helldritch]

Who cares though? They did something in the past. How does that change the game happening at the table? Who benefits by restricting backstory for no reason?

Logic, internal campaign verisimilitude and the sense of continuity.

How many people read the novels that love James Bond? How many of the millions of dollars James Bond has made has come from people who experienced him springing fully-formed and already Sean Connery?

Also, no matter what the novels say, James Bond started his existence being Christopher Lee, which is a more powerful backstory than anyone can come up with.

You don't make movies from novels that did not had a success. JB novels sold millions of copies world wide.
As for the last sentence, you could at least try to find something better.

But he didn't start as a sad farmboy in his underpants being killed again and again until the DM is satisied that Stan Lee had learned his lessons.

He started as the rich son of a genius inventor with a multi-billion dollar company and I KNOW that would not be allowed in the kind of games you're describing.

Nope, he started as the heir of a very rich family. Noble background does just that. Cool isn't it?

 

[Vaalingrade]

Logic, internal campaign verisimilitude and the sense of continuity.

And nothing of value was lost.

You don't make movies from novels that did not had a success. JB novels sold millions of copies world wide.

You're ignoring the point. For many, many people, the background from the novels doesn't exist and they love the cool, awesome out-of-the-box hero, James Bond.

As for the last sentence, you could at least try to find something better.

You would fail. Christopher Lee is pretty amazing.

Nope, he started as the heir of a very rich family. Noble background does just that. Cool isn't it?

So being a Veteran with all their training done and dusted is fine. Stop haranguing people for it.

 

[Azzy]

More like ignoring literally thousands of characters in backstories to cherry pick to create a specific false narrative.

I was giving them the benefit of the doubt, but I probably shouldn't have.

 

[Micah Sweet]

And nothing of value was lost.

You're ignoring the point. For many, many people, the background from the novels doesn't exist and they love the cool, awesome out-of-the-box hero, James Bond.

You would fail. Christopher Lee is pretty amazing.

So being a Veteran with all their training done and dusted is fine. Stop haranguing people for it.

If you're going to harp on people for not respecting how others play and envision the game, perhaps you should consider adopting a similar attitude. Your opinions are far from universally shared.

 

[Remathilis]

Right. So when a player comes to my table and their backstory is Will Turner from the end of the most recent Pirates movie and absurdly thinks that fits for a 0 XP 1st-level character is what I'm talking about.

What you're describing is certainly not universal experience, nor is it an assumption of the rules. I'm sure you've had players with level 20 backstories, but my anecdotal evidence is that is not the norm, and that 5e (or 4e, or Pathfinder) makes no such assumption. Most of the backstories I've seen both in my own game and in various online forums aren't much more complex than your average protagonist at the beginning of the series. At best, you might see a Picard or Wolverine as an older person with some life experiences, but then that's rare.

As long as we agree an origin like Luke or Will is acceptable, we have an Accord.

 

[Vaalingrade]

If you're going to harp on people for not respecting how others play and envision the game, perhaps you should consider adopting a similar attitude. Your opinions are far from universally shared.

Oh my god, the opinions I posted on a forum are opinions! I had no idea!

 

[Micah Sweet]

Oh my god, the opinions I posted on a forum are opinions! I had no idea!

My thought was simply that your dismissal was somewhat harsh, and stifling to continuing discourse. But I appreciate a refresher on Sarcasm 101 as much as anyone.

 

[Helldritch]

Oh my god, the opinions I posted on a forum are opinions! I had no idea!

Good that someone reminded you of that!
Now that you know. Maybe you will finally accept that to many, out of the mortal reach backstories are unacceptable and start to have a real discussion? All you do is dismiss the idea of other without you bringing reasons why your way is more acceptable.