D&D 5E The Decrease in Desire for Magic in D&D

[Laurefindel]

It does seem like there are just not enough players out there who find limits of any kind fun, and so the issue will continue to snowball.

In my experience, people don’t have too many issues playing within certain boundaries, but when these boundaries are expanded, people are very reluctant to reduce them or keep them narrow.

 

[Garthanos]

I feel like magic items should be super rare, and a simple +1 weapon a treasured heirloom.

How about file the numbers off the weapons entirely and only include actual interesting effects, like my flame tongue converts its damage to fire damage and gives me fire resistance.

 

[Micah Sweet]

In my experience, people don’t have too many issues playing within certain boundaries, but when these boundaries are expanded, people are very reluctant to reduce them or keep them narrow.

True, but the boundaries were expanded years ago and are continuing to expand AND show no signs of going back, so the effect is the same.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I would argue that it would have made little difference since there are very few mentions of meals or supplies between Rivendell and Lothlorien.
Food and water are an issue brought up often once Sam and Frodo break off and head to Mordor. But food and supplies only come up in fiction when it matters like going to the toilet only comes up when it matters.

Exactly. If it were an RPG, all the way to the west gate the DM would just narrate that water and food are plentiful. Then, when it matters to the story, lack of light and food and water become an adversary.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I would say that this is more about a disconnect between what the DM thinks would be fun vs what the players think would be fun, than anything inherent to the system.

Yeah I think that's often the issue when DMs ask for rules to make the players do what the DM wants them to do.

And...I think there's something to be said for normalizing modes of play by enshrining them in official rules/options. In my experience, variant rules from the DMG are more easily accepted than pure house rules.

 

[Fanaelialae]

It does seem like there are just not enough players out there who find limits of any kind fun, and so the issue will continue to snowball.

I don't think it's that. IMO, it's that a lot of DMs aren't great on selling people on this kind of idea.

If you are essentially leading with, "Check out my new campaign, now with 100% more tedium!" many players are going to be (understandably) turned off.

Now compare that with something like a West Marches campaign, which often come packaged with similar "tedious" options, but in a much more attractive box. I've seen lots of interest on the internet for West Marches campaigns, despite it being fundamentally based on an old-school sandbox model of play, because it's been sold well to players. First by Ben Robbins (even though he wasn't trying to sell anything, his articles captivate the imagination) and later by others like Matt Colville (who've also done a great job selling the idea).

IMO, if you want to sell players on this, the best thing to do is to fire their excitement and imagination on the idea. For example, you might regale them with stories from a previous campaign. If you can't get them excited about the idea, I think you either need to reexamine your pitch, or accept that this group isn't the right fit for that style of campaign.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I don't think it's that. IMO, it's that a lot of DMs aren't great on selling people on this kind of idea.

If you are essentially leading with, "Check out my new campaign, now with 100% more tedium!" many players are going to be (understandably) turned off.

Now compare that with something like a West Marches campaign, which often come packaged with similar "tedious" options, but in a much more attractive box. I've seen lots of interest on the internet for West Marches campaigns, despite it being fundamentally based on an old-school sandbox model of play, because it's been sold well to players. First by Ben Robbins (even though he wasn't trying to sell anything, his articles captivate the imagination) and later by others like Matt Colville (who've also done a great job selling the idea).

IMO, if you want to sell players on this, the best thing to do is to fire their excitement and imagination on the idea. For example, you might regale then with stories from a previous campaign. If you can't get them excited about the idea, I think you either need to either reexamine your pitch, or accept that this group isn't the right fit for that style of campaign.

What is a West Marches campaign?

 

[Fanaelialae]

What is a West Marches campaign?

Grand Experiments: West Marches

West Marches was a game I ran for a little over two years. It was designed to be pretty much the diametric opposite of the normal weekly game: There was no regular time: every session was scheduled by the players on the fly. There was no regular party: each game had different players drawn f

arsludi.lamemage.com

 

[FrozenNorth]

If there were official guidance on what classes/subclasses/spells/rules to include or exclude based on setting, the DM could say, “We are going to play (setting type); use the standard list to see what options are allowed”. I for one would find that useful.

More than that…experienced DMs are pretty good, but newer DMs might want to give a more specific experience but overlook certain abilities that should have been removed. Like the fact that paladins are immune to disease in a campaign where exposure to disease is a serious threat.

 

[Bill Zebub]

More than that…experienced DMs are pretty good, but newer DMs might want to give a more specific experience but overlook certain abilities that should have been removed. Like the fact that paladins are immune to disease in a campaign where exposure to disease is a serious threat.

...and can rather trivially cure diseases.