Make It Yourself

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Not arguing the point here, just sharing a great song and music video:

 

[MichaelSomething]

If the chunks involve a particular class or the like, that's not actually an encouragement, and there's no assurance that anyone who has changed the part you like has any spaces.

I mean, in general, if people were changing the part they disliked all over the place, they'd already probably have a solution.

(Assuming, of course, the changes weren't as big a problem as the original; its not hard to fix one problem by making another).

Wait, what do want again?

You don't want to adjust the game to suit your taste?

You dont think searching for others that share your playstyle is a viable concept?

Do you want WOTC to force other people to conform to a playstyle that suits your preferences???

 

[Thomas Shey]

Wait, what do want again?

You don't want to adjust the game to suit your taste?

You dont think searching for others that share your playstyle is a viable concept?

Do you want WOTC to force other people to conform to a playstyle that suits your preferences???

Are you under the impression I play or care about what WOTC does or doesn't do personally? The last time I played D&D proper there was a "4e" at the end of it, and I was only so-so about that.

This isn't about me. This is me suggesting for people having these problems, some of the solutions are less useful than some are suggesting.

 

[Reynard]

What's fun in an RPG is highly subjective. As such, we should be encouraging people to experiment and create, without worrying overly much about quality or professionalism.

There is nothing wrong with or difficult about mixing the battlemaster and bard to create a Warlord, for example. Just do it. It will need some tweaks. So tweak it.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Are you under the impression I play or care about what WOTC does or doesn't do personally? The last time I played D&D proper there was a "4e" at the end of it, and I was only so-so about that.

This isn't about me. This is me suggesting for people having these problems, some of the solutions are less useful than some are suggesting.

Well, how can we best help those people?

What options can we give people who don't like aspects of the game but are incapable of changing it??

 

[Thomas Shey]

Well, how can we best help those people?

In some cases, I don't think you can.

Let's look at a case.

You a have a player (note, not a GM, nor someone who has any interest in being a GM). He likes D&D as a gestalt, but strongly dislikes some elements of the current edition--which is most of what he's been able to find. In the few cases he's found other versions in play, they have other elements he likes even less.

There's nothing much that can be done for him. He's looking for access to a game that, if it exists, he doesn't have access to it. All he's going to do about it is vent. There's no likelihood he'll be able to address his issue in a way that actually satisfies him.

This is a problem some player-only gamers have struggled with for a long, long time. This is just a D&D-centric board, so they'll see what feels like an appropriate place to vent about it.

What options can we give people who don't like aspects of the game but are incapable of changing it??

If they're not willing to play another game nor GM, not much far as I can tell.

 

[Reynard]

In some cases, I don't think you can.

Let's look at a case.

You a have a player (note, not a GM, nor someone who has any interest in being a GM). He likes D&D as a gestalt, but strongly dislikes some elements of the current edition--which is most of what he's been able to find. In the few cases he's found other versions in play, they have other elements he likes even less.

There's nothing much that can be done for him. He's looking for access to a game that, if it exists, he doesn't have access to it. All he's going to do about it is vent. There's no likelihood he'll be able to address his issue in a way that actually satisfies him.

This is a problem some player-only gamers have struggled with for a long, long time. This is just a D&D-centric board, so they'll see what feels like an appropriate place to vent about it.



If they're not willing to play another game nor GM, not much far as I can tell.

The internet is a thing now. This might have been a concern 10 years ago, but it isn't actually a reasonable concern now.

"But I only want to play around a table IRL!"

Well, that's a decision, not an inherent difficulty for most people (yes there are places with limited internet connectivity, but they are rare).

 

[bloodtide]

Perhaps I am cursed with an overabundance of optimism, but I think most people can do this stuff. All they have to do is try and be willing to accept "good enough."

Well...optimism meets cold hard reality quick enough. And the simple truth is most people can not be creative: this is who they are fundamentally.

And for the most part, you have to be Born With Creativity Skill. Yes it is possible to learn the skill.....but that is very uncommon.

Get a group of gamers together and ask them to create something....and maybe a 1/4 will even have the skill to do it, though 2-3 of them "won't have the time to do it" or some other such reason.

Just take something simple...like make five fire spells. Most Gamers can't do it.

And this goes for "professionals" too. They have to write five fire spells....and ALL they can think up of is "um...ball of fire, it explodes to do 1d6 fire damage" or "wall of fire, um burns for 1d6 damage.". And so on.

Someone posted a thread about this too....why do so many descriptions just say something like "this does the spell effect X" Zzzzzzz. Though in many cases it was all the writer could think of.

Like ok...we need a 9th level fire spell. What does D&D have...oh, it's "Bigger Fireball". Wow...lots of creativity there. Of course, a bit more creative person might write a spell like "Temporal Conflagration". What does that spell that I just made up do? It crates a firestorm that burns through TIME. Now THAT is a 9th level spell.

But most people can't think like that. They simply are not creative. Sure they might be able to make a couple fire spells with simple effects. Fireball, balls of fire, flaming balls, balls of flame and so on. The chance that someone else might think of a "fire spell that burns through time " is very low...

 

[Irlo]

My first exposure to D&D was finding a character sheet in my cousin's room. At the time, I had never heard of the game, and I had no idea how one might play it, but I was completely taken by the possibilities of the numbers on the page and the armor class in the little shield-shaped space on the sheet and the equipment list and the character description and history. The character was a centaur. I wouldn't actually play the game for another year or two, at which time I realized that the centaur wasn't a character race or class in the books.

My first exposure to D&D was finding a character sheet of a home-brewed class. I haven't thought about that in a long, long time, but it makes me very happy. This game has so much potential. Make it your own. @Reynard is right. You can do it.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The internet is a thing now. This might have been a concern 10 years ago, but it isn't actually a reasonable concern now.

"But I only want to play around a table IRL!"

Well, that's a decision, not an inherent difficulty for most people (yes there are places with limited internet connectivity, but they are rare).

I don't actually think that changes a thing in my point, and I think when it comes to the U.S. you're seriously underestimating the latter.