D&D (2024) Do you plan to adopt D&D5.5One2024Redux?

[TwoSix]

This is going down the same rabbit hole we go down every time. I'm not a "Say yes" DM, I'm a "I want to run a campaign that is not only fun for me and everyone at the table". But part of that is that the world has to make sense to me. Yes, you could have gnomes in Athas as a one off but what happens when the next person wants to play a kenku or a tabaxi? What happens when most of the party is of species that don't canonically exist in that world? Because if I allow one exception, if I don't allow all exceptions then it starts to look like favoritism. But maybe it's just because I've been running in the same campaign world for decades and do my best to be consistent with the lore, even when running for different groups.

Ah, you see, I don't feel like it's a rabbit hole, because your example identified something interesting.

You've been running in the same campaign world for decades, using the same world for multiple groups. So obviously, protecting its identity and expression is an important play priority! Adhering to that vision is going to trump extremely high amounts of player flexibility.

Since I favor high amounts of player flexibility, and also have a surplus of DMs wanting to run games, our games generally don't have long-running campaign worlds. But if I did have that kind of world, I would probably have to curtail my flexibility somewhat.

 

[Oofta]

Ah, you see, I don't feel like it's a rabbit hole, because your example identified something interesting.

You've been running in the same campaign world for decades, using the same world for multiple groups. So obviously, protecting its identity and expression is an important play priority! Adhering to that vision is going to trump extremely high amounts of player flexibility.

Since I favor high amounts of player flexibility, and also have a surplus of DMs wanting to run games, our games generally don't have long-running campaign worlds. But if I did have that kind of world, I would probably have to curtail my flexibility somewhat.

Yeah, there's a difference between "What campaign are we going to play for the next 6 months" and "I have a campaign world I've been using forever. I'd like to run a campaign there."

I've suggested possibly running a one-off campaign here and there, mostly to do something radically different like space fantasy or weird west campaign, but when you get together once a month people tend to stick to the tried and true.

 

[TwoSix]

No because you posted an example for @Lanefan's question of "How can there be compromise, though, on what is clearly a binary yes-no decision as to whether something will be included or not?" That is not compromise. The "work on another concept" you are pointing out is literally overridden by the GM in the very next words ""No, wait, hold on. If we just adjust this class feature Y to work more like Z, I think we can make this work. Let me check something..."that italicized bit is capitulation and you left out the how. Since the paladin smite spam being fixed has been brought up a few times and makes for an easy obvious binary use that to show us your "compromise" in detail.

We aren't talking about "pretty much anything". We are specifically talking about cross edition PCs not "pretty much anything" like Alice using a splatbook for her PC or Bob stomping up in a glitterboy with his PC.

Just so I'm clear, are you asking me to expound on how I would handle the "2014 paladin in a 2024 game" use case with my personal philosophy of open acceptance?

I'm happy to discuss it if that's what you're asking, but I don't want to assume.

 

[TwoSix]

Yeah, there's a difference between "What campaign are we going to play for the next 6 months" and "I have a campaign world I've been using forever. I'd like to run a campaign there."

I've suggested possibly running a one-off campaign here and there, mostly to do something radically different like space fantasy or weird west campaign, but when you get together once a month people tend to stick to the tried and true.

That makes perfect sense to me.

 

[James Gasik]

Because "pretty much whatever" encapsulates the 99% percent of stuff I'm OK with, and the 1% I'll need to take a firmer stance on.

I allow "pretty much whatever". I think other people, as DMs, should be open to generally saying yes to novel expressions of character concepts. I think if you have a cool idea for a campaign that does require more restrictions, like "Let's do a game where everyone is a warforged druid so we can be Transformers!" (non-hypothetical, this idea was discussed by one of my groups over the weekend), then we make sure everyone has buy-in, but also that nobody should try to be disruptive once everyone is onboard.

We had a question on these boards a couple years ago about whether it was OK to play a gnome in Dark Sun; canonically, Dark Sun does not have gnomes.

As a player, I would never ask to play a gnome, because I assume the DM wants to maintain the canon and atmosphere of Dark Sun.

If I was the DM, I would explain that Dark Sun doesn't canonically have gnomes, but we can absolutely make it work if he wants to be a gnome. Maybe he can be a lost gnome held in stasis, maybe there's a lost tribe of gnomes deep in the Wastes, or maybe just gnomes are actually common on Athas for this campaign. Most of my players would just decide not to be a gnome, and for the few that had a concept in which gnome was essential, would work with me to establish their place in the setting.

Man, this drifted really far from the point I wanted to make of "It's totally cool to use the 2014 druid and the 2024 druid at the same table."

Wasn't it that Athas used to have Gnomes, but they were exterminated by Nibenay (aka, Gallard, Bane of Gnomes)?

 

[Corinnguard]

Wasn't it that Athas used to have Gnomes, but they were exterminated by Nibenay (aka, Gallard, Bane of Gnomes)?

Yes, they were one of the races that were wiped out by Rajaat's forces during the Cleansing Wars. They existed during Athas' Green Age.

 

[James Gasik]

Yes, they were one of the races that were wiped out by Rajaat's forces during the Cleansing Wars. They existed during Athas' Green Age.

I thought so, I remembered some discussion about Gnomes when 4e Dark Sun introduced the Eladrin to the setting.

 

[Shardstone]

Sometimes I wish it was a new edition so people could stop agonizing on whether this is a new edition or not.

 

[mamba]

Sometimes I wish it was a new edition so people could stop agonizing on whether this is a new edition or not.

then they'd agonize that it is a new edition

 

[Parmandur]

Sometimes I wish it was a new edition so people could stop agonizing on whether this is a new edition or not.

You know it wouldn't be that easy.