D&D General Alternate thought - rule of cool is bad for gaming

[Thomas Shey]

Even more than that, the GM's skill is not some hegemonic thing. Few GMs are perfectly equally good at every single aspect of GMing.

That was part of what I meant when I mentioned "enjoying some parts of it more than others".

I'm terrible at keeping games focused and moving at a decent clip; every adventure I think will take only 3-4 sessions ends up taking 8+, I swear. One GM may be an absolute legend for memorable, exciting combats...and absolute garbage at "puzzles" or "mysteries" etc. Another may write the most believable, emotionally-affecting characters you've ever seen, but be worse than a fever-addled five year old when it comes to making consistent and productive adjudication.

Yeah, none of those are particularly closely related skills.

Then you add in the interpersonal angle, friendships and past history and emotional attachment...yeah. Very frequently, the choice is not at all as simple as "stay with bad thing" vs "leave bad thing with zero other consequences or effects."

Yet, at the risk of being snarky, somehow this seems inexplicable to some people.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Maybe they just like being part of the community talking about D&D.

Heh heh... well, when I see how... strident... they are when posting in these threads... I don't know if "talking" is really the word to choose.

 

[tetrasodium]

Sure. But when those people then come here onto EN World and argue for what they want for HUNDREDS of thread pages back and forth... I can't help but laugh to myself and wonder what exactly it is they think they are accomplishing, LOL.

Where is the critical breakpoint between 54 & "HUNDREDS"?

 

[Thomas Shey]

Sure. But when those people then come here onto EN World and argue for what they want for HUNDREDS of thread pages back and forth... I can't help but laugh to myself and wonder what exactly it is they think they are accomplishing, LOL.

Are you seriously under the impression most people who post on a hobby forum of this nature think they're accomplishing anything? They're doing some combination of blowing off steam and engaging with topics that go on. There are going to be a couple who somehow think they're going to influence the hobby, but I doubt that's even a significant minority.

I mean, I post in threads avowedly about D&D--even though I haven't been interested in D&D proper for 20 odd years now, and only borderline interested in a few offshoots--because some of the topics apply to other parts of the RPG hobby too. But I don't really expect my issues with D&D's structure to change anyone's mind; they didn't 40 years ago, why would they now?

 

[overgeeked]

Sure. But when those people then come here onto EN World and argue for what they want for HUNDREDS of thread pages back and forth... I can't help but laugh to myself and wonder what exactly it is they think they are accomplishing, LOL.

Community building. Finding like-minded people. Reaching out to other disaffected people. Getting recs for other games to play, other styles to play, house rules to use, etc. You don’t have to like it or agree.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Where is the critical breakpoint between 54 & "HUNDREDS"?

Page 131.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Heh heh... well, when I see how... strident... they are when posting in these threads... I don't know if "talking" is really the word to choose.

Peoples' discussion styles are just what they are.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Are you seriously under the impression most people who post on a hobby forum of this nature think they're accomplishing anything? They're doing some combination of blowing off steam and engaging with topics that go on. There are going to be a couple who somehow think they're going to influence the hobby, but I doubt that's even a significant minority.

I mean, I post in threads avowedly about D&D--even though I haven't been interested in D&D proper for 20 odd years now, and only borderline interested in a few offshoots--because some of the topics apply to other parts of the RPG hobby too. But I don't really expect my issues with D&D's structure to change anyone's mind; they didn't 40 years ago, why would they now?

* I * don't... which is why my posts usually top off after maybe 3, 6, 8, 12 replies or so. But to go on for page after page after page? Either the person's really bored, or they must think something special is happening.

 

[Vaalingrade]

This is an extremely roundabout and oddly somehow more rude way to tell people to shut up.

 

[FrogReaver]

And yet Apocalypse World does.

If AW truly covered everything then there wouldn’t be so many flavors of it.

Trusting the referee is a red herring. If I wanted the referee's vision of the fiction to be determinate, I'd ask them to tell me a story.

That dice are rolled (in absence of the illusory railroad) shows that the referees vision is not determinate.