Recent content by Lanefan

  1. Lanefan

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    In which case yes, they're hosed. Roll up new characters. That they all got captured without even one managing to avoid it, however, seems odd....unless the PCs collectively and individually have no sense of self-preservation. And if one character avoids capture then the party can continue...
  2. Lanefan

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    I think it might hinge on the level of in-fiction contrivance required to keep making things happen where logic says nothing should.
  3. Lanefan

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    Thing is, a conflict-neutral or low-no stakes event now may - or may not - have all kinds of consequences down the road. And as you don't know what "down the road" is going to consist of until after you've got there and beyond, I say the default should be to play them out unless the players say...
  4. Lanefan

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    If the players are inhabiting their characters then when it comes to obstacles wouldn't these two things kind of run in lockstep? That said, I can think of loads of times where the characters weren't having any fun at all (usually at the hands of each other) and yet the players were roaring...
  5. Lanefan

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    Which can be fine even in the sandbox-iest of games. They've found or self-generated a mission, completion of that mission requires their getting though this obstacle, and they can't do it. Which means, while the game as a whole can go forward if-when they go do something else, that particular...
  6. Lanefan

    Chaosium Names New CEO, Mike Mearls Departs Company

    The cool thing for me personally is that Neil played in my game some decades ago (he's responsible for the best-worst character name ever: Sir Kalvin of Hobbes); he once introduced me as his first DM, but technically I was his second.
  7. Lanefan

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    More commonly IME - particularly at very low levels - they need to turn around and go back to get new characters to replace what they lost; getting new supplies is done at the same time, helped (sometimes greatly!) by any treasure they've thus far managed to scoop from the place. But I have...
  8. Lanefan

    D&D (2024) It Is 2025 And Save Or Suck Spells Still Suck (the fun out of the game)

    It's not an arms race, it's merely remembering and then ensuring that the rules apply to PCs and NPCs alike. Or put another way, it's a question of ensuring the NPCs sometimes actually use the arms they already have.
  9. Lanefan

    D&D (2024) It Is 2025 And Save Or Suck Spells Still Suck (the fun out of the game)

    I'd also accept the first one but not the second, as one of the provisos I put on Suggestion is that the suggested action has to have a definable point of completion. "Hike to the nearest village and tell them we're under attack" is perfect; once those things have been done the suggested action...
  10. Lanefan

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    5e took out Warp Wood? Druid spell? And indeed, it's possible they don't have the correct resources. Again, so be it - go back and get 'em. The whole point of an obstacle is to slow or prevent progress. Unlike modern game design, I don't want to ignore or toss out the "or prevent" piece; I...
  11. Lanefan

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    Question: how does having a single (potential) point of failure have any relation to direct storytelling?
  12. Lanefan

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    I'm a "crueller despot" than that; if they all fall into a pit trap they can't get out of then they roll up new characters. That said, it'd have to be a very odd/unusual situation to a) have them all fall in to the same trap and b) not have any way of getting at least one character out. And...
  13. Lanefan

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    Sure, not all of these are going to work every time, but the options are still there to try. IME most mages try to get their mitts on Knock as soon as they can, also in my game it doesn't have the alarm-bell feature that 5e gave it. And if the door opens toward you, the hinges have to be on...
  14. Lanefan

    D&D (2024) It Is 2025 And Save Or Suck Spells Still Suck (the fun out of the game)

    Yes. What's good for the goose... If you're playing your NPCs true to character this simply should not be an issue, and ideally the players have been well warned about this ahead of time.
  15. Lanefan

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    It also depends on how important the characters' gear and equipment are to play. In a game where gear and equipment are carefully tracked and-or can be vital to success, forgetting to pick up something while in town can have big consequences later and thus at least doing the basic "adding items...
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