Belen
Legend
Rasyr kindly asked me to start a thread based on some comments on made in the thread about decline of RPGs. Feel free to discuss!
It is all about the amount of work you are willing to put into the game. I used to feel the same way that you feel. I had a very hard time running a 3e game. I found that the real difficulty with the rules set came from the way that the "players" treated the rules and the game.
A player that intends to get the most bang out of the options will place great strain on the DM. This requires a DM to understand the rules and how the rules interact to a far greater degree than is required to actually run or play the game.
The real problem with 3e is NOT the rules or the number of options released for the rules set. The problem lies with the implied connotation that the DM cannot say no. Players have taken the increased options and inferred that they have the right to dictate certain aspects of the game that tread upon the territory of the DM.
The fault of WOTC has been in forgetting to support the DM or combat the notion that any and all rules released for the game are core. This had led to the "feeling" that DMs have lost basic control of the game.
This is not the case. The DM can specify the defaults. A simple "You may use the core options found in the Player's Handbook. Anything out side the PHB will require permission on a case by case basis" will solve a majority of the "DM empowerment" or lack thereof issues found in 3e.
The real problem with the rules lies in the plethora of temporary or conditional modifications and the inconsistency within the advanced combat options found in the game.
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Originally Posted by Akrasia
My comment is somewhat tangential to the main topic of this thread, but I think that your comment here touches on one of the main reasons why I will not DM 3e anymore (having run two successful, year-long campaigns in the past).
While a plethora of options for players is a good thing for players, it places a great burden on the DM -- or at least those DMs who prefer to use all the options and rules available, as well as design their own adventures (as opposed to those DMs who wish to simply 'hand-wave' things during play, or are willing to rely exclusively on published adventures). Being a DM should not feel like a 'job', yet for myself (and many other DMs and ex-DMs that I know) prepping for 3e feels that way.
Designing a way to both: (a.) provide an adequate variety of options and variants for players; and (b.) accomplish (a.), while providing the DM with tools to minimize prep time (plus stat blocks, etc.) is important (IMO). WotC has focused on (a.), and done very little about (b.). Since DMs are essential to the success of table-top RPGs (no DMs = no games), more attention to (b.) would make sense.
It is all about the amount of work you are willing to put into the game. I used to feel the same way that you feel. I had a very hard time running a 3e game. I found that the real difficulty with the rules set came from the way that the "players" treated the rules and the game.
A player that intends to get the most bang out of the options will place great strain on the DM. This requires a DM to understand the rules and how the rules interact to a far greater degree than is required to actually run or play the game.
The real problem with 3e is NOT the rules or the number of options released for the rules set. The problem lies with the implied connotation that the DM cannot say no. Players have taken the increased options and inferred that they have the right to dictate certain aspects of the game that tread upon the territory of the DM.
The fault of WOTC has been in forgetting to support the DM or combat the notion that any and all rules released for the game are core. This had led to the "feeling" that DMs have lost basic control of the game.
This is not the case. The DM can specify the defaults. A simple "You may use the core options found in the Player's Handbook. Anything out side the PHB will require permission on a case by case basis" will solve a majority of the "DM empowerment" or lack thereof issues found in 3e.
The real problem with the rules lies in the plethora of temporary or conditional modifications and the inconsistency within the advanced combat options found in the game.
__________________
Joined the NC EnWorld Yahoo group yet? It is a must join group for EnWorlders in North Carolina!