Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 2546678" data-attributes="member: 3192">I'm sort of surprised that no one has mentioned computer DM aids yet.&nbsp; When 3.0 came out waaaay back in 2000 they had the release paired with E-tools.&nbsp; This seemed to make sense.&nbsp; If there really was a highly customizable and rules literate DM tool by WotC, then a lot of DM prep time would be minimized.&nbsp; I haven't really tried any of the software currently out there, but I imagine the publishers are doing their very best to fill this need.&nbsp; My policy is learned from one of the best DM's on this board: To always try and say yes to the player.&nbsp; I don't believe it is the DM's job to limit the players' imaginations.&nbsp; Quite the contrary actually.&nbsp; I know the amount of published rules is vast, but even with a zillion options PC builds always have a finite limit in play.&nbsp; And the ones you choose for your NPCs are up to you.&nbsp; This means you really only have to track the current PCs' powers.That said, I do believe the current climate of the game is limiting imagination.&nbsp; Like Henry said, players brought up only under the new system tend to see the rules as more credible than DM arbitration.&nbsp; If a DM makes an antithetical call or chooses not to use a newly published option/rule, it may appear as if they know &quot;better&quot; than the professional designers at Wizards.&nbsp; Someone else mentioned needing real balancing guidelines.&nbsp; I'm sure Wizards has these developed even though much of it is an art, as they say.&nbsp; But there are definite reasons why they do not release these spreadsheets and rules of thumb.&nbsp; Having the best balanced rules is a big selling points in an OGL market.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the idea &quot;only Wizards has extensively balanced rules&quot; contributes to the mindset of DM's not being the preferred arbiter of what is allowed.However, everything here mentioned so far has focused on rules.&nbsp; This is the real limitation in my mind.&nbsp; The DM must memorize all the rules possible for their game.&nbsp; The players must buy rules to use in their games.&nbsp; The rules must be followed while playing the game.&nbsp; Even with 1000's of books and options, I think this is extremely limiting.&nbsp; The game is about imagination.&nbsp; 57 channels and nothing's on...&nbsp; Pull out a blank piece of paper and write the character you want to play without any rules.&nbsp; The DM can fill these in.&nbsp; He/she could even balance it so it's not a &quot;poor build&quot;.&nbsp; Yes, this means they are going to have to build a whole new race for you, a whole new class and prestige class, develop new weapons, spells, magic items, and more.&nbsp; They will even need to create a whole slew of new monsters for the crazy world you developed for your character.&nbsp; Impossible!?&nbsp; Hours and hours of work you say?&nbsp; Well yes, if you believe only professionals can make balanced rules.&nbsp; This is the limitation on imagination: believing both player and DM are no longer adequate for designing the game.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="howandwhy99, post: 2546678, member: 3192"] I'm sort of surprised that no one has mentioned computer DM aids yet. When 3.0 came out waaaay back in 2000 they had the release paired with E-tools. This seemed to make sense. If there really was a highly customizable and rules literate DM tool by WotC, then a lot of DM prep time would be minimized. I haven't really tried any of the software currently out there, but I imagine the publishers are doing their very best to fill this need. My policy is learned from one of the best DM's on this board: To always try and say yes to the player. I don't believe it is the DM's job to limit the players' imaginations. Quite the contrary actually. I know the amount of published rules is vast, but even with a zillion options PC builds always have a finite limit in play. And the ones you choose for your NPCs are up to you. This means you really only have to track the current PCs' powers. That said, I do believe the current climate of the game is limiting imagination. Like Henry said, players brought up only under the new system tend to see the rules as more credible than DM arbitration. If a DM makes an antithetical call or chooses not to use a newly published option/rule, it may appear as if they know "better" than the professional designers at Wizards. Someone else mentioned needing real balancing guidelines. I'm sure Wizards has these developed even though much of it is an art, as they say. But there are definite reasons why they do not release these spreadsheets and rules of thumb. Having the best balanced rules is a big selling points in an OGL market. Unfortunately, the idea "only Wizards has extensively balanced rules" contributes to the mindset of DM's not being the preferred arbiter of what is allowed. However, everything here mentioned so far has focused on rules. This is the real limitation in my mind. The DM must memorize all the rules possible for their game. The players must buy rules to use in their games. The rules must be followed while playing the game. Even with 1000's of books and options, I think this is extremely limiting. The game is about imagination. 57 channels and nothing's on... Pull out a blank piece of paper and write the character you want to play without any rules. The DM can fill these in. He/she could even balance it so it's not a "poor build". Yes, this means they are going to have to build a whole new race for you, a whole new class and prestige class, develop new weapons, spells, magic items, and more. They will even need to create a whole slew of new monsters for the crazy world you developed for your character. Impossible!? Hours and hours of work you say? Well yes, if you believe only professionals can make balanced rules. This is the limitation on imagination: believing both player and DM are no longer adequate for designing the game. [/QUOTE]

Verification