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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Serge" data-source="post: 412342" data-attributes="member: 4049">Well, I think part of the reason is that there is so much out there and a good deal of it is substandard and/or of questionable balance.  I do not use most of the material out there in my games... although I buy most of it.  The reason is because I've found a lot of the material to overblown and or repetitive.  When I run my games, I make it clear that I use all official WotC material with a few adjustments and then provide a list to players detailing additional sources and what is allowable from those sources.  For example, I use all the traps from Traps and Treachery, most if not all of the material from Malhavoc Press, and quite a few of the material from Bastion Press and Green Ronin Publishing.  I pick and choose things from Sword and Sorcery.  For the most part, this allows me to control the flow of materials that enter in my games and reduces the possibility of me being sideswiped later down the road by someone who has discovered something "broken" in one of the additional supplements.The reason I rarely change material in official WotC stuff is because I discovered during the first few months that the core rules were pretty balanced and that by making an adjustment in one area, something else would inadvertantly be affected.  Additionally, most of the questions we've had were answered in later errata and FAQs.  Since these experiences, I only change things after careful consideration.  (Some of the changes I made then eliminated were things like giving Paladins constant protection from evil, stacking of AC, specialty classes for Priests, not requiring Priests to prepare spells, etc.).  On the other hand, I prefer unofficial material, like Cook's alternate Bard and Sorcerer, many of the magic items and monsters from Bastion Press and Green Ronin, and certain spells from Sword and Sorcery.I think it's up to DMs and their Players to sit down and review what works and doesn't work for them in their own games.  I also think boards like these help gamers hear about alternatives and options, as well as allow them to test the validity of their decisions.  I don't think anything WotC does is necessarily infallible, but I do think that using the official material as a sounding board is essential if one decides to do something different.  From there, creativity will allow gamers to make the right adjustments and decisions for their games.  WotC, however, should be (and generally is) sensitive to concerns and ideas of their gamers, another benefit of these boards.</blockquote>

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