D&D 5E An inexperienced DM is asking for your pennies ...

[Nytmare]

I know it, downloaded it. It doesn't suit him because he wants gigantic battles (2000 soldiers vs 3000 soldiers for example). When Armies Clash is set for a much lesser scale.

Basically he wants to begin with a village hut and end up taking over the entire world. Elves, dwarves, orcs, gnolls ... everything is just a challenge for him to conquer, a future army unit to take under his command.

Oof, that makes things more challenging...

 

[CanadienneBacon]

You mean with webcam or something? Not sure if it is my style ... and I don't think I'd feel comfortable playing with complete strangers. I remember what the DM's guide in 3rd edition would say something like: "Don't play this game with people you wouldn't want to hang out in real life."

Just chiming in to say that I play nearly solely play-by-post, and while the most recent campaign I started up consisted of just over half strangers, I chose players wisely and with the intent that perhaps we'd all foster friendship among ourselves. Like you, I only want to spend time with people I can relax around, people who are either friends or potential friends. I was very careful to whom I extended invitations to play in my newest game. That's a departure from past games, where I did open recruiting and then selected characters/players to join based on the character concept they submitted. This time around, I identified gamers with whom I was already good friends, or who I'd observed over time to be friendly and/or funny, or good writers. It's worked out really well so far. I'm enjoying all of them, and they seem to be really enjoying the game, and one another.


And webcams do NOT feature in our game. It's purely text-, map-, and image-based gaming. Done right here on EN World, in the Talking the Talk and the Playing the Game sub-forums.

 

[Nickolaidas]

Just chiming in to say that I play nearly solely play-by-post, and while the most recent campaign I started up consisted of just over half strangers, I chose players wisely and with the intent that perhaps we'd all foster friendship among ourselves. Like you, I only want to spend time with people I can relax around, people who are either friends or potential friends. I was very careful to whom I extended invitations to play in my newest game. That's a departure from past games, where I did open recruiting and then selected characters/players to join based on the character concept they submitted. This time around, I identified gamers with whom I was already good friends, or who I'd observed over time to be friendly and/or funny, or good writers. It's worked out really well so far. I'm enjoying all of them, and they seem to be really enjoying the game, and one another.


And webcams do NOT feature in our game. It's purely text-, map-, and image-based gaming. Done right here on EN World, in the Talking the Talk and the Playing the Game sub-forums.

How can I find people / websites to play by post? And how does it work with the dice? Trust to each others 'words'? Or does the DM roll for every single action, whether it is a monster's or a PC's?

 

[iserith]

Is he a bad player for wanting all this stuff because he's spoiled by the video games? Am I a bad DM for not giving my player what my player wants, simply because I find it tedious and a bit of a drag? Are we both bad for trying to enforce our wants and needs and should probably go our separate gaming ways?

Thoughts?

You both want what you want. If you can't come to a compromise that works for both of you, then I suggest not wasting any time on it. Play some other kind of game together like a board or card game.

I do get the objection to dungeon crawls though. They are easy to make into the worst sort of gaming experience. But if the DM is skilled, they can be a great deal of fun. They're among my favorites to run.

You mean with webcam or something? Not sure if it is my style ... and I don't think I'd feel comfortable playing with complete strangers. I remember what the DM's guide in 3rd edition would say something like: "Don't play this game with people you wouldn't want to hang out in real life."

That book is full of all kinds of awful advice and this is some of it. Strangers are just friends waiting to happen. Find a compatible group online. It's really easy nowadays. I just ran an online game this past weekend for two people I've played with before and two complete strangers. It was awesome and everyone is clamoring for the next game already.

Edit: I've even run a game with [MENTION=6777052]BoldItalic[/MENTION] as a player. He was a stranger at that time as well. It was a fun game!

 

[BoldItalic]

A bit of knotted thinking:

In a D&D game, two of the characters spend their short rests playing a board game where they compete to build imaginary empires. In between, they are doing the usual D&D stuff. The background to their adventures is a campaign where great events are taking place as two rulers compete to build empires. You can see where this is leading ...

edit -added

Yes, I played in one of [MENTION=97077]iserith[/MENTION]'s online games with three other guys who were total strangers to me. One was from Europe and two were from North America. And it was great

edit - added more

There's a pbm forum right here on ENWorld. Start with Talking the Talk. There's a mechanic whereby the web server does the dice rolls and the results appear in your posts, so everyone knows no one is cheating.

 

[Nickolaidas]

It's midnight here and I get up early tomorrow, so I take my leave. Guys, thank you, really, for all the advice and comments you gave me so far. Really appreciate it.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

How can I find people / websites to play by post? And how does it work with the dice? Trust to each others 'words'? Or does the DM roll for every single action, whether it is a monster's or a PC's?

I do all my PbP on EN World, and so can speak only about the PbP environment here (there are other websites that offer PbP, though). Here's a link to the Talking the Talk forum, which is where games recruit and we have our out-of-character chitchat threads: http://www.enworld.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?64-Talking-the-Talk. I don't think any games are openly recruiting/starting right now, but in the past I've had good luck approaching an existing game and just flat-out asking whether there was space for me to join. And here's a link to the Playing the Game forum, which is where we do the actual gameplay (each thread is a separate game): http://www.enworld.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?15-Playing-the-Game.

For dice rolling, you can either use the EN World die roller, or you can use offsite rollers, e.g.: coyotecode.net, orokos.com, invisiblecastle.com are examples. My go-to is coyotecode.net because it's user friendly and never broken. Orokos is just fine, too. I avoid invisiblecastle because the site is down very regularly. I also use the EN World die roller very often. Here's the standard language I include in my OOC threads about die rollers:

[sblock]If you haven't done PbP before, the custom for using dice is to either use the EN World dice roller, or use a third-party online dice roller and post a link to your roll. If you opt for the EN World roller, this is the nomenclature you use:


{roll}1d20+3{/roll}
{roll}4d8{/roll}
{rollv}2d6{/rollv} -- displays each roll separately

You replace the { } with [ ]. You can name your dice rolls, too. This:


{roll=Initiative}1d20+2{/roll}

will yield this result:


Initiative - (1d20+3)[22]

Sometimes, however, the EN World dice roller misfires when one attempts to name multiple rolls in the same post. That's why a lot of us don't use the naming feature.

Also, editing posts with a die roll can be tricky. You can edit text in a post that includes a roll, but you cannot: 1) edit a roll; or 2) edit in a roll after a post has been submitted. This comes up, for example, when you roll a natural 20 and need to roll critical hit damage; if that happens, just post a second time with a die roll for your crit. If you have the Great Weapon Fighting style and a greatsword, either use the [rollv] convention, or include two separate rolls for each d6 of the greatsword's 2d6 damage.

If you opt to use a third-party online dice roller, please do NOT use Invisible Castle; that site functions irregularly. Reliable easy-to-use online die rolling sites I like include: coyotecode.net, and orokos.com. Orokos.com requires a (free) user account. Coyotecode.net does not. You will very often see me link to dice rolls on coyotecode.net. There are other online dice rollers, and you are welcome to use any of them that appeal to you.


Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?473086-Out-of-the-Abyss-OOC#ixzz3zi7U4UOL[/sblock]

 

[Jediking]

How can I find people / websites to play by post? And how does it work with the dice? Trust to each others 'words'? Or does the DM roll for every single action, whether it is a monster's or a PC's?

I use Roll20 (free with membership options), and there is also FantasyGrounds (subscription). Both of these use virtual table tops and Roll20 has been fantastic for me. I have only played with 'strangers' online at the start, but have not had many bad experiences. There are built in character sheets with macros that allow you to control your own character.


And for your brother wanting to play a world-conquering strategy game, it seems like it will be a huge effort to adapt it to D&D. It sounds like you have tried nearly every edition of D&D and have not found much tread with it. D&D can be a versatile game, but it strongest with dungeon-crawling or encounters with 4-6 players in a party*. Trying a new system that offers armies and territory, like Warhammer, may be better suited for you both.

*not that it can't be adapted into numerous ways to play.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Sounds like Becmi is what he is after, going all the way up to immortal level - but the thing about Becmi is it starts at B...level 1.

Nothing wrong with a super objective to aim at but start smaller. Then build out. And dungeon crawling can be part of that or instead more wilderness based but each area is essentially a dungeon format - just without walls and further apart. All a dungeon really is is a collection of encounters in a handy binder, conveniently close together, making a whole.

The same can be done out of the dungeon. The tunnels and corridors are glossed over or touched upon in the same way that the three hours ride over the plains is, but both end at either a door or the edge of a wood/chamber or a clearing/guardroom or village.

So he wants to rule the world. He has to pass seven tests and acquire three potent weapons before he can do so.

5e works well for this, so long as he is invested in the super objective while dealing with the smaller scale building blocks.

It's late, I'm probably not making any sense.

 

[Sunseeker]

I tell my players: if there's something NOT in 5E they want to use, THEY can convert it and I will review it, no promises beyond that.