As Editions progress, are homebrews...

[Lanefan]

I was just wondering... as editions progress, are you finding it more difficult to create your own settings and forge your own path, or have the new editions been making it easier to come up with your own content?

Speaking from familiarity with the editions rather than direct experience trying to work with each one, I'd think homebrew *settings* would be about equally easy/difficult to create regardless of edition.

Homebrew *houserules*, however, I'd say are getting more difficult to do well with each new edition; I'd really like to see 4e reverse this trend but my hopes are not high.

Lanefan

 

[Lurks-no-More]

In my experience, having better (in the sense of being more consistent and coherent) rules help with worldbuilding. Thus, I've found 3.* easier and more fun to homebrew stuff for and with than I ever did with 2e.

Based on what we know now of 4e, I don't think there will be essential changes in either direction, as compared to 3e.

 

[Kaodi]

When 4e eventually rolls around, if my group is still together then, I was thinking about asking to give DMing a try. Seems that the best way to break in the new edition is by seeing if it is attractive to inexperienced DMs.

That being said, I think there are two directions I might go with. Either I will run a straight " Points of Light " game, or I was thinking of running a game set in a time of a great Eladrin empire, perhaps right after the death of the god that owned the realm that becomes Hell (if I do not come up with my own pantheon that is, I guess).

Eberron will remain my favourite setting though.

 

[el-remmen]

I don't see why homebrewing from scratch should be any easier or harder from edition to edition. Converting a homebrew setting can be VERY hard when the way rules were tweaked for the setting are fundamentally changed by the new edition.

For example, there were some significant changes to the priest classes in Aquerra when I converted from 2E, basically having to homebrew a set of "specialty priest" classes b/c I hate the idea of the generic cleric - and then went along tweaking paladin abilities based on various godly orders, and barbarians based on where in the world they are from and developed things that explained why dwarven wizards are unheard of, etc. . .

If I were to go to 4E I would start from scratch again.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

No one wyverns goldly.

Chuck Norris wyverns goldly.

I don't think edition is going to make a lick of difference as far as homebrewing. Regardless of what names the mechanics fall under, I can just rename 'em if need be.

 

[sirwmholder]

Honestly, mechanic changes (even default flavor text )... has very little impact on my home-brew. I have designed a world with a myriad of creatures... just about all are non-core.

Mechanics may change how combat flows or what damage thresholds a creature can withstand before succumbing to unconsciousness... but it does not change the story... and after all isn't that the point of designing your own home-brew?

Just a thought,
Wm. Holder

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

I find no effect upon my homebrewing with edition changes over time. At least not due to the editions themselves. The real influence is the available players and time. With players readily available I tend to use something off-the-shelf and make adjustments. With time on my hands and no current game to run I tend to occupy myself with brewing my own or making more extensive reshapings of existing settings. Edition is irrelevant.

 

[The Little Raven]

I don't think edition is going to make a lick of difference as far as homebrewing. Regardless of what names the mechanics fall under, I can just rename 'em if need be.

Well, one of the common arguments is that having to rename things is going to be some huge time commitment in which you have to constantly remind your players of the change, because somehow writing things down in handouts or expecting your players to exercise their memories is too much work... well, except when it applies to spells, because renaming "Golden Wyvern Adept" and explaining that is way more difficult than renaming "Mordenkainan's Wondrous Plot Device."

 

[Voss]

The way I see it, I can keep developing my homebrew now, working out history, geography, culture, etc, put in the themes, races, gods, etc I want, and then add it the mechanics at the end. Going through 3 4e books, taking what I want and leaving the rest will be far easier than going through 30+ 3.x books and trying to find the handful of good feats, spells and whatnot hidden in the large pile of garbage ones.

 

[an_idol_mind]

2nd and 3rd edition developed so as to fit what I want in a setting better, and as such it's made homebrewing slightly easier over the years.

From what I've seen, 4th edition is going to include a lot of flavor that runs counter to what I prefer. I don't think that makes it more difficult to homebrew, though.