Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Campaign Settings and DM Strictures, the POLL
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7535978" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p><strong>On the poll:</strong></p><p></p><p>Voted for option 3 - the setting determines what can/cannot be played; and as the DM decides or designs the setting that means the DM makes these decisions. In practice there's some option 4 in there as well, but the example given (no evil PCs) ensures I won't vote for it.</p><p></p><p>As for option 5, my view is that once a campaign starts the major elements e.g. what races/classes/etc. are allowed or banned should be as baked in and unalterable as possible; in particular with reference to what's allowed - if something's allowed once it then has to be allowed throughout, to maintain internal consistency. Something banned can always be introduced later if it makes sense or if something's changed in the meantime - an example from my own DMing is that I started one campaign by banning Monks outright, then a few years in I redesigned the class from the ground up and found an in-fiction means of introducing them so I could see how they played (not well, leading to another redesign later which has worked out much better).</p><p></p><p>New material that is released after a campaign's start is assumed to be banned unless and until the DM says otherwise.</p><p></p><p><strong>On session 0:</strong> (actually session -1; session 0 is roll-up night)</p><p></p><p>If I had a session -1 and asked my players what they wanted from a setting/world/campaign before starting to design it I'd probably be wasting my time, as there'd likely be a 1-to-2-year gap between session -1 and session 0 and chances are those players would long since have - quite reasonably - moved on to somethng else.</p><p></p><p>Instead I just design it, then see if anyone wants to play in it. So far, so good I guess... <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>On Gnomes:</strong></p><p></p><p>I've never been a huge fan and, like others here, can't find their equivalent in any significant written works. But some of the most successful and longest-lasting PCs I've DMed have been Gnomes, and so I keep them around despite myself. That said, in my current campaign you have to be (un)lucky to get the chance to play one: they're not a chooseable race in most areas and thus you have to roll on a table where you're somewhat stuck with what you roll (the only out-clause is that Human is always a chooseable option).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 7535978, member: 29398"] [B]On the poll:[/B] Voted for option 3 - the setting determines what can/cannot be played; and as the DM decides or designs the setting that means the DM makes these decisions. In practice there's some option 4 in there as well, but the example given (no evil PCs) ensures I won't vote for it. As for option 5, my view is that once a campaign starts the major elements e.g. what races/classes/etc. are allowed or banned should be as baked in and unalterable as possible; in particular with reference to what's allowed - if something's allowed once it then has to be allowed throughout, to maintain internal consistency. Something banned can always be introduced later if it makes sense or if something's changed in the meantime - an example from my own DMing is that I started one campaign by banning Monks outright, then a few years in I redesigned the class from the ground up and found an in-fiction means of introducing them so I could see how they played (not well, leading to another redesign later which has worked out much better). New material that is released after a campaign's start is assumed to be banned unless and until the DM says otherwise. [B]On session 0:[/B] (actually session -1; session 0 is roll-up night) If I had a session -1 and asked my players what they wanted from a setting/world/campaign before starting to design it I'd probably be wasting my time, as there'd likely be a 1-to-2-year gap between session -1 and session 0 and chances are those players would long since have - quite reasonably - moved on to somethng else. Instead I just design it, then see if anyone wants to play in it. So far, so good I guess... :) [B]On Gnomes:[/B] I've never been a huge fan and, like others here, can't find their equivalent in any significant written works. But some of the most successful and longest-lasting PCs I've DMed have been Gnomes, and so I keep them around despite myself. That said, in my current campaign you have to be (un)lucky to get the chance to play one: they're not a chooseable race in most areas and thus you have to roll on a table where you're somewhat stuck with what you roll (the only out-clause is that Human is always a chooseable option). [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Campaign Settings and DM Strictures, the POLL
Top