Craving battles

[DrunkonDuty]

I get that cravin' from time to time as do my players. When we get that itch we scratch it. F'rinstance: last year we did something like 3 heavy role play sessions in a row. At the end of it I went out and bought a Dungeon Crawl Classic (Stormbringer Castle) and that filled our next 2 sessions with non-stop hack'n'slash mayhem. We have just had another long bout of mostly role play stuff and we're about to start on a major military campaign as the heroes go to war against Fire Giants. HAve already got a set piece battle and a small dungeon crawl set up to go. Mmmmm, might see if there's any Dungeon Crawl Clasics that might fit in too. But I do try to give the heroes reasons to hit the dungeon (me and mine enjoy the added tension) so maybe that's not quite what you're saying.

 

[Schmoe]

You're definitely not alone, Bullgrit. The simple fun of storming a dungeon and testing your party's limits is something that seems to be forgotten. The beauty is in the simplicity, and I think the popularity of games such as HeroQuest, Warhammer Quest, and Descent is a strong testament to the style of play. Some of my most memorable experiences as a player are delving into Undermountain "just because."

I like variety, and I'd get tired of dungeon-delving week-in and week-out, but my roots are with adventures like Keep on the Borderlands, Palace of the Silver Princess, and the inevitable homebrewed 20-level dungeon with no rhyme or reason.

While I've moved beyond the 20-level monstrosities, I've played in a few campaigns that were "combat-lite", and I was bored beyond belief. As DM I think I'm a little more willing to eschew battles, because I get a lot of my DM'ing enjoyment simply from seeing players engaged in the game, but as a player I definitely need time for smack-down.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Is this finally the place where we can profess that we are not the kind of guys that want to "story-tell" all the time, and role-play out every tavern meeting and creating (or expanding on) elaborate back stories?


Is this the time where I can profess that I need enough story to justify to flip out and kill people kill monsters and take their stuff?

That said, I still love mysteries, and I would enjoy some political intrigue. But I need some violence with that story. And the violence should involve me (=my character) kicking ass , not just watching from sidelines or something like that.

Non-Stop killer action is more fun then non-stop talking and plot advancement. And the "healthy" dose contains more from the former then the latter.

 

[Schmoe]

Is this finally the place where we can profess that we are not the kind of guys that want to "story-tell" all the time, and role-play out every tavern meeting and creating (or expanding on) elaborate back stories?

Yes, Mustrum, this is the place where you can show your dark secrets to the light. Claim your hidden lust for battle! Revel in your subversive ways! You are among friends here, and the limp-wristed, bespectacled, disapproving "storycrafters" shall be cast out and discarded like broken furniture on the curb.

Non-Stop killer action is more fun then non-stop talking and plot advancement. And the "healthy" dose contains more from the former then the latter.

Haha, what a picture:

"Hold onto your seats as the barmaid's daughter spills the drinks on the mayor! Feel your heart race as you are turned away from the noble's ball! Your jaws will ache from overuse as you dry your moist, wet eyes, for this, is, Drama Dome!"

I jest, and I plots and stories too, but it was a funny image nonetheless.

 

[MrFilthyIke]

I'm curious if this is a common phase that all old-time players go through. (The craving, not the self-DMing.)

Every day.

 

[Hussar]

Hey, I loves me the hack.

Sure, I love the deep, meaningful, immersive stuff too. But, y'know what? Sometimes I just want to roll some dice and kill . It's therapeutic.

Heck, I did the World's Largest Dungeon. I know all about the Hack!

 

[Exquisite Dead Guy]

In the very beginning of my D&D career (started 1980), fighting our way through the Caves of Chaos was ultimate fun. There was no plot for us other than slaying evil (chaotic) monsters. For "homemade" dungeons, we'd sometimes just attack an orc lair. Fighting monsters, finding treasure, and just generally clearing out a dungeon was D&D.

SNIP

I'm curious if this is a common phase that all old-time players go through. (The craving, not the self-DMing.)

Dude, that sounds just like my group back in `82! Nowadays I don't mind the story - in fact sometimes I'll think "why are we here again?" if the story hook was particularly weak.

That said, when we have social encounters that last OVER AN HOUR it's all I can do not to bust a chair over some NPC for no reason other than to roll dice and crack heads. we've all got an inner hack-n-slasher that needs to come out and play once in a while.

 

[mcrow]

I think a campaign would get boring if there were not an adventure or two that included heavy combat. So much of the rules is made for combat for a reason, ya know.

 

[Pielorinho]

I'm running my first campaign in about 5 years, and we're two sessions into it, and it's so far a blast. It's a heavily modified version of the Kobold Keep adventure from the DMG (it's in an abandoned manor, with the final battle in a galley kitchen and the rolling boulder trap replaced with deadly swinging knives and cauldrons attached to the ceiling), and it's basically been combat after combat after combat.

At the end of the second session I asked the players whether they'd like the next adventure to be lighter on combat and heavier on roleplaying. They all looked at one another for a minute and then said, "no, combat's good!" So I'm setting up another heavy-combat adventure.

So far, combat in 4e seems a lot more varied. It may be that once we get accustomed to our characters it'll become more formulaic, but the different powers so far mean that people get to make a lot of interesting choices in combat, and that means it's more fun.

Daniel

 

[Grimstaff]

Hack is good!

Hence the enduring popularity of Keep on the Borderlands, no?