Creativity, where has it gone?

[Digital M@]

OK, as I read about new release after new release and see how many people have dozens of RPG books that create rules for every option and possible facet of the game, I began to wonder, what happened to the good old days?

I couldn't count the times I have heard the gaming community pat themselves on the back for their intelligence and creativity, yet we now seem unable to do anything for ourselves. We wait with baited breath for the next release that will give our characters new powers and abilities. We want someone to fix the Ranger to fit our vision and are willing to buy 10 books that try it and complaint that they still missed hitting our individual vision. We have to have a rule in a published book in order for it to become canon law, it does not matter that there are 100 publishers for the game and there are almost no standards of balance or compatability that have to be met. We just want it written so we can use the rules.

Why not tweak or create the rules to fit your game or vision? What is with the compulsion to own books? Poll after poll shows that a vast majority of peole only use a few of the books clogging up their bookshelves.

I call out to you a challenge to put your credit cards down and take out your pencils. Take your game back. No one should be required to take out loans to play a game that resides in your imagination.

 

[Shadowslayer]

Hah! Thats EXACTLY why they invented Castles and Crusades!

 

[MerricB]

OK, as I read about new release after new release and see how many people have dozens of RPG books that create rules for every option and possible facet of the game, I began to wonder, what happened to the good old days?

They ended in 1978, with the publication of the AD&D Player's Handbook.

If you read Gygax's words written at that time, it was to provide a basis that everyone would be familiar with, so that people from across the world could play D&D without getting into big arguments as to what the rules were - especially at conventions.

Is creativity merely creating rules then? I prefer to use my creativity for the aspects of D&D I'm good at - roleplaying, creating exciting adventures and storytelling - rather than the mundanity of the rules. I let people who are good at that do it for me, and use their excellent work to inspire and help me.

 

[arwink]

I buy books for two reasons: They have stuff in them that I couldn't come up with by myself, or that I can't be bothered doing for myself.

 

[Altalazar]

They ended in 1978, with the publication of the AD&D Player's Handbook.

If you read Gygax's words written at that time, it was to provide a basis that everyone would be familiar with, so that people from across the world could play D&D without getting into big arguments as to what the rules were - especially at conventions.

Is creativity merely creating rules then? I prefer to use my creativity for the aspects of D&D I'm good at - roleplaying, creating exciting adventures and storytelling - rather than the mundanity of the rules. I let people who are good at that do it for me, and use their excellent work to inspire and help me.

Let me second this. Wholeheartedly. It is great to have a common basis of rules, something that eliminates arguments, and thus focus creative energy on the characters and story. That's what I enjoy about the game, both as a player and as a DM. Right now I may have some time again and I'm looking forward to spending it doing world building. I certainly would get no joy out of creating rules. The closest I'd get to that are making (or tweaking) some things that feed right into my vision of the world - like speciality clerics or prestige classes unique to certain organizations. But even that, I only enjoy it as part of world building, not the rules building.

Another of the things I like about all the books is the ideas I can mine out of them for my home-brew world. But I still get the enjoyment of making it my own.

 

[philreed]

I buy books for two reasons: They have stuff in them that I couldn't come up with by myself, or that I can't be bothered doing for myself.

I'll go with those and third:

While I may not use something exactly as written it is a rare book (for me) that doesn't inspire some new thought or idea.

You can buy new game products _and_ be creative. Look at the number of people that buy modules and then adapt or borrow material from those modules to create their own adventures.

 

[Nifft]

what happened to the good old days?

I have them here, in a crystal jar on my desk.
I am draining them of joy and vitality to fuel my ascention to undeath.

-- N

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

OK, as I read about new release after new release and see how many people have dozens of RPG books that create rules for every option and possible facet of the game, I began to wonder, what happened to the good old days?

I couldn't count the times I have heard the gaming community pat themselves on the back for their intelligence and creativity, yet we now seem unable to do anything for ourselves. We wait with baited breath for the next release that will give our characters new powers and abilities. We want someone to fix the Ranger to fit our vision and are willing to buy 10 books that try it and complaint that they still missed hitting our individual vision. We have to have a rule in a published book in order for it to become canon law, it does not matter that there are 100 publishers for the game and there are almost no standards of balance or compatability that have to be met. We just want it written so we can use the rules.

Why not tweak or create the rules to fit your game or vision? What is with the compulsion to own books? Poll after poll shows that a vast majority of peole only use a few of the books clogging up their bookshelves.

I call out to you a challenge to put your credit cards down and take out your pencils. Take your game back. No one should be required to take out loans to play a game that resides in your imagination.

I have no objection to individuals doing what you suggest, however publishers can't make a living that way, so don't expect them to stop "recomending" rules to make a living.

Without the publishers there would be no FLGS' for gamers to meet other gamers.

Also without some "common rules" communities like this could not exist.

Musicians and painters can practice and sell their art on streetcorners. Have you ever tried asking people on the street if they would like to roleplay?

 

[Khairn]

Thankfully the "good ole days" that started for me in '78 are over and I'm able to enjoy the exciting and creative games of today. Not that the good old days were bad in any way, but how I gamed in those early years is not how I want to game today.

All a system does is give you a set of guidelines for resolving the encounters and conflicts that you as the GM create and share with your players. If your gaming is not scratching your creative itch, I'm not convinced that the problem lies in the number of games and releases that are being published these days.

 

[Aeolius]

...I am draining them of joy and vitality to fuel my ascention to undeath.

"It always worked better when we used gelflings...."