D&D 3E: the Death of Imagination?
- Thread starter Tom Cashel
- Start date
- Status
Mortaneus
First Post
Voadam said:
The difficulty is when you're the player running a character who's only hope is some fancy but technical move, and a GM who doesn't know how something is supposed to work rules against you being able to do it, despite the fact that you can crack the rule book and point to it, and you wind up getting screwed 'right at the moment' because it 'slows down play'.
For the player it happens to, you can forget about any tension, pacing, or fun. I've seen players get so frustrated by this happening that they'll start getting nasty, start ignoring the game, or just leave, causing the game to take a serious turn for the worse, BECAUSE the GM didn't take the time to figure out how it really works.
The difficulty is that 3e is a VERY tactical game as it is written, and as it is often run and played. It's on the level of a board game, or wargame. And in a game with as much emphasis on proper tactics and rules, everything HAS to be right. Everyone MUST be familiar with how things work, and you have to play exactly by predetermined rules (whether from the book, or house-ruled). In a game like 3e, the Gm's primary task rules-wise is to make decisions on things the rules don't cover, or are vague on. The rules still need to be consulted, however. Saying 'we'll play it this way for now and look it up later' doesn't work. You MUST look it up, or at least reference a reliable source. If you don't, things tend to come apart really quickly.
The only time this can work out is when you're not really bothering to play by the rules anyway, or the only person who really knows the rules is the GM.
In this sense, I agree that 3e is stifling. The rules are too complete, set in stone, and deviation from them can cause MAJOR problems, because the players often know them very well too.
i guess i come to 3e from a different place than many others -- i've always felt that 3e had a lot less rules than what i'm used to, making it easier to learn and play for me.
of course, i came to 3e directly from years of GURPS, HERO, and such board/wargames as Totaler Krieg, Republic of Rome, Advanced Civilization, and Freedom in the Galaxy.
to me, 3e is easy. and if i don't remember how to do something off the top of my head, i just pick a DC and tell the players to roll!
of course, i came to 3e directly from years of GURPS, HERO, and such board/wargames as Totaler Krieg, Republic of Rome, Advanced Civilization, and Freedom in the Galaxy.
to me, 3e is easy. and if i don't remember how to do something off the top of my head, i just pick a DC and tell the players to roll!
Mortaneus said:
In MY experience, the FREQUENCY with which statements are made in ALL CAPS for the purpose of EMPHASIS tends to be INVERSELY related to the VERACITY or GENERALIZABILITY of said STATEMENTS.
UN-altered REPRODUCTION and DISSEMINATION of this IMPORTANT information is ENCOURAGED, especially to COMPUTER BULLETIN BOARDS.
- Status
Similar Threads
