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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 5344474" data-attributes="member: 1210">First of all...Aw shucks! <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/blush.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":blush:" title="Blush    :blush:" data-shortname=":blush:" />You posted a long, well-thought-out post. Rather than responding to individual bits of it, I'll just lay out my thinking.I'm not going to criticize anyone as lazy, either player or dm; I am going to address the actual issues with starting the game (or continuing it).First off, you don't need to understand Essentials to run Dark Sun. You don't need to update MM2 or MM3 monsters- they work just fine, especially if you use the "quick and dirty" damage fix of doubling their static bonus, or tripling it for brutes. I understand having novice players, I understand wanting to use all the options, I understand not feeling like you have the 'whole thing down'. What I don't understand is deciding it's better to wait for an undetermined amount of time instead of just forging ahead. One of the most important rules of thumb as a dm is, Keep the game moving. Certainly, I'd apply the same principle here. If your players make a few mistakes on their characters when making them out of the books, so what? When CB updates to include Dark Sun, correct them. No DM- no game- is ever perfect. And yes, there is such a thing as "too bad of a game to be worth my time" to me. But it has to be pretty bad, and it sounds like your group is enthusiastic and committed and doesn't want to wait- I don't think you have that problem. Sounds like your group really enjoys your game.  So I would just forge ahead.Heck, I remember the days when the whole concept of First session, we make characters! was all the rage. Nobody called it a waste of a session, or at least very few did- heck, I didn't, and I'm not a fan of group character generation. My point is that the CB is a bonus tool that you do not need. People played D&D just fine without it for literally DECADES. So while I understand that people get upset when the new content they want in there isn't there yet, I think it's just silly to say it MUST BE in the CB before you can use it. I mean, yeah, it makes everything easier, but that content is all in the book too. It's there, you just need to look at it. In the context of starting your Dark Sun game, I'm going to suggest again a series of one-offs with your players where all you do is generate their starting pcs. Or loan the book to them, one by one, so that they can do it on their own. Or wait for a better tool- sure, if that's what is honestly going to be best for your group. But personally, I'd rather just start playing. And you know what? I bet you and your players would too. I bet you'd have more fun in the end that way. And I bet it neither "ruins" anything nor causes real problems. What it all boils down to to me is that you and your group want to get your game on, and there is no reason why you shouldn't. IMHO and all that.</blockquote>

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