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Message: <blockquote data-quote="molonel" data-source="post: 3368403" data-attributes="member: 10412">First, I just have to say:I love 3rd Edition D&D. I love options. I love feats. I love skills, and skill tricks, and new tweaks and rules mechanics. I love exploring books, and reading new supplements. I'm a complete WotC whore. I have two shelves full of books literally sagging under the weight. I've played every level, XP by painful XP, up through 35th level. I've played epic rules. I regularly read forums like Enworld and Monte Cook, and enjoy reading the optimization forums on Wizards. I have absolutely nothing against powergaming or character optimization. In fact, I encourage it.However, having said that, I have two rules in my games:1. I play core rules for the players, only. PHB, DMG, MM. Period. Anything besides that is optional. My games invariably allow other rules in, but I do not allow ANY book carte blanche into my game. Players run new material by me first.2. If something makes the game more work for me than it is fun, I'm done. I'm an adult. I love gaming, but I am not going to devote 20 - 30 hours a week designing combat encounters for superoptimized ubercombat machines.The sweet spot for D&D is between 8th and 12th level. From there, though it varies according to the gaming group and the DM, the game eventually - in my opinion - flies apart. You start spending too much time, as the DM, developing combat encounters. I will never run an epic D&D game as anything other than episodically. In other words, a game of mine may go from 1st through 21st, and then play specific points of the story arc at 30th, 40th and 50th level. I love epic storylines, and challenging the gods themselves is AWESOME. I want players to have that kickass feeling of rubbing shoulders with gods, angels, devils and demons.But the thought of running an epic D&D game week-to-week makes me want to stab out my eyes with a #2 pencil.Decide what your limits are. Decide how much time you are willing to devote to the game. And stick to it. Draw lines, and tell your players that you want them to have a fun time, but the game has to be fun for everyone, and everyone includes you.My advice? Reboot the game. Give them a few more sessions, but wrap up the story and retire present characters. Unless, of course, you can retire elements of the game without unraveling everything, but in my opinion, that rarely works.In any case, you need to bone up and realize you can't be free and easy with what books, prestige classes and feats you allow in your game. You absolutely MUST set limits as a DM. It is not only your right, but your responsibility.</blockquote>

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