[DM's Poll] Homebrew, Published, Hybrid or Other?

[Mercurius]

I'm sure this has been discussed, polled, and mashed to pieces many times over the years, but because this is the D&D forum I'd argue that not only is it acceptable to re-invent the wheel time and time again, but fully appropriate.

So there you have it: What poll option describes your general approach best? Note that I'm asking for your general approach; if you occasionally like to run an all-drow Forgotten Realms campaign but use your homebrew most of the time, the latter is your choice. And let me emphasis: pick the option that best describes your approach; I realize that everyone is a unique individual and no category can ever adequately fence you in, but play "if I had to pick."

I'll keep this anonymous as folks seem strangely reticent about participating in polls otherwise, but please tell us about it. Wait for the poll...

 

[Mercurius]

I'm a Homebrew Traditionalist, by the way. Part of the joy of D&D for me is world building. I do run pre-published modules in my worlds and am thinking of adapting elements of Rise of the Runelords to my 5E campaign, if only the basic structure and flow of it. But the world is mine.

That said, I was thinking of dumping Magnimar into my world as I rather like it.

 

[Halivar]

Running 1E ToEE is the only time anyone in our group has run a published anything. Homebrew worlds, homebrew campaigns, homebrew encounters. In fact, in my 4E games, I strictly used homebrew monsters, also.

My players did not like "flavor text" in ToEE, as they did not like being read to. Though it was fun, I will probably not run published material again.

 

[steeldragons]

annnnnd <incantation> "PASTE!"

I can wait for the poll...and shall vote when it's up...but my responses will be the same.

I'm a homebrew boy. Which, I expect, comes as no surprise to anyone here. hahaha.

I began in the BECM/1e days with the, what I always thought to be "typical", non-specific D&D setting. Yes, many of the classic modules gave you locations for where they were in Greyhawk, but I never ran a specifically "in Greyhawk" campaign. They [the 1e or BECM modules] were more useful in the mode of "stick them anywhere you want/need", for which they were well-suited, if not encouraged, for. I'm not 100% on this, but I think we even ran a couple of the Dragonlance modules as/in random settings, i.e. not in Krynn, itself.

Over the years, the homebrew campaign world/setting became the preference and then the norm and then the only option. If we weren't playing in someone's specific setting, we were playing something other than D&D. From time to time, one of our rotating DMs would say "We're going to be in GH/FR/wherever." It was a shrug and a fine.

Most of the time, though, the games revolved around a small region the players knew or were from...the villains they were "after"/plots or hooks they were pursuing/individual interests and such like came into play. And we just went form there. A picture of a world formed, not as a concrete map so much as a misty understanding. Not a specific "we're in Keoland" or "Solamnia" or "Shadowdale."

And, like a drop of ink on porous paper, once a campaign began in a particular region of my [or another DM's!] homebrew, the whole thing spread/seeped out from there. Sometimes we changed PCs...sometimes we didn't even think about it...the characters were just there/wherever the adventure/story was happening.

So, yeah...Homebrew #1. "Other" #2.

[Added for this thread/seeing the poll options]

I suppose, now, I am a homebrew puritan. I created my setting. I developed my setting. I know my setting like the back of my hand. I will be publishing my setting shortly. It's my setting and I love it. My [published] setting is not going to change depending on any new material or other settings' details/ideas.

Traditionally, over the decades, I am and voted as a homebrew traditionalist. I love reading other setting material, adventure material, other systems, OSR games, et. al. material. Ideas are GREAT! I love 'em and will/have/enjoy using them. What occurs in other people's games and worlds interests me, even if their system or style does not.

 

[delericho]

These days it's a published setting (Eberron) paired with homebrew adventures.

In an ideal world, my preference would be homebrew everything, but I just don't have time. I find I get better results from modifying a published setting rather than slapping something together myself.

Conversely, our pattern of sessions (1 every 2 weeks, of 3 hours at a time) doesn't really work with published adventures - especially at high levels the pace just lags too much for our enjoyment. Homebrewing those allows me to judge things better.

 

[Piston Honda]

I’m a homebrew puritan. World-building is just more fun than using other people’s worlds, but that’s me. And I can never get into other people’s characters, and tweak most of the bestiary monsters. It also helps with making things more off the cuff, published material might require me to look for something if the players ask, it’s easier to come up with an answer and write it down for later.

I will read other material for inspiration. Though I did keep a lot of the 3.5 deities for a long time because my players were familiar with them. They’ve been retconned out now. Pretty much the only things left that aren’t mine are most of the traditional weapons, items, etc. and a modified version of the first dungeon from Legend of Zelda.

 

[steenan]

Published settings, modified in some places, but in major part based on books.

On the other hand, I never use published adventures, I always create my own.

This leaves me at the middle of the scale, I think.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I never really liked the terminology of "adventure" (or "homebrew") for that matter.

I do, however, consider every location and character in my D&D games to be my own creation. I don't sit down for four hours to play someone else's game.

For non-D&D games that come with a built in setting, I might use that, albeit without much regard for canon and continuity.

 

[Quickleaf]

I am also a Homebrew Traditionalist.

In other words... I make the world, then I kill your adventures and take their stuff!

 

[Jan van Leyden]

I voted Published Hybrid while I dream of the homebrew to end all setting discussions. Setting putrity isn't that important to me.