D&D General Do players expect to use any/all WotC options in campaigns?

[Clint_L]

Yep! I don't have much free time these days, but I really like grabbing a bunch of Forever GMs and running a game for them. I'm speaking in broad generalities now, but what I've found is...

3 out of 5 are just tickled pink to have a chance to be a player. They are down for anything! I love these guys.

1 out of 5 is silently judging me. Sometimes they shoot me a text about how they would do things different, but they still show up and generally have fun with everyone else.

1 out of 5 is losing his dang mind about how I'm not doing things the right way.

Yeah, they often self correct. Much more so now that online gaming is so popular and you can pop in and out of games so easily. It was harder back in the day, and I've seen some bad stuff there as well, including players who stayed out of pure peer pressure and not letting the rest of the players down despite the fact they felt uncomfortable about their character being raped.

I'm absolutely serious.

But that's rare. Most games are just normal folks having normal quality games, and that's just fine.

Agree. On the rare chance I get to play, I find other forever DMs are great fun - they are in it for the RP and willing to go with whatever. I suspect any grumpy ones are content just running their own games with a set group, and that’s great too.

 

[AlViking]

Yep! I don't have much free time these days, but I really like grabbing a bunch of Forever GMs and running a game for them. I'm speaking in broad generalities now, but what I've found is...

3 out of 5 are just tickled pink to have a chance to be a player. They are down for anything! I love these guys.

1 out of 5 is silently judging me. Sometimes they shoot me a text about how they would do things different, but they still show up and generally have fun with everyone else.

1 out of 5 is losing his dang mind about how I'm not doing things the right way.


Yeah, they often self correct. Much more so now that online gaming is so popular and you can pop in and out of games so easily. It was harder back in the day, and I've seen some bad stuff there as well, including players who stayed out of pure peer pressure and not wanting to let the rest of the players down despite the fact they felt uncomfortable about their character being raped.

I'm absolutely serious.

But that's rare. Most games are just normal folks having normal quality games, and that's just fine.

I guess I could have qualified my statement - I suppose there are something like 1% of DMs that truly are controlling dictators that somehow convince people to continue playing in their game. But even most DMs that are just bad at it? They're still doing the best they can. Some will improve with experience and gentle feedback (can't we all improve?) others gave it the old college try and it just didn't work. I suppose there is the rare evil unicorn DM who is a controlling a-hole because there are all types. In my experience they are about as common as hen's teeth.

On a related note I also think the attitudes and input of the players can make or break a game. If the people are enthusiastic and just go with what the DM narrates it can make a game run by a so-so DM a lot of fun. Even a fantastic GM can't run a good game if no one at the table is engaging with the gameplay.

 

[tetrasodium]

Mecchanics and Lore

There are no big guy mechanics or lore in Middle Earth for good guys.

It wasnt designed for it.

I cant make a 8ft human and link it to a racial group nor have the mechanics for it, in a ME curation.

No.

Humans do not have Big Guy mechanics

It sounds very much like you are getting close to why you think this extra race is needed, but you are still being very careful to avoid actually saying it and using fluff/lore to fill the gaps . This kind of "I want +2 strength/size large on my PC" desire getting cloaked behind a stated bit of fluff like "I want to play a big guy" only leads to GM's being justified in reflexively saying no if there's even a hint of the player using this kind of ROLEplay vrs ROLLplay obfuscation to shield their goals.

 

[AlViking]

No.

Humans do not have Big Guy mechanics

LOL. I give. You're justifying needing a "big guy" species because you have to have a "big guy" species. Circular arguments aren't particularly convincing.

 

[Maxperson]

Humans do not have Big Guy mechanics

Neither do big guy races. The mechanics given do not support a big race. Big guys should be able to use bigger weapons that do more damage, but they can't. Big guys should have +4 or +6 to strength, but they don't. Being able to carry more, but not actually being stronger than a halfling is a problem.

Big guy race mechanics are half-assed.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Big guy race mechanics are half-assed

All species mechanics in DnD are a bit half-assed IMO.

 

[Nobleshield]

All species mechanics in DnD are a bit half-assed IMO.

I miss having "races" give ability bonuses. Never got why they thought that was bad; it really sounds like inventing a problem that doesn't exist so you can present a worse "solution". Moving it to backgrounds just means you min-max your background choice rather than pick what thematically fits.

 

[CreamCloud0]

I miss having "races" give ability bonuses. Never got why they thought that was bad; it really sounds like inventing a problem that doesn't exist so you can present a worse "solution". Moving it to backgrounds just means you min-max your background choice rather than pick what thematically fits.

I mean, I’d rather have, say, halflings get advantage on all stealth checks and a list of a bunch of other specific perks than a +2 DEX, stats are too important for characters and feed into too many different areas for me to want them to be the defining factor of a species, being a halfling shouldn’t make me more accurate with a bow or better at picking locks, but that +2 does make them that because it’s a generic bonus.

 

[Maxperson]

All species mechanics in DnD are a bit half-assed IMO.

That's true, but big guy races are much farther off than the other races in my opinion.

 

[Maxperson]

I mean, I’d rather have, say, halflings get advantage on all stealth checks and a list of a bunch of other specific perks than a +2 DEX, stats are too important for characters and feed into too many different areas for me to want them to be the defining factor of a species, being a halfling shouldn’t make me more accurate with a bow or better at picking locks, but that +2 does make them that because it’s a generic bonus.

It's not one or the other, though. Advantage on stealth AND +2 dex is what they should get, along with those others. Big guy races should be able carry/lift more AND have a strength bonus.