For Players: How do you feel about House Rules?

[Kae'Yoss]

Given the combat nature of the D&D experience system I think most PCs get plenty of practice to justify advances in BAB and Saves without the need for the Cthulhu-esque system.

Why not just use more skill checks?

 

[Zappo]

Zappo, what about designers who believe they can balance something for specific group in 1 yr better than GM who had group for 3 yrs?

In one year of playtesting, for example, designers never realized that 3.0 Haste is not broken... for OUR group. Five minutes of thinking, I brought 3 yrs experience that designers did not have to bear on the problem, house ruled haste back to 3.0.

Do I think I did better job of balancing rules for my group than designers did? Damn straight.

The designers don't "believe" anything about your specific group. They work for the widest base possible. As you said, those five minutes of thinking were supported by 3 years of experience with your specific group. You have probably played 3.0 Haste as long as the playtesters themselves, so my argument about five minutes of thinking doesn't apply. Further, I place this in the "house rule to add a specific flavor to a campaign" field - ie, you recognize that it wouldn't work as well for other groups. My critique was aimed at DMs who purchase a new book, skim through it, and start saying "it would be better if..." before the shrink wrap has even hit the floor.

 

[tauton_ikhnos]

My critique was aimed at DMs who purchase a new book, skim through it, and start saying "it would be better if..." before the shrink wrap has even hit the floor.

If it applies to broader base than my group, I stop calling it "house rule" and start calling it "suggested change".

House Rule = My House.

GMs who think they are better designers, is whole different issue, IMO. My advice to them: publish .

 

[Psion]

GMs who think they are better designers, is whole different issue, IMO. My advice to them: publish .

Eh. The only thing special about published designers is perhaps a mite bit more passion about writing... or a lack of more gainful employment opportunities.

AFIAC, many GMs have what it take to be designers, if not writers or published designers.

 

[Ottergame]

I generally dislike houserules. I know all the GMs here claim that there rules are good and balanced, but that's the problem with all GM houserules. All the bad rules I have seen are from GMs who think they are very well thought out. Houserules inflate a GMs ego, they think what they come up with is a lot more clever than any published rules, and it takes a lot of talking them down from their ego trip to notice that usually what they come up with is bunk.

Yes, I have seen a few really good houserules, but MOST of them are utter garbage. There's a reason why there are already books out there, and why your houserules aren't being published.

Houseruling usually results from a confused understanding of how published rules work.

 

[EricNoah]

House rules work best, in my experience, when everyone affected is on board and all understand that they will need to be tested, tweaked, reworked as time goes on.