D&D General GenCon TV: Celebrating D&D

[Mannahnin]

Started watching the OD&D video. How the fudge is this 6 hours long?

So far an hour in its the history of D&D. Pretty fun for just chatting.

About a 1:45 roundtable discussion about the origins and creation of D&D, then about 20 minutes of game setup and character assignments, leaving a bit under 5 hours for a live play session.

How long are your live game sessions, assuming there's some socializing and conversation?

 

[DarkCrisis]

About a 1:45 roundtable discussion about the origins and creation of D&D, then about 20 minutes of game setup and character assignments, leaving a bit under 5 hours for a live play session.

How long are your live game sessions, assuming there's some socializing and conversation?

actual play? 2.5 hours. Used to be 3.5 but we had to cut back an hour for adulting stuff.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

HUH.

I know! Imagine that! It's almost like listening to fan preferences is only one, albeit important, source of design concepts, and that allowing popularity to drive all design choices is in fact at least as bad as never listening to anything fans want.

Not just secret sauce but to me this is the basic recipe. Like, this is how it's supposed to work. Obviously not everyone feels that way and I respect that but my feeling has always been "but isn't hacking your own rules what D&D is?"

There's a difference between, "You should contribute the things we can't," and "eh, figure it out yourself." Hacking rules you need that are genuinely growing beyond what the basic rules do is great, and should be supported. Hacking the basic, fundamental stuff...not so much. You shouldn't have to be a designer to make a basic combat encounter that isn't going to splatter the party or get splattered in two dull rounds.

Sure. And so have I. In my experience, they get changed and refined until the results are desirable. Unless there’s a mismatch of preferences and expectations between the players and referee.

I know some players like that, too. I try to avoid playing with them because of that. I’m not interested in an inflexible boardgame with RP layered on top.

Okay, but you do realize that that's just as much a hostile, unfair caricature as "oh, so you're just having to completely design your own game from scratch every time", right?

The game can be made so that its core is actually functional by itself, AND still open to customization and alteration. You don't need a poorly-built core in order to support individual game design extension; indeed, I would think exactly the reverse is true, where a well-built core makes customization easier.

 

[DarkCrisis]

I know! Imagine that! It's almost like listening to fan preferences is only one, albeit important, source of design concepts, and that allowing popularity to drive all design choices is in fact at least as bad as never listening to anything fans want.

You are right.

I will max everyone's stats out next game and hand out Vorpal weapons for everyone!

And don't tell my the players wouldn't be on board with that for atleast a while.

 

[TwoSix]

Okay, but you do realize that that's just as much a hostile, unfair caricature as "oh, so you're just having to completely design your own game from scratch every time", right?

The game can be made so that its core is actually functional by itself, AND still open to customization and alteration. You don't need a poorly-built core in order to support individual game design extension; indeed, I would think exactly the reverse is true, where a well-built core makes customization easier.

But we weren't talking about the game's core. We were talking about players who only want to play RAW and are uncomfortable with using house rules.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

You are right.

I will max everyone's stats out next game and hand out Vorpal weapons for everyone!

And don't tell my the players wouldn't be on board with that for atleast a while.

Sure. Cake tastes great. Tends to lose its luster after a day or two though.

But I was speaking about rules design, rather than running an individual campaign.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

But we weren't talking about the game's core. We were talking about players who only want to play RAW and are uncomfortable with using house rules.

....

What else does RAW mean?

 

[TwoSix]

....

What else does RAW mean?

Uncooked?

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Uncooked?

Is not the game's core the thing you stick to when you use RAW and are not comfortable with house rules?

 

[TwoSix]

Is not the game's core the thing you stick to when you use RAW and are not comfortable with house rules?

Yes?

Still, we're discussing orthogonal points. You were responding to overgeeked's post as though "inflexible boardgame with RP on top" was about the game's design, when the discussion was actually about player psychology.