D&D 5E (2014) Goliaths WebDM Misses the Mark, but Sparks My Curiosity

[doctorbadwolf]

How does adding a metasetting help you run a setting? Wouldn't it just add to the amount you need to learn before you can start?

Nope. Not for most DMs.

They don’t learn the whole setting, just enough to run the first adventure, and then either learn or improvise the rest as they go.

 

[Fenris-77]

I feel better about running a game the more reading I do before I start. How much reading is very much a function of the campaign type for me. Standard exploration/dungeon campaigns don't require much pre-reading of the setting mostly.

I have a player who's going to run a Goliath in my next campaign, so I think I'll try out some of the ideas in this thread to see how they work in practice.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Nope. Not for most DMs.

They don’t learn the whole setting, just enough to run the first adventure, and then either learn or improvise the rest as they go.

That's part of what confuses me about how a metasetting is supposed to help.

Also, I am a bit of an oddity. I like knowing a lot more about a world, the major players, and how the pieces are supposed to fit together before I run something. Luckily, that is rarely a problem since I tend to only run Homebrew worlds, so I know all that stuff.

 

[Don Durito]

What on earth is a metasetting?

 

[Urriak Uruk]

So that folks can run most established settings from the word go.

You can already do that with the DMG.

 

[Garthanos]

Though, the size issue matters. They’re not just large, they’re too large to physically fit in any building the PCs will be expected to inhabit. I don’t know how to reconcile that.

One of the mover and shaker countries of my world were gifted by the Giants who created large numbers of castles for them actually more like super elaborate castle mansions. These are built for giants to move about in but are also very very pleasant for anyone. The story goes the gift came about because the giants were given the freedom to not be warriors they were allowed the freedom to create instead of destroy. Any way this country is actually the source of many PCs and inhabiting a new home is sometimes as easy as claiming it and making friends with the neighbors.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I'm honestly staggered that some people don't get why a cool-looking massive, super strong and athletic race who don't have a history of being horrible dirtbags and aren't a furry archetype are cool and fairly popular.

I've seen them regularly as PCs since 4E.

It's a very basic He-Man/cool Barbarian/ahistorical Spartan-type fantasy.

I see people calling them vanilla and stuff, but that's the point. Not everyone is like me or you. Not everyone wants a race with a dark and complex history or menacing lore or who looks bizarre. Some people just want a big strong guy from a simple warrior culture who isn't a monster or weird. I feel like people who don't get it aren't trying very hard.

Re: Warforged, I think that is the closest crossover with other races but WF have a very specific history and aren't quite as easy to drop into settings, nor are they huge and in 5Es actual Eberron release they lost the stuff that made them close mechanically.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I'm honestly staggered that some people don't get why a cool-looking massive, super strong and athletic race who don't have a history of being horrible dirtbags and aren't a furry archetype are cool and fairly popular.

Yes, but this thread is about the decidedly uncool-looking, only marginally bigger and stronger than a human goliaths.

And they are not at all popular. I've see more kenku. And they can't speak.

It's a very basic He-Man/cool Barbarian/ahistorical Spartan-type fantasy.

Eh? Those guys are all human.

 

[jasper]

Goliaths are big strong people who could not make it with other giants. Goliaths are the gentle giants created so your little brother could play a giant. If goliaths are reclusive, why are so many hanging out with adventuring parties?

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Yes, but this thread is about the decidedly uncool-looking, only marginally bigger and stronger than a human goliaths.

And they are not at all popular. I've see more kenku. And they can't speak.

Eh? Those guys are all human.

This seems unhelpful and like it rather proves my point re no effort to understand. Indeed it appears you're actively making an effort not to get it, and to be as snide as possible.