D&D General Harshest House Rule (in use)?

[ezo]

I agree with no dinosaurs. I mentioned on Reddit that I don't have them in my setting so you can't transform into them and some people were a little annoyed by that, their thoughts were that if it's in the core books it should be in the game.

LOL then they would be really miffed if they learned of some DMs that don't allow warlocks, dragonborn, tieflings, or whatever.

 

[bloodtide]

You aren't stopping the game though anymore then the player would be stopping the game to tell you that they know this information.

Well, to me, if I'm just reading off dry information, I'm not playing the game.

It is though. Do you know every rule in the game by heart? Do you never have to pause the game to look up something like a monster stat block or obsure rule? Frankly, I highly doubt it you never do it.

Maybe not every rule...only like most of them. I would never, ever pause the game to look something up. I really hate DMs or players that pause games and take minutes or hours to "look something up" during a game. As a pre planning type DM I will have all the rules I need/want ready. The same with stat blocks.

On the surface, I agree, I don't want a player who doesn't know the rules (for the most part), but I am not going to hold it against them if they look up something from time to time.

Well, I'm only opposed if they do it during active game play. If they have their character say take a nap, then they are free to do whatever they want as they are not playing the game any more.

Anyway, expecting a player to "know" everything their PC is likely to know is unreasonable IMO. We spend lifetimes just getting to know what we know in our own lives, let alone what some fantasy person in another world knows. It is actually impossible, really.

Well, I'm only expecting players to pretend they know it, so it is all good.

You are basically asking them to do a "mental workout" but you don't insist on a physical one? Don't you see the inconsistancy in that?

No, they seem separate to me.

To do a physical action in the game world, like say the character chops down a tree, is just a mechanical rules type thing.

But the mental actions are the players playing the game. The players must do things and take actions through their characters. If the characters just "read the map", then they go find the treasure and game over. What is the fun in that? A big part of the fun of the game is doing things, figuring out things and so on.

Why not? Again, you can't expect players to be as strong as their PCs, so why do you insist they be as smart?

I never would. I know most players will never be as smart as most PCs.

Having a published book (like in 2E) that a player can read if they want to know more about the fantasy lore for their race in the general game framework is fine. Insisting they read it, follow it, etc. is not IMO. Does it mean that player is "lazy" or bad if they don't? No. It just means that aspect of the game isn't as important to them as it is to you.

Well, it is optional. I'm going to use the lore from time to time in the game. So you get the choice of drinking some Mt. Dew or knowing the lore. It is all up to the players. If it's not important enough for them to read, then it's not important enough for them to roll dice.

Sure, and that is perfectly reasonable. I often encourage players to intereact with NPCs and we often make-up "lore" on the spot.

Hooray!

Well, it works for you so I guess have at it.

I am the Harsh DM.

 

[pukunui]

Maybe not every rule...only like most of them. I would never, ever pause the game to look something up. I really hate DMs or players that pause games and take minutes or hours to "look something up" during a game. As a pre planning type DM I will have all the rules I need/want ready. The same with stat blocks.

So your players never do anything you didn't anticipate beforehand? That's hard to believe.

 

[R_J_K75]

Well, to me, if I'm just reading off dry information, I'm not playing the game.

Sometimes you just have to use exposition to move the game forward in a timely manner

Maybe not every rule...only like most of them. I would never, ever pause the game to look something up. I really hate DMs or players that pause games and take minutes or hours to "look something up" during a game. As a pre planning type DM I will have all the rules I need/want ready. The same with stat blocks.

I'm calling 100% B.S. here

Well, I'm only opposed if they do it during active game play. If they have their character say take a nap, then they are free to do whatever they want as they are not playing the game any more.

It's a social game, taking 5 minutes to look up a rule while the other players chat is pretty common

I am the Harsh DM.

When I read that in text form it seems like you take that as a point of pride. I could be wrong but looks as if your style of DMing is taking the human element out of the game and making it more of a mechanical process, chore, than an activity that's actually fun and worth participating in, in my opinion. Just what I'm inferring. Doesn't seem like something I would spend my free time doing. If you and your players enjoy your game then my opinion means nothing, there is no right or wrong way to play RPGs

 

[cbwjm]

It's a social game, taking 5 minutes to look up a rule while the other players chat is pretty common

If he's anything like me, if we come across a need for a rule which I haven't taken note ofnwhen running the game, then I'd make something up that seems reasonable and check the actual rules after the game. I think the one time I tried looking up a rule was when a there was going to be a chase and I ended up giving up on them after a couple minutes and using a skill challenge from 4e instead. Not sure I'd go back and try the chase rules for 5e even if I have a chase planned.

 

[R_J_K75]

If he's anything like me, if we come across a need for a rule which I haven't taken note ofnwhen running the game, then I'd make something up that seems reasonable and check the actual rules after the game. I think the one time I tried looking up a rule was when a there was going to be a chase and I ended up giving up on them after a couple minutes and using a skill challenge from 4e instead. Not sure I'd go back and try the chase rules for 5e even if I have a chase planned.

Right on I cant stand chases. Ive never seen a good rule set for them. Think I just used to use a high die rule with "x" amount of distance gained or lost.

Now that you have said this differently, it makes more sense to me. I agree 100%, make a rule and keep the game moving. I could be wrong, but I think that's one thing that @bloodtide didn't mention (that I recall) that caused to me to interpret their comment differently than they had intended possibly.

 

[SteveC]

This is my own fault. I clicked on this thread and read it. I had vivid flashbacks for a lot of these houserules over the years. Brrr! I sort of needed this thread to tell me, no matter how much I gripe about modern design (as I did in the Flanking thread), it used to be much worse.

The horror. The horror.

(Standard disclaimer applies: if you use these rules and have fun with them, I will shudder on my own and not yuck your yum).

 

[bloodtide]

Sometimes you just have to use exposition to move the game forward in a timely manner

Sure, but not the same thing.

I'm calling 100% B.S. here

Okay? Well, it never happens in my game.

It's a social game, taking 5 minutes to look up a rule while the other players chat is pretty common

Sure. And I have no problem with it. Though I draw the line at other times. I'm not willing to sit around waiting for a player the "find something".

When I read that in text form it seems like you take that as a point of pride. I could be wrong but looks as if your style of DMing is taking the human element out of the game and making it more of a mechanical process, chore, than an activity that's actually fun and worth participating in, in my opinion. Just what I'm inferring. Doesn't seem like something I would spend my free time doing. If you and your players enjoy your game then my opinion means nothing, there is no right or wrong way to play RPGs

My game is not for everyone.

So your players never do anything you didn't anticipate beforehand? That's hard to believe.

It's not impossible, but it is so rare that it never really happens to me.

I do have the amazing ability to anticipate things.

 

[R_J_K75]

Sure, but not the same thing.

How, I don't comprehend? So instead of saying to your players. "You are a group of 4 that come from a small hamlet that is known for mining slate from a nearby creek, and that's how the majority of the residents here make their living", you make the players discover that through roleplaying?

Okay? Well, it never happens in my game.

Again, I doubt it

I'm not willing to sit around waiting for a player the "find something".

Understandable if you're playing 5E, trying to find anything is a fool's errand

My game is not for everyone.

I'd replace "everyone" in that sentence with "most people" if I had to reckon

I do have the amazing ability to anticipate things.

So...

 

[Emerikol]

Some of the guys I played with until recently liked to tell a story about a DM they used to play with who would use pieces of cardboard to represent monsters in the game. He wouldn't tell them what it was they were facing - not even a description. So they would joke about how their PCs died to a piece of cardboard.

I dislike players using player knowledge about monsters so I will often just describe the monsters and not give the name. They are often a lot scarier when just described.