Has D&D become less about the adventure?

[der_kluge]

I think the game has become more about player's options if it's become more about anything.

The leveling and "killing things and taking their stuff" aspect has always been there.

Go back and read Gygax's articles in Dragon where he talks about the original games with his pals. They were a very primitive "let's go in this dungeon, beat these traps, and take the loot" sorts of games. All the original modules were just Gygax's dungeons that he created over the years. But look how nonsensical some of them were - giant beetles living in the room next door to a group of orcs. They were just a series of challenges designed to reward players with more loot.

So, in many ways we've come far away from that particular aspect of the game - now there are at least stories, and plots and sometimes players have backgrounds and interests. So, it's a way more complex game now than it was then.

 

[Odhanan]

What's your opinion about D&D gaming today? Is it less about the adventure and more about the magical items and levelling? Isn't that what we're seeing in "Living" RPGA games, D&DOnline, and is this permeating into home games?

I'm wondering if I should be spending less time on prepping adventures...

THoughts?

jh

It depends on the people, and it's always been the case. I'm sure some gamers are becoming jaded and reflect the feeling you've got. Is that fair to generalize the issue though? I don't think so. I for one isn't about to give up on the adventure and just care for "items and levels", like you put it.

 

[Kanegrundar]

It's all what you make it, man. My home games are always magic item light, and I've been toying with the idea of changing the progression rate. I prefer the game to be more about the adventure than the goodies the party has, but that's just me I suppose.

That's the way I always looked at it. It's my game, so I can make it what I want.

 

[Hussar]

Well, howzabout this for a personal annecdote. The halfling monk/paladin in my World's Largest Dungeon campaign just took a level in Pious Templar to protect the garrison of Celestials who created the Dungeon.

Not exactly a "gimme more magic" kind of decision.

 

[Jarrod]

The game is about having fun around the table.

Seriously. Until recently, we ran two campaigns. People vastly preferred Campaign A over Campaign B. It wasn't because the GM was better in A, or the adventure, or anything like that. It's because Campaign B was "fight, kill, fight, kill" and Campaign A would take half-hour long impromptu joke breaks (much to the chagrin of the GM, who wanted to finish the adventure...).

The game is a little about levelling up (to get those cool new abilities) and getting cool toys. That's a reflection of real life - how many of us don't like buying that cool new toy. Anyone? We look for things in the game that we want in real life - the ability to solve problems through violence, the ability to buy neat stuff.

As for shared experiences... as a relative newcomer to D&D, I have to wonder. Were the old modules shared experiences 20 years ago, or are they _now_ shared experiences for the people that played 20 years ago? Despite modern marketing's best efforts, things are not instantaneously classics. We may very well be looking back at Shackled City, or Age of Worms, or Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (RttToEE, mmm...), or their ilk, but it'll take ten to twenty years to do it. Nostalgia takes a while to build up.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I want my characters to be heroes, and to do that they need to get levels and cool magic stuff. Sure one of my characters can take out some orcs at level one with basic equipment, but people aren't going to be speaking his name across the land for killing a few orcs. No, one day he will be there to kill the Great Wyrm and to do so he will need more experience and more power.

The levelling and the toys are the means to an end.

My impression is that levelling has increased in prominence for players that it did in 1st edition, but that is because there is so much more to it. In 1st edition, what did the jump from 11th to 12th level mean for a Fighter? A few hit points and improved THAC0 and saves. Now it also means ability score increase and new feats. Your character can become more differentiated from others of the same class with each new level.

Some will probably decry this, saying that characters should be distinct outside of the mechanics. Nothing prevents this from players who desire that, and for some players who stuggle with it, the mechanics can be the catalyst for the other differences and growth.

 

[Nebulous]

Yeah I'm going to cut back on alot of the magic items,
because I don't like to see characters that are made up of items instead of abilities,
you take away the toys and they start to look skinny and puny,

I want character to be define by themselves, and not by their stuff

I totally agree. I used to level my D&D campaign much slower than default, i didn't follow the XP rules, and didn't follow exactly how much magic a PC should have per level. I was deliberately a little stingy to try and make characters really enjoy what they found. Not to say they didn't get stuff. There were still plenty of spells and potions and scrolls and gadgets. Some of my favorite alternative rules are ones that put power into character traits, rather than their gear. But it all comes down to preference.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

As for shared experiences... as a relative newcomer to D&D, I have to wonder. Were the old modules shared experiences 20 years ago, or are they _now_ shared experiences for the people that played 20 years ago?

They were definitely shared experiences 20 years ago. I went to Gen Con and other conventions back then. Most everyone had some story about the time their character went through the Tomb of Horrors.

I agree that things like Shackled City and Age of Worms will likely end up similar, but because there are more choices now than there were 20 years ago, I suspect there will be more people who won't have played in them (I haven't played in either, yet).

 

[Nebulous]

I agree that things like Shackled City and Age of Worms will likely end up similar, but because there are more choices now than there were 20 years ago, I suspect there will be more people who won't have played in them (I haven't played in either, yet).

This is a major point. The market has become pretty diluted not only with adventures, but entire roleplaying systems, far more than there ever were before. Good ones too. I'm pretty restrained to just D&D and Call of Cthulhu, but i know there's some fun systems/adventures out there i will definitely miss out on. There's only so much time in a day.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I'd say it's a combo. I want to play a cool adventure, but I want to be more powerful, too.

In a D20 Modern game, loot isn't an issue. But I'm not just playing for a cool adventure, but also to get more skilled.