How Far Are Gamers Willing to Stretch D&D?

[Desdichado]

Even if it were western + anime + sword and sorcery, a veritable Neon Cowboy Hyperboria, using the actual D&D rules for it would seem odd to me. d20 Modern, on the other hand, would be great.

I'm kinda there. I use d20 Modern, or a kludged together d20 system using bits and pieces from a lot of places to do things as far from the D&D experience as that, and I love it.

But I wouldn't use D&D specifically. I only use that for a more conventional D&D game.

And for what it's worth, I find Eberron to be fairly conventional for the most part.

 

[Mallus]

Read the Story Hour in my sig...

It's amazing how flexible D&D/D20 is when you've got a great group of players (and a large quantity of reasonably good bourbon during the setting design phase).

 

[GreatLemur]

How far are gamers willing to stretch D&D? Until it don't stretch no more.

Seriously, a wuxia / western setting doesn't even seem close to being a problem for d20, as long as you're willing to spend some time on new feats, classes, and maybe even combat mechanics. Now, if you want to stick closer to existing D&D crunch, thing's will obviously be a little tougher, but I can still imagine ways to get it to work.

Can we get some more detail on the nature of the setting, and exactly what you plan to do with it?

 

[Li Shenron]

Here's a question that I've been mulling over for a bit:

I've got an idea for a campaign setting. Instead of fantasy using the standard Dark Ages/Medieval/Renaissance European foundations, it's a look at what fantasy would be if it was based on a mixture of the American Western and Chinese Wuxia.

Friends I've spoken to find it interesting, and really get into it once I give details. However, each one of them has recommended coming up with an entirely new system for it....with everyone stating a variation on the following: "D&D players will not go that far out of the box."

So I'm wondering....is there room for a setting, intended for use with the core rules, that is so far from the standard fantasy tropes? Or is a new rules set the way to go?

Personally I am more likely to buy a campaign setting that is significantly different from the classic ones.

But also I have to say that this mixed western/chinese idea strikes me as too odd. I'm not a very innovative gamer however (I am pretty conservative when it comes to D&D ) so don't weight my opinion too much...

 

[Psion]

I think the box most D&D players have trouble jumping outside of is the Wizards Only box. Once you get them out of that box, I think they're pretty flexible.

 

[mmadsen]

I suspect that ENWorlders are willing to stretch D&D much further than more typical players are. But I also suspect that the real issue is that each gamer is willing to push the game in a different direction. Some fraction would love wuxia; others would hate it. Some fraction would love western flavor; others would hate it. Only a tiny fraction would love wuxia gunslingers; most would not.

 

[delericho]

Sounds like a fun setting. I'd have little to no problem with using D&D for that - although I'd probably drop 'standard' magic in favour of Psionics, and use "Book of Nine Swords" and "Oriental Adventures" heavily.

Certainly, d20 (rather than D&D) can handle that, if you find problems with D&D.

One thing I have noticed, though, is that there's something of a "D&D mindset" that seems to creep in to any d20 game. It might just be the groups I've played with, but I have found that they play any game with that system as a D&D game with different window dressing. That, rather than the system, is what really sinks "Call of Cthulhu" d20 for me. That being the case, if you want to get away from that "D&D mindset", a wholly new system may be called for.

 

[GreatLemur]

Am I the only one who thinks that a wuxia western game doesn't sound all that strange? High-jumping swordplay, gunkata, and mysticism set against a background of blasted desert, personal honor, and rough justice? I think that'd work fine. There's enough thematic similarity between the two genres that the fit actually seems pretty natural.

 

[mythusmage]

How would the changes brought about between the 16th century and the 19th century change the character classes?

 

[Lalato]

I'm not sure that I would buy it, but I would definitely play it. Oh hells yeah!

--sam