How much do you experiment in your games?

[Stormborn]

Typically its all one way or the other. One campaign I will go with only published material, even if I do allow a lot of options its still things that have appeared in print and typically from WotC. Another campaign might have homebrew rules for just about everything, including homebrew tweaks to every race and class not to mention magic, combat, and XP. There for I am unsure how to answer the poll.

 

[Nifft]

I experiment a bunch, but not as much as I'd like.

-- N

 

[RFisher]

If I were to vote, I think I might have to check every box!

When I'm playing a game I've never played before--or haven't played in a while--I have a tendency to try to stick as closely to the written rules as possible. I want to take my best shot at understanding the rules as written before I go monkeying with them.

I also, though, like to search out any insights from the designers. I think the designers intentions are important to understanding a game, & there's always more that you can learn about that beyond the book(s).

After that, though, I like to experiment with variations. Both my own & some published.

Some experiments last just one or a few session. Some experiments last a whole campaign.

I don't know about "prep methods" so much, but I also experiment with how I run the game. e.g. The classic Traveller campaign I ran a couple of years ago was all about trying a "sandbox" game using the Spinward Marches, 76 Patrons, 101 Patrons, & such (hope I got those numbers correct) & trying to improvise the rest on-the-fly.

 

[diaglo]

it was college. i was weak. i gave 2edADnD a try.

 

[Ry]

I've been relying on that alot lately. Mostly, it makes me grit my teeth. Not precise enough.

It's a form of congenital stupidity that I have.

I used to use random generators a lot and I find that the best method is to have a "postprocessing" routine that a human being runs off of the results.

Check out my 4 elements link (see the sig). You might find that if you put that concept on top of what comes out of a generator it's a real refinement for connecting your campaign together, and it might give you ideas for how to expand on existing stuff so it's a little less chaotic.

 

[Wombat]

I'm a gaming scavenger.

First of all, I only rarely use RAW (Rules As Written). Why? Well because I want the rules to fit the world, rather than forcing the world to conform to the rules.

I gleefully borrow from supplements, books for other systems, ideas in my own head, discussions with friends and those in my gaming group, and other geekly resources -- magazines, web sites, etc.

Usually my alterations are meant for a specific campaign, but sometimes they bleed over into different campaigns, especially if my group liked the alterations a lot and felt they brought up the right tone.

RAW is fine as a starting point, but it's sort of like training wheel -- rpgs are about imagination.

 

[Treebore]

I experimented very little with 3E. I didn't feel like I dared to do so. However I experiment a lot with every other rules system. Even Mutants and MAsterminds and True20, even though they are 3E clones, more or less.

 

[The Green Adam]

I am apparently allergic to things that are RAW.

I experiment all the time, from class and combat options to whole new sets of rules. If a game is published or posted on the web I'm most likely going to play it. If some parts work and some parts don't its cool 'cause I'll just add the parts to the main rules I do like.

I'm not a rules heavy guy to start with so whatever does what I need it to do is good by me.

AD