I am a homebrew snob

[DungeonmasterCal]

Hi, Shaman. I, DMCal, am a homebrew snob, as well. I'll ragpick through a setting for crunch, but I prefer my own fluff over anyone else's any day. I'm not disparaging the hard work many people put into those settings, but I just like mine better.

 

[Crothian]

See, that's just silly. What's the difference between a homebrew and an "official" setting anyway? FR and Eberron are just homebrews that went to the big city and got their name's in lights.

Not silly, if peoples homebrews are so good then they should be able to do the same. Valus is a great example of this, a great setting and very well written.

 

[Desdichado]

The only thing that beat a good game of Cops & Robbers is a good game of Doctor.

Not with any of the guys in my group!

 

[Desdichado]

Not silly, if peoples homebrews are so good then they should be able to do the same. Valus is a great example of this, a great setting and very well written.

And many of them have, under the auspices of the d20 license. Iron Kingdoms, Midnight, Dawnforge, etc. -- many come to mind.

Of course, your statement isn't exactly true; it's not just a matter of being as good, it's also a matter of being as organized, and being put into a document that anyone can use. IMO, that's where homebrews are lacking for the most part, not in quality.

Or, at least I don't believe the hype that would have you believe all homebrews are bad. Yes, many homebrews are bad. Most of what anyone does is bad. I think there are lots of good homebrews out there, though.

 

[DonTadow]

Don, seriously, it isn't a lack of skill on my part. It stems from the fact that I run campaigns and I don't really run adventures. The PCs will be involved in over-the-top political intrigue, Machiavellian church politics (inquisition, excommunication, and I’ve even burned a PC at the stake for heresy), escaped fiends, maniacal recurring villain necromancers (who are working on their own plans), the shifting reality of the Actuality, and other sundry plots. Then if I try to stick them in the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief they start saying what the heck does this have to do with anything? This doesn’t make sense at all. Why are we wasting our time with these stupid hill giants while the basis of our faith is unraveling?

Adventures, by their very nature, are inimical to our gaming style. But I will stand by my earlier statement; it isn’t because publishers are not writing good material, it is because what they write just doesn’t incorporate itself well with my plots and setting.

I run a campaing too, and to make it not look like one big long sidequest, I break up the adventure and integrate it into the overall campaign. Honestly, you can have two or three prepub or homebrew adventures going on and no one knows the difference because you make it seamless. I set my campaing up in seasons, adn I look at what adventures or quests i'm gong to do in that season. Some hooks the pcs take some they don't but its all there so nothing looks out of place

 

[Hjorimir]

Let's just call it a difference of taste and be done with it. But I'd hardly describe my campaign as a long sidequest. It tends to roll along much like a good book where we focus on events that have a point within the context of the story.

 

[Hjorimir]

Not with any of the guys in my group!

Of course, playing Doctor with other guys doesn't qualify for the good game part of the description...at least for me.

 

[Crothian]

Yes, many homebrews are bad. Most of what anyone does is bad. I think there are lots of good homebrews out there, though.

how can many homebrews be bad, most of what people do is bad...and then still have lots that are good?

My homebrew not so good, but it does the job I need it to do. I imagine that's what most homebrews are about. That is not a good homebrew. Usually, it is a good DM with a medicore homebrew, the DM though makes it seem like it is good.

 

[Desdichado]

how can many homebrews be bad, most of what people do is bad...and then still have lots that are good?

I'm not entirely sure if the question was serious, but in case it was, I'll answer as if it were: because they're so many of them. Pulling some numbers out of the air, if there are 5,000 homebrews in the world, 20% of them actively suck dog balls, 70% or so of them are nothing special, and 10% of them are really good, then that's still 500 really good homebrews. Ergo many bad homebrews, most of what people do is bad, and yet there's lots that are good. In absolute terms, 500 good homebrews is a lot, I think. In relative terms, maybe not so much.

 

[Hjorimir]

I'm not entirely sure if the question was serious, but in case it was, I'll answer as if it were: because they're so many of them. Pulling some numbers out of the air, if there are 5,000 homebrews in the world, 20% of them actively suck dog balls, 70% or so of them are nothing special, and 10% of them are really good, then that's still 500 really good homebrews. Ergo many bad homebrews, most of what people do is bad, and yet there's lots that are good. In absolute terms, 500 good homebrews is a lot, I think. In relative terms, maybe not so much.

74.9% of all statistics are made up. No, really!

/just teasin'