D&D 5E I don’t really care what rules the players use.

[TiQuinn]

If the referee asks you not to power game and you do anyway, that’s making a character in bad faith.

Sure, but I haven't heard anyone make this suggestion yet.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

If the referee asks you not to power game and you do anyway, that’s making a character in bad faith.

How do you ask someone "not to power game"? What would that even mean exactly? Outside of some obviously broken combos that literally ruin the game (e.g. wish/simulacrum), that's a VERY subjective definition.

If there are two versions of a spell and one does more damage, I'm going to pick the one that does more damage - that's just "gaming" not power gaming.

 

[TwoSix]

Edit: This isn't a combative question btw, I just try to understand tables how "anything goes" with dozens of books/sources work without the GM bogging down combat by having to throw more and more difficult/complex monsters to handle their power- and then there are the other players at the table that aren't looking for the best options and just pick "whatever," who are getting toasted by the higher difficulty enemies being brought to bear vs. the powerful characters.

Assuming the imbalance reaches a point where it's noticeable, I just use targeted magic items. Weaker characters get straight vertical boosts, stronger characters get "horizontal" powers that broaden their toolkit but don't boost their normal offense or defense.

And really, the worst case is that the monsters are too easy and the PCs win; that was what was supposed to happen anyway. 5e is a neotrad game at its core, the "challenge" is ultimately secondary.

 

[Zaukrie]

I also don't care what rules the players use. It isn't a competition..... And I play with friends that treat each other with respect

 

[Deset Gled]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but this sounds very similar to the school of thought that says "I don't track the HP of the BBEG, he falls when it's appropriate for the battle to end."

Which is a school of thought that I understand, and I get why some people like it. But I would never want to play in it. Rules matter to me. A lot. I'm happy for the folks that style works for, but I need crunch in my game and I need it to matter to the story.

 

[Distracted DM]

And really, the worst case is that the monsters are too easy and the PCs win; that was what was supposed to happen anyway. 5e is a neotrad game at its core, the "challenge" is ultimately secondary.

I've seen the term Neotrad tossed around, but I don't really know its definition- based on context a neotrad game is one where PCs will win, and challenge isn't that important?

 

[DrJawaPhD]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but this sounds very similar to the school of thought that says "I don't track the HP of the BBEG, he falls when it's appropriate for the battle to end."

It seems more to me like the school of thought that the players are responsible for building and playing their characters, and the DM fully trusts them to do this honestly and knowledgeably without the DM needing to police them.

I've played with a couple DMs like this, I've always seen it tend to breed distrust and animosity between the players, but it takes a huge load of work off the DM and I could see it working really well with a group of players that fully trust each other

 

[UngeheuerLich]

In general, the further along a game "evolves", the more likely power creep, feature bloat, etc. occurs and the less I like the direction things are going. I extremely, highly doubt there will be a single thing from 2024 rules I'll adopt or include in my games.

I think it is rather that the first expansion usually improves a game, as there are often crucial fixes to some problems that arise in the base game. After that it often gets worse again for your stated reasons.

I think it is different with the 2024 version though, as it is a reset, rather than an expansion. I think there is a good chance that the game is in a solid state. And probably after that it gets worse again.

 

[GrimCo]

For my homebrew campaigns, i care, cause i invested time and energy to house rule system to turn down PC power and turn up lethality, and that included cuttin out and changing some player facing rules, including class modifications.

For one-two shots, go wild. I encourage players to try different concepts, try out new stuff. Only caveat is - i want link or pdf for class/subclass/ feat/ item.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

As I've said before, rules really don't matter (so long as they don't actually get in the way).

There has only been one occasion when something from character creation has started to get in the way of the fun (including for the person playing it) and that was the cleric Twilight domain.