I like rpgs and all but...

[DementiaSummoner1]

Grr i like to play cause its really fun but.... the amount stuff that is needed is crazy. i mean i can remember when you need only a sheet of paper and one rule book now its like DICE, EACH PLAYER NEEDS A RULE BOOK, AND BOOKS OUT THE WAZOO! Well thats just MHO but if you care to coment please do so.

oh and none of this is to diss any rpg around im just comparing the past to today

 

[Crothian]

Nope, hasn't changed. You can borrow dice and books from others if they will let you. All you need is the core rules and the important parts are actually free on the web legally.

 

[aurin777]

My two cents
I don't think it has changed from the good ol' days of having a PHB and a handful of dice. When 3E first came out, we remade our pcs in third and went along happily with just the 3E phb and some dice before we acquired the rest of the books. Don't get me wrong, I -love- the amount of material that is available for gaming. Hell, I'm dealing with a mess of books from 4 different game systems, incorporating all into my d20 modern game, but if I wanted to, I can still just pick up a set of dice, my phb, and my imagination and have fun around the gaming table.
~~Brandon

 

[DementiaSummoner1]

well....

Well yeah its possible but with some people they will question everything you do so its better to have one on you now you know what im sayin? cause with/o a rule book its very easy to say "well yeah but thats not a rule" kid i know does that and i hate so its good to have one now.. and there are just so many books and at i way to high price for the info in the book

 

[Henry]

Moved to General PRG Discussion.

 

[aurin777]

I think you need to take a step back and look at this real quick like- this isn't as much like a board game as it is a story. The "rules" of the game are less important than what you get out of it. The rules are changable. If you don't like something in the rules, you can throw it out. Its a game that you are supposed to get enjoyment out of. Forget rules lawyers, thats not what its about. The DM runs the game. Lay it down to them with words like Judge Dred. "I am the Law." Run it how you want it.
~~Brandon

 

[ced1106]

Books, shmooks. Hang out on RPGnet long enough, and you'll find a thread about how **few** books are at the gaming table. Of course, these rpg books are usually not D&D, for obvious reasons.

D&D **is** more complex than AD&D (!), so referring to a book is often necessary, definitely for character generation. But if you're playing a non-spellcaster, and someone else at the table knows the combat rules well, I don't see any need for you to bring a book to the table.

"I'm a dwarf!" -- Skull, PVP.


Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^

 

[megamania]

Honestly you don't need anything beyond the PHB, DMG and the first monster book to play. The rest is frosting on the cake.

 

[Mistwell]

And there are still people who play with nothing but their imagination. I personally know of two sources for this:

The first is a group that plays at Burning Man every year while camping and uses nothing but their imagination, personal knowledge of rules where necessary, and I believe a few dice (though it might be something as arcane as throwing a stick towards a rock and assigning a number to how close the stick comes to the rock).

The second includes some orthodox jewish players who can play during the sabbath, but only if they do not use anything except their imagination.

I think I could do it myself. I have a first level adventure that involves so many riddles and thinking traps that it could probably be done from memory with few if any die rolls, and still be enjoyable for the players. Might be fun while camping some time!

 

[Buttercup]

At the first RW session I DMed, this is what we had at the table:

My PHB.
One set of dice.
Five pencils.
Five character sheets.
I had a tablet of paper with my notes on it.
Five people.

Now we usually have more stuff, since most of the players have a PHB, and they bring it along. One has a campaign journal. They all have dice. I have counters, a giant tablet with one inch squares I use for a battlemat, and colored markers. My tablet has become two notebooks.

Still, that's not too much stuff. I own over 200 3e/D20 books, but I could still run games without anything but the three core ones. Heck, I could run games with nothing but a downloaded SRD.