I would play a bard if. . .

[Ridley's Cohort]

Other: If I thought it would fit well in the campaign.

While it is true that some Bard abilities are more useful in large groups, I personally find the idea of playing a specialist more attractive in such campaigns.

The Bard is more compelling to me in small groups where a highly competent generalist would be amply rewarded. In a small party campaign, I would also expect to get a lot of roleplaying time with the NPCs.

 

[Greg K]

It was rewriten or the bard abiltities were broken into feats. I dislike both the jack of all trades approach and how bardic music was handled.

 

[Peni Griffin]

If you want a bard in your game, put some in. Take care not to make a DMPC, so as not to annoy people; but since you like bards and your players don't see the possibilities, showing them the possibilities is the line of least resistance. A bardic villain, for instance, has lots of possibilities. Or how about a wandering bard who turns up periodically to help or hinder them as the situation warrants - somebody equally capable of single-handedly rescuing them from that random encounter that goes horribly wrong or of stealing the credit for great deeds out from under them? Humanoid foes that appear in large numbers can have bards as support staff, who have bardic-specialized magic items that players crave but can't use to maximum potential. And so on.

It takes a creative person to play a bard effectively - which is appropriate. At low levels, particularly, they have to be able to think of clever impromptu uses for cantrips, work their skills for all their worth (Mage hand + alchemy = precision alchemist's fire), and stand ready to talk their way out of tricky situations instead of fighting. Show your players how much fun this sort of play is, and they'll not only be more ready to play bards, they'll start thinking of ways to use their combat monsters more cleverly.

A knock-down, drag-out exchange of damage is as boring as tennis with no net. It's easy, but easy isn't worth anything.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Bard (and Sublime Chord) are critical to my Sublime Phoenix character concept (which I will hopefully have the chance to play some day). I don't need any further incentive.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

I would have to count myself as one of those who personally cannot take the class very seriously.

"Oh, were being approached by Orcs? I Sing at them."

I much prefer the Beguiler class from the PHB 2. You do not get the benefit of the combat assist from the perform check. But you do get the Rogue like skills, and the spell list makes a great deal of sense for NPC manipulation.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[drothgery]

I'm currently playing one. But that's mostly because the DM wouldn't let me play a beguiler, and I got fixated on playing a gnome (or it would have been a wizard/rogue/PrC).

 

[Sejs]

I do play bards.

I need no carrot.

 

[Darklone]

New month, new firebeetle bard thread.

 

[Sound of Azure]

New month, new firebeetle bard thread.

It must be a new bardic music type- Inspire Bard Thread. Or, for me... Inpire amusement.

---
As for the OP, I'm happy to play a bard. I like having a little bit of everything that I can do, and the challenge of needing to be wise with your skill and spell selection.

Carrots? Well, I think there are already plenty of cool options for bards, including racial substitution levels, interesting bardic feats, as well as several well thought out prestige classes to round my character out should I wish to... so I'm more or less covered as far as mechanical benefits go.

Perhaps an intriguing organisation for bards, or perhaps bards gaining a sort of diplomatic immunity when travelling would be an option (kind of like the Gleemen in Wheel of Time, or skalds from our own world). Obviously, only law-abiding people would honour such diplomatic immunity... but it's an interesting idea to me.

In any case, sometimes it's a role-playing carrot you need, not a mechanical one.

Honestly though, it doesn't sound like your players are really interested in playing bards, so I wouldn't try to force the issue.

 

[Brother MacLaren]

Where's the option for "...if the DM allows Knowledge checks to work"?
Bards get a ton of skill points and have all Knowledge skills as class skills, and then Bardic Knowledge is just gravy on top of that.

Bards are good at knowing things. And knowing, of course, is half the battle.