Interesting Ryan Dancey comment on "lite" RPGs

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Yes, obviously they don't spontaneously come into existence. They were born at a previous time, as you note. Aside from that, they forge their story during in game adventure.

Okay...now how is this different than other editions? Heck, how is it different from other class based games?

I honestly don't see what you're trying to say.

 

[Gentlegamer]

I'll spell it out: time should not be wasted coming up with elaborate backgrounds for beginning characters. Let the background be developed in game. If events prior to adventuring are important, let them be detailed later, in game, if they are relevant.

All this goes to speed of character creation.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I'll spell it out: time should not be wasted coming up with elaborate backgrounds for beginning characters.

I'll spell it out for you: Time should be spent making absolutely certain your character isn't just a set of numbers, because that's using your imagination and roleplaying.

It also helps to ensure that you've got a coherent party.

Maybe this is why you have problems with the 3.X character creation system, where you end up with half-dragon pixie paladins adventuring with vampiric troll bezerkers and a human rogue. None of your games have any background, so you end up with whatever random stuff walked into the tavern on that particular night.

 

[ThirdWizard]

All this goes to speed of character creation.

Sounds boring. :\

I'd rather spend an hour having fun with character creation than spend 30 seconds making what I would consider a boring character. Character creation is part of the fun.

 

[Gentlegamer]

I prefer my imagination and roleplaying as a player character to be done IN GAME, not pre game as I sit and write some epic about my dinky 1st level character. IN GAME characterization and events forge a COMMON BOND among PCs. I have found extensive PRE GAME BACKSTORY makes each player have a bloated sense of SELF IMPORTANCE to the "STORY."

When I DM, my campaign has plenty of background without 1st level snot nose adventures having each their own pregame epic attached to them. Their stories are forged in game, and are grown "organically" through play.

 

[Gentlegamer]

Sounds boring. :\

I'd rather spend an hour having fun with character creation than spend 30 seconds making what I would consider a boring character. Character creation is part of the fun.

I guess I'm far more comfortable on the fly as both a player and DM than you are.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I guess I'm far more comfortable on the fly as both a player and DM than you are.

Of course! You're better than me. Why didn't I see it before. Thank you for opening my eyes and showing me how to have rightfun instead of my wrongfun I was having before.

 

[Ry]

From Mike Mearls' blog:

From experience with both kinds of systems, this is utter garbage. Who are the players in the test group? In my experience, the rules light systems I've run don't HAVE disputes - but D&D does cause them because of the complexity.

 

[ThirdWizard]

From experience with both kinds of systems, this is utter garbage. Who are the players in the test group? In my experience, the rules light systems I've run don't HAVE disputes - but D&D does cause them because of the complexity.

Obviously, a rules heavy system is going to be more of a burden than a boon unless the participants know the rules. That's part of the point, if you don't know the rules, then it isn't going to work.

 

[BryonD]

I prefer my imagination and roleplaying as a player character to be done IN GAME, not pre game as I sit and write some epic about my dinky 1st level character.

I think we may have a difference in opinion as to when IN GAME starts...