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July 11 Q&A: Cosmology, Monster Descriptions and Monster Variants
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<blockquote data-quote="Ratskinner" data-source="post: 6156571" data-attributes="member: 6688937"><p>Nope. </p><p></p><p>When there is a default cosmology, players come expecting that. So its not just a matter of my re-writing a few bits. Its players who expected something else. So, if I want a custom cosmology or universe that eschews the default, I effectively have to produce a mini-setting book for the experienced players detailing the differences. Which makes it much harder to GM certain playstyles and puts a crap-ton of work for the DM. Not to mention the petty "fluff-lawyering" or griping that can happen if your group has high turnover. It may not seem like much, but it can grind the game to a halt and really lead to bent noses when somebody was really really relying on Orcus' lair being <em>here</em> with elements X, Y, and Z attached: "What!?! That's not what it said in <u><em>1001 Demon Princes and their Lairs! </em></u> My whole strategy was based on X!" or "What!?! I've been developing my character for three levels based on Orcus existing!" Which is made epically worse when <u><em>1001 Demon Princes and their Lairs</em></u> is actually the MM, DMG, or the PHB! The game gets to take a big timeout to explain your custom cosmology and hopefully to some retconning to assuage that player's feelings while the rest of the group plays a game of Magic.</p><p></p><p>Additionally, it is <em>always</em> (IME) easier to add fluff or even mechanics than it is to take away or re-fluff. Running games that didn't come with default setting taught me that. (Perhaps unfortunately, those experiences also served to highlight the issue.) If the spells/powers, monsters, and even character classes are written as dependent on that default cosmology, it becomes that much harder to extricate that cosmology from play. Which doesn't mean that the game can't have planar adventures or even Planescape, but those shouldn't be the default assumptions of all D&D everywhere.</p><p></p><p>Now, you (and many others) say "for all the players who don't have a cosmology set up... they have one given to them to use." I gotta ask: Why?!? Honestly, what purpose does it serve? The only time you (as the DM) need defined cosmology is if you plan to run an adventure or story that has it as a focal point. In which case, even the newbie DM has in mind how/what he wants to have in that campaign, because he's thinking about it already. If not, he's probably been attracted by the Planescape boxed set (or adventure path or whatever). And that's fine too. So long as that stuff <em>stays there. </em>If there is some kind of in-game crisis that one can organically stumble upon that relies on players knowing the relationships between Bytopia and the Elemental Chaos, I can't think of it. (Crises of that type which have been effectively written into the game by using a default cosmology don't count.) I, and presumably many other DMs, started running the game with little to no thought of cosmologies. I only tacked a very sketchy cosmology into my first world after the characters reached 8th or 9th level. </p><p></p><p>Basically, I just can't see any benefit to having a default cosmology permeate the rules. There are only problems that it can generate (even if small or peripheral problems). So why bother?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ratskinner, post: 6156571, member: 6688937"] Nope. When there is a default cosmology, players come expecting that. So its not just a matter of my re-writing a few bits. Its players who expected something else. So, if I want a custom cosmology or universe that eschews the default, I effectively have to produce a mini-setting book for the experienced players detailing the differences. Which makes it much harder to GM certain playstyles and puts a crap-ton of work for the DM. Not to mention the petty "fluff-lawyering" or griping that can happen if your group has high turnover. It may not seem like much, but it can grind the game to a halt and really lead to bent noses when somebody was really really relying on Orcus' lair being [I]here[/I] with elements X, Y, and Z attached: "What!?! That's not what it said in [U][I]1001 Demon Princes and their Lairs! [/I][/U] My whole strategy was based on X!" or "What!?! I've been developing my character for three levels based on Orcus existing!" Which is made epically worse when [U][I]1001 Demon Princes and their Lairs[/I][/U] is actually the MM, DMG, or the PHB! The game gets to take a big timeout to explain your custom cosmology and hopefully to some retconning to assuage that player's feelings while the rest of the group plays a game of Magic. Additionally, it is [I]always[/I] (IME) easier to add fluff or even mechanics than it is to take away or re-fluff. Running games that didn't come with default setting taught me that. (Perhaps unfortunately, those experiences also served to highlight the issue.) If the spells/powers, monsters, and even character classes are written as dependent on that default cosmology, it becomes that much harder to extricate that cosmology from play. Which doesn't mean that the game can't have planar adventures or even Planescape, but those shouldn't be the default assumptions of all D&D everywhere. Now, you (and many others) say "for all the players who don't have a cosmology set up... they have one given to them to use." I gotta ask: Why?!? Honestly, what purpose does it serve? The only time you (as the DM) need defined cosmology is if you plan to run an adventure or story that has it as a focal point. In which case, even the newbie DM has in mind how/what he wants to have in that campaign, because he's thinking about it already. If not, he's probably been attracted by the Planescape boxed set (or adventure path or whatever). And that's fine too. So long as that stuff [I]stays there. [/I]If there is some kind of in-game crisis that one can organically stumble upon that relies on players knowing the relationships between Bytopia and the Elemental Chaos, I can't think of it. (Crises of that type which have been effectively written into the game by using a default cosmology don't count.) I, and presumably many other DMs, started running the game with little to no thought of cosmologies. I only tacked a very sketchy cosmology into my first world after the characters reached 8th or 9th level. Basically, I just can't see any benefit to having a default cosmology permeate the rules. There are only problems that it can generate (even if small or peripheral problems). So why bother? [/QUOTE]
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