[Monte Rant] Designers who think they're above roleplay

[JacktheRabbit]

I would consider this a big deal if the person being talked to didnt play the game AND their product was not play tested by others before it went out the door.

A game designer doesnt really need to play. He just needs someone else to play his stuff to make sure it works. Sure his stuff may start to suck over time as he loses that first hand experience at the table but at least his creations should still be balanced and work at least.

What is scary is designers who don't play and think so much of themselves that they do not feel their product needs to be play tested either.

 

[SSS-Druid]

Okay I admit it, I want to know more about these adventures! I know about Serpent (a little) but could you elborate on Mighter than the Swrod and The Seventh Gate? I REALLY like to know more about these! PLEASEE!!!

*chuckles*

Neither of them are going to be published adventures or anything. Those are just the titles of my home campaigns. I'm annoyingly developer-like when it comes to creating my home campaigns; the campaign folders always have lots of hand-outs for use in character generation and background work, maps of the local areas, etc.

And covers, as well. Let's hear it for Photoshop and Pagemaker.

 

[R.X.DIEM]

HHAAAAAAAAAA HHAAAAAA HAA HA AHHH

I want you to know that I, as a D20 Publisher, think that you are losers with no life, but that's not the problem. No, the problem is that you are all stupid munchkins. All of you. Especially the moderators here.

Because you suck, it is my sovereign duty to write well enough that even your pea brains will be lofted to the halcyon heights of true roleplaying. Without my aid, you will all be content to just roll dice with no thought toward story, but it is my dream that after you read my books, you will spend days in fevered writing, preparing for your next game. This is my goal.

Amen.

The above does not reflect the beliefs or opinions of anyone at ENWorld or Natural 20 Press. Rather, they reflect the beliefs of Fiery_James, or was that Fiery_Jason?

LMAO

 

[333 Dave]

Forgive me, for I have sinned. But its not that I don't play because I don't want to, I just don't want to with my particularly crappy group...

 

[Nightfall]

*chuckles*

Neither of them are going to be published adventures or anything. Those are just the titles of my home campaigns. I'm annoyingly developer-like when it comes to creating my home campaigns; the campaign folders always have lots of hand-outs for use in character generation and background work, maps of the local areas, etc.

And covers, as well. Let's hear it for Photoshop and Pagemaker.

Darn! You are a tease! Anyway maybe you could consider maybe making them into adventures AFTER you run them? Please!

 

[Nightfall]

Forgive me, for I have sinned. But its not that I don't play because I don't want to, I just don't want to with my particularly crappy group...

That's okay Dave. If you were closer I'd tell you to come over and play with our group! If we had one...

 

[Darkness]

... the problem is that you are all stupid munchkins. All of you. Especially the moderators here.

Quiet, you! No need to trumpet Morrus' recruitment criteria to the masses, you know?

This also goes to the Fiery J-something who you said came up with this.

 

[R.X.DIEM]

I'm curious !

With so many people involved in the RPG industry on the forum. How many of you agree that you really don't have to play any of the games to make a good, playable, imaginative product?

 

[WizarDru]

The big houses can turn out a much better looking product, but I find the ideas tend to more 'conformed', less original.

[snip]

In the small press; it's much more likely we're getting stuff made by people who are 'in the tenches'. Quality results are more varied because writing skill is less tested, but it's also less 'conformed by the machine of industry'.

I understood what you meant, I just don't agree. Much of the smaller press material is just fine, graphically....often to the exclusion of good written material. The shoddy '[fill-in-the-blank' of power' hardbound books, for example. Traps and Treachery has some great material, but the new rules material is pretty poorly thought out...and I realized that some of it was unbalanced while thumbing through it in the store. I purchased it regardless, because the good far outweighed the bad...but there were poor rules-design choices, there.

Most of Mongoose's material appears, IMHO, to be terrible...the very kind of material I would have turned my nose up at twenty years ago, let alone today. Most of the best small press material is being released by former-WOTC employees, who know how to avoid the typical mistakes. I agree they are less 'conformed'...this probably being them free to do more experimental stuff, as it's not considered 'core'. So far, most releases from WOTC are still the basic stuff we've come to expect. D&Dg was more of a contractual requirement with the DMs of the world than an attempt at innovation, IMO.

Some, like Fiery Dragon, just know what they're doing. (And I hasten to point out that I did mention Malhavoc in my post on page one, AU! ) Kenzer's stuff is as slick as they come, and S&SS releases some slick looking stuff, too. But there are tons of mini-d20 releases in the glut, and many are just not good.

 

[mearls]

A game designer doesnt really need to play.

Oh yes he does. Most definitely he needs to either play or run a game. The best ideas I've had have all come as a result of playing or running the game.

I bet you $10 that I can pick up a d20 product and figure out in 5 minutes if the designer regularly plays D&D.

There are so many things that people accept as "common truths" about D&D3 that don't hold up in actual play.