must. rant. now.

[the joe]

I'm not sure if anyone has the same problem as I, but I really need to vent. My gaming group meets regularly sunday afternoons, and we have been doing so for almost seven months. During these seven months we have been running two concurrent campaigns (3E D&D), both very combat intensive. Don't get me wrong, i like to bash orcs as well as the next guy. But what really bothers me is that neither of these campaigns needed to be combat intensive. I would wager that 40% of our fights could've have been avoided by simply stealthing or better yet using a bit of diplomacy. Normally I would be concerned with the excess combat, my concern is when the careless actions jepordize the rest of the parties characters.
It frustrates me to no end that the only part of a character my fellow gamers focus on is their sheer combat prowess. Dungeons and Dragons is a ROLE playing game after all. I could be wrong, but isn't the purpose of role playing to create a persona and act as he/she would, not just beat the hell out of whatever crosses your path. I've aired my greivance before the DM and he agrees with me. The other players, however, do not. Perhaps it is a question of age. I am seventeen, and the ages of the other members of my group vary from 16 to 18. Any Suggestions?

-Joe Volzer

 

[EricNoah]

There isn't a right way or wrong way to play D&D. But there is a "better" way for you. If you're not getting what you want you should maybe talk to your DM first; he might be able to help set up situations where fighting won't be helpful or even necessary. And then maybe he can have a talk with your group about the situation.

 

[Bagpuss]

Perhaps since the DM is argeement suggest include some situations where combat is not an option. Negociations with the King or other vastly superiour force for example. Puzzles, etc.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I think from experience of people on this board, it's not really about age, it's simply about gaming choices. Your friends want to play in a combat game, you don't. It's a shame, but I'm sure it's not to do with age.

After all, I used to game with two guys that if they didn't get a fight or some attention within 30mins or so they'd start wandering about causing trouble.

Not sure what you could do about it - do you know if there is another group in your area?

 

[kengar]

Different gamers enjoy different things. If you are in a "butt-kicking" group, that's how things will often play out. talk to the other players and tell them you'd like to get a chance to RP a little more instead of just Hacking.

Suggest to your DM that -if they want to see the group behaviour change- offer situations where combat isn't a godd solution. i.e. You could kill the orcs, but then you'll never find out where they hid the map., etc.

Also, the DM can offer encounters that you simply cannot win in a straight fight. An elder dragon has a "task" for a 5th level party, etc.

As a player, if you get the initiative, try RP-ing some encounters. Say "I sheathe my sword and step forward, saying in orcish 'We don't wish to fight if not necessary'!" or something like that.

Beyond that, maybe another group is the answer.

 

[Sagan Darkside]

Any Suggestions?

There are many different types of players and dm's out there- not all of them go together well.

As for a suggestion- the adventures could be designed where stealth or diplomacy are required.

For example: PC's required to steal some goblin treasure, but not to harm or be caught by the goblins since it would cause reprisals against the settlement the pc's are hired by.

Or the big bad villian has a lot of political contacts- the pc's will need to systematically tear away their political support before getting access to harm the bbv.

SD

 

[fett527]

Hey the joe have you ever seen The Cheat?

It's really to each their own. There have been many arguments on roleplaying vs. rollplaying. I risk being banished from the boards just by using that phrase again. The gaming group I have been a part of is heavy on role playing. We enjoy the background and story of our characters, the campaign and the world we're playing in and we have been playing for over 12 years. (You can check out our story hour for a sample of how we play) Some people just like to roll dice and kill, kill, kill. It's all preference, no one is right or wrong. You are in good shape that the DM agrees with you. He/she can control it somewhat. You should try and come up with a compromise with everyone you play with and see what happens. If people aren't willing to compromise you'll want to find someone else to play with.

 

[Pielorinho]

You say you've talked to the DM. Have you talked to the other players?

I would recommend doing so -- but make sure that you don't do it in a "Let me tell you what you're doing wrong" frame of mind. The only standard of a good game is that the folks playing it are having fun; if they're having fun, then they're playing a good game. Just not a good game for you.

Instead, approach it in a "Can we try playing it differently?" frame of mind. Tell them the kind of thing you'd be interested in doing, storywise and gamewise.

You might even want to try running a one-shot adventure yourself, an adventure that is very light on combat. Murder mysteries with low-level characters can be great for that kind of thing, especially if they're set in cities that have lots of politics going on. Watch some movies with twisty plots and good dialogue (old Humphrey Bogart films noir are my favorite) for inspiration.

Daniel

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

Well, I'd agree with most of my esteemed ENeighbors.... *pauses for applause and/or vegetable pelting*....talk to your DM. Perhaps he or she can sit down before or after a game session and have a chat with the players about how the game is being played, and that they're getting themselves into many more fights than they need. Have your DM encourage roleplaying a bit more by throwing encounters of various types...or throw encounters at your group that demonstrate to them if they foolishly choose combat over a much simpler alternative, things can get really nasty. Alternatively, the DM could award XP to players for clever tactics/good roleplaying...

Best of luck to ye, and whatever the outcome....

Game on!

 

[WizarDru]

Well, I'd agree with most of my esteemed ENeighbors....

First time I've heard that phrase. I like it!

Oh, and Pielorinho's spot-on-the-money. Approach the other players about trying something different "for a change". They may not like it, and that's fine, but see if you can get a little of what you want out of the game, and give them a chance to see if they like it. As they say, there are many different playstyles, and finding a compatable group is one of the greatest quests a gamer can undertake.