Options by default: on or off?

[Aaron L]

I default to allowing anything, and will only disallow things that dont fit my world or that I just dont like. As opposed to defaulting to allowing only core and making case by case OKs, I throw everything open and make case by case denials. If only anyone would make us of it. My group was pretty boring.

 

[DragonLancer]

For me, options beyond the core books are by default off.

What I do however, is before each campaign is write up a players document and list in there what optional extas are allowed. If this is for a campaign setting that my group will continue to use (Dragonlance in our case) the list can be expanded when new product comes out or something happens in the game world that may allow new spells, feats, PrC's and the like.

I prefer to keep the extras to a mimimum though. My main reason for that is simply being able to keep a level of managable control over the game and not having to remember a shedload of new spells, feats...etc that I need to contend with each game.

 

[S'mon]

I allow some of the stuff from the PHB without consultation, pretty much everything else is by consultation ony. I'll assess it on an individual basis and see if it's ok IMC. Generally, if it doesn't involve spellcasting and isn't noticeably more powerful than a human Fighter, I'll allow it.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Default is off, with a procedure by which a player can get a new class, feat, spell, etc approved for use in the campaign. That way I don't have to pre-filter books for broken or out-of-place content; I can address new items one at a time, and be fairly certain that if approved, players will use them, since they won't waste their time bringing them to me otherwise.

 

[Kaos]

I haven't been the dm in our group for quite a awhile, but for me it would depend entirely on the context. Obviously, in an Eberron or Kalamar game anything from the campaign books would be allowed. After that, everything would have to go through review before going in.

But on that note, I'm not really in the "DM is dictator" mode either. Unless something blatantly clashes with the campaign setting in some way, I'd let the decision rest on group consensus (which, based on past occurrenced, down to one vote for "sure, why not," and a bunch of abstains...)

 

[billd91]

My default is off. I run a Greyhawk classic modules campaign and keep a fairly strict control over GH vs non-GH flavor. I am especially restrictive of prestige classes. If they don't seem to fit GH, they aren't allowed.

I also restrict players to publications I actually own by default. If anyone wants something from another source, they must present the source to me to review before I will consider it.

 

[tarchon]

We usually only allow supplements after considerable debate. It's a little too easy to get into a situation where player X has all the goodies because he buys the Players Guide to Power Apotheosis.

 

[just__al]

I voted disallow but as always it's just the closest option in the poll.

I designate books as "in play" for feats and core classes but I ask players to clear as early as possible with me their choices of Presteige classes.

I don't want them building towards a presteige class I wouldn't want played in my campaign, and if I know that's the direction they're going and I'm going to allow the class, I'll do my best to present some presteige to the class and it's members in my campaign so it's not just a collection of features and skills but something that makes it special.

 

[Jdvn1]

I allow them by default. If they're not obscene, why detract from a player's choice? If the point is to have fun, the the players have fun with whatever material they like.

 

[Barak]

Hmm. Default is off, except for one of my players, in which case it's on.

Unfair? Not really. See, 3 of my players are powergamers wannabe. By that, I mean they -try- to be powergamers, but aren't really good at it. Still, sometimes they might stumble upon something, so I still review -everything- they want to use, even WotC stuff that isn't core.

The fourth player I have uses stuff from everywhere. Stuff from the Net, from various books, whatever. -But- everything he goes for make sense, and actually is usually very underpowered, actually. So I let him do whatever, with the obvious caveat that if he'd try to do something crazy, I'd nix it.