[Poll] As A *Player*, Do You Enjoy Low-Magic/Grim&Gritty Campaigns?

[FireLance]

After reading through several pages on this thread, I realised that the poster were mostly DMs arguing either for or against low magic, grim and gritty campaign settings.

So, I thought it would be useful to get some player input instead.

All other things being equal, would you prefer to play in such a campaign?

 

[thullgrim]

I like playing these types of games under 2 conditions. The game is fair and the game is fun. My favorite game is Rolemaster, death is common, inury more so, doesn't really bother me. Like I said as long as the game is fair (meaning the GM is fair and the whole system is balanced) and mostly fun I am all in.

Thullgrim

 

[Tanager]

I voted yes.

Despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that I tend towards playing arcane casters, I generally prefer a game with low magic and a potentialy high mortality rate. I'm not a big fan of the feel "another +3 sword? No extra abilities? Ok, I'll sell it when we get to town".


However that being said, I'm not against the odd high magic or even Ludicrously Way Over the Top Magic (LWOTM) game sometimes.

 

[Dark Jezter]

I voted no, I don't enjoy Low Magic/Grim and Gritty.

Perhaps I would enjoy it more if I played it with a good DM, but as is, I would much rather play D&D using the standard mortality rules and magic system.

Plus, I've met too many pretentious gamers who feel that playing low magic/grim and gritty somehow gives their game more maturity and depth than settings like Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, etc.

 

[Abisashi]

I don't prefer one over the other in general (but I like to switch it up a little) so I voted no preference. I'd prefer to get in a little of each at least every once in a while.

 

[The Cardinal]

I prefer low-magic "grim 'n gritty" games as a player - when I'm in a campaign that uses GURPS (i.e. a system which allows me to come up with realistic and creative solutions to the problems resulting from such a setting).

D&D simply doesn't work without tons of items, spells, and/or inherent special abilities - so G&G is out.

 

[Shadowdancer]

I really have no preference. Both can be fun. Both can be disasters. It just depends on what the players and the DM want out of the game. If everyone is in agreement, then it shouldn't be a problem.

There are times I like the feel of a low magic and/or grim-n-gritty campaign. There are times I like lots of magic and/or high fantasy campaigns.

 

[d4]

i can't really answer the poll because while i enjoy and prefer low-magic games, i hate grim & gritty games. heck, i think core D&D is too grim & gritty.

i prefer low-magic, cinematic, high-action games.

i think a better poll would be to ask about the two characteristics separately, since they by no means always go hand-in-hand.

 

[Celtavian]

re

If the DM/GM/Storyteller is good, then I can enjoy just about any type of game. Everything else is relative.

 

[Wombat]

I'd say "It depends", depends on the game system, depends on the GM.

For example: I used to play RuneQuest quite a bit. On the one hand the setting is low magic (it is rare to have a lot of serious spellslingers, most of the magic is low level, not a lot of magical treasures), but on the other hand some might argue against this since nearly everyone has at least one spell. As to the "Grim n Gritty" aspect, I need only say this for the Pavis fans -- Gimpy's.

Pendragon, another game that I enjoyed, is hard to call -- the players rarely, if ever, cast spells, but the whole world is infused with magic and wonder, so it is sort of a split decision.

D&D can be converted over to LMGNG (see Gothmog's excellent thread in House Rules), but it requires massive tinkering. The base rules are very, VERY high magic and not that gritty at all. In many ways D&D defines high magic and the ease of coming back from the dead. These are aspects of the game that I attempt to tamp down in my own campaigns (start with low characters, slower advancement, very little access to cleric of high enough level to Raise Dead, etc.), but I know of some people who find this "artificial". To my mind, however, this is closer to most fantasy books that I have loved; the only ones I have found that look like D&D games are D&D novels... For all that and all that, I can still have a hugely fun time with the system, as long as I keep it in check.

GURPS is more scaleable on the amount of grit and magic, but I am not very fond of the system itself, so have played only occasionally. I have been in both High Magic and Low Magic games of GURPS, as well as No Worries and Grim N Gritty games.

The major point to all this is it all depends on the GM and the group; the system is secondary as to whether I am going to have fun or not. I can have fun in a silly campaign, in a dark campaign, in a superhero campaign, in a pulp campaign, and almost anything else; equally, I can have a terrible time in all of the above. It all depends on the mix of GM and players.