Schools of thought--Where we all stand on the big questions

[Shroomy]

I answered all of the questions, but only in relation to D&D (and from the perspective of a current 4e player, since some of the questions, such as the CR one, doens't make sense in that context), and even then, I wasn't satisified with some of the binary choices. Also, I don't really care about some of the issues (such as the use of 3D structures or laptops), so I just went with what I'm most used to.

High magic (FR) V. Medium Magic (GH, 1e) V. Low magic (Conan) settings

Home made settings V. Give me a base setting I’ll do the rest (1e Greyhawk) V. Give me a detailed setting and keep detailing it (2e FR).

Settings growing alongside novels (FR novels being the prime example here of togetherness) V. Settings and novels being separate.

Low level games (1-10) V. Mid level games (10-20) V. High level games (20-30+) are my favorite

Detailed combat rules for combat moves, attacks and actions (anything other than swinging a weapon giving specific mathematical bonuses or penalties, for ex. -2 terrain, +4 blinded +2 full attack, -2 concealed, etc.) V. Let the DM wing combat moves, attacks and actions (giving it his own bonus or detriment based on a quick gut check)

Multiple worlds and settings to adventure in V. I only really need and use one.

Narrative critical (it bashed the side of your head, blood is your left eye making it difficult to see and you’re a bit dizzy) V. Criticals which give some mathematical detriment (it hit your arm, you’re now -2 to attack with your primary weapon)

Wizards at high levels ARE AND OUGHT TO BE feared V. Wizards at high level are completely unbalanced. Nerf, Nerf, Nerf them to death.

Tabletop grid and dry erase V. No grid

Miniatures V. No miniatures V. Miniatures only or the complicated stuff.

Tiles V. No tiles

3d structures on the gaming table (things like mountains, hills, trees, etc. ) V. No structures

Modules V. I’ll make up my own stinkin’ adventures

Adventure paths V. standalone modules V. Didn't you see what I said above? I’ll make up my own stinkin’ adventures

Lots of Houserules V. Moderate houserules V. We may tinker here and there, but we play it mostly by the book.

Magic item stores V. No magic item stores.

Roll play V. Role play

PDF magazines V. Paper

PDF core rules V. Paper

PDF modules V Paper

PDF supplements v. Paper

Laptop for the DM at the gaming table v. Pen and paper

Laptop for players at the gaming table v. Pen and paper

Mood music while playing v. None

Sound effects while playing v. None

Boxed sets V. Hardcover books

Gygaxian V. Non-Gygaxian

Non-weapon proficiencies V. Skills V. Just wing it, do a Dex check or something

Kits V. Prestige classes V. Neither

Core classes V. Kits and/or prestige classes

Feats V. No feats

Class based system V. No classes, just a character with various skills, abilities, and attributes.

Feats V. Book of Nine Swords-style progression trees V. I already said no feats

Classed monsters with skills, feats, etc. V. Non-classed monsters, they just have special abilities.

Detailed world politics and economies V. Who gives a crap, lemme go kill something and take its stuff.

Rolling for social interaction results V. Roleplaying all of them out, the results are what you personally glean from it.

Describing exactly how you are searching V. Rolling a d20 for search results

DM Rulings V. Rules

Player skill V. Character abilities

Heroic V. Superhero

Game balanced encounters V. The world’s a dangerous place, your 3rd level wizard might open that door and out pops Orcus.

Save or die, life’s a bittch V. Hey, not fair, I invested a lot of time in that 15th level guy and he shouldn’t die because of one bad roll.

Classes balanced against each other per level V. Every class has its place, and some are more powerful than others at certain things, or at a lot of things.

Rogues being able to sneak attack/backstab in combat because of flanking V. He’s a thief, he doesn’t belong in combat, shoot an arrow from far away if you want to be in combat.

Every character being able to do something every round of combat V. Sometimes you just gotta hang back and let the meat shields or fireball howitzers do their thing.

Combat-centric/focused/driven V. Roleplay/intrigue/politics/economics –centered/focused/driven

Every combat encounter should be somewhat of a challenge V. Sometimes, your epic level characters kick down a door and it’s just a mouse in there, eating some cheese, and that’s ok, because the world is made up mostly of those kinds of encounters. That's not to say we still won't fireball it and take its now melted cheese...

We use CR V. We don’t use CR.

XP should be gained for the GP value of treasure looted V. Nope, just for the kill.

We use an XP system V. The DM just gives it out once in a while as he decides he wants us to progress in levels.

10d6 caps to 3rd level damage spells V. My 30th level wizard’s fireball can, like that meteor from 600 million years ago, cause the next ice age.

Characters take their place on the battlefield leading troops in battle V. The battle happens while we do things only a PC group can do which helps determine the overall battle’s outcome.

My favorite setting of all time is: Forgotten Realms 1e Grey Box

Chanmail V OD&D V. Holmes D&D V. AD&D V. Moldvay B/E/C/M D&D V. Rules Cyclopedia D&D V. Second Edition V. Thrd Edition 3.0 V. Revised Third Edition 3.5 V. Fourth Edition V. Castles and Crusades V. Savage Worlds V. OSRIC V. True20 V. Mutands and Masterminds V. Pathfinder V. Basic RPG V. Gurps V. Hackmaster V. Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Evolved V. Rolemaster

 

[NN]

I like the low end of mid-magic

Rather than settings or adventures I like well detailed mini-setting sandboxes.

Ive no interest in miniatures.

No computers or music.

If some thing is a challenge of player skill, rolling is a distraction.

Rules preferences: I like good rules.

Every player should be able to make a meaningful contribtion to the game: this doesnt mean everyone has to be effective in every encounter or situation.

Theives/Rogues: There should be a place for both the swashbuckler and the cat burglar.

I like setting verisimillitude but also dislike meaningless character death.

 

[Cadfan]

I think this is an interesting survey, but ironically, I don't think that people's preferences will correlate with editions. I think that nostalgia is more powerful than that for certain types of people.

Schools of Thought:

High magic (FR) V. Medium Magic (GH, 1e) V. Low magic (Conan) settings
Don't care.

Home made settings V. Give me a base setting I’ll do the rest (1e Greyhawk) V. Give me a detailed setting and keep detailing it (2e FR). But this is irrelevant to me because its so ignorable.

Settings growing alongside novels (FR novels being the prime example here of togetherness) V. Settings and novels being separate.

Low level games (1-10) V. Mid level games (10-20) V. High level games (20-30+) are my favorite

Detailed combat rules for combat moves, attacks and actions (anything other than swinging a weapon giving specific mathematical bonuses or penalties, for ex. -2 terrain, +4 blinded +2 full attack, -2 concealed, etc.) V. Let the DM wing combat moves, attacks and actions (giving it his own bonus or detriment based on a quick gut check) This really depends on the overall game. For a game like Paranoia, I prefer the gut check. For a game like D&D, where combat-porn is a big portion of the appeal, combat has to be complex enough to support the premise.

Multiple worlds and settings to adventure in V. I only really need and use one.

Narrative critical (it bashed the side of your head, blood is your left eye making it difficult to see and you’re a bit dizzy) V. Criticals which give some mathematical detriment (it hit your arm, you’re now -2 to attack with your primary weapon) Don't care.

Wizards at high levels ARE AND OUGHT TO BE feared V. Wizards at high level are completely unbalanced. Nerf, Nerf, Nerf them to death.

Tabletop grid and dry erase V. No grid Depends on the game. For D&D, need a grid. For Paranoia type games, no grid.

Miniatures V. No miniatures V. Miniatures only for the complicated stuff.

Tiles V. No tiles

3d structures on the gaming table (things like mountains, hills, trees, etc. ) V. No structures

Modules V. I’ll make up my own stinkin’ adventures

Adventure paths V. standalone modules V. Didn't you see what I said above? I’ll make up my own stinkin’ adventures

Lots of Houserules V. Moderate houserules V. We may tinker here and there, but we play it mostly by the book.

Magic item stores V. No magic item stores. I like 4es rules for letting ritualists create and rebuild items, because item customization is important in a game like D&D. There's a major issue here- if you don't want magic item stores, you can't have a game where specific magic items are very important to a character. Or else you need a workaround, like the wizard rituals.

Roll play V. Role play Whatever, I tend to think that even saying this phrase makes you a [censored by Eric's grandma].

PDF magazines V. Paper

PDF core rules V. Paper

PDF modules V Paper

PDF supplements v. Paper The trend on these is that anything I need at the table needs to be paper, anything else, pdf.

Laptop for the DM at the gaming table v. Pen and paper

Laptop for players at the gaming table v. Pen and paper

Mood music while playing v. None

Sound effects while playing v. None

Boxed sets V. Hardcover books

Gygaxian V. Non-Gygaxian

Non-weapon proficiencies V. Skills V. Just wing it, do a Dex check or something

Kits V. Prestige classes V. Neither

Core classes V. Kits and/or prestige classes

Feats V. No feats Some other customization option would be fine, I suppose.

Class based system V. No classes, just a character with various skills, abilities, and attributes.

Feats V. Book of Nine Swords-style progression trees V. I already said no feats Depends on context?

Classed monsters with skills, feats, etc. V. Non-classed monsters, they just have special abilities.

Detailed world politics and economies V. Who gives a crap, lemme go kill something and take its stuff.

Rolling for social interaction results V. Roleplaying all of them out, the results are what you personally glean from it. Mixture of both.

Describing exactly how you are searching V. Rolling a d20 for search results I hate searching. Its the most worthless part of the game. Both options blow. Describing it is boring. Rolling a d20 makes it too random. The d20 is superior, but only by a tiny, tiny bit.

DM Rulings V. Rules These aren't in conflict. Its a balancing act.

Player skill V. Character abilities Player skill in using character abilities. You know, like 4e. Remember all those snide "its like a board game" comments from people too dumb to realize that they were really seeing a combat subsystem that was like a tactical miniatures wargame and nothing like a board game at all?

Heroic V. Superhero Tiers are nice, they fix this.

Game balanced encounters V. The world’s a dangerous place, your 3rd level wizard might open that door and out pops Orcus.

Save or die, life’s a bittch V. Hey, not fair, I invested a lot of time in that 15th level guy and he shouldn’t die because of one bad roll.

Classes balanced against each other per level V. Every class has its place, and some are more powerful than others at certain things, or at a lot of things.

Rogues being able to sneak attack/backstab in combat because of flanking V. He’s a thief, he doesn’t belong in combat, shoot an arrow from far away if you want to be in combat.

Every character being able to do something every round of combat V. Sometimes you just gotta hang back and let the meat shields or fireball howitzers do their thing.

Combat-centric/focused/driven V. Roleplay/intrigue/politics/economics –centered/focused/driven But the intrigue leads to combat, see?

Every combat encounter should be somewhat of a challenge V. Sometimes, your epic level characters kick down a door and it’s just a mouse in there, eating some cheese, and that’s ok, because the world is made up mostly of those kinds of encounters. That's not to say we still won't fireball it and take its now melted cheese...

We use CR V. We don’t use CR.

XP should be gained for the GP value of treasure looted V. Nope, just for the kill. See next question.


We use an XP system V. The DM just gives it out once in a while as he decides he wants us to progress in levels.

10d6 caps to 3rd level damage spells V. My 30th level wizard’s fireball can, like that meteor from 600 million years ago, cause the next ice age. This is too edition specific. In 3e, you needed the cap for balance. But the game doesn't have to be designed that way. So in 3e I want the cap.

Characters take their place on the battlefield leading troops in battle V. The battle happens while we do things only a PC group can do which helps determine the overall battle’s outcome. Both. But "leading the troops" can turn into a grind as you relentlessly kill hundreds of enemy soldiers far below your level. As long as that's avoided I'm fine.

My favorite setting of all time is: (fill in the blank) Greyhawk, After the Ashes. None.

Chanmail V OD&D V. Holmes D&D V. AD&D V. Moldvay B/E/C/M D&D V. Rules Cyclopedia D&D V. Second Edition V. Thrd Edition 3.0 V. Revised Third Edition 3.5 V. Fourth Edition V. Castles and Crusades V. Savage Worlds V. OSRIC V. True20 V. Mutands and Masterminds V. Pathfinder V. Basic RPG V. Gurps V. Hackmaster V. Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Evolved V. Rolemaster

What do hit points represent?

An amorphous reference for how far you are from dead. Nothing more.

 

[Arkhandus]

Schools of Thought:

High magic (FR) V. Medium Magic (GH, 1e) V. Low magic (Conan) settings

Home made settings V. Give me a base setting I’ll do the rest (1e Greyhawk) V. Give me a detailed setting and keep detailing it (2e FR).

Settings growing alongside novels (FR novels being the prime example here of togetherness) V. Settings and novels being separate.

Low level games (1-10) V. Mid level games (10-20) V. High level games (20-30+) are my favorite

Detailed combat rules for combat moves, attacks and actions (anything other than swinging a weapon giving specific mathematical bonuses or penalties, for ex. -2 terrain, +4 blinded +2 full attack, -2 concealed, etc.) V. Let the DM wing combat moves, attacks and actions (giving it his own bonus or detriment based on a quick gut check)

Multiple worlds and settings to adventure in V. I only really need and use one.

Narrative critical (it bashed the side of your head, blood is your left eye making it difficult to see and you’re a bit dizzy) V. Criticals which give some mathematical detriment (it hit your arm, you’re now -2 to attack with your primary weapon)

Wizards at high levels ARE AND OUGHT TO BE feared V. Wizards at high level are completely unbalanced. Nerf, Nerf, Nerf them to death.
I'd still like them to have a sort of balance at high levels, but they ought to be really dang magical by then

Tabletop grid and dry erase V. No grid

Miniatures V. No miniatures V. Miniatures only for the complicated stuff.

Tiles V. No tiles

3d structures on the gaming table (things like mountains, hills, trees, etc. ) V. No structures
[/COLOR]
Modules V. I’ll make up my own stinkin’ adventures

Adventure paths V. standalone modules V. Didn't you see what I said above? I’ll make up my own stinkin’ adventures
I wouldn't mind a modified module or adventure path once in a while

Lots of Houserules V. Moderate houserules V. We may tinker here and there, but we play it mostly by the book.

Magic item stores V. No magic item stores.
I don't mind minor magic shops and magic-users trading, but no MagicMarts

Roll play V. Role play
I'd rather have a happy medium, but do put roleplay first

PDF magazines V. Paper

PDF core rules V. Paper

PDF modules V Paper

PDF supplements v. Paper

Laptop for the DM at the gaming table v. Pen and paper

Laptop for players at the gaming table v. Pen and paper

Mood music while playing v. None

Sound effects while playing v. None

Boxed sets V. Hardcover books

Gygaxian V. Non-Gygaxian
I'm not quite sure what you mean, so I base this on what I know of early D&D

Non-weapon proficiencies V. Skills V. Just wing it, do a Dex check or something

Kits V. Prestige classes V. Neither

Core classes V. Kits and/or prestige classes
This is a rather redundant question, but yes, I like characters that actually fit my concept of them, as opposed to cookie-cutter clones

Feats V. No feats

Class based system V. No classes, just a character with various skills, abilities, and attributes.
I prefer this for D&D, but some sort of hybrid with a class-based framework and some customizable options like kits/feats/skills would be best

Feats V. Book of Nine Swords-style progression trees V. I already said no feats
I like the logical progression of abilities into superior ones, though I'd go for something more like the 2e Complete Psionics Handbook, prerequisite minor abilities learned before greater/advanced abilities that don't quite make the minor ones obsolete, but offer other advantages

Classed monsters with skills, feats, etc. V. Non-classed monsters, they just have special abilities.
As long as its monsters and not NPCs, sure, but NPCs ought to have character traits and sometimes be possible allies/replacement PCs/rivals

Detailed world politics and economies V. Who gives a crap, lemme go kill something and take its stuff.
But some dungeon crawls and big brawls are good fun too

Rolling for social interaction results V. Roleplaying all of them out, the results are what you personally glean from it.
I'd prefer to reward creative thinking and such, but would use a mix of RP with rolled results for a bonus or penalty as appropriate, because the players are not their characters, and the choice to play a charismatic character should have some benefits even if the player is not so socially gifted themselves

Describing exactly how you are searching V. Rolling a d20 for search results
I'd like to have some leeway or adjustment for particularly perceptive, wise, oblivious, or unwise characters though, based on their stats

DM Rulings V. Rules
Sometimes the rules just won't cover it, and sometimes they just don't make much sense for a given situation

Player skill V. Character abilities
Though I don't see player skill as having so much to do with roleplay, so I'd adjust things based on the kind of character they made, and I don't want to punish newbies too much just for being new

Heroic V. Superhero
But superheroic is good too, when the game/setting fits

Game balanced encounters V. The world’s a dangerous place, your 3rd level wizard might open that door and out pops Orcus.
With the caveat that logic is king, insofar as it is possible in a fantasy game, and the DM better not just be trying to spite the players that actually bothered to show up for his or her game to have fun, because it really is a game above all else

Save or die, life’s a bittch V. Hey, not fair, I invested a lot of time in that 15th level guy and he shouldn’t die because of one bad roll.
See above, it better not be random death just for the sake of random death or for the sake of laughing at the players' misery and all their wasted effort, and since it's D&D there should be some way of bringing the character back or at least a decent replacement PC; but sure, let the liches and whatnot have their death spells, bring it on

Classes balanced against each other per level V. Every class has its place, and some are more powerful than others at certain things, or at a lot of things.
As long as it's not all out of whack, so every class is useful at every level and not just barely so; I don't want thieves that only serve as trap-dispatchers and spend the rest of their time bored, for example

Rogues being able to sneak attack/backstab in combat because of flanking V. He’s a thief, he doesn’t belong in combat, shoot an arrow from far away if you want to be in combat.
Maybe you've never experienced the boredom of being dead weight in combat, because D&D has a lot of combat, but personally I like to actually have fun while I'm playing a game, and so does everyone else I know, so even if the thief can only get in position for an occasional backstab in each fight, or can only run interference in some manner, that's fine as long as it's got some fun element to it

Every character being able to do something every round of combat V. Sometimes you just gotta hang back and let the meat shields or fireball howitzers do their thing.
At least you can work on moving into a better position or waiting for the right opportunity to spring at the enemy leader/mage, but there better be something for you to do in each battle; sure, you might have to wait a while for the army of mooks or the big obstacles to get pinned down or beaten down, but then you should get to have your fun too

Combat-centric/focused/driven V. Roleplay/intrigue/politics/economics –centered/focused/driven
As long as there's enough action mixed in to entertain, because plenty of folks don't like to just talk all the time, and I'm one of the many who wants to RP action scenes at least once every three sessions, if not every two sessions

Every combat encounter should be somewhat of a challenge V. Sometimes, your epic level characters kick down a door and it’s just a mouse in there, eating some cheese, and that’s ok, because the world is made up mostly of those kinds of encounters. That's not to say we still won't fireball it and take its now melted cheese...

We use CR V. We don’t use CR.
Stupid, inexperienced, or short-on-time DMs need CR, otherwise they TPK too often and make the game an annoying meat grinder that can't get anywhere, storywise or otherwise, and for the rest of us it's just a good reference tool for better eyeballing the right amount of challenge we want to present

XP should be gained for the GP value of treasure looted V. Nope, just for the kill.
That's a really stupid extreme set of choices. So the only options are both rollplay focused and narrow? Blarg. Still, XP based on the challenge of the enemy defeated makes far more sense, though I'd still go for a broader choice of XP-awarding behavior, namely overcoming challenges, not necessarily just killing stuff or taking stuff, and regardless I always award some XP for merely participating and roleplaying, based on the amount/quality of participation and roleplay, and in some campaigns this comprises the main source of XP

We use an XP system V. The DM just gives it out once in a while as he decides he wants us to progress in levels.
Too much DM fiat in character progression just leads to stagnation and boredom by some of the players, or conversely an excessively fast progression that denies players the time to get used to their new PC abilities and enjoy them/experiment with them; on the other hand, I don't mind overly much when DMs just use a simple '1 level per X number of sessions' rule, as long as it's within reason

10d6 caps to 3rd level damage spells V. My 30th level wizard’s fireball can, like that meteor from 600 million years ago, cause the next ice age.
The cap should vary for individual spells and abilities, but really, a super-high-level magic-user should be using a suitably powerful type of magic to destroy continents/induce ice ages/whatever, not the same measly type of simple magic that a mildly experienced magic-user wields

Characters take their place on the battlefield leading troops in battle V. The battle happens while we do things only a PC group can do which helps determine the overall battle’s outcome.
Although leading troups and handling strategies is fun sometimes too

My favorite setting of all time is: (fill in the blank) Planescape, pre-Faction Wars.

Chanmail V OD&D V. Holmes D&D V. AD&D V. Moldvay B/E/C/M D&D V. Rules Cyclopedia D&D V. Second Edition V. Thrd Edition 3.0 V. Revised Third Edition 3.5 V. Fourth Edition V. Castles and Crusades V. Savage Worlds V. OSRIC V. True20 V. Mutants and Masterminds V. Pathfinder V. Basic RPG V. Gurps V. Hackmaster V. Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Evolved V. Rolemaster
Glad you included 3.0 as a separate option, though I liked 2e's narrativist approach/allowances too, and some of its rules material

 

[jensun]

I found something your OP seems to be missing, its the EXCLUDED MIDDLE!

 

[Kerrick]

What you should do is divide this into categories, and then do a series of polls.

Here are my choices, by category (cause I didn't want an economy-sized post):

Settings: Medium magic (GH, 1E); Give me a base setting I’ll do the rest (1e Greyhawk); Settings and novels being separate; I only really need and use one setting; roleplay/intrigue/politics/economics; detailed world politics and economies.

Levels and Power: mid level games (10-20); Wizards at high levels ARE AND OUGHT TO BE feared; 10d6 caps to 3rd level damage spells (tough call, really); game balanced encounters (but the players should know when to RTFA); not all encounters are challenging;

Gameplay: Detailed combat rules for combat moves, attacks and actions; Narrative crits; Lots of house rules; magic item stores (within moderation); role play; skills; feats; class-based system; feats (vs. Bo9S); prestige classes (vs. kits AND core classes - I think there are far too many base classes); describing exactly how you are searching; DM rulings; player skill (and some character abilities); heroic; no save or die; every class has its place, and some are more powerful than others at certain things, or at a lot of things (including rogues sneak attacking in combat); every character being able to do something every round of combat; we use CR; XP should be granted for ANY obstacle the party overcomes (but not loot); the battle happens while we do things only a PC group can do which helps determine the overall battle’s outcome (been there, done that); social interaction: both (RP it out; if you do well/poorly, it affects the roll); non-classed monsters;

Accessories: Tabletop grid and dry erase (just to keep track of where everyone is, not to measure every single square); Miniatures (same); No tiles (never used them, but they could be handy); No structures (same here); no laptops for DMs or players; mood music while playing; sound effects while playing.

Modules and adventures: Modules; standalone modules (I've never used/played an AP, so I can't really vote for it); paper magazines; paper core rules; paper supplements; hardcover books

Gygaxian V. Non-Gygaxian: huh?


My favorite setting of all time is: (fill in the blank) Ravenloft, 2E.

My favorite edition: D&D 3.5, though I have fond memories of games played during the 2E years.

 

[Starglim]

Doesn't exactly cover all possibilities, but for what it's worth:

Low magic.

Give me a base setting I’ll do the rest.

Novels are irrelevant.

Detailed combat rules.

Multiple worlds and settings.

Narrative criticals. See Hit Points.

Wizards at any level have fearful powers, but are fragile.

Tabletop grid.

Miniatures.

Tiles.

3d structures.

Modules.

Standalone modules.

We may tinker here and there, but we play it mostly by the book.

No magic item stores.

PDF magazines.

Paper core rules.

PDF modules.

Pen and paper for players and DM.

No music.

No sound effects.

Neither boxed sets nor hardcovers except core rules.

Gygaxian.

Skills.

Occasional prestige classes.

Core classes.

Feats.

Not Book of Nine Swords style. But I might well use one of the dozens of other character-trait systems besides 3rd edition or an obscure late 3rd edition supplement.

Classed monsters with skills, feats, etc.

Detailed world politics and economies.

Rolling for social interaction results.

Rolling a d20 for search results.

Rules.

Character abilities.

Heroic.

Game balanced encounters.

Hey, not fair, I invested a lot of time in that 15th level guy and he shouldn’t die because of one bad roll. Three bad rolls, no problem.

Classes balanced against each other per level, but not per encounter.

Rogues being able to sneak attack/backstab in combat because of flanking.

Every character being able to do something every round of combat.

Every combat encounter should be somewhat of a challenge.

We use CR.

XP should be gained for overcoming challenges and completing quests.

We use an XP system.

10d6 caps to 3rd level damage spells.

The battle happens while we do things only a PC group can do which helps determine the overall battle’s outcome.

AD&D.

In one PARAGRAPH, what Hit Points represent: I don't need a paragraph. Hit Points represent the expected number of encounters between downtime for healing.

 

[JeffB]

This was easier for me than changing the color on everything.

Schools of Thought:

Medium Magic (GH, 1e)

Give me a base setting I’ll do the rest (1e Greyhawk)

Settings and novels being separate.

Low level games (1-10) are my favorite

Let the DM wing combat moves, attacks and actions (giving it his own bonus or detriment based on a quick gut check)

I only really need and use one (world to adventure in)

Criticals which give some mathematical detriment (it hit your arm, you’re now -2 to attack with your primary weapon)

Wizards at high levels ARE AND OUGHT TO BE feared

No grid

No miniatures

No tiles

No structures

Modules

standalone modules

We may tinker here and there, but we play it mostly by the book.

No magic item stores

Role play

magazines-Paper

core rules-Paper

modules-Paper

supplements-Paper

DM- Pen and paper

players-Pen and paper

No mood music

No sound effects

Boxed sets

Gygaxian

Skills

Kits > PRclasses

Core class> PRc/kits

No feats

Class based system

I already said no feats

Non-classed monsters, they just have special abilities

Detailed world politics and economies

Roleplaying...(social interactions).

Describing exactly how you are searching

DM Rulings

Player skill

Heroic

The world’s a dangerous place, your 3rd level wizard might open that door and out pops Orcus.

Hey, not fair, I invested a lot of time in that 15th level guy and he shouldn’t die because of one bad roll.

Every class has its place, and some are more powerful than others at certain things, or at a lot of things

He’s a thief, he doesn’t belong in combat, shoot an arrow from far away if you want to be in combat.

Every character being able to do something every round of combat (Thief- fire that arrow)

Roleplay/intrigue/politics/economics –centered/focused/driven (EXPLORATION)

Every combat encounter should be somewhat of a challenge

We don’t use CR

XP should be gained for the GP value of treasure looted

We use an XP system

No caps to 3rd level damage spells

The battle happens while we do things only a PC group can do which helps determine the overall battle’s outcome

My favorite setting of all time is: Glorantha pre- RQ3 ( Gary era GH for D&D)

The edition you prefer, after we know all your other main gaming preferences.

FYI Moldvay is NOT BECMI- I'd go with BFRPG right now- it updates my fave D&D system-(Moldvay/Cook/Marsh) with a few little things 3E got right.

Define in one PARAGRAPH what Hit Points represent in your gaming world-

The number of points of damage you take before death To me it's a combination of health, luck & endurance. Also 0 HP= dying- make a save, or you're dead- regardless of edition I've run (C&C as well). I've never understood all the negative HP BS.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Schools of Thought:

High magic (FR)

Home made settings V.

Settings and novels being separate.

Mid level games (10-20)

Detailed combat rules for combat moves, attacks and actions (anything other than swinging a weapon giving specific mathematical bonuses or penalties, for ex. -2 terrain, +4 blinded +2 full attack, -2 concealed, etc.)

Multiple worlds and settings to adventure in

Narrative critical (it bashed the side of your head, blood is your left eye making it difficult to see and you’re a bit dizzy)

Wizards at high level are completely unbalanced. Nerf, Nerf, Nerf them to death.

Tabletop grid and dry erase

Miniatures

Tile

No structures

I’ll make up my own stinkin’ adventures

Adventure paths

Moderate houserules

Magic item stores

Roll play mixed with Role play

PDF magazines

PDF core rules V.

PDF modules V

PDF supplements

Laptop for the DM at the gaming table

Laptop for players at the gaming table

None

. None

. Hardcover books

Non-Gygaxian

Skills

Paragon Paths

Kits and/or prestige classes

Feats

Class based system

Book of Nine Swords-style progression trees

Non-classed monsters, they just have special abilities.

Who gives a crap, lemme go kill something and take its stuff.

Rolling for social interaction results

Rolling a d20 for search results

Rules

Character abilities

Superhero

Game balanced encounters

Hey, not fair, I invested a lot of time in that 15th level guy and he shouldn’t die because of one bad roll.

Classes balanced against each other per level

Rogues being able to sneak attack/backstab in combat because of flanking

Every character being able to do something every round of combat

Combat-centric/focused/driven V.


Sometimes, your epic level characters kick down a door and it’s just a mouse in there, eating some cheese, and that’s ok, because the world is made up mostly of those kinds of encounters. That's not to say we still won't fireball it and take its now melted cheese...

We use CR

. Nope, just for the kill.

We use an XP system V.

10d6 caps to 3rd level damage spells

Characters take their place on the battlefield leading troops in battle

My favorite setting of all time is: Spelljammer

I debated whether or not to put this last one in because of its chances of leading to an edition war, but I figured it would be interesting to know the edition you prefer, after we know all your other main gaming preferences. Lets try it and please keep it civil, no edition war crap.

Fourth Edition

 

[Desdichado]

Schools of Thought:

High magic (FR) V. Medium Magic (GH, 1e) V. Low magic (Conan) settings

Home made settings V. Give me a base setting I’ll do the rest (1e Greyhawk) V. Give me a detailed setting and keep detailing it (2e FR).

Settings growing alongside novels (FR novels being the prime example here of togetherness) V. Settings and novels being separate.

Low level games (1-10) V. Mid level games (10-20) V. High level games (20-30+) are my favorite

Detailed combat rules for combat moves, attacks and actions (anything other than swinging a weapon giving specific mathematical bonuses or penalties, for ex. -2 terrain, +4 blinded +2 full attack, -2 concealed, etc.) V. Let the DM wing combat moves, attacks and actions (giving it his own bonus or detriment based on a quick gut check)

Narrative critical (it bashed the side of your head, blood is your left eye making it difficult to see and you’re a bit dizzy) V. Criticals which give some mathematical detriment (it hit your arm, you’re now -2 to attack with your primary weapon)

Tabletop grid and dry erase V. No grid

Miniatures V. No miniatures V. Miniatures only or the complicated stuff.

Tiles V. No tiles

3d structures on the gaming table (things like mountains, hills, trees, etc. ) V. No structures

Modules V. I’ll make up my own stinkin’ adventures

Adventure paths V. standalone modules V. Didn't you see what I said above? I’ll make up my own stinkin’ adventures

Lots of Houserules V. Moderate houserules V. We may tinker here and there, but we play it mostly by the book.

Magic item stores V. No magic item stores.

Roll play V. Role play

PDF magazines V. Paper

PDF core rules V. Paper

PDF modules V Paper

PDF supplements v. Paper

Laptop for the DM at the gaming table v. Pen and paper

Laptop for players at the gaming table v. Pen and paper

Mood music while playing v. None

Sound effects while playing v. None

Boxed sets V. Hardcover books

Gygaxian V. Non-Gygaxian

Non-weapon proficiencies V. Skills V. Just wing it, do a Dex check or something

Kits V. Prestige classes V. Neither

Core classes V. Kits and/or prestige classes

Feats V. No feats

Class based system V. No classes, just a character with various skills, abilities, and attributes.

Feats V. Book of Nine Swords-style progression trees V. I already said no feats

Classed monsters with skills, feats, etc. V. Non-classed monsters, they just have special abilities.

Detailed world politics and economies V. Who gives a crap, lemme go kill something and take its stuff.

Rolling for social interaction results V. Roleplaying all of them out, the results are what you personally glean from it. V. Doing both; a roll is meaningless if you don't roleplay out exacty what you're doing first, and roleplaying it is meaningless if it sidesteps the skill system.

Describing exactly how you are searching V. Rolling a d20 for search results

DM Rulings V. Rules

Player skill V. Character abilities

Heroic V. Superhero V. Villainous

Game balanced encounters V. The world’s a dangerous place, your 3rd level wizard might open that door and out pops Orcus.

Save or die, life’s a bittch V. Hey, not fair, I invested a lot of time in that 15th level guy and he shouldn’t die because of one bad roll.

Classes balanced against each other per level V. Every class has its place, and some are more powerful than others at certain things, or at a lot of things.

Rogues being able to sneak attack/backstab in combat because of flanking V. He’s a thief, he doesn’t belong in combat, shoot an arrow from far away if you want to be in combat.

Combat-centric/focused/driven V. Roleplay/intrigue/politics/economics –centered/focused/driven

Every combat encounter should be somewhat of a challenge V. Sometimes, your epic level characters kick down a door and it’s just a mouse in there, eating some cheese, and that’s ok, because the world is made up mostly of those kinds of encounters. That's not to say we still won't fireball it and take its now melted cheese... V. Not only should ever encounter be a challenge, most of them should be potential TPKs.

We use CR V. We don’t use CR.

We use an XP system V. The DM just gives it out once in a while as he decides he wants us to progress in levels.

My favorite setting of all time is: (fill in the blank) Iron Kingdoms

Chanmail V OD&D V. Holmes D&D V. AD&D V. Moldvay B/E/C/M D&D V. Rules Cyclopedia D&D V. Second Edition V. Thrd Edition 3.0 V. Revised Third Edition 3.5 V. Fourth Edition V. Castles and Crusades V. Savage Worlds V. OSRIC V. True20 V. Mutands and Masterminds V. Pathfinder V. Basic RPG V. Gurps V. Hackmaster V. Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Evolved V. Rolemaster

I deleted a few line items where I didn't think the question even made sense or where I don't have an opinion on it really one way or another.