Failed Saving Throw
Explorer
I have an interesting dillemma before me.
I joined a new gaming group in mid-2005 after a 10-year gaming hiatus. I found the group through the forums on wizards.com, but after everyone (originally eight people) got together, the decision was made to play Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Three of us, myself included, were leaning more toward D&D from the beginning, but we decided to try something different.
WFRP has generally been quite enjoyable to play. But at this point, some members of the group have confessed that the system leaves them wanting. So we're at a bit of a crossroads now, as we're discussing what system to try next.
I should explain something about this group: everyone is 28-35 and has been gaming for a long time. In fact I'm the only "one-system noob," as before joining this group, I had only played D&D, mostly as a DM. Not these guys. Name a system, and they've pretty much played it.
This has its pros and cons. The good thing is everyone is a skilled roleplayer, and the group really functions well. The bad thing is that i feel it's a challenge to find a system everyone can fully enjoy and stick with.
Early on we decided to adopt a policy where we rotate GMs. Each GM is allowed to run a scenario for 6-10 sessions. We generally meet twice a month. So far we've run two Warhammer adventures and tried a disastrous session of HARP that led to two of the players leaving the group.
Last week everyone sat around and discussed what we'd like to play after the current WFRP adventure is finished. About 10 different systems were discussed. At the end, I was left at a loss as to what we should really do next.
Two of the players really want to run an Al-Qadim campaign using 2E rules. Another would like to run Forgotten Realms in 2E. Another player really wanted to run Exalted, but got turned off after reading how the mechanics work. Now he and another player are leaning toward running a mix of fantasy and low-tech using a homebrew system developed by a DM they played with for about 7 years. If I understand it correctly, the system is a heavily modified version of Warhammer.
Now, I really want to play D&D using 3.5 rules. And in fact, I'd love to do Al-Qadim in 3.5. But I've discussed it with my friend who plans to DM Al-Qadim in 2E, and he's argued that the available 3.5 conversions of Al-Qadim are incomplete and fairly sloppy - the exact opposite of, say, the conversion work done for Dark Sun. But I think a 3.5 conversion will be pretty simple.
But here's the rub - how do you sell 3.5 to such a diverse group of experienced gamers? One has never played D&D before, and he and another player have never gamed in a campaign that uses magic. I think only myself and another player have played in 3.5. I may be the only one who owns any 3.5 books.
So why bother? Why not just play 2E? As much as I love 2E, I think 3.5 is better and easier to customize, which is what our group is really all about. Playing WFRP makes me long for the vast range of character options 3.5 gives players, as well as the better tactical combat rules and, of course, the magic system (if you ever want to see a horrible broken magic system, check out WFRP).
So how would you pitch 3.5?
I joined a new gaming group in mid-2005 after a 10-year gaming hiatus. I found the group through the forums on wizards.com, but after everyone (originally eight people) got together, the decision was made to play Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Three of us, myself included, were leaning more toward D&D from the beginning, but we decided to try something different.
WFRP has generally been quite enjoyable to play. But at this point, some members of the group have confessed that the system leaves them wanting. So we're at a bit of a crossroads now, as we're discussing what system to try next.
I should explain something about this group: everyone is 28-35 and has been gaming for a long time. In fact I'm the only "one-system noob," as before joining this group, I had only played D&D, mostly as a DM. Not these guys. Name a system, and they've pretty much played it.
This has its pros and cons. The good thing is everyone is a skilled roleplayer, and the group really functions well. The bad thing is that i feel it's a challenge to find a system everyone can fully enjoy and stick with.
Early on we decided to adopt a policy where we rotate GMs. Each GM is allowed to run a scenario for 6-10 sessions. We generally meet twice a month. So far we've run two Warhammer adventures and tried a disastrous session of HARP that led to two of the players leaving the group.
Last week everyone sat around and discussed what we'd like to play after the current WFRP adventure is finished. About 10 different systems were discussed. At the end, I was left at a loss as to what we should really do next.
Two of the players really want to run an Al-Qadim campaign using 2E rules. Another would like to run Forgotten Realms in 2E. Another player really wanted to run Exalted, but got turned off after reading how the mechanics work. Now he and another player are leaning toward running a mix of fantasy and low-tech using a homebrew system developed by a DM they played with for about 7 years. If I understand it correctly, the system is a heavily modified version of Warhammer.
Now, I really want to play D&D using 3.5 rules. And in fact, I'd love to do Al-Qadim in 3.5. But I've discussed it with my friend who plans to DM Al-Qadim in 2E, and he's argued that the available 3.5 conversions of Al-Qadim are incomplete and fairly sloppy - the exact opposite of, say, the conversion work done for Dark Sun. But I think a 3.5 conversion will be pretty simple.
But here's the rub - how do you sell 3.5 to such a diverse group of experienced gamers? One has never played D&D before, and he and another player have never gamed in a campaign that uses magic. I think only myself and another player have played in 3.5. I may be the only one who owns any 3.5 books.
So why bother? Why not just play 2E? As much as I love 2E, I think 3.5 is better and easier to customize, which is what our group is really all about. Playing WFRP makes me long for the vast range of character options 3.5 gives players, as well as the better tactical combat rules and, of course, the magic system (if you ever want to see a horrible broken magic system, check out WFRP).
So how would you pitch 3.5?
