Seriously considering dropping the hobby

[Korgoth]

Let me preface by stating that I've been playing D&D and RPGs in some form since the 80's. I have many fond memories of great campaigns over the years. Many of the games themselves (not to mention the wonderful people I've met along the way) are such a part of my own identity that it's difficult for me to conceive of myself as not being a gamer. Rolling dice and drawing dungeons has always been a great deal of fun.

The game has changed.

... [snip] ...

I'm tired of the sourcebooks that basically amount to more feats/spells/prestige classes. I'm tired of players who whine about me "quashing their creativity" when I ask them why they want to play a half-dragon warlock or a monk/warblade and ask them to come up with a background that justifies their choice of race and class.

These experiences have actually made me not want to play the game any more.

Is it just me, or are there broader issues with the game and the player base that are beyond reconciliation?

Should I just give up the game for good? Or is there hope of finding players that want to make PHB characters and loot a dungeon every once in a while?

Sorry if this rambled a bit, but I'm increasingly frustrated with a hobby that was once my favorite pastime. I'd really value some constructive input on why we keep playing.

Brother, I think I know just what you mean. But there are many good things left for you in the gaming hobby. In fact, you don't even need to go beyond "D&D" to get them. You were brought up, it sounds to me, on old school gaming. Dungeons were fun! Making stuff up was fun! Simple rules, low hit point totals and a freewheeling attitude were fun! Of course they were.

So what happened? It was as if you were living in the Wild West, but then gradually developers started showing up... and one day at high noon you walked out of the Starbucks (formerly, "the Saloon") and realized you were living in the suburbs.

But all is not lost! Old school gaming is thriving right now... probably moreso than it has been in years. People are playing Moldvay D&D, Mentzer D&D, Holmes D&D, OD&D, 1e AD&D... people have gotten burned out on Pokesplats (gotta catch 'em all!) and the Way of Eight Million Prestige Classes. You're not alone!

Check out the following sites:

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/
http://www.knights-n-knaves.com/phpbb/index.php
http://www.trolllord.com/newsite/

I think you can get back to gaming as you knew and loved it.

As far as the bad attitudes... there's an element of that that's self-correcting. How many of these types are going to agree to play Basic D&D, for example, in the first place? If they can't powergame, they won't play... and you won't have to worry about them. As far as people being rude in general... I blame bad parenting. Just avoid those types.

 

[Holy Bovine]

I quit for five years. Best thing I ever did for my love of the game.

It's a hobby, not a spouse. Walk away and take up water polo or something. A few decades down the road, who knows? Maybe you'll pick your dice back up in the retirement home!

Same here. Stopped playing RPGs cold in 1994. Came back in late 1999 (Warhammer FRP) then 3E D&D in 2000. Like BiggusGeekus I feel it was the best thing I did to rekindle my love of RPGs. Before that I had played, semi regularly, for 12 years.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Old school gaming is thriving right now...

Check out my Running B4 with Holmes thread. Lotsa fun!

 

[Zaruthustran]

Great post, Dykstrav. Trust me, you're not alone--I started D&D in 1981 or so, a little second grader playing as a "Halfling". Come a long way since then: as others have said, the game has changed, you've changed, your gaming partners have changed--it's just not the same as rolling dice in the basement in the 80's.

One of the points you brought up was the apparent divisiveness of gamers, and I'd like to ask if your observation comes from personal face-to-face experience, or from message boards. Gamer message boards are known to be passionate and flammatory; it's the nature of the medium. Spend too much time on boards and you'll lose your faith in humanity, much less our particular sub-culture. I urge you not to take message board sentiment or behavior as indications of what the gaming populace is actually like.

The good news is that with the right players, any game can be a wonderful experience. Your profile says you're in the RTP--small world! I went to school in Greensboro--and there are plenty of gamers in that college- and tech- heavy region. Go to some of the local cons, browse for RPGA guilds and other clubs, and meet some new players. I bet you'll find like-minded individuals, and you'll be back to having fun and rolling dice in no time.

-z

 

[JoeGKushner]

I find it ironic that the OP puts 300 with Final Fantasy when it's so much closer to Sword & Sandles style campaigning that it makes a perfect model for framing many action sequences that don't rely on massive amounts of magic items.

On other points, I haven't had the same experiences. While I don't always agree with some players, I find myself interested in meeting new people and seeing how different play styles mesh up. Sometimes they flow solidly, sometimes not. Sometimes it works better when a particular person GMs, sometimes not.

Sometimes I even change game systems, sometimes I stick with the 'classic'.

If the OP is thinking about leaving the hobby, he should do so to find things that he enjoys. I stay in the hobby because it is what I enjoy.

 

[3catcircus]

First - take a deep breath. It isn't the end of the world.

Take a break for a while - enough time to start feeling the itch again. Then, find a new group of people to play with. Make sure they aren't "D&D Snobs" and are willing to try other games. After that, try a different game such as C&C, 1st edition, or OD&D. Or better yet, try a completely different game/genre. GURPS, Harn, HARP, Paranoia, Twilight:2000, TORG, whatever.

 

[Crothian]

I never quit gaming, I do leave games and try new things. When I was burning out on d20 stuff last year I put together a Changeling game. It was the best thing I could have done and it allowed me to put together the kind of game I wanted with the kind of players I wanted. It was awesome!! Figure out what you want from a game and group and don't settle for something else.

 

[Ranger REG]

Is it just me, or are there broader issues with the game and the player base that are beyond reconciliation?

Should I just give up the game for good? Or is there hope of finding players that want to make PHB characters and loot a dungeon every once in a while?

Sorry if this rambled a bit, but I'm increasingly frustrated with a hobby that was once my favorite pastime. I'd really value some constructive input on why we keep playing.

Meh. People have quit this hobby for lesser reasons. I feel like one of those people a couple of days ago. (Don't really care for other's opinion of me for having said that.)

You don't have to be open to a lot of things. For example, I have no interest in Eberron, whatsoever. I don't buy any of those Eberron products, and if an Eberron fan says, "you don't know what you're missing," I just shrug it off.

Do what's right for you. Take a break. A long one. If at the end of the break, you find yourself missing the hobby, then you're not ready to quit entirely.

 

[scourger]

Here are some things I've done to "save" my hobby over the past few years that I've got in practice right now.

First, as to D&D, my game is limited to the core books. That means the players only need--and may only use--the PHB. Limiting the information makes the game more manageable. If I use something from a non-core book, it better have a description built-in. This rule has some problems, but they usually turn out okay. For instance, it recently made a player unhappy about a feat selection because he couldn't optimize Leadership without me explaining it from the DMG, but I'm just not going to do it. It's got to be easy on me. If he wanted a cohort for the sake of the story elements of having another character to train, then he would have taken the feat and waited for his chance to develop as a mentor. But, he wanted to min/max, so he just selected another feat; which ultimately turns out fine for everyone.

Similarly, use things that make your life easier. For me, it's been short adventures and D&D minis lately. The cards with RGP stats for the minis are great, and I hope to continue using them. I also picked up some Fantastic Locations that I hope to use as short adventures. They have great poster maps which look great and are a big time saver. If I can't use the adventures, I'll at least use the maps.

Second, I have and will run Savage Worlds. It is about 90% less work and no less fun. You may find that trying something a little lighter will enable you to have more fun with less work, too.

The bottom line for me is to maximize my fun while minimizing my work.

 

[jdrakeh]

To your first question, the game (D&D 3.5) has so many options that in order to process it as a DM, I have to limit options.

Yep. Unless you're loaded with free time, D&D 3x can be more than a bit overwhelming. There are, simply, more optional rules than most working or married adults have time to proccess in their entirety. I've found that limiting my games to the core rules plus a book or two of setting-specific rules (e.g., Legends of the Samurai, Northern Crown Adventures, etc) goes a long way toward alleviating frustration and, thus, helps me to avoid otherwise likely burnout. That takes care of rule overload for me.

As for gamer themselves, I find that most gamers, offline, don't have the conviction to tell me where to cram it. Saying something like that online from behind a veil of anonymity is one thing. Saying something like that to somebody's face is a bit different. The internet imbues some otherwise decent people with the same kind of false bravado that liquor imbues alcoholics with. This being the case, I've found that my offline interaction with gamers is much more pleasant than my online interaction.

If you're sick of divisive gamers, my suggestion is to avoid forums for a while and, instead, start hanging out at the FLGS more often. For me, this takes care of my "Gamers are so full of stupid hate!" issues, for the most part (there are exceptions).