Shamus does AoO

[BryonD]

[EDIT: I see, later on, that you qualified that you just don't like them, rather than don't get them. Still, though ... Strange thing to get all bent out of shape on.]

Also kinda hard to reconcile with the statement that the comic shows exactly what he doesn't like about them. Methinks it is more a case of generally crapping on other people's things.

 

[greywulf]

Wow. You sure you've been playing for 30 years, and can't get AoOs?

Nope. I get 'em. I understand them fully, thanks very much. I've also said there's no need to quote them again, but people still do. :sigh:

I've said I don't like them. They interrupt the flow of combat and break the immersion of the game 9 times out of 10 because someone is bound at some point going to query something about AoO partway through a combat. This kills the magic, and we're no longer involved in a battle between a party of heroes and a gang f evil bugbear mercenaries (or whatever) but 5 guys sat at a table rolling dice and looking like fools. That's happened in too many D&D games than I care to mention. Next thing, the rule books are out and combat is halted, mid-swing.

I'll say it again. AoO kills the magic, dead. It does for us, and does for a lot of other gamers I've talked too as well. If you want to think you're cleverer than us as a result because hey, you use AoO and we don't then that's fine by me. You're wrong, but that's fine by me

So, we've ruled in our group not to use it. Ever. This way combat goes on nice and quickly without the rules having to be quoted to clarify crap. If situations arise where a hero wants to jump past a few critters to take a swipe at the BBEG before he pulls the Lever of Doom, then we just say "Fine, but they'll get a free hit on you." and move on. Call it AoO in action if it makes you feel better. I really don't care.

Were 20 of those years spent playing games with the rules complexity of Candyland?

:grin:

Do you really want to know......................??!??!????

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I just see a major disconnect between ...

Nope. I get 'em. I understand them fully, thanks very much.

and ...

Next thing, the rule books are out and combat is halted, mid-swing.

Also, between:

So, we've ruled in our group not to use it. Ever.

... and ...

If situations arise where a hero wants to jump past a few critters to take a swipe at the BBEG before he pulls the Lever of Doom, then we just say "Fine, but they'll get a free hit on you." and move on.

Either:

1. You really, really understand them, and you should be able to get to your fourth statement without looking things up ad nauseum, or ...
2. You don't really understand them.

If you want to think you're cleverer than us as a result because hey, you use AoO and we don't then that's fine by me. You're wrong, but that's fine by me

:grin:

Do you really want to know......................??!??!????

YES!!

I win the internet!

 

[greywulf]

No disconnect at all.

Understand != liking and wanting to use

Me understanding doesn't stop another member of the group not understanding (or understanding differently. The rules are not clear and don't cover every situation), and wanting to check the rules. Or another member disagreeing and looking up a counter-reference. Or me saying screw it, and banning them outright because it's just too much hastle over one single concept no matter how "simple" it's supposed to be. It's only a game and life is too short to care, frankly.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Me understanding doesn't stop another member of the group not understanding (or understanding differently. The rules are not clear and don't cover every situation), and wanting to check the rules.

Ah. I guess I'm lucky enough that I understand them enough, such that when I say X is the way it works, my group believes me. And when I say, "I think it might be Y, but I'm not sure," the DM (when it isn't me) says, "Okay, we'll play it like [Y / Z], and worry about it later," and we move on.

Of all the knock-down, drag-out, real rules arguments my group has had, AoOs represent about 0.001%. If you actually understand the rules thereunto pertaining, they really aren't confusing at all.

Of course, I do have a small Magic & programming background, so I've got no problem with "stacks" - the interactions of an AoO provoking an AoO and how to resolve them - which is the most complicated AoO situation. And even that comes up only once every blue moon, so ... ?

 

[greywulf]

Of course, I do have a small Magic & programming background, so I've got no problem with "stacks" - the interactions of an AoO provoking an AoO and how to resolve them - which is the most complicated AoO situation. And even that comes up only once every blue moon, so ... ?

My group trust me enough to know that when I say "we're not using those", they agree.

What programming languages do you use? I'm a perl hacker, PHP developer, Linux kernel hacker and ex-Computer Science grad lecturer. Doesn't make me like AoO any more though

 

[JRRNeiklot]

AoO are so simple that I have imported them into my more rules-lite C&C game.

AoO FTW!

Blasphemy!

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

My group trust me enough to know that when I say "we're not using those", they agree.

Huzzah! At least everyone agrees and is happy, right?

What programming languages do you use?

C / C++ & Pascal (for schoolwork, back in the day) and, now, I mostly do VB stuff as an adjunct to my "real" job.

 

[Crothian]

It's only a game and life is too short to care, frankly.

For something you don't care about, you sure do keep talking about it.

 

[greywulf]

For something you don't care about, you sure do keep talking about it.

True

Call it a character flaw.