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Should Organized Play Influence The Rules?
- Thread starter Oni
- Start date
AntiStateQuixote
Enemy of the State
Expected wealth by level
Magic item distribution
Setting specific limits on race, class, etc.
Which modules are always "in play" and which ones are not?
Death, dying and recovery from such
LOL sounds like most of the stuff that makes some people angry about various editions.
Not to quibble here, but I googled game stores in Antioch and the only thing that came up is extreme games and its only open 40 hours a week.
1 store that cant afford to hire an extra body to open up before noon 6 days a week and is flat out closed on wednesdays is hardly what i would call "thriving".
AntiStateQuixote
Enemy of the State
Sure, but in a game where thousands of potential players may interact with hundreds of potential DMs it's a good idea to have a firm idea of the power scale and how advancement/character continuity works.
Look at the large scale LARPs out there. They have rules for what you can create, how fast you can advance, etc. to ensure that local DM in Houston doesn't create a god-awful mess that can destroy play in NY when a player comes to visit.
Same thing is necessary in any organized play.
Organized play rules are about balance both within characters, and within the ways characters interact with challenges. If the system is balanced that is all organized play needs.
Balance of course is a touchy subject. Some people don't want balance. But the fact of the matter is, if a paladin can fight as well as the fighter, get as good an armor, get as many feats, but also can lay on hands, cure disease, detect evil, and turn undead, then the paladin would be strictly better than the fighter, which means at the same table, the fighter would frequently feel outdone by the paladin. At a home game, one might be able to compensate via story elements, magic items, or even house rules, but for organized play these options may not be valid. As for character vs environment, if a character can ignore damage from all elements, ignore all conditions, can fly, teleport, and charm at-will, then written modules will have a difficult time challenging that character, and again, this situation should be avoided.
I don't think any specific consideration needs to be given to organized play, as long as some "fair play" principles are observed during creation of the system.
Balance of course is a touchy subject. Some people don't want balance. But the fact of the matter is, if a paladin can fight as well as the fighter, get as good an armor, get as many feats, but also can lay on hands, cure disease, detect evil, and turn undead, then the paladin would be strictly better than the fighter, which means at the same table, the fighter would frequently feel outdone by the paladin. At a home game, one might be able to compensate via story elements, magic items, or even house rules, but for organized play these options may not be valid. As for character vs environment, if a character can ignore damage from all elements, ignore all conditions, can fly, teleport, and charm at-will, then written modules will have a difficult time challenging that character, and again, this situation should be avoided.
I don't think any specific consideration needs to be given to organized play, as long as some "fair play" principles are observed during creation of the system.
Well not to quibble but in my area there are five thriving FLGS that run organized events every weekend.
A lot of small business are closed one day a week or don't open until noon. I make jewelry as as a hobby and most of the bead stores I frequent are closed on Sundays and at least one day in the week. Most now open at noon until nine on the week days and nine to five on Saturday.
As a matter of fact the same is true of the specialty bird stores I go to for supplies for my birds, the hobby store I go to for parts for my models and trains and the shop I go to for hair cuts and manicures.
The only stores opened every day from ten to nine are big chain stores. For smaller business it makes more sense to be open and staffed the hours where you do the most business.
Crazy Jerome
First Post
Mainly that for me, too. I'll add that organized play, as another type of play, is good as a source of playtesting, but only if it is firmly kept in mind that it is one source out of many, with its own peculiar quirks.
That is, that Rule X has problems in organized play should say nothing definitive about Rule X being in the game. Maybe that problem is an organized play problem, and organized play will need to learn to deal with it. However, that organized play has this problem is a caution to look at Rule X more closely to determine if the problem is more widespread. Maybe it shows up more easily in organized play, but is affecting all games.
dangerous jack
First Post
Not at all. The tail shouldn't be wagging the dog.
If a potential rule:
* improves organized and home game play, implement it.
* improves organized play and complicates home game play, don't implement it (or do so in a "module")
Now if a rule improves organized play without affecting home game play, then I'd also say to put it in a "modules" to allow for a streamlined rulebook for home play.
If a potential rule:
* improves organized and home game play, implement it.
* improves organized play and complicates home game play, don't implement it (or do so in a "module")
Now if a rule improves organized play without affecting home game play, then I'd also say to put it in a "modules" to allow for a streamlined rulebook for home play.
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