Standard DM behavior?

[FireLance]

Whatever has become of the option of undertaking an adventure to acquire the Widget of Watsahoozit?

As with the purchase of magic items, it tends to be DM-dependent. Some will allow it, some won't. The DM may have placed the party on a tight schedule that does not allow for side-treks, or he may feel that preparing for the side trek is too much effort and subtly discourages the player from pursuing that option ("Although you ask around, you hear no rumors of where it might be."). A truly Machiavellian DM might plant false rumors of the item to hook the PC into pursuing the adventure du jour, but even then, he should take care not to use it too often as a motivation, and/or ensure that it pays off eventually (by slipping said item into the treasure found at some point).

 

[Ariosto]

Sounds like these DMs don't encourage that particular adventure hook.

But right back at you: what's wrong with the option of undertaking an adventure to reach MagiK-Mart, where the PCs can finally spend all that gold they've been hauling around?

Cheers, -- N

Nothing's wrong with it -- if you're playing PAPERS & PAYCHECKS.

 

[Ariosto]

More seriously, actually mounting an expedition in the game is to my mind quite another matter altogether from simply picking items from a menu in a book. The former is what I would call actually playing the game, a social activity entailing role-playing, strategy and chance. The latter is a solitary pursuit of immediate and guaranteed gratification.

 

[FireLance]

More seriously, actually mounting an expedition in the game is to my mind quite another matter altogether from simply picking items from a menu in a book. The former is what I would call actually playing the game, a social activity entailing role-playing, strategy and chance. The latter is a solitary pursuit of immediate and guaranteed gratification.

The counter-perspective is that regardless of whether you buy an item from a magic item shop or not, you can still have a social activity entailing role-playing, strategy and chance by engaging in whatever adventure the DM has prepared for the game session (or by pursuing an alternate objective if the DM is running a more sandbox-style game). Mounting an expedition to gain an item provides more opportunity for gaming, but buying the item instead does not prevent gaming from taking place. In fact, if the group has limited time to play the game, the time spent on mounting the expedition may replace time spent on achieving goals that the other players may find more interesting. For this reason, some groups may even prefer that the acquisition of magic items below a certain value (defined as whatever the characters can "afford" based on the gold that they have and can raise by selling other magic items) takes place away from the table so that the time required for solitary pursuits does not eat into the time that the players have to play the game together as a group.

 

[Ariosto]

I get you, and maybe in 4e this is "the new normal".

In the historical context of D&D, it's like telling basketball players not to bother with all that running on the court just to get a ball in the basket, so that "does not eat into the time that the players have to play the game together as a group."

 

[vagabundo]

I get you, and maybe in 4e this is "the new normal".

In the historical context of D&D, it's like telling basketball players not to bother with all that running on the court just to get a ball in the basket, so that "does not eat into the time that the players have to play the game together as a group."

If that is the case should the game not be called Dungeons and Treasure?

I've been playing since the mid 80s and none of my groups have ever mounted an expedition for an item, I guess we're playing it wrong. My playstyle has not varied much over the past 20 years...

 

[FireLance]

I get you, and maybe in 4e this is "the new normal".

In the historical context of D&D, it's like telling basketball players not to bother with all that running on the court just to get a ball in the basket, so that "does not eat into the time that the players have to play the game together as a group."

No, the parallel with a basketball game is even more direct. Running around in the court to get a ball in the basket is okay. Running to the nearest sports shop to get better shoes is not, and an argument along the lines of, "What's the difference? We're still running!" probably isn't going to cut it with the other players.

 

[S'mon]

We're playing, and we're having fun, but its still odd at times. We had a largish encounter... ...No magic items, no + anythings, no magic mods at all.

I don't know gang....

I wouldn't worry about it. There's no rule that all encounters give treasure. Quite the reverse, in fact. And frankly, 4e is playable up into Paragon tier without any magic items at all! If treasure is rare, then it will be all the sweeter when you do find some.

 

[Nifft]

Nothing's wrong with it -- if you're playing PAPERS & PAYCHECKS.

So you actually think being allowed to spend all that treasure PCs find means the group isn't playing D&D at all?

That's a rather egregious BADWRONGFUN.

More seriously, actually mounting an expedition in the game is to my mind quite another matter altogether from simply picking items from a menu in a book. The former is what I would call actually playing the game, a social activity entailing role-playing, strategy and chance. The latter is a solitary pursuit of immediate and guaranteed gratification.

Forcing the other PCs to go on an expedition for your item is about your satisfaction. Perhaps you actually have time to do this for every item of every PC in your party, but most people here have less time to game than we did when we were 12.

Seriously: items have prices. PCs have gold. You've got to be pretty careful about not reading a lot of the books to come to the conclusion that PCs weren't meant to buy items with gold.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Obryn]

So you actually think being allowed to spend all that treasure PCs find means the group isn't playing D&D at all?

That's a rather egregious BADWRONGFUN.

The only Grognard Approved (tm) methods of spending your hard-earned GP are...
(1) Ale
(2) Women
(3) Paying your surviving hirelings
(4) Building a totally sweet castle

-O