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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 6089707" data-attributes="member: 3192"><p>We started playtesting once a month or more, but since the new year it's declined significantly. Originally we campaigned through Castle Zagyg converted to each packet's rules, but back in November we tried something different with Isle of Dread. No matter the adventure however, during all those sessions we were constantly learning and re-learning the game as well as it seems fighting it just to keep play enjoyable. I've been optimistic, but the overall turn of the game design over the past year has turned me to negative judgment of it. Save the magic item design they are simply not creating a game I want to run or play in. I originally thought I could turn the whole inside out - which definitely needs to be done, in game design and philosophy - but the current design has made it almost impossible. They appear to be solidly entrenched in game design mechanics that inhibit enjoyable gameplay for me. The last few months we tried upping the game to 14th level and tomb-robbing from the Mud Sorcerer, but that early 2E module still maintains some serious adventure design flaws. That actually blew up after two sessions. I can't blame the players, but that hasn't happened in a game I've run for many years. It's simply too much struggle to learn, too much cross-checking with the previous playtest packet, as well as too confusing of similar previous rules, coupled with a design that ultimately doesn't feel improved all too often. Add in that the adventures are not being designed with the playtests in mind, that they aren't even thinking that adventure design has anything to do with game mechanics, and it's quickly becoming an evening where I bend over backwards to put on a game most the group no longer show up for and the others aren't thrilled by. Next up is quitting the focused playtesting and going back to the Castle Zagyg campaign as that was mostly fun. We'll see how the new rules continue to affect play, but if the next playtest packet is simply more of the same I suspect I'm just about done with trying to make it into a functional game.</p></blockquote><p></p>

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