The Gaming Ideal

[GrayIguana]

Ideal Percentage

1. 4-6 players and a DM. More than that gets a little too hard to handle. I feel like too many players makes my enjoyment as a DM decline as well as that of the players.
2. In an ideal world I would play once a week. My players travel in from several states so we now play roughly once every 3 months for a weekend extravaganza.
3. 4-6 hours. Of course that is my answer. I recently asked my players if we should shorten our long sessions by running two campaigns, and several players insisted that they are only getting warmed up after 4 hours. Of course that may be that I intentionally try to have plots climax near the end of the day’s gaming. When we play 8 to 10 hours, we can normally get through 6 to 10 encounters.
4. I voted 50 – 50 but this is so hard to answer. It depends on what I am looking for at the given time. I run a home brew campaign, so I generally make up my own Flavor. When I am building the next gaming session I often get lazy and use stats or crunchy bits from material I have bought. Yet I also love Flavor items. Though I currently only dream of playing a character in the Scarred Lands setting, I love reading about it. And I admit I buy things I know I’ll never run just because I like to read.
5. Personally I’d like to see more mega-adventures. I feel like I’m a minority in this area, but even if I don’t run the adventure as is, I can take pieces or elements and put them into my game. Secondly, I really wish publishers would focus on quality artwork. I miss the days when I picked up a product and the artwork alone lit up my imagination. I’m not in college anymore so if I see a quality piece of work I don’t mind putting out $40-$50.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

1.) What is the best number of players at the table, whether as a DM or player yourself?

I think 4-6 players is definately the optimum number...if you need more specific...let's say 6. You get a varied number of opinions/ideas/abilities within the PCs, and you can also safely kill one or two of them to prove a point--if they're being stupid and deserve it, that is--yet not doom the party.

2.) How often should you be able to game in an ideal world?

A weekly game session would be fantastic. Once every two weeks would work as well, however.

3.) How long should those sessions be?

A bare minimum of four hours--you aren't super rushed to finish things, but there is a little bit of a push to stay focused.

4.) The poll handled percentage of Crunch to Flavor, but what are some of the specifics behind your vote?

I like rules, and I like storyline...so I voted 50/50. I dont' really want to have to choose between a lot of great ideas and a great storyline, so why not have a bit of both?

5.) If you could choose the single best next book to become available to you, what would it be, what form would it be in (hardback, softback, PDF), and how much would that book cost (please be reasonable)?

After my younger days of buying nearly everything that came out for D&D, whether I needed it or not, I've finally started to learn that I really don't need to buy that much--so I make my purchases count. Lately, I've bought far more PDFs than anything else--it's really more bang for your buck, especially if you're not sure when you're going to need to use the product.

Right now, I'd love to see a great compilation of charts from D&D, well-formatted to hang from a screen or sit in a binder... I'd probably buy other products, but... this is the main thing I'd be LOOKING for in stores or online.

*edit*
Actually, I'd love a book of just sorta random scenarios that I could throw at PCs. You know, for when they get way off track, and something needs to get them back on track? Have every entry be just a page long--brief description, monster/NPC stats (or if it's just a monster... hell just give a page number for the creature in the MM)

 

[diaglo]

1) the best number of players at a table?

6 players and 1 referee.

2) number of sessions per week?

5

3) for how long?

3-4hrs per session; 50 weeks per year

4) flavor vs. crunch?

enough crunch already on the market

5) next book

the complete guide to roleplay in paperback format around 180pages for $19.95

 

[Treebore]

1.) What is the best number of players at the table, whether as a DM or player yourself? 6.

2.) How often should you be able to game in an ideal world?
twice per week.
3.) How long should those sessions be? At least 5 hours. Of actual play, not BSing.

4.) The poll handled percentage of Crunch to Flavor, but what are some of the specifics behind your vote? Gotta have flavor to make the players care about what is going on in a personal way. When they are into it with their hearts it becomes 20 times better.

5.) If you could choose the single best next book to become available to you, what would it be, what form would it be in (hardback, softback, PDF), and how much would that book cost (please be reasonable)? A hardbound book containing detailed maps of every fantasy castle ever depicted. With 3-d renderings.
I would pay $40.00+ for such a book, even if totally B&W, which is what I would prefer. Of course there are probably 10,000 or more such castles. I would settle for 20 of them being in such a book.

 

[Winterthorn]

In the past couple of days I've asked some questions about the past and current situation for your games. Now I would like to take the time to listen to your goals and desires. The following questions should help any publisher who reads the responses direct some of their production closer toward "The Gaming Ideal"

1.) What is the best number of players at the table, whether as a DM or player yourself?

Minimum: 3 players + DM.
Maximum: 5 players + DM.

I guess that means 4 players + DM!

2.) How often should you be able to game in an ideal world?

Twice a week, different games, once as a referee/DM/organizer, the other as just a participant/player.

3.) How long should those sessions be?

4 hours is best, IMHO, that way things are accomplished, progress in made, etc., but by the 4th hour most ppl get reasonably tired...

4.) The poll handled percentage of Crunch to Flavor, but what are some of the specifics behind your vote?

I voted 20% crunch (rules)/80% flavour (background). This is because I get all the crunch I need now from core rule books + a few rules supplements. After that I really want good flavour that justifies all the crunch I have.

To elaborate: crunch is boring without flavour, flavour is useless without crunch, we need both, but I think the quality of crunch is reaching saturation levels--now is the time to indulge in the flavour that capitalizes/justifies the crunch. Flavour and rules, in gaming, are like a good marriage--it requires a healthy balance between the two to endure in the long run.

5.) If you could choose the single best next book to become available to you, what would it be, what form would it be in (hardback, softback, PDF), and how much would that book cost (please be reasonable)?

Fair prices for good products I want to see:

Hardback: ~$40 CDN.
Softback: ~$20 CDN.
PDF: ~$5 CDN.

Otherwise I am currently saturated and over-budget!

The B5 books coming from Mongoose are the most interesting thing I see on the horizon right now. An X-Files/Psi wars/Alien invasion type of sci-fi book for d20 Modern would be really nice (I don't really like Urban Arcana). And I wish Lucasfilm would allow WotC/Ha$bro to open some Star Wars material to other publishers (like Green Ronin!). Similar lament for Wheel of Time hasn't Robert Jordan given us more to work with?

With respect to D&D I think my appetite for D&D style fantasy is finally sated! Only clever gaming aids and a few reprints of good stuff from 2000-2001 (or earlier funky material from 2E) might get my attention.

Ooops, I forgot Dragonlance. I will be looking over that one carefully...

Nonetheless, I really think I've hit "the wall" on buying D&D stuff--I've got 20 years of gaming material and experience, so I see D&D 3.0/3.5 is probably my last venture into fantasy gaming... I have more than enough stuff to work with now. The 3E revoultion was great! But I've plenty "toys" for now I think...

-W.

 

[Vymair]

1.) What is the best number of players at the table, whether as a DM or player yourself?

5 Players + 1 DM

2.) How often should you be able to game in an ideal world?

1 week

3.) How long should those sessions be?

3-4 hours

4.) The poll handled percentage of Crunch to Flavor, but what are some of the specifics behind your vote?

30/70. However, I find most of my gaming group would prefer higher crunch so I tend to operate more towards 60/40.

5.) If you could choose the single best next book to become available to you, what would it be, what form would it be in (hardback, softback, PDF), and how much would that book cost (please be reasonable)?

I prefer Hardback books. I could use a book of unique magic items, a mass combat system and of course, I always am looking for inspiration in history & fantasy books not directly related to gaming.

 

[Jevhad]

1.) What is the best number of players at the table, whether as a DM or player yourself?

I think small groups work better, specially for everyone enjoying it, being able to participate and to grasp (most of ) the story. I'd say 3-4 players plus the DM. I've played with as much as 11 players but it is really exahusting and I needed the help of what we called a Monster-Master (a lucky fellow who came late and got to help me with NPCs and monsters, deciding their actions, while I took on the story).

2.) How often should you be able to game in an ideal world?
At least once per week

3.) How long should those sessions be?
6 hours


4.) The poll handled percentage of Crunch to Flavor, but what are some of the specifics behind your vote?

Crunch is good, but if there's no flavor you're just facing numbers and probabilities, not challenges

5.) If you could choose the single best next book to become available to you, what would it be, what form would it be in (hardback, softback, PDF), and how much would that book cost (please be reasonable)?

Something like the fight club that wizards used to have, big, bad, original NPCs and monster characters with basic background for the flavor, probably grouped in parties that could easily teach a lesson or two to the PCs. Cost, low, very low, but if the art is good maybe as much as 18 USD.

 

[Mark]

Got a poll and a bunch of questions (some in posts subsequent to the initial one) for those who haven't yet jumped in on this thread, please.

 

[DM JOE]

1.) I would have to say 5 PC's and a DM(me).

2.) Twice a week (mind you I wouldn't have to work in this ideal world).

3.) About 5 to 6 hours.

4.) I voted 40/60 I do love the action of battle but I have to say the "roleplaying" aspect is what I enjoy the most.

5.) I'm always down for new monster books

 

[Galethorn]

1.) What is the best number of players at the table, whether as a DM or player yourself?

Five. It's the perfect balance of a large enough number of people to actually make things interesting, and few enough to keep things going smoothly.

2.) How often should you be able to game in an ideal world?

Once a week, in an ideal world, but I know I'm never going to be able to do that with my current group.

3.) How long should those sessions be?

About 8-10 hours (2 or later till 12ish). In practice, most of my sessions are more like 4ish to 10ish.

4.) The poll handled percentage of Crunch to Flavor, but what are some of the specifics behind your vote?

I voted 70-30, in favor of flavor. Basically, I think that the rules/crunch part of the game is a large part of what makes it fun, but only insofar as it represents what's going on in the game.

5.) If you could choose the single best next book to become available to you, what would it be, what form would it be in (hardback, softback, PDF), and how much would that book cost (please be reasonable)?

A book of gming-on-the-fly sorts of stuff for a norse/anglo-saxon sort of campaign...names for people, places, etc., personalities, pre-generated barrow treasure, a bunch of adventure hooks, and encounter maps for generic/common places (forests, mead-halls, etc.). Oh, and no system-specific crunch. It would be a ~200 page hardback, and would cost about $30.