The Gaming Ideal

[skinnydwarf]

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

As a DM, I'd say 6 to 8 players (eight if you are really good)

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

Once a week

3.) How long should those sessions be?

Depends on the players, and their attention during the game. 4-6 hours, or more if people want to and their schedules and/or loved ones allow it.

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

I said %50 Crunch and %50 flavor. Rules are good, but I like books that inspire me, as well. If it's a campaign setting, it had better have a lot of flavor. If it is a supplement about shipping towns, I'd like rules about the towns, but also info. about what a shipping town is like, interesting NPCs, etc. And definetly a sample town that I could throw into my campaign and use as a guideline when making new ones.

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)?

It would be hardback or a perfect bound softback. Softback $20-$25, hardback $25-$30. It would be a well done version of Fast Forward Entertainment's "Treasure Quests" (ie, a collection of short, generic adventures or encounters). Something I could turn to when my players go in a direction I didn't expect. A smattering of small city quests, small dungeons, wilderness encounters, etc. Maybe you could call it the "Book of Side-Quests." That would rock. If the book had the lay down format of "Treasure Quests" that would rock.

 

[Threedub]

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

5 total humans. No dogs or cats.

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

I'm assuming this ideal world doesn't mean I won the lottery, so once per week.

3.) How long should those sessions be?

8 hours.

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

Mystery, history, flavor is what makes the game come alive so I tend to favor that for role-playing. If I want to play a pure combat game I can always turn to the mini table.

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 collection of bad guys for M&M. The layout would included their goals, role-playing quirks, "lair", henchmen, etc... Hardback and PDF together for $30.

Thanks very much for your time and indulgence... [/B]

 

[Kanegrundar]

1. 3-5 (including a DM)

2. Once a week would be nice. Thanks to time and schedule constraints, we barely get to play once a month.

3. 4-8 hours long depending on how good the storyline and scenarios are that night.

4. I went 50-50 on cruch to flavor. I can get bored with nothing but fluff, but the same goes for crunch as well. Too much of either is a bad thing, so an even balance (say in a book like Vigil Watch or Monsternomicon) is just right.

5. I like hardback books. Give me a book with detailing new world areas, with plenty of races and creatures as well as some new spells and/or weaponry. This book should be at least 120 pages and should sell for about 25 dollars.

Kane

 

[Greybar]

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

I feel a bit stretched with my current group of 7 PCs with me DMing. I loved a game I was in a while ago as a player with 4-5 PCs and one DM - more character development/attention.

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

When I was younger I liked 1/week, but now 1/fortnight is good.

3.) How long should those sessions be?

At least 5 hours, ideally more like 6-7.

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

As a player I like getting into the action, but I've noticed as GM I only have 1 combat average per episode - if that' what you mean by crunch. There's not a lot of min/maxing in most games I'm in. The heroes in my campaign are decidedly not optimized.

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)?

Hmm... I'm pretty content right now and I just dished out for the 3.5 books. You'd have to really sell me on something. I don't think I've really prefered hard/soft/pdf - each has their place. I have several Monte Cook PDFs that I'm happy about, but the only hardback nonWOTC I have is Monster's Handbook.

 

[DragonLancer]

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

1 GM and 4 to 5 players.

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

Once a week is reasonable.

3.) How long should those sessions be?

4 to 5 hours.

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

Flavour of material is more important than crunchy bits. I would rather rules and PrC's that are setting relevant rather than ones that give out abilities. Its called role-playing after all.

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)?

To be honest, thats a very difficult question since I'm assuming you are refering to something I would want rather than something coming out.

I would probably want another monsters book. You can never have too many of them, until spells, Prestige Classes and magic items.
I would want it to be a hardcover book, about the size of current 3.5 monster manual, but with better layout.
Cost would be about $25 / £15 (Pound is my currency).

 

[Mytholder]

Crunch vs Flavour is a false dichotomy. Well-done material should be solid, useful and inspiring.

 

[terrestrialboy]

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

I've always had the easiest time managing six players.


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

Once a week.


3.) How long should those sessions be?

Four to Six hours seems to work well.


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

I enjoy the roleplaying experience and the flavor of setting and players being their characters. I crunch a lot of info into my setting and cram a lot into my players, but my favorite sessions have been the ones where I mainly sit back and watch the characters interact (the record for my group is a 12-hour session, 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM, where absolutely no combat took place, it was entirely roleplaying!).


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)?

There's so many. I usually keep up on anything from Green Ronin, and can hardly wait for their products on a regular basis. Necromancer's Tome of Horrors II is on the horizon, and I'm looking forward to that. I like hardback products, but like them more reasonably priced. I gt Gorilla Warfare from Atlas Games at Gen Con, and it was a nice book, but a hardcover, 125 page book that costed $30 was not a nice buy. Now, Tome of Horrors, which was 325 pages and still $30 is more like it. I like a good amount of material for my money, and I don't mind paying upwards of $40 for a good hardback book with a lot of great material. I'd easily pay $40 for the Tome of Horrors II if it is as good as the first. As for Green Ronin, I am waiting with patience for Crooks for Mutants and Masterminds, an expensive line of products, but the quality is so great, that I don't mind paying the price. So, in all this rambling, I would have to say Crooks would be the book I'd like.

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

1.) What is the best number of players at the table, whether as a DM or player yourself?
i usually like three to five players and a DM.
2.) How often should you be able to game in an ideal world?
in an ideal world i'd try and have two good sessions a week.
3.) How long should those sessions be?
i like to go for 6 to 8 hours per session.
4.) The poll handled percentage of Crunch to Flavor, but what are some of the specifics behind your vote?
For the most part i find crunch to be the most universally useful stuff. On the other hand a product completely devoid of fluff makes for dry reading. Really it depends on what i want the book for, i want more crunch in rules expantions, and more fluff in setting material. I voted 60% crunch 40% fluff. I'd call that a pretty happy medium for me.
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 honostly have no ansewer for this one. On the whole i like hardbacks, and wish they were a little cheaper, but the same can be said for all print material. I think some of the sof cover RPG books could easliy go in the $15 dollar range as apposed to the $20-$30 dollar range,

 

[buzz]

1.) What is the best number of players at the table, whether as a DM or player yourself?
I'm with WotC on this one: 5. All my current groups have 7, so it takes a little longer for each person to have a turn in the spotlight. I think 4-5 is ideal, with 7 being my limit.

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

Seriously, though: once a week. My groups manage to play bi-weekly, which is good, but anytime a schedule conflict comes up, you're guaranteed a month gap between games, which is just too much.

3.) How long should those sessions be?
Now that I'm a geezer, I've found that I'm pretty useless after about 4 hours, unless something really exciting is going on.

4.) The poll handled percentage of Crunch to Flavor, but what are some of the specifics behind your vote?
I picked 50/50, but my choice was sort of arbitrary. I mean, some games work really well with lots of flavor and simple rules (Buffy), while other RPGs can be enjoyably rule-heavy and devoid of setting (HERO). Really though, I prefer a balance. I don't want to just roll dice all night, but I also don't want diceless "story-entertainment." Still, though, it depends.

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'm not sure what I do need, but I can say what I don't need: classbooks, books of feats, or vanilla fantasy settings. I'm really looking forward to both Arcana Unearthed and Unearthed Arcana.

And I like my books in hardcover, generally, though any format is good as long as the content is worthwhile. I'm perfectly willing to pay upwards of $50US if the product looks worth it.

 

[Tear44]

1.) 5 Four players One DM

2.) Weekly

3.) 4-6 hours

4.) I chose 40/60. The rules have to be there to facilitate the game, but without inspiration or coolness it will be hollow.

5.) I am sorry, but I am not sure what you are asking.