The Gaming Ideal

[TiQuinn]

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

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

3.) How long should those sessions be?

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

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)?

1) 4 players minimum, 5 to 6 players ideal. Not including the DM.

2) Once a week would be ideal...of course, in my ideal world, I'd be independently wealthy too. I'd settle for once every two weeks.

3) 5 to 6 hours. Any longer and people tend to lose focus, I think.

4) I voted 70% crunch to 30% flavor. I don't think books currently even begin to approach that 30% mark for flavor. What's difficult is that the flavor needs to be generic enough that it can fit into anyone's campaign, but it can't be simplistic either.

5) Monte Cook's Ptolus campaign setting, Piratecat's Eversink campaign setting, Sepulchrave's campaign, etc.....there are so many great ideas, adventures, characters, and settings lurking out there that are homebrew campaigns that are just begging for some smart publisher to bring to us in a book form. I love new settings...can't get enough of them, really. Each one I'd be willing to pay $30 to $40 for. Hardcover, of course.

 

[Southern Oracle]

1.) What is the best number of players at the table, whether as a DM or player yourself?
Ideally, four plus the DM, as the game is designed to support. However, having one or two extra players is handy for keeping the party alive when someone consistently can't make the game.

2.) How often should you be able to game in an ideal world?
Once a week is a great schedule...however, even though I only use printed modules, I find that I have to do a lot of converting and "fixing" so, at times, once every two weeks suits me better.

3.) How long should those sessions be?
Well, my current sessions run about 10-12 hours. My group and I are fine with that, but I can understand it if people prefer shorter sessions. I'd say 4-5 hours is probably a more realistic goal for most groups.

4.) The poll handled percentage of Crunch to Flavor, but what are some of the specifics behind your vote?
I voted 60% crunch to 40% flavor. I like having a background plotted out, the motivations of NPCs and overarching storylines, etc., etc. -- it helps me link up adventures by relating this plot to that. However, I much prefer new spells, magic items, prestige classes, weather generator tables, encounter tables, world building tools, etc., that I can use to maintain the illusion of wonder and newness in the campaign.

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 would love a big book of "common" NPCs...adepts, aristocrats, commoners, experts, and warriors. People statted at all different levels and with all different professions, complete with skills and feats already selected. I want to be able to quickly select the bouncer at the local pub if the barbarian picks a fight, the shifty street vendor the rogue thinks might have ties to the local thieves' guild, and the giddy lady-in-waiting whose boyfriend is one of the royal guards. Sure I can wing it (and I do), but part of the emphasis of this edition of the game is on skill checks, and making up numbers on the fly doesn't settle as kosher with me, and there's not enough hours in the day to stat everybody in the world.
I think such a product should be a softcover...I am not fond of PDFs at all because of the drain on resources (i.e., cost of ink). It would have to depend on the size, of course, but something akin to Wizards of the Coast's Enemies and Allies (which is 64 pages for $14.95) is about as much as I'd want to pay. That product has classed NPCs that take up much more space than I think NPCs would need to, plus background info on their tactics and personalities. None of that is necessary for the "common" folk.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

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

four or five plus the DM.

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

Once a week.

3.) How long should those sessions be?

Six hours.

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

I went a little heavy on crunch. Actually, I like the flavor text more, but here's the thing: I'm VERY picky about well written flavor that is internally consistent. The example I aways use is FASA's Tir Nan Og where the economy was based 75% on agriculture but none of the powerful, elite ruling members of the nation had ANY ties to it. So the players could take over the country by becoming farmers (yes, yes, yes, the elites would open up a can of whup-butt on them, but its still a glaring hole within the flavor text).

There's also a very popular setting book I own that looks like they split up the world into several sections and told each contributing author to stay within their own section. So two bordering nations often have nothing to do with each other. What gives?

So if good flavor text can't be written for whatever reason, I'd rather just see a monster book or whatever.

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)?

HA! It would be hardback with color illios and cost as much as a PDF!

Personally, if the writing was really good, I'd be thrilled with no illustrations, a couple of maps, and the rest of it simple text, like a novel. If the writing is in doubt, I'd like a softback book with nice cover art, some good illustrations of things I might have a hard time imagining (e.g. new monsters).

The topic? Whatever floats your boat. Get excited about something and write about it. Freedom is the one advantage in self-publishing, use it. But city books are always nice.

 

[Umbran]

1) Ideal is 3 to 6, either as a DM or as a player. However, I don't find stretching outsidethat ideal to be particularly onerous.

2) Once a week, ideally. I'd be willign to make it a couple of games that run every ohter week, so long as the average is that I play something every week.

3) 5 to 7 hours is my favorite length, as it allows for decent breaks.

4) In a game supplement, I don't have an ideal flavor/crunch ratio. A book can be good if it's 100% crunch, or all flavor, depending on what that book is trying to do. In actually playing the session, I expect I'm a 60flavor/40crunch kinda guy, so long as the crunch runs smoothly.. I relish the occasional time where tactical use of the rules becomes key, but I dispise having to actually discuss and hash out what the rules say at the table.

5) Hr. Hard question to answer. The next book available to me needs to be... original. No more simple splatbooks on a race or a class. Give me rules I don't have, or new concepts or events - most of the things I'm looking at right now are Malhavoc stuff - Cry Havoc, event books, AU, and such. What I really want is originality that I can work into my own games, which is not easy to do, admittedly.

Cost is a biggie, as I have very little cash to spend on gaming materials. Luckily, I'm not a big one on artwork, or color. So give me a good quality binding with few other frills. Or a pdf, if you can't manage inexpensive any other way.

 

[Wombat]

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

I like to have four players -- nice balance.

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

If I could, once a week would be nice; I am happy to settle on every other week.

3.) How long should those sessions be?

Hmmm. Depends on the session. Could be anything from 3 to 8 hours, depending on the feel of the story is going.

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

The system is less important than the story and the integration of the group. I have played many different systems, from Rules Heavy (GURPS, Space Opera) to Rules Lite (Nobilis, Over The Edge) -- I prefer the Lighter end. Rules often get in the way of a good story and my players prefer interaction to dice rolling.

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 hardbound, at about $30. I think that is eminently reasonable, given the cost of hardbound art books and the like.

As for what it would be, well, that depends by system. For Ars Magica, I would like a fat Tribunal book for one of the Core Tribunals. For D&D, a historical setting campaign book (along the lines of A Mighty Fortress or Paladins of Charlemagne). For GURPS, don't really care -- if it's interesting, I'll pick it up, but I can never tell in advance. For WoD? Nothing. I am bored with their entire line, though their mechanics are sound enough. For Deciper Star Trek -- anything as long as it is FINALLY well edited and much, much longer than they have put out to date -- the system is decent, but the books are overpriced and massively user unfriendly.

Hmmm, many possibilities here.

 

[JoeGKushner]

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

Six, five players and one GM. There should be one player for each of the core (fighter, mage, cleric, rogue) and some option or two players making alternative characters to fill in a core roll.

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

Once a week.

3.) How long should those sessions be?

Six to eight hours.

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

I voted 70-30 because the flavor is going to happen outside the crunch. I don't care if the rulebook is 800 pages, it's not going to capture the little things that the GM has to do to make the setting material useful. Someone mentioned Unapproachable East as 50-50 and that's true per the book but once you start playing, are the background notes of the NPCS you make for that region flavor and the stats crunch or something more gestalt? There are simply more rules for the game but that's the nature of the beast.

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 think I'd like to also see a Magic the Gathering Reference Set, one for timelines, one for characters, one for magic items, one for monsters, in hardcover, full color, for $34.95.

 

[howandwhy99]

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

Five players, 1 DM

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

Once per week (per game)

3.) How long should those sessions be?

Five hours. Maybe more with some breaks.

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

I voted 50/50, but really rather picky about both. If at all possible I prefer flavor text by a great writer. Sepulchrave, Destan, these guys can write! Anything that can spark the imagination is better than a list of ideas for me. I am almost always more committed to ideas I come up with myself.

3E has really changed my ideas of crunch. It seems to sell more books, but I feel a lot of D20 material is unbalancing. Furthermore, I normally don't want extra rules unless I'm explicitly searching for something. (think male shopping ) But... when it works its priceless and saves me a ton of time.

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)?

hardcover, $35, 285pgs. DM and player advice. Really, something that explains how to run a great campaign like the big boys. What can a DM focus on to get better? What can a player keep in mind to create a better game? Exercises for improving play. How to enrich your playing/dming style. Maybe a chapter or two on making adventures-campaigns-rpg groups step by step.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

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

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

3.) How long should those sessions be?

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

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)?

1.) Six players and One DM. I like big groups.
2.) Two to three times a week. Though with PbPs that I run, we game every day.
3.) Somewhere around 3 to 6 hours.
4.) I like both Crunch and Flavor equallly. Not much more than that really...I thinnk they're both needed in equal shares for a good game.
5.) Discworld d20. Hardback...hell, make it gold plated. Pay? I'd sell my friend's souls for that thing!

 

[d4]

1.) 4 players and 1 DM. i don't like playing or DMing with more than 6 players, either.

2.) gaming once per week is enough for me.

3.) i prefer 5-6 hour sessions.

4.) in my opinion, core rulebooks should be 100% crunch, 0% fluff -- i.e., just rules with no implied setting information. setting books should be 20% crunch, 80% fluff -- i.e., mostly background setting material with just enough new rules to adapt the core rules to the setting. i think the new HERO 5th edition line is the closest i've seen any gaming company come to this ideal.

5.) i'd like to see someone do an "Arabian Nights" style D&D book in the vein of Oriental Adventures or Nyambe. not Al-Qadim, though -- i think the genre can be handled much better than that.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

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

4 players/1 DM is ideal

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

weekly - less often than that and people start to forget too much

3.) How long should those sessions be?

4-5 hours if weekly

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

I voted 50/50, but would actually be happy with 30-40% crunch - IF the flavor is done well!

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 mega adventure campaign book with many seperate 1-4 page encounters. Not all encounters should necessarily directly relate to a campaign goal, but might just be detailed locales for places in the region where the PC's will be travelling. The NPC's should have descriptions that include much more than just stats. Details like how they react to recent developments in the region, how the PC will be treated when they arrive, detailed tactics for likely conflict etc... Think of this as kind of a hybrid between a campaign sourcebook ( SSS Hallowfaust or WotC's Silver Marches) and an encounter book like Atlas/Penumbra's EnRoute ) A few new monsters or items included would be just fine too.

I prefer print copy - softback ok. 96-128 pages price : $17.99 to $24.99

What would be really neat would be to see the above described format in a series of books for different planes of existance: Familiar planes of the standard great wheel cosmology, new demiplanes, or even new prime worlds. This would make using this book relatively simple for users of any setting... There could even be an uber meta plot that ( very, very loosely - these should be standalone books) ties different books in the series together.