D&D General The Monsters Know What They're Doing ... Are Unsure on 5e24

[tetrasodium]

Your "compromise" is let the player play ... wait for it ... a TORTLE!!!! Like I said above.

That's not compromise, it's not a conversation. It's the player gets to decide no matter what the DM says or why the DM doesn't allow them. Which, if that works for you campaign, great. It doesn't for mine.

I think that the more amusing part is how that was after a denial paired with calling for you to find examples of posts showing that along with you and Maxperson doing just that

 

[Zardnaar]

That's a case by case thing. There are other resources that are still minimal, and not all Dark Sun games are about hunger and thirst at low levels. That's fun the first few times you play it, but it gets old after a while. It doesn't go away, but it's not central to the game, either, so a living construct can and would fit right in. Especially since the Obsidian Man of Urik is a thing. We know they are on Athas.

Golems exist. Doesn't mean warforged belong either.

Just because it exists doesnt mean players get to play it. D&Ds never had that position.

Obsidian Man of Urik isnt a shard mind.

 

[Zardnaar]

I will give you credit then. You are devoted to your vision and not simply interested in limiting PC options while keeping all your DM toys available. A rarity in this space. It takes a lot of willpower to ignore the latest player book AND monster manual.

Ive always ignored splat. I dont think its a big deal. If its cool I'll make it a spotlight race.

Of its cool for current campaign I'll spotlight it for that campaign.

Last game Baldurs Gate. Spotlight on Gith.

I added Shadar Kai to the PG this game. Its FR you can play most things just ask if its outside the PHB, Heroes of Faerun or Xanathars or is a 2014 class.

If it's Midgard I'm removing some options or downplaying them adding bear, rather, troll folk, goblins and some regional varieties depending on campaign location.

Don't complain if you ignore the spotlight races list and you miss out on magic items, inspiration/advantage and story beats.

 

[AlViking]

I will give you credit then. You are devoted to your vision and not simply interested in limiting PC options while keeping all your DM toys available. A rarity in this space. It takes a lot of willpower to ignore the latest player book AND monster manual.

I'm running the best game I know how. Based on feedback, how long I retain players, how rarely it is that I have anyone asks to play something not in my list, how often players ask if I can squeeze in one more buddy who hear about my game I'm doing just fine.

The last person who asked to play a species not on the list was in 4e. They wanted to play a deva and we made it work.

 

[Zardnaar]

I'm running the best game I know how. Based on feedback, how long I retain players, how rarely it is that I have anyone asks to play something not in my list, how often players ask if I can squeeze in one more buddy who hear about my game I'm doing just fine.

The last person who asked to play a species not on the list was in 4e. They wanted to play a deva and we made it work.

This for me.

Core players

24 years
16 years
7 years

Newer players 1 year. Ones becoming core.

Other 2 are semi busy with life. I may lose one if she stays overseas (work, life, visa) and other ones a son of new player. Wouldn't surprise me if he leaves due to school/life.

Recruited a duo 40 year old guy and his kid. Took a chance he was finding it hard to find a stable game (his other group self destructed).

 

[Maxperson]

If so, then that is what I've been pursuing for compromise this whole time. You'll notice, every single one of the examples I gave preserves setting consistency. It ensures that the GM's vision remains utterly untouched. There are no tortles. There is just this one creature.

Those are mutually exclusive positions. It cannot be untouched with no tortles and have just one tortle. Whether the impact of that one tortle is very minor or majorly disruptive is determined by the rest of the setting details.

 

[Maxperson]

Golems exist. Doesn't mean warforged belong either.

Just because it exists doesnt mean players get to play it. D&Ds never had that position.

Obsidian Man of Urik isnt a shard mind.

A warforged would be murdered and turned into scrap metal by the first people he sees. The lifespan of that PC would be shorter than an adult mayfly.

 

[Remathilis]

Ive always ignored splat. I dont think its a big deal. If its cool I'll make it a spotlight race.

Of its cool for current campaign I'll spotlight it for that campaign.

Last game Baldurs Gate. Spotlight on Gith.

I added Shadar Kai to the PG this game. Its FR you can play most things just ask if its outside the PHB, Heroes of Faerun or Xanathars or is a 2014 class.

If it's Midgard im removing sone options or downplaying them adding bear, rather, troll folk, goblins and some regional varieties depending on campaign location.

Yes, but have you ever looked a new monster book and said "damn, that's a cool monster. But I've already said something like that can't exist in my game, so I will never get to use it ever."

In my experience, very few DMs, even those who run "currated" games, so that. Unless it's based on a specific IP (no beholders in Middle Earth) most DMs do not like tying their hands like that.

By the same token, few DMs are actually willing to hard line magic. Because there are so many stories that rely on "DM magic" that limiting that removes those options. You can't have a cult use a spell to blot out the sun because there is no "blot the sun" spell in D&D. Its interesting that a would be willing to limit his own power like that.

 

[AlViking]

I think that the more amusing part is how that was after a denial paired with calling for you to find examples of posts showing that along with you and Maxperson doing just that

No kidding. It all started with my comment that for many people there was no compromise, it was tortle or nothing. Supposedly nobody ever said that and now the solution is still tortle or nothing.

Truth be told I know the image I created could look a bit silly to some even if I kind of like it myself. It's not the reason tortles didn't make it on to my curated list but Tortles look pretty ridiculous to me. Not as bad as the Dumbo rip-off flying elephant dude in BG 3 (which I read somewhere that they put in as a joke), but still pretty silly. We all have preferences.

 

[Maxperson]

Well, this is just a semantic difference, then. I don't consider the players' actions that shape the setting to be worldbuilding.

"Worldbuilding" is specifically the actions that set up the campaign setting/frame prior to session 1, whether that be GM notes or collaborative efforts with the players.

I don't agree with that definition. Almost every DM I know also worldbuilds when PCs head to a location that has no or minimal information about it. Worldbuilding happens all the way up through the end of the campaign.

Worldbuilding is when the DM and/or players add to the world. If the PCs build a castle, that has changed the world in a small way. If the DM creates and places a dungeon somewhere that hasn't been fleshed out yet, that's worldbuilding. It doesn't have to happen prior to the first session.