D&D General The Tyranny of Rarity

[Cadence]

why not just have the players curate the setting?

Because different people have different preferences in their games?... Some players hate to have to do that when running a PC?...

 

[Oofta]

why not just have the players curate the setting?

What's so terrible about a DM creating a world that makes sense to them? Races have little real impact on the way players run the PC in my experience.

 

[Maxperson]

What's so terrible about a DM creating a world that makes sense to them? Races have little real impact on the way players run the PC in my experience.

That's true. However, race is often has a very large impact on the way the players envision their character. A player may play his elven wizard like Joe Human, but his vision of the character concept is of a High Elven Archmage like those of old. Remove elf and that concept is completely ruined.

Don't take that as some sort of condemnation of curation. Even though I run my games where I allow almost any race(though you may be unique to the world) for PCs, I don't mind playing in a game where it's PHB only or PHB with no issues and you need permission for anything else. I'm just pointing out that curation can have a large impact on character concepts and if enough curation happens, player enjoyment of the game.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Because different people have different preferences in their games?... Some players hate to have to do that when running a PC?...

I mean why not have the players pick the curated races?

What's so terrible about a DM creating a world that makes sense to them? Races have little real impact on the way players run the PC in my experience.

depends on the world as most dm I find are just copies of generic fantasy nearly even a unique stance on and thing, banning the classic demi-humans as they keep blandly doing the same copies over and over again, at least I have no idea where there will go with a goliath or Dragonborn. not to say your setting is wrong just that I probably should not play in it.

That's true. However, race is often has a very large impact on the way the players envision their character. A player may play his elven wizard like Joe Human, but his vision of the character concept is of a High Elven Archmage like those of old. Remove elf and that concept is completely ruined.

Don't take that as some sort of condemnation of curation. Even though I run my games where I allow almost any race(though you may be unique to the world) for PCs, I don't mind playing in a game where it's PHB only or PHB with no issues and you need permission for anything else. I'm just pointing out that curation can have a large impact on character concepts and if enough curation happens, player enjoyment of the game.

or he is just joe human like the old archmages

 

[Oofta]

Because different people have different preferences in their games?... Some players hate to have to do that when running a PC?...

Yeah, even though I DM and created my own world when I'm playing in someone else's campaign world I want little to with building that world other than fleshing out my PC's background. Could I help curate the world, contribute to a collaborative world? Sure. When I first got into D&D my friends and I created a world and we each "owned" different sections of it. I do a bit of it still for my wife's campaign because she runs her campaign in a corner of my world.

But for my wife's campaign, unless it's something that impacts a shared space it's hands off for me. While I know the general geography of the area (I made the map) I don't know who I'm going to run into or what the current political structure is. I'm still "discovering" the threats and opportunities just like the rest of the group. I prefer it that way.

When I play a PC I want to inhabit that PC. I don't want to build a world.

 

[Oofta]

I mean why not have the players pick the curated races?

For me it's because I have a standard world that I've been using for decades. Even if I were starting a brand new campaign world, while I would get input from players (just like when starting any new campaign) I would still reserve veto rights or the ability to add things in. The world has to make sense to the DM and fit a vision of a fantasy world that they not only enjoy running but understand.

There's no one true way, I decided long ago after some bad experiences that it was best if I had a curated world.

 

[Mind of tempest]

For me it's because I have a standard world that I've been using for decades. Even if I were starting a brand new campaign world, while I would get input from players (just like when starting any new campaign) I would still reserve veto rights or the ability to add things in. The world has to make sense to the DM and fit a vision of a fantasy world that they not only enjoy running but understand.

There's no one true way, I decided long ago after some bad experiences that it was best if I had a curated world.

why should the dm get veto rights? and what makes something enjoyable to run?

 

[Maxperson]

or he is just joe human like the old archmages

How does that fulfill the concept of High Elven archmage like those of old?

 

[Oofta]

That's true. However, race is often has a very large impact on the way the players envision their character. A player may play his elven wizard like Joe Human, but his vision of the character concept is of a High Elven Archmage like those of old. Remove elf and that concept is completely ruined.

I understand the logic, I'm just saying that it doesn't seem to ever have any real impact. Or maybe just that it has far less impact than most people expect. For me, the initial concept of a PC is fairly amorphous until I've actually played it for a bit.

Don't take that as some sort of condemnation of curation. Even though I run my games where I allow almost any race(though you may be unique to the world) for PCs, I don't mind playing in a game where it's PHB only or PHB with no issues and you need permission for anything else. I'm just pointing out that curation can have a large impact on character concepts and if enough curation happens, player enjoyment of the game.

Maybe it's just me. I have so many character concepts running around in my head that I'm always willing to switch things around. If everyone wants to play a wizard when we start our session 0, in most cases one or more people will switch out to something else. I don't see coming up with a concept for a different race being that much difference than the compromises I make for group effectiveness.

 

[Oofta]

why should the dm get veto rights? and what makes something enjoyable to run?

No offense, I'm getting tired of this after 20 pages. Run things the way you want. When I DM or play the game, the DM has final say on how the world works. As a DM I have 6 other people to take into consideration but, yes, my vote counts more because if the DM ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

Without a DM there is no game. If the DM doesn't buy in to the concepts and structure of the world, there's no way they can be as effective as a DM. If a DM doesn't work for you find a different game, or do like I did years ago and start your own. No DM can be the right one for every player.