D&D General The Tyranny of Rarity

[MGibster]

I do wonder what is gained by having people do something they don't want to do for a leisure activity... I don't have much experience with it but does getting someone to DM who doesn't want to usually result in them enjoying it enough to keep DM'ing?

Come on, I don't think anyone is saying we should drag unwilling people kicking and screaming to the other side of the DM's screen and start throwing their favorite dice in the fire until they start running a session. Going outside one's comfort zone is a good thing because it provides them with an opportunity to grow. Sitting behind the DM's screen once in a while is good for the following reasons:

1. It's a good opportunity to stretch your role playing muscles by playing several different NPCs.
2. It's a good opportunity to to gain a better understanding of the rules.
3. It's a good opportunity to plan out an adventure or at least follow an outline for a prewritten adventure.
4. It's a good opportunity to learn how to adapt when PCs dash their well laid plans or do something the writers of the adventure didn't think of.
5. It's a good opportunity to experience the game in a new way.
6. It's a good opportunity for the regular DM to be a player.
7. It's a good opportunity to better understand and appreciate the DM for what he does.

When we say you should try DMing we mean that in the same way when people say you should get out more, you should eat a little bit of everything, or you should call your mother more often (seriously, she loves you and wants to hear from you).

 

[Imaro]

Do you never suggest to someone to try playing who may not already be eager to do so? And don't you think there are people out there who weren't really eager to DM, but did so out of necessity, and now they love it?

I mean, apply this logic to any activity. People sometimes don't know if they'll like something until they try it.

Sometimes people will think there's some reason not to try something, but then once they do, they realize that what they worried about wasn't really the case.

I do but I also realize some people...
1. Know what they will and won't like so I take them at their word.

2. Usually, though not always, starting from a stance of not wanting to do something colors your experience with it negatively.

I'll be honest with you I usually invite people to play if they show an interest and curiosity about it... I have rarely if ever invited someone who either straight up stated they wouldn't like it or who viewed playig D&D in a negative light. My succes with getting my players to run has been the same... the one other person who showed interest and curiosity in running his own game is the other GM in our group. We got others, though not all, to try but they just didn't enjoy it or it wasn't what they wanted out of D&D.

 

[Imaro]

I think a lot of people are reluctant to GM because of lack of confidence. So if they do it, they might indeed find they enjoy it.

Obviously no one need to do it purely for the sake of others. But it can't hurt to encourage people who may be interested.

This I agree with.

 

[Lanefan]

Sure.
But my original post was a criticism of the path of D&D and its current edition. Claiming "but it is successful" doesn't address that criticism.

Au contraire. The very fact that it is successful and has sustained that success for quite some time is proof positive that it is, in general, good enough.

If it wasn't good enough it wouldn't be or remain nearly as successful.

And I've seen multiple things get worse and not address flaws because they used success as a shield. Such thought allows others to capitialize on blind dismissal of a product's faults.

For any such product there comes a tipping point where the flaws become too big to ignore, at which point either those flaws are fixed or the product (sometimes very quickly) ceases being successful. In both 2e and 3e what eventually became the too-big-to-ignore flaw was sheer bloat; I don't think 5e is anywhere near that point yet.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Au contraire. The very fact that it is successful and has sustained that success for quite some time is proof positive that it is, in general, good enough.

If it wasn't good enough it wouldn't be or remain nearly as successful.

For any such product there comes a tipping point where the flaws become too big to ignore, at which point either those flaws are fixed or the product (sometimes very quickly) ceases being successful. In both 2e and 3e what eventually became the too-big-to-ignore flaw was sheer bloat; I don't think 5e is anywhere near that point yet.

do you mean in general or only about the races as the general is good or at least functional but race selection and whether all classes a properly built is what is in question not the entire thing like most people will eat cheese pizza but that is because it is mostly fine.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I do wonder what is gained by having people do something they don't want to do for a leisure activity... I don't have much experience with it but does getting someone to DM who doesn't want to usually result in them enjoying it enough to keep DM'ing?

That same can be asked of doing this to players.

"Hey, this is a game of imagination--MY imagination. You just get to pick from what I tell you."

 

[Imaro]

That same can be asked of doing this to players.

"Hey, this is a game of imagination--MY imagination. You just get to pick from what I tell you."

Huh?

 

[Cadence]

That same can be asked of doing this to players.

"Hey, this is a game of imagination--MY imagination. You just get to pick from what I tell you."

I bet these awful DMs are also making them play D&D and not running something else that lets them be sci-fi or a super too in the same system with each other; and having them all have to adventure in the same world and not one player in Krynn and another Dark Sun and another Ravnica; and probably starting them off with the same character generation rules and level instead of letting them follow their own visions. Tyrants!

 

[Cadence]

Come on, I don't think anyone is saying we should drag unwilling people kicking and screaming to the other side of the DM's screen and start throwing their favorite dice in the fire until they start running a session. Going outside one's comfort zone is a good thing because it provides them with an opportunity to grow. Sitting behind the DM's screen once in a while is good for the following reasons:

1. It's a good opportunity to stretch your role playing muscles by playing several different NPCs.
2. It's a good opportunity to to gain a better understanding of the rules.
3. It's a good opportunity to plan out an adventure or at least follow an outline for a prewritten adventure.
4. It's a good opportunity to learn how to adapt when PCs dash their well laid plans or do something the writers of the adventure didn't think of.
5. It's a good opportunity to experience the game in a new way.
6. It's a good opportunity for the regular DM to be a player.
7. It's a good opportunity to better understand and appreciate the DM for what he does.

When we say you should try DMing we mean that in the same way when people say you should get out more, you should eat a little bit of everything, or you should call your mother more often (seriously, she loves you and wants to hear from you).

This is not aimed at MGibster, I very much like the post. But it gives me something to ask my next question from.

Do those who don't like restricting races have the same expectations of new DMs to be open to everything, or do they get cut some slack?

("Thanks for DMing! We know you're still a bit nervous after running us through the starter adventurer with pre-gens, but it went great and we're here to help. Like we all said in the group chat, we love your idea of using Dark Sun based on that adaptation you found online and shared, it's super that module fits, and we're glad it will help you recapture some of the flavor of the novels you love so that you'll be more comfortable running it. The four of us have some characters ready that we've been drooling to play - Pure-blood Yuan-Ti , Kenku, Fairy, and Lizardfolk. We've got great backstories for our Oath of Vengeance Paladin, Arcane Trickster, Divine Soul Sorcerer, and Tempest Domain Cleric that should fit right in with your plans!")

 

[Maxperson]

That same can be asked of doing this to players.

"Hey, this is a game of imagination--MY imagination. You just get to pick from what I tell you."

Right. Players quit games all the time due to the game not being the one they want to play for their leisure time. If you don't like a curated game(all are), then don't play one. Others will want to and then both you and that DM will be happy.