This was originally concived as reply to the "how much use" post but it got so long I created a new thread so bear with me
3e was a bust for our group and for me personally.
I hate admit it but since the #1 D20 fan (I am #2 although I am the most active in the community) left/ was temporarily booted from the group I have been thinking about hanging up the D&D towel for good.
The reason? The "lets actually play this game" potential of D&D has dropped considerably as the options have increased exponentially
Our group has acres of D&D stuff and we never use it.
In the games we used PHB, DMG, MM, CC1 (2 encounters) Diablo (1 monster) and Swashbuckling Adventures, oh yeah and Montes Rangers.Between us we had 2 sets core books, all the splats, crud loads of other stuff including gig of previews, down loads (legal only thank you ) and fan stuff --
Every game we create fails before we hit 10th level
This is a combination of incompatible game styles, LARPS, a preference for Star Wars and L5R and other games and most importantly a complete lack of system lore
I am the groups rules Guru and until fairly recently owned only the core rules.
Our biggest D&D fan (playing since before most of the group was born!) asks me for game advice. While I am flattered that he would ask my advice its a bit silly -- I can't run D&D for beans and prefer Buffy anyway.
Some of the other reasons we never got to high level before a game died since
there were too many wannabe DM's with agendas to fill-- heck me included. While we gamed 3 times a month typically for 6 hours or so and there just wasn't enough time to let everybody run their own agenda. Heck we even tried co GMing. That flopped due to incompatible styles
Our campaigns on the whole (not mine though) were dominated by 2e think (OMG we hit 9th level in less than 1 year of gaming my game is OVER) and DM's who were not rules wise.
JMO but 3e is more rigorous in some respects than the way we are used to playing. Understanding the rules is very important if the options are to be used
IMNSHO you need to use minis to make the game work as well as it can, heck but you almost need a fondness for wargaming as well. We had minis but only one DM used them.
The experience was that for us they ground the game down into a slow wargame that bored almost everyone at the table silly after a month and a half . The funny thing is it was a pretty sucessfull game. We hit like 8th or 9th level (having started at like 3rd)
Now that our biggest D20 fan left/was tempbooted we don't have any "play pressure" for D&D. Other games like Buffy and L5R work very well for us but not D&D
Of the 2. DM's left in the group none of us likes to run D&D at all. We have a another schedule challenged DM but after a long talk I found his expectations are not compatable with this group much of the time. Plus while I like his DM'ing he wants to run epic multi year campaigns with slow tediuos advancement -- Not my thing
Also D&D has become fragmented for us.
I want to play D&D with less magic and a level based Defense. Another guy wants Core books only. A third guys wants a higher powered game with Mongoose stuff and more.
We don't agree on which is better.
Some of us are OK on several different styles of game there are enough difference on XP advancement rates and roleplay to combat ratios to sour the game
Meanwhile D&D rolls on into 3.5 (which no none is buying)
I see some keen stuff out there! 3.5MM. Testament, AU and lots of other stuff I don't have time to mention.
Than I look at my budget -- the books are reasonably priced if I use. Heck they are a bargain. But I don't get any use out what I have now
It is too easy to blow $hundreds on kewl stuff I know I never will use. I can't justify hundreds of dollars spent on game I never use when I have some many other yummy things to buy
When I look at my play agenda -- Lets see Buffy, 6 months (20 episodes ) Exalted (20-30 sessions) and maybe 50 Fathoms or Evernight and some GURPS (Or playing a another game) -- that enough gaming to last me for the next 2 years!
By that time 4.0 should be about ready.
Since I get so little use out of the D&D stuff I already have I am just going to sell it off on the boards and come fall (when the market picks up ) E Bay. After that give it way pr take it too the FLGS
This way I free up a few dollars for other games and much closet space for game that will work
Any reason I should not do this other than changes in the group dynamic
What say you all?
3e was a bust for our group and for me personally.
I hate admit it but since the #1 D20 fan (I am #2 although I am the most active in the community) left/ was temporarily booted from the group I have been thinking about hanging up the D&D towel for good.
The reason? The "lets actually play this game" potential of D&D has dropped considerably as the options have increased exponentially
Our group has acres of D&D stuff and we never use it.
In the games we used PHB, DMG, MM, CC1 (2 encounters) Diablo (1 monster) and Swashbuckling Adventures, oh yeah and Montes Rangers.Between us we had 2 sets core books, all the splats, crud loads of other stuff including gig of previews, down loads (legal only thank you ) and fan stuff --
Every game we create fails before we hit 10th level
This is a combination of incompatible game styles, LARPS, a preference for Star Wars and L5R and other games and most importantly a complete lack of system lore
I am the groups rules Guru and until fairly recently owned only the core rules.
Our biggest D&D fan (playing since before most of the group was born!) asks me for game advice. While I am flattered that he would ask my advice its a bit silly -- I can't run D&D for beans and prefer Buffy anyway.
Some of the other reasons we never got to high level before a game died since
there were too many wannabe DM's with agendas to fill-- heck me included. While we gamed 3 times a month typically for 6 hours or so and there just wasn't enough time to let everybody run their own agenda. Heck we even tried co GMing. That flopped due to incompatible styles
Our campaigns on the whole (not mine though) were dominated by 2e think (OMG we hit 9th level in less than 1 year of gaming my game is OVER) and DM's who were not rules wise.
JMO but 3e is more rigorous in some respects than the way we are used to playing. Understanding the rules is very important if the options are to be used
IMNSHO you need to use minis to make the game work as well as it can, heck but you almost need a fondness for wargaming as well. We had minis but only one DM used them.
The experience was that for us they ground the game down into a slow wargame that bored almost everyone at the table silly after a month and a half . The funny thing is it was a pretty sucessfull game. We hit like 8th or 9th level (having started at like 3rd)
Now that our biggest D20 fan left/was tempbooted we don't have any "play pressure" for D&D. Other games like Buffy and L5R work very well for us but not D&D
Of the 2. DM's left in the group none of us likes to run D&D at all. We have a another schedule challenged DM but after a long talk I found his expectations are not compatable with this group much of the time. Plus while I like his DM'ing he wants to run epic multi year campaigns with slow tediuos advancement -- Not my thing
Also D&D has become fragmented for us.
I want to play D&D with less magic and a level based Defense. Another guy wants Core books only. A third guys wants a higher powered game with Mongoose stuff and more.
We don't agree on which is better.
Some of us are OK on several different styles of game there are enough difference on XP advancement rates and roleplay to combat ratios to sour the game
Meanwhile D&D rolls on into 3.5 (which no none is buying)
I see some keen stuff out there! 3.5MM. Testament, AU and lots of other stuff I don't have time to mention.
Than I look at my budget -- the books are reasonably priced if I use. Heck they are a bargain. But I don't get any use out what I have now
It is too easy to blow $hundreds on kewl stuff I know I never will use. I can't justify hundreds of dollars spent on game I never use when I have some many other yummy things to buy
When I look at my play agenda -- Lets see Buffy, 6 months (20 episodes ) Exalted (20-30 sessions) and maybe 50 Fathoms or Evernight and some GURPS (Or playing a another game) -- that enough gaming to last me for the next 2 years!
By that time 4.0 should be about ready.
Since I get so little use out of the D&D stuff I already have I am just going to sell it off on the boards and come fall (when the market picks up ) E Bay. After that give it way pr take it too the FLGS
This way I free up a few dollars for other games and much closet space for game that will work
Any reason I should not do this other than changes in the group dynamic
What say you all?
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