Too many supplements a cause for burnout?

[WayneLigon]

I'd say not. I simply tell people what books they get to draw abilities from, and that's that. If someone is terribly excited about something, I might consider it if it's outside the list but I'd look it over closely. Generally, I don't let people take abilities from things I don't own, and that's a fairly short list.

 

[scourger]

Yes, too many supplemts hurts the game, for me. I run a mostly core game. If something extra is added, it's limited.

 

[molonel]

3rd Edition is starting to suffer from 2nd Edition rules bloat. There is no doubt about that.

I'm at the point where I'm not buying rules books, anymore. I buy minis, terrains, battlemaps and game tiles.

I have everything I need to play the game. I play core rules only, and then supplemental material is on a case-by-case basis. There is no WAY I'm going to try and keep up on everything coming out.

One of my house rules is also stated thus:

"You're a smart gamer. Don't bring anything broken into my game. If you do, I will remove it. And yes, I am the final authority on what is broken, and what isn't."

 

[FireLance]

To paraphrase what a number of other people have said, gamers don't burnout because of too many supplements; gamers burnout because they stop having fun.

It is certainly possible that too many supplements can cause burnout. In fact, it is probably the leading cause of burnout right now because of the fact that we are in a situation where there are a lot of supplements being produced.

Of course, if the situation was reversed, I am sure that other people would be burning out too, but for completely different reasons - possibly, that the game was no longer interesting because it was getting stagnant and stale, and every adventure seemed to be a re-hash of something the DM had run before.

 

[taliesin15]

Of course, if the situation was reversed, I am sure that other people would be burning out too, but for completely different reasons - possibly, that the game was no longer interesting because it was getting stagnant and stale, and every adventure seemed to be a re-hash of something the DM had run before.

now THAT's a really good point, and quite salient for those of us who've played the game since 1st edition--does anyone else remember feverishly waiting for the new Dragon magazine to come out, only to find it full of stuff reminiscent of some of the total hack splatbooks that even the local used bookstore has trouble selling a few months later?

'course that's one reason I tend to go to sources such as the Kalevala, Icelandic Sagas, Beowulf, the Iliad and so on for ideas--much better writing, and much more imbued with the heroic ideal at the heart of RPGs

 

[Odhanan]

Is the marketplace actually driving the joy out of roleplaying?

No. DMs and players sometimes don't realize they always have a choice as to what books they want to use at the game table, however. The rules shouldn't drive the game: the users' imaginations should. The rules just provide the frame around the painting, not the painting itself. See what I mean?

 

[Angel Tarragon]

A really well written and creative product makes me want to use it and makes me want to game even more.

I'm exactly the same way. Something new and fresh for my mind to feast on quickly gets my creative juices flowing.

 

[AllisterH]

Actually, I kind of find the pace of released materials somewhat slow.

Doesn't anyone remember those year end schedule/calendars that TSR used to release of their next year's products?

Remember when there were MULTIPLE game worlds and you literally had a new product it seemed shipping EVERY week?

 

[DaveMage]

Not a cause for burnout, but it is a bit disconcerting.

The depressing thing to me about so many options and supplements is that I won't have time to try them all in my lifetime.

 

[papastebu]

Yep. The way to insure that no crappy books come out is to never ever buy crappy books.

Kind of like aborting their genetic imperitive to reproduce? They have the "crappiness" gene, and the way to kill them before they can breed is to not feed them with your hard-earned money.