What makes us House Rule?

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

What makes us House Rule?

Because we feel like it.

 

[ExploderWizard]

What makes us House Rule?

Because we feel like it.

Yeah but doing whatever we feel like is a house rule.

 

[Garmorn]

Define House Rule: Are we talking about changing the rules are just the fluff? Changing Races a bit or what?

Things that change the way the game is played I call house rules. Changes to a item, class, race to match the world is campaign setting rules.

Reasons we house rule.

To match our gaming style.

To fill in or balance a rule that in most campaigns not used enough to warrant a five page write up. (Wilderness survival in a wilderness base campaign v.s the normal wilderness crossing.)

To change rules that we don't understand to something we can work with.

To change rules that we disagree with.

To fill a hole in the system (i.e. Heraldry Skill in Noble Intrigue based campaign)

To stroke our ego

To use something from another game that we liked.

To be creative.

To match a set of rules to our campaign concept.

 

[Gentlegamer]

The players discover what the designers do not.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I house-rule mainly to better fit a given setting.
Also I like to try out others' house-rules, if they sound interesting and incorporate them if appropriate to the campaign.



BTW, I used to house-rule Risk all the time! However, Monopoly...?

Well, my houserule for Monopoly is "No Monopoly in my house."

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Well, honestly, the published game is the designer's house rules, at elast in part.

The main reason people house rule, in my experience, is creativity. I do not feel 100% bound by the rules, though I try to follow them pretty closely. I am creative enough to make changes that benefit my own playing of he game.

This. And XP to you.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Well, I think the first factor are games with insufficient rule coverage. They tend to have more house rules because they cannot actually be played without them (alternatively, if the game is actively supported, you'll try to get errata or an 'official' opinion on the loop holes).

The second factor is that the number of house-rules increases the more similar games exist: Chances are, each has a couple of rules you especially like, so you'll 'import' them into your favorite game as house-rules to get the best of all worlds.

As a third factor, many house-rules are born when many people actively discuss a game, like, here on ENWorld. More people = more (good) ideas you may want to adopt.

This too, and more XP.

 

[Blackbrrd]

I houserule 4e, it isn't hard, even with the character builder. Here are some examples:

I have added a Elite template that:
Gives 2x hp, +2 attack, +50% damage and a free recharge

I have houseruled characters that have swapped skills.

I have houseruled characters, giving an Eladrin +2 dex/ +2wis

I have added the excellent wounds system (found on enworld)

Personally I like nearly all the base mechanics of 4e and I haven't touched those, and I probably won't either. Changing those would probably be a bit harder.

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

I think house rules spring from the lack of rule legitimacy, to put it in broad terms. For example the 3.0 ranger, 4d6 drop lowest etc...

These rules are/were so heavily house ruled compared to say the d8 longsword or level system.

Some of the rules enjoy near universal acceptance.

Now as to the 'why' of the lack of rule legitimacy? Well each case has its own particulars...

 

[Greg K]

Never discouraged me. I played very heavily houseruled 3e variants pretty much right from the get-go. Never had a single problem with "cascading problems" or the so-called "tight integration" of the rules.

Same here