William Ronald
Explorer
Despite the best of intentions by DMs and players, long-running campaigns and gaming groups can fall apart. Sometimes, players move away or life becomes complicated for members of a group. At other times, a group may split because of different visions of the direction of the game and different playing styles.
My old group, which I was in for 21 years, disbanded this last September. The DM said he was tired of running the game. There were also disagreements among the players on the power level of the campaign, playing styles and other issues.
As I am now looking for a group (check my sig), I thought it might be worthwhile to examine how groups and campaigns can fall apart. Here are a few issues that I have seen or heard about in real life or on the boards. Many of these issues are matters of personal preference.
1) Different gaming interests: Some gamers place a strong emphasis on min-maxing characters; others place a heavy emphasis on role-playing. Still others are problem-solvers. Many are a combination of different styles of play. Disagreements on gaming styles can split groups, or lead to one style of play being emphasized over others.
2) Different gaming styles: Some games can be called grim and gritty. Others can be considered low fantasy, high fantasy, serious, or not-so-serious, or other styles as well. Sometimes, players with different gaming styles will clash with each other. I would argue that one of the hardest tasks that any DM has is balancing the interests and styles of different players in a group. It is not always possible to do so.
3) Power Level Differences: This sort of problem can be seen in one character or some characters in a group being much more powerful in terms of levels, equipment, or abilities than many of their colleagues. For example, if two characters are effectively tributes to Conan and Elric, there may be a power level difference if the other PCs do not match up to their colleagues. There also may be a wide gap in levels between different characters, with some characters getting a larger share of the limelight. Similarly, there can be problems with players using different rules to craft their characters. (See below for some examples of this.) This issue can lead to not just power imbalances among characters, but to players feeling their PCs are fifth wheels.
4) Different rules: A DM may allow some players to operate under different rules than others. For example, not everyone in a group may have access to a rules supplement, but one or two players may use a book to redesign their characters or to take new feats and prestige classes. This may result in characters who are much more powerful than others adhering more closely to the core rules books. A related issue is different interpreptations of the rules.
5) Different rules interpreptations: Sometimes, a DM will take the issue that if it is theoretically allowed in the rules, its legal and balanced. An extreme example of this in the 3.0 rules, would be one person creating a +30 skill bonus item, and another creating a skill bonus item that has multiple bonuses from different bonus types to create what is effectively a very powerful epic skill bonus item.
6) DM inattention: I would argue that both players and DMs have the most fun when both are actively engaged in a campaign. A DM who allows anything and everything to happen in a campaign may not notice how some players feel about a campaign or their place in the group.
7) Magic items: Some magic items may be a bit-overpowered for the group, leading to a situation where a single character and his equipment are the center of attention in the group. Extreme examples of this might include characters running around with items appropriate to their level by the DMG tables with one character having an item appropriate to a character of much higher level.
What do YOU think?
My old group, which I was in for 21 years, disbanded this last September. The DM said he was tired of running the game. There were also disagreements among the players on the power level of the campaign, playing styles and other issues.
As I am now looking for a group (check my sig), I thought it might be worthwhile to examine how groups and campaigns can fall apart. Here are a few issues that I have seen or heard about in real life or on the boards. Many of these issues are matters of personal preference.
1) Different gaming interests: Some gamers place a strong emphasis on min-maxing characters; others place a heavy emphasis on role-playing. Still others are problem-solvers. Many are a combination of different styles of play. Disagreements on gaming styles can split groups, or lead to one style of play being emphasized over others.
2) Different gaming styles: Some games can be called grim and gritty. Others can be considered low fantasy, high fantasy, serious, or not-so-serious, or other styles as well. Sometimes, players with different gaming styles will clash with each other. I would argue that one of the hardest tasks that any DM has is balancing the interests and styles of different players in a group. It is not always possible to do so.
3) Power Level Differences: This sort of problem can be seen in one character or some characters in a group being much more powerful in terms of levels, equipment, or abilities than many of their colleagues. For example, if two characters are effectively tributes to Conan and Elric, there may be a power level difference if the other PCs do not match up to their colleagues. There also may be a wide gap in levels between different characters, with some characters getting a larger share of the limelight. Similarly, there can be problems with players using different rules to craft their characters. (See below for some examples of this.) This issue can lead to not just power imbalances among characters, but to players feeling their PCs are fifth wheels.
4) Different rules: A DM may allow some players to operate under different rules than others. For example, not everyone in a group may have access to a rules supplement, but one or two players may use a book to redesign their characters or to take new feats and prestige classes. This may result in characters who are much more powerful than others adhering more closely to the core rules books. A related issue is different interpreptations of the rules.
5) Different rules interpreptations: Sometimes, a DM will take the issue that if it is theoretically allowed in the rules, its legal and balanced. An extreme example of this in the 3.0 rules, would be one person creating a +30 skill bonus item, and another creating a skill bonus item that has multiple bonuses from different bonus types to create what is effectively a very powerful epic skill bonus item.
6) DM inattention: I would argue that both players and DMs have the most fun when both are actively engaged in a campaign. A DM who allows anything and everything to happen in a campaign may not notice how some players feel about a campaign or their place in the group.
7) Magic items: Some magic items may be a bit-overpowered for the group, leading to a situation where a single character and his equipment are the center of attention in the group. Extreme examples of this might include characters running around with items appropriate to their level by the DMG tables with one character having an item appropriate to a character of much higher level.
What do YOU think?
I may have a couple of players who manage to stay with me for several years, but it's the exception and not the rule in my case, I'm afraid.
