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ShortQuests -- Pocket Sized Adventures! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed for 1-2 game sessions.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jürgen Hubert" data-source="post: 1783459" data-attributes="member: 7177"><rant mode>I like playing and running D&D. However, I like D&D the most in its "pure" form - the three Core Rule books, and maybe the additional rules from a Campaign setting (such as the FRCS). Sometimes including rules from an optional book (for example, the Sanity rules from Unearthed Arcana for a horror game - or even the full-fledged Psionics rules from the Expanded Psionics Handbook) might makes sense - but only if the campaign calls for it. I think all of these rules should be established at the beginning of the campaign and additional rules should, if possible, only be made when the old ones are proven to be insufficient.However, I recently acquired a new gaming group whose members are into these optional rules books with great enthusiasm. They are all reading Unearthed Arcana, Complete Whatsit, and Masters of the Hinterwoods with great enthusiasm, and taking notes. Their character ideas include alternate core classes, new prestige classes, and weirder things. And I just don't get the attraction in this.Don't get me wrong - I'm going to allow all these. For one thing, they seem to be primarily interested in creating interesting characters, and not in power-gaming. For another, they seem to be having fun - and that's the main thing.And finally, just because they are using all these optional rules for their characters, it doesn't mean that I have to do the same for the NPCs and monsters. I will be sticking as close to the core rules as possible for those.But still, it mystifies this. The D&D core rules are a moderately complex rule set that meshes fairly well together - and all those optional books only add unnecessary layers of complexity in my eyes. Sure, they might allow you to tweak your character exactly as you want - but what for?If I wanted to create characters that are fine-tuned exactly the way I want, I'd rather play GURPS - which does it faster and better.</end rant mode>So, does anyone else here feel the same way about these optional rule books, prestige classes, and so on?</blockquote>

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