Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Why do most groups avoid planar games?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 2183038" data-attributes="member: 4937"><p>Psion: I don't think anyone here is saying that you are wrong to play the way that you do. They are merely pointing out the likely reasons most DM's avoid planar games. You can argue however you like that with this modification or other the standard cosmology can be changed to better suit campaigning 'out there', but that doesn't alter the fact that the cosmology as it is usually present isn't conducive to campaigning.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>How many times has the issue of scale come up in this thread already? Think of it as the Star Wars problem. You've got a whole galaxy of interesting planetary cultures each of which is as complex and diverse as the real Earth. But since this is far more work than any one DM can manage, the whole of a planet ends up getting represented as the interior of a particular bar or a particular space dock or a few acres of swamp (or whatever). Most people would rather spend thier time detailing one setting in great depth, than paint whole planes with such a broad brush. Most DM's only grab the planes as a device when they need an 'anti-setting' and the device of the otherworldly portal conveys to the character 'Don't expect everything to work just like it does in the regular setting that I've been carefully constructing'. Either that or they need a place to safely store a being of extreme danger.</p><p></p><p>Now, you don't have to use planes in that way. I'm not saying its wrong to use them in some other way. But I'm saying that my sense is that it is relatively rare that they are used in some other way. </p><p></p><p>I mean, as great and original as the Planescape setting was, it got freaking dropped. Ditto Ravenloft. If that was really the standard fare, it would have been more popular. Sure there are lots of fans of those settings, and many more who admire them even if they don't use them, but they aren't the most common way to do things - not in Eberron, not in Greyhawk, not in Krynn, not in Faerun, and not in Athas. Those settings may well feature extra-planar portals and adventures of note (Queen of the Demonweb pits, Throne of Bloodstone), but generally when they do it only helps prove my point.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>It's a fantasy. Do you ever have to deal with those pesky rules of reality?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 2183038, member: 4937"] Psion: I don't think anyone here is saying that you are wrong to play the way that you do. They are merely pointing out the likely reasons most DM's avoid planar games. You can argue however you like that with this modification or other the standard cosmology can be changed to better suit campaigning 'out there', but that doesn't alter the fact that the cosmology as it is usually present isn't conducive to campaigning. How many times has the issue of scale come up in this thread already? Think of it as the Star Wars problem. You've got a whole galaxy of interesting planetary cultures each of which is as complex and diverse as the real Earth. But since this is far more work than any one DM can manage, the whole of a planet ends up getting represented as the interior of a particular bar or a particular space dock or a few acres of swamp (or whatever). Most people would rather spend thier time detailing one setting in great depth, than paint whole planes with such a broad brush. Most DM's only grab the planes as a device when they need an 'anti-setting' and the device of the otherworldly portal conveys to the character 'Don't expect everything to work just like it does in the regular setting that I've been carefully constructing'. Either that or they need a place to safely store a being of extreme danger. Now, you don't have to use planes in that way. I'm not saying its wrong to use them in some other way. But I'm saying that my sense is that it is relatively rare that they are used in some other way. I mean, as great and original as the Planescape setting was, it got freaking dropped. Ditto Ravenloft. If that was really the standard fare, it would have been more popular. Sure there are lots of fans of those settings, and many more who admire them even if they don't use them, but they aren't the most common way to do things - not in Eberron, not in Greyhawk, not in Krynn, not in Faerun, and not in Athas. Those settings may well feature extra-planar portals and adventures of note (Queen of the Demonweb pits, Throne of Bloodstone), but generally when they do it only helps prove my point. It's a fantasy. Do you ever have to deal with those pesky rules of reality? [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Why do most groups avoid planar games?
Top