D&D General Wildly Diverse "Circus Troupe" Adventuring Parties

[Hussar]

I am a player in his games (have been for a bit less than two years now!) I have tried to keep my choices relatively constrained. We brought in a new player who did want something from outside FR for an FR adventure, but given it's already got an interplanar bent (Out of the Abyss), it didn't seem like the weirdest thing, generally speaking.

I've also tried to abide by his requests for limiting certain actions. I had, unfortunately, not realized that flaming sphere is actually a bit of a flaming PITA to run in Fantasy Grounds, otherwise I would not have relied on it so with my previous character. But in general I try to pick options that are effective, relatively low overhead, and thematic, and I avoided the specific spells he asked me to avoid.

Heh. The flaming sphere thing is actually pretty easy because it's not a monster. Which is why I adore the new 2024 summoning spells. SOOOO much easier to run.

But, that's the point. You're coming in at the tail end of all of this. Phandelver, other than "please be something from Forgotten Realms" had pretty much no restrictions. Out of the Abyss had even less. And, case in point, new player comes, what's the very first character created? One that has absolutely no ties to Forgotten Realms. It's hardly a new thing.

And,

You know, it's funny I've never heard about these entitled snowflake players until maybe the last few years and almost always in the context of this board. I'm not disputing anyone's lived experience, but I seriously question if it's as endemic as the Internet would have you believe.

Really? This has been a common complaint for years. I remember back many years ago listening to the Fear the Boot podcast and them talking about how players never bother with the DM's setting. Trying to get players to actually pay attention to the setting? That's not new. Heck, you want a good example, watch the Viva La Dirt League actual play Tales of Azerim and you'll see exactly the same thing going on.

I actually had a player take a level in cleric after about 6 or 7 levels into the campaign, when asked what deity his cleric was following, quite honestly ask, "What setting are we playing in?"

This is not new.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

This is not new.

It’s also not wrong. Gygax wasn’t into settings, which is why he really struggled when players started asking about the setting for his home game. His first attempt at writing a publishable setting was more suited to a wargame than an rpg.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Are there ways I can frame things in my mind to make it easier to get on with?

One thing to consider is that reading has declined significantly, especially amongst men and boys. So most D&D players aren’t learning their fantasy tropes from literature any more, they are learning them from video games.

 

[Hussar]

It’s also not wrong. Gygax wasn’t into settings, which is why he really struggled when players started asking about the setting for his home game. His first attempt at writing a publishable setting was more suited to a wargame than an rpg.

I'm really not following how right or wrong enters into this? We're talking about play preferences. Are you saying my play preferences are wrong?

And, in case anyone thinks I'm ragging on my current crop of players, that's very much not true. I remember back in the early 2000's, running a Scarred Lands campaign. Now, in Scarred Lands, elves have a very specific history. Their god is dead. Their god was murdered by a Titan in front of thousands of witnesses. That's the whole schtick for elves in Scarred Lands is that they no longer have a god and they are now the last generation. After the current generation of elves die, they go extinct. It's very much a thing in Scarred Lands.

So, I have a player who plays an elven barbarian. Bit weird given the description of elves in Scarred Lands, but, fair enough, I can work with this. Then, a few levels in, he declares he wants to take some PrC from Book of Exalted Deeds - something something of Gwynherwif (and I KNOW I didn't spell that right). Basically a holy barbarian whose rage is granted by a god.

I point out that this PrC very much does not fit in Scarred Lands. Player insists he wants to play it. I point out that this is directly contrary to everything in the setting. Player insists he wants to play it. Mind you, this isn't session 0. This is several levels into the campaign - it's a PrC, we've been playing this campaign for several months by this time and this is the first he's brought it up.

He continues to bitch and complain about how he can't get this PrC until I finally cave because I just really can't be asked to fight about it anymore.

This is my usual experience as a DM in pretty much every single campaign I've ever run since 1e. So, yeah, now? I just shrug and ignore it. I don't care anymore. Settings are disposable. If the players aren't going to invest fifteen minutes into the setting, why should I?

 

[Hussar]

And, just as a point, here's a thread from 2006, talking about exactly this:

Thread 'Grounding Players in a Setting'

Aug 23, 2006

A problem that has plagued me throughout my DMing career is how to get the players to care about the setting. Whether homebrew or published, I've never really been able to get the players to sink their teeth into whatever setting I'm using. Most players have their own agendas for the game or are simply content to let the game move them forward. It's rare that a player really cares about the environment that he finds himself in.

And, to be fair, I'm every bit as guilty of this. When handed a ten page history of the DM's campaign, my eyes glaze over and, honestly, I don't usually bother...

• Hussar
• Replies: 53
• Forum: *TTRPGs General