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

[RainOnTheSun]

This is one of the advantages of playing in a game with a DM who takes a more active hand in establishing setting expectations. If they care about species proportions and likelihood of appearance in the various adventuring parties, they will restrict options for players as part of their setting pitch. At which point the players can decide whether or not they wish to play in the game under those restrictions.

But I do agree that it can feel a bit off-putting when the DM gives a starting scenario for the campaign that would insinuate a certain type of character, but then doesn't actually restrict the options players can choose. And the players then make up wildly off-brand characters that have little to nothing to do with the starting scenario.

"You are all former member guardians of a Baron's security detail and your Baron has been kidnapped."
"Great! I'm going to play a Psion Sprite with the Sage background!"
"Why exactly would a psionic fairy sage be working as a bodyguard and why would the Baron have actually hired you in the first place?"
"I don't care! That's what I want to play!"
"I have made a terrible mistake."

I just wanted to say that a psionic fairy sage would make an awesome bodyguard. If I have an audience with the Baron and he walks in with a sprite on his shoulder, I'm paying attention to that guy! He is important! I don't want him sending miniaturized telepathic hit men after me!

But, no way is that psionic fairy sage level 1. He might have been, once, growing up in Fairyland before whatever crazy events led to him turning up in a human barony as hired muscle, but that was a while ago. The more bizarre and exceptional a PC is in concept, the more bizarre and exceptional I expect them to be in practice, and the more I would be inclined to say "make a placeholder character for now and get back to me in five levels." They'll still be a freak in five levels, but so is the guy who can shoot lightning out of his fingers and the guy who can get hit in the face six times with an axe and walk it off.

 

[Remathilis]

That is, I'm sorry to say, not at all true, at least not universally the way you present. Any player I would want in my games is going to commit a fair amount more time than that. Because they're going to think about their character outside of actual session time. They're going to care about the world, and (ideally) creatively invest in that world, providing me rich fodder for new scenes.

I talk with my players regularly outside of session. Seeking feedback, material, just generally enjoying time with my players. Being part of a TTRPG is a social experience, which...I mean that has always meant for me that I dig deeper into it even when I'm not (metaphorically) sitting at the table slinging dice.

I have found my players, as time and work and family have become more and more important, have greatly paired back their time outside of game. Probably the only two who do any sort of outside prep are both also DMs. The amount of prep most of them do now consists of remembering to bring their PHB with them. And to be honest, I have began to match their energy. First, I stopped homebrewing setting and opted for published settings (mainly Eberron and Ravenloft) and I've leaned much heavier on modules and long adventures.

They're good players. They role-play, aren't overly disruptive, and tend to buy into the adventures I run. But I long gave up on them even reading campaign material; two of them weren't even sure what all their subclass did. (Ironically, one of them played a twilight cleric and somehow missed every backbreaking ability that sub has).

 

[bloodtide]

I agree with the cure, but not the diagnosis. If anything, the "weird" doesn't come out of political correctness, but by a adherence to traditionalism. They want the Tolkien-inspired mentality of humans asecendant, demi-humans (elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings) in decline or a minority player in the world, and everything else to be a monster used for villains (orcs, drow, goblins, gnolls, kobolds, etc). The problem isn't a "just like earth" issue, but a "just like Middle Earth" one.

It is true a huge number of gamers like the "Middle Earth" setting, or even just the "Old Earth" setting. Middle Earth is a lot like Old Earth in many ways.

The Default DM often loves the "just like Old Earth" low/no magic setting as it is simple and easy.

But you can see the tons and tons of political correctness: In a modern RPG everyone must be 100% equal. And everything must bend and change to the Hollywood View point. Just like at a lot of the "historical" shows on the streaming services, for example. Modern RPGs are the same, just look at say WotC's "dos and don't " list for writers.

I don’t think this is true, I think I and others have made it pretty clear it’s about dissonance with the setting presented not about races different from the traditional norm.

I have had settings that are very far from that traditional perspective and players STILL want to buck the trend. It’s almost like a not insignificant population want to be non-conformist no matter what.

This is true. Though I would point out if you have a setting that is far, far from traditional then players can't "non-conform"

But I long gave up on them even reading campaign material; two of them weren't even sure what all their subclass did. (Ironically, one of them played a twilight cleric and somehow missed every backbreaking ability that sub has).

I'm on the other side of this. Hard Fun. Players can ask NO questions during the game. So, like recently a player made a cool ghost dwarf from a lost FR dwarven nation. I gave the player an e-mail of "what your character would know" and a list of "recommended reading." They player does none of it, and shows up for the game Clueless. Even just an hour into the game and the player is all upset as their character is Clueless. They whine that I should just tell them stuff "their character knows". My response is harsh "If you can't be bothered to read an e-mail, why should I bother telling you anything?"

And I'm way worse for not knowing the rules or what your character can do. More then three seconds of "um, um, um" and I say "your character stands confused this round", and most often attack the PC.

 

[Bravesteel25]

Well, humans literally (and this is literally-literally, not figuratively-literally) process judgements about others with different parts of the brain than they judge themselves. So, folks can very much have a different opinion of their own behavior than they would have of someone else doing the same things.

I don’t mean opinions though. I’m not talking about subjective things, but factual stuff.

It’s basically like going up to someone right after they eat a cookie, asking them why they ate the cookie, and then they look incredulous and aghast that you would say they are eating a cookie.

 

[Bravesteel25]

This is true. Though I would point out if you have a setting that is far, far from traditional then players can't "non-conform"

Not when I provide everything they need to make informed choices. They can certainly refuse to conform to setting expectations when they are laid out for them, let’s not twist it to try and create a “gotcha” moment.

This isn’t an issue of them going in completely blind. This happens whether it is a custom setting or something more mainstream like the Forgotten Realms.

 

[Remathilis]

1I'm on the other side of this. Hard Fun. Players can ask NO questions during the game. So, like recently a player made a cool ghost dwarf from a lost FR dwarven nation. I gave the player an e-mail of "what your character would know" and a list of "recommended reading." They player does none of it, and shows up for the game Clueless. Even just an hour into the game and the player is all upset as their character is Clueless. They whine that I should just tell them stuff "their character knows". My response is harsh "If you can't be bothered to read an e-mail, why should I bother telling you anything?"

And I'm way worse for not knowing the rules or what your character can do. More then three seconds of "um, um, um" and I say "your character stands confused this round", and most often attack the PC.

Unless you are paying me to play in your game, I'm there to have fun. Good luck finding those hardcore players.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don’t mean opinions though. I’m not talking about subjective things, but factual stuff.

It’s basically like going up to someone right after they eat a cookie, asking them why they ate the cookie, and then they look incredulous and aghast that you would say they are eating a cookie.

And then people wonder why they have a hard time finding players…