When explaining Dnd, which many have endeavored to do in order to reign in friends as players...you must start by saying it's a game, a game played with only paper and dice. The mechanics of the game all lie in the interface of PC and DM imaginations.
And if this is the case, why do we need rule-books?
With every released edition of Dnd the rules become more encompassing, more specific, and more stringent. This causes a huge gap in the playing styles of older generation players and the new.
Younger players are immersed in a world of technology, video games that provide instant gratification with a couple button clicks are competing with traditional fantasy mediums like novels and of course Dungeons and Dragons. Because of this new generation where the principles of creativity and complex problem-solving are not emphasized, gaming companies have created systems like 4.0 edition. The central focus of the rules is on combat, the system enables easy, non-committal play.
Personally, I know exactly what I want out of the game and it doesn't involve rapid-fire combat. I love creating intense stories that pull in character emotions and reactions. Building worlds that are culturally interesting with diverse and rich histories is like my DM crack. And most of the time the rules just don't fit the bill.
Rulebooks should simply be viewed as supplements, they do not control the game, the DM controls the game. The books are sources of ideas, full of interesting spells, items, and monsters. Using this mentality I create games using multiple systems, I read the AD&D PHB just as frequently as I read the 3.5 PHB. I don't like to stringently commit to one system because I use pieces of many, and often just make up things based on the way I want to do them.
The emphasis on role-playing and story-building in the classic editions gives a gaming structure that speaks to the heart of what Dnd is, but I find its options lacking so I go to the 3.5 books.
All in all the rules for all systems are simply guidelines for those who need them, and never a controlling force.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
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ReplyDeleteGreat first post - very well articulated. I look forward to seeing how your game progresses and hearing more about it. Great inspiration for my own daughters, who do play a bit even though they are younger than you and your friends. Good Luck!
ReplyDelete(Reposted due to my typos.)
>> And if this is the case, why do we need rule-books?
ReplyDeleteGood question. I tried to answer that question here and in the posts following that, if you're interested. Have fun with your game!
Welcome to the blogosphere! Great first post.
ReplyDeleteGreat first post. Glad you got the blog up! I look forward to following :D
ReplyDeleteChello!
ReplyDeleteVery articulate.
Also, by pulling what you want from various additions, you are playing like we did back in the late 70s, early 80s as kids when there was the white box ("old" or original D&D, the Holmes edition, AD&D, and Moldvey B/X D&D. We use modules, rules, classes, concepts for whatever rule set we wanted at the time.
We even crossed games at times! I remember there was a period when we used the critical table from SPI's Dragonquest in our games.
Well, have fun. All of my kids play now, but I am still firmly in the DM's chair. :)
Great first post!
ReplyDeleteJust a clarification: options aren't lacking from the old editions - they're just undefined. Ultimately, this "lack" of specific options just means that you can do whatever you and your players like, often with more freedom than systems that do define them. (This sounds exactly like the way you're currently approaching the game, so I suppose this is all semantics. :P)
Welcome aboard - can't wait to read more. :D
The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules. - Gary Gygx
ReplyDeleteAll credit that he is due, every game master makes their own game.
I couldn't agree more Red :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome post. I recently got back into RPG's with Swords and Wizardry and love its back to basics approach. I have another friend who runs a 4th ed game and the rules alone scared me...
ReplyDeleteI will go one further and say that the advent of computer gaming means that tabletop roleplaying should be *more* about social interaction, improvisation and the kind of things you can't get from even the most detailed combat simulation.
ReplyDelete"I love creating intense stories that pull in character emotions and reactions. Building worlds that are culturally interesting with diverse and rich histories is like my DM crack. And most of the time the rules just don't fit the bill."
ReplyDeleteI really think the quality of the game is more dependent on the quality of the DM and the players. It doesn't matter if you play 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3.5 or 4th edition. I have no idea how this idea sprang up that 4th edition is this allpowerful mighty rules system that destroys any attempts at roleplaying or creating a rich, story-based game. That's giving WOTC rather more power than I think they really have ;p
Ive just found your blog thru Scott's one. This sentence seems especially interesting, I hope we can read more about it later:
ReplyDelete"I love creating intense stories that pull in character emotions and reactions."