Dungeon and Dragon players

Post Reply New Topic

My first RPG was D&D 3.0, tried it at the start of college. Was hooked on pen & paper RPGs immediately, tons of fun when you put in some story, character, and drama into it. Branched out from there to different rpg's, usually ones with that were more story-oriented, rather than a tactical action focus like D&D. My room mates and friends all joined in for many different games over the years, and it never ever got old.

I got to try 4th edition briefly. We all had our reservations, but after trying it out, I think it's better. Things are more streamlined, which I had feared would be a detriment, but it turned out to be a good thing. D&D is a very simple game, as RPGs go, so it makes sense that it should be further refined as a simple, easy to pick up RPG, good for newbies, and good for fast action.

Although the 'roles' (tank, controller, striker, etc) were a bit jarring, it really does make sense - characters tended to fall into those duties before, even if it was unspoken, or we didn't call them that. I also appreciate how it served to focus each player's attention on their specific over-lying goals within the team. D&D was always very tactical, and by clarifying in this way, it becomes a little bit more like a 'sport,' for lack of a better description. The vagaries and ambiguities and pretenses are washed away. I don't normally want that in my RPG's, as I love the story, drama, characters, possibilities, etc, but in D&D's case, I find it to be a well-fitting niche. If I wanted a story-oriented RPG, I'll play something else. If I want tactical fantasy action, it's D&D, baby. So although it's a sorta drastic change in perspective, I think it's for the better. It allows the D&D system to focus on what it's good at, and not bother so much with what it's not so good at.

I also like that, rather than risking dying to a lvl 1 orc at character creation, instead you risk dying to a horde of those orcs. Feels much more heroic. lvl 1 in prior editions, you weren't a hero; You were a chump with a sword. Well, no longer!

That said, most my time has been spent with more story oriented RPG's. I've tried dozens of different settings and systems with my friends, but the one that keeps sucking us back is EXALTED. Exalted is incredible. Few settings are so epic and ripe with possibility. And who doesn't want to play a crazy, sexy, cool demigod with earth-shattering kung-fu that could save or destroy the entire world..... at char-gen?
Unfortunately, system-wise, it's the direct opposite of D&D. Crazy complex and cumbersome, wrought with subtle problems that are hard to pick up on at first. But the character customization..... It absolutely pees all over D&D on that front. After having made and played many characters for Exalted, you won't see me crying about the removal of multi-classing in D&D. It's silly by comparison.

I no longer play RPGs with my friends, we've gone in our different directions. But since Google Wave, I've picked up Exalted again. Wave is a great tool, works better than instant messengers, or messageboard.

Some day I'd like to have another good, long campaign of D&D 4. If I get the chance I'd like to finally try my hand at DMing it.

D&D with porn stars. >Link
Very entertaining!

I'm a beginner and I have yet to get a player's guide, but I have the quickstart set, Keep on The Shadowfell, and Seekers of the Ashen Crown. I play 4E, but I sort of understand 3.5E because there was a game on PSP that I once had called DnD Tactics, and it was just an abridged videogame version of 3.5E

I have played AD&D, 2nd, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0. Of them all, 3.5 strikes me as the strongest system.

However, my gaming group has moved almost entirely to diceless role play, generally grounded in the World of Darkness and Mage settings. (Though we have a Geist game going at the moment that is pretty phenomenal).

Generally speaking, the fewer dice that are involved, the more I enjoy the game.

Because people were some high astronomical level, and I was like a level 1, dwarf-sheriff armed with a rusty blunderbus I couldn't contribute meaningfully to a campaign. So I basically kept on having to suicide my character just for the lulz. While the other guys were having Dragon Ball like super hero battles throwing each other into walls, and having unlimited mana, and stuff. I think my dwarf reincarnated into a Ogre chick, another dwarf and some other things. Until my idiot friend took all my brothers DD books and sold them when he went bust no wait there was my castles book. He used that as a PLATE with like ragu food stains on the cover. Gahhh!

I only wound up part of two campaigns but never finished them because of different reasons. Be it classes or the DM wound up cancelling it, I really haven't had much luck in learning the tactics.

On the other hand, it's a rarity for me to go on the DDO thing I have because I feel that I am ill prepared with my equip. I only have a laptop, which is difficult to maneuver and causes me to need rescued or to find myself in a tavern over hitting the wrong button.

sigh I miss table top gaming.. im getting my fix at the moment with a baldurs gate run through. im an old school player..

D&D, 1st ed, 2nd ed. rifts, tmnt, heroes unlimited, shadowrun, cyberpunk, gurps, paranoia.

as for the devil worshiping stuff.. well you are going to get some unstable people going nuts with stuff, but then again if it wasnt this it would just be something else. i still remember being in grade 7 and being told the choose your own adventure book would lead me to hell

Hey, don't want to sound weird, but I came up with a setting, even though I don't actually play the game. It basically sets you as teenagers rebelling against a government owned by supposed "moral guardians" that outlawed role-playing(since they thought it occult), use of the internet(since they thought it was a most wretched hive), nudity and sex in media(this ones obvious), and generally made using "foul" language a crime.

If you haven't gotten this, there is a hidden joke that is based around anyone who has the old "D&D is satanic and evil" syndrome. Do you like the idea?

The D&D animated series on DVD comes with a booklet to play the game as the teenagers from the television show. That show is pretty satanic in my opinion too.

No you idiot. It is suppose to be a "take that" on those type of people. God are you stupid. I know smarter thirteen year olds then you.

I've never really played the game; I just like the show. Here's an episode with Satan in it where he tries to take over the realm. I also thought that "satanic" view about D&D wasn't true until I re-watched the old cartoon series a bit. You sure seem over-eager to run your mouth when you've probably never even seen a single episode of it.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLa3Gw5HnpU[/youtube]

I'm not talking about the old 1980s cartoon series. It looks like something only little kids watch to me.

No, I'm talking about the actual game. Get a grip on what I mean.

I ran a seven-year campaign with the same four players back in the 1980s. The "Portals of Torsh" by the Judges Guild featured heavily, and pre-dated "Stargate-SG1" by at least ten years. We used 1st and 2nd editions only. For the last five years, I wrote all of the adventures. Half of the players were graduates of a local Bible college, and the rest were either physics students or pre-med.

Best time I ever had outside of the bedroom.

Played quite a bit as a young lad.

OP: As you've probably already seen, preferences and opinions abound. At this point, my only preference: stop when people aren't having fun anymore.

Played second edition, never understood Thaco. 3 and 3.5 were confusing, although I was unable to do much with it before 4 came out. In comparison, I think 4 is a bit more cleaned up and easier to understand than 3.5. Although it has lost a few things in the transfer. Like how the dragons have changed.
Heard they were coming out with a new version in the relative future. Wonder what that will be like. Any thoughts?

THAC0 means "To Hit Armor Class 0". If it takes 15 for you to hit something that has AC 0, then it would take 14 to hit AC 1, 13 to hit AC 2, 12 to hit AC 3 ... and 4 to hit AC 20. This is under the 1st and 2nd edition rules, where AC 20 had the weakest armor, and as the numbers became smaller or more negative, the armor became stronger.

Everything became too complicated and theatrical after 3.0 came out; it was as if the rules had been written to create complex multi-page video-game characters, and not simple one-page RPG characters instead.