D&D

[Reaperbryan]

Sometimes it's easy to blame the system. I also think you are glossing over a bit of the past. There were PLENTY of powergamers and Monty Haul campaigns back then (these aren't new labels),

That is true.

 

While D20 may have made certain new types of Munchkinism more accessible, and even invented new ways to Munchkin, D20 didn't invent Munchkinism.

 

Let's face it, Every system is breakable/Munchkinable. You think you couldn't Munchkin under 2nd Ed AD&D? Try Chicken Levelling. In 2nd ed., a monster was wortha flat amount of XP. Thus, a first level fighter gained 100 xp per goblin, and a 20th level fighter got 100 xp per goblin. A Chicken was worth 10xp. It was possible to go to a farm, kill all the chickens, and level up.

 

You think Vampire (The system everyone touts as being More about the Role-play than the Roll-play) wasn't Munchkinable? Ask the guy who took the "Mislocated Heart" drawback and then filled his chest cavity with 2 glass vials - with reactive chemicals so that if he was staked, the stake would shatter the vials and cause an explosion.

 

Anything can be munchkinned. Your challenge as GM is to find a way to make the game fun and challenging in spite of the dumbarses.

[matsumoto]

Munchkins i can deal with.

 

WotC turning DnD into WH40K is the deal i have.

 

fourth edition is due out in the next two years. didja know they plan on making a new edition...reguardless...in a cycle that puts another edition in '12? that puts only 5-6 years between fourth and fifth...

 

better spaceing than inbred GW though, which only needs 3-4 years to commit incest upon its brainchild.

 

(cancha jus feel the luvvv! )

[matsumoto]

that, and i love the old flavor. though very slick, it has not the rich atmosphere of the old products, and seems more, moderized....as opposed to a game that really feels like medeival fantasy.

 

thus, my DnD days are behind me...*sniffle'*

[Lars Porsenna]

If you can confirm that Wotc is going to put out 4e in the next 2 years, please link the article. Otherwise that's just speculation...

 

There's nothing on this good, green earth that would make me WANT to go back to .5e (OD&D), 1e or 2e. Nothing. Flavor is one of those things that can be divorced from the rules, and added back when you want. Case-in-point: we play in a Greyhawk campaign, which in many ways is "old school." But in other ways it isn't. I don't think I'd really want to play in a campaign where the adventure involves killing black dragons in a 10'x10' room with a small tiny door. Some of the old campaign play sounded a lot like "go to point A, kill everything, take the treasure, level up." Not my cup o' tea.

 

Damon.

[Reaperbryan]

I did 3 Google searches and found no Press Releases about any Pending 4e release. Upcoming products show none either.

 

A lot of Webbies are saying there will be one very soon, but It may be as much smoke and fearanoia.

[Java Fiend]

d20? What's that?

 

I and my friends still play AD&D, with Players Handbooks that have the big orange idol on the cover.

[Run Amuck]

I don't get the problem people have with power gamers. When the dragon is down to 10 hit points, just put a "1" in front of the 10. Problem solved.

 

I let my players make powerful characters. Having weak characters is not usually fun. I, as a DM, can ALWAYS make a monster that can clean the PC's clock.

[Hexxenhammer]

Hmph...

 

The above post is me. That's what my brother gets for not logging out of his account when he's on our parent's computer.

[Spike]

The things that truly stand out in my experience playing D&D aren't any particularly glorious dragonslayings or any certain high-level feats or treasures gained.

 

I am lucky to belong to a group of very imaginative (and often strange) people who put alot of thought into character development, and by that I don't mean levelling-up. Having a good character backstory and being consistant in how that character interacts with the others is what makes the game work, and therefore the best games are more like theatre. A good GM can take the normal "in the grey box" text and turn it into their own narrative to improve the game even more. Ideally, the players should be able to forget about dice and stats and simply enjoy themselves and the other players.

[Lars Porsenna]

Hmph...

 

The above post is me. That's what my brother gets for not logging out of his account when he's on our parent's computer.

I'm dissappointed...you could have had SO MUCH MORE FUN than this...

 

Damon.

[lstormhammer]

My 'new' campaign is running DnD '3.25' (3.0 and 3.5 rules that we decided we liked) and it's first level. The great part is that chargen (pronounced 'Kahr-Jen') takes 10 minutes, and you can menace someone with a knife-wielding cultist who has an AC of 12.

 

Sometimes, it's good to get back to the basics. Kobolds and copper pieces.

 

--LSH

[Sivrel]

Hmmm an rpg with more room for role playing rather than power gaming sounds like loads of fun to play. Though I tend to be a little timid at the table.

[twjolson]

Another way to alter player actions is through XP awards and penalties. To help encourage backstory and imagination in character making, the DM would give out an xp bonus if you wrote down your characters history. You would go even further and require it, depending on how much of an iron handed DM you are. Another popluar way was to award good roleplaying moments, and penalize bad role playing.

[haldir]

Ask the guy who took the "Mislocated Heart" drawback and then filled his chest cavity with 2 glass vials - with reactive chemicals so that if he was staked, the stake would shatter the vials and cause an explosion.

I like that idea!!!

 

Randy M a Dm with no group to game with for over 5 years or so

[Hendercrazy]

I've DMed quite a few power players over the years... and some of the best solutions I've found are these:

 

• Since they're the obvious power mongers of the party... throw more monsters, traps, magic and situational things at that character specifically. They will quickly find that being the power hungry person isn't so attractive when they're constantly getting overwhelmed. Power play attracts a lot of attention/damage and they can be made aware of it without pulling them off to the side for a talk.

 

• Gear your adventures where thinking, problem solving and other crafty things are the focus instead of slaughtering anything and everything in sight. This really drives the power people crazy. Eventually they get tired and bored and eventually either design a new character or quit gaming with the group.

 

• If there's certain magic, psionics, weapons, feats or whatever that are disturbing and disrupting your campaigns from being enjoyable for everyone... put limits and house rules in place that subdue it's encouragement. If you're not a house rule kind of DM and like to strictly play by the book... then have something happen that alters the character, weapon, magic or whatever.

 

• A really creative DM will constantly find ways to put the characters in tough situations giving each character a chance to shine towards the way they like to play their characters. Make sure you counter balance that too with situations they're helpless in. Eventually, it will change a players attitude and viewpoint to where they enjoy more than being the best at everything. Where the players themselves actually grow (and open up) to more role play.

 

• If you still have a persistent power player that still shreds, dices and abuses everything about the game with no regard for the others... then they probably aren't the kind of player you should have in your campaign and kindly ask them to leave the game.

 

Needless to say... I've used them all. ;)