Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
I appreciate your explanation.?
And you are correct in that I did not adequately express concern. All I can say in my defense is that it¡¯s not the DM¡¯s job to make sure players get along. The players are all adults and need to be able to get along themselves. I sincerely apologize for not making that clear at the start.
As for Mada, I tried multiple times to negotiate with Silver regarding Mada¡¯s racism. I suggested Trolls, Goblins, or any other race outside of legal playable character races. She refused. I explained that she could still use Mada if she could figure out a way to make it work. She refused. She put the burden on the rest of the group, then got upset when they couldn¡¯t solve her problem for her. I¡¯ve started multiple times that each player is responsible for their individual characters. Silver couldn¡¯t figure out how to make a racist character work. I do not apologize for not being accommodating. The DM is not responsible for making characters get along. Each player has agency and their own free will. Silver and I discussed Mada on multiple occasions and she refused to budge. That¡¯s fine with me. I understand wanting to have a character with specific flaws. But that character would not work in this game. I explained that to her. She got upset and left the game.
When Luna expressed concern about the Manticore post coming too soon, I put it on hold and specifically said to go ahead and finish your discussions and anything else you want to do during the evening. I was very accommodating. I said take as much time as you want. I encouraged role play and conversation so the characters could get to know each other. I went out of my way to make sure she had as much time as she needed. To say I did not reach out at all is incorrect.
And finally, regarding the OOC comments, I say again, the DM is not the boss. I¡¯m just another player at the table. Silver was making jokes in OOC with the rest of the group. If something offended her, she should have said so and the group could have discussed it maturely. Instead, she cut and ran without giving the group a chance to correct its mistakes.
I genuinely feel bad that Silver and Luna and you are having a bad experience in this group. Let¡¯s work on that and make it better.
I¡¯m willing to try if you are.
/DM
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On Jun 19, 2020, at 5:08 PM, Esther <esther.lauren.77@...> wrote:
? If I need to be more specific.. it has been a whole accumulation of little signs that you were not really caring.? That the fact that you should care may have even been outside your perception.? It was in not advising Art against rolling a half-orc character when you knew that it would completely screw up Mada's background, even though you had approved Mada for Silver before Art even joined the group.? It was in not reaching out at all when Luna was clearly distressed by the posting jumping across several timeframes and locations, which is legitimately a problem for a player that values role playing immersion where causality is important to understand character actions.? It was in not saying anything about sarcasm or brusqueness in the OOC after it had become clear that it was making people uncomfortable,?and a few concerns that were raised in?earnest were taken and run with as if they were jokes. Even if you were not going to take their side on every issue, I think you could have made it so much better if you had at least reached out and responded to emerging concerns to?show the?group that you were listening, taking the?things that mattered to them seriously, and ready to make at least a minimal effort to smooth things out.? An understanding word, a pat on the back.. a "you matter", which you may have noticed from recent developments is really important for a lot of groups of people,?including women, that have too much of both historical evidence and personal experience of being treated as if we, and the things we value, don't and won't matter unless we keep struggling for it. They are not coming back now, and some of the things you are saying now really are appreciated, but too little, too late.
I feel bad for you too, because I completely believe it was not even malice on your part that made things go this wrong, just.. a succession of things that were more important than what you saw them?as, not handled very?well.
Hugs,?? Esther
On Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 10:16 PM Esther via <esther.lauren.77= [email protected]> wrote: > What is it that you want that I¡¯m not giving you? I¡¯ve asked several times for Player input. What am I missing?
At the risk of this sounding like a joke.. what you are missing and can't give me right now is Silver Flame and Luna.
I need?players with the same vision and love of writing and role play for me to interact with.? And the reason you lost them, would be that you did not pick up the reign of the game when there was friction and it stopped feeling like a safe, harassment free environment for them.? It pains me to say, under some other circumstances I could have shrugged it off and played on, keeping to myself that it hurt -- but now if I stay, I would feel like an enabler for what drove them away, weakening the meaning of their walkout, and that taints the?rest of the experience for me. You are a friendly, easy-going and permissive DM, and in so many ways that is good, but when that means not acting against a new group dynamic that is hurtful, possibly not even noticing or acknowledging that it is happening, then players that do not feel comfortable anymore, or that feel that their?play style is apparently not appreciated enough to safeguard, will leave.
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
If I need to be more specific.. it has been a whole accumulation of little signs that you were not really caring.? That the fact that you should care may have even been outside your perception.? It was in not advising Art against rolling a half-orc character when you knew that it would completely screw up Mada's background, even though you had approved Mada for Silver before Art even joined the group.? It was in not reaching out at all when Luna was clearly distressed by the posting jumping across several timeframes and locations, which is legitimately a problem for a player that values role playing immersion where causality is important to understand character actions.? It was in not saying anything about sarcasm or brusqueness in the OOC after it had become clear that it was making people uncomfortable,?and a few concerns that were raised in?earnest were taken and run with as if they were jokes. Even if you were not going to take their side on every issue, I think you could have made it so much better if you had at least reached out and responded to emerging concerns to?show the?group that you were listening, taking the?things that mattered to them seriously, and ready to make at least a minimal effort to smooth things out.? An understanding word, a pat on the back.. a "you matter", which you may have noticed from recent developments is really important for a lot of groups of people,?including women, that have too much of both historical evidence and personal experience of being treated as if we, and the things we value, don't and won't matter unless we keep struggling for it. They are not coming back now, and some of the things you are saying now really are appreciated, but too little, too late.
I feel bad for you too, because I completely believe it was not even malice on your part that made things go this wrong, just.. a succession of things that were more important than what you saw them?as, not handled very?well.
Hugs,?? Esther
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On Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 10:16 PM Esther via <esther.lauren.77= [email protected]> wrote: > What is it that you want that I¡¯m not giving you? I¡¯ve asked several times for Player input. What am I missing?
At the risk of this sounding like a joke.. what you are missing and can't give me right now is Silver Flame and Luna.
I need?players with the same vision and love of writing and role play for me to interact with.? And the reason you lost them, would be that you did not pick up the reign of the game when there was friction and it stopped feeling like a safe, harassment free environment for them.? It pains me to say, under some other circumstances I could have shrugged it off and played on, keeping to myself that it hurt -- but now if I stay, I would feel like an enabler for what drove them away, weakening the meaning of their walkout, and that taints the?rest of the experience for me. You are a friendly, easy-going and permissive DM, and in so many ways that is good, but when that means not acting against a new group dynamic that is hurtful, possibly not even noticing or acknowledging that it is happening, then players that do not feel comfortable anymore, or that feel that their?play style is apparently not appreciated enough to safeguard, will leave.
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
> What is it that you want that I¡¯m not giving you? I¡¯ve asked several times for Player input. What am I missing?
At the risk of this sounding like a joke.. what you are missing and can't give me right now is Silver Flame and Luna.
I need?players with the same vision and love of writing and role play for me to interact with.? And the reason you lost them, would be that you did not pick up the reign of the game when there was friction and it stopped feeling like a safe, harassment free environment for them.? It pains me to say, under some other circumstances I could have shrugged it off and played on, keeping to myself that it hurt -- but now if I stay, I would feel like an enabler for what drove them away, weakening the meaning of their walkout, and that taints the?rest of the experience for me. You are a friendly, easy-going and permissive DM, and in so many ways that is good, but when that means not acting against a new group dynamic that is hurtful, possibly not even noticing or acknowledging that it is happening, then players that do not feel comfortable anymore, or that feel that their?play style is apparently not appreciated enough to safeguard, will leave.
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
@Esther-
I guess I don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s been overlooked/not addressed? I¡¯ve not said anything bad about long roleplay posts. I feel like I¡¯ve been encouraging character interactions even though it¡¯s not the DM¡¯s responsibility to do so.
What is it that you want that I¡¯m not giving you? I¡¯ve asked several times for Player input. What am I missing?
And please note, I¡¯m expressing genuine concern here. I¡¯m not upset or angry. Just confused. Could you please help me learn what I¡¯m missing? ?
Thanks!
/DM
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On Jun 19, 2020, at 2:37 PM, Esther <esther.lauren.77@...> wrote:
? Aren't you forgetting a departing character?? In Anrah's case it is going to be a little more difficult to justify?because she had just declared as a knight to see Brother Ashley safely to Myth Drannor, so unless he asks her to go with the others, it would be out of character for her to immediately walk out on him.
And yes, Anrah is a departing character I'm afraid.? I did say you had a chance to change my mind, but I am honestly just not seeing you take seriously the various concerns that the three of us have shared with you before you posted that, and if anything this is making me feel unheard even with regard to our issue with not being heard in the first place.? This was not a situation where the issue could be glossed over and it taken for granted that I would give it another chance anyway.
We invest a lot of time, energy, love and care into crafting characters meant for a roleplay heavy setting, and for that style it is very unrewarding and even creatively numbing/damaging to play in an environment where posts can be one-liners, and where there have even been some hurtful snarky comments about us liking long role playing scenes and producing so much content (e.g. "epic bath scenes").
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
Aren't you forgetting a departing character?? In Anrah's case it is going to be a little more difficult to justify?because she had just declared as a knight to see Brother Ashley safely to Myth Drannor, so unless he asks her to go with the others, it would be out of character for her to immediately walk out on him.
And yes, Anrah is a departing character I'm afraid.? I did say you had a chance to change my mind, but I am honestly just not seeing you take seriously the various concerns that the three of us have shared with you before you posted that, and if anything this is making me feel unheard even with regard to our issue with not being heard in the first place.? This was not a situation where the issue could be glossed over and it taken for granted that I would give it another chance anyway.
We invest a lot of time, energy, love and care into crafting characters meant for a roleplay heavy setting, and for that style it is very unrewarding and even creatively numbing/damaging to play in an environment where posts can be one-liners, and where there have even been some hurtful snarky comments about us liking long role playing scenes and producing so much content (e.g. "epic bath scenes").
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
Ah, I guess the Manticore won't be getting a hefty tripple kill vs our group then ? that would of been pretty epic.
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On Fri, Jun 19, 2020, 1:44 PM Infinitum3D (Dungeon Master) < infinitum3d@...> wrote:
DM/ OOC- re: Departing Characters
If anyone is interested, after the Manticore battle it will be revealed that, shortly after people went to bed Raina received a messenger dove from her circle requesting her presence back at the Grandfather Tree as soon as possible. Beslen (having an attraction to her) and Lilmyra (having a loyalty to her) left with her.
Also since Raina has wanted a wolf companion since day 1, I¡¯m going to say a young wolf from the Orc village took a liking to her and went off after her.
That should wrap up the departing characters. I don¡¯t know if Silver will ever read that, but I want her to be happy and to know there are no hard feelings on my part.
/DM ? Fair weather, Art!? ?No vacation trips on the horizon here yet,?but having a lot of stay-at-home good times. ^_^
On Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 4:47 PM Arthur Picard < artamy1@...> wrote:
I¡¯m camping until Sunday evening and won¡¯t be able to post.
?
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
DM/ OOC- re: Departing Characters
If anyone is interested, after the Manticore battle it will be revealed that, shortly after people went to bed Raina received a messenger dove from her circle requesting her presence back at the Grandfather Tree as soon as possible. Beslen (having an attraction to her) and Lilmyra (having a loyalty to her) left with her.
Also since Raina has wanted a wolf companion since day 1, I¡¯m going to say a young wolf from the Orc village took a liking to her and went off after her.
That should wrap up the departing characters. I don¡¯t know if Silver will ever read that, but I want her to be happy and to know there are no hard feelings on my part.
/DM
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On Jun 19, 2020, at 11:06 AM, Esther <esther.lauren.77@...> wrote:
? Fair weather, Art!? ?No vacation trips on the horizon here yet,?but having a lot of stay-at-home good times. ^_^
On Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 4:47 PM Arthur Picard < artamy1@...> wrote:
I¡¯m camping until Sunday evening and won¡¯t be able to post.
?
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
P.S. Um.. Infinitum, no offense, but you are kind of not helping your case to keep me on board here by not even remembering what I am playing.? Anrah is a Rogue with the Inquisitive subclass. ^_^No offense taken! It¡¯s quite hard to offend me. ??
And I genuinely hope that my comments/opinion don¡¯t offend anyone. I think honesty in our expectations is very important to make the game fun for all.
I also think compromise is important. We should all have parts of the game that we enjoy and parts that we accept because we know that the others enjoy it. That¡¯s life ?
My open request is that people tell us when they¡¯re bored or ready to move on. Put up with the part that doesn¡¯t interest you for a bit, knowing that your time will come soon.
The reason I opened up the Manticore scene early was because I was hoping to keep everyone active. I¡¯ve seen that work in some games. Unfortunately it didn¡¯t work here. Some people became overwhelmed. I accept that and don¡¯t mean anything negative toward them for it. We all have different levels of acceptability. I can roll with anything. Very little bothers me so I¡¯m open and willing to follow the lead of the group.
I apologize for not remembering her class. She¡¯s too new to me. Once she does some roguish stuff I¡¯d have remembered. I¡¯ll never forget it now. ?
/DM
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On Jun 19, 2020, at 11:06 AM, Esther <esther.lauren.77@...> wrote:
? Fair weather, Art!? ?No vacation trips on the horizon here yet,?but having a lot of stay-at-home good times. ^_^
On Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 4:47 PM Arthur Picard < artamy1@...> wrote:
I¡¯m camping until Sunday evening and won¡¯t be able to post.
?
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
Fair weather, Art!? ?No vacation trips on the horizon here yet,?but having a lot of stay-at-home good times. ^_^
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On Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 4:47 PM Arthur Picard < artamy1@...> wrote:
I¡¯m camping until Sunday evening and won¡¯t be able to post.
?
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
I am not gone yet, and I will stay for this discussion (and you may yet change my mind).? But it will take showing me convincingly how you are going to reconcile two styles of play so diametrically opposed.? My own point list and Art's statement could not express more different definitions of what part of D&D is the fun part, and I do not begrudge anyone their own style of fun, but trying to be all things to all people is usually not a philosophy that leads to either getting done well.
I am fully on board with everyone here that we should try to make this game fun for all, and unlike Silver and Luna I am not upset or angry or hurt -- just realistic that my view right now may be the most incompatible one after everyone that shared it has left,?and it would be easier to give this game a sense of direction if I withdrew my requirements too.? But that would mean withdrawing my participation as well because I would rather not play a game as a chore, an obligation because I took on the commitment, instead of for fun?
Hugs,??
Esther
P.S. Um.. Infinitum, no offense, but you are kind of not helping your case to keep me on board here by not even remembering what I am playing.? Anrah is a Rogue with the Inquisitive subclass. ^_^
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
I¡¯m camping until Sunday evening and won¡¯t be able to post.
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On Friday, June 19, 2020, 10:32 AM, Tabby (Forever Running) <tabbythetabaxi@...> wrote: And after making those very hurtful comments, Esther is going to be leaving as well. That will leave us with three players.
Once the battle is over, we could always snag a few new people to join. I had already picked my two favorite players from a previous PBEM, so I guess we'll try strangers. Unless anyone else knows somebody that would want to join.
Anrah the female Lythari Elf (class?)
And Bre¡¯tah, the female Orc ranger NPC
As I understand it, the current plot is that the group is traveling to Myth Drannor with a brief stop for Tabby to visit Leafcutter¡¯s auntie. There is a Manticore attacking the Blue Moss Village. Is there anything else right now? Is there anything else you want?
Keep talking. Tell me more ?
Thanks! /DM
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And after making those very hurtful comments, Esther is going to be leaving as well. That will leave us with three players.
Once the battle is over, we could always snag a few new people to join. I had already picked my two favorite players from a previous PBEM, so I guess we'll try strangers. Unless anyone else knows somebody that would want to join.
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Anrah the female Lythari Elf (class?)
And Bre¡¯tah, the female Orc ranger NPC
As I understand it, the current plot is that the group is traveling to Myth Drannor with a brief stop for Tabby to visit Leafcutter¡¯s auntie. There is a Manticore attacking the Blue Moss Village. Is there anything else right now? Is there anything else you want?
Keep talking. Tell me more ?
Thanks! /DM
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
I feel like people leaving instead of trying to work the kinks out kind of goes against what DnD is all about. At least for me, a large part of the game is about making a commitment to the group and growing together to learn each other's personalities and behaviors and becoming a team. Being a team to play the game and make memories like the one Tabby just referenced in her email. I truly think that this is a platform that can support any play style and cater to any player and provide what the player is looking for. I honestly don't know why the two of them left but a commitment to me means sticking it out and not just bailing because you can easily do it. I feel as though people these days forget what commitment really means and that makes me sad in a way.
Who's ever around for the next journey down a long road will hear North's flute to the tune of something that sounds like "Cloud of Unknowing" by Gorillaz.
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...
Well, I hate to say it, but with Luna having left just now as well, that leaves me alone in hoping to have an experience of strong, elaborate writing around rich backgrounds and character interaction.? With none of the strong writers from before left now to bounce my own posts against, I do not think I am going to enjoy this campaign as what I?thought I?was joining, so.. really sorry, I will be unsubscribing as well shortly.? No hard feelings, I just think that what you and I require the game to be in order for us to have fun, are just incompatible things and it will not make?it better for anyone trying to force it to be both somehow.? I think it could have gone either way, but since those that shared my views seem to have chosen to walk out already, it makes sense that I go and leave you free to have a more action based adventure.
All the best,?? Esther
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
DM/ OOC- re: clarification
Great comments gang. In response, I¡¯d like to say that Tabby sounds the most like me. As a player, I like the exploration part the best. I want to seek out things and see what¡¯s around that corner. I too played Morrowind for years, completing the worst once and then going back to just explore as a new character without any regard for the plot.
So in my games, I try to incorporate what the players want. I prefer a character driven campaign where the players tell me their goals for their characters and I just guide them to their destiny through rumors, NPCs, and minor quests. If you want to slay a dragon, I¡¯ll guide you to a dragon. If you want to rescue a princess, I¡¯ll kidnap a princess. If you want to become a King/Queen, I¡¯ll show you the path to building your empire. If you want to find treasure I¡¯ll give you a map. Tell me what you want and I¡¯ll find a way for you to get it.
This game will have combat but that¡¯s not the only way to level up. I award XPs based on your posts. You can go through an entire scene/encounter/fight without drawing a sword and still level up. Rogues pick locks, climb walls, and disable traps. That¡¯s XP. Priests heal and bless and purify food and drink. That¡¯s XP. Wizards solve riddles and comprehend languages and befriend animals. That¡¯s XP. Warriors smash through doors and raise porticuli gates and hold ropes for Rogues to climb. That¡¯s XP.?
There will be combat but there¡¯s so much more to 5th edition than just swinging swords and throwing fireballs.
I think I can keep everyone happy if it¡¯s part combat, part role play, part exploration and 100% teamwork! To be honest it¡¯ll probably all overlap since you can have roleplay during combat and exploration. Is everyone happy with that? Is there anything I should add/change?
Please continue to discuss any concerns you have!!!
Sadly, both Luna and Silver have left the group. That leaves; Tabby the female Tabaxi monk Ashley the male Human cleric North the male Gnome wizard? Sweet William the male Half-Orc barbarian Anrah the female Lythari Elf (class?)
And Bre¡¯tah, the female Orc ranger NPC
As I understand it, the current plot is that the group is traveling to Myth Drannor with a brief stop for Tabby to visit Leafcutter¡¯s auntie. There is a Manticore attacking the Blue Moss Village. Is there anything else right now? Is there anything else you want?
Keep talking. Tell me more ?
Thanks! /DM
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On Jun 19, 2020, at 9:27 AM, Tabby (Forever Running) <tabbythetabaxi@...> wrote:
? I agree with both of you...I do like -some- combat and a healthy dose of character building. And lots of exploration. Creepy old castles...Creaky graveyards and vast forests. Some of the best times I've had with CRPGS were due to just checking out the sights. I was playing Morrowind years ago and came upon a dark cave.? There wasn't a single monster inside, just lots and lots of spooky tunnels. At the end, there was an underground lake, and in the middle was a dead body. And since adventurers love to steal from the dead, I wandered over to check it out. There wasn't anything of value on the guy, so when I turned to leave I saw something sparkling in the water. Gold? A magic ring? Nope! It was the ghost of the dead adventurer who slowly rose from the water. Scared the hell out of me. Jumped off my chair. I didn't even fight the ghost, I just ran from the cave like a little baby.
Don't have any issues with the rules. I just like seeing my characters grow in these things. How experience changes them. Sometimes not for the better!
On Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 9:07 AM Arthur Picard < artamy1@...> wrote:
I am exactly the opposite. I like action, combat and dungeon crawl with a minimum of character interaction. I like powerful bad guys that we can only defeat by working together . I also appreciate humor. On Friday, June 19, 2020, 8:52 AM, Esther <esther.lauren.77@...> wrote:
- I understand that the DM is at heart just a player with a different role, but I do expect a few more things than what was laid out in point 5.? While I do not expect babysitting, the DM in effect chairs the session and that means?that when player is giving off signals that they are really troubled and not having fun at the table anymore, the DM should take an active interventionist role and not wait and see.? It is everyone's duty to make sure everyone is having fun, but when that is not working out it should be the DM who says, "Wait.. let's hold the session here and step back for a moment and address what is going wrong here."
- A big dose of humor will?always?be welcome in my games.
- I prefer my games to be a lot of role playing and as little combat / dungeon crawl / war gaming as possible.? I understand that the way D&D 5e is designed, combat encounters are inevitable as the system's whole experience?earning and level raising mechanics are very much centered on combat, but there is an implicit meta assumption hiding there that the sole goal of the game would be to rise in level.? To me it is not, because the character becoming mechanically stronger (which mostly only serves the purpose of being able to handle subsequent more difficult combat encounters) is not the only kind of character development worth playing.? I would rather play a character who only goes through levels 3-5 over the course of a long story with a solid character development arc that really changes who they are through hope and regret, love and loss, mistakes and redemption, than to be racing towards level 20 with a group of characters who at level 20 are still basically the same as a person as when they were at level 1, just tougher.
- Related to previous point, I would like to see a campaign with enough downtime in which the characters can pursue whatever they like, have a life outside of being on the road or down dungeons adventuring.
- I would also prefer a campaign in which the group can call a certain area home.? The old stereotype is that all adventurers are heavily armed homeless people porting tons of treasure around for some reason as they just travel around all the time in pursuit of trouble. But I think that really narrows down what a character can hope to achieve in their lifetime.. there is not much motivation for a player to have their character familiarize themselves with the NPCs of an area, establish contacts and relationships, build a home, or anything like that while the perception is that wherever they are, they are forever only passing through.
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
No reason you can¡¯t have both, and we¡¯re not actually such awful writers. Give us a try. We might surprise you.
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On Friday, June 19, 2020, 10:00 AM, Esther <esther.lauren.77@...> wrote: ...
Well, I hate to say it, but with Luna having left just now as well, that leaves me alone in hoping to have an experience of strong, elaborate writing around rich backgrounds and character interaction.? With none of the strong writers from before left now to bounce my own posts against, I do not think I am going to enjoy this campaign as what I?thought I?was joining, so.. really sorry, I will be unsubscribing as well shortly.? No hard feelings, I just think that what you and I require the game to be in order for us to have fun, are just incompatible things and it will not make?it better for anyone trying to force it to be both somehow.? I think it could have gone either way, but since those that shared my views seem to have chosen to walk out already, it makes sense that I go and leave you free to have a more action based adventure.
All the best,?? Esther
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
...
Well, I hate to say it, but with Luna having left just now as well, that leaves me alone in hoping to have an experience of strong, elaborate writing around rich backgrounds and character interaction.? With none of the strong writers from before left now to bounce my own posts against, I do not think I am going to enjoy this campaign as what I?thought I?was joining, so.. really sorry, I will be unsubscribing as well shortly.? No hard feelings, I just think that what you and I require the game to be in order for us to have fun, are just incompatible things and it will not make?it better for anyone trying to force it to be both somehow.? I think it could have gone either way, but since those that shared my views seem to have chosen to walk out already, it makes sense that I go and leave you free to have a more action based adventure.
All the best,?? Esther
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
I agree with both of you...I do like -some- combat and a healthy dose of character building. And lots of exploration. Creepy old castles...Creaky graveyards and vast forests. Some of the best times I've had with CRPGS were due to just checking out the sights. I was playing Morrowind years ago and came upon a dark cave.? There wasn't a single monster inside, just lots and lots of spooky tunnels. At the end, there was an underground lake, and in the middle was a dead body. And since adventurers love to steal from the dead, I wandered over to check it out. There wasn't anything of value on the guy, so when I turned to leave I saw something sparkling in the water. Gold? A magic ring? Nope! It was the ghost of the dead adventurer who slowly rose from the water. Scared the hell out of me. Jumped off my chair. I didn't even fight the ghost, I just ran from the cave like a little baby.
Don't have any issues with the rules. I just like seeing my characters grow in these things. How experience changes them. Sometimes not for the better!
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On Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 9:07 AM Arthur Picard < artamy1@...> wrote:
I am exactly the opposite. I like action, combat and dungeon crawl with a minimum of character interaction. I like powerful bad guys that we can only defeat by working together . I also appreciate humor. On Friday, June 19, 2020, 8:52 AM, Esther <esther.lauren.77@...> wrote:
- I understand that the DM is at heart just a player with a different role, but I do expect a few more things than what was laid out in point 5.? While I do not expect babysitting, the DM in effect chairs the session and that means?that when player is giving off signals that they are really troubled and not having fun at the table anymore, the DM should take an active interventionist role and not wait and see.? It is everyone's duty to make sure everyone is having fun, but when that is not working out it should be the DM who says, "Wait.. let's hold the session here and step back for a moment and address what is going wrong here."
- A big dose of humor will?always?be welcome in my games.
- I prefer my games to be a lot of role playing and as little combat / dungeon crawl / war gaming as possible.? I understand that the way D&D 5e is designed, combat encounters are inevitable as the system's whole experience?earning and level raising mechanics are very much centered on combat, but there is an implicit meta assumption hiding there that the sole goal of the game would be to rise in level.? To me it is not, because the character becoming mechanically stronger (which mostly only serves the purpose of being able to handle subsequent more difficult combat encounters) is not the only kind of character development worth playing.? I would rather play a character who only goes through levels 3-5 over the course of a long story with a solid character development arc that really changes who they are through hope and regret, love and loss, mistakes and redemption, than to be racing towards level 20 with a group of characters who at level 20 are still basically the same as a person as when they were at level 1, just tougher.
- Related to previous point, I would like to see a campaign with enough downtime in which the characters can pursue whatever they like, have a life outside of being on the road or down dungeons adventuring.
- I would also prefer a campaign in which the group can call a certain area home.? The old stereotype is that all adventurers are heavily armed homeless people porting tons of treasure around for some reason as they just travel around all the time in pursuit of trouble. But I think that really narrows down what a character can hope to achieve in their lifetime.. there is not much motivation for a player to have their character familiarize themselves with the NPCs of an area, establish contacts and relationships, build a home, or anything like that while the perception is that wherever they are, they are forever only passing through.
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
The house rules sound fine to me and are no different from many other games I¡¯ve played in:
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On Friday, June 19, 2020, 9:07 AM, Arthur Picard <artamy1@...> wrote:
I am exactly the opposite. I like action, combat and dungeon crawl with a minimum of character interaction. I like powerful bad guys that we can only defeat by working together . I also appreciate humor. On Friday, June 19, 2020, 8:52 AM, Esther <esther.lauren.77@...> wrote:
- I understand that the DM is at heart just a player with a different role, but I do expect a few more things than what was laid out in point 5.? While I do not expect babysitting, the DM in effect chairs the session and that means?that when player is giving off signals that they are really troubled and not having fun at the table anymore, the DM should take an active interventionist role and not wait and see.? It is everyone's duty to make sure everyone is having fun, but when that is not working out it should be the DM who says, "Wait.. let's hold the session here and step back for a moment and address what is going wrong here."
- A big dose of humor will?always?be welcome in my games.
- I prefer my games to be a lot of role playing and as little combat / dungeon crawl / war gaming as possible.? I understand that the way D&D 5e is designed, combat encounters are inevitable as the system's whole experience?earning and level raising mechanics are very much centered on combat, but there is an implicit meta assumption hiding there that the sole goal of the game would be to rise in level.? To me it is not, because the character becoming mechanically stronger (which mostly only serves the purpose of being able to handle subsequent more difficult combat encounters) is not the only kind of character development worth playing.? I would rather play a character who only goes through levels 3-5 over the course of a long story with a solid character development arc that really changes who they are through hope and regret, love and loss, mistakes and redemption, than to be racing towards level 20 with a group of characters who at level 20 are still basically the same as a person as when they were at level 1, just tougher.
- Related to previous point, I would like to see a campaign with enough downtime in which the characters can pursue whatever they like, have a life outside of being on the road or down dungeons adventuring.
- I would also prefer a campaign in which the group can call a certain area home.? The old stereotype is that all adventurers are heavily armed homeless people porting tons of treasure around for some reason as they just travel around all the time in pursuit of trouble. But I think that really narrows down what a character can hope to achieve in their lifetime.. there is not much motivation for a player to have their character familiarize themselves with the NPCs of an area, establish contacts and relationships, build a home, or anything like that while the perception is that wherever they are, they are forever only passing through.
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
I am exactly the opposite. I like action, combat and dungeon crawl with a minimum of character interaction. I like powerful bad guys that we can only defeat by working together . I also appreciate humor.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Friday, June 19, 2020, 8:52 AM, Esther <esther.lauren.77@...> wrote:
- I understand that the DM is at heart just a player with a different role, but I do expect a few more things than what was laid out in point 5.? While I do not expect babysitting, the DM in effect chairs the session and that means?that when player is giving off signals that they are really troubled and not having fun at the table anymore, the DM should take an active interventionist role and not wait and see.? It is everyone's duty to make sure everyone is having fun, but when that is not working out it should be the DM who says, "Wait.. let's hold the session here and step back for a moment and address what is going wrong here."
- A big dose of humor will?always?be welcome in my games.
- I prefer my games to be a lot of role playing and as little combat / dungeon crawl / war gaming as possible.? I understand that the way D&D 5e is designed, combat encounters are inevitable as the system's whole experience?earning and level raising mechanics are very much centered on combat, but there is an implicit meta assumption hiding there that the sole goal of the game would be to rise in level.? To me it is not, because the character becoming mechanically stronger (which mostly only serves the purpose of being able to handle subsequent more difficult combat encounters) is not the only kind of character development worth playing.? I would rather play a character who only goes through levels 3-5 over the course of a long story with a solid character development arc that really changes who they are through hope and regret, love and loss, mistakes and redemption, than to be racing towards level 20 with a group of characters who at level 20 are still basically the same as a person as when they were at level 1, just tougher.
- Related to previous point, I would like to see a campaign with enough downtime in which the characters can pursue whatever they like, have a life outside of being on the road or down dungeons adventuring.
- I would also prefer a campaign in which the group can call a certain area home.? The old stereotype is that all adventurers are heavily armed homeless people porting tons of treasure around for some reason as they just travel around all the time in pursuit of trouble. But I think that really narrows down what a character can hope to achieve in their lifetime.. there is not much motivation for a player to have their character familiarize themselves with the NPCs of an area, establish contacts and relationships, build a home, or anything like that while the perception is that wherever they are, they are forever only passing through.
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Re: DaleOfShadows Clarifications
- I understand that the DM is at heart just a player with a different role, but I do expect a few more things than what was laid out in point 5.? While I do not expect babysitting, the DM in effect chairs the session and that means?that when player is giving off signals that they are really troubled and not having fun at the table anymore, the DM should take an active interventionist role and not wait and see.? It is everyone's duty to make sure everyone is having fun, but when that is not working out it should be the DM who says, "Wait.. let's hold the session here and step back for a moment and address what is going wrong here."
- A big dose of humor will?always?be welcome in my games.
- I prefer my games to be a lot of role playing and as little combat / dungeon crawl / war gaming as possible.? I understand that the way D&D 5e is designed, combat encounters are inevitable as the system's whole experience?earning and level raising mechanics are very much centered on combat, but there is an implicit meta assumption hiding there that the sole goal of the game would be to rise in level.? To me it is not, because the character becoming mechanically stronger (which mostly only serves the purpose of being able to handle subsequent more difficult combat encounters) is not the only kind of character development worth playing.? I would rather play a character who only goes through levels 3-5 over the course of a long story with a solid character development arc that really changes who they are through hope and regret, love and loss, mistakes and redemption, than to be racing towards level 20 with a group of characters who at level 20 are still basically the same as a person as when they were at level 1, just tougher.
- Related to previous point, I would like to see a campaign with enough downtime in which the characters can pursue whatever they like, have a life outside of being on the road or down dungeons adventuring.
- I would also prefer a campaign in which the group can call a certain area home.? The old stereotype is that all adventurers are heavily armed homeless people porting tons of treasure around for some reason as they just travel around all the time in pursuit of trouble. But I think that really narrows down what a character can hope to achieve in their lifetime.. there is not much motivation for a player to have their character familiarize themselves with the NPCs of an area, establish contacts and relationships, build a home, or anything like that while the perception is that wherever they are, they are forever only passing through.
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