I loved reskinning monsters. Players go "oh it's just a goblin." Goblin then launches breath weapon attack and party loses their minds. What is it? How do we kill it? How do we stop it killing us? Keeping players off balance is a perverse delight of mine.
“….the joy of actually earning them will be well worth the wait.”
Earning these things has been lost, not just in the discovery of the secrets of the setting, but within the power of the game itself. Players in so many modern games begin as superheroes where death is barely a risk. They earn nothing. Show up, roll your d20, collect your XP, see ya next week. So when you didn't earn it, it doesn't have any impact or any meaning. It becomes shallow. Meanwhile, I remember the very first time I had a character make it all the way to 3rd level. It FELT like something I earned. A real accomplishment. And the fact that this event happened almost 40 years ago speaks to the impact of earning your place, your power, in a campaign world and as a player.
I miss D&D feeling dangerous and unknown. It feels like there’s way too much meta knowledge now, and like I’m constantly chasing the high of that first goblin encounter in the dark.
It's a playstyle thing. There are definitely some folks still out there dedicated to telling a good story and not necessarily just "winning" the game. We're all winning when it's a harrowing story with a bunch of peril, not six galaxy brains min maxing. Although that CAN be fun too, the first is definitely my preference
I’m lucky enough to have four regular games. One of the groups I’m in is comprised of combat vets with varying degrees of PTSD. I DMed for the group for a while, but had to give that up, because there are a couple of the guys who can’t handle even little setbacks. They’re good guys and I still play in the group, but it’s clear that they’re not interested in there being any stakes at all. I’m much happier with games where I need to keep a backup character on hand.
yeah. I feel that. Which is why its a good idea to mix things up, change things around, keep players guessing.. BUT always be upfront about it before starting the campaign.
I loved reskinning monsters. Players go "oh it's just a goblin." Goblin then launches breath weapon attack and party loses their minds. What is it? How do we kill it? How do we stop it killing us? Keeping players off balance is a perverse delight of mine.
“….the joy of actually earning them will be well worth the wait.”
Earning these things has been lost, not just in the discovery of the secrets of the setting, but within the power of the game itself. Players in so many modern games begin as superheroes where death is barely a risk. They earn nothing. Show up, roll your d20, collect your XP, see ya next week. So when you didn't earn it, it doesn't have any impact or any meaning. It becomes shallow. Meanwhile, I remember the very first time I had a character make it all the way to 3rd level. It FELT like something I earned. A real accomplishment. And the fact that this event happened almost 40 years ago speaks to the impact of earning your place, your power, in a campaign world and as a player.
Great article. I think it can be a little tricky to leave things a mystery in solo play, but it can be done.
Yeah good point.. I will say as a solo player it has taught me a lot about character vs player knowledge
I miss D&D feeling dangerous and unknown. It feels like there’s way too much meta knowledge now, and like I’m constantly chasing the high of that first goblin encounter in the dark.
It's a playstyle thing. There are definitely some folks still out there dedicated to telling a good story and not necessarily just "winning" the game. We're all winning when it's a harrowing story with a bunch of peril, not six galaxy brains min maxing. Although that CAN be fun too, the first is definitely my preference
I’m lucky enough to have four regular games. One of the groups I’m in is comprised of combat vets with varying degrees of PTSD. I DMed for the group for a while, but had to give that up, because there are a couple of the guys who can’t handle even little setbacks. They’re good guys and I still play in the group, but it’s clear that they’re not interested in there being any stakes at all. I’m much happier with games where I need to keep a backup character on hand.
yeah. I feel that. Which is why its a good idea to mix things up, change things around, keep players guessing.. BUT always be upfront about it before starting the campaign.