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[Roadrunner7671]

I'm shocked that I couldn't find a thread for D&D, but I'm making one now. So, does anyone play? Or DM? What generation do you play? Do you have any tips? Any monsters in particular you like to see? Certain classes/races you like to be? Thoughts on NPCs joining the party?

Personally, I am a Dungeon Master who suffers from something (that I'm sure is common) where I just think I'm doing literally everything wrong because I've never had the chance to see a session with a Veteran DM in action. I play a modified version of 5th generation where I made the weapons, armor and shields easier for new players to understand. I currently have what I think is a great plot, but I won't spill the beans unless people actually play.

[A Drowned Kernel]

I've played a variety of games and systems, most of the groups I've played with tend to focus more on roleplaying than on strictly following the mechanics, though it varies from group to group and even from session to session. I've spent a lot of time playing Pathfinder but I'm not sure I would call that my favorite system.

My philosophy when it comes to DMing/GMing is that if your group is having fun then you're succeeding, and if you or group is not having fun then you are doing something wrong. The thing you might be doing wrong is playing with those particular people, but there isn't a right or wrong way to run a game, there's what works for you and your group.

That said, running a game is a skill, and the best way to improve it is to practice it.

[Kuildeous]

I do D&D. It's not my favorite game, but it's fun enough that I get involved. I started D&D in 1985.

I play in a couple of Pathfinder campaigns right now, which is like D&D v3.75. I had a friend running a 5E game, and we got as high as 3rd level before interest petered out. The GM was notorious for being flighty, so we weren't surprised that it didn't last. I ran some 13th Age, which is another derivative of D&D.

I recently wrote and ran a 5E scenario called Familiar Faces. The premise is that you are a familiar to a powerful wizard, and your wizard is in trouble. It's a little kitschy in that you roleplay a rat or a toad or a snake, but it's gotten some good feedback. If you're interested in running a one-shot and don't mind something a little silly and really loose with the rules, I could send you a copy.

I do like how 5E simplified a lot of things from 3E. Pathfinder did the same thing but in a different way. Pathfinder is a continuation of 3E, while 5E redefined quite a bit. 

[A Drowned Kernel]

Also some advice on writing games/playing characters:

Don't be afraid of cliches. It can be tempting to try and write the Most Original Story/Character Ever, but the story and the characters should serve the purpose of the game and of people having fun.

[XerxesPraelor]

I've done quite a bit of D&D, but I ended up disliking it because of the way nobody besides me took it at all seriously, instead just going around taking everyone's stuff whenever they wanted it and killing everyone they found annoying. (and then still saying they were true neutral?!?) I still have a ton of its mechanics stuck in my head, though, and I thought the system was amazing at creating flavor, especially when the DM is feeling generous with interpretation. Our first campaign had the awesome moment where my high-level character, designated to the mass-scale offense department, destroyed an army of skeletal trolls by use of an army of flaming ice ents.

[A Drowned Kernel]

I've done quite a bit of D&D, but I ended up disliking it because of the way nobody besides me took it at all seriously, instead just going around taking everyone's stuff whenever they wanted it and killing everyone they found annoying. (and then still saying they were true neutral?!?)

I've been there. Believe me, the groups that I've played in that fell apart due to player differences far outnumbers the groups that have stuck together for significant lengths of time.

[LastFootnote]

When 4th edition came out and was basically a tabletop MMO, I made the switch to Pathfinder and never looked back. No regrets there.

Right now I'm running two weekly Pathfinder games and playing in another one. I'm also playing in a weekly Deadlands campaign over Skype.

[Kuildeous]

There will always be the immature powergamer who makes PCs live up to the name "murderhobo." And yeah, they'll justify it with some alignment bullshit, which is yet another reason I don't use alignment in my games.

You have to choose your players carefully, and that's assuming you even have much of a choice. Some players are just in a sparse area and can only play with others who have an XP-gaining mentality.

Speaking of which, I prefer my D&D without experience points. It seems such a foreign concept, but it works really well in games with experience levels (so don't try this with GURPS). The GM decides that the story has reached a point where the PCs are now 4th level or whatever. Such a ploy means that there is no in-game benefit to murdering everything you meet. There is still loot motivation, so it doesn't always quell the bloodlust. But I like playing characters that can find other solutions.

[enfynet]

I created a character to use when I was 12, and haven't ever played. I like the creativity involved, but can't get myself to actually sit down with people that play.

[LaLight]

I've played twice in my life, and i don't really see into subject, but it was a quite an amazing experience, i'd rather repeat it if there'll be some thread for newbies!

[Donald X.]

I played D&D when it was just the three little books. I got Basic D&D when it came out, and AD&D when it came out. It didn't all come out at once. First there was just the Monster Manual. Man. That sounds like it can't be true, but it is.

No-one played AD&D by the rules, because they were awful. We tried, man. The books were great as thesauri though; you need a list of gems, why of course, it's right here. And have we got your synonyms for "wizard."

I was almost always DM. It's fun, you spend hours making maps and thinking how cool they are, and then in the game itself you control everything and act out all the NPC's.

[Kuildeous]

RPGs were a great way to expand your vocabulary. I still remember as a young 'un learning words like dexterity and charisma. Then, being the insufferable little snot I was back then, I would taunt other kids by saying they didn't have either. Getting into Vampire taught me words like alacrity and puissance.

And then there's probability.

[Witherweaver]

I'm shocked that I couldn't find a thread for D&D, but I'm making one now. So, does anyone play? Or DM? What generation do you play? Do you have any tips? Any monsters in particular you like to see? Certain classes/races you like to be? Thoughts on NPCs joining the party?

Personally, I am a Dungeon Master who suffers from something (that I'm sure is common) where I just think I'm doing literally everything wrong because I've never had the chance to see a session with a Veteran DM in action. I play a modified version of 5th generation where I made the weapons, armor and shields easier for new players to understand. I currently have what I think is a great plot, but I won't spill the beans unless people actually play.

Have you tried introducing a Scout NPC?

[Witherweaver]

RPGs were a great way to expand your vocabulary. I still remember as a young 'un learning words like dexterity and charisma. Then, being the insufferable little snot I was back then, I would taunt other kids by saying they didn't have either. Getting into Vampire taught me words like alacrity and puissance.

And then there's probability.

I recently had to explain to people what a revenant was.  They kept saying, 'why not just call it zombie?' and I kept trying to explain that 'zombie' and 'revenant' would come from different mythologies and etymologies.  Though I probably have Final Fantasy games to thank for introducing me to 'revenant', specifically. 

[Awaclus]

Personally, I am a Dungeon Master who suffers from something (that I'm sure is common) where I just think I'm doing literally everything wrong because I've never had the chance to see a session with a Veteran DM in action.

You're doing something wrong if nobody is having fun. As long as at least you are having fun, you're doing everything right.

I've only ever played BRP based TTRPGs, though.

[Witherweaver]

[Roadrunner7671]

Personally, I am a Dungeon Master who suffers from something (that I'm sure is common) where I just think I'm doing literally everything wrong because I've never had the chance to see a session with a Veteran DM in action.

You're doing something wrong if nobody is having fun. As long as at least you are having fun, you're doing everything right.

I've only ever played BRP based TTRPGs, though.

People are having fun, but I don't think a veteran would as it would be uncharted waters for them.

[LibraryAdventurer]

I've played some DND (mostly 3.5 and Pathfinder). I really like all the creativity and role playing fun to be had with it, but I haven't done much of that in a couple years for two reasons: 1) My RPGing friends keep wanting to try out new settings & systems (Star Wars, Firefly, Fallout, DC superheroes, etc, etc), play them for like 2-3 sessions and then on to the next one*. I really prefer the classic fantasy setting and sticking with the same setting for awhile. and 2) Time.
I've tried out GMing, but that takes even more time. Also me being really absent minded makes it hard to be a good GM. Once I forgot that a certain NPC was not present at the scene, and nobody realized the mistake until most of the scene was played out. So it turned out this nice ogre girl who was helping the PCs had a secret talent of being in two places at once.

(*Fortunately, that is a slight exaggeration.)

[Kuildeous]

Bwahaha. I saw someone on a Pathfinder group compare the D&D systems. He said 3.5 was good, 4.0 was simply bad, and 5.0 was a miniatures game and not really an RPG.

I may have to break it to him that the one 5E campaign I played in used no miniatures. Meanwhile, every single Pathfinder and D&D 3.x game I played used miniatures. The one time I tried to run 3E without a battle mat we had to stop and pull out a battle mat because it was too difficult determining which of the PCs were in the AoE of the Cone of Cold. Not to mention they were mostly rogues, so it was important to determine flanking.

I mean, I get version bashing, and that's fine if someone doesn't like 5E, but at least don't like it for real reasons.

[A Ladder]

Speaking of which, I prefer my D&D without experience points. It seems such a foreign concept, but it works really well in games with experience levels (so don't try this with GURPS).

Did someone say GURPS!?!?!?  Man, that is my go-to gaming system of all systems.

Back to D&D: My GM's always ran their games essentially sans experience points. They just gave us whatever they felt like challenges were worth, not based on the amount of monsters we killed. So we always leveled up when the GM wanted us to. But it was fun to count up how much EXP we got at the end of a session.

As to GURPS: I love how PCs grow organically overtime with the constant inflow of character points.

I'm shocked that I couldn't find a thread for D&D, but I'm making one now. So, does anyone play? Or DM? What generation do you play? Do you have any tips? Any monsters in particular you like to see? Certain classes/races you like to be? Thoughts on NPCs joining the party?

I played tons of 3.5 back in the day and got my feet wet with 5th a little bit ago.
As to NPCs: When I GM I let my players hire anyone they want to shell out money for. This typically ends up being a "healer" of some kind as no one wants to play the party medic.

[Kuildeous]

Heh, just got brought into a Hells Rebels Pathfinder game last night. I heard they were lacking some hitting power, so I decided to make a beat-stick. It's been a while since I made one of those in any game system. My most recent ones have been social and trap rogue, flamboyant wizard, an earthy priest, and a duplicitous courtier. So making a high HP/high attack character was a fun detraction.

It makes me appreciate Traits in Pathfinder more. One problem with D&D 3.x (into which I lump Pathfinder) is that the skills you're told you can be good at are determined by class. My beat-stick is a bloodrager, which is a hybrid of barbarian and sorcerer. But she's also a noblewoman, so having social skills makes perfect sense. Fortunately, I could justify taking traits that made Diplomacy and Bluff class skills, so she's much more well-rounded than your typical barbarian.

I think this is where 5E really improved the system. You can literally take any skill that is reasonable for your background. Your cleric was also a circus performer? Hey, you can be good at acrobatics! Your fighter was a bodyguard for a wizard? Hey, you can know arcana!

I also like how 5E encouraged fleshing out the character with personality traits. Too many people in prior editions rely on just alignment to determine their personality. Sorry, there are more than 9 types of people. I like to flesh out my character a little better.