Difficulty - Basic Information [Archive] - Wizards Community

Difficulty - Basic Information [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Titan W
03-23-06, 10:59 PM I'm about to enter a campaign with some simple rules that seemed alright; Core and complete line only ((What the DM owns)) and also 24 point buy (So we are weaker than an average warrior overall) This wasn't the problem.

When I asked the DM simple questions about the game like "Will this game center on combat or character interaction" he gave a non-answer.

"Will this campaign be adjusted for our abilities being lower or will we be forced to play low-key for several levels?" response: "You aren't getting any encounter information"

"Things like basic geography, and general info would be great..." reply "Background will develop as you go along"

In addition only 1 person will probably have group input with their character so we don't even know what each other are...

I really don't know what to do, it's like walking into a room blind, and I might even be weaker than the average guards...

I want to play in this game, maybe (I don't even know enough to decide that, but I know this guy as a friend, but only briefly has he DMed and he didn't do this sort of thing last time) but I don't even know how to approach this (I don't even get to know the king's name or what country we are in, not even the name of the town!)

I was wondering:
How would you handle this?
Would you even bother playing?
What kind of character would you make? (It's pretty specified because of the point buy, be good at one thing or worse than a guard at several...)
Mitchell
03-23-06, 11:28 PM Roll with it, make what you want, and see what happens.
Maybe they plan on enlightening you once everyone gets together. If you feel the need, force their hand. make something with some knowledge: Local and ask who the king is. What's the DC of that? 2? :)
I know I always encourage people to play what they want to, even though I wish some of my players would expand their horizons somewhat, but the perfect party is overrated, imo. The DM can compensate for a great deal if they want to.
Anyway, if worse comes to worse you can always quit. Is that so much worse than not even starting?
Freedom
03-24-06, 11:19 AM I've had a DM do this once before. It was frustrating even more because he said to not even bother buying equipment. I was a more than a little skeptical and ready to be frsutrated with the game, but as it turned out he had a well thought out campaign idea and once we started everything made sense and fell into place.

I'd advise just to roll with it and hope that he's got a plan.
Leach
03-24-06, 12:32 PM Ask the DM is there's a good reason he's keeping this information from you. Assuming the answer's "yes," ask yourself if you trust him enough to roll with it.

That's really the important thing. Do you trust this guy enough to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe he actually has good reasons for it? If you do, then go ahead. If not, you may want to bring that up and ask for at least a little information, just to reassure you that he knows what he's doing.
OravennasBrother
03-24-06, 01:49 PM Perhpas teh DM envisions yuor characters as inhabitants of an isolated rural community who have NO knowledge of the world at large. If this is the case you should still know the general layout and composition of your home. I once ran a campaign where all the PC's came from a single isolated Valley and were friends from childhod. THey were forced from the valley )along with their extended tribe) and forced to explore the strange new world outside; the tech level changed from late Bronze/Very early Iron (their home valley) to late medieval/early renaissance, and they were constantly amazed by the strange customs of the new lands. Money in particular was a novel concept to them. OTOH it sounds like your DM may be thinking about the details and does not want to decide (is procrastinating) until the start of the game forces his hand.
taradusis
03-24-06, 06:10 PM A traveller adventure once started with a starship crash onto a primative planet,people who took multiple ranks of starship pilot did poorly.Other adventures start with players are shanghaid on board a pirate ship etc.I'd suggest self-suficiency and flexibility?
shadowfox628
03-24-06, 07:47 PM Actually, a 24 point buy system isn't too weak. The D20 Modern uses a 25 point buy system (IF you use the point buy system). What's the difference? You'll have to settle for a 14 instead of a 15.

He does have the right (DM Rights) to not tell you anything. However, I'm sceptic about how he didn't answer to some of your questions. A good DM should base battles on what the party has, not what he/she thinks the party should (and may not) have. Combat Vs. Role Playing? Every bit of importance. I'm used to hack-and0slash, and when I enter a mainly role-playing campain, I'm acting like I usually do (being stuck in the same city with the same objective for 10 sessions is very annoying...). But, what is really concerning is that you don't know what everyone else is playing. I usually don't think of that (I play at school and make most of the character sheets), but it is a very good idea if you coordinate everyone's characters with each other. I've seen many times of, say, too many spellcasters, too many fighters, and no clerics.

I'm more optimistic with something like this, though. See what he has in store.
Pangeon
03-24-06, 09:58 PM 24 point buy really isn't that low... I'm my campaign we use 25 point buy, it made things a lot easier from the start. As for your DM giving you information... you should have at least a general idea of what's happening in the campaign (i.e. what town you're in, recent events, why you are where you are, etc.) Your DM sounds lazy and unprepared, IMO, but I could be completely wrong, I've never met 'im.
taradusis
04-03-06, 10:45 PM So has it all made sense or was the dm just shining you on?
R2
04-04-06, 12:36 PM It sounds to me like he's the kind of DM who has a story to tell, and by gosh, those darned PCs aren't going to get in the way of it. Either that, or he can't give you the information you want because he hasn't worked it out yet.

Either way, I'd show up for the first session with a PC that I wanted to play regardless of group dynamics (preferably in a versatile class that could cover a lot of bases, like Cleric or Monk). If that first session didn't go well, I'd tell him exactly why, and if he doesn't want to change it... well, there's nobody forcing you to play his game.
Zherog
04-04-06, 01:11 PM Actually, a 24 point buy system isn't too weak. The D20 Modern uses a 25 point buy system (IF you use the point buy system). What's the difference? You'll have to settle for a 14 instead of a 15.

Going from a 14 to a 15 is actually two points, not one. ;)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Titan W 03-23-06, 10:59 PM	I'm about to enter a campaign with some simple rules that seemed alright; Core and complete line only ((What the DM owns)) and also 24 point buy (So we are weaker than an average warrior overall) This wasn't the problem. When I asked the DM simple questions about the game like "Will this game center on combat or character interaction" he gave a non-answer. "Will this campaign be adjusted for our abilities being lower or will we be forced to play low-key for several levels?" response: "You aren't getting any encounter information" "Things like basic geography, and general info would be great..." reply "Background will develop as you go along" In addition only 1 person will probably have group input with their character so we don't even know what each other are... I really don't know what to do, it's like walking into a room blind, and I might even be weaker than the average guards... I want to play in this game, maybe (I don't even know enough to decide that, but I know this guy as a friend, but only briefly has he DMed and he didn't do this sort of thing last time) but I don't even know how to approach this (I don't even get to know the king's name or what country we are in, not even the name of the town!) I was wondering: How would you handle this? Would you even bother playing? What kind of character would you make? (It's pretty specified because of the point buy, be good at one thing or worse than a guard at several...)
Mitchell 03-23-06, 11:28 PM	Roll with it, make what you want, and see what happens. Maybe they plan on enlightening you once everyone gets together. If you feel the need, force their hand. make something with some knowledge: Local and ask who the king is. What's the DC of that? 2? :) I know I always encourage people to play what they want to, even though I wish some of my players would expand their horizons somewhat, but the perfect party is overrated, imo. The DM can compensate for a great deal if they want to. Anyway, if worse comes to worse you can always quit. Is that so much worse than not even starting?
Freedom 03-24-06, 11:19 AM	I've had a DM do this once before. It was frustrating even more because he said to not even bother buying equipment. I was a more than a little skeptical and ready to be frsutrated with the game, but as it turned out he had a well thought out campaign idea and once we started everything made sense and fell into place. I'd advise just to roll with it and hope that he's got a plan.
Leach 03-24-06, 12:32 PM	Ask the DM is there's a good reason he's keeping this information from you. Assuming the answer's "yes," ask yourself if you trust him enough to roll with it. That's really the important thing. Do you trust this guy enough to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe he actually has good reasons for it? If you do, then go ahead. If not, you may want to bring that up and ask for at least a little information, just to reassure you that he knows what he's doing.
OravennasBrother 03-24-06, 01:49 PM	Perhpas teh DM envisions yuor characters as inhabitants of an isolated rural community who have NO knowledge of the world at large. If this is the case you should still know the general layout and composition of your home. I once ran a campaign where all the PC's came from a single isolated Valley and were friends from childhod. THey were forced from the valley )along with their extended tribe) and forced to explore the strange new world outside; the tech level changed from late Bronze/Very early Iron (their home valley) to late medieval/early renaissance, and they were constantly amazed by the strange customs of the new lands. Money in particular was a novel concept to them. OTOH it sounds like your DM may be thinking about the details and does not want to decide (is procrastinating) until the start of the game forces his hand.
taradusis 03-24-06, 06:10 PM	A traveller adventure once started with a starship crash onto a primative planet,people who took multiple ranks of starship pilot did poorly.Other adventures start with players are shanghaid on board a pirate ship etc.I'd suggest self-suficiency and flexibility?
shadowfox628 03-24-06, 07:47 PM	Actually, a 24 point buy system isn't too weak. The D20 Modern uses a 25 point buy system (IF you use the point buy system). What's the difference? You'll have to settle for a 14 instead of a 15. He does have the right (DM Rights) to not tell you anything. However, I'm sceptic about how he didn't answer to some of your questions. A good DM should base battles on what the party has, not what he/she thinks the party should (and may not) have. Combat Vs. Role Playing? Every bit of importance. I'm used to hack-and0slash, and when I enter a mainly role-playing campain, I'm acting like I usually do (being stuck in the same city with the same objective for 10 sessions is very annoying...). But, what is really concerning is that you don't know what everyone else is playing. I usually don't think of that (I play at school and make most of the character sheets), but it is a very good idea if you coordinate everyone's characters with each other. I've seen many times of, say, too many spellcasters, too many fighters, and no clerics. I'm more optimistic with something like this, though. See what he has in store.
Pangeon 03-24-06, 09:58 PM	24 point buy really isn't that low... I'm my campaign we use 25 point buy, it made things a lot easier from the start. As for your DM giving you information... you should have at least a general idea of what's happening in the campaign (i.e. what town you're in, recent events, why you are where you are, etc.) Your DM sounds lazy and unprepared, IMO, but I could be completely wrong, I've never met 'im.
taradusis 04-03-06, 10:45 PM	So has it all made sense or was the dm just shining you on?
R2 04-04-06, 12:36 PM	It sounds to me like he's the kind of DM who has a story to tell, and by gosh, those darned PCs aren't going to get in the way of it. Either that, or he can't give you the information you want because he hasn't worked it out yet. Either way, I'd show up for the first session with a PC that I wanted to play regardless of group dynamics (preferably in a versatile class that could cover a lot of bases, like Cleric or Monk). If that first session didn't go well, I'd tell him exactly why, and if he doesn't want to change it... well, there's nobody forcing you to play his game.
Zherog 04-04-06, 01:11 PM	Actually, a 24 point buy system isn't too weak. The D20 Modern uses a 25 point buy system (IF you use the point buy system). What's the difference? You'll have to settle for a 14 instead of a 15. Going from a 14 to a 15 is actually two points, not one. ;)